Homelessness in the UK - what are the causes and its effect in the Dissertation

Homelessness in the UK - what are the causes and its effect in the society - Dissertation Example The houses of the people can also be destroyed by natural calamities like floods and hurricanes. (Main Causes of Homelessness, n.d.). The events of homelessness makes an individual all the more physically and psychologically unfit to live in. These people suffer from diseases like cold and insomnia. (Bodine, 2010). Aims The research paper on Homelessness in United Kingdom aims to achieve the following goals which can be listed as follows: 1. The causes which lead to making the people homeless in United Kingdom. 2. Effects of the factors which causes the people to become homeless on the life cycle of the people affected by such. 3. The changes brought about by the government through the introduction of policy measures aimed at preventing the people to become homeless. Objectives The objectives behind studying Homelessness in United Kingdom are to: 1. Identify the factors which cause the event of homelessness in United Kingdom. The identification of such factors would help focus on the safeguarding of communities from being made homeless. 2. Evaluate the potency of such impacts in disturbing the lives of the people in United Kingdom by making them physically and mentally impaired. The people put in the streets continually face the climatic changes which turns fatal for them. 3. Assess the amount of damages to life of the people rendered due to homelessness and policy measures taken if any to counter such. Scope of the Research The scope of the research paper is to underlie the causes which lead to the event of making people deprived of their homely or domestic environments. In that the paper endeavors to gauge the impact of such factors in immensely affecting the life patterns of the people residing in United Kingdom. The paper also divulges to find any significant policy measures taken by the government of the country in helping the people put in the streets to gain a better life. The research conducted gains due importance for it specifically focuses on a parti cular social evil which aims at snatching the basic means of living from the general population for which they also meet fatal incidents. The event of homelessness in United Kingdom has huge impact on the construction and housing business of the country. These families which were rendered homeless posed several types of complaints based on the houses rendered to them by the government of the country so as to counter the event. Homeless applicants who were rendered private homes to dwell in complained of lack of proper spaces to help them move away freely in the apartment. Further the location of the private buildings being near the crowded corners caused the occupants major disturbances in maintaining a silent environment in and around their homes. Further other special types of accommodation provided to the homeless people also countered huge problems for the rise in the amount of drug peddlers in the region. The people living in such households appeared to fear from the impacts of such people on affecting their children. For homeless people the best housing solution rendered by the United Kingdom government is to allow the local communities to build in permanent homes for them. Permanent homes build by the local authority for these people were favored above the temporary homes firstly because of their sense of security. However the government of

A true story of courage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A true story of courage - Essay Example He recommended his wife to undergo a complete medical checkup, to learn the root-cause of all that was happening to his wife. Just a few weeks before her health would start to deteriorate, she discovered that she was pregnant, and was soon going to become a mother. She narrated the good news to her husband. It was the happiest day in the couple’s married life. It felt like the start of a new and beautiful journey. But they were unaware that this good news was soon going to be followed by some very dreadful news that would have an everlasting effect on their lives. Upon her husband’s suggestion, she agreed to undergo the medical checkup. Her blood and urine samples were taken, and the lab reports would take two weeks to get finalized. In the following text, the husband himself narrates his story from the day of lab-report-results on: It was Tuesday. Two weeks had passed after my wife’s medical checkup. The reports were due to be received. I offered her my company to fetch the reports. But she chose to get them herself on her way back from the office. She said, â€Å"I’d prefer to be alone.† She probably said so because she was very tense. She told me to stay at home and pray for her, and so I did. It was afternoon. I had turned the lights off. The darkness felt comforting. I was sitting on the sofa in the lounge with a cup of coffee in my hand. I was too tense to enjoy the coffee. One sip of it tasted bitter, and the other sweet. It felt like punishment. The tension was mounting. It was about time for her to get back. She would be there any moment. I was anxiously waiting for her. Every passing moment felt as long as a year. Waiting had never been my job. I was not used to it. I always tried my best to get things done without waiting for them, but unfortunately that was not the case this tim e. I was too worried, yet optimistic about the results. I hoped

