Research Question Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Question - Research Paper Example Even though relationships between mothers and their children serve as a relevant source of support and protection even if they are not of the best quality, parents are not the only people who support children and help them deal with difficult life situations. Relationships between siblings and children are extremely important in the early childhood because children cannot take care after themselves and their parents ask siblings to help them by staying with the child for some short period of time. In the middle childhood siblings mediate conflicts in family relationships and become the source of protection for children. Gass, Jenkins and Dunn say that relationships between children and siblings become even more protective when there is a conflict in the marriage or parents make a decision to divorce. Overall, the article provides a deep insight into relationships between children and their relatives confirming the thesis that their relationships are of protective nature and they matt er a lot for creating supportive climate inside the

The Case of Marquee Garments Essay Example for Free

The Case of Marquee Garments Essay Question no1: â€Å"SR has taken a risk in entering a market that is large, but offeres little flexibility in terms of price and business eenvironment†. Discuss. Entering Indian market was quite a challenge for Simon not only convincing the board but taking up the responsibility to personally assist the whole process of franchising in India was a major challenge in his career. Indian market is famous for its â€Å"value buying† behavior; and SR is a brand known for its high quality and value for money all around the world. Unfortunately in India however the tariffs and strict regulation for direct foreign investment has been major hurdle in offering low prices. Though the launch of the two franchises have been a huge success but Simon believes asking for premium prices for the products is soon going to turn this profit into long term loss. He believes that as soon as the novelty factor wears off the customers will opt back to the value for money buying behavior. Question no.2: This may be the right time to enter India. But has S R positioned its brand right? The festivities .such as Christmas and Diwali has been the best time for Smith and Robin to take over the market for increased sales. This helps their two stores’ initial stocks to be sold out in three days flat. Since while positioning the brand, it is necessary for the organization to identify a market niche for a brand, product or service utilizing traditional marketing placement strategies (i.e. price, promotion, distribution, packaging, and competition). S R is well aware of their preposterous prices, but that ultimately makes Smith and Robin a premium brand, one with aspirational trimmings. This made their direct competitors turn into the boutiques. They were also perceives as a high end value for money brand. Question no.3: Do you think the current retail environment in India is conducive for the entry of a high-profile foreign brand? If yes – why? If not, state the reasons clearly. The current retail environment in India is not conducive for the entry of a high-profile foreign brand. Indian customers are becoming more self aware and conscious of the market trends. Therefore, post modernism along side the globalization has given the Indian market an edge to their customers. Indian economy has been raising substantially due to their own products and manufacturing plants. Despite that companies such as SR enjoy a brand equity in the Indian markets, the novelty factor surrounding SR’s launch wears off. Also, since these brands have to pay high tariffs, the brands offer premium prices, which are questionable by the customers. With such brands, their franchises would not be ready to show any interest in expanding a loss-making operation. Keeping in mind all these factors, one also has to remember the existing competition. A grey market already does a thriving business in both branded products smuggled into the country, and ersatz ones.

Feminist Approaches to Social Work Essay -- Gender Roles, Sexism, Oppr

This work is going to set out to investigate the relevance of feminist approaches to social work in today’s society. It will first look at the different types of feminism that are present in society. It will then trace and highlight the emergence of feminism in society. This essay will then delve deeper into the different types of approaches that were taken on by feminists within the field of social work. It will discuss what effect these approaches had on society especially women. According to Hooks (2000) as cited in Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) â€Å"Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression†. It is necessary to explain the different types of feminism that are present in society first. Freedman (2001:5) states that there are many different strands of feminism present in society, but the three most commonly recognised are liberal feminism, Marxist feminism and radical feminism, her explanation of these are as follows. Liberal feminism is based on the idea that everyone within a state should have the same rights and women should be treated equally to men. Marxist feminism is based on the belief that women’s maltreatment is linked back to capitalism. Radical feminists believe that men’s authority over women has a connection with patriarchy. The above explanation has been a brief introduction to the different types of feminism present in society. At a later stage within in this work, it will be examined wh at effect feminism has had on social work and society as a whole. Now that the meaning of feminism has been ascertained and the different types of feminism present in society today highlighted it is necessary to examine the emergence of feminism. Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) argue that f... ...uding marriage, employment and social work agencies, to give up power (ibid: 257). It quite evident that unless there is a reduction in the power that men still hold over women in society today that feminist theory will not be accepted and recognised. Millet (1971) as cited in Slattery (2003:157) states â€Å"Patriarchy’s chief institution is the family†. For many decades the Catholic Church in Ireland held a tight reign over people in society. Both men and women conformed to what they preached. Women in society were denied their rights by the establishment of reformatories and institutions by the Catholic Church. When a woman fell pregnant and was not married she would be sent to one of these institutions. Society was only informed recently of the terrible ordeals that these women had to succumb to through the publication of many reports that were carried out.

My Teaching Philosophy :: Education

My Teaching Philosophy Being an effective teacher is very important to me. I have had many teachers that I will never choose to model, but I also have those who were so wonderful that I will always hope to become like them. Every educator I have had has affected my life in some way and helped me to develop my ever changing philosophy of education. As I begin my journey into the world of art education, I will take all of my experiences with me as learning tools for the future to help me become an effective teacher. I will achieve my goal of becoming an effective teacher and positive role model by developing my views on the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of a public education, curriculum and plans for my professional development. Taking a look at my views on the nature of students, I have come to realize many things. Children are born with a natural curiosity. They are excited by discovering new things. Every child is a blank canvas that is begging to be painted upon, desiring to be shown their world. However, a child’s learning ability relies on factors than a basic human instinct to learn. These two factors are heredity and environment. I believe in multiple intelligences and there is no standard to say one child is more intelligent than another, but due to genetics, some children naturally learn more quickly than others. This has been evident in my own life. An example is the students I observed for Education 210 were divided into groups according to their math abilities. This division was not to separate smart from unintelligent students, but to allow the students to learn at a level best for them. Each child learns at a different rate; some just catch on faster than others. I believe that environment has a much stronger effect on a students learning ability than heredity does. The child who is encouraged to learn is much more likely to succeed than one who is not encouraged.

Psalm 23

Ann Lim Essay #5 In Class Poetry/Song Analysis Psalm 23 is a well known and often recited, memorized and studied passage of the Bible. It is probably one of the most cherished and treasured Psalms of Christian Religion. Even those who once attended the Church at the young age can recognize and recall Sunday School lesson of â€Å"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. † The book of Psalm consists of total of 150 poems. It is divided into 5 books: Book I (Ps. 1-41), Book II (Ps. 42-72), Book III (Ps. 73-89), Book IV (Ps. 90-106) and Book V (Ps. 107-150).The book of Psalms is written by numerous authors including King David and Psalm 23 is written by this King who reigned and ruled the Israelites with justice, and righteousness. His name is mentioned the most in the Bible and he is the most beloved King by the Israelite Nation. This particular Psalm was probably written in David’s later life as King. In studying 1 and 2 Samuel, David was the youngest son of Jesse of Bet hlehem. Though King Saul was already reigning as the King of Israel, by the command of God, the prophet Samuel anointed David as King of Israel instead because of King Saul’s disobedience and pride.However, before David was officially recognized and put on the throne, he suffered persecution and hardship from King Saul who wanted him to be dead. Because King David has relied on the Lord his God to bring him to the place of Kingship at God’s timing, he was humble and trusting in God. According to the Bible, because he was such a character, God himself has called him a man after God’s own heart. Before he was a King, he was a shepherd himself who protected and tended his father’s sheep. The Bible also notes that he was a skillful musician.Psalm 23 has been given the title, â€Å"A psalm of David. † In this psalm, David claims himself to be a shepherd who is led by God, his shepherd. The shepherd guides, protects and comforts the sheep. Good things ar e prepared in the presence of his enemies. And because this is the kind of shepherd God is, the sheep or himself shall not want anything else. And in all of his life, goodness and love will follow him and he will dwell in the house of God. King David is addressing to himself and meditating on his God, the good shepherd.He confesses about the shepherd, his Lord who leads him, who refreshes his soul, who guides him and protects him. He then switches to addressing God directly, â€Å"You prepare a table before me/†¦You anoint my head† (Ps 23:5). When the reader reads, they are able to make the same profession of trust in God and who God is, then able to speak to God, like David himself. They are able to pray and confess the same faith and assurance. Psalm 23 is a prayer of David and his conversation with the Lord, his shepherd. Many pastors and evangelist has preached of Psalm 23.Without the help of religious experts, anyone can understand and comprehend this Psalm. This sh epherd, or David’s Lord is a good shepherd, or a leader who tends the sheep with love, care, gentleness and goodness therefore I, the shepherd lacks nothing and will dwell in the shepherds house forever. â€Å"The LORD is my shepherd† (Ps. 23:1) personifies God as a shepherd. The first stanza indicates â€Å"I† the speaker as the sheep. Humans do not â€Å"lie down in green pastures,† or needs to be led â€Å"by quiet waters† nor do they need â€Å"rod and staff† to be comforted (Ps. 3:2, 4). These actions signify the speaker as the sheep and God as the shepherd. The sheep is known to be blind, needing constant attention. They do not know how to protect themselves nor do they know how to rest because they are the most anxious and paranoid animals. The shepherd in the days of David guarded the sheep with their lives. Not only does the shepherd needs to be with the sheep at all times, shepherd often had to protect them from wild animals such a s lions, or bears even if it coasted his life. This is why they carried both the rod and staff.The rod was used for protection and staff was used for leading the sheep. By personifying humans as the sheep who is blind, always needing guidance and attention shows how helpless and needy humans are. This signifies the relationship between the men and God and their need for each other. King David shows in Psalm 23 how much himself and the children of God are in need of the Lord, the good shepherd. He is the kind of shepherd who provides, who protects, who guides from â€Å"green pastures† to the â€Å"house of God† (Ps. 3:3, 6). Those who practice Christian faith are once again reminded of God’s grace when reading this passage. They are assured once again of the Lord’s goodness and love and his good way of leading, protecting and providing for them. Psalm 23 truly reflects on the Christianity because it shows the Lord as the leader and the people as follower, like sheep and shepherd relationship revealed in this Psalm. And it is God who leads his people into His presence, or the house of the Lord.

