The Impact of Branding Strategies of New Luxury Brands on Nigerian Young Customers: A Study of Tiffany Amber

Executive Summary: The global fashion industry is a highly evolving market with diverse needs and innumerous wants. While the tastes of consumers may differ, the aim of the luxury fashion brand industry is to associate brands with feelings of prestige, importance, status, and grandeur for customers. While the Western fashion industry is highly developed, the Nigerian fashion industry is slowly progressing into prominence as young affluent Nigerian consumers begin to appreciate Ankara fabric. However, these young affluent Nigerians are also highly comfortable with wearing Western labels, which makes it highly important for Nigerian fashion brands to appropriately brand their product lines to appeal to young Nigerian customers. This study focuses upon the impact of branding strategies of luxury fashion brands in Nigeria upon young consumers and aims to discuss the various branding strategies used and their effectiveness. The study aims to apply special emphasis upon the brand Tiffany and Amber which is known for its uniqueness and use of luxuriant fabric and vibrant colors. With the use of a closed-ended questionnaire, the study is designed to be both qualitative and quantitative in nature as it will contact 60 Tiffany and Amber customers through email for their opinion regarding the brand prominence and branding strategies employed by Tiffany and Amber and their effectiveness. The study will conclude by providing recommendations according to the data obtained. Chapter 1: Introduction1.1 Introduction:Fashion is an evolving term which may have a different context in every culture and may be redefined frequently. It is also a concept which may be defined differently by each individual and may be used as a source of expressing his/her personality. Hence, the fashion industry has a wide scope all over the world and is filtrated by numerous designers attempting to gain their market share by becoming the favorite of the fashion conscious (Okonkwo, 2009a). While fashion trends evolve and the tastes of various target markets differ, designers and brands have used specific branding strategies in order to increase their appeal to consumers and influence them into purchasing their products and wearing their styles (Ahmad, 2011). As different designers target separate target markets, the fashion industry is dispersed according to consumer characteristics which include gender, age group, socio-economic class, occupation, and the type of clothing needed amongst innumerous other characteristics(Okonkwo, 2007b). Accordingly, as the world has fashion hubs which are countries or cities which promote and spread fashion, such as Paris, the West can be considered the global hub for the remaining world as most successful designers attempt to influence the Western fashion market to gain recognition. While Nigerian or African fashion was not highly prominent in the West previously, Nigerian designers have gained recognition and formed their own luxury brands (Okonkwo, 2009a). This dissertation will seek to explore the branding strategies of Nigerian luxury brands, specifically Tiffany Amber, in context of socio-economic class, magnitude of fashion, age group, and other relevant factors which influence the branding strategy of a luxury brand. Accordingly this proposal will commence with an explanation of the background of the topic and the company Tiffany Amber and continue by stating the rationale for the study, research objectives/aims, and the research questions. The next chapter in the proposal will contain a brief literature review covering some of the main points in the literature concerning branding strategies of fashion luxury brands and summarizing the points that the dissertation will seek to explore. The proposal will commence with describing the research design and methodology including methods of data collection and data analysis and conclude with a short summary of all the relevant crucial points in the proposal.1.2 Background:Fashion is not a necessity but is usually a luxury exploited by and available to consumers who are willing to purchase fashionable clothes and have the resources to do so. One of the largest groups of consumers who are influenced by fashion are the young generation or young consumers and this particular target market is also known to spend the most upon purchasing fashionable clothing. Accordingly, designers of luxury brands incorporate different branding strategies within their marketing plan in order to increase their influence upon young consumers (Kotler, 1988). This study particularly focuses upon studying the impact of branding strategies of new luxury brands upon young Nigerian consumers belonging to the upper-middle class and those who have the resources to afford luxury clothing and have access to luxury fashion brands. The study will discuss their fashion choices with relation to luxury and non-luxury brands and their reasons for choosing fashionable clothing such as maintaining an image, looking young, and price and status amongst other factors. Society has always classified individuals according to a number of characteristics and accordingly given them labels such as frontrunners and followers, powerful and weak, elite and poor, and many other universal social categorizations (Kotler, 1988). Thus, individuals are then classified according to factors such as treasure, prestige, capability, education, profession, and even place of residence. These separate factors together form the classification of socio-economic class which is one of the most important consumer characteristics in luxury fashion clothing Tynan et al, 2010). Accordingly, African luxury fashion brands are seeking to make their impact upon the Western fashion market by adopting various branding strategies to appeal to the affluent youth. While the development of African fashion has previously been slow, African fashion brands are gradually entering the Western fashion market featuring Nigerian designers in the lead (Jennings & Ude, 2011). Designers such as Deola Sagoe, Violet Hecksher, and Adebayo Jones have all made their mark as high-end fashion brands which provide and design clothes in the categories ofhaute dressmaking, avante garde, and bridal fashion clothing. They produce commendable work in their own design fields and clearly communicate their brand image in their collections and customer service, representing concepts such as reliability, custom fitting, vibrance, entertainment, and comfort (Chavelier & Mozzalovo, 2008). However, Deola Sagoe exceeds the limitations of other Nigerian fashion designers and features a highly innovat ive high-end fashion line which is not seen elsewhere within the realms of Nigerian fashion. Thus, it is evident that Nigerian fashion has been thriving for some time and has made commendable progress in the last five years. Previously, Nigerian designs such as Ankara were not used daily and Nigerian designers were not paid much regard. However, now consumers under the age of 40 have begun to appreciate the beauty of Ankara and regularly wear garments designed by Nigerian designers. Designers have currently become proud of the country-of-origin of their products and often promote this feeling of patriotism by labeling clothes with emblems saying â€Å"Proudly Nigerian† (Keller & Lehmann, 2006). Due to the new popularity of Ankara fabric and the skills of fashion designers, the Nigerian fashion industry has currently taken a whole new path and is on the road to success, putting Nigerian fashion designers in a better position to target the youth and develop appropriate branding strategies to promote their luxury brands. This dissertation seeks to explore these branding strategies, specifically those employed by the luxury fashion brand, Tiffany Amber (Wilcox et al, 2009).1.3 Company Background:The brand, Tiffany Amber, was incorporated in the fall of 1998 by the brand’s owner and founder, Folake Folarin Cokar, who lived most of her youth in Europe exploring various fashion trends and fashion philosophy in order to later transmit her fashion sense and passion in her new brand. Unlike other Nigerian luxury brands, Tiffany Amber is specifically designed to suit the modern African woman and offers a unique blend of traditional African design with an international aesthetic which is part of the brand’s unique selling proposition. The brand is also widely known for its ultra feminine cuts and pieces created with the most luxuriant fabric and specific emphasis to detail. Unlike other African fashion designers, Tiffany Amber has successfully made a mark in the global fashion market while winning numerous awards and featuring its designs at the New York Fashion Week. The brand’s success can be attributed to a number of things which may include the brand’s specific emphasis to detail and femininity or the brand’s branding strategy of featuring itself under a foreign brand name rather than a local Nigerian brand name (Anheir & Isar, 2008).1.4 Rationale for the Study:While Western fashion and the fashion industries of other countries are well-developed, Nigerian fashion is a newly emerging concept and a newly prosperous industry. Thus, while all major fashion brands indulge in strategized marketing and promotion of their brands, there is little insight into how Nigerian luxury fashion brands adopt branding strategies to make consumers more aware of their brand and increase their prominence. Moreover, while the youth are highly appreci ative of Nigerian fashion in Nigeria, there is a need to understand whether Nigerian designers are effectively targeting the youth and increasing the prominence of their fashion brands or whether there is need for improvement in their branding/marketing strategies (Cayla & Arnold, 2008). While this would not have been an issue previously, with the current success of Nigerian fashion and its penetrating prominence in the Western fashion market, it is essential to study whether Nigerian luxury fashion brands such as Tiffany Amber are effectively using branding as a source to increase consumer awareness (Ahmad, 2011). If branding strategies and marketing plans are not coordinated and presented effectively, it may affect the success and acceptance of Nigerian fashion amongst young consumers. This was not previously a highly researched topic as the Nigerian fashion industry was not highly prominent and was not given due regard, hence there is little insight into this area of research (Shukla, 2011). This study can shed light upon whether the Nigerian luxury fashion market is effectively using branding strategies to gain prominence amongst young consumers and whether young consumers are aware of various Nigerian brands. It can also shed light upon the different types of branding strategies used in the Nigerian fashion industry and how these can be improved to exploit the opportunities available for Nigerian fashion amongst young consumers, if they are not currently being used at optimum level (Phau & Prendergast, 2000).1.5 Research Aims:Principle Research Aim: Exploring the depth of Nigerian fashion culture and the use of branding strategies by luxury brands to gain prominence amongst young consumers.Research Objectives:Aims to critically analyze and explore fashion culture in Nigeria as well as the contemporary fashion industry Aims to critically analyze the development and success of luxury fashion brands in Nigeria and their strategy of targeting young consumers Aims to explor e brand awareness of luxury fashion brands amongst young consumers in Nigeria Aims to critically analyze and explore the branding strategies of luxury fashion brands in Nigeria Aims to explore the branding strategy employed by Tiffany Amber and effectively make recommendations for improvement in light of the information gathered in the studyResearch Questions: Primary Research Question: What types of branding strategies are used by Nigerian luxury fashion brands and are they effectively targeting and increasing brand prominence amongst young consumers?Subsidiary Research Questions:What does fashion culture in Nigeria represent Are young consumers aware of various luxury fashion brands in Nigeria What branding strategies are being used by Tiffany Amber and how can they be improved to increase the brand’s acceptance by young consumers1.6Hypothesis:H0: young Nigerian customers are not aware of brand prominence of luxury fashion brands. H1: young Nigerian customers are aware of brand prominence of luxury fashion brands Chapter 2: Literature Review2.1 Concept of Branding:A brand name is a source of recognition for a product range which gives it a distinct identity and differentiates it from the products of competitors. If it were not for the concept of branding, it would not be possible for fashion designers to gain recognition in the industry and set themselves apart from their counterparts offering similar clothing and styles. A brand name represents a number of concepts and is a source of equity for a business which adds value to the business beyond the value of its material assets. Moreover, it is also a source of communication between the customer and the brand owner which gives off several cues to the customer regarding the product (Amankwah et al, 2012). A brand name is particularly important in the fashion industry and all luxury fashion brands are dependent upon the development of their brand name in order to add value to their brands. For example, Louis Vutton produces a leather handbag which is produced at a cost of approximately ?150 including the cost of overheads, but the bag is sold at a price of ?750 because of its unique style, the brand’s equity, and the brand associations that arise in the minds of customers when purchasing the brand (Wissinger, 2009).The luxury fashion brands industry aims to associate feelings of prestige, importance, power, hi-fashion, and uniqueness within customers regarding the brands they purchase. Thus, the industry’s main aim is to develop their brand name through branding strategies to represent concepts which are highly attractive for affluent customers and influence them to pay a high price for their products while also frequently purchasing their products (Fillis & Remtschler, 2 006). 