Post Op Protection Helmet Project Health And Social Care Essay

Post Op Protection Helmet Project Health And Social Care Essay Introduction Most of the patients who had undergone any major head surgery will require an effective protection of their wound. After surgery, some patients especially post-traumatic injury have a high risk of falling due to neurological impairments, weakness, post-op seizures and agitation or confusion and re-injure their head. This is more important if part of the patients skull is removed (craniectomy). Appropriate protective headwear during the acute period post-op can be worn and reduce the chance of injury. While effective protection for the head and face is a priority for these individuals, headwear should also provide unobstructed vision and adequate ventilation, lightweight, cosmetically acceptable and reasonably priced. Providing effective headwear is a problem for many orthotists and the rehabilitation team taking care of individuals who have a high risk of head injury following a fall. Parents, caregivers and clinicians usually opt to use commercial sports helmets or other types of ad justable off-the-shelf headwear. Although commercial helmets are adaptable and relatively inexpensive, a number of features make them generally unsuitable for the disabled population post-operation. The main idea for this protection helmet is to provide a comfortable wear for the patient and reduce risk of injuring the head and wound during inpatient period. In other way, the design should be able to minimize the impact to the head if a fall or knock occurs. Chapter 2: LITERITURE RIVIEW Human brain can withstand 300 to 400 G of impact without either concussion or skull fracture, provided that there is no local deformation of the skull to inflict direct injury. Patients sometimes ha head surgery that needed to remove some part of their skull. This will make impact that brain can withstand lower than original. Thus, the helmet protection for post operative will be needed. 2.1 Review Journal According to Understanding Head Neck Trauma by Tony Pan Sanfelipo, the impact that head can withstand is vary from the location that the forces is being exerted. The frontal bone (forehead) can withstand on average, 1,000 to 1,600 pounds of force. The temporo-parietal (sides of head) bones can tolerate around 700 to 1,900 pounds of force. The back of the skull can handle around 1,440 pounds of force. The bones of the face and cheek are less tolerant, standing forces of only 280 to 520 pounds. From this, we can see that the impact that head can withstand is differ from the impact that brain can withstand. Skull is a very strong bone in our skeletal system. But, caution step also needed to be done especially after the head operation. According to the Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic entitled The Use of Postoperative Cranial Orthoses in the Management of Craniosynostosis by William J. Barringer, head helmet or cranial orthoses was being widely used in child rehabilitation after having a head surgery of the problem craniosynostosis that is a condition for cranial deformity that can be directly related to the premature closure of cranial sutures. According to the writer, the cause of the problem is still unknown. While in the other Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic entitled An Overview of Positional Plagiocephaly and Cranial Remolding Orthoses by Deanna Fish and Dulcey Lima, said that plagiocephaly is a condition of abnormalities of baby head due to pre-natal and post-natal forces exerted to the head of the baby makes the baby head look weird. The causes of these problem are varied like the head could be shape like that before birth (that is still in the womb), the position of the baby during sleep that make some deformation force, the premature birth of the baby and maybe the supine position of the baby during daytime also can cause this problem. Both of these problems involve head remodification. For plagioencephaly, the method to remodel back the head is by using a head helmet or cranial remolding orthoses. It was being called Cranial remolding techniques. This technique was being applied by cover all the areas that need to be curb by a material and allows space in areas where growth is to be encouraged to promote the desired head shape. The material being used to cover the head is often built like head helmet but not as thick as the normal helmet. The example of the material is polypropylene. While craniosynostotis involved head surgery to shape back their head. Often also used as a treatment after the surgery is the head orthoses. According to William J. Barringer, the patient that used the orthoses after the surgery more likely to have the shape of the head almost regained normal. According to the author, based on the survey that he had made, he concluded that many advantages that the patient can get by putting on these ortoses after head surgey for craniosnostotis patients like it appears that orthoses can be used to extend the correction gained in surgery or to protect against regression to the presurgical deformit. It is also apparent that age, severity of deformity, type of deformity, surgical procedure, physician preference, and bone healing play important roles in determining the overall outcome and decision-making. According to the author also, there are many ways, material and shape of the head orthoses can be made. An example is a head orthoses that using bends materials that attach the part together. While the authors for the An Overview of Positional Plagiocephaly and Cranial Remolding Orthoses article said that many different orthotic designs have been developed during the last 20 years to effectively address this patient population. Whether the design is active or passive in nature, rigid or flexible, hinged or circumferential, the basic principle of all cranial remolding orthoses is to create a pathway for symmetrical growth to occur. The authors also quoted that there are several ways to make the cranial orthoses. A cast or three-dimensional image of the infants head is acquired. The model is modified to full or partial symmetry, depending upon the severity of the condition, design of the orthoses, and protocols of the treating orthotist. Mild and moderate asymmetries may be modified to full symmetry while severe deformations may require progressive adjustments to the inner surface of the orthoses to obtain full symmetry throughout the course of the treatment program. Orthot ic designs including chinstraps are likely to be less intimate at the initial fitting, allowing for normal growth to follow the internal contours of the orthoses. To date, there is no evidence that any one orthotic design provides better outcomes than another. Symmetrical growth is achieved by consistent evaluation and adjustments to the orthoses based upon the childs head shape and growth patterns. Translational movements of the cranial bones are to be expected and frequent evaluation will ensure total contact over prominent areas and provide areas of relief over depressed areas. Circumferential growth is accommodated by the removal or recontouring of material and additional material may be strategically added to provide total contact and to stabilize the orthoses on the infants head. It is extremely important for the orthoses to be thoroughly cleaned each day to prevent bacterial build-up and problems with scalp rashes. Air holes are commonly added to help dissipate heat as well a s to assist in the evaluation of the fit of the cranium to the inner surface of the orthoses. Due to its functional as regain head shape, the cranial orthoses model had to be some sort of medical device that should not affect the patient in bad ways. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has certain aspect that cranial remodeling orthoses and other medical device manufacturer had to pass before patients can used their model in United State of America. To obtain clearance, manufacturers are required to explain the design of the product(s), how they are intended to work, and how they are manufactured. They are also required to describe the treatment protocols, provide appropriate labeling, and market the devices for only approved uses. All manufacturers must undergo regular FDA audits of their facilities and must comply with the Medical Device Reporting requirements to report any device failure that could lead to serious injury or death. This is being taken from Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic entitled FDA Regulation of Cranial Remodeling Devices by Timothy R. Littlefi eld. 2.2 Disadvantages of The Older Design While cranial remolding orthoses is for children, others research had been done to make cranial orthoses for needed patient after head surgery whether the patients is children or adults. The design should be lightweight, effective and protect the head better. According to Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic entitled Development of a Modular Design, Custom-Fitted Protective Helmet by Steve Ryan,Greg Belbin, Mendal Slack, Stephen Naumann and Rod Moran, stated that the new design by them trough this project should be assign because there are many disadvantages of the already have design like: Commercial helmets protect the cranium but leave the facial area, particularly the chin and oral structure, vulnerable. Commercial face shields could provide the extra protection, but they may impede vision and add to a caged in feeling. In addition, because of a face shields remote placement, it could contribute to neck injury if caught on a stationary object during a fall. Usually commercial helmets are designed with ventilation slots and liner cooling paths, which are conduits for forced air movement through the helmet. Cooling occurs as the wearer moves. This form of ventilation is inefficient for the disabled population since, for the most part, they move at or below normal walking speed. Suspension in commercial headwear is provided primarily by a chin cup attached to the helmet by straps, which are tightened to prevent helmet movement. Constant pressure applied to the chin could lead to orthodontic problems, particularly in the growing child. Because of these, they proposed new design for the cranial orthoses. Their design is mainly focused of three parts of the head that are anterior section, posterior section and chin protector. Each part are fabricated from polyethylene foam with the exterior is hard polyethylene while the anterior is low-density polyethylene foam. They fabricate the orthoses and made a survey of it. The result from the survey is the research helmet was found to be an orthotic device that could be readily dispensed in a clinical setting in one appointment. On average, it required two hours to measure, evaluate and fit a subject. The project orthotists felt that, with experience, the helmet could be fitted in less than two hours except in cases where special modifications were required. The orthotists remarked on the ease with which they could dispense the helmet using the specially designed jigs and fixtures provided. No major technical problems or mechanical failures were identified during the helmets post-trial evaluation. This is being sited on their article. 2.3 Summary Last but not least, we proposed the title of our clinical project Post-OP Protection Helmet to help patients head after surgery minimize the risk of reinjuring their head due to possible fall during acute period. Several factors like Post-traumatic, seizure, confusion, agitation and imbalance can lead to knocking their head accidently at the skull defect site. With this device, patient can protect their head especially. For our design, we applied the basic concepts of engineering like the concepts of energy absorption and load distribution and also biomechanics application. Chapter 3: Methodology 3.1 Technique used There are two ways of technique we performed our task. Firstly, we used AutoCAD Engineering software to design the shape of the helmet. We used this software because it can perform the shape clearly and make the 3D dimension. We have to consider the convenience and the cosmetically acceptable criteria during the design process. Next, we do the research on the materials for protection helmet which will be manufacture. We had referred to the journals and related reference books. The material must satisfy the ASTM standard, such as tensile strength, abrasive resistance, young modulus and others. In addition, the material should easily fabricate and lower cost. The method we use to build the outer shell is plastic injection molding, this method is use the plastic from pellets or granules and heat it until melt. Then we push the melt into a split-die mold where can cool it at the shape design. Finally we open the mold and take out the part, the cycle is repeating. The wall thickness is a important key to use under this method, because the thick wall will take more time to cool and it will have greater the shrinking , but if the wall is thin so it will cool faster, the less shrinking. And we will use a drilling machine to make some hole to let the air can float out from the protective helmet. For the data collection, we compare mechanical properties, physical properties, thermal properties and chemical resistance between several polymers. From the comparing, we had chosen the polycarbonate as the outer surface of the POST-OP Protection Helmet because they are easily worked, moulded, thermoformed and good in mechanical properties. However, for the inner padding, we choose EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) because light weight, easy to mould, odorless, glossy finish, and cheaper compared to natural rubber. It is good for deceleration impact energy. 3.2 Properties of the Material Properties of the outer shell Density 0.0397-0.0484 lb/in3 Water Absorption 0.05-0.7 % Hardness, Rockwell R 108-122 Tensile Strength, Ultimate 5800-12500 psi Charpy Impact 20.5-37.6 ft-lb/in2 Oxygen Index 21-34% Processing Temperature 473-585 °F Table 3.1 Properties of the inner padding Specific Density 0.93 TENSILE STRENGTH (psi) 2000 COMPRESSION STRENGTH (psi) 1450 IMPACT (IZOD ft. lbs/in) NB HARDNESS R40 Table 3.2 Figure 3.1 Plastic injection molding machine The material we choose to use for the outer shell is Polycarbonate Resin Thermoplastic 3414(40%GF). The properties of the material below this table: Youngs modulus, psi Shear modulus, psi Mass density,lb/in3 Thermal exp coef, 1in/in/F Ultimate tensile,psi 1400000 319000 0.05495 9.30E-06 27000 Ultimate compressive, psi Ultimate shear,psi Thermal conductivity, Btuin/hrft2F Specific heat,Btu/lb/F 21000 11000 1.53 0.25 Table 3.3 This material has good conductivity compare to other material like Polycarbonate Resin Thermoplastic 3413 (30%GF). So we choose this material. 3.3 The Design of the Protection Helmet Figure 3.2: Top view sutures Figure 3.3: Side view sutures From the picture above, that was several type of wound, the design of the protective helmet should not contact with the wound part and provide ventilation for air circulation to faster the wound healing. The special of our design is the professionals working with patients needing head coverage after surgery can place positioning pads around the inside of the clear shell. In an area of recent surgery example, pads would be place around a wound or surgical site to keep helmet shell elevated and away from the affected area. Clear polycarbonate shell, edged with soft foam is then lined with self adhesive foam pads in various thicknesses, and ventilation holes are added. Suggestions for placement of the pads are included with the helmet. The helmet is made from thermoplastics polymer material that lightweight, lower cost, and has many high mechanical properties. The benefit of the transparent outer shell design is allows better supervision of the underlying wound and skull defect. The mat erial is crucial factor to this helmet because patient with head surgery need something that can feel very comfortable to their head. Material with least dense with be an awesome choice for them. The helmet also needs to have good mechanical properties to increase wear resistance. The helmet should be not has low strength and low hardness. The needed for these higher mechanical properties is to give protection of the head of the patients in abrasive environment. We should know that patients can be very stressful and lost control after a major head surgery. This is especially true in traumatic brain injury patients. They can bang their head to walls and the helmet should resist the forces from the banging in order to protect the head. So, in overall, the both material for inner and outer parts of the helmet were made from a very good mechanical properties polymers. Chapter 4: Result 4.1 Physical Architecture The design and chosen material was refer to functional, reliable, safety and costly. As we approached the data technique given by the ASTM standard this outcomes design would give very important benefits to us. Besides that, this most suitable material is to reduce the percentage of injury by the patient. The design we come out also very important, the outer surface material is hard, and the inner is comfortable and can absorb the high impact. The outer surface of the protection helmet using clear polycarbonate shell is easily to fabricate by the engineers. This outer surface gives the superior safety effectiveness to the patient. Figure 4.1 : Feature of Post-OP Protection Helmet Design 4.2 Logical Architecture From this post-Op helmet, the patient should refer by their doctor what kind of shape or where to put the EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) for inner surface on helmet as not to contact with the wound. The inner surface had a hollow part to avoid contact to the wound. The ventilations on the outer helmet help the air going in to contact the surface wound. This would help the wound healing more fasters. This also makes the patient head not feel hot and trapped with unwanted air thus make the heads skin get irritated. On the other hand, this helmet will give the amazing comfort, rugged durability, lightweight safety and stay-put in custom fit. The helmet would work great for patients post-surgery and the compliance is would be wonderful. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION Our design has many benefits to post-surgery patient throughout the world based on the advantages like: The helmet is made from thermoplastics polymer material that lightweight, lower cost, and has many high mechanical properties. The material is crucial factor to this helmet because patient with head surgery need something that can feel very comfortable to their head. Material with least dense with be an awesome choice for them. The helmet also needs to have good mechanical properties to increase wear resistance. The helmet should be not has low strength and low hardness. The needed for these higher mechanical properties is to give protection of the head of the patients in abrasive environmentWe should know that patients can be very stressful and lost control after a major head surgery. This is especially true in traumatic brain injury patients. They can bang their head to walls and the helmet should resist the forces from the banging in order to protect the head. So, in overall, the both material for inner and outer parts of the helmet were made from a very good mechanical properties polymers. The design of the helmet also makes a very good properties and advantage for the patient. The design of the helmet is ventilation, cosmetic acceptable and functional. It views same shape as our human head shape. So that, the patient can proceeds their normal life without . Strap was adjustable, in case of emergency, the strap can be easily remove and unlock. At the ear part, the part was uncover, so it was convenience to hearing and very comfortable. CHAPTER 6: Discussion The Post -op protection helmet is use to protect the patient from head injury after head surgery. Some of these have a high risk of falling due to multiple medical complication post op. Re-bleeding is the major complication and can cause further neurological deterioration. When the helmet collide something, inside the protective helmet have EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate), it will absorb the energy produce from the collision and the EVA can increase the time between head and the outer shell collision, so the energy will hit the helmet will decrease and can protect the head from the injury. And the outer shell will have some holes so inside the protective helmet will ventilate and the patient will feel more fresh and comfortable. The outer shell is colour less is because like can let other people easily to know the head condition, so can confirm inside the protective helmet is safe. CHAPTER 7 : BIBILOGRAPHY: Barringer, William J. (2004). The Use of Postoperative Cranial Orthoses in the Management of Craniosynostosis. Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic, 4S(16), 56-58. Retrieved September 9, 2009 from http://www.oandp.org/jpo/library/2004_04S_056.asp Fish, D. Lima, D. (2003). An Overview of Positional Plagiocephaly and Cranial Remolding Orthoses. Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic, 2(15), 37-47. Retrieved September 9, 2009 from http:// www. oandp.org/jpo/library/2003_02_037.asp Ryan, S., Belbin,G., Slack,M., Naumann, S., Moran, D. (1992). Development of a Modular Design, Custom-Fitted Protective Helmet. Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotic, 4(4), 213-218. Retrieved September 9, 2009 from http://www.oandp.org/ jpo/library/1992_04_213.asp CHAPTER 8: Rehabilitation Medicine Unit 8.1 History The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine started as a section of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1965 under the headship of Professor Dr. J.F. Silva. Services provided were general physiotherapy, general occupational therapy and orthopaedic appliances service. The return of UMs pioneer Rehabilitation Physician from University of London in 1984, Dr. Zaliha Omar became a starting point for the development of rehabilitation services in the UMMC as well as in Malaysia. The first service to be introduced was the Rehabilitation Medicine consultation service which provided expert consultations in the fields of general rehabilitation. In addition, Rehabilitation Medicine was introduced as a subject in the undergraduate medical curriculum in 1984. In May 1995, the need to start Masters in Rehabilitation Medicine and Masters in Sports and Rehabilitation Medicine necessitated the shift of the rehabilitation section, from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery to the Department of Allied Health Sciences and known as the Rehabilitation Sciences Unit. The Department of Allied Health Sciences then comprised of 2 units ie the Biomedical Science Unit and the Nursing Sciences Unit. By then, the scope of rehabilitation services along with the advancement in technology and increasing patient demand; saw a paradigm shift from being a general rehabilitation service provider to a specialized rehabilitation medicine service provider which emphasized on a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team approach. The first such service to be introduced was the Neuromedical Rehabilitation Service in 1991. This was followed by Spinal Rehabilitation (1992), Upper Limb and Hand Rehabilitation (1992) and Burns Rehabilitation (1992). The unit then went on to develop other specialised services and continue to upgrade existing services. These include Paediatric Neurodevelopmental Rehabilitation (1995), Prosthetic Orthotic Management Service, Wheelchair Management Service (1995), Amputee Rehabilitation (1996), Sports Rehabilitation (1998), Work Rehabilitation (1998), Wound Management and Diabetic Footcare (1998), Geriatric Rehabilitation (1999), Alternative Approaches to Rehabilitation Medicine (Acupuncture Service) in 1999, Neurosurgical Rehabilitation (2002), Womens Health (2002), Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation (2003) and Cardiac Rehabilitation (2006). The Rehabilitation Sciences Unit of the Department of Allied Health Sciences under the headship of Assoc Prof Dr. Zaliha Omar initiated 2 very important academic programmes in the country namely the Master of Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1996 and Master of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1997. The early days of conducting 2 new programmes in relatively unknown fields posed numerous challenges but the unit received excellent support from various parties; other departments within the faculty as well as from the international arena.   One of the valuable contributions was from Professor Balasubramaniam from the National University of Singapore who was previously Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya from 1979 1982. Professor Bala was appointed Visiting Professor to the unit from 1997 to 2000 and as Chair for Tun Siti Hasmahs Chair for Rehabilitation and Sport Medicine from 2000 until 2003. The Rehabilitation Medicine Unit was also very fortunate to have collaboration with the University of Melbourne and 13 of its trainees underwent elective training of 6 to 12 months in Melbourne, Australia in various fields in rehabilitation medicine as part of the 4 year masters programme. The Rehabilitation Sciences Unit produced its first graduates in 2001, and to date have produced 17 rehabilitation physicians in Malaysia. The unit has also grown, from a one-man show ie Assoc Prof Dr. Zaliha Omar in the 80s and later in 1994 joined by Dr. Tunku Nor Taayah Tunku Zubir who left in 2001, it now has 6 academic staff and 1 trainee lecturer. The year 2005 saw the retirement of UMs as well as Malaysias rehabilitation medicine icon, Assoc Prof Dato Dr. Zaliha Omar from the academic arena. However she still generously contributes her time to teaching and clinical work in UMMC as a visiting consultant. Current and Future Developments With the progress and expansion of the unit in both the academic and clinical fields, the Rehabilitation Sciences Unit put up a proposal in 2006 for the formation of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, a clinical department which is involved in teaching, clinical service and research. With the formation of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and the formalization of the merger of its academic (FOM) and clinical services (UMMC) it is hoped that the field of Rehabilitation Medicine and its multidisciplinary components is better understood and its image and function more prominent. Apart from strengthening and optimizing current clinical services, the department also plans to introduce new services as well as collaborate with other departments in the areas of vestibular rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, chronic pain management, rheumatological rehabilitation, lymphoedema management service and others. As rehabilitation medicine is a multidisciplinary discipline, the department has put in its long-term planning, academic programmes in the areas of Prosthetics and Orthotics (in collaboration with Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya), Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and other related fields. The department currently has 20 trainees in rehabilitation medicine who go through a 4 year clinical master programme which also incorporates a research component. With the expansion of clinical services and the increasing number of trainees in the Master of Rehabilitation Medicine programme, the department is constantly reinforcing its faculty and other staff members. The department is also very fortunate to be identified for further development in the form of a one-stop comprehensive rehabilitation medicine complex in the 9th Malaysia Plan. 8.2 Introduction of Department of Rehabilitation Medicine The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was formed as part of the overall development of Faculty of Medicine and University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur for the purpose of providing clinical services in rehabilitation medicine and to provide training in the various fields of rehabilitation medicine. Apart from providing a comprehensive rehabilitation medicine service involving Rehabilitation Physicians, Medical Trainees in Rehabilitation Medicine, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Medical Social Workers, the department is actively involved in the education of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Trainees, Undergraduate Nursing Students, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Students from the Ministry of Health, MARA University of Technology as well as private academic institutions. Continuing Professional Development of our multidisciplinary team members is a regular activity of the department. Updates in Medical Rehabilitation are organised regularly for our staff as well as relevant parties from outside the UMMC. All categories of staff have ample opportunity to participate in their respective professional development through conferences as well as courses locally and internationally. 8.4 Vision The vision of the department is to become the centre of excellence in activities for the provision of services, education, training and research in rehabilitation medicine and in all associated specialities. 8.5 Mission The Rehabilitation Medicine Unit practices multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team approach for patient management and demand a comprehensive and a holistic care based on the individual needs of a patient. The department also considers its mission to be the centre for continuing education, training and maintenance of professional standards for Doctors and Health Professionals of various specialities associated with rehabilitation medicine. To play a catalystic role in research and development of rehabilitation medicine in University of Malaya and the country. 8.6 Services 8.61 Clinical Services There includes: General Services, Rehabilitation Medicine Consultation, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Wheelchair Management Service 8.62 Specialized Services There includes: Specialty Clinics Rehabilitation Medicine Consultation Neuro-surgical Rehabilitation Neuro-medical Rehabilitation Diabetic Footcare and Wound Management Consultation Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Amputee Rehabilitation Paediatric Neurodevelopmental Rehabilitation Geriatric Rehabilitation Sports Rehabilitation Upper Limb and Hand Rehabilitation Burns Rehabilitation Diabetic Footcare and Wound Management Orthotics and Prosthetics Pre-Driving Assessment Work Resettlement Psychosocial Rehabilitation Swallowing Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Scoliosis Womens Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Wheelchair Seating Clinic Vestibular Rehabilitation 8.7 Support Group Activities Apart from providing the core rehabilitation services, the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine is also involved in co-ordinating various activities such as the following