Fly away peter Essays

Fly away peter Essays Fly away peter Paper Fly away peter Paper Essay Topic: Literature There are many pushing factors in the book fly away peter that push the main character Jim to enlist in the army and leave the sanctuary that he loves and go fight in World War I. Although there are obvious factors that push Jim into enlisting there are also many subtle parts of the book that open his mind to the option of war. Jim is mainly affected by his widening of perspective and all the small and large pushing factors are slowly widening his perspective and allowing him to move on and continue to widen his view upon the world and Jim chooses to broaden his views by enlisting. Jims first experience (in the timeline of the book) that begins to widen his perspective is his meeting with Imogen, seeing her picture of the sandpiper and listening to her explain the migration of birds they come down from the north, you know, and winter among us. In Norfolk, I mean. (pg 27 lines 1-3). This is the start of Jims broadening of perspective and it is what starts to make way for Jims experiences to push him to enlistment. The migration of birds is amazing for Jim because it reveals to him that his sanctuary is not the only place for these birds to live and that they are able to cross vast distances and make it back here on the right day at the exact same tree on the exact same branch. This information allows Jim to start thinking past the sanctuary. Shortly following Jims discovery of Imogin Jim is sent into Brisbane to collect items that Jim and Imogin need. Jim begins another experience that it truly the one that brings the idea of enlistment to the front of his head. : This experience is in the Criterion (a pub) in the ladies lounge in Brisbane where he meets a lady called Connie. Jim and Connie start talking under the pretence that Jim is leaving for war Are you joining up too? (page 39 line 8) this boosts along Jims thoughts about war. They got talking, and on the assumption that he too was off to the other side of the world and would need something to remember before he went. Jim is taken over to Connies house but while he is going over all that he can think about is the violence going on behind him. This opens Jims eyes to how the conflict at home relates to that on the other side of the world. This encounter being under the pretence of Jim going to war allows Jims mind to wonder about himself being a soldier and how this experience would be if he really was going of to war. As the book progresses is Jims experience in the air changes how he perceives the sanctuary and is a massive factor in Jims enlistment. Before the flight Jim believes he has no interest in new sights new views of things didnt interest him. (page 51 line 7) And relieves that he has a blood fear of leaving the ground. Jim already has a map in his head of the sanctuary and once he is up in the air he can see all the pieces of his map revealed and placed together. He realises that he is seeing things just as the migrating birds would see them. This fact allows him to throw off his fear of the ground and open his mind to the whole world, he starts to wonder what the bird see when they are in Europe. This experience to Jim is extremely powerful as it; shows that Jim is interested in widening his perspective and seeing new things, and allows Jim to put the Sanctuary into perspective and place an image of the whole place allowing it to become a part of his life and not his whole life as it was. This allows him to move beyond the sanctuary and onto its opposite, war. Along with Jims experiences that push him towards enlistment there is also his father that plays a factor In Jim leaving for Europe. Jim has never been intone with his father and when he talks with his dad about the war Jim makes up his mind that he would go to war. Jim always wished not to be like his father and when his dad says Id go meself. (page 56 line11) Jim knows that his father would never do this and Jim felt the ground tilting, as he had felt it that first day in Brisbane, to the place where the war was, and felt the drag upon hi f all those deaths. (page 56 lines 17-20). Jim makes the connection from this experience to his one in Brisbane (that allowed him to consider leaving). Later he was to think of that view from Berts plane as his last version of the world he knew, and of their momentarily losing sight of it when they turned to come down as the moment when he knew, quite certainly, that he would go. (page 56 lines 23-27). These lines show that Jim is able to momentarily forget about the sanctuary and relate his experience in the air to leaving the country. Jim makes his decision to leave in a single moment, it almost seems like he detaches himself from the sanctuary in that moment and allows himself to move onward. Although Jims father starts off this sequence he also starts another series that made Jim see his past and his future in one moment His father had got sentimental at the last. He had given Jim five quid and tried, as if he were still a child, to put his hand on the back of his neck, which was newly raw from the barber. It had made Jim, for a moment, see things differently, as if a line had been drawn between the past and what was to come, the two parts of his life, and he could look at all that other side clearly now that he was about to leave it. (page 58 lines 8-16). Jims father is a massive factor in Jims enlistment and all through the book Jims massive decision had only came about while his father was around. All these factor that have been mentioned are all pushing Jim to expand his view on the world and open his mind. With Imogin Jim starts to open his mind and think about the birds journey and When he leaves to Brisbane Jims perspective continues to widen and starts his thinking on over the war. The experience on the plane shows that Jim has interest in new sights and this experience allows him to move beyond the sanctuary. Finally is Jims father who allows Jim to make up his mind on going to war. This book is full of factors that widen Jims perspective and the ones I chose in this essay I believe help Jim both in obvious ways but also subtly help him make up his mind.

Crimes of Killer Cop Antoinette Frank

Crimes of Killer Cop Antoinette Frank Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is one of two women on death row in Louisiana.   On March 4, 1995, Frank was employed as a New Orleans police officer when she and accomplice Rogers Lacaze committed an armed robbery  at a restaurant and a killed New Orleans police officer and  two family members who were working at the restaurant. The motive of the murders was money. Frank interviewed with the New Orleans Police Department in January 1993. Despite that she was caught lying several times on her application and that after completing two psychiatric evaluations a firm do not hire status was recommended, the decision was made to hire her anyway. As a police officer cruising the streets of New Orleans, she came off as weak, indecisive and as some of her co-workers stated, borderline irrational. After her first six months on the force, her supervisor was close to having her return to the police academy for more training, but there was a shortage of manpower and she was needed on the streets. Instead, he teamed her up with a seasoned officer. Rogers Lacaze Roger Lacaze was a known 18-year-old  drug dealer who had been shot. Frank was the officer assigned to take his statement and a relationship between the two immediately transpired. Frank decided that she was going to help Lacaze turn his life around. However, the relationship quickly turned into a sexual one. Frank and Lacaze began spending a lot of time together and she did little to hide it from her fellow police officers or her superiors. She allowed him to ride in her police car when she was on duty and he sometimes accompanied her on calls. She would sometimes introduce him as a trainee or nephew. The Murders On March 4, 1995, Frank and Lacze showed up at the Kim Anh Vietnamese restaurant in east New Orleans, Louisiana, at 11 p.m. Frank had worked security at the restaurant and was on friendly terms with the family that owned and ran it. They would often give her food for free, even when she was not working. Fellow police officer Ronald Williams also worked security at the restaurant and was responsible for scheduling the other officers. He was there when Frank and Lacaze showed up.  Frank introduced Lacaze  as her nephew, but Williams recognized him as a thug who he had stopped on more than one occasion.   At around midnight, 24-year-old Chau Vu, who was working the restaurant with her sister and two brothers, decided it was slow enough to close. She was headed to the back to balance the money, when she noticed that the key to the restaurant was missing since the last time she had let Frank and her nephew out. She continued on to the kitchen to count money, then returned to the dining room to pay Williams who was working security that night.  Frank suddenly appeared back at the restaurant, shaking the door to come in. Sensing something was wrong, she went into the back and hid the money in the microwave, then returned to the front of the restaurant.   Earlier, after the first time the couple left, Williams told Chau Frank and her nephew were bad news. Chau had already decided that she did trust Frank after seeing her nephew, who looked like a gang member with his gold front teeth.   Chaus 18-year-old brother Quoc Vu, was talking with Williams when Frank returned. Chau shouted to him, not to let her in, but Frank came in on her own, using the missing key to open the door. As Frank walked into the restaurant, Williams approached her and confronted her about having a key, but she ignored him and continued towards the kitchen, shoving Chau and Quoc along with her. In the meantime, Lacaze, armed with a 9 mm pistol, came into the restaurant and shot Williams in the back of the head at close range, which immediately severed his spinal cord. Williams fell, paralyzed, and Lacaze shot him two more times in the head and back, killing him.He then took the officers revolver and his wallet. During the shooting, Franks attention turned to Lacaze, and Chau grabbed Quoc and an employee named Vui and they fled to the restaurants walk in- cooler, turned off the lights and hid. Chau, then Quoc carefully looked through the glass of the cooler to see what was going on. They watched as Frank and Lacaze searched frantically for the money. When they found it, they went to where Chaus older brother and sister were and forced them to their knees. The two siblings held hands and began praying and begging for their lives.   Frank shot both of them at close range with the same gun LaCaze had used to kill Williams. Then the killers began searching for the others. Assuming that they had escaped, Frank and Lacaze left the restaurant and drove away. Quoc ran to the neighbors to call 9.1.1. while  Chau stayed at the restaurant. She also called 911 but was so distraught after finding her brother and sister, and Williams dead, that she was unable to communicate clearly. Frank returned to the restaurant just seconds before the police. As Chau ran from the restaurant to a female police officer, it appeared that Frank was running after her, but she was stopped by the officers. She identified herself as a police officer and said that three masked men had escaped out the back door. Frank then approached Chau, and asked her what happened and if she was alright. Chau, in disbelief, and in broken English, asked why she would ask that, because she was there and knew what had happened. Sensing Chaus fear, the female officer pulled Chau away and told Frank not to leave. Slowly Chau was able to say what had happened. When Quoc returned to the scene, he validated what Chau had said. Frank was escorted to headquarters, after supplying the investigators with information on where she had dropped Lacaze off after leaving the restaurant after the shooting. When they were each interrogated, they pointed the finger at each other as being the trigger man. Frank finally said that she shot the younger brother and sister, but only because Lacaze had a gun to her head. They were both charged with armed robbery and murder. Death by Lethal Injection LaCaze trial was first. He tried to convince the jury that he was not at the restaurant and that Frank had acted alone. He was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. In October 1995 the jury sentenced Frank to death by lethal injection for the murders of Officer Ronald Williams and Ha and Cuong Vu. Update:  Rogers Lacaze is Granted a New Trial On July 23, 2015,  Ã‚  Judge Michael Kirby granted Rogers Lacaze a new trial because a former police officer was on the jury, which was in violation of jury rules. The juror,  Ã‚  David Settle, never revealed that he had worked for 20 years with the police.