2.2 Branding Strategies:In order to promote their luxury fashion brands in the eyes of customers, brand owners and managers implement a number of branding strategies. The branding strategies include extending the brand life cycle, increasing brand prominence, creating a brand image and brand position in the market, using celebrity endorsements, and using a foreign brand name amongst other innumerous branding strategies (Atwal & Williams, 2009). Many brands attempt to attract customers through constant innovation and offering completely new looks. Thus, this leaves customers guessing and at a stage of surprise as they are not sure of what to expect from the brand. While this strategy can significantly increase customer interest, it can also be harmful in the sense that it may cause brand confusion for customers and they may not be able to associate an appropriate image with the brand. Some brands attempt to increase their sales by increasing brand prominence and ensuring that customers are well aware of their brand. This may involve sponsoring events, featuring the brand in movies, advertisements, and basically ensuring the brand name is visible wherever possible (Ahmad, 2011). While this may be effective in ensuring that customers are well aware of the brand and it is at the top of their minds, but it may also cause customers to think that the brand has lost its uniqueness if the brand is made too prominent and is featured in the wrong places (Danziger, 2004). Many brand managers feel that their brand will sell itself if the correct brand image is projected and the brand is positioned appropriately. This is one of the most important branding strategies for luxury brands as this determines their identity in the market and how they are perceived by customers. Luxury fashion brands often prefer to create a brand image of uniqueness, importance, high status, and exquisite style. However, they may differ in the manner that they position themselves in the market as some brands may wish to position themselves as traditional brands while others may wish to project themselves as contemporary brands for example (Wilcox et al, 2009). Another very popular branding strategy for luxury fashion brands is using celebrity endorsements or hiring brand ambassadors which are well-known people who represent or use the brand in order to promote it to customers. This is usually considered an effective strategy in the case of luxury fashion brands as using celebrity endorsements often adds an aura of prestige and status to the brand (Keller & Lehmann, 2006). One of the popular branding strategies in brands originating from less developed countries is adopting a foreign brand name in order to give the brand a more Westernized image and possibly even hiding its country of origin. This is one of the strategies adopted by numerous Nigerian fashion designers, such as Tiffany Amber, and touches upon the next topic of the country of origin effect (Tynan et al , 2010). 2.3 Country of Origin Effect:The country of origin effect is seen within brands originating from different countries and how consumers perceive them based upon their c ountry of origin. For example, it may be difficult for a Chinese fashion designer to name a global fashion brand under a Chinese name and then effectively compete with other fashion brands such as Zara, Marie Claire, and numerous others as Western consumers may not be able to completely relate to the brand. It may also be difficult for consumers to associate themselves with the brand or perceive it as a high quality brand. Hence, many brands originating from less developed countries are made to adopt a Western name in order to at times hide their country of origin or relate to customers more effectively. This practice is often seen in Nigerian brands and may be a cause for their recent success in the global market, including brands such as Tiffany and Amber. Accordingly, these brands give off specific psychological cues to customers (Cayla & Arnould, 2008).2.4 Psychological Effects of Branding:Customers wearing branded products often choose to wear these brands because they give the m psychological satisfaction more than for the specific quality or style they offer. For example, a consumer wearing a simple dress which is not branded may not feel as confident as a consumer wearing a dress with a specific emblem or logo on it (Okonkwo, 2007b). Moreover, brands give customers a sense of belonging and may give them the feeling that they belong to a specific group of people who use a particular product. Thus, many consumers feel that they are cool, stylish, of high status, rich, or fashionable because they are wearing a particular brand. Hence, consumers, specifically young consumers in the contemporary fashion market, feel that they are recognized through the brands they wear. The same situations holds true for Nigerian consumers (Danziger, 2004). 2.5 Nigerian Young Consumers:Young Nigerian consumers are becoming increasingly affluent and have a substantial amount of discretionary income to spend upon fashion clothing. Moreover, with the increase in education and a wareness, Nigerian consumers are increasingly becoming fashion conscious and feel highly comfortable wearing Western labels. However, with the current prominence of Nigerian fashion, some young consumers are beginning to wear Ankara fabric and appreciate Nigerian fashion (Kawamura, 2011). However, a lot of the young generation may not be explicitly aware of Nigerian fashion brands and thus may not be targeted properly. The Nigerian fashion industry is in danger of losing such individuals to the Western fashion industry if the correct branding strategies are not implemented and young consumers are not given the feelings of prestige, honor, status, and style while using the brand (Jennings & Ude, 2011). These concepts must be explored in greater depth within the dissertation. Chapter 3: Research Methodology:3.1 Research Philosophy:The research conducted will be exploratory in nature as it seeks to investigate a topic which has previously not been explored in great depth. The study will be designed to be both qualitative and quantitative in nature as it will rely upon qualitative data in order to derive an outcome regarding the branding strategies employed by Tiffany and Amber and other luxury brands and also use a quantitative questionnaire in order to derive an outcome regarding the perception of young Nigerian customers of Tiffany and Amber (Kawamura, 2011).3.2 Research Design:The research will be designed in order to gain maximum in-depth information regarding the branding strategies of luxury brands and also provide a degree of control to eliminate interviewer/researcher bias and other problems associated with only qualitative research. Hence, the research design will depend upon both qualitative and quantitative data and both primary and secondary d ata. Primary data will be gathered through the means of a questionnaire conducted with Tiffany and Amber customers and secondary data will be collected for the literature review through online databases, journals, books, websites, magazines, and other sources (Berg, 2004).3.3 Research Strategy:The research process will begin with the collection of data for the literature review and critical analysis through online databases, journals, and other relevant sources after which a conceptual framework will be formed against which the new data collected is to be analyzed. According to the findings in the literature review, a comprehensive questionnaire will be dispersed to 60 Tiffany Amber young customers (under the age of 40) to gain their opinion regarding their knowledge and association with the Tiffany Amber brand. The data will then be analyzed and compared to the results obtained in the literature review in order to arrive at a conclusion (Berg, 2004).3.4 Data Collection Method:The most appropriate data collection method for this study would be to first gain explicit permission from Tiffany and Amber to contact their customers regarding the study and get a list of email addresses of approximately 60-80 young customers from their database. As some customers may not be willing to participate in the study, approximately 80 customers will be sent questionnaires through email out of which 60 responses will be used for the purpose of the study. The method of email will be used to promote convenience and promptness of responses (Patton, 1990).3.5 Data Analysis:As the questionnaire will be closed-ended, the data obtained from the questionnaire will be analyzed through the use of statistical software such as SPSS. This software is chosen for its appropriateness and accuracy in analyzing such data. The data involving single variables will be presented in the form of bar and pie charts and frequency tables. The data involving two or more variables will be presented in the form of statistical correlation analysis.3.6 Quality of Research:The research needs to ensure validity and reliability and in order to increase the quality of research, it is essential to ensure that the information is interpreted without interviewer bias/resp ondent bias. Questions should be designed to ensure that they are not loaded or leading questions and arouse a level of interest within the respondent in order to avoid dishonest responses due to boredom (Patton, 1990).3.7 Ethical Considerations:There may be a few ethical considerations that must be made when conducting the study which include the situation in which Tiffany Amber may be reluctant to speak of or disclose its branding strategies. Moreover, customers may also be reserved of answering personal questions for fear of misappropriation. In order to reduce the influence of these issues, respondents must be guaranteed anonymity and the researcher must ensure that he/she informs the respondents that he/she is not directly associated with Tiffany and Amber.3.8 Limitations:The limitations of the study include the fact that the study focuses only upon a single Nigerian brand, Tiffany and Amber, and results cannot be generalized towards other brands. Moreover, the sample populatio n used is not representative of all the Tiffany and Amber customers and also does not represent the opinions of the customers of other luxury brands (Cooper & Schindler, 2003).3.9 Timetable: The time table shows the most time spent on activities such as reading literature, drafting the literature review, awaiting tutor feedback, and acting on the final feedback given. These activities are given the most emphasis because they are crucial points in the research process and require extensive time to complete. It is highly essential to spend ample time exploring as much literature as possible in order to develop a full-fledged conceptual framework. Hence, approximately a week and a half is required in order to properly read all relevant sources. Drafting and writing out the literature review is likely to take approximately two and a half weeks as it is essential to appropriately form the arguments and the critical analysis as this is the main foundation of the research. As supervisors and tutors are likely to have a number of students to advise, it will take them some time to provide feedback and thus this is also a milestone in the research process. Analyzing the data is likely to take a shorter period of time than the other activities as it certain statistical functions must be used on SPSS and the data must be interpreted accordingly. The most important part of the research process is acting upon final feedback and ensuring the dissertation is up to the mark in all regards which includes activities such as proofreading, formatting, and correcting any mistakes. Chapter 4: Conclusion In a highly diverse and enticing fashion market, it is essential for Nigerian brands to promote brand awareness and prominence as Western brands do in order to ensure that they continue to appeal to young consumers. In order to do so, they may use a number of branding strategies that have preliminarily been explored in the literature review and will be explored in more depth and detail in the dissertation. However, as Western brands gain increasing prominence and implement effective branding strategies, it is becoming more essential for Nigerian designers to implement highly effective branding strategies to appeal to the youth (Kotler, 1988). With the example of Tiffany and Amber, the study will aim to appropriately explore the branding strategies that this particular brand employs and provide recommendations for improvement accordingly. This study can also lead to further research around the topics of how Nigerian branding strategies are different from the West and understanding how young Nigerian customers perceive the branding strategies of the West compared to those of local brands. Thus, this information can be highly beneficial for the fashion industry to develop a more strategically appropriate marketing plan and become as competent and prominent as Western fashion brands. The study can also lead to studies in other sectors of the developing Nigerian market such as accessories, technology, home decor, and others. References Ahmad, S. (2011). Globalisation and brands.BRANDS AND BRANDING. Amankwah, A. M., Howard, E. K., & Sarpong, G. D. (2012). â€Å"Foreign Fashion Influence on the Ghanaian Youth and its Impact on the Local Fashion Industry.†International Journal of Innovative Research and Development. Vol.1(11) pp.562-575. Anheier, H. K., & Isar, Y. R. (Eds.). (2008).Cultures and globalization: The cultural economy. Sage. Atwal, G., & Williams, A. (2009). â€Å"Luxury brand marketing–The experience is everything!.†Journal of Brand Management. Vol. 16(5) pp. 338-346. Berg, B. L. (2004).Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (Vol. 5). Boston: Pearson. Cayla, J., & Arnould, E. J. (2008). â€Å"A cultural approach to branding in the global marketplace.†Journal of International Marketing. Vol.16 (4) pp.86-112. Chevalier, M. & Mazzalovo, G. (2008.) Luxury Brand Management, a world of privilege 1st ed. Singapore; Chichester: John Wiley. Cooper, D. R., & Schi ndler, P. S. (2003). Business research methods. Danziger, P. (2004).Why people buy things they don’t need: understanding and predicting consumer behavior. Kaplan Publishing. Fillis, I., & Rentschler, R. (2006). â€Å"Creative marketing: an extended metaphor for marketing in a new age† Jennings, H., & Ude, I. (2011).New African Fashion. Prestel. Kawamura, Y. (2011).Doing research in fashion and dress: an introduction to qualitative methods. Berg. Keller, K. L., & Lehmann, D. R. (2006). â€Å"Brands and branding: Research findings and future priorities.†Marketing Science. Vol. 25(6) pp.740-759. Kotler, P., (1988) Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning and Control. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Musso, E. (2012).Trendy Growth: Fashion as a Function for Development in Africa (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Colorado). Okonkwo, U.( 2009a.) â€Å"The luxury brand strategy challenge.† Journal of Brand Management. Vol. (5-6). pp. 287-289 Okonkwo, U., (2007b.) Luxury Fashion Branding. Trends, Tactics, Techniques 1st ed. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan. Patton, M. Q. (1990).Qualitative evaluation and research methods . SAGE Publications, inc. Phau, I., & Prendergast, G. (2000). â€Å"Consuming luxury brands: the relevance of the rarity principle.†The Journal of Brand Management. Vol.8(2) pp.122-138. Shukla, P. (2011). â€Å"Impact of interpersonal influences, brand origin and brand image on luxury purchase intentions: measuring interfunctional interactions and a cross-national comparison.†Journal of world business. Vol. 46(2) pp. 242-252 Tynan, C., McKechnie, S., and Chhuon, C., (2010). â€Å"Co-creating value for luxury brands.† Journal of Brand management. Vol. 63. pp. 1156-1163 Ueltchy, L., and Laroche M.,( 2004.) â€Å"Co-branding internationally. Everyone wins?† Journal of Applied Business Research. Vol. 20(3) pp. 91-102 Wilcox, K., Kim, H. M., & Sen, S. (2009). â€Å"Why do consumers buy co unterfeit luxury brands?.†Journal of Marketing Research. Vol. 46(2) pp.247-259. Wissinger, E. (2009). â€Å"Modeling Consumption Fashion modeling work in contemporary society.†Journal of Consumer Culture. Vol.9 (2) pp.273-296.