Red Sorghum :: essays research papers

Red Sorghum Claire Huot China’s New Cultural Scene   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The film Red Sorghum was one of the most popular Fifth Generation films in China and Abroad. As an adolescent American kid, probably the average, I got to see a new perspective of China through this class. I wanted to compare the West’s interpretation with Chinas’. One of the first things I did was compare Chinese cinema to well known American cinema. Zhang Yimou’s first film as director, Red Sorghum was immensely popular at home and abroad. The film follows a popular novel with its point of view; an off-stage, present-day male narrator whose own life is ancient and minute compared to the family he was grateful to have been associated with. Compared to a classic American Movie this is very much the same. The movie I am talking about is Legends of the fall. In almost the exact same way this movie was made. An older Indian gentleman begins to tell the story he lived. He grew up in a great family, with great traditions. Then he narrates the tale of a family and its struggles through love, war, bitterness, and bad times. Its starts with that voice, on a blank screen: â€Å"I will tell you the story of my grandpa and grandma†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In LOTF an older Indian man starts telling the story of â€Å"Tristan’s stormy birth† We then see the hero at a very young age, fighting a bear. In Red Sorghum instead of the exp ected old granny, we see a beautiful, twenty-something woman who, looks very attractive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Nine arrives at the distillery and rallies all the men together to work, its comparable to the first time Susanna arrives at the ranch. Run by mostly men, she has some women, but the men all look at her with admiration. Right away Tristan is taken to her. When she is out riding and lassoing the cow, is like Nine rounding up the Sorghum to work. Tristan automatically chases a nearby Mustang and catches it. Much like Grandpa catching the first â€Å"thief† on the travel through the sorghum fields. He comes back with a mustang, and Grandpa now has Nine’s appreciation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many script similarities, and cut similarities between these two films, yet LOTF has a more comprehensive plot, to me. Maybe its loses something in the sub-titles, that I don’t find it as intriguing as American Cinema.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One script point in particular in LOTF is the fact that the father was a former military chief, and he left that â€Å"madness† for a more peaceful life.

Zara Supply Chain Analysis

Zara’s Secret to Success In comparison to its competitors, Zara’s supply chain is quite unconventional. Instead of focusing on competitive product prices and advertising Zara has developed a super integrated supply chain paralleled by few (1). This supply chain allows it to rapidly respond to market demand and have extensive control over its design and production process (1). Inditex, the clothing company that owns Zara is extremely vertically integrated. It is comprised of over 100 design, manufacturing, and distribution companies (3). Contrary to the common practice of ousting unnecessary labor, it handles most of its own manufacturing (60%), outsourcing only simple clothing designs. This extensive integration allows Zara to design, manufacture and distribute in as little as 15 days, which is lightning fast in the clothing industry (1). This is the essence of Zara. Zara releases new clothing designs every two weeks (2), creating a â€Å"made to order† feel as customers often have only one opportunity to buy a specific product (3). This strategy increases the frequency that customers visit the store and also decreases the need to mark down prices on unsold merchandise, saving the company money (2). Furthermore, this unusual practice reduces the cost of running out of one item. They sometimes even encourage stock outs to promote scarcity and therefore higher demand- a technique unheard of elsewhere (1). Image 1: Workers assembling clothing at a manufacturing plant Success of Zara and Goals of Target Zara’s responsiveness to consumer demands is one of its greatest accomplishments. Its designers perform extensive fashion research and communicate exceptionally with its retailers to accomplish this (2). Target releases new clothing every 6 months which is a snail’s pace compared to Zara. By improving the fashionableness of its products Target could expect more sales and less inventory to hold. Also, if Target could leverage more of its capital assets in the way Zara does more flexibility of production operations would result. Zara mainly integrates backwards in its supply chain in order to control its production operations (2). Mimicking this aspect would allow for more control of Target’s order sizes, order frequencies, and quality. Also, this would improve communication within the supply chain and therefore lessen the bullwhip effect. Furthermore, Zara produces more trendy and less basic clothing than Target. If Target augmented its ratio to be more similar to that of Zara it could realize more sales, especially in the women’s department. What Target Could Learn from Zara Specific ways that Target could improve its supply chain operations based on Zara’s model are as follows: For one, Target should improve its realization of market demand by increasing communication from consumers, and retail departments to producers. Programs should be implemented to foster constructive relationships between retailers and designers to communicate up and coming fashion trends. Also, designers should use consumer surveys, attend fashion conventions, and research the market to further meet demands for future trends. Furthermore, a method of collecting consumer feedback should be used to further study the desires of customers and how to meet them. This could be done at a relatively low cost and without much alteration to the supply chain’s basic function. Difficulties could include financing extra designer education, and obtaining valuable, relevant feedback from consumers. These are minor problems that would not be insurmountable. Increasing Target’s backward integration of the supply chain would increase production flexibility. Large manufacturers and suppliers that produce multiple major store product lines should be targeted. Integrating them into the corporation could potentially reduce extraneous costs due to order size inefficiency and the bullwhip effect. Product quality could be better controlled as well as communication. High costs of purchase and dealing with overseas firms could pose problems to this idea, but could result in a more efficient supply chain. Augmenting the ratio between trendy and basic clothing would also be beneficial to Target’s sales. Target currently sells 80% basic clothing and 20% trendy clothing. With the popularity of women’s clothes high, Target should move towards producing more fashionable clothing in more styles within the women’s department. This would boost sales of the more expensive trendy clothing and simultaneously decrease excess basic clothing inventory, increasing revenue and decreasing holding costs of basic clothing inventory. Making the shift to more trendy clothing production could be costly, but if done gradually would not have a huge impact on the financial sector.

