O-Fold Essay Example for Free

O-Fold Essay 1. As a part of the management team, how would you handle distribution and marketing of the O-Fold? Within the text I really liked the 2nd and 3rd option of distribution, which was going an online route or advertising I travel magazines. Although the adverting in magazines option is appealing when it comes down to it I don’t think it would reach as many people as online distribution. I would chose to create a website and distribute the O-Fold product through there. Creating a website would be extremely cost effective. I believe there are even some sites you can use for free, such as weebly.com. However, this option is risky because marketing would have to be very effective in order to generate the business he is looking for. Since the cost of a website is low, he should consider advertising in travel magazines. He probably would not need large ad space, which would help with the cost. If he could get a small section in the Sky Mall magazine on aircrafts with the link to his website, that could be a rewarding starting point. Another option is advertising on other large online retail sites, such as Amazon.com who now gives consumers an option to purchase provides from other retailers by providing a link to that product on their site. 2. At what points should Alex consider bringing on additional management? What positions should he fill and in what order? Defend your answer. I am a supporter of Alex’ crawl-walk-run strategy. I think initially he should partner with his brother and begin to make the product together and sell online through a website he creates. This way he can get an idea of how he can proceed with next steps and be able to create a business plan to present to Anger investors. Once he can seal the investment funds he should bring on a sales and marketing manager. This is one of the most important positions in a company. Alex needs to have someone with experience in sales and marketing, especially not having experience himself. He’s already contemplating different options in this area; someone who has worked in this department can give him real examples of the outcomes and weigh in on the best decision for O-Fold. Next, after he gets an investment, he should go with the outsourcing route. He already had a connection to hire a barn full of employees. He will need to hire a manager to oversee the production of these employees, and also a Human Resources Manager since he will have employees. He cannot manage everything himself so a good candidate for the productions manager would be his brother since he should have a good understanding by then of how to produce the items. 3. What are some pricing strategies you would consider utilizing in order to get the O-Fold to market? Do you agree with Alex’s pricing point? I would consider giving a special price to first time customers, or a discount when purchasing more then one O-Fold at the early stages of marketing. Alex will want to be competitive and the first thing that customers probably look for is good deals. If he creates a website and is directing people there through advertising he should try to close the sale with a discount. An option would be first time users get free shipping, or $5 off shipping. Customers buying more then one could receive $5 off their second purchase. I like the 123 percent market with the outsourcing options at $12.50 However, that would only be beneficial at wholesale, so he should price his products per item at $25, and offer the discount for the first 100 customers. He does not need to advertise the part about it only being for the first 100 customers but he should price out shipping costs for 100 people or costs of giving discounts and set a budget for it.

High And Low Involvement Product

High And Low Involvement Product Intel Corporation is founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore in year 1968, and allocated at United States, and slowly grow to be the leader of the market of microprocessor market. Microprocessor is one of the part of the computer and most of the people called it as the brain of the computer, it actually help to transfer data from the computer to the other data storage and respond to the hardware for an example show the word we type on monitor and others. From year 1968, Intel Corporation start to introduce several famous series of microprocessor like MCS-40 family, Pentium series, Atom series, Core 2 Duo series, i3 series,i5 series and the latest i7 series. For this assignment that brand or series of microprocessor introduced by Intel will be Intel Core i7 series which as know as the best microprocessor for the time. High and Low involvement decision making For Intel microprocessor product such as i7, it actually could be categorized in to both level of involvement. For the consumer who wanted to have a very good performance and long lasting processor they will do lots of research on the certain products and for the consumer who always purchase the Intel processor are also a high level of brand loyalty due to their purchase history in processor is just Intel, most of them will have a feeling that they only want Intel as the processor but not others like AMD, beside that Intel Core I7 also consider as a high price product compare to the other microprocessor. So in this case, Intel i7 is a high involvement products but at the same time due to the risk taken by the consumer to purchases it actually it just a low involvement product. Consumer decision making process Consumer decision