Diffrent Type of Doctors

Different Types of Doctors and What They Do The world is Mother Nature's marvel that is blessed with different wonders of the natural world like the human body system. But, with every blessing comes a curse and this curse that plagues the living world is diseases. There are different diseases and disorders that are either due to microorganisms, parasites, non-functioning of different organs in the body, biochemical imbalances, genetic or hereditary problems, etc. Many times, people suffer from different kinds of accidents- natural and man-made, gunshots, stabbing wounds, burns, and many other innovative types of grievous injuries.These different medical problems are taken care of by different types of doctors, according to their field of specialization. There are hundreds of examples around the world, where doctors have been able to pull men out of the jaws of death with their medical expertise. If you too want to face different medical challenges, then the following list of differen t types of doctors and their specialty, will help you find a foothold in the medical world. Audiologists: These doctors help patients with different ear problems and help children who are either deaf or mute to learn to communicate.Allergist: These doctors help in treating different kinds of allergies and immune system disorders like hay fever, asthma, etc. Andrologist: The andrologist helps in diagnosing and treating disorders related to the male reproductive system. Anesthesiologist: They study and administer anesthesia and anesthetic medicines that helps in facilitating treatment, diagnosis of medical conditions and complete minor and major surgeries without the patient having to feel more than the prick of the anesthetic needle.Cardiologist: These are doctors of the heart that diagnose and treat heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Dentist: Perhaps one of the most feared doctors of all is the dentist due to their tooth extraction habits! These doctors are concerned with d ental health, teeth and dental problems like cavities and bleeding gums. They treat gum diseases, straighten teeth, carry out root canals, etc. . Dermatologist: A dermatologist studies the skin, its structure, functions, and diseases, as well as its appendages (nails, hair, sweat glands) and reats the related ailments. Endocrinologist: A doctor who studies disorders of the endocrine system and their glands, like thyroid problems and other such hormonal imbalances and the specific secretions of hormones is what entails an endocrinologist job description. Epidemiologist: Epidemiologist are the doctors who are also known as ‘disease detectives'. They carry out study of diseases and come up with ways of prevention of diseases through vaccinations, etc.Family Practitioner: These are your friendly neighborhood doctors who are general physicians, and treat patients of all ages ; medical non-emergency conditions usually in a clinic. Gastroenterologist: A doctor that studies diseases o f digestive system and gives treatment related to the gasteroenterlogy. Gynecologists: The doctor who studies and treats diseases of the female reproductive system. Hematologist: A hematologist studies blood and its diseases. Hepatologist: A hepatologist studies and treats diseases of the liver.Immunologist: The doctor who studies all aspects of the immune system in all organisms and gives treatment to diseases of the immune system. Infectious Disease Specialists: The doctors who study ; treat diseases that are caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and are usually based within the hospital. These doctors are involved in a lot of research work. Internal Medicine Specialists: These doctors provide diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases and are usually found working in hospitals as intensivists.Internists: These doctors focus on adult medicine and have completed a special study related to the prevention and treatment of adult diseases. M edical Geneticist: A medical geneticist is the doctor that carries out studies, tests, treatments and counseling patients with genetic diseases. Microbiologists: A microbiologist studies causes, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Neonatologist: The neonatologist is the doctor that provides medical care to premature and critically ill newborn babies. Nephrologist: The doctor who treats kidney diseases and problems.Neurologist: These are doctors who treat one of the most delicate and important organs of the body, the brain. They treat conditions like seizures, strokes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc. Neurosurgeon: These are surgeons who treat central and peripheral nervous system diseases that can be cured or controlled to some extent with mechanical intervention. Obstetrician: This is a part of gynecology and the doctors are experts with childbirth, C-sections, gynecological surgeries like hysterectomy, surgical removal of ovarian tumors, examination of the pelvic region, PAP smears, prenatal care, etc.Oncologist: An oncologist job description entails treating cancer patients. Ophthalmologist: The doctor that takes care of eyes and treats various eye problems and performs different eye surgeries. Orthopedic Surgeons: The doctor who is concerned with the skeletal system of the human body, that is, bones. These doctors make no bones about broken, fractured or arthritis struck bones! ENT specialists: An ENT specialist treats the Ear, the Nose and the Throat, as well as to some extent some ailments of the head and the neck. This field is also known as otolaryngology.Perinatologist: The doctor who is an expert in caring and treating high risk pregnancies. Paleopathologist: These doctors are into the study of ancient diseases. Parasitologist: The study of parasites, their biology and pathology, as well as the parasitic diseases caused by them is carried out by a parasitologist. Pathologists: The study of abnormalities in living organisms, diagnosing disea ses and conditions from tissue samples like blood or biopsy samples. They also work as medical examiners ; carry out autopsies to determine the cause of death.These doctors usually do not come in contact with the patients directly as their work is mostly lab work. They are therefore called a ‘doctor's doctor' as they speak to doctors of the patients rather than the patient himself. There are many doctors who specialize in forensic pathology and help the police and FBI solve crimes. Pediatricians: A pediatrician is the doctor who studies and treats medical problems of infants, children, and adolescents. Physiologists: A physiologist is a life science doctor who specializes in physiology.Physiatrist: The doctor whose specialty is treatment and rehabilitation of patients with illness or injuries affecting their nerves, muscles, and bones. They basically help people overcome their movement limitations due to an underlying illness or injury. Plastic Surgeon: A plastic surgeon is th e doctor who can literally change the life and look of a patient. He performs cosmetic surgery to repair skin and structural problems that may alter the personality of the patient for good. Podiatrists: The doctor who studies and treats disorders of the foot and ankle.Psychiatrists: These doctors specialize in psychiatry, that is, a branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnoses and treatment of mental illness and behavioral disorders. Pulmonologist: The doctor who diagnoses and treats lung conditions and treatments and even manages critical care patients admitted in the ICU and those that are on ventilator support. Radiologists: The study of medical use of X-rays or other imaging technologies for diagnoses and treatment of disease is carried out by a radiologist.Rheumatologist: These doctors treat allergic conditions & autoimmune disorders. Surgeons: A surgeon performs operations, related to different sub-specialties of medicine like general surgery, neurosurgery, cardiovas cular, cardiothoracic surgery, ENT, maxillo-facial surgery, plastic surgery, oral surgery, transplant surgery, urology, etc. Urologists: The urologist is a doctor who studies the urinary system and treats urinary tract infections. Emergency Doctors: Emergency doctors are those who offer their services in the emergency room (ER) and are on call 24/7.They treat various emergency cases that vary from poisoning, broken bones, burns, heart attack, and anything and everything that can be termed as a medical emergency. Veterinarian: Although, all the above fields are concerned with human treatment, the veterinarian is also a type of doctor and treat animals. They take care of different diseases of the animal world. There are different types of doctors within the field of animal medicine and like human doctors, the veterinarian too has his field of expertise in case of animal problems.This was some medical career information related to different types of doctors and their related line of wo rk. There are over 50 to 60 specialties of medicine and each specialty has different types of related doctors with varying salaries. You need to understand your area of interest and then choose your line of specialty as a career. I hope this article on different types of doctors and what they do has helped you find your field of interest.