Business Venture Essay Example

Business Venture Essay Example Business Venture Essay Business Venture Essay Current visions about your potential business venture Regina Murphy-Moore Southern New Hampshire University Operating a company is a stimulating, resourceful, and adaptable way to plan ones opportunity and come to be an entrepreneur. Apart from making a living, it is about building a new way of life. Becoming an entrepreneur takes foresight, determination, and courage. Some of the characteristics to have when becoming an entrepreneur are: Self-confidence, believing in your business venture, focus on your strengths, being a decision maker, and being leader. Self-confidence You need to have incredible self-belief. If you lack that crucial element of confidence in your mental character, then going into business is not for you. Believing in yourself is what gives you the self-confidence that you need to be a good entrepreneur. Bear in mind that many successful entrepreneurs started out with nothing or very little, apart from self-esteem and confidence. Believing in your business venture Question yourself whether you openly believe in the business you are starting interested in. If you find that you are not entirely convinced about it, you need to continue looking until you can pinpoint one that you feel you will be ready to be committed to it. TO be successful in any business venture, you will have to be attentive nearly 24 hours a day. You will have to continuously shaping it, modifying it, and designing it. Focus on your strengths People have their own strengths, as well as weaknesses. In order to be an efficient entrepreneur, you will want to identify your strengths and concentrate on them. You will be able to attain further achievement by outing your strives into the fields of your importance. For instance, if you have human management skills as a strength, you would need to control the know-how, and initiating complete use of it in the business. Being a decision maker When it is time to hire personnel, speak to shareholders, and request for credits, will have to adopt the responsibility of a leader. If you dont have the skill to lead, you will not be able to be reliable staff. As the head of your company, the people you hire will look to you for support and guidance. The ability to give the suitable encouragement and management will be the source of your merit to a great extent. Lessons learned from Jack Ma A new business owner should limit the number of business partners and always keep majority of the business. When he did a joint venture with China Telecoms, which had five board seats, and he had only ;o seats (Fanning, R. , 2009). When he tried to suggest things and would get turned down. When he selected employees he spent time telling them his vision of the company. This makes the more invested than just being employees. Making a team that has value, innovation, and vision (Fanning, R. , 2009). Not giving up, and always having hope. When selecting a name for his company, he selected a name that meant something for him and that was easy to remember for future consumers. The three reasons why he survived where, he had no money, no technology, and no plan. However, these reasons can also be negatives. When starting a new business venture those things are very important in establishing and succeed in your business.

Cognitive Psychology (in general) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cognitive Psychology (in general) - Essay Example All three aspects make up the entire learning process, and will be taken into consideration in the conceptualization of a public transport. This proposal assumes that the bus is mechanically suited for long drive, big enough to accommodate large quantity of passengers and constantly undergoes regular check-up and tune-up to answer the areas on safety of the commuters. This also assumes that the bus driver is well equipped with existing knowledge about how to drive the bus, whether it be stick shift or automatic transmission; In General, the bus should be equipped with restroom facilities; comfortable plush reclined seats; spacious overhead compartment as well as walk way; emergency exits; window blinds for privacy and shade, a good heating and cooling facilities that also changes along with the season. A distinct color scheme must be painted on the bus, using primary colors, because they are easily recognized by the iris in both gender.. The bus should also be equipped with a paging system that announces the destination and stops. The fully functioning air-condition and Television set that will provide both comfort and entertainment during long drive. It should also be equipped with signs by way of posters, indicating schedule, destinations and fare. All these, provides sensory stimulus (visual, auditory and tactile) to introduced to the brain as an information that will be interpreted analyzed and later on be organized. A Clear wide windshield; electronic adjustable side mirrors; rear view camera with monitor screen in control panel area; wide rear view mirror and color coded light illuminated speedometer and gas gauge should all contain the control panels. All of the requisites mentioned provide the chance to access all angles for excellent vertical and horizontal view, even with perepheral view. This maximizes the area for visual information acquisition thus absorbing all details for input into the brain. This will allow the brain to categorize and classify information according to order of priority while segregating the least important aspect. Once this is identified, the brain can then proceed to interpreting and analyzing the information and come up with a conclusion. In the area of attention: There should be a fixed schedule for pit stops; boarding and when to disembark; arrival time estimation and automatic fare collection system that opens only when correct fare is remitted. Because, this has already been provided thru signs, the brain will then proceed with analyzing the acquired data received through perception. The processed data will then be compiled into one structure that will represent an entire idea of riding the bus. In here the passenger will come up a mental representation of riding the bus is nice, fun and easy. It is important that indicators for critical signs on the control panel board should flash red color, as this is the primary color that is immediately perceived by the retina of the eye. This will ensure brain to recognize pattern that once disruption occurs, will immediately access reactionary measure. It is also important that all critical warning devices should sound enough to be heard to provide for an auditory stimulus that verifies visual data, in instances where the brain performs simultaneous task. Usually this will occur when the driver monitors the safety of both

Support of President Obama's Jobs Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Support of President Obama's Jobs Bill - Essay Example While touring the nation in the recent weeks, President Obama had repeatedly demanded that Congress passing the bill intact; thus, the Senate’s vote to impede the measure signified a serious setback and occurred after leaders of his own party had modified the measure to comprise surtax on revenue of not less than $1 million to summarize additional Democratic votes. Following this setback, the president condemned the Republicans fro shying away from a measure, which entailed ideas they had previously supported (DeMint 65). In a statement before the vote, the president told the Senate that the vote did not signify the end of this fight since days were coming when members of Congress will be required to take a stand about the bill after carefully analyzing the benefits it brings especially to those who are poorly paid like teachers, policemen and firefighters (DeMint 46). According to Senate Democratic aides, votes on parts of the bill could start this month, or even as early as next week; with party leaders saying that they required to consult their conclave before deciding on the timing or choosing the conditions to be reflected on separately (DeMint 38). There were a number of Democratic senators who asserted they might connect with a few Republicans in looking for job-creation proposals, which might achieve bipartisan support; this is an alarming contest in a chamber whereby comity appears to worsen weekly. On the other hand, House Republican leaders have asserted that they have no intentions of taking the president’s bill in its entirety; rather, they accept the sign from the White House, which indicates that the administration might be ready for a piecemeal effort (Kent). Eric Cantor, who is the House majority leader, as well as the Republican of Virginia, alleged that he was hoping that the president would dismiss his all-or-nothing methodology and start working with the Congress on issues of commonality, comprising of initiatives, which could uphold hiring along with economic growth. Mr. Cantor added, â€Å"We are willing to take up the things we can agree on.† This job’s bill is a combination of public works expending, as well as temporary tax cuts, whose intention are to counter what Mr. Obama refers to as an economic disaster and an emergency. Senate Democrats attempted to make the president’s bill more acceptable by attaching a surtax of 5.6 percent, beginning in 2013, on revenue in surplus of $1 million. As the Senate headed for the vote, Mr. Reid was overheard making allegations that Republicans were in opposition of the president’s jobs bill due to political reasons since they desired for the economy to continue being in poor shape. Mr. Reid claimed that Republicans thought that if the economy gets better, then this might assist President Obama, and that is why they campaign for the economy to fail by opposing every effort of improving it (DeMint 30). Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who i s the Senate Republican leader, replied in saying that Democrats had prepared this bill for failure, hoping that anyone voting against it will be perceived as a bad person; and that the exercise in its entirety is only a charade, which is meant to offer Democrats with a political edge in the forthcoming

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Analysis - Essay Example The writer also deduces that the â€Å"sublimity and intrinsic dignity that lies in the command in duty† is evident, is not subjective, and does not go against the law. The reasons provided support the thesis by providing the two sides of binary deduction in the thesis. Since the thesis averred that duty should not be derived from human characteristics but from practical unconditional necessity; the passage explains the consequences when duty is derived from the two perspectives. When it is derived from human characteristics, it results to subjective principle, but when derived from unconditional necessity of action, it bears an objective principle. This way, the reader is able to compare and contrast the outcome of the two approaches. The passages plays a significant role because the reader is able to discern that sometimes we act because of being compelled by human characteristics; however, we should act with a sense of good faith, and that is the true sense of