making process is a cognitive process which start when a awareness of needs of the consumers and it ends when the consumer have dispose that particular product or service. In consumer decision making process, there are numerous different model but in this assignment the model that we will go through deeply will be the 5 stages of consumer decision making process. http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Books/B0/B64/IMG/fwk-tanner-fig03_002.jpg The Five Stages of Consumer Decision Making Process The five of the consumer decision making process will be, need recognition, search for product information, product evaluation, product choice and purchase, postpurchase use and evaluation of product, disposal of the product. Need recognition In this stage, consumer will concerned about what they want. For an example, a consumer actually found out that they need a better computer to play games or to do work, then they will start determine that what kind of processor they actually need, a better performance microprocessor come with a high graphic support for gaming or just a normal microprocessor for normal usage. Search for Product Information When the customer recognized what they want, they will look for information about microprocessor. For an example, there is a customer who realizes that he need a high performance of microprocessor for gaming then he will started to look for information of the existed product no matter from Intel or AMD. Product Evaluation When the customer finished on looking information in the microprocessor market, they might start to compare several product deeply to ensure which one will be the best for him to purchase. For gaming usage, the customer might choose Intel Core I7 and AMD Opteron as the choices available due to the performance that the product that can supply, and they might choose other product like Intel Core 2Duo or AMD Turion for their choice just because of the cheaper price and durability for normal usage. Product Choice and Purchase When the customer finish compare the featured between the microprocessor they choose, they will come to this stage to choose the product which they think is the best and purchase it mean the customer might purchase Intel Core I7 because after comparison they found out this microprocessor can provide a better performance and the reputation of this product is also good compare to the other microprocessor after the research made. Post purchase uses and Evaluation of the Product After consumes of Intel Core I7, the customer will come to this stage to evaluate whether Intel Core I7 meet their expectation or it did not. The features that the consumer will evaluate might the performance of the microprocessor whether is it fast enough or smooth enough when they playing game and how long is the microprocessor last for, few months or few years. These attribute will be the features that the consumer will evaluate after they consumer or used the product. Psychological Core Attention From this advertisement, it actually attracts attention of the people while people saw it. This advertisement actually mentions that there is a series of new microprocessor being introduced to the market by Intel through the sentence stated in the advertisement. From this advertisement, it also mentions that the brand new series of the Intel microprocessor will also be faster and even smarter compare to the old series of the microprocessor. And this kind of attention we called it as selective attention. Intel also created a very popular stimulus attention to most of the consumer which is a start up sound of the Intel computer, and this unique sound have been memorized by most of the Intel user and they will know that while this unique sound started up when the people on their computer, their microprocessor must be Intel. Perception The brochure above is one of the products from Intel Core I7 series with the information. When there is a consumer going to a PC Fair and he received this brochure and he does not having any interest on getting a microprocessor, he will know the exists of this product but will not go deeply on it and this is one of the perceptual stage that we called exposure stage. For attention stage, that customer who in the PC Fair when he get this brochure and he having a intention of getting a good microprocessor for gaming or any other usage they will read this deeply and do the research of this product and compare to the other product and at the end they might create a certain sense to this product which might be fastest processor that he can be founded and when the sense is created, it will be another perceptual stage which we call interpretation stage. Motivation Motivation is a inner force which able to drive us to reach the target or goal set to achieve, the inner force might be desires or wishes. For motivation there actually 2 famous theories which able to apply to product and services which is: Maslows Hierachy of Needs W. J. McGuire psychological motives W. J. McGuire psychological motives W. J. McGuire had list out 16 different needs of motive and from this advertisement we know that this actually attract 2 of the needs that have been listed. Needs of stimulus is the first needs that created by this advertisement, this need actually mention that the consumer will always seeking for change due to the boringness or some other reason. So while consumer have been fed up with the old computer which giving a very slow performance. And they will start to look for the information and