Criminal Profiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Criminal Profiling - Essay Example The due process model, however, focuses on rights and freedoms of suspects and in delaying the suspects apprehension, threatens the criminal justice system’s objectives of ensuring law and order and rights and freedom of majority of members of the society who are susceptible to criminal victimization (Packer 153- 172). Threat of terror identifies the need for profiling but provisions of constitutional amendments preclude law enforcement from focusing investigations on groups of people. The Fifth Amendment establishes the need for due process before initiatives by law enforcement officers, on U.S. citizens, and this means that arbitrary focus cannot be made on a group of citizens, despite their potential association with terror threats. The fourteenth amendment also protects fundamental rights from arbitrary laws and this means that it precludes any authority that law enforcement officers can operate on during profiling (Kaplan 30). Ethical consideration would however inform my balancing between interest of safety and security and securing rights and civil liabilities of citizens. Rights and freedoms always conflict and are the cause safety and security concerns to require focus on safety and security. In addition, rights and freedom of criminals, who are a few members of the society, contravenes r ights and freedoms of other individuals. Consequently, focusing on safety and security extends to ensure rights and freedom of a majority to establish a good

The Period of Middle Childhood Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Period of Middle Childhood - Assignment Example Middle childhood ages are thus shaped by their orientation and inclination to leadership in these organizations. Mediation has further been highlighted as a core source of leadership. This is due to the fact that it leads to critical thinking and the addition of new perspectives and the leading of these organizations to improve the leadership motive and the development of new mental processes which prepares the children for the transition into the into the next stage of development, adolescence. The level of leadership skills within these individuals as they transit to the next stage of development is the core determinant of how successful they go through this stage of management without necessarily losing their leadership traits (Karpov, 2009). However, children transition into this stage without the adequate leadership skills leads to a chaotic adolescence period. According to Vygotsky and neo Vygotskians, reading and learning is the root of gaining scientific knowledge. Scientific knowledge assists individuals cultivate better leadership skills and in the absence of learning, the capacity of people to venture into successful leadership is highly limited to their skills and abilities. These skills and abilities are mainly acquired during the learning process they undergo. In Vygotsky’s argument most children in industrialized countries, during their middle childhoods, undergo intensive learning to acquire the necessary skills required for these nations to attain overall success. During the middle childhood, there are a variety of issues that have been presented to pose a number of issues on the overall wellbeing of the individual. However, the most interesting aspect about middle childhood is the developmental process which individuals undergo during the learning process. The middle childhood revolves around school, since school is where these children can interact with their friends, as most of their friends are within the schools they learn. Arguably,

Friend GameResearch Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Friend GameResearch Essay - Research Paper Example The automated collection of literature characterizes a sphere, which comprises various forms of digital formats of writing. There are certain authors who come up together owing to sharing a common interest. Nevertheless, whatever is obtainable to everybody else on the internet, as well as the interned, no longer confided their interests to bedroom in the disguise of reading. Friend Game by Lauren Collins remains an appalling article, which explained the sudden suicide of an adolescent girl owing to online bullying. Megan Meier undertook suicide owing to numerous messages sent by Josh Evans, her MySpace friend. He was a fictional character invented by the Meier’s neighbors. Sites of social networking allow persons to write their interests and opinions for the viewership of other persons.Collins states that an individual can project a broader, further confident self, a daring collection of preferred quotations, complaints, music, pleasures, and books. The statement appears to improve the impression that technology has transformed associations through writing by permitting them to becoming more open. Further, Collins states that different from Facebook, MySpace does not need the users to classify themselves with the last and first name, thus there is less illusion that a profile has any direct communication to other individuals. As such, MySpace alo ngside other sites of social networking still permit privacy to their operators, even though the idea of personal connections being dead owing to online social writing could be a means to hiding the exact individuality of a person (Palfrey and Urs 109). The modifications in individual connections through writing resulting from technology have led to persons coming together, despite the absence of privacy. It is essential for persons to gain from technologies in order to improve their ties and communication with other persons. Nevertheless, there remains a great necessity for personalization and

Numerical Problem Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Numerical Problem - Speech or Presentation Example Further, the firm has a higher debt-to-equity ratio which is also unfavorable indicating more risk because the firm depends more on external lenders. Average collection period indicates the number of days a firm requires converting its receivables into cash. The firm takes more days that the industry average implying that the premiums receivable of the firm are less liquid or are converted less quickly into cash. The firm is, therefore, less efficient in managing its premium receivables compared to the industry average. Days cash on hand shows the number of days of operating expenses that the firm could meet with its current cash available. The company is in a worse situation because it has a lower ratio than the industry average and should increase its fundraising or cut back its spending. Return on assets is a profitability ratio measuring how efficient a firm is in using its assets to generate revenue. The firm has a higher ratio than the industry average implying that it is more efficient in using its assets to generate revenue than the industry average. The firm has higher TIE ratio than the industry average. It, therefore, has higher ability to meet its interest payments on the debt. The firm has a lower fixed asset turnover ratio meaning it is not using the assets optimally. It is less efficient than the industry average in using assets to generate sales or

3.How do you believe business and economic functions should interact Essay

3.How do you believe business and economic functions should interact with society - Essay Example The government though does has a large role to play in assisting the businesses in fundamentals like acquisitions and profits, by assist what is meant here is that the government through its power to make rules and regulations defines how business would be conducted and that is a major role that the government has to perform. In situations quite contrary to the one mentioned before, the role of the government might be more than just being an administrative supervisor, the government can take upon it self to run the whole economy, it could nationalize all major industries and say that we know what is best for us and we will produce what we like, such is the nature of managed economies. We can now see that there is a close connection between the government and the running of the economy but there is a missing link in this chain i.e. the consumer. The consumer is perhaps one of the most important links in this chain because a consumer defines what is to be sold and what not in the marke t economy. The consumers through their purchasing power have the ability to dictate terms to the government, which in effect shape the rules and the regulations that are implemented within the society. Each and every entity has its own role to play in the society but it can never exist in complete solitude because of the high inter dependence on each other. The discussion and the argument on the three points raised will follow but an important point here is that even these three points will have some points interlinked with them and hence a detailed explanation for these intertwined terms should not be expected. In a free market society the governments role is the bare minimal, the consumer and the producers of the product decide what is going to be made, how it is going to be made and for whom it is going to be made. Through the forces of demand and supply the prices of the products are

Sammrize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sammrize - Essay Example The role of homeowners as participants and victims of the financial crisis was proffered in terms of being appraised and evaluated wrongfully posing inability to pay for mortgages of overvalued homes. The ethical issues identified were dishonestly, fraud, and scam, as mortgage brokers’ interests over the homeowners took precedence to gain financial profits at the disadvantage of unsuspecting public. The presentation, likewise, pinpointed mortgage banks, brokers and the two government sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that were supposed to regulate and monitor the credit worthiness and validity of all mortgage instruments of private banks, but failed due to greed, corruption and excessive bonuses accorded to senior management officers, despite the impending financial meltdown. In the end, the financial crisis was instigated by the financial system that is expected to apply due diligence and adhere to ethical standards and codes of discipline to ensure the safety a nd security of the funds invested by the public.

Internet Marketing Management Assignment about Breitling watches Essay

Internet Marketing Management Assignment about Breitling watches (httpwww.breitling.com) 3000 Words - Essay Example In1914 the founder passed away and son, Gaston, took over the company. Aeronautics had made spectacular developments after 1914. In the year 1923 Breitling developed the independent chronograph push piece with automatic start and return-to-zero functions. Significant progress was made in the aviation industry between 1923 and 1942. Breitling launched the chronomat, first of its kind chronograph fitted with circular slide rule. American armed forces also became the clients of Breitling Instruments. The aviation industry was growing with leaps and bounds. Jet aircrafts had been developed and the first International passenger jet flight had been launched. Breitling achieved a major mile stone in 1962 when Astronaut Scott Carpenter wore the COSMONAUTE during his orbital flight. Breitling reached a major mile stone in 1969 with the launch of self winding chronograph. In 1979 Ernest Schneider a Pilot, watch manufacturer took over the reigns of Breitling from Willy Breitling. Chronomat was launched in 1984 and it becomes the best selling chronograph in Breitling collection. The military aviation industry was growing with leaps and bounds. Aircrafts like Stealth bombers were being developed. In 1999 after completing 100 years in Chronograph making Breitling submits its entire collection to Swiss official chronometer testing institute. Breitling Products: Breitling manufactures and sells Chronographs onl... Apart from this they have very high end product which is the "Breitling for Bentley" collection. This collection focuses on high end customers who value tradition, performance and novelty value of the product being purchased. What is a chronograph A watch with two independent time systems: one indicates the time of day, and the other measures brief intervals of time. Counters registering seconds, minutes and even hours can be started and stopped as desired, thus enabling the exact timing of an event. Internet Marketing Strategies: While developing a marketing strategy, it is important to consider the environment in which the business functions. Porter (Kotler, 282) has identified five forces to determine profit attractiveness. These are: Competitors: Consider the web sites that offer the same products. New Entrants: Offsite competitors and new people in the business. Customers: The people visiting the site. Suppliers: Companies offering parts of products, web hosting software firms. Substitutes: Other media used for product promotion. Besides this, "SWOT" Analysis could also be used. Strength and weakness is dependent on the marketers internal environment Opportunity and Threats are dependent on the external environment. Strength: How is your product/service better than the competition Why should a customer feel delighted by using your product or service Weakness: What are the opportunity areas in your product /service and how they can be over-come Opportunity: The marketer should strike at the right opportunity and the right time and should target the right people (Customer). Threats: The Marketer should know exactly what are the hurdles in Marketing the product(Technology , Competitors) Internet Marketing strategy gives you a

Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House Essay Example for Free

Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House Essay The role, treatment, disadvantages, and sacrifices of women in their societies are vital themes in both Federico LOrcas The House Of Bernarda Alba and Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House. In Federico LOrcas The House Of Bernarda Alba, to start with, all characters that appear on stage are females, and men are merely talked about. In Ibsens A Dolls House the protagonist is Nora, a woman who gets treated by her husband as though she were a little girl. At the time when Federico LOrca and Henrik Ibsen wrote their plays, it was normal for women to get treated as anything but equal to men. Women were expected by men and by their society to do nothing more than stay at home, cook for their family, get children, and then take care of their children as well. Although Ibsen and LOrca wrote these plays several decades apart, since Ibsen wrote his play at the turn of the century in Norway and LOrca wrote his in 1930s Spain, the expectations of women were pretty much the same. It was not normal for women to receive an education, let alone a good one, and women were not allowed to vote. In A Dolls House there are three female characters: Nora, Mrs. Linde, and the maid working for Nora. All of these women have to sacrifice something and have disadvantages, simply because they are women. Every character in The House Of Bernarda Alba has to suffer because they are women. Spanish tradition in the 1930s forces them all to isolate themselves from the outer world for eight years of their lives. In The House Of Bernarda Alba, Bernarda Alba and all of her daughters have to mourn the death of their father. This is Spanish tradition, and so they all have to live in their house for eight years, completely isolated from the rest of society. They may only wear black, even in the scorching heat of southern Spain. This already shows how harshly women were treated. Bernarda Alba and her daughters are forced to isolate themselves from the outside world completely, whether they want to or not, because of tradition. The eight women are forced to give up eight years of their lives in which they may do nothing but mourn. Also, the fact that a woman has to kill her own child when she gets pregnant, and is then hunted down by the whole town and killed herself, shows how women were viewed and treated. Also, a woman could often not decide who she wanted to marry, and when a women got married it was often just nothing more than a business deal, and the feelings of the woman were completely ignored.

Assagioli’s Theory of Psychosynthesis

Assagioli’s Theory of Psychosynthesis The I, the Self: Building the Bridge Only the development of his inner powers can offset the dangers inherent in man’s losing control of the tremendous natural forces at his disposal and becoming the victim of his own achievements. —Roberto Assagioli Introduction Therapists use Assagioli’s theory of psychosynthesis to help clients develop a complete and authentic identity that is fully able to access the true Self that pervades all levels of the conscious and unconscious mind. Because it is a common assumption that personality structures form by the time a child is five years old, transforming a fragmented consciousness into a whole identity is often a long and difficult process, especially in cases of severe trauma. This paper seeks to examine this process—in particular, how an individual can develop a new mental field that is freed from the past and oriented toward a hierarchy of values rather than specific affective events. The secondary purpose of this study is to examine which dynamics keep the individual locked into destructive personality patterns that no longer serve them and the solutions this method (psychosynthesis) offers to prospective clients. Soul Trauma More than two thousand years ago, Siddhartha Gautama famously declared that ‘life is suffering.’ Indeed, very few people get through it without suffering some kind of trauma in their formative years. Quite often, these early traumas cause a breach between the personal self (I) and the Self. When this connection is disrupted, the individual feels a palpable threat to his very existence.[1] When a child incurs the wrath of his caretakers, he feels the lack of connection more intensely. Because the caretakers are so instrumental to a child’s survival, the child perceives displeasure as a genuine threat that the caretaker will hurt him or stop fulfilling his needs. The child then becomes sensitized to external threats. This overwhelming sense of a threat is what psychosynthesis theorists refer to as the primal wound that is responsible for the individual’s fall from grace. Before this wound makes its indelible mark upon the soul, the individual has little sense of his own mortality—and the personal self is indistinguishable from the Self. Because this fracture is so painful to the psyche, people will create defence mechanisms to preserve the integrity of their being—even if it means splitting themselves into parts.[2] Shutting oneself off from the wound is tantamount to amputating a gangrene-infested leg—cutting off the poison in order to preserve the whole, even if it means causing it damage. Although this shutting off can contribute to maladaptive conditions later in life, these defence mechanisms help the individual cope in the present. However, when relationships begin to suffer or they are not accomplishing personal objectives, some people are aware that something is fundamentally wrong and seek professional help. The difference between psychosynthesis and traditional psychoanalytic therapy is a lessened emphasis on the past with more of a focus toward reorienting one’s core values; however, prior events a re not completely ignored because it can shed light on the fundamental assumptions governing the client’s life and turn them in a more healthy direction. Repression, Denial, and Splitting In most families, children conform to the rules and will of their parents, partially because it helps them survive and partially because these structures help them define themselves as individuals. However, some people will hold beliefs or thoughts that they know is not acceptable to their family of origin or culture and thus denying that part of themselves or part of the experience in order to retain that sense of belongingness. Causes and symptoms of this split include: a fundamentally weak sense of self, a fragmented consciousness where one’s conceptual map has very few connections, in a clinical setting the therapist can never be certain what the client is thinking or feeling, the client believes that he or she is fundamentally a bad person and that no one could possibly love him or her after personal revelation, etc.[3] These attitudes often originate in clients with a past history of abuse, neglect, or a need to protect family members by creating a persona that is more t o their liking.[4] This mechanism of repression is not without cause, as many people have been killed for deviating from cultural, social, and familial norms. However, in cultures that place great value on individual happiness and finding a purpose that is congruent with one’s gifts and talents, this is a liability, as the individual must discover the S(s)elf before finding his path. Interestingly, some theorists believe that what lies at the root of the problem is not the experience, but the repression of it. ‘Many people evidence the psychological symptom of denial, or psychic numbing. If denial has become a social norm, how can we use social norms to gauge a person’s health or to set appropriate goals in therapy?’[5] The Institute of Psychosynthesis encourages therapists to first build the strength of the ego and discover the personality while avoiding attacks on personal weaknesses, mirroring the client to encourage identification and connectedness, an d possibly integrate the disowned parts of the client.[6] Another approach involves encouraging the client to move to the core of one of the sub-personalities in order to find something that is good—the root of its dysfunction is the non-allowance of the expression—i.e. a high achieving person needs love but cannot ask for it directly, nor can the critical person ask for the security of being in control.[7] In fact, this approach includes treating the sub-personality as one would a person, because distortions are most often found in this realm. ‘Compassion can become pity; love can become dependency; humour can become sarcasm; strength can become rigidity. But the converse is also true, for these qualities can be elevated to or transformed into their essential nature.’[8] Using guided imagery, the therapist can contact each aspect of the individual; help bring its most beneficial aspects to the surface in order to facilitate the re-integration process. The Personal ‘I’: The Story of the ‘Self’ Although the framework for transpersonal experience has existed for thousands of years, it is only within the past fifty years that it has become a respectable method of psychotherapy. Both the Eastern and Western religious traditions support the rediscovery of the Self—the part of the individual that is beyond the personal self even as it includes it. In the West, the Self (or the Soul) is the immortal part that is elevated above the dross of every day life. In the Eastern traditions, the Self is attempting to reintegrate with the Cosmos by having multiple experiences. Native Americans undergo rigorous purification rituals such as body piercing, hours in the sweat lodge, and the Sun Dance in order to induce a trance state and to make contact with the spirit world.[9] In both religion and psychosynthesis, the Self is the culmination of a person’s experiences and attributes. Until Assagioli had come up with the concept, this approach was unutilised by modern psychologist s, as the dominant therapeutic approach was psychoanalysis where therapists and clients will discuss the client’s past and analyse it in order to give the client a greater understanding of himself. While that is a good place to begin the journey of self-discovery, it does not take the client to the point of unification. Traditional psychoanalysis did not include an understanding of this higher Self, simply the tripartite ego structure and the basic drives that motivate humans. Assagioli makes use of Freud’s model as the lower and higher unconscious functions correspond with the id and superego respectively, while the middle unconscious corresponds with Freud’s conception of the ‘preconscious.’[10] He also borrows from Jung’s concepts by including the spiritual realms of the psyche. One practical application therapists may use in their practice is CEIS: Creative Exploration of Inner Space. It is a twelve-step application of Assagioli’s theories that was developed after twenty-seven years of practice.[11] The first step is solitude. The client creates a ‘sacred space’ or an inner sweat lodge to begin his journey inward. Brown argues that this dissociation from the personal identity will lead to objectivity about day-to-day activities and concerns.[12] Solitude is encouraged because individuals have great difficulty maintaining a strong sense of self with pervasive influences such as the media or when significant others (friends, family members, mates) have strong personalities and expect the individual to conform to their idea of what is correct. Next, the therapist will invite the client to relax for five minutes before progressing to the next step, which includes deep reflective thinking upon a subject for ten minutes (this is done in writing). This is followed by receptive thinking, visualization, mandala art, cognitive analysis, and inner dialogue. After this, the client arrives at step nine, the s ymbolic identification or psychodrama with which the Psychosynthesis School is concerned. ‘Clients are instructed to take one step forward and enter the image; to become the image physically; and to allow movements or gestures to occur or postures that might help them connect, identify with, and become the image completely†¦ Symbolic identification can lead to more expressive uses of the body, to new sensations, and to the development of empathy and compassion.’[13] Ideally, after the experience is complete, the client will integrate the experience in their homework, attain closure, and share the experience with someone close to them. Brown had great success with this method because the session was infused with a meaning that is specific to the client, as opposed to categorizing him or her as an obsessive-compulsive, depressive, etc. and drugging the client accordingly. Crises of Meaning Perhaps there was less mental confusion in the past because the ancients had rites governing each stage of life and people were more aware of what they were supposed to do. Today, there are so many choices and very few cultural traditions for the life cycle, especially in industrialised Western nations. This is where we observe the common crises at birth, adolescence and mid-life. When the individual is born, he leaves a warm environment where his every wish is granted to a place where he is cold, hungry, and separate.[14] The infant is distressed because it intuitively knows that separation is dangerous, and even the most attentive parents cannot provide the security the child is missing from the womb environment. As the infant grows, the psychological structures such as the Superego and Ego begin to gain strength, and this is where a child learns how romantic relationships work by observing the parental imagos. When relations between the parents (as well as the parent-child relatio nship) are dysfunctional, the child often grows up to project these issues onto a romantic partner. In ancient society, the onset of puberty signalled to the group that there was a new full participant in the social order. There was a ceremony where the individual would shed his status as a child and be welcomed into the group as an adult. There is no such phenomenon today because childhood is legally extended years past biological maturity, which would make the final transition to adulthood more difficult. At this point, the individual becomes emotionally separated from childhood and parents to embrace a new identity independent of childhood structures†¦this is a time of self-definition. In the mid-life crisis, the individual comes to face his own mortality and experiences the mental/personality separation. This is the time when people are most likely to seek therapy to resolve past issues as many are afflicted with severe depression out of a feeling of wasting their life and looking toward a future where death looms larger than safety. In sum, psychosynthesis proposes to unite the various and sundry portions of ourselves in order that we may be better equipped to confront the crises that will ultimately affect everyone. Bibliography Brown, Michael. ‘A Psychosynthesis Twelve Step Program for Transforming Consciousness: Creative Explorations of Inner Space, Counselling and Values, Vol. 45, No. 2, (2001), pp. 103-17 Brown, Molly Young. Unfolding Self: The Practice of Psychosynthesis, New York: Allworth Press, 2004 Evans, Joan. Institute of Psychosynthesis Manual. (1990) Firman, John Ann Gila. The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth, New York: SUNY Press, 1997 Grof, Stanislav. Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. New York: SUNY Press, 1985 Whitmore, Diana. Psychosynthesis Counselling in Action. London: SAGE Publications, 2004 Footnotes [1] John Firman Ann Gila. The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth, (New York: SUNY Press, 1997) 89 [2] Firman and Gila, 90 [3] Joan Evans. Institute of Psychosynthesis Manual, 1990, 64 [4]Evans, 65 [5] Molly Young Brown. Unfolding Self: The Practice of Psychosynthesis, (New York: Allworth Press, 2004) 10 [6] Evans, 65 [7] Diana Whitmore. Psychosynthesis Counselling in Action. (London: SAGE Publications, 2004) 93 [8] Ibid. [9]Michael Brown. ‘A Psychosynthesis Twelve Step Program for Transforming Consciousness: Creative Explorations of Inner Space, Counselling and Values, Vol. 45, No. 2, (2001) 103 [10] Stanislav Grof. Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. (New York: SUNY Press, 1985) 193 [11] Michael Brown. ‘A Psychosynthesis Twelve Step Program for Transforming Consciousness: Creative Explorations of Inner Space, Counselling and Values, Vol. 45, No. 2, (2001) 113 [12] Brown, 114 [13] Brown, 115 [14] Evans, 210

Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use Essay -- Environmental Issues

Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use One of the main issues involved with fossil fuels are the environmental impacts that occur from their use. These problems; such as acid rain, oil spills, climate change, global warming, etc., are not only occurring with fossil fuel usage, but are also increasing due to the increase in the use of fossil fuels. This essay will vaguely explain the area of environmental impacts from fossil fuel use, and will attempt to change, or further increase your understanding of the very serious environmental impacts that occur from fossil fuel use. One of the biggest environmental impacts which is steadily increasing in severity due to fossil fuel usage is global warming. Global warming is mainly caused due to the trapping of heat in the atmosphere due to increased amounts of carbon dioxide. Because of the burning of fossil fuels, there has been a twenty five percent increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last 150 years (Clean Energy). This increase over the years has caused the global average surface temperature to raise ...

TIME :: essays research papers

T I M E â€Å"Time, what time is it? Is it time for class already? No, we still have some time.† It is time that we have totally forgotten about, and have taken it for granted for so long. But does time really exist? Does the 24 Hours of the day mean anything? Or does 12 months? Time means different things to different people. According to â€Å"COLLINS COBUILD Learner’s Dictionary† ( ©HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.1996) time is defined as ‘the measurement we measure in minutes, hours, days, and years.’ Seems rediculously simple, but does it have more to it? ‘Time’ actually have a more scientific meaning, which will later be explained. The basic definition of time comes down to â€Å"1. What we measure in minutes, hours, days and years. 2. Time is what we use to specify a certain point in the day or refer to the period which something has been happenining.† (Stephen Bullon – TIME – Collins Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary – 1999 – Pg 1155) From that definition, how long is a day? It is the amount of time taken for the earth to rotate its axis once, containing two 12hour periods. Telling the difference between the two periods, the notations AM and PM are used (Ante and Post Meridiem). We cannot literally see or tuch time, but time seems to be all around us, from waking up with an alarm clock to watching your dinner eaten away. However, reversing this process can be another concept that raises many questions. As we all are living, we are also time travellers, since time goes by as we live our lives day by day. But since this topic seems to capture our vivid imaginations, it has also become the origin of many science fiction books, movies and even cartoons. The idea of time has been thought of for so long yet, but he first evidence of the existence of time appeared in Homer’s Iliad. In this historical Greek epic, Homer stated â€Å"Now Dawn the saffron-robed was spreading over the face of all the earth.† Homer mentioned the start of a new day allowing us to know that the idea of time has been around even before 700BC. In early years, people used to record the beginnings and ends of seasons and noticing that they do come in cycles. With the advancement of astronomy, Ancient Greek started to utilize heavens and stars for designing calendars.

Essay --

The difference between developing and developed nations depended mainly on the basis of economics. Gross domestic product (GDP), is the Most commonly criteria for evaluating the degree of economic development, general standard of living, per capita income, amount of widespread infrastructure, and level of industrialization. A developed country has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure compared to other less developed nations. Carbaugh (2013) developing countries are able to export manufactured goods and services to the developed countries like agricultural goods, raw materials, and labor intensive (such as textiles) which related to primary products. In the last three decades, some developing nations include China, Mexico, Turkey, Vietnam, and so on; have increasing their exports of primary products significantly. For example, according to the Export Promotion Center of Turkey, Turkey, as a major cotton producer the export value of Turkey's technical textiles and nonwovens was estimated at more than US$1.2 billion in 2008. Turkey exports its technical textile products predominantly to different developed nations such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the United States. This increase as a result of economic reforms in Turkey based on free market principles, an international orientation, and reducing government intervention. This paper explain whether the government intervention in international trade g ood or not for a developing nations. Protecting domestic producers from the competition of imports is an economic policy adopted in most developing countries known as import substitution. During the Period from 1930 to 1980 many Latin American countries implemented import substitution policies. This... ...and limit foreign investment. The government allows the foreign projects as long as they recognizing the state’s permanent sovereignty over natural wealth and resources. This intervention of government has a positive effect by helping the domestic firms to growth. At conclusion, free trade and government intervention cannot be separate; the country should have free trade and positive government intervention. Free trade tends to be inequality in income, wealth and opportunity. Without government intervention, firms can exploit monopoly power to pay low wages to workers and charge high prices to consumers. The positive government intervention can regulate monopolies and promote competition and redistribute income within society. Moreover the positive government intervention in the foreign direct investment was helping the domestic firms to growth.

Ge Transformation Case Study Jack Welch Notes

GE Transformation notes: Founded in 1878 Focus on Communication: Used initiatives such as training programs to increase communication Organizational Culture:   Welch’s Core Idea: the only way to shift a company’s culture is to change the habitual thinking and behavior of its fast-track executives. Initiatives * Work Out * Began 1988 * Groups of 40-100 employees involved * Removing unnecessary bureaucratic work out of the system * By 1992 200,000 GE employees participated in Work-out Began as a driving force for improving productivity and became a tool for cultural change. Best Practices * Program to Increase Productivity * Focus more on how things got done rather than what got done * Focused on customer satisfaction *These two initiatives helped refine GE’s organizational culture, characterized by speed, simplicity and self-confidence. * Globalization * 1986- corporate executive council meeting during * 1987- GE agreed to exchange consumer electronics business for the French medical imaging business. 1989- Welch appointed Paolo Fresco as head of international operations in 1992. * 1998- International revenues at $42. 8 billion. Company expected to do almost half its business outside the USA by year 2000. Global Best Practices Program opened communication channel for GE with outside companies * Session C HR planning * Adapted HR system to his goals, and began keeping tabs on upper management. GE management expected feedback, which they used as the basis for coaching and developing their staff.Increased communication between CEO, and top managers, increased communication between top managers and lower employees, became means for training of new employees * Crotonville Management Development Facility * Managers learn about GE, and experience debating and problem solving Used as a hub for communications * 360 ° Feedback process * Became means for training needs, coaching opportunities, and career planning. * â€Å"A Players† Managers with vision, leadership, energy, and courage * Performance Appraisal System: Managers rated employees on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the lowest on effectiveness * All 5’s were to be let go, and all 1’s were to be rewarded with stock options, and higher promotional probability * In the new culture, role of the leader is to express a vision, get a buy-in and implement it. Increased feedback communication and expectations in the organization * Boundaryless Behavior * Purpose was to strengthen GE ‘s individual Business. There would be no distinction between domestic and foreign operation. Remove labels which get in the way of working together. Eliminated unnecessary communication filters, encouraged input from every employee, open communication channels gave employees the ability to speak about their concerns. Eliminated middle management that stood in the way of direct communication * Stretch * Created an atmosphere that asked everyone â€Å"How good can you be? † * Managers not held accountable for these goals, but were reward for achieving them. Mid 1990’s established as part of GE’s culture, stretch targets increased employee values, attitudes and confidence. Service Businesses * Reduce dependence on traditional industrial products Changed internal mindsets from selling products to â€Å"helping our customer win† * Six Sigma Quality Initiative * Learned the program from Lawrence Bossidy (left GE in 1991) who borrowed it from Motorola, which improved quality for AlliedSignal Inc. * Goal was to increase quality * 30,000 Six Sigma projects were initiated in 1998 Required change in culture of the organization: employees would need technical training, and there was need of communication of the importance to the company’s strategic objectives.