The Annual Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Annual Report - Research Paper Example The major audiences of the annual report are the current and the potential investors. Current investors include the shareholders of the company. On the other hand, potential investors are those individuals who may be willing to invest in the company. The sections of the annual report which are most relevant to investors are the profits that the company has made as well as its assets (Stittle, 2003). The other audiences who are likely to be interested in the annual report of the company are the suppliers. They might be interested in knowing the performance of the company so that they can assess its creditworthiness. From the financial reports, they can know whether they can extend credit to the company or not. Therefore, the most relevant sections of the annual reports to the suppliers could be the assets that the company has as well as its sales and current credit (Stittle, 2003). FedEx approach to annual reports is different from the approach taken by Apple Inc. The main difference is that the former mostly addresses it performance during the financial year in question. On the other hand, Apple Inc. addresses its projected business in the following financial

Analysis of Nursing Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analysis of Nursing Leadership - Term Paper Example Transformational leadership occurs when a leader put the interests of his employees first without overlooking the consciousness and recognition of the purpose and mission of the group. It also encompasses a leader who encourages employees to look beyond self interest but instead prioritize organizational goals. In doing so together, dedication and finely tuned capacity of the organization will lead to increased overall productivity. The so called transformational leader focuses on raising people from low level of need to, considered to be needed to survive state, to high level. They not only encourage their people to transcend their personal interests for other collective purpose, but also help them achieve a many personal needs as well. Transformational leaders are known to foster conviction, gratitude, commitment and respect amongst their followers. This calls for the leaders to perceive their followers or staff as whole people but not just as employee. This has made it possible fo r both the leaders and their followers raising each others ethics and motivations to levels which could not have been possible. Understanding of a transformational leader can be best through the outcomes. ... It is done by heightening follower’s keenness to environmental variations and challenges. For the case of a hospital, involving other stakeholders to give their mind on the services will be a better tool for gauging the success of this institution. Inspiration speeches given by transformational leaders to their followers makes them look forward to a new and better future. This needs ideological perception rather than just economical terms. This can be achieved by involving the whole staff in shaping and reshaping the hospitals strategic plan on a habitual basis. Surveillance on the staff in order to establish their needs will be advantageous to the workers as this makes them perform their duties with minimal destruction. Achievement of shared vision will be realized through coaching offered by transformational leaders. Working with a transformational leader instills sense of urgency. Collaboration need to be advocated for and self esteem be promoted. The existing environment h as to be one which is conducive for knowhow creation and sharing. Leaders who recognize their followers based on the achievement instill self confidence amongst their followers which helps in improving the overall productivity. Incorporating change into the system goes along way in encouraging hard work amongst followers or staff. This can be done through monitoring advancement, changing evaluation and prize systems, and hiring employees with an obligation of collaboration. For the case of working without a transformational leader, all the above mentioned privileges will not be enjoyed by the workers. Prospects of growth that are linked with the efforts of transformational leaders will never be achieved in their absence. The overall productivity of the

The Annual Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Annual Report - Research Paper Example The major audiences of the annual report are the current and the potential investors. Current investors include the shareholders of the company. On the other hand, potential investors are those individuals who may be willing to invest in the company. The sections of the annual report which are most relevant to investors are the profits that the company has made as well as its assets (Stittle, 2003). The other audiences who are likely to be interested in the annual report of the company are the suppliers. They might be interested in knowing the performance of the company so that they can assess its creditworthiness. From the financial reports, they can know whether they can extend credit to the company or not. Therefore, the most relevant sections of the annual reports to the suppliers could be the assets that the company has as well as its sales and current credit (Stittle, 2003). FedEx approach to annual reports is different from the approach taken by Apple Inc. The main difference is that the former mostly addresses it performance during the financial year in question. On the other hand, Apple Inc. addresses its projected business in the following financial

Definition of Dismissal Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definition of Dismissal - Literature review Example This method, however, is not included in the contract laws but it is a discovery of the judges, it is based on the principle that employees are paid wages for the work that they do therefore if they do not work they should not be paid. When the employee accepts not to work for the employer even though he has the will and potential to work, it is deemed that he has accepted the repudiation, otherwise he would have stayed at home and sued the employer for payment of wages since the contract would still be valid (Akin, 2004, p569). The provisions in the dismissal of an individual explain that an employee should only be dismissed without notice under three situations, the first one is if the employee has not completed one month since he started to work for the employer. Second is if the terms of the contract have the provisions for dismissal without notice, and the third is when an employee act in a manner that acts to betray the confidence and trust that the employer had placed in him. The notice period before a dismissal is usually written down in the contract should be a minimum of a week and in case the contract does not state the notice period the common law is applied. Common law requires that the employer should give the employee a notice of at least one week for employment period lasting from one month to two years and then one extra week for an additional year above 2 years that the employee works up to a maximum of 12weeks. However, common law can give an employee up to 12 months depending on the seniority, expertise and the length that the employee has been working for the employer. The remedies available for wrongful dismissal in of an employee include compensation in a tribunal and damages in a court of law, the employees will, however, be required to apply for the compensation within three months after they have been dismissed (Geare, 2007, p276). The employer is liable to pay the dismissed employee the loses that include his notice period including a ny benefits or pay rises that he was entitled, otherwise in the case of wrongful dismissal the employee can only sue for lost earnings and damages due to the spoiling of his reputation. For an employment relationship to be considered to exist there must be objective conditions, this means that the features that are existing in regard to the way the worker performs his duties and how he is remunerated by the employer must be put into consideration (Bird, and Charters, 2004 p212). The rights of employers and employees depend on the duration of contract where the employee performs the assigned duties by the employer in return for her wages, if the employee fails to perform the assigned duties, then he breaches the contract for employment and is therefore liable for dismissal. In Jordan, the workers are protected by the labor act that stipulates that a worker be employed either indefinitely or for a specific period, in the agreement for a specific period, the contract is deemed to have been terminated at the end of the period. However, if the employee continues to work after that period the law considers the contract to have been renewed and is considered to have been an indefinite contract from the beginning.  Ã‚  

Pest Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pest Analysis Essay Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis and describes a framework of macroenvironmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing market research and gives a certain overview of the different macroenvironmental factors that the company has to take into consideration. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. The growing importance of environmental or ecological factors in the first decade of the 21st century have given rise to green business and encouraged widespread use of an updated version of the PEST framework.   analysis systematically considers Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors. Contents * 1 History * 2 Overvier. New York: Macmillan.. , who discusses ‘ETPS’ a mnemonic for the four sectors of what he calls his taxonomy of the business environment: Economic, Technical, Political, and Social. Sometime after this initial publication, Arnold Brown for the Institute of Life Insurance reorganized it as   as a way to organise the results of his environmental scanning. Over time by academics and others in business it was modified yet again to become a so-called analysis (the Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological taxonomies).