Martyn Pig

How does Kevin brooks portray power relations in at least 4 key scenes in the novel Martyn Pig. Power relationships play a key role in the book Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks. Power is a term given when a person has control over the other person and a relationship is a term given when there’s a accepting between two people, when put together we can understand that the term ‘power relations’ is when a character in this book uses power to control a relationship.Martyn Pig in an eleven year old whose life isn’t really the best at the time and it’s about to get worse as it takes an unforeseen twist after an accident that takes place which will leave young Martyn to lead a life full of deception, disloyalty and doubtfulness on a daily basis. I will be focusing on how Martyn’s power is being fluctuated throughout the book as he confronts various characters whom of which have different relationships with Martyn.The four scenes I will be analysing the â⠂¬ËœBottle Bank’ scene, the killing scene, the first confrontation between Dean and Martyn, the second confrontation between Dean and Martyn and finally the scene where Alex the Assassin gets exposed. The Bottle bank scene illustrates William Pig’s power which outlines his superiority over Martyn’s vulnerability. In this scene we can that Martyn â€Å"was in the kitchen filling a plastic bin liner with empty bottles† this shows that although Martyn’s father is shown to have the power, it is Martyn the eleven year old kid that is looking after his father a grown man when it should be the other way.This makes the reader feel disheartened but this gives Martyn a sense of mental power; the reason why William Pig isn’t in control of Martyn the way he should be is because the alcohol intake is taking control of him which makes him lose his physical stature which is why â€Å"Dad was leaning against the doorway, smoking a cigarette, watching me th rough his bloodshot eyes† Bloodshot eyes gives a indication to the audience that this a result of alcohol and drug abuse which is resulting in his violent and abusive mentality he has towards Martyn, this also shows a sense of power that Martyn’s father has as it inserts fear into Martyn.Moreover, Martyn’s father then goes on to say â€Å"Don’t you go takin’ ‘em to the bottle bank† Authority is shown immediately with a use of an imperative verb. Martyn’s Dad then goes having a short rant about the environment by saying â€Å"Bloody emviroment this, bloody emviroment that †¦ if anyone wants to use my empty bottles again they’ll have to pay for ‘em† this sums up Mr Pig’s attitude to just about everything, unconcerned. Also this tells the reader the lack of education that Mr Pig has as it was written colloquially.Martyn on the other hand is highly intelligent, which is pointed out when in the internal monologue shorty after Mr Pigs rant in which Martyn says â€Å"I thought of telling him that there’s no such thing as the environment† Martyn feels that there isn’t a need to correct his dad as it would seem pointless. Therefore he decides to be the bigger man by keeping it in his mind and not risk being a victim of his father’s violent mind state which creates an impression to the reader that Martyn’s intellect is more overpowering than of his fathers.As we move onto the Killing scene we begin to notice that Martyn’s powers have advanced and it now seems that Martyn has the ultimate control for the moment, which is a first in the book. This gain of power is triggered by an outburst Martyn had with his father in which Martyn had said â€Å"For God’s sake, Dad just shut up! It’s not funny, it’s pathetic. You’re pathetic. Why can’t you let me watch the bloody television for once? † As readers we are n ormally subjected to be shown Martyn thoughts through internal monologues as he normally kept his feelings confined within himself.The reader can visualize Martyn shouting at his father due to the exclamation marks added in which adds fire to the exceeding power Martyn is getting but for now this isn’t Physical power, it’s filtered out as verbal power. The snappy short sentences show great effectiveness as they represent anger being vented out with pauses in which Martyn doesn’t seem to be interrupted by his father (this shows the great power Martyn has elevated into which lets him control the situation swiftly). This is ended intellectually by a Rhetorical question to which neither Martyn or his Father answers as they were meant to.However, shortly after Martyn gains power Martyn’s father steals the spotlight and retains his former glory. Martyn had taken control of the situation due to Verbal power but he had overlooked his father’s physical powe r. We begin to realise this as â€Å"I turned just in time to see him bearing down on me with his first raised above his head and drunken madness burning his eyes† Martyn seems to get intimidated as his father showcased his physical strength to show who was the man in the house.We the readers are given an image planted in our minds of David and Goliath situation with Mr Pig being Goliath as he was overlooking Martyn. As readers we feel highly sympathetic as we thought that Martyn had finally gotten the upper hand and things could’ve changed from this point on and Martyn and his father could’ve sustained a normal father and son relationship. In the first confrontation between Martyn and Dean we can understand that Dean is the more overpowering individual, which allows him to be in control of the situation.This is pointed out to us when the following takes place â€Å"unbelievable†, he said. â€Å"Kids today, I don’t know. No respect for their elder s† this indirectly confirms deans knowing about the killing of Martyn’s father which would make Martyn feel deceived by Alex and nervously cautious about Dean. This makes the reader feel remorseful for Martyn’s mole is slowly turning into a mountain. Despite the fact that Dean has full control in the first confrontation between the pair, it was all about to change in Thursday as it was now Martyn that was in control of the situation.Dean tries to regain power by making the following threat â€Å"Do you understand Pig? No money, no type. If I don’t get the money – he tapped the tape ‘ this goes to the Police† A dash is added to cause a dramatic effect, but not even this attempt to create tension could make the ball swing in deans court. Ironically dean tries to dumb it down for Martyn who is probably has the most intellect out of the pair. Dean had thought that it would be a walk in the park to capture the money from Martyn but it hasnâ €™t exactly been like this.As readers we are relieved that Martyn has taken some of the burden of his shoulder. During the course of the book we can understand that no one has really maintained their power that they had for a long period of time, it had only lasted for a particular scene and had then be lost. What I have learnt from this book is that you shouldn’t follow someone blindly and that it’s normally the person that is most close to you that would cause you the most pain

Raytheon vs Nortel essays

Raytheon vs Nortel essays Two companies taking similar actions that are obtaining very different results What is happening to the debt position? Nortel Networks engaged in several acquisitions in 1998. The effect on their income statement was staggering. Despite $17.575 billion in revenues (a $213 million increase from 1997), Nortels net income before taxes was negative $537 million. ROE was negative 4.64% compared to the industry average of 13.8%. Acquisitions, mergers, and partnerships have become a major strategy of many companies in the telecommunications industry. Nortel frequently participates in acquiring other companies in order to expand their business units, products, and lines. In 1998, Nortels largest acquisition occurred when they acquired Bay Networks for an estimated US$9.1 billion. In looking at the 1998 financials (I mention these because of the large dollar amount spent on acquisitions that year), Nortel's Debt/Equity ratio was interesting. Looking at the balance sheet, total liabilities increased by $1.1 billion (15%). The Statement of Cash Flows shows that Nortel repurchased approximately $1 billion of outstanding stock. Looking at these two numbers, one would expect the debt/equity ratio to increase but it actually decreased by 58%. And from 1997 to 1999, it has decreased from .41 to .16. The 1998 Income Statement also showed a large increase (144000) in the number of outstanding shares. The large increase was due to the conversion of outstanding Bay Networks shares and to exercise stock options by Bay Networks executives. The operating earnings number on Nortels 1999 annual report shows two figures on page 1, GAAP earnings ($-0.15/share) and operating earnings ($1.28/share). What's behind the difference? The cost of all the Nortel acquisitions: purchased IPRD (intellectual property research goodwill worth $639MM. That's about $2 billion i...

This Is How Small Brands With Small Budgets Achieve Colossal Results With Andie Coupland From Totara Learning [AMP 146] - CoSchedule Blog

This Is How Small Brands With Small Budgets Achieve Colossal Results With Andie Coupland From Totara Learning [AMP 146] Blog Marketing is sometimes sensationalized, especially when media publications feature huge brands with huge budgets. In reality, most marketers come from small brands with small budgets. They need to be scrappy to get noticed, but with fewer resources. Today’s guest is Andie Coupland, product marketing manager at Totara Learning. She describes how small brands with small budgets can achieve colossal results by avoiding makeshift marketing.    Game Plan: Strategies for marketing goals, product fit, and brand messaging  Ã‚   Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) vs. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs): Different approaches for deliverables to measure results of goals and objectives Stop Fighting Fires: Stay agile to remain focused on your quarterly priorities Keep on Track: Processes in place to stay organized and meet deadlines Productivity Pressure: Marketing is getting more done with fewer resources Shift in Mindset: Always ask why you’re doing something as a leader/manager Andie’s Advice: Find the right tool(s) and learn how to use them to meet your company’s marketing needs right now Links:   Andie Coupland on Twitter   Totara Learning Adweek Asana Trello Jira Google Ads Start With Why by Simon Sinek 10X Marketing Formula by Garrett Moon New Marketing Suite If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Andie Coupland:   â€Å"You need to have the key bits of information that you can refer back to when you’re making all your decisions for all the smaller things that come up.†Ã‚   â€Å"If you’re going to be successful, you need to have that shared overview of what’s going on, so everyone knows what they’re doing.†Ã‚   â€Å"You can have all the tools in the world, but if you’re not talking and communicating across the team regularly, it doesn’t mean anything.†Ã‚   â€Å"We kind of like that challenge of being creative and pragmatic and coming up with novel ways to do more with less.†

Centrosaurus - Facts and Figures

Centrosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Centrosaurus (Greek for pointed lizard); pronounced SEN-tro-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of western North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (75 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 20 feet long and three tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Single, long horn on end of snout; moderate size; large frill over head About Centrosaurus It was probably too dumb to notice the difference, but Centrosaurus was definitely lacking when it came to defensive armament: this ceratopsian possessed only a single long horn on the end of its snout, compared to three for Triceratops (one on its snout and two over its eyes) and five (more or less, depending on how youre counting) for Pentaceratops. Like others of its breed, Centrosaurus horn and large frill probably served dual purposes: the frill as a sexual display and (possibly) a way to dissipate heat, and the horn to head-butt other Centrosaurus adults during mating season and intimidate hungry raptors and tyrannosaurs. Centrosaurus is known by literally thousands of fossil remains, making it one of the worlds best-attested ceratopsians. The first, isolated remains were discovered by Lawrence Lambe in Canadas Alberta province; later, nearby, researchers discovered two vast Centrosaurus bonebeds, containing thousands of individuals of all growth stages (newborns, juveniles, and adults) and extending for hundreds of feet. The most likely explanation is that these herds of migrating Centrosaurus were drowned by flash floods, not an unusual fate for dinosaurs during the late Cretaceous period, or that they simply perished of thirst while gathered around a dry water hole. (Some of these Centrosaurus bonebeds are interlaced with Styracosaurus fossils, a possible hint that this even more ornately decorated ceratopsian was in the process of displacing Centrosaurus 75 million years ago.) Recently, paleontologists announced a pair of new North American ceratopsians that seem to have been closely related to Centrosaurus, Diabloceratops and Medusaceratopsboth of which sported their own unique horn/frill combinations reminiscent of their more famous cousin (hence their classification as centrosaurine rather than chasmosaurine ceratopsians, albeit ones with very Triceratops-like characteristics as well). Given the profusion of ceratopsians discovered in North America over the last few years, it may be the case that the evolutionary relationships of Centrosaurus and its nearly indistinguishable cousins have yet to be fully sorted out.