might adopt Intel Core I7 to fulfill their needs. Teleological need is the second needs created by the advertisement while the consumer always think that their microprocessor should be able to support their computer to run the game fast and smooth but at the end it actually unable to do so. So they will try to look for a new item which able to fulfill their ideal situation, the microprocessor will able to make the game fast and smooth so when they saw the sentence fastest processor on planet, this will attract them and they might try to adopt it to fulfill their need. Learning A consumer might be learns about the featured of the processor due to the performance and durability while the people around him purchase a different microprocessor. So while there is a reward and a punishment given through the evaluation of product from the consumer, he might adopt Intel Core I7 because it might get a better evaluation from the others Memory For consumer who not so interested on purchasing a processor, they would not pay much attention on the attributes of Intel Core i7, so the memory toward the featured of the product is just a short memory while there is a consumer who being very motivated to search for a ideal processor, he will go and do lots of research and comparison between Intel Core i7 and the other processor while he keep doing comparison and research, the memory against the product will slightly change to be a long term memory due to the time he went through it. Attitude Attitude is the feeling on what we feel on certain thing that we can see, touch or heard through our sensory organ and this will be a part of long term memory in our brain and the long term memory will slowly be a belief. While we use Intel processor and we actually satisfy with the product through the durability and the performance, so through the experience we will create a certain belief in Intel that the quality of product is the best and this is a long term belief in our heart and brain. While this belief is stay strong in our mind, other competitors like AMD is very unlikely to convince them to purchase AMD processors. In year 2006, Intel runs a marketing strategy which consists 3 basic strategies that used to change the attitude. The 3 basic include will be change belief, shift importance and changing ideal point. The marketing strategy actually is running a campaign named Sponsor of Tomorrow. In this campaign, Intel trying to change the belief of customer which think that they are just a business organization by telling them the company is not only a business organization but also a company which trying to create a better future through technology and they also trying to tell the consumer that the money is not so important while customer paying a higher price for Intel microprocessor, they also giving a fund to Intel as a sponsor of creating a better tomorrow. Besides that, Intel also trying to changing a ideal point of consumer towards a microprocessor when they are purchasing a Intel microprocessor, they are not obtaining a best processor but also helping Intel to build a better tomorrow. Culture Culture is a ways of life which including but not limited to, language, art, science, thought, spirituality, social activity and interaction. Culture actually is words that represent the entire element mentioned and it would always change due to the different environment that we stay and we born. Nowadays as a modern world, among the teenagers around 7 years old to 20 years old there is a new culture, which called gaming culture. Gaming culture is a culture that the people would enjoy on playing video or computer games and this actually lead to increase of demand of the service of cyber cafà ©, due to the increment of demand. To satisfy the needs and wants from the teenagers cyber cafà © will always need to upgrade their facilities which consists of ram, processor, sound card and the monitor. Intel Core i7 as the latest and the fastest processor will be one of the first choice for those cyber cafà © because it able to provide better performance and the better performance will able to increase the reputation and the sales of the shop. So due this kind of situation, the gaming culture actually increases the awareness of Intel Core i7 among the cyber cafà © to improve their facilities and business. Subculture Subculture is a segment of a culture which having a different social status, history background and belief. For gaming culture, there also a numerous subcultures, such as online gaming culture, Local Area Network (LAN) gaming culture and single playing game culture. For online gaming and single playing game culture, those gamer will most likely to play the game at home but not like the Local Area Network gamers who prefer to play at cyber cafà © to enjoy the group gaming, they would like to upgrade their own computer at home to enjoy the games, so they will pay attention the Intel Core i7 which have a better performance compare to the others and do certain research and purchase it to enjoy their games. Society Society formed by a group of people decided to work together to reach same target or goal. The goal might be form by entertainment, profession, religious or some other factors. For an example, there a group of teenagers who like to play games and have decide to come together just to form a society to enjoy the fun of the game while they started to enjoy game together, they will started to compare the function of the processor due to the performance given when they playing