Healthcare Industry: IT Systems

Healthcare Industry: IT Systems Healthcare services have seen several changes throughout the years to respond to changing demands of the population. The present key drivers and issues that stakeholders (patients, healthcare providers, vendors and government) in the healthcare sector face are ageing population, increased burden of chronic conditions, rising public demand/expectation for quality healthcare, fragmented and uncoordinated healthcare services and rapid advances in information technology. At present, information technology is considered a strategic necessity by world class organizations instead of just a supporting tool. To obtain a competitive advantage in an environment with intense competition, it is vital for organisations to use more sophisticated information technology tools to address the challenges of building and deploying system in the short term and the identification, research and design of future system. Information technology (IT) is rapidly becoming integrated with healthcare to improve processes and communications, support decision making, reduce inaccuracies, and improve patient safety. The advancement of medical science through the years has made possible the use of more expensive equipment and the latest technology. This will allow healthcare providers and patients to gain access to health information easily and thus has the potential to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care. As the healthcare industry is information intensive and knowledge intensive, there is also a need to publish health care information and knowledge. Healthcare systems vary from country to country but they all have a common aim that is to meet the healthcare needs of target populations. In this report, I will be focusing on healthcare IT in Singapore context. Healthcare System in Singapore Singapore has a dual health care system where individuals can choose between public and private providers. The government through Ministry of Health (MOH) manages the public healthcare system. MOH plays a major role in formulating national health policies, coordinating the improvement and planning of the public and private healthcare sectors and regulating health standards. MOHs mission is to promote good health and reduce illness, to ensure Singaporeans have access to good and affordable healthcare and to pursue medical excellence (Ministry of Health, 2007). MOHs vision is to develop the worlds most cost-effective healthcare system to keep Singaporeans good health. Delivery Structure Healthcare services in Singapore are provided by different types of providers from primary care to tertiary care and to step-down care. Primary Care Primary care includes primary medical treatment, preventive healthcare and health education (Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, 2009). In Singapore, primary health care is provided through outpatient polyclinics and private medical practitioners clinics. 80% of the services are provided by private practitioners while the remaining 20% by government polyclinics. Conveniently located in town centres all over the island, polyclinics are one stop health centres which offered services such as outpatient medical care, maternal and child care health. Secondary and Tertiary Care For the secondary and tertiary care, 80% of the hospital care being provided by the public sector and the remaining 20% by the private sector. This public sector is organised into two vertically integrated delivery networks, National Healthcare Group (NHG) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) that operate as not-for-profit private companies. Having these two groups enable more integrated and better quality healthcare services through greater cooperation and collaboration among public sector health care providers. Each cluster consists of both general hospitals that provide multi-disciplinary healthcare services and specialised hospitals in various disciplines e.g. obstetrics and gynaecology and ophthalmology. The private sector provides similar specialist disciplines and comparable facilities to the public clusters. The two main providers are Raffles Medical Group and Parkway Group Healthcare (Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, 2009). Step-Down Care Voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) provide most of the step-down care services. They run nursing homes, inpatient hospices, community hospitals and chronic sick hospitals. Four of the public acute hospitals also provide geriatric units (Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, 2009). Public Healthcare Delivery Structure One of the objectives of forming the two clusters is to facilitate integration of healthcare services at the various levels. The clusters have begun introducing measures to integrate primary healthcare at the polyclinics and secondary care at the hospitals. A Vision for 21st Century Healthcare Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) is a 10-year masterplan to help Singapore realise the potential of infocomm. The vision of iN2015 is An Intelligent Nation, a Global City, powered by Infocomm. The goal for the Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences sectors is To accelerate sectoral transformation through an infocomm-enabled personalised healthcare delivery system to achieve high quality clinical care, service excellence, cost-effectiveness and strong clinical research. (IDA, 2006) Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix to see how it will look like. Key drivers of change in Singapores healthcare sector were identified and a number of likely shifts and changes to the system were predicted (IDA, 2006). Key Drivers Shifts/Changes Ageing population of chronic conditions Focus on prevention, health promotion and wellness care Rising public expectations of healthcare services Integrated and patient-centred system of delivery Fragmented and relatively uncoordinated healthcare services Consistent widespread application of evidence-based medicine Very rapid advances in infocomm, medical science and technologies and biomedical research Greater role of members of the public in managing their own health Greater facilitation of data flows between healthcare sector and biomedical sciences Strategies and Programmes (IDA, 2006) The targeted outcome is a well-integrated quality healthcare, cost effective healthcare services and greater ability of public to manage their health. To bring about successful business change using IT, healthcare providers should ensure that IT works in performance with meaningful changes in organisational functions and processes (Rothenberg, 1995). How IT can be used? In the healthcare industry, one suite solution is not common because certain user departments will need to have more in-depth functionalities than others. A more common approach in the industry is best of breed where it attempts to give full equal weight in terms of functionalities and features to individual user departments. Some considerations for best of breed approach are: It deals with more than one vendor A need to connect or interface the different applications to provide a fully integrated solution Future upgrades issues. Therefore, there is a need to strike a balance between having too many application platforms and departmental requirements or functionalities (Online Consultant Software). IT Infrastructure for the Healthcare Industry Functional interoperability is needed in order for computers to be able to share clinical data with one another. Computers must have functions to be able to physically communicate, send and receive documents and data files, share data and information. Therefore, there is a need for integration, standards and interface engines to build the healthcare industry infrastructure. MediNet MediNet forms the backbone of medical system in Singapore (IDA, 2006). It is Singapores nationwide computer network for medical and health care community that focuses on five components (Lim, 1990): Central Claim Processing System(CCPS) processing of claims in hospital bills National Patient Master Index (NPMI) consists of patients risk factors, drug allergies and demographic data Procurement Electronic procurement of medical and surgical supplies Notification Transmission of notifications to government agencies Information Services Access to local and foreign databases MediNet links up computer systems of all participants (MOH, Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB), Government Bodies, restructured hospitals, private hospitals, general practice clinics) in the healthcare delivery system so that they will be able to communicate, exchange data and access common applications on the network (ANNEX C: FACTSHEET: Infocomm Milestones, 2006). Health Level 7 A group of healthcare computer systems users who founded the Health Level 7 organization in 1987 started developing the HL7 protocol to create that common language that allows healthcare applications to share clinical data with each another. Over time the HL7 interoperability protocol became a nationally, internationally and globally accredited standard (HL7 Singapore). Health Level Sevens domain is clinical and administrative data. Interface Engine Interface engine is a software program intended to simplify the creation and management of interfaces between separate applications and systems, either within the organization or with other affiliated organisation (McLeod CG, Inc., 2006). It carries out messaging between systems and usually handles any mapping, translation and data modification required to ensure the effective exchange of data. Examples of common interface engines used in the healthcare industry are Cloverleaf, Datagate and Openlink (MDI Solutions, 2009). Imagine in a hospital where there are different departments needing different functionalities and features, different applications might be running. It would be very complex and technically difficult to maintain separate interfaces between them. Healthcare Applications Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) The public healthcare sector uses SAP industry solution for hospital (IS-H) (SAP, 2008). It supports patient management, medical and nursing documentation, and patient accounting, and integrates these with financial accounting, controlling and materials management. The information system contains evaluations of patient and hospital data that can be used both internally and externally. It also contains a communication component that enables data transfer both within the hospital and to external parties. The picture below shows the SAP footprint in Singapore Healthcare Industry. Only Parkway Health (Private Sector) and Republic Polytechnic (for educational purpose) are not under the public healthcare sector. Source: (SAP, 2008) Case Study: Hospital Information System at St Andrews Community Hospital (InfoComm Singapore Portal, 2008) St Andrews Community Hospital was relocated in April 2005 to a larger premise in Simei. The change in hospital and care processes was the drive to upgrade the Hospital Information System (HIS) at St Andrews Community Hospital from its manual administrative system and record stock which require tedious work to a more efficient way to process information by technology. The project team were focused on being user-centric rather than IT-centric in the choice of an HIS. User departments were pro-active and committed during the pre-selection brainstorming and consultancy and during the implementation stages of the new system. The VESALIUS, a complete HIS provided NovaHealth which covers front-end modules such as Appointments, Registrations, ADT and billing and ancillary support modules such as Pharmacy, Medical Records, back-end Inventory and integration to the Financial System. The benefits of the system are: Assisting management to track costs down to the minute details Increasing efficiency as manual and administrative work are being minimised Enabling links to the MOHs Elderly and Continuing Care system for online submission of information to receive government subsidies; and the CCPS for automated submission for Medisave claims Serving as a check and balance for inventory audit and reducing waste. As a result, there is no need for Pharmacy staff to spend time physically checking stock levels when transferring items from the various stores in St Andrews Community Hospital. Having a lean and efficient team complemented by the HIS, paperwork is also minimised. An Integrated Electronic Medical Database Electronic medical record (EMR) stores patients medical information through IT to enable sharing across healthcare institutions (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004). It can be made more secure through appropriate IT access and security safeguards. The MOH holds the vision of One Singaporean, One Family Physician, One Medical Record to improve long term care. EMR provides medical staff involved in patient treatment with quick and accurate access to patients essential medical information (Yong, 2007). The integrated patient database system was thus vital in Singapore as there is a need to get the right information to the right people especially in an industry where a second could mean a difference between a life and death situation. EMR Adoption Model The EMR Adoption Model is devised by HIMSS Analytics to track the progress of hospitals towards creating a paperless patient record system. It is based on an eight-stage scale which starts at zero (HIMSS Analytics). The EMR Adoption Model Structure ensures all application capabilities must be operational before that stage can be achieved as it sets a foundation for subsequent stages. Refer to Figure 2 in Appendix for the EMR Adoption Model. Electronic Medical Record Exchange (EMRX) EMRX is an initiative by MOH and the two public healthcare clusters (SingHealth NHG) to share electronic medical record across all public hospitals and polyclinics in Singapore. The EMRX will have the following information (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004): Discharge summary which summarises recent hospitalization records including the treatment received and clinical course; Operation reports and laboratory results, including radiology images and scanned medical records Medicines prescribed with drug allergy history It was launched in April 2004 to focus on the improvement of patient care outcomes. It is a pragmatic and incremental implementation where SingHealth