Federal reserve monetary policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Federal reserve monetary policy - Term Paper Example Money is a medium through which exchange takes place. Encyclopedia of Britannica defines function of money as a facilitator of the transaction between buyer and seller; however, money can be defined mainly in terms of three functions; as a medium of exchange, as a unit of account and as a store of value. (Functions of Money) If money had not been there all transactions would have to be done through barter system. That is a tedious process on day to day operations. Money also functions as a unit of account measuring the value of goods or services under exchange. Money holds some value at given time so it is a storehouse of value. It is not a best storehouse as it tends to depreciate overtime, if seen in the context of other assets such as land, gold, and silver. It is most liquid of all assets and its store value helps make us transaction. (Functions of Money) Central Bank Manages a Nation’s Monetary System The broad economic goals of monetary policy are full employment, sustai nable economic growth, and minimum inflation. The Federal Reserve achieves these goals by regulating and controlling the growth of money and availability of credit. It achieves its goals either by open market operations, altering lending rate or reserve ratio. (The Fed Today) A) Open Market Operations The Fed's tool for mitigating the effect of inflation and recession is through open market operations. The central bank sells and buys U.S. government securities in the open market; thus, influencing short-term interest rates and the growth of credit and money. When not enough money is available in the financial system causing economic slowdown called recession, the central bank buys securities. The funds used by the Fed in purchasing the securities will eventually arrive at local banks, which then will have more money to lend. This way more money will come into the financial system and create stabilizing effects. On the contrary, when the Fed realizes market is hot and too much money is in circulation or credit are available in the market causing inflation, the Fed will interfere and sell securities of banks. Thus extra money will be squeezed out of the system, reducing inflationary pressures and stabilizing the economy. (The Fed Today) Thus, final goal of monetary policy is a stable economy providing full employment and production, stable prices and steady growth. B) The Discount Rate The Discount rate is the intervening tool at the disposal with the Fed. It is the interest rate financial institutions charged by the Fed for short-term loans. Altering discount rate can discourage and encourage bank's investment and lending activities signaling central bank's goals and influencing the interest rates that banks offer loans at and pay to depositors. (The Fed Today) C) The Reserve Requirement The fed makes it mandatory to keep certain percentage of checking account deposits as reserve. Simply raising the reserve requirement banks will have less money to lend thus, r estricting the money supply. Opposite is also true; reducing the reserve ratio, banks will have more free money to lend and thus, money supply will increase. This tool is rarely used. Reserve requirement changes are indication that monetary policy is now moving toward a new direction. (The Fed Today) Stated Direction of Monetary Policy Since the 2001 recession and with the rising unemployment rate until mid-2003, the Fed reached to low interest rates of 1% by mid-2003. With the expansion and rising prices, the fed revised its target upward to reach 5.25% by mid-2006. With the economy entering into recession by December 2007, the target interest rates moved downward to 0 and 0.25 percent during December 2008. (Labonte, 2010) What came into notice of the monetary authorities that liquidity was not reaching to the financial system. Traditional transmission mechanism of monetary policy was not functioning. On this, the fed started making loans to non-financial firm and other financial i nstitu

Case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis - Case Study Example He speaks in a stream of words that refer to the world and how â€Å"screw up it is†, when he reflects back on the traumatic experience he underwent. Signs of PTSD can be activated by sounds, memories, and dreams linked to the past trauma (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In addition, seeing the objects or the people who may have taken some part in the trauma may trigger the symptoms of PTSD. He desperately wants to call his sister because he feels that she could be a source of solace when he is in problems. Jack exhibits post-traumatic stress symptoms, which are classified into three DSM IV categories. First is the persistent re-experiencing of the incident, which is also referred to as the intrusive signs. In this category, the victim could be experiencing vivid recollections, nightmares and a feeling of re-living the incident. Second is the persistent evasion of any stimuli, which might remind them of the traumatic condition. Finally, is a state where the victim experiences hyperaousal condition that causes hepervigilance, sleep interruption, and startle reflexes (Yehuda et al. 2002). The consequence of all these behaviors is some level of mental distortion, which prevents the victims from taking part in their daily activities. Other signs include bad temper, emotional liability, agitation, and sometimes eruption of violent behavior. If Jack is not treated on time, he may result to substance abuse in an attempt to seek self medication. Depending on the duration that Jack has suffered from this disorder since he experienced the traumatic event, the disorder can be categorized based on the DSM IV 4 including acute stress reaction, acute PTSD, chronic PTSD and delayed onset of PTSD. A multiaxial Diagnostic System commonly denoted as DSM-IV-TR uses diagnostic system with 5 levels used in the classification of disorders and illnesses. These five levels assist whoever is providing a

- Art and Music Appreciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

- Art and Music Appreciation - Essay Example Perhaps she is Lady Macbeth. The style is neo-classical but later than Goya. If I cover the dagger with my finger, the painting suddenly changes and could be a placid, ordinary portrait of a beautiful young girl with no malevolence evident on her face. C. I know that this is by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, who makes statements about social polemics such as alcoholism and public nursing of babies. Because of the black background this is probably installed in an exhibition. It looks as if the clay is fresh and wet: so the idea has ‘just occurred’ to the artist - but the tiaras on both the dog and the woman, and her careful hairstyle suggest a long consideration of the subject, which at first looks beautiful, but is then confronting because of her position. D. This is a chocolate box top. It is a pretty scene: very bland and without statement. It is photographically correct, and although there is contrast between the church steeple in the background that is bathed in light and the dark shack in the foreground, there is lack of meaning. Paintings without people such as this landscape can be hung quite high on a wall because they are not intimate. E. This immediately says ‘Dali’ - the recognizable moustache makes it a portrait of that famous surrealist. But it is signed Merello, so it is by Jose Merello, the modern Spanish expressionist. But even if I did not know this, I would expect the painting to be hung in a colorful room full of other modern paintings. The various shapes, objects and words around the figure make it interesting, making the viewer want to approach and inspect every detail. Mozart alternates very fast stretches with slow ones in this symphony. It makes you feel that the composer was in a furious hurry to put down the notes before someone interrupted his muse. His character is fully in the music, like the speech of a very precocious child: fast and

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Article Review - Essay Example egal business issues raised in SOX Act include corporate and accounting scandals,corporate board responsibilities,criminal penalties,auditor independence,internal control assessment,corporate fraud accountability,financial disclosure and corporate governance. This legal issues in the SOX Act require Securities and Exchange Commission to implement rulings on requirements to comply the law Holt (2008). According to Holt (2008) the SOX Act may affect ethical decision making in today’s business environment positively by improving the confidence and behaviours of investors with regard to the uprightness of corporate financial statements. The SOX Act introduced a regulatory business environment into the United states financial markets hence the investors are safe to conduct their businesses without corrupt business practices. Weak corporate governance procedures made had made it impossible for businesses to grow but with the enactment of the SOX Act this problem was reduced. Other legal issues that affected businesses prior to the SOX Act are auditor conflicts of interest,boardroom failures and inadequate funding from the Securities Exchange Commission. These problems were however solved with the anactment of the SOX Act. The act had a code of conduct containing requirements regarding corpoarte governace,financial practices, criminal penalties for those who violate the rules and accounting controls. The SOX Act provides criminal penalties for influencing United States agency investigation. Section 802 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act states that anyboby who destroys or makes a false entry in any record or document with the intent to influence proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department of the United States or any case filed under title 11,shall be fined or imprisoned not more than 20 years,or both. Other criminal penalties are taken against corporate officers who fail to certify financial statements and reports and those that harm others

Innovation of Asian films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Innovation of Asian films - Essay Example This paper illustrates Asia as a continent rich with history and culture. The countries here have basically experienced many things that has enriched their culture and filled their history with interesting anecdotes and stories worthy of retelling. China is probably one of the richest and oldest civilizations predating even that of the affluent west. It has been a dilemma then as to why there has been a slow progress in the Asian films and even on their actors whereby they have usually fallen prey to the stereotyping of Hollywood. It seems to point out that despite the rich culture and history of the countries in the continent as well as the world class artistry characteristic of the continent; people including actors have been relegated into sub roles, littered with stereotyping and basically with little or no speaking roles. There were even films wherein the roles that are supposedly portraying an oriental are played by Caucasians. However, it is from these humble roots that the As ian films have slowly gathered strength and over the past decade have shown increasing prominence in the global arena. True there have been Asians that have made big names during the past century in Hollywood but so far there has been an overwhelming preference towards western films and western actors during that time. But, through the years, the growing prominence of the countries in the region in terms of their economic prosperity seem to have helped in boosting the quality of the films that they are able to produce. Rampal (2005) recognizes the reinvention of the Asian film outfits in order to shed the past imagery of stereotyped Asians and take in new and brighter colors characteristic of taking their respective leads on the big screen. Moreover, the improvements in the economies of these Asian nations have also brought in a more educated audience. These intellectual audiences have also been influenced greatly, quite ironically, by the west such as the democracy as well as the a llure and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. The Abyss The world of films and cinemas has been filled with the myriad of manipulative directors attempting to delineate from reality in their attempts to depict the things that they want. The early development of the world of films seems to have taken a strong parallelism to the real world events. This can be seen with the problem of racism which has been a strong theme back in the early 90’s for the western films. Also, there has been the stereotyping of the Asians as mere second-class citizens. As mentioned, there were even oriental roles ironically being played by western actors. This shows how strongly most Asians are being sidelined as mere supporting actors or even extras with no speaking lines (Associated Content.com 2011). To exacerbate the situation, the stereotyping has even gone beyond the second-class status to an almost three hundred sixty degree turn to make them the utmost bad guys. Many films truly made money on depicting the Japanese as brutal soldiers after the Second World War. This stereotyping has been a strong characteristic of the films preceding the war (Associated Content.com 2011). This has been the characteristic of Asian films which have been like an abyss that has seem to have swallowed the industry of the continent. This seems to have been a very dark chapter of the Asian films which has also coincided to the times when almost all of the countries in the continent are trying to rebuild after the devastation of the war. Most nations have been experiencing hardships and are generally poor. Hence, it seems easy to see as to why there the stereotyping has happened. However, at the turn of the century, Asian countries showed more economic strength and there has been a significant rise initially led by the newly industrialized Asian economies such as Singapore and Korea. At the turn of the century, communist China opened her doors which fuelled the rapid growth of the Chinese econo my. Thus, after sorting through the rubble of the Great

Advertising Strategy and Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising Strategy and Planning - Essay Example About 6% of the UK population is vegetarian which approximately 3.5 million individuals are. In early 1990’s this population was about 3-4% (Case study notes). The diet for vegetarians comprises of nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables and grains and at times eggs and products. Fundamentally a vegetarian does not take fish, meat or poultry. There is a considerable section of the UK population that inclines towards minimizing meat in their diet. According to the survey conducted by TGI, 6.3% of the people admitted to be vegetarian while 13.3% admitted to have done away with meat diet on voluntary basis (Case study notes). The largest populations of vegetarians are women aged between 20 and 44 years and those living in the southern part of UK (The Vegetarian Society 59). There is a close relationship between the high consciousness of issues to do with environment and the vegetarians like carbon footprint, sustainability and global warming. The forces for the pattern in consumption of less quantity of meat are attributed to the current lifestyles and an interest in wellbeing and health. The five day campaign launched by the government in 2003 encouraging five segments of vegetables and fruits per day is attributed with the supporting awareness of the advantages of consuming vegetables and fruits (The Vegetarian Society 59). The rise in ethnic food has resulted into more foreign spices and savoring into the diet of the country and supported increased shift away from the conventional diet of two vegetables and meat. There are about 110,000 restaurants in UK with joint sales revenue of  £25 billion (Powers and Cathy 47). Even though majority of the restaurants provide vegetarian foods, reasonably very few offer exclusively vegetarian alternatives. To use 5% of the advertisement budget on social media, 39% on digital advertisement, 27% on public relation, 18% on