Abb Essay

As a result the front-line profit center managers’ performance is getting affected. * The conflict between long-term technical development and short-term profits is making the situation worse. As per the Business Area’s concern, the COMSYS project should be given priority over other activities as this project, if successfully implemented, would enhance the operations and efficiency of our relays business across the world. However, the development of the project is affecting the daily activities of the company. The problem spilled-over to the regional transmission performance and thus allocation of funds to the project COMSYS (in this case investing in R&D) rises as an important issue to be discussed. * Such an issue increases the difficulty in reaching to a decision. The more time we take in reaching to a conclusion; more will the performance of the company get affected. First of all, we need to ensure that the development of project COMSYS doesn’t affect the operations and performance of the company. Second, we need to allocate suitable resources like funds, workforce etc. or project COMSYS separately. Moreover, from the short-term perspective we need to implement the project as soon as possible as the resources allocated to the project would then be available for daily operations, and from the long-term perspective we would be able to eliminate the compartmentalized framework of the profit centers and thus form a common base of software and hardware. * In the current situation it would be difficult to achieve this goal as the priorities within the organization doesn’t coincide. Project COMSYS is important for long-term development of the organization and, thus, needs sufficient resources for its implementation. I would, therefore, request the committee to take the afore-mentioned points into consideration and carry this discussion forward and helps us to reach to a decision. 2. ABB’s Global Matrix: As mentioned in its annual reports for the year 1988 and 1989, the Chairman(s) has(ve) clearly mentioned about the strategy of â€Å"think global, act local†. Since the merger the ABB group has been following the philosophy of decentralization; its aim to be close to the customer, to have short-lines of communication and decision-making and clearly defined accountability, all are reflected in its matrix structure. The matrix structure was proposed by a 10-person top management so that it enables the group to achieve a balance between its global business focus through its 58 business areas with the market created by the 1300 local companies under the umbrella of several country-based holding companies. The structure focuses on the principles of decentralization and individual accountability with clearly defined responsibilities from business areas heads to regional and front-line profit center managers. The business areas were responsible for carving out strategies while the local companies were responsible for implementing the strategies and achieving the objectives. All the business area heads had additional responsibilities of their national company’s operations. Thus, the overall goal of the top management was to develop managers who can take leadership roles as a result of which â€Å"a self-driven, self-renewing organization† would be formed. One of the main reasons for the success of the matrix structure in ABB was proper communication of the philosophy by the top management to every single employee of the organization. Communicating values to the managers was given priority based on the belief that managers are loyal to values rather than to the company or a particular boss. The core values included quality not only in products but also in the organizational processes and relationships. The management emphasized on dedication to productivity and performance at all levels of the organization. The structure implemented was well in line with the overall strategy of the organization. With rapid acquisitions after the merger ABB grew bigger, spreading its operations throughout the world. The matrix structure, therefore, provided a platform for ABB to absorb the acquired companies and made implementation of its strategies in them easier. One of the important initiatives taken by the top management was to translate the company’s philosophy to specific task requirements for managers at all levels. Throughout the internal restructuring process it was ensured that the organization was not distracted from the market place. Important issues were delegated to teams consisting of front-line managers. The company also had a unique philosophy of resolving of problems wherein the problem, if escalated to the higher level manager, was pushed back to the team to resolve and to reach to a conclusion. This process enabled and enhanced the problem solving capabilities of the managers. In order to implement individual accountability, a transparent reporting system named ABACUS was developed to collect performance data for all the 4500 profit centers in dollar denomination. The business area heads did not stop with just crafting strategies, rather they were personally involved up to some extent in implementing the strategies and policies. The top management, also, was well informed of the daily activities as well as the performance of all its companies. In case any business underperformed, the top management would step in and demand explanation and offer help if needed, thus, giving proper attention to all its businesses. All the above mentioned points explain why ABB was successful with the matrix structures while many could not. Having explained the advantages of the matrix structure, I would like to mention few disadvantages which were prevailing in ABB too. 1. The complex structure with dual hierarchy sometimes leads to confusion and conflicts within the organization resulting in decreased productivity as is visible in case of the COMSYS challenge faced by Don Jans in ABB. . It is sometimes time consuming and delay in taking decision may affect the organization’s performance largely. 3. In such a structure it is difficult to ascertain accountability. The larger the organization, the complex the structure, thus, more difficult is individual accountability. 3. Management roles and responsibilities in ABB and Don Jansâ€℠¢s performance in ABB The management of ABB has been playing a vital role in the post-merger restructuring of ABB. The structure evolved as a pathway for the management to achieve its goal of operating in a global scale. It provides managers the flexibility and autonomy in taking decisions. The management was driven by policies made by the CEO, Percy Barnevik. The frameworks set by Barnevik were well implemented throughout the hierarchy, for example, Barnevik implemented â€Å"7-3 formula† which says that it is better to decide quickly and be right 7 out of 10 times than delaying action in search of a perfect solution. This policy was driven by the principle that the only unacceptable behavior is not doing anything. Under his leadership, the company grew rapidly with numerous acquisitions across the world. Nevertheless, the same philosophy, values were implemented in each of its companies. The matrix structure of ABB defined responsibilities for business area heads to work on the strategy whereas the front-line managers were held responsible for the daily operations of the local company. The managers were provided autonomy to the extent that they had control over their company’s balance sheet such that they inherited their results year to year and, thus, the top management had no say in the decisions regarding their company’s operations. This particular autonomy motivated many managers to perform better and better. As ABB was acquiring companies, it became important for ABB to ensure that the acquired companies imbibed the culture and values of ABB. The management took this as a challenge and ensured this by communicating the strategies and goals of the organization to managers from corporate level to business area heads to country level managers. One such regional manager for the relays division in the Coral Springs, Don Jans, who became part of ABB after the acquisition of Westinghouse in early 1989, had well-received the communication from the head of the ABB’s power transmission segment, Goran Lindahl, where he emphasized on the responsibilities of the local companies to implement the plans and achieving positive results. It was not an easy task for Don Jans and his team from Westinghouse to adapt to the culture of ABB, however, he found the management of ABB much supportive and involved as compared to that by Westinghouse’s. When first exposed to the philosophies of ABB, Don Jans found it to be much different than Westinghouse, where the decisions were taken by the top management, unlike ABB where he had the autonomy of taking the decisions. He found ABB to be much more flexible as the decisions were very much delegated and the organization was result oriented, i. e. he top management continuously monitored results of each of its companies, and would interfere only when the results were not satisfactory. Proper communication of the organization’s strategies to the managers was given importance as they were the ones who were responsible for achieving results. For Don Jans this experience was exhilarating, as he mentions once in a meeting where the corporate managers(for relays business) were presenting to his team â€Å"about how the industry was developing, where ABB wanted to be, how it was going to get there, and so on. †. Such meetings were received in a positive manner as they educated his team about the organization. Moreover, the meeting did not end there, the proposals for investing in relays business by his team were given proper attention, which further encouraged Don Jans to provide better performance. The matrix structure provided Don Jans with the flexibility of operations and taking decisions. Due to which the performance of relays business (of which Don Jans was in charge) had improved. With clear communication from the top management, he was aware of what was required to deliver. He used his experience in the industry to invest in a small-scale in microprocessor relays technologies as he had financial resources at his disposal. He used his freedom to improve the product lines of the relays division by broadening the microprocessor technologies experiment to solid state devices, and thus gave ABB a competitive advantage in the market where other players were taking advantage of the technology. Thus, Don Jans tried to improve the performance of the relays division by leaps and bounds by regular investment in newer and better technologies.