and NHG first developed the key systems within selected institutions and then replicate in other institution within the cluster and eventually across clusters and where practical with the private sector. The benefits of EMRX are (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004): Better coordinated care for patients moving across different providers and improved levels of healthcare delivery. Better clinical decisions, with access to complete and legible clinical histories, and updated test results at the providers fingertips. Reduce the risks of transcription errors and missing records. Save cost through the avoidance of unnecessary repeat tests and investigations Better distribution of care Facilitation and follow up of other IT based applications such electronic prescriptions and clinical decision support systems Potential for 24 hour access to real-time data for up to date results reporting Provision for data security and audit features to be built into the system. Current EMRX Implementation The aim of the clusters is to implement the EMR in all institutions within each cluster incrementally. SingHealth and NHG manage their clusters EMR independently. SingHealth started using an EMR system in SGH in year 2000. The main application SingHealth has used to develop its EMR system is iSOFTs iClinical Manager Solution (E-HEALTH-MEDIA LTD, 2004). Similarly, the National Healthcare group has also started using EMR systems in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National University Hospital. EMRX was developed to enable secure cross-cluster exchange of patient information. This is to ensure that a patients record can be retrieved regardless where he or she seeks treatment. EMRX was later extended to healthcare partners, providing a central capability for effortless movement or records across the public healthcare clusters, community hospitals and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), facilitating care delivery. SAF Electronic Medical Records The SAF healthcare system is centred on the SAF EMR system which is known as Patient Care Enhancement System 2 (PACES 2). It has clinical data repository, administrative function for manpower and logistics and also has the feature for research or analysis (Wong, 2009). The system connects all SAF medical centres across Singapore to allow for online and real time medical info retrieval and simultaneous viewing. Figure 3 in Appendix shows how it is connected. NHG Polyclinic Bukit Batok Polyclinic was the first to adopt the electronic medical records system. With paperless medical records, patients medical records can now be retrieved while diagnoses are entered into the system (Hoe, 2009). This move is part of MOH vision of integrating services between the healthcare providers. Benefits to Patients: Enhanced safety as there is a reduced patient risk through improved legibility of orders. Reduced waiting times due to the improved process Better care coordination and disease management through sharing of medical records Benefits to the polyclinic: Quality: Continuous improvement of quality care and patient service through error monitoring and elimination of unnecessary procedures Productivity: Saving time and effort that would otherwise be spent on correcting lost and illegible orders. Furthermore, there is no longer need to go to the records office, retrieve the physical paper records and bring it up to either the doctors or nurses room which can take up to 20 minutes or half an hour. Access: More readily available information and data of patients for healthcare professionals to make faster critical decisions Future Outlook National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) The next phase of electronic health record is moving towards creating a health record that is in fact personalised and accessible everywhere to be implemented by April 2011 (ChannelNewsAsia, 2010). With NEHR, all key information such as a patients demographics, allergies, clinical diagnoses, medication history, X-rays, laboratory investigations and discharge summaries will be fully exchangeable between various healthcare providers. Due to the costly implementation, only a number of primary and step-down care providers, including GPs, polyclinics and a community hospital will be linked up first (ChannelNewsAsia, 2010). The full implementation of NEHR will take many years as it has to cover the entire healthcare ecosystem and not just the public sector. The decision on whether to implement each phase will have to be justified on cost-benefit analysis. Refer to Appendix for an attached article on What could healthcare in Singapore look like in 2020? (Ministry of Health, 2008). Medical Information Services IT is also widely used as an information tool by both medical professional and the public. Several government and privately initiated websites provide information for health care services and databases for medical related issues. Web portals provide the following services: Searching for medical professionals within Singapore The MOH has a list of online resources to search for healthcare professionals in Singapore (MOH, 2007) Online pharmacies For example, Changi General Hospital myPharmacy is the first online hospital pharmacy in Singapore (Changi General Hospital, 2004). Medical publications One example of medical publications is PubMed (PubMed). Health related publications Some examples of health related publications from SingHealth (SingHealth Academy ). Health service reports Queue watch provide patients with timely information to arrange their visit. The number of patients waiting for registration and consultation, live webcam images showing the waiting areas for registration, consultation and pharmacy/payment and peak non-peak periods are displayed online (Government of Singapore, 2007). Medical schemes such as Medifund, Medisave MediShield Information regarding these schemes can be found in CPF Board website (Central Provident Fund Board, 2009). Competitive Advantages The growth and survival in the healthcare industry depends on how well Singapore is able to compete in this highly and competitive market. With the integration of the healthcare infrastructure, the advanced medical technology and the highly skilled professionals, Singapore has managed to establish a reputation of being a world class healthcare hub, the ability to deliver innovative healthcare solutions, a complete range of services and quality healthcare providers (EDB, 2009). There will be a strong demand from the population for quality healthcare and value added services with rising economic affluence and longer lifespan. Thus, there is a need to ensure that healthcare research and development continues to be supported so that Singapore healthcare services sector can excel and be a source of competitive advantage. To sustain the competitive advantages, Singapore should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and also of their competitors. The approach for the future must be one that focuses on possible improvements, supporting innovations and facilitating changes. The focus will have increasingly to be on openness to new influences, a willingness to recognize different schools of thought and methods of training and a search for the best available expertise from around the world (Desker, 1991). Innovation is needed to overcome the future challenges ahead to maximise Singapores competitive advantage. Healthcare providers should enhance their medical and service offerings, develop new healthcare products, and promote a pioneering spirit that will help in dealing with evolving patients needs, and in creating holistic and flawless experiences for patients (Tan, 2009). Thomson Medical Centre The Business Times reported that Thomson Medical is leading the healthcare sector (Ramchandani, 2010). Focusing on three core areas patient expectations, perceived quality and perceived value to improve patient satisfaction, Thomson Medical Centre has been continuously innovating to provide greater value-added services to its patients. Their redesigned patient-centric workflow had helped them gain a competitive advantage over their rivals: Use of technology and raise in service and product standards has improved patient care and satisfaction Improve in-patient , out-patient and administrative processes by using touch screen billing in place of a key-in method, which has halved the time spent on billing and has resulted in cost savings of $2000 a month. Reduce waiting time for admission and discharges with express check outs, direct admissions and courtesy and in-room discharges. Act on service recovery. When there is an unhappy patient with service, they move fast to resolve the problem. Train front line staff to raise service standards which resulted in an increase in the number of compliments as compared to complaints (4.9:1 to 9.2:1). Create a positive patient experience by having a resort style ambience, offering concierge service, a welcome drink and, in the case of premier rooms, luxurious dà ©cor and relaxing spa music. Introduce value added services such as the interactive website ThomsonBaby.com to help new mothers prepare for the parenthood journey and save them time and money. The hospitals efforts in cultivating lasting relationships have also led to an increase in patient loyalty. 32.2% of its patients were repeat patients in 2009, compared to 26.8% in 2008. Besides that, there was an increase in the number of babies born. Thomson Medical Centres dedication in understanding patient needs and receiving feedback on their stay and their expectations at key hospital touch points has thus improved patient satisfaction level. Challenges The vision for an integrated and continued patient- centric healthcare system requires interoperable IT systems, active engagement of patients and suitably aligned financial framework. In the development of the Singapore healthcare system, there are some issues that hinder the implementation of healthcare integration due to unique specificities. In general, the problems faced by the players involved can be classified into five categories: Clinical and medical practices: Often built around specialization but could be better oriented towards integrated care Financing framework: GPs, Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) and patients does not see the incentive for integration of care Establishment of a new idea mindset towards integration of care for players involved Organizational processes: Enhanced by bridging communication and IT gaps, coordinating across sectors and defining workflows for the smooth move of patients between caregivers IT systems: Better connected across sectors and allow for the transferability of patient records. As shown in Figure 4 in the Appendix, these challenges have over the years led to ingrained mindsets and behavioural practices of parties at multiple levels of the system, further hindering the integration of care (Ministry of Health, 2008). The various challenges and loophole that currently exist are the result of institution-centric and tertiary-centric system of healthcare. As EMRX becomes widely accessible, there are concerns over patient confidentiality and privacy. For instance, legal implications of providing EMRs beyond cluster boundaries were considerable and attaining consent from individual patients would have been burdensome and stalled widespread accessibility of EMRs (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004). This shows that there are vital ethical concerns over the privacy of personal medical records. Furthermore, the infrastructure for data standardisation needed to achieve this integrated healthcare system is getting more intricate and costly due to the vast amount of data involved from different independent systems. Despite SingHealth and NHG adoption of the HL7 v2.3, data exchange could not be easily achieved in spite of HL7 v2.3. This is because the standard was open to variations that hampered direct interoperability. Moreover, modification of systems to enable data interoperability would have been costly, without direct benefits to the clusters (Lee, Lim, Tan). Conclusion Previously, healthcare sector has lagged behind other sectors in the adoption of IT for its key process. Healthcare providers need to review the way businesses are conducted. IT can be a powerful enabler for an information intensive industry like healthcare through automation, knowledge management, business process reengineering, and even artificial intelligence. A pragmatic approach should be adopted to consider the current status and to focus on implementing immediate goals that would bring about meaningful changes in organisational functions and processes within a reasonable time frame. The use of IT to create value in a patient-centric approach to care is likely to contribute significantly to the overall level of care that patients can benefit from. Innovation can help healthcare providers to gain a competitive advantage. The success of some healthcare provider as mention above has shown that IT can help in the healthcare sector to improve healthcare quality, reduce costs and to meet some of todays trends in demographics and disease burden. This quote which is published in NHG annual review 2007-2008 shows the importance of IT, Technology is our enabler. We use technology to record and disseminate information with higher precision, accuracy and safety. More importantly, it allows healthcare to be delivered safer, faster and better. (National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, 2008) In the enthusiasm to adopt and invest in IT, it is important to note that there are some barriers in the move toward an integrated healthcare system as stated in the abovementioned section. Addressing and overcoming these challenges will involve the collaboration and cooperation of players at all levels of the system, across both the public and private sectors. Learning points / Opinions Strategy Technology should be used as a supporting tool not to steer health care reform. To transform Singapores health care system into a modern and responsive 21st-century health care system, a practical IT strategy which is consumer-focused is needed. In particular, it needs to be competitive in terms of price and quality because that is what consumers look for. A tripartite model of health care regulation, involving the active participation of empowered consumers, is Singapores best hope for containing costs and ensuring