game. Intel Core i7 as the fastest processor will be aware by those people in sense of good performance and able to maximize the satisfaction on gaming. Life cycle stage Life cycle stage consists of 4 different stages which represent our life and started with the day we born. The stages in our life cycle will be child, teenager, adult and aged. Child is the stage while we had born and before 12 years old, teenager will start from 12 years old to 30 years old people, adult will be stage around 30 years old to 50 years old, and the aged will be the people who is exceed 50 years old. For different life cycle stages, people will have different needs and wants with different purchasing power due to the ability they have. For child, they would not have a high purchasing power so they cannot afford a luxury thing and they might not even know what the use of luxury goods, they would just simply like candy which adult and the aged would not adopt. For the segmentation of Intel, Intel Core i7 actually is targeting the teenagers which would like to play game with a good processor and this product is actually affordable for people who around 22 years old once th ey start working. Group The reference group that will help Intel to influence other will be the associative reference group. While there are a group of teenager are using Intel Core i7 for gaming, the new member who not using that product will feel uncomfortable while they talking about the performance of the computer, this lead to the awareness of that member on Intel Core i7 to do research or purchase it Segementation, Positiong and Target Market Intel Core i7 TM Intel Pro 2 Core Intel Core i3 AMD Phenom MCS-40 family Intel Core i5 AMD Opteron Intel Xeon Low Performance Less Innovative High Performance Performance Innovative Asus AMD Turion AMD Athlon Intel Pentium Series AMD K7 series Graph 1: Perceptual mapping against microprocessor available in market (without a support from a statistic data) Segmentation Segmentation is a marketing strategy that used to pick a small group of people from the entire market by different attributes like ageing, height, weight and others. http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=54%3Apopulation-updated-31072009catid=35%3Akey-statisticsItemid=53lang=en Demographic Demographic is one of the best information to segment the market through the ageing, for Intel, they actually targeting the segmentation of the age of 15 to 30, because for this ageing area, most of the citizen will interested to have a better performance of processor for gaming so this actually categorise as Intel Core i7 targeted market. Target Market For Intel Core i7 targeted market will be the consumer is age of 15 to 30, due to the favourable on getting a high performance processor for gaming and following the trend of innovative. Because of this reason, Intel would not like to target the age which is below 15 or above 30 is because of the purchasing power of peopl below 15 is unable to afford that processor and people who above 30 will not interested on the innovative item and the performance of the processor for gaming as well. Positioning In most of the consumer perceptual mapping, Intel Core i7 actually is the lastest and its also the best product due to the confident tag line it having fastest processor on planet and lead to a trend that they think that this is the best product compare to other product like AMD Opteran, Intel i3 and i5 from the speed performance of processor and the graphic supply as well. Product Repositioning For every product, consumer will have a different perceptual mapping against them and their competitors, to reinforce the perceptual level of consumer against their product, most of the company will choose to use different packaging, advertisement slogan and others factors which is useful. For an example, Intel Core i7 advertisement will be one of the product repositioning, due to the sentence wrote in the advertisement fastest processor on the planet this actually did reinforce the perceptual level of the consumer against Intel Core i7 due to the performance level and innovative level because this product is the fastest processor in the planet nowadays, if without this sentence, the perceptual level of consumer will definitely drop. Product Mix Strategy Product Intel Core I7 processor having a better performance and better durability and high graphic support which able to attract the attention of the gamer in the market at the range of age between 20 to 30 years old. Price The cheapest Intel Core I7 processor in Malaysia will cost around RM800.00 which could be consider as a expensive product compare to the other competitors or other Intel product. Intel Core I7 consider as a valuable purchase even those the price is slightly expensive compare to the other due to the performance and the durability given by the product and the licensed operating system Window will also given free while consumer purchase a Intel processor. Place Intel Core I7 processor is a very common processor that able to be found in any IT retailer shop. Except IT retailer shop, Intel Core I7 also can be found in most of the laptop or desktop retailer shop like Dell, Hp Compaq, Acer and Logitech. Promotion In Malaysia, Intel did not do much of the promotion, there just a little advertisement of Intel in Malaysia which mostly appear in Astro TV at ESPN channel, even those not every citizen will aware of Intel Advertisement but there still will be a grow of awareness increase from the advertisement.