American Cultural History

There are many transformations that affected American life from 1940s-1970s various changes and developments occurred during these decades that influenced the culture of people in regards with sports, ,movies and the impact of reality TV to the people. First is in terms of sports, World War II has a great impact on sports since it able-bodied met between 18-26 years old who were expected to serve the military. There is a shortage on baseball bats and bowling pins but the professional sports is still encouraged to continue to improve the troops morale.In 1941, 2 platoon football was allowed and no substitutions are allowed except from injuries until fee subs was allowed in 1942 and the Army Navy game was played in Annapolis. In 1948, football was considered as the game of strategy. Basketball was not affected that much by the war. In 1946 the Basketball Association of America was founded which sooner merged with National Basketball League in 1949 and formed the NBA. Boxing was also in big money during these times because of gambling.Golf Associations were also founded in 1946 (Womens Professional Golf Association) and 1949 (Ladies Professional Golf Association). Moving to the 1950's people began to love sports even more and popularity is gained not based on social status but on the athletes capability. Television gave sports more fans and College football was widely followed. Professional golf was also popular and produced golf stars like Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer. In 1952 and 1956 Olympics is organized and the cold war between countries became very fierce.In 1960'2 Olympic games was held three times and produced gold medals and world records for Americans Otis David in 400m and Glenn Davis in 400m hurdles and the famous Muhammad Ali who won as light heavyweight boxer gold medalist. Palmers continuous championship in golf was also in 1960s. Television opened major changes to sports since business goes hand in hand with sports and exploits more profits in the s ports market. Professional athletes demanded to be bid and the right to market themselves to the highest bidder. This also made way for athletes to be product endorsers and print models.Movies during the 1940's were heydays since movie propagandas are more on essential industry for morale. Plots of movies has fairly narrow and predictable sets of morals and where villains are one dimensional like Germans and Japanese. Disney's animated career was also produced like Dumbo in 1941 and Bambi in 1942. Better role for black actors was also being fought during this decade. In 1952 3D cartoons made debut with Bwana Devil Cinerama and colors are use as special effects to lure audiences. in 1956 people began to realize that movies are too expensive and opt to stay home and just watch television.by 1960, musicals became movies like Sound of Music and My Fair Lady. the famous Marilyn Monroe died in this year and made her movie fans sad, Movies has themes in politics and comments on racial issu es like the Movie Dr. Strangelove. Sex becomes more explicit and occasionally non-traditional and Violence was also promulgated in this time that resulted MPAA to develop a new film code. 1970 is a big comeback for movies after Television's dominance blockbuster movies were produced in Dolby Sound and win the people's heart into watching movies again.Science-fiction films like star wars made top grossing films ever and disaster movies fascinates people as well. As the war ended in 1940, 5,000 black and white TV sets can be found in American homes and made people be entertained and informed at the same time. one popular radio show was broad casted on Tv entitled the Original Amateur Show and the slapstick comedy Texaco Star theater was also launched. Children's TV kicked off in 1947 in Kukla, Fran & Ollie which was followed by Howdy Doody Show.In 1950's television dominated the mass media and captured people's interest to stay in their homes and watch televisions as past time. More y oung people opt to stay at home for longer hours and watch TV rather than go out and go to school. People accepts that what they see on TV because it is an eye witness to the events that happens greater reliance on TV news is accepted by viewers as credible sources of information. In 1954 the black and white TV became colored in broadcast and th American family loves soap operas and variety shows.The second prime time cartoons The Flintstones was offered in 1970 and appealed both to young and adult. The Andy Griffith Show serves as the epitome of prime time family tv while situational comedy like The Beverly Hillbillies arises as Sitcom. humor was revived in Laugh in during the late 1960s. The television leads to social satire issues and other controversial issues like abortion, race and homosexuality. It mirrors reality and how people treats such issues. TV miniseries that shows greater appreciation of whites was shown in Roots.The American contemporary family was portrayed in The Brady Bunch and gave us a glimpse of reality about American families. News are relatively publicized to feed information to people like the Watergate scandal produced by Corporation for Public Broadcasting and also made Sesame street to cater children's entertainment. The television set has become one of the common source of knowledge and entertainment nowadays. Since it was made available by the late 1930's it has become a common household communication device up to the present times.As innovation continues, this electronic device disseminates information and has strongly influenced the viewers in many aspects. Through continuous innovation in television programming, people learned to appreciate what has been shown in their TV screens and eventually lead to imitation and social influence when dealing with other people. Reality is necessarily manipulated when events and people are relocated into news or prime time stories. The media can impose their own logic or assembled materials in number of ways including emphasizing certain behaviors and people and stereotyping.Television can distort people visually through camera perspective and other techniques. Rhetorically, people can be portrayed with different labels. One of the most obvious ways in which media content structures a symbolic environment is simply giving greater attention to certain events, people, groups and places than others. The reality television has also attracted criticisms from those who feel that the occurrence of this genre of television has come at the cost of scripted programming.But whatever many critics and people would say, still, reality television shows impart social values, attitudes and behaviors to its viewers. People cannot avoid the truth. It will come in both positive and negative sides of life. As far as our society is concern, this is the balancing nature to reach progress and continue to evolve along with its people and culture. Reality Television is the visible evidence of p rogress and a medium of change to any kind of society but it could also bring the negative aspects in the society.To adapt it or not, it is still the real world that we are living in and the real mind that goes on deciding. People could imitate behaviors that they saw; those behaviors would be reinforced and therefore learned. Real, Whether reality TV ultimately fades into television history or continues to evolve with the medium as a unique genre, for over fifty years it has offered interesting, often controversial entertainment. Reality TV, debates the social, psychological, and ethical impact of reality TV as they explore and gives us fascinating aspects of American entertainment culture.

Barriers to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Essay

Health promotion has been defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and to improve it. This process requires personal participation and supportive environments. For people with disabilities, however, personal participation is often limited by non-supportive environments. Lack of knowledge on how to modify programs to meet specific needs, poor attitudes, and unfriendly environments often creates insurmountable barriers to participation for many people with disabilities. While innovative medical technology has increased the life span of individuals with disabilities, little attention has focused on improving their health span. The reportedly high incidence of chronic secondary conditions seen in persons with disabilities, including pain, fatigue, low functional capacity, obesity, and depression, is often related to environmental conditions that include poor health promotion practices. Smith wrote: â€Å"People with disabilities therefore represent significant health needs and investment in health care resources, both in terms of the primary disability and secondary complications. Although the prevention of these conditions is important, of equal importance is to make living with them as healthy as possible, as many disabilities are life-long. Although health promotion may be significant in leading to lower levels of premature mortality, higher quality of life and lower health care costs for the general population, it has the potential to be even more significant for those already with a disability, whose quality of life and independence rely critically on their ability to maintain their narrow margin of health.† With the emerging concept that individuals with disabilities can improve their health in the same manner as anyone else, there is growing momentum for providing quality health promotion programs for people with disabilities. Maintaining health and wellness is especially important for people with disabilities because functional limitations that often accommodate a primary impairment (neurological dysfunction) may reduce a person’s capacity to engage in health promoting behaviors and result in a higher frequency of secondary conditions. These secondary conditions are defined as â€Å"†¦physical, medical, cognitive, emotional, or psychosocial consequences to which persons with disabilities are more susceptible by virtue of an underlying impairment, including adverse outcomes in health, wellness, participation and quality of life†. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of health promotion for people with disabilities in the areas of exercise, nutrition and health education, and to describe a health promotion service delivery model that addresses the gap in services between rehabilitation and community-based health promotion. The vast majority of people with disabilities are not obtaining the recommended amount of physical activity needed to confer health benefits and prevent secondary conditions (e.g., heart disease, obesity, and osteoporosis). In a study by Rimmer, it was found that less than 10 percent of adults with physical disabilities engaged in structured physical activity programs. A possible reason for this high level of inactivity may be linked to the number of actual and perceived barriers to exercise reported by people with disabilities. Transportation, cost of the exercise program, and not knowing where to exercise were listed as the three most common barriers. In a related study, Messent reported that the barriers to physical activity participation in adults with developmental disabilities were unclear policy guidelines in residential and day service programs; transportation and staffing constraints; limited financial resources; and limited availability of physical activity programs in the person’s community. While these external barriers may impose major limitations on exercise participation, internal barriers may also create obstacles to participation. Kinne reported that exercise self-efficacy and motivational factors were significant predictors of exercise maintenance in a group of adults with disabilities. Health disparities refer to differences between groups of people. These differences can affect how frequently a disease affects a group, how many people get sick, or how often the disease causes death. Many different populations are affected by disparities. These include †¢Racial and ethnic minorities †¢Residents of rural areas †¢Women, children, the elderly †¢Persons with disabilities While better nutritional habits are a major concern for most people with and without disabilities, there may be some specific differences in diet and nutrition guidelines pertaining to people with specific types of disabilities. Issues related to accessing healthy foods, determining food interactions with commonly used medications to control various secondary conditions ( pain, seizures, depression), and establishing specific requirements for food supplements ( vitamins, minerals, fluid intake) are all major concerns among people with certain disabilities. For example, people with spinal cord injury have a higher rate of bone loss after their injury, which increases their risk of osteoporosis. A few studies on persons with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome have also reported a higher incidence of osteoporosis. While it is the recommended daily allowance for calcium intake and vitamin D may need to be increased for certain types of disabilities to offset the rate of bone loss, recommen ded guidelines are not available. There are little data available to support this theory. There is a pressing need to conduct more research on various types of disabilities that have a reportedly higher incidence of bone loss, to determine the effects of exercise and nutritional supplements (calcium, vitamin D) in reducing or slowing the progression of this condition. Health education can have a measurable impact on empowering people with disabilities to improve their own health. For example, people with depression, manic depression, schizophrenia etc. should practice medication management with the assistance of a physician or nurse practitioner. Many states offer education classes dealing with communication with family members and the public along with skills on how to cope with mental illness. There are also cooking, cleaning, and hygienic classes and job training skills. In my experience job coaches are available to help ease the transition from unemployment to gainful employment practices. Many disabled individuals still experience discrimination from others who do not understand what mental illness is and don’t take the time to find out how to cope daily with a friend, family member or co-worker who may suffer from mental illness. In Belize Central America poverty is a big problem. In an article I read had this to say, â€Å"The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said Tuesday that it had approved a US$15 million loan to help Belize provide better basic health care, improve secondary education and strengthen its capacity to target, coordinate and evaluate social protection programs.†These measures will help the government achieve the goals of its National Poverty Elimination Strategy,† the IDB said in a statement. It said that one-third of the country’s population lives under the poverty line and the poorest sector of society lacks adequate basic health and secondary education services. â€Å"In some southern rural areas, like the Toledo district, 79 per cent of the population is poor and 56 per cent is classified as indigent. â€Å"The IDB said that in order to strengthen primary health care for the most vulnerable sectors, the funds will support government plans to increase enrolment in the National Health Insurance (NHI) pilot program.†It will also protect the 2009-2010 budget lines needed to at least maintain NHI coverage at 95 per cent of the population in south-side Belize City and 84 percent in the Southern Region. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is also addressing the significant barriers to mental health care experienced by African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Latino/Hispanic populations. NAMI is developing national partnerships and strategies to overcome the crisis. There is also increasing emphasis on improving quality of health care within the existing services in the United States. To achieve quality, there must be: 1. Improved access to care for all people. 2. Appropriate and acceptable treatment plans that incorporate multidisciplinary knowledge. 3. A workforce of sufficient numbers and qualifications. 4. Agreement on indicators for health care quality. 5. Responsible practices and follow-through on the part of patients. One study of infants revealed the cost of hospitalizing premature infants, the need to improve prenatal care to women at high risk for delivering preterm or low-birth-weight infants, and the need to improve outcomes for those infant. There is still so much to be done to increase health and the quality of life in persons with disabilities and those with chronic health issues. Health promotion has been defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and to improve it. This process requires personal participation and supportive environments. Reference Rimmer JH, (1999). Health promotion for people with disabilities: the emerging paradigm shift from disability prevention to prevention of secondary conditions Physical Therapy. 79(5), 495-502. Ravesloot C, Seekins T, Young Q, (1998). Health Promotion for People with Chronic Illness and Physical Disabilities: The Connection between Health Psychology and Disability Prevention Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. 5, 76-85. Thierry JM, (1998). Promoting the health and wellness of women with disabilities. Journal of Women’s Health. 7(5), 505-507. Stuifbergen, Alexa K., PhD, RN, Heather Becker, PhD, and Dolores Sands, PhD, RN, (1990). Barriers to health promotion for individuals with disabilities Family & Community Health. Smith RD, (2000). Promoting the health of people with physical disabilities: a discussion of the financing and organization of public health services in Australia Health Prom Int. 15, 79-86. 13(1), 11-22. Belize to receive IDB funds for health, education. (2009, Oct 07). BBC Monitoring Americas. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/460151112?accountid=32521