quality of care. What is done well? A committee to plan for the future development in healthcare iN2015 Healthcare and Sub-Committee came out with strategies and programmes to help address todays challenge and support the developmental opportunities. It aims to achieve high quality clinical care, service excellence, cost-effectiveness and strong clinical research. Improve business process with IT IT has played an important role in the delivery and development of healthcare services in this information age with applications ranging from finance and personnel administration to medical equipment operations. Healthcare service administrations have become more efficient and responsive, reducing patient waiting time and paper work. Medical equipments have become more accurate, laboratory results can be processed more quickly and effective communication among medical staff in Singapore and those overseas has become easier. What more can be done User Involvement IT investment decisions must serve the best interests of the key players involved. It is important to understand the users and their work flow and requirements as a one size or solution may not fit all. Flexibility is needed as each department requires different functionalities. Express clearly the benefits and value for the change Users involved need to understand the strategic goals of the organization and understand how IT, from technical and managerial perspectives, can help to achieve them. The success of IT investments is to ensure users see the benefit and value of IT so that they will be motivated to make the change. Limitations of IT Healthcare providers should be mindful of the limitations of technology and have a deep understanding of the information search behaviours of their target audience. Health care is still a hi Are Consumers Central to Marketing Activities? Are Consumers Central to Marketing Activities? In view of the dynamic nature of the marketing environment, to what extent do you consider consumers to be, in practice, central to marketing activities? Words count: 1621 words Marketing is the analyzing, organizing, planning, and controlling of the firms customer-impinging resources, policies, and activities with a view to satisfying the needs and wants of chosen customer groups at a profit. (Kotler and Keller, 1967) [1] The main purpose of any business is to make profit. To do so, their customers are necessary. The role of marketing is to anticipate and identify consumers needs and wants, in order to satisfy them efficiently and profitably.2 In view of the dynamic nature of the marketing environment, to what extent are consumers, in practice, central to marketing activities? First of all, it is necessary to define what characterizes the marketing environment, and in what way this environment is dynamic. Secondly, we will see how the consumer is central to marketing activities. Finally, we will discuss about the relative importance of the consumers in these activities and the other factors that can also influence them. The marketing environment consists of external factors that affect the companies and their ability to satisfy customers.[2] There are two aspects to this marketing environment: the macro-environment, and the micro-environment. The PESTEL factors are the factors found in the macro-environment: political, environmental, social/cultural, technological, economical and legal.[3] They are societal factors, thus not controllable; and the companies need to adapt to these factors. In the macro-environment is included the demographical factor. The study of the demographic environment can help predict the size of the market of a certain product. For example if the number of elderly people is going to rise, the potential market for retirement homes will grow. The same goes for a change in the number of children, which could impact the number of schools and teachers needed.[4] Companies need to adapt to changes in the micro-environment as well. The factors in the micro-environment are the ones close to the company, making them easier to control: customers, competitors, distributors, suppliers, and other departments within the company.For example, if a company has competitors satisfying the same needs with a similar product but at a lower price, it wont be able to sell its product and make profit out of it. Companies make use of marketing research and marketing intelligence to collect information about the marketing environment in order to adapt their marketing strategies. Marketing takes place in a dynamic environment: these external factors change constantly, and companies need to be aware of these changes taking place in the marketing environment in order to adapt themselves efficiently and effectively, and be able to keep on answering consumers needs and wants.[5] To satisfy their target consumers, marketers need to understand them. They need to study the existing and potential markets. Resources need to be efficiently managed in order to meet the identified needs in these markets.2 Marketing orientation is important because different customers have different needs. In order to meet the specific needs of each customer, firms have to adapt. Answering everyones needs is not a realistic thing, which is why segmentation is used. Segmentation is the method used to separate the population into specific segments, which contains customers with similar needs. Understanding the needs of these segments of population will allow the determination of the marketing strategy that will be used in a specific business plan.[6] The marketing strategy determines the actions that will be taken over time to achieve the objectives of the company. Marketing decisions are based on the 4Ps, also called marketing mix: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. The four components of this marketing mix are determined by the target consumers.[7] As said before, the purpose of any business is to make profit, and it needs to satisfy the consumers for that to happen. The product needs to fulfil the customers need of course, but not only. The product also has to be at an acceptable price in the eyes of the consumers for them to buy it. The price is what makes money for the company, it is determined by the production costs and the competition, as well as by how much the customers are willing to pay for the product. On the one hand, if the price is too high, consumers wont buy, which means the company wont achieve its sales target. On the other hand, if it is too low, the target will be achieved but there will be no profit made out of it. 4 Price has to be chosen accordingly as well as place. Different types of consumers will need the product to be available at specific places. A very expensive product, such as a luxury item, will not necessarily be available at the local supermarket for example, but most certainly in a specific shop or place. Consumers also prefer to buy products when they are located close to their homes and workplaces.[8] In order to answer consumers needs profitably, marketers have to use segmentation to target their market, and match their marketing strategy to their target consumers needs.4 Thus making the consumers central to the companys marketing activities. Lets take Microsoft as an evolutionary example of changes in the marketing environment with the technological factor (macro-environment) and the companys competition (micro-environment).9 Recently, Microsoft has struggled to find its place in a fast changing digital and technological environment. Microsoft was and still is in consumers mind the leader in Personal Computers. They are now lagging behind competitors like Apple or Samsung, and are trying to develop other devices like tablets, smartphones, consoles, etc. They even acquired Nokias smartphone business in order to do so. They developed a new version of their operating system that works on every platform, including their console Xbox; which provides a cloud based connectivity that consumers are looking for. Their change in strategy to provide consumers what they need in this era of technological improvements has paid off: Microsofts sales are trending upward since the past few years.[9] In order to keep his place in the market, Microsoft had to change its strategy to improve its solutions to satisfy todays consumers after being left behind by competitors and technological advances. To this point, we can affirm that consumers are indeed essential and central to marketing activities. Marketing is all about satisfying consumers profitably, and marketing research and marketing strategies are calculated around them. Despite their importance, consumers are only one of the forces in the marketing environment. Changes in the marketing landscape are so fast that it is now more and more difficult for companies to adapt. One of the most influential factors of marketing activities is technology: 40% of the worlds population now has access to the Internet, compared to 1% in 1995.[10] The vast majority owns a smartphone that also has access to the Internet. The Internet and social media are thus also used for marketing purposes as well[11]: websites, adverts, e-mails, videos, etc. Influencers on the Internet are also important for marketing research; they can be people who have blogs and websites for example, and are useful to marketers for them to better understand current trends and interests.[12] Companies can also sponsor people such as bloggers and video makers (YouTube in particular) by making them review products and/or services online.[13] Globalization is another factor that influences marketing activities. Lots of companies now face global competition. Also, when a company decides to sell its products abroad, it has to take into account the tastes and habits of the selected country. For example, for the French market, Nutella is manufactured to be more spreadable, due to the fact that French people mostly eat it on baguettes, making it more difficult to spread.[14] Nowadays, companies also need to take into account the environmental aspect for their marketing activities. They have to be environmentally responsible, to be more sustainable in their practices than in the past. These are a few other examples of factors, apart from the consumers, that can have an influence on the marketing activities of businesses. To conclude, consumers are indeed central to marketing activities, but are only one of the many factors that have an influence on them: notably changes in the marketing environments factors; the technological factor in particular, which is probably the fastest changing factor as of now. References Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business Horizons, 55(3). Ça mintà ©resse La curiosità © en continu. (2017). Pourquoi le Nutella nest pas le mà ªme en France quen Allemagne ? Ça mintà ©resse. [online] Available at: http://www.caminteresse.fr/economie-societe/pourquoi-ne-mange-t-on-pas-le-meme-nutella-en-france-quen-allemagne-1129354/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Corcoran, C. (2017). Marketings New Rage: Brands Sponsoring Influential Bloggers. [online] WWD. Available at: http://wwd.com/business-news/marketing-promotion/marketings-new-rage-brands-sponsor-influential-bloggers-3230386/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Goi, C. (2009). A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1). Internetlivestats.com. (2017). Number of Internet Users (2016) Internet Live Stats. [online] Available at: http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2016). Principles of marketing. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson. Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (1967). Marketing management. 1st ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Li, Y., Lai, C. and Chen, C. (2011). Discovering influencers for marketing in the blogosphere. Information Sciences, 181(23). Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. 1st ed. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co.. Richardson, M. and Evans, C. (2007). Assessing the Environment. British Journal of Administrative Management. Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2017). What Are the Four Types of Utility Marketing?. [online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-types-utility-marketing-24420.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [1] Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (1967). Marketing management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, p.12. [2] Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co., pp.1-6. [3] Richardson, M. and Evans, C. (2007). Assessing the Environment. British Journal of Administrative Management. [4] Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co., p.167. [5] Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2016). Principles of marketing. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson, pp.94-95. [6] Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co., pp.10-17. [7] Goi, C. (2009). A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1). [8] Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2017). What Are the Four Types of Utility Marketing?. [online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-types-utility-marketing-24420.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [9] Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2016). Principles of marketing. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson, pp.92-94. [10] Internetlivestats.com. (2017). Number of Internet Users (2016) Internet Live Stats. [online] Available at: http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [11] Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business Horizons, 55(3), pp.261-271. [12] Li, Y., Lai, C. and Chen, C. (2011). Discovering influencers for marketing in the blogosphere. Information Sciences, 181(23), pp.5143-5157. [13] Corcoran, C. (2017). Marketings New Rage: Brands Sponsoring Influential Bloggers. [online] WWD. Available at: http://wwd.com/business-news/marketing-promotion/marketings-new-rage-brands-sponsor-influential-bloggers-3230386/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [14] Ça mintà ©resse La curiosità © en continu. (2017). Pourquoi le Nutella nest pas le mà ªme en France quen Allemagne ? Ça mintà ©resse. [online] Available at: http://www.caminteresse.fr/economie-societe/pourquoi-ne-mange-t-on-pas-le-meme-nutella-en-france-quen-allemagne-1129354/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017].