Innovation of Asian films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Innovation of Asian films - Essay Example This paper illustrates Asia as a continent rich with history and culture. The countries here have basically experienced many things that has enriched their culture and filled their history with interesting anecdotes and stories worthy of retelling. China is probably one of the richest and oldest civilizations predating even that of the affluent west. It has been a dilemma then as to why there has been a slow progress in the Asian films and even on their actors whereby they have usually fallen prey to the stereotyping of Hollywood. It seems to point out that despite the rich culture and history of the countries in the continent as well as the world class artistry characteristic of the continent; people including actors have been relegated into sub roles, littered with stereotyping and basically with little or no speaking roles. There were even films wherein the roles that are supposedly portraying an oriental are played by Caucasians. However, it is from these humble roots that the As ian films have slowly gathered strength and over the past decade have shown increasing prominence in the global arena. True there have been Asians that have made big names during the past century in Hollywood but so far there has been an overwhelming preference towards western films and western actors during that time. But, through the years, the growing prominence of the countries in the region in terms of their economic prosperity seem to have helped in boosting the quality of the films that they are able to produce. Rampal (2005) recognizes the reinvention of the Asian film outfits in order to shed the past imagery of stereotyped Asians and take in new and brighter colors characteristic of taking their respective leads on the big screen. Moreover, the improvements in the economies of these Asian nations have also brought in a more educated audience. These intellectual audiences have also been influenced greatly, quite ironically, by the west such as the democracy as well as the a llure and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. The Abyss The world of films and cinemas has been filled with the myriad of manipulative directors attempting to delineate from reality in their attempts to depict the things that they want. The early development of the world of films seems to have taken a strong parallelism to the real world events. This can be seen with the problem of racism which has been a strong theme back in the early 90’s for the western films. Also, there has been the stereotyping of the Asians as mere second-class citizens. As mentioned, there were even oriental roles ironically being played by western actors. This shows how strongly most Asians are being sidelined as mere supporting actors or even extras with no speaking lines (Associated Content.com 2011). To exacerbate the situation, the stereotyping has even gone beyond the second-class status to an almost three hundred sixty degree turn to make them the utmost bad guys. Many films truly made money on depicting the Japanese as brutal soldiers after the Second World War. This stereotyping has been a strong characteristic of the films preceding the war (Associated Content.com 2011). This has been the characteristic of Asian films which have been like an abyss that has seem to have swallowed the industry of the continent. This seems to have been a very dark chapter of the Asian films which has also coincided to the times when almost all of the countries in the continent are trying to rebuild after the devastation of the war. Most nations have been experiencing hardships and are generally poor. Hence, it seems easy to see as to why there the stereotyping has happened. However, at the turn of the century, Asian countries showed more economic strength and there has been a significant rise initially led by the newly industrialized Asian economies such as Singapore and Korea. At the turn of the century, communist China opened her doors which fuelled the rapid growth of the Chinese econo my. Thus, after sorting through the rubble of the Great

Environmental Influences Essay Example for Free

Environmental Influences Essay A global plastic manufacturer, Riordan Manufacturing is on top among others in the field of plastic injection molding, with annual projected earnings of $46 millions. As an industry leader, Riordan have a labor force of 550 employees and have state-of-the art design capabilities that create innovative plastic designs which won an international acclaim. With its present capabilities, Riordan remains a strong and vibrant company in the industry. Riordan’s plan to open up new business in other country is not new as Riordan manufacturing has one in China. India is another country that has a strong potential for business to thrive. However, the company needs to consider pertinent ethics issues that are highly valued in that country. Of Course, India is a country with very sensitive culture especially in matter of religion. Which you identify the three most pertinent ethics issues faced by Riordan Manufacturing in conducting business in your selected country The most pertinent ethics issues Riordan manufacturing must take into considerations in putting up business in India should be the following; discrimination, sensitivity to local customs and tradition, and sensitivity to the economic condition of the society. While Riordan’s primary interest is to gain profits, they certainly need a strong workforce to facilitate its operation. However, Riordan manufacturing must address the ethics issues of discrimination confronting the employee-employer relationship in relation to employment. The ethics issues involve in hiring employees lies on how the management treats their employees, which according to Crane and Matten (2007) can serve as a moral hazard to employees. The situation of the Indian economy is potential breeding ground for discrimination as the government allows the hiring of employees on contractual basis. Davenport, Crotty, and Torres cited that Indian Law â€Å"starts from the common law premise that an employer has a right to terminate the services of an employee without giving a reason. Riordan Manufacturing can easily fall into temptation to exploit this law to serve its own interest at the expense of the contractual employees. Although it might be allowed by law, terminating employees merely on the ground of fixed contact terms allows the company to select the kind of employees they desired. This is discrimination because in effect, they are ejecting employees they do not like in favor of others whom they desired. Crane and Matten stated that discrimination in essence â€Å"is a violation of Rawl’s Theory of Justice, that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are attached to the offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity† (p. 273). The next ethics issues faced by Riordan Manufacturing in conducting business in India are the sensitivity to local customs and tradition. India is known for its religious culture of regarding life as sacred whether human or animal life. Indeed, for Hindus, cows are sacred. Failure to respect local customs and tradition proved to be disastrous. This is clearly seen in the case of Disneyland in Paris whose initial failure was blamed for Disney’s lack of sufficient awareness of the local cultures. Riordan Manufacturing therefore must be aware of India’s local customs and traditions in order not to repeat the same mistake that caused Disney Company hundreds of millions of dollars in losses during the initial years of Disneyland in Paris. Since the company’s products are plastic beverage containers, it assumes no direct connection to what the Hindus regarded as sacred, however, Riordan manufacturing must be able to draw a clear concept reflecting the company’s fair dealing and high regard for ethical issues. Finally, Riordan Manufacturing must be able to demonstrate sensitivity to economic condition of the community. The company must contribute to the local government’s effort of community development by first of all providing employment opportunities to local residents, paying required taxes and other required fees to the local government, and avoid any express transactions via under the table arrangements. Riordan Marketing should also able to recognize its role not only as profit oriented company, but also a business organization responsible to both its shareholders stakeholders. That is, the company must care for the environmental and cultural impact of its business operation. How do these ethics issues impact Riordan Manufacturing’s marketing efforts Negatively, the lesson that was learned by Disney Company during the initial years of its operation in Paris is the answer how these ethics issues can impact Riordan manufacturing’s marketing efforts. Failure to consider these ethics issues will certainly lead to serious losses as it will affect the domestic market’s behavior in view of indifferent patronage of Riordan’s product. As Chryssides and Kaler (1993) pointed out, Riordan Marketing must recognize that business â€Å"is not just a matter of economic exchange of money, commodities, and profits; it involves human interactions, is basic to human society, and is intertwined with the political, social, legal, and cultural life of society (p. 37). Riordan Marketing’s failure to settle the ethics issues as cited above could seriously damage the marketing of the product and might even come to worse if a campaign to boycott the product will be spearheaded by any radical organization. India, being second most populous nation on earth and is a fast industrializing economy can be a huge market for Riordan Marketing promising a potential profits for the company. Positively however, the ethics issues discussed above can provide Riordan a positive image and insure domestic patronage if those ethics issues are observed by the company. The ethics issues properly addressed can reduce the negative impact of marketing, and it will also enhance the consumer well-being. Vilcox and Mohan (2007) aptly stated that ethics issues can â€Å"increase its positive impact by providing consumers with goods and services that can enhance their overall quality of life† (p. 50). The impact therefore of those ethics issues can be achieved by the company through creating a positive company image based on cultural awareness, respect and incorporating the customs and tradition to the company’s business strategy. If Riordan Manufacturing also wanted to consider marketing to a broader region that included your selected country (e. g. , Europe, Asia), what impact would this have on their marketing strategy? The impact Riordan Manufacturing’s marketing to a broader region is dependent of the company’s overall image. Based on the company’s history and current business performances, Riordan Manufacturing enjoys a very highly organized and well secure business transaction. They have no bad previous records in terms of their internal operation. The company’s human resource has an excellent policy with regard to employee-employer relationships and in terms of benefits the company provides its employees. The company’s ethical reputation of the company will certainly have good impact on their regional marketing strategy. Indeed, Riordan Manufacturing’s marketing strategy is ethical marketing. In a paper entitled â€Å"PR Campaign: Final Paper† of the University of Phoenix Public Relation dated 2007, the paper stated that Riordan Manufacturing is focused on creating an organization that recognize the individual employee’s importance to the company. According to the paper, the Riordan Manufacturing is bent on creating a socially responsible company to the community which is the stakeholder in this case. Furthermore, the company is doing its best to inform the public that although their products may not always be environmentally friendly, they are completely conscious of the public concerns (PR Campaign). Thus, even if Riordan Marketing will consider marketing to a broader region that includes India, it will not have negative impact on their marketing strategy especially in India because they have not violated any cultural issues or the local customs and tradition of the host country. Rather, addressing ethics issues such as those discussed above will always yield potential gains for the company. Considering that Riordan Manufacturing’s marketing strategy is it self ethical marketing, it means they are on the right track as ethics deals with what is good for the majority. The impact of these ethics issues is that it will enhance the company’s public relations that will surely have an immense impact on Riordan Manufacturing’s marketing strategy. The point therefore is clear, Riordan Manufacturing’s success in creating a company that is highly anchored on ethical principles and values will help them determine its course of success both in the broader region and in a particular country like India. In the meantime, Riordan Manufacturing is on its way of transforming itself towards a company that cares on every spheres of their operation ethically. They are a company that acknowledges responsibility on all their stakeholders beginning from their own employees, the organization, the community, and the country where it operates. Reference List Crane, A. Matten, D. (2007) Business Ethics USA: University Press Chryssides, G. D. Kaler, J. H. (1993) An Introduction to Business Ethics UK: Cengage Learning EMEA Davenport, G. , Crotty, M. , Torres, P. (2000) Termination of Employment Digest Switzerland: I LO Pr Campaign: Final Paper January 29, 2007 http://www. oppapers. com/essays/Pr-Campaign-Final-Paper/119681 Vilcox, M. W. Mohan, T. (2007) Contemporary Issues in Business Ethics New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