The Importance Of Communication Within Nursing Nursing Essay

The Importance Of Communication Within Nursing Nursing Essay The aim of this essay is to explore the concept of communication within nursing. Communication is often seen as a verbal act, however, this essay will explore the various other means in which people communicate, and attempt to apply them to a clinical setting. It will also explain how important communication is when establishing the nurse, patient relationship, and how bad communication skills can result in a breakdown in that relationship. Finally, a reflection will be written on an aspect of communication that took place during a clinical placement. This will be used to highlight how good or bad communication techniques can impact upon the patient and hence inhibit or aid the rehabilitation process. Over recent years, the role of a nurse has changed considerably. According to Kenworthy et al (2002) the nurse no longer treats a patient who is ill, but treats the person who happens to have an illness. Nursing has taken on a more holistic approach, and patients are seen more as whole beings (Jones 1998). Not only are their medical histories examined, but their social being and their lifestyle are taken into consideration when planning and implementing treatment (Kenworthy et al. 2002). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Professional Conduct (2008) specifies that nurses should treat patients as individuals and make their care their primary concern. This should be carried out whilst respecting their dignity and treating them as individuals. The code goes on to state, that a nurse should; act as an advocate for those in their care, helping them to access relevant health and social care, information and support (NMC 2008 p.1). In order for a nurse to understand the patient holistically, they will need to collect and analyse a huge amount of data. This begins with the initial assessment, and signals the beginning of the nursing process. (Palmer Kaur, 2005). According to Roper, et al (1983), cited in Aggleton Chalmers (2000) nursing should be centred on the patients twelve activities of daily living. This involves asking in depth questions concerning the patients normal behaviours and habits in relation to such activities as elimination, sleep, work and play. By talking to the patient and obtaining the information required, the nurse should aim to build a therapeutic relationship between themselves and the patient. During this period, the nurse should attempt to gain the trust of her patient by making them feel comfortable, safe and at ease (Sheldon 2005). This stage of the nurse, patient relationship is crucial, and depends wholly on the communication abilities of the nurse in question. In order for an assessment to be successfully completed, the nurse should be conscious of the types of questions used. The use of open ended questions can allow a patient to elaborate on their feelings, and prevent yes or no answers. However, when precise information is required the use of closed questions may be more appropriate (Sully Dallas 2005). Stuart Laraia (2001), cited in Riley (2004) argue that a therapeutic relationship can be facilitated by communication, but at times can act as a barrier to the relationship. Renwick (1992) cited in Arnold Boggs (2003) concur, suggesting that nurses should ask an appropriate number of questions in order to collect relevant data , yet too many questions could cause the patient to feel as if they are being cross-examined. According to Sheldon, (2005), a nurse should view communication as a clinical skill, and endeavour to constantly build on their expertise throughout their career. Communication in its simplest term, is the social interaction of people. It involves the sending and receiving of messages, which can either be verbal or non-verbal (Anderson, 1990). According to Riley (2004) firstly, the sender has to encode the message that he or she wishes to send. This message is then conveyed to the receiver through means of speech, sight, and touch. It is then necessary for the receiver to decode the message, and encode a return message. Speech is often seen as the main component of communication. However, it is important for health professionals to remember, that not all words have the same meaning for everyone. Even if a patient does understand what the nurse is saying, the non verbal actions that accompany the words spoken, can completely change the meaning of the message (Arnold Boggs, 2003) Therefore, other elements apart from speech need to be taken into consideration when decoding and encoding messages. According to Argyle (1988) and Ekman Friesen (1987), cited in Kenworthy et al (2002), facial expression can reveal volumes with regards to the emotional state of the receiver or sender. They recognised six fundamental emotions, which are identifiable across all cultures, by the movement of