Conformity Speech -- essays research papers

Remember those times in class when the teacher has asked a question and the answer in mind is surely correct, yet when you look around the majority have chosen an option completely opposite? What about the time your friends pressured you into stealing that shirt or CD or involving in mocking little Johnny because he was a ‘geek’? At the time there was no problems. As a part of the group you felt confident, secure and â€Å"like so cool†. But when you found that your answer was actually the correct one or were caught with the items in your bag or punished for taunting Little Johnny, do you remember your cowardice reason for acting as you did? The vast majority of people will recall saying, â€Å"Everybody is doing it† – a sentence that is one of the worst four-word combinations in the English language. (Acknowledge/greet audience) Conformity involves the changing of one’s attitudes, opinions, or behaviours to match those of the ‘norms’. The â€Å"norms†, established by society, are what we should or ought to be thinking, feeling, or doing if we wish to be accepted into a group. This desire to be accepted and belong to a group is an undeniable human need. When faced with a challenging or trivial task, there are two common ways of handling the situation. One is to do sol vas according to one’s own personal desires and belief with no specific regard to other people. The other is to base the decision on the how others will view and respond to it. The most of us would probably fa...

Plea-Bargains: Currency of the Courts An Examination of the Effectivene

â€Å"Rahim Jaffer case heads for plea-bargain†; former Alberta MP Rahim Jaffer was being charged on cocaine possession and drunk-driving charges; his case was likely to be resolved with a plea-bargain agreement (Makin, 2010). This is but one case of many that are settled though a plea-bargain agreement. Plea-bargaining can take the form of a sentence reduction, a withdrawal or stay of other charges, or, a promise not proceed on other charges, in exchange for a guilty plea by an accused. During discussion of a potential plea bargain agreement, the Crown Attorney and defence lawyer will look at 4 distinct sections of a plea negotiation: charge discussions, sentence discussions, procedural discussions, and agreements as to the facts of the offence and the narrowing of issues in order to expedite the trial ("Plea bargaining," 2011). According to the Department of Justice, approximately 90% of criminal cases are resolved each year by use of plea-bargaining (â€Å"Findlaw,† 2012). Despite what appears on its face to be rampant use of the plea agreement, plea negotiations are incredibly helpful to our court system. First, plea agreements serve to diminish the overload of cases and avoid lengthy trials, thus avoiding appeals of trial decisions and allowing greater access to the justice system. In turn, a less burdened court system can focus its efforts on the most serious of criminal offences thereby ensuring that such cases are handled in the manner with the greatest likelihood of securing a conviction. Overall, this judicial efficiency results in a cost savings and better allocation of resources. This paper will explore these two main benefits and also discuss potential criticisms of the plea bargain system. Plea-Bargaining has become... ..., 2012, from http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/icg-gci/pb4-rpc4.html Plea bargaining. (2011, February 28). Retrieved from http://www.victimsofviolence.on.ca/rev2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=378&Itemid=197 Plea bargaining in canada. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/rs/rep-rap/2002/rr02_5/p3.html Romaniuk, T. (n.d.). Centre for Constitutional Studies - R. v. Askov.Faculty of Law Home - University of Alberta. Retrieved April 19, 2012, from http://www.law.ualberta.ca/centres/ccs/rulings/Ask Tappscott. (2012). street directory. Retrieved from http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/14026/legal_matters/plea_bargaining_pros_and_cons.html Young, R. (2011, November 16). Cutbacks have some courts dismissing criminal cases. Here & Noe. Retrieved April 19, 2012, from http://www.hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/11/16/budget-cuts-court

Effects of Rape

Psychological Effects of Rape A victim often suffers intense emotional and psychological reactions immediately after a rape. These can be described as personal crises where the victim relives the fear, agony or anxiety, mixed with emotional feelings. For most rape victims, the reactions begin days or weeks after the rape and will sometimes decrease after two to six months. However, disturbing emotions combined with low self-respect and sexual dysfunction may last for a year or more for some. Survivors will likely feel anger, depression, anxiety, and perhaps have a general sense that everything is falling apart. This phase is often marked by recurring nightmares, a generalized feeling of anxiety, and flashbacks to the attack. While these feelings are disturbing, they are a normal reaction to a trauma and are part of the healing process. Often it is at this time that survivors seek assistance from trained professionals who can help to put their lives back together and recover from rape-related post-traumatic stress. Even long after a sexual assault, some reactions may be triggered by people, places or things connected, or seemingly unconnected, to the assault. These are called â€Å"triggers† and they are difficult, but common. Defense mechanisms such as denial, suppression and dissociation are common among rape victims. The function of suppression is to block out the strong emotions and thereby escape the painful feelings for a short time which can be psychologically very exhausting. Denying or putting the worst parts of the assault out of the memory allows the rape victims to cope with their altercation. Dissociation is a defense mechanism which can be employed during painful physical or psychological abuse impossible to escape. This technique provides a feeling of â€Å"leaving† one's body, making the trauma harder to remember, especially the details. Defense mechanisms like these may affect the victim's ability and motivation to talk about the abuse they suffered. Professionals and health care personnel has to strongly take this into consideration while talking to a rape victim. Other long-lasting traumatic reactions following rape may be hyper-vigilance, avoidance of certain thoughts, feelings and situations that remind the victim of the abuse. Avoidance behaviors serve as a psychological defense against severe anxiety and tend to be long-lasting. Research shows that a person's normal work-capacity may be disrupted for as long as eight months after the rape. Depression is one of the most common effects of a rape victim and it can last for months. Suicide episodes begin to occur along with the depression. Sleep disturbances are also common, especially if the victim was assaulted in her own bed. Some examples of how a victim's lifestyle may change after rape are that she may stop opening the door if alone at home, stop using the laundromat, avoid going out after dark, and avoid social interactions, especially with men. I have a friend that was raped years ago and she only eats at restaurants that deliver her food. I hate that she can’t enjoy her life because, she is still young and has a lot going for herself. Spousal rape damages an individual’s psychological state more than stranger rape. It is longer-lasting than stranger rape because, it is carried out by a trusted individual whose trust is now damaged. Ongoing violence and rape within a close relationship may result in effects comparable to those of torture and war. Due to the repeated violence, the effects become even more difficult to work through, leading to deeper wounds. Many times, marital rape involves a combination of several types of crimes, such as physical harm, threats and property damage. All this often intensify the trauma Environment can play a huge role in the recovery process after a rape. It is important for the victim to be able to talk about the assault without being interrupted and questioned as a person. Therapy may be necessary to help the victim work through the traumatic experience. It is important that the woman is not made to feel guilt or responsibility after a sexual assault because that may harm instead of help. The immediate care by health care professionals and doctors is also very important. Some important points to cover are: The patient must be informed about examinations and tests that will be done and why. The patient must never be left alone in the waiting area, and the waiting time should be kept as short as possible. The patient must be informed that certain questions have to be asked, and why it is necessary to ask them. The immediate social situation must be evaluated. Does the patient have someone to stay with her over night? Does she wish to be admitted to the hospital or need to stay home from work? Was a police report filed? Unfortunately, reactions from society often involve some blame of the victim's own behavior. It is not unusual that the victim blames herself for the rape, and the public's attitude has an effect on that action. Blame and doubt by the public most likely stem from their own psychological defense system rather than from an uncaring attitude. This mind-set is partly a result of an unconscious conviction that those who behave appropriately will escape trouble, which also strengthen our own sense of security and control. Another reason is that placing blame on the victim relieves oneself of the responsibility to take action and help. Resistance and self-defense is another technique rape victims carry out. The perpetrator's first objective is to gain control of the victim so the rape can be completed. Some strategies are physical violence, threatening violence, scare-tactics and the use of alcohol or other drugs. Another strategy is that the perpetrator first attempts to gain the victim's trust and create a situation she cannot get out of. Strategies vary, depending on the situation, the relationship between perpetrator and victim as well as on the perpetrator's intent. All investigations clearly show that women who have been raped tended to avoid to resist. This is true for both marital and stranger rapes. No resistance is presumed to be the best defense, but the lack of resistance could be held against the victim later in court. Research in this area points to two things: Attempts by the woman to defend herself against aggression and rape in her own home are seldom successful. Physical resistance is also rare within a marriage. To actively defend oneself and physically and verbally resist the perpetrator decrease the risk for completed rape by a stranger. By and large, the risk for injuries does not appear to be higher because the woman resisted, even if the common belief is that it is â€Å"safest† not to resist. Traditionally, women learn that no resistance is the best strategy in a rape situation. However, there are two obvious problems with this viewpoint. First, the non-resistance may be used against them in court; and, second, new research shows that women who physically resist an assault by a stranger have a good chance to avoid being raped. Research like this must never be interpreted in a way which places resonsibility on those who are unable to or too afraid to resist or whose resistance was not effective. The fact is, and must always be, that the perpetrator is responsible for his actions. This is especially relevant when speaking of rape within the marriage, where resistance appear to be both more dangerous as well as rare. The most successful resistance strategies often talked about are kicking the assailant hard between the legs, pulling his hair, poking him hard in the eyes, and digging with the nails or other objects. At the same time, the woman must also try to find a way to escape. As a result of the newer research, girls and women are now more often encouraged to take self-defense classes. However, this type of resistance does not appear to have the same effect on rape within the marriage. Men who assault and rape women in close relationships must be held accountable and prosecuted. They should also be offered appropriate individual or group psychotherapy. Women and their children also need help and support to leave an abusive relationship, and offered better protection as well as psychotherapy if needed. Rapists come from all areas of society. Many times, they live in normal relationships with other women. Research has been done to find specific biological and personal reasons to why men rape, but the results vary. Therefore, it is difficult to determine a particular biological reason or personality trait of the typical rapist. . Victims of rape are found in all classes of society and are of all ages. However, one common factor emerges: almost every rape victim will have some kind of psychological problem afterwards.