History Of Tourism In Italy Tourism Essay

History Of Tourism In Italy Tourism Essay Tourism is one of the most important and vital sectors in Italy. Italy is probably one of the first countries that made tourism what it is today. International travel first became important under the Roman Empire. Latin was the common language day. The word feria first appeared in the ancient Rome, which means festival and it took the meaning of vacation. The Latin festival was the first mobile holiday, far from ones residence. Domestic tourism flourished within the Roman Empires heartland, it attracted thousands to the city and country all over the empire which included most if the Mediterranean, North Africa, mainland Great Britain and the parts of the Middle East. Traders and merchants came to Italy from several parts of the world. However tourism in Italy could have started from as way back as the gladiator fights in ancient Rome. As years passed the ceremonies were promoted and thousands of people flocked to Italy to see these bloody warfares. These events were always held in the Colosseum, which was also a major attraction. The people came from all over the Roman Empire and regions of Africa, Italy, and Rome. The games were a way of entertaining the wealthy as well as the common people. When the Empire fell, Rome governed the governed the growing Christianity and it remained one of European greatest religious centers and places of pilgrimage. These pilgrimages started the early forms of religious tourism. Renaissance became very popular in the 16th and early 17th century and many students came to Italy to study Italian architecture. The beginning of the Grant Tour was the peak of real tourism in Italy in the second half of the 17th century. Italy was considered the most popular destination. British travelled most parts of Europe, most famously, Italy to study architecture and culture of those places. These students were accompanied by a tutor and this trip often lasted 3 years or more. Travel for the reasons of education was encouraged but the fact that under Elizabeth I a special license had to be obtained in order to travel abroad. While the Grand tour was educational, as with the spas, the appeal soon became social, and pleasure-seeking young men of leisure travelled, to enjoy the rival cultures and social life of Europe. Every city in Italy was a sight to see and was the major attraction in the 17th century. However, by 1840, when rail transport was introduced and visiting Italy was no longer considered something for the elite, the first form of mass-tourism was introduced. Places such as Venice and Sicily still remained the top attraction. The first sea side resorts, such as those in the Ligurian coast. Those around Venice, coastal Tuscany and the Amalfi coast became popular. Grand Hotels and holiday resorts began to be built and islands such as Capri, Ischia, Procida and Elba became more popular and were mostly visited by wealthy foreigners and academics. By 1913, tourism had become an opportunity, and there was about 90,000 British visitors, this is because of natural and historical characteristics of the country. The Italian State Tourist Office was created in 1919, and was given a mandate to gather different data and information in order to make a legislative proposal that will help to promote the countrys domestic tourism, thus focusing on the international tourism, as well as to f acilitate different bank credit for the hotels. Tourism in Italy remained very popular until the late 1920- early 1930s, when, with the Great Depression and the economic crisis, several could no longer visit the country and the increasing political instability in the country meant that less and less tourist came. With the impact of the Great Depression during 1929, the economic and political uncertainty between the two worlds was the primary reason of the first intervention of the national government of Italy to get involved in the tourism industry. After a big slump in the number of tourist, tourism became popular again in Italy with the Italian economic miracle raised living standards and also the popularity of the Italian films brought back tourism to the country. The country had completed its postwar economic reconstruction during 1958 that helps to restructure the country from an agriculture-based to an industry-centered economy. It had helped to maintain the stability of the t ourism industry. During the said year, the international tourism industry of the country increased to $8.7 billion. Cheap Hotels were built in 1960s, and anyone could afford a holiday somewhere along the Italian coast. Mountain Holidays and skiing had a mass-popularity in the late 1960s. Despite the significant slump of tourist in the late 1970s and early 1980s because of the economic crises and political instability, by the late 1980 and early 1990s, the tourism regained in popularity. Now at the beginning of the 21st century tourism in Italy faced a number of challenges, the September 11 attacks in the US, made many tourists scared to travel and the economic meltdown in 2008 caused a significant drop in Tourism worldwide and Italy is now in state of recovery. Life Cycle Analysis Launch/Discovery Many tourist visited Italy for centuries, but the first actual tourist was said to have visited during the Grand Tour in the 17th and 18th century. Roman Empire was also a major pull factor that attracted thousands of people from around the world. People also came to Italy to witness the bloody warfare which was held in the Colosseum and this attracted many people also. When the Empire fell, many pilgrims would come to Italy and this could have been the early form of religious tourism. Italy, at this time was said to be a favorite destination by many. However, about 90,000 visited the country because of its natural and historical characteristics. In 1919, tourism had become an opportunity and the Italian State Office was created to promote international tourism and assist with different bank credits. Growth During 1958, Italy had finished its postwar economic reconstruction and the country moved from agriculture based to an industry- centered economy. Tourism became popular again, with the Italian economic miracle and raised living standard, and the popularity of Italian Films such as La Dolce Vita abroad and this brought back tourism in the country tremendously. In the late 1960s there was a mass influx of tourist, who came to the island because of the popularity of mountain holidays and skiing, which was offered for the elite in the 1930s. Many hotel chains became interested in the economy as a result of the management of government regarding the tourism industry. During the years of 1985 until 1995 the revenue for the industry increased extensively from 8.7 billion to 27.4billion. Moreover the country was ranked as top 4 country destinations from 1980 to 1996. By this time the annual growth rate for each year was 2.5% and the country enjoyed a considerable market share at this time. The development helped Italy to move from third to second rank for tourism receipts among the global top tourism earners, having an outstanding growth rate of 8.4%. Maturity From the period of 1996 2006 Italy saw a 10 year maturity growth rate in the tourism sector. Slight Progress has been made in 2006 and 2007 and there was a 3% increase in visitors after several years of maturity. Saturation In the years of 2007- 2008 was a steady rate of tourist coming to the country. Year Arrivals of tourist 2007 43.7 million 2008 42.7 million 2009 43.2 million Although the figure shows a fluctuation of the arrivals of tourists, on average it is a steady flow of tourist arriving in Italy at that time period, therefore showing the relative stagnation of the destination. Decline/Rejuvenation Decline Due to the economic global crisis, different visitors and foreigners are looking for countries to visit that are reasonable in cheap prices, However Italy is one of the most expensive destinations in Europe which have resulted in a 25% decline in British visitors coming to the country during 2008. The fall has been worst for local business owners in the tourism industry, who watched business falter by 50% over the past year. Also hotel owners said that visitors are now shortening their stays which would result in a decline in revenue. Venice was a major attraction, but due to the sinking ground level, rising sea level, pollution in the lagoon in which it is located, atmospheric pollution, congestion on the main canals from motorized traffic and increase flooding, there was a huge decline in tourist arrivals presently. Rejuvenation Italy has made a number of efforts to rejuvenate its tourism industry. Earlier this year Italy created a new marketing brand with a new logo and slogan. http://www.italymag.co.uk/images/italy-logo.jpg .Italy leaves its mark Italys local economy is now trying keeping their prices competitive for many and they hope that the bargains would attract more tourists to the country. Also since Italy won the 2006 FIFA world cup tourist regained a new interest in coming to the country once gain. Italy also brought back a reintroduction of films in the year 2008 to regain popularity. Present Situation Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world and the country receives approximately 43.7 million tourists a year. These tourists visit mainly for Italys prosperous culture, history, art, cuisine and fashion. After the recession affected tourism and Italys economy greatly in 2008, the tourism industry in Italy today is beginning to flourish again. Cities like Milan which have become popular tourist destinations saw a rise in tourists since it became known as the business and fashion capital of Italy. Rome which is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world and is third most visited city in the European Union also saw a rise. While the world economic crisis forces many consumers to change spending habits, at least the religious tourism in Rome is left unchanged, the Vatican City, the spiritual home to the worlds 1.1 billion Catholics, boasts more than 30,000 churches and sanctuaries according to the countrys Ministry of Culture. According to United Nations Worl d Tourism Organization statistics, seven of the worlds 10 most visited Christian sanctuaries are in Rome. Other regions which generate masses of tourists include: the romantic city of Venice, Tuscany, Naples and the popular tourist island of Sicily. The Italian Government Tourist Board (ENIT) has made efforts to promote all year round tourism with the countrys many equipped beaches, sport and ski facilities, 65 percent of the worlds artworks and historical monuments, and agri-tourism farms where tourists enjoy the land production, like wine, and olive oil and fruits. There are approximately 40,000 hotels in order to cater to Italy high influx of tourists coming to Italy daily. Italian tourism operators are increasingly engaged in improving the quality of their product and in promoting Italy as a destination. Italy  may not take up much space geographically on the globe, but it consistently ranks among the top vacation destinations on the planet. Tourism is considered as one of the most important and vital industries in Italy. It is one of Italys most developing and most profitable industrial sectors, with estimated revenue of $42.7 billion. Tourism  is one of the fastest growing and profitable sectors of the Italys economy. The industry plays a strategic role and has a major impact on Italys economy because of this constant influx of tourists.  Tourism  in  Italy  is one of the countrys biggest income sources. Italys Gross Domestic Product  in 2009 reached $1.8 trillion, 69% is represented by the services sector, whose strong point is tourism, approximately 29% is owing to the automobile industry, engineering industry, apparel/textiles industry and the construction industry and the remaining 2% is derived from agriculture. The geographical distribution of the nations wealth is as follows: approximately 31.8% of Italys Gross Domestic Product is produced in the Northwest regions of the country, 22.3% in the Northeast regions, 21% in the regions of Central Italy, and finally, approximately 24.8% can be attributed to the regions of Southern Italy. In 2009 the expenditures by international inbound visitors (tourist receipts) made Italy the fourth highest tourism earner. The everyday tourists in Italy spends varying amounts daily and the average daily spend will vary widely based on seasonal variations and desired destinations. The fact is that some tourists may enjoy a great two-week adventure in  Italy  and  spend  less than $4,000, while others may let a commercial tour company make the decisions for them and end up spending $15,000. Italy  isnt cheap, although however compared with the UK and northern Europe the situation is not so bad. What you  spend  on accommodation will depend on various factors, such as location, season (August which is the peak), the degree of comfort you want. The cheapest pensione  (small hotel) is unlikely to cost less than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬25 for a basic single or à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40 for a double room. You can stumble across comfortable rooms with their own bathroom from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬50 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬80. Midrange hotels in the more expensive places such as Rome, Florence   and    Venice  can easily cost from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬80 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬150 for singles or à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬120 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200 for doubles. Eating out is just as varied in  Venice  and  Milan  , while  tourist  magnets such as  Florence  and  Rome offer surprisingly affordable options. On  average  you should reckon on at least à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬20 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬50 for a meal (two courses, dessert and house wine). Backpackers usually stick religiously to youth hostels, they snacking at midday and travelling slowly, spending approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬50 per day. Your  average  midrange  daily  budget, including a sandwich for lunch and a simple dinner, as well as budgeting for a couple of sights and travel, might come to anything from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬100 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬150 a day. Many tourists come to Italy for many different reasons whether it is for leisure or business the average length of stay according to the UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics is 3.81 days. Tourism represents an opportunity but also a fascinating challenge for the country in terms of economic growth, international image and improvement of relations with other nations. However, tourism is important because of its economic and employment potential, it is a sector that employs nearly three million persons which is equal to approximately 12 percent of the total work force and is expected to increase in many years to come. Italy is also the ideal tourist job destination. There are ski resort jobs in the Alps in the North part of the country in the winter, beach resort jobs in the summer, and restaurant and hotel jobs all year long. There is also a huge demand for city guides in Rome, Venice, Pompeii, and many others during the summer. Tourism also contributes to the prospect of wealth and opportun ities to the less developed minor regions in Italy in order for them to progress economically. With the expansion of international tourism, along with the countrys enormous potential, Italy has to maintain and upgrade its tourism industry over the next years to maintain and expand its market share and provide economic growth. Market Analysis of Tourism in Italy With more than 43.7 million tourists a year, Italy is the fourth highest tourist earner, and fifth most visited country in the world behind France, Spain, United States and China. . Domestic tourism, or the travel of Italians within their own country, is the markets largest sector. The majority of foreign tourists coming into Italy originate in Europe. Germany in particular is a major source market for tourism in Italy. Figure 3 gives a fairly good idea of how big the German market is in Italy. According to UNWTO World Tourism Barometer for January 2010, Italy was one of the very few countries that maintained their market share in terms of foreign tourist arrivals, remaining firmly among the top five most successful destinations worldwide. Figure 3 shows a Pie chart representing 10 major source markets of tourist and their respective percentages. Source: Invitalia elaboration of Istat data, Capacity of accommodation facilities , March 2010 Figure one further re-iterates the largest percentage of tourists coming into Italy are in fact Europeans. Italy has always been one of the most desired and visited travel destinations worldwide. In relation to the age group of the Italian tourist market, Italy attracts many young people between 20-30 years old. ADDD INFO ON THE YOUTH MARKET However, 55% of the Italian tourist market is over 55 years old. The summer of 2010 has shown that Italy is definitely recovering from the worldwide economic crisis and is enjoying an increase of visitors from many of its major source markets in comparison to the previous year. According to ENIT , there is an upturn in international markets in relation to Italy, opting for shorter holidays, favoring of all inclusive formulas that make it possible to better evaluate the prices in relation to the product purchased, and increased interest in holidays in contact with nature. Arrivals from the USA are showing a favoring index of about 25%, to art cities, lakes and mountains. South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina also show a rise of at least 20%. As far as the Asian and Oceania markets are concerned, Japan shows a growth trend towards Italy as a destination. The art cities and best known seaside resorts are confirmed as the favoring destinations. In India, on the tourist front, the height of the season ended in April and was without a do ubt marked by an excellent increase in tourist demand for the Europe product in general, and specifically for what Italy has to offer (+20%). In terms of the European market, there are also positive signs for the car travel segment to neighboring destinations, while there is a downturn in air travel. As previously stated, Italy enjoys a leadership position on the German market. Summer of 2010 has shown an increase of 5% of German arrivals when compared to 2009. Italy also saw a slight increase in sales among Austrian tourists (+5%). The positive trend for Italy on the markets in Belgium (+10%) and Holland(+3%) continues while Spanish tourism outlets have seen a drop in bookings. Italys Unites Kingdom market is showing a growth in demand for lesser known destinations in rural areas of Italy while the French market is favoring sea and beach offers like Sicily and other areas such as Tuscany and Lazio, for its cultural attractions. Charter flights to Italy have also increased for Russia, coming from Moscow. According to ENIT, the packages sold have shown an increase of more than 30%, while tourists coming from the Czech Repub lic favor coach tours to seaside centers and big art cities. People mainly come to Italy for its rich art, cuisine, history, fashion and culture, its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains and priceless ancient monuments, especially those from the Greek and Roman civilizations. UIC data on inbound tourism in Italy indicated that travellers expenditure was connected with the following reasons; cultural, environmental, social and visits to family and friends Figure 4 Figure 4 shows a pie chart indicating various reasons travellers expenditure in Italy and their respective percentages This information gives us an idea of Italys target markets and how they would choose to proportionately allocate funds aiming at these markets. Although the information in figure 2 gives us a good idea of the reasons people go to Italy, it isnt as detailed as it could be. *Add some info different markets such as wine and food tourist, cultural etc* The sports tourism market in Italy is a growing one. Football fans in particular venture into Italy to watch the seasonal Italian Serie A football matches. Occasionally , Italy is blessed with UEFA champions league football matches .The UEFA champions league has one of the biggest followings in football. In addition to this, Italy were the winners of the 2006 FIFA world cup finals. That in itself draws sports fans to the country of Italy. Italy also caters to huge fashion tourist market. Milan is seen as the fashion capital of the world. Fashion designers and fashion followers alike flock to Milan in numbers for the various fashion shows and exhibits. Religious Tourism is one of the major market segments of tourism in Italy. While the world economic crisis forces many consumers to change spending habits, this economic sector has so far been barely touched. Official figures are hard to come by because visitors to Italy are not required to indicate whether or not their vacation is religious in nature. However, tour operators and travel agents say that the number of religious tourists in Italy hasnt changed much. Michael Patano, the director of Aurea , a 6-year-old trade fair for agencies that market religious tours, said Religious pilgrims still want to have the same experiences. The high point for religious tourism in Rome is Easter, which takes place on Sunday. The Vatican says that if the weather is good, attendance at the Easter Mass in St. Peters Square usually surpasses 100,000 people. Although there are few official figures indicating the importance of religious tourists to the tourism market, it can be assumed that religious tourism has a significant market share of tourism in Italy. All in all, Italys market has been relatively constant over the years and there are areas where Italy can try to diversify their appeal and also penetrate further into existing markets. After all, Italy has a wide range of fascinating attractions that can appeal to a cross section of tourist markets. Product Analysis A product can be defined as a good or service offered with the purpose of satisfying a want or need. Italy itself, so rich in history, art, architecture, religion, fashion, cuisine, music and landscape, is a very diverse product since it has so much to offer, to many different markets with its many amenities and attractions. Here, we will identify and examine just what Italy has to offer. An attraction refers to one thing being drawn or enticed to another. In Italy, there are many, many lures that draw foreigners and even locals to the many parts of the country. One of these attractions is the Colesseum, which is located in Rome. The ruins of what once was a great amphitheatre used to host gladiator duels and public spectacles still remains very popular today. This mammoth of a structure sees an estimated 4 million visitors yearly, many of whom come to sight-see, learn about its history and study its marvelous architecture. 800px-The_Colosseum_during_Christmas.jpg Photo Of The Colloseum In Rome Also located in Rome, is the Vatican City which is actually considered a separate state within Rome. This city is ruled by The Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome and leader of The Roman Catholic Church worldwide. Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity and has the largest religious following in the world with approximately 1.1 billion persons. However many Christians and Non-Christians visit the Vatican City yearly touring its museums and hoping to see The Pope. Still in Rome we find Pompeii, a unique attraction in a partially buried town. Pompeii was destroyed and buried by a volcanic eruption and was rediscovered in 1599, but with the excavation of the ash, we see preserved parts of a city in the pinnacle of the Roman Empire. Rome is additionally known for the Spanish Steps or Scalinata Spagna; the longest and widest staircase in Europe, which links The Spanish Embassy located in the piazza below to the French church; Trinità  Ã‚   dei Monti, above. Also popular is th e Trevi Fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in the city which is well known and often featured in movies. Rome also boasts of popular restaurants such as the Antica Pesa La Pergola and hotels such as the Bernini Bristol and the Westin Excelsior. Another popular Region in Italy is Tuscany which is renowned for its heartwarming landscapes, brilliant wine and art, and its luxurious villas. In Tuscany we can find the City of Pisa which is the home of The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower is actually the bell tower to the citys cathedral and began construction in 1173, taking nearly 200 years to complete. Shortly after construction began, the tower started to lean to the right due to the poor construction of the foundation. Today, millions of visitors come to Pisa to see the towers distinct architecture and signature lean. Tuscany is also where we find the province of Florence, home of many elegant squares, renaissance palaces, cathedrals, museums and galleries. Most popular of these galleries is the Uffizi Gallery, where the works of popular artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci can all be found. One of da Vincis most popular works, The Last Supper can be found in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. This is world renowned painting of Jesus and his disciples before he was betrayed and is frequented by visitors of the region. Milan is also popular for its magnificent football stadium, the San Siro. This stadium is home to A.C Milan and F.C Internazionale Milan which are two the biggest football clubs in Europe with millions of fans worldwide. Moreover, Milan is best known for fashion and design, and is regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the world. Major Italian brands such as Valentino, Gucci, Armani, Prada and DG all now have headquarters in Milan making their selves more accessible to the citys high end fashion market. The City of Venice is known for its gothic architecture, tourism and romantic lure, and is also known as The Floating City, The City of Bridges or The City of Canals. The city has been given these names since it is comprised of 117 islands joined together by 409 bridges, and the main mode of transport is by boat. Its common in Venice to see couples being rowed along in a gondola; classical Venetian boat. Travel by waterways is the most popular method of travel in Venice since there are no real roads but only walkways and bridges. In regions near the Mediterranean, the country is very popular for its waters. However, not only does Italy have white sandy beaches as we can find on the Amalfi Coast, but also thermal waters with healing properties. This has led to the development of thermal spas and even resorts around the country which are encouraging for medicinal tourism. Italy also has a rich history in classical and symphonic music and stemming from this come their love for operatic singing and ballet dancing. Many shows and recitals are held annually all over Italy by the opera houses which have seasons for both symphonic singing and ballet. Furthermore, the Vatican is not the only place which has a religious pull but rather its a nationwide affair with visitors coming from far and near to explore Italys many cathedrals. Other notable attractions in Italy are its mountainous snow covered regions with perfect conditions for camping and alpine skiing, its many nature parks and reserves and the unique experiences offered on the islands on Sardinia and Sicily. italy-ski-resorts.jpg Photo Of a The Alps Millions of tourists visit Italy yearly and due to the course of recovery the country is currently on, millions more could be added to the total, but Italy can be said to be prepared now having over 40 000 hotels. These hotels vary in standard from 1 star to 5 star deluxe, and in Milan, Italy has set the benchmark being the first country in the world to have a 7 star hotel; Town House Galleria. Additionally, Italy has its own distinct cuisine and beverages, and has a holistic cooking style combining healthy with delicious. Their love for pasta, cheeses, sauces, meats, vegetables, fish, pizza, gelato, coffee and wine has set them apart. This love has spread worldwide with Italian cafes and restaurants being found in most countries, however, this hasnt stopped visitors from coming to Italy to have a firsthand taste of their cuisine. Present day Italy has hundreds of thousands of eating facilities ranging from cafes to pizzerias to fine dining restaurants. Moreover, with this cuisine a good wine can always be expected, and why not since Italy is one of the foremost wine producers in the world with its signature Rosso (red) and Bianco (white) wine. This extensive high level production can be attributed to Italys rich soil and climate. Vineyards can be found all around the nation in regions such as Aosta Valley, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Venito. The wine industry is a massive contributor to the Italian economy both on its own and through tourism. Italy has made itself very accessible having 30 major airports and 43 major seaports; 2004. Additionally, Italy has an extensive and highly maintained road network making transport between cities easy, which encourages local travel. Italians also have large bus fleets to service the public from town to town, and city to city; SITA, but in Venice there is a waterbus fleet. Visitors crossing the borders are also accommodated with the border crossings connecting to France, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia being opened 24 hours daily. Furthermore, Italy has an established railway system comprising of both electric trains and locomotives which run through the country and connect with bordering countries, and a water fleet of ferries to service the inland rivers and canals. Promotional Strategies The objects of the promotion and communication activities are Italys image and its overall tourism product. ENIT is the institution in charge of promoting Italys tourism product. ENIT pursues its institutional goals through activities such as studying international markets and in particular the connotations and trends in demand for individual and organized tourism. ENIT is also constantly monitoring the development of tourism demand. Italys tourism board is constantly involved in planning designed operating strategies in agreement with Italian tourisms public and private players. This includes the Ministry of Production Activities, Regions, central public administrations boards, professional associations, and producers of services for tourism i.e. transport, hospitality, food service, public businesses, and so on. One of the most important aspects of promoting tourism in Italy is developing planning objectives employing, for each market or homogenous consumption area, just the right combination of a number of operating tools. These tools could be in the form of; Multimedia communication Mass media advertising Print, multimedia, and audiovisual production Creating and managing data and image banks Traditional and telematic information distribution Material distribution Press relations in Italy and overseas Sectoral analysis and business strategy consulting service for the Regions and private Italian operators Organizing marketing meetings between Italian supply and foreign demand Organizing seminars for professional users Providing assistance to visits by Italian economic operators abroad ,and by foreign economic operators in Italy Meetings with administrative authorities, opinion makers, personalities, and representatives of cultural and artistic areas in the various foreign nations where ENIT offices are located Organizing and taking part in fairs, expositions, exhibitions, and large-scale events in Italy and abroad. Providing assistance and operative cons