facial muscles; happiness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust and sadness. If a patient were undergoing an embarrassing procedure and the nurse caring for them showed signs of embarrassment or distaste via their facial muscles, this could make an unpleasant situation even more humiliating for the patient concerned. Stanton (1990) argues that an individuals body language can often display a much stronger message than their verbal communication, and can become open to misinterpretation. It is therefore necessary for health professionals to consider their non-verbal techniques of communica tion in order to avoid such misunderstandings. A further aspect of communications that a nurse should be conscious of is paralanguage. This includes the characteristics that run alongside language, for instance, pitch, volume, tone, accent and speed of speech. (Kenworthy et al 2002). It is entirely possible for the sender to encode one thing, only for the receiver to decode quite another. For instance, if a nurse is giving a patient instruction on how to take their medication, with a loud tone, and is pronouncing her words very slowly, the patient may feel as if they are being patronised. This could ultimately lead to a breakdown in communication, and hence the patients quality of care could become compromised. In conclusion, it is of the utmost importance that a nurse is able to build a trusting relationship with the patient, this will form the basis of the patients treatment and rehabilitation. The nurses communication ability is paramount and they must be fully aware of, and take into account the verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication. The nurse must also be aware of the diversity of clients, and treat them with sensitivity and respect. This will create a mutual understanding between nurse and patient, which will ultimately aid the rehabilitation process. The second part of this assignment will reflect on an incident that took place during a clinical setting. It will be used to demonstrate a further understanding of the importance of communication within nursing. Reflection on Practice Reflective practice has been identified and acknowledged as an essential tool within the healthcare profession. According to Jasper (2003), the ability to reflect upon ones experiences is the starting point for relating theory to practice. The reflective process requires the individual to be self aware, and able to analyse their actions, thoughts and feelings, and if necessary, bring about positive change (Bulman Schutz 2004). For the purposes of this reflection I will use the Gibbs reflective cycle (see Appendix 1). This model sets out a series of structured questions, which will help guide me through the reflective process In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Code of Conduct (2008) patient confidentiality will be maintained throughout this reflective account. Therefore, the patient involved will be referred to by the pseudonym of Rose. Description: What Happened? My first clinical placement was on an elective surgery ward. Rose, a 70 year old woman was suffering from primary osteoarthritis of the right hip. This is a degenerative, non-inflammatory condition, which affects the hyaline cartilage of the synovial joints (Manley and Bellman 2003). Due to her continuing pain and decreased mobility, she had agreed to undergo a total right hip arthroplasty. According to OBrien et al (1997a) arthroplasty, is the most common, and successful treatment for osteoarthritis of the hip. Rose was on her second, post operative day and was having trouble opening her bowels. The nurses caring for her were aware of this, and she had been given a laxative the previous evening. She was very reluctant to get out of bed and walk to the toilet herself, as she was afraid of the pain, and the fact that she may dislocate her hip. A staff nurse and I, had placed a bed pan underneath Rose several times that morning, but she had been unable to open her bowels. According to (Heberer and Marx 1995) constipation after surgery is quite commonplace, this can be due to the drugs taken after surgery to combat pain. Each time the staff nurse and I had assisted Rose, she had become very frustrated and angry. Later that afternoon Roses buzzer went off, she explained that she had a strong feeling that her bowels were about to open. I could tell by Roses facial expression that she was indeed desperate to open her bowels. The other two nurses on duty that day were busy with two post operative patients. I realised, that I would have to choose between waiting for another staff member to assist me, or allowing Rose to soil herself and her bed. I was aware that this would be very embarrassing and humiliating for her, I was also aware of the Code of Conduct (NMC 2008) that emphasises the fact that nurses should act in the best interests of the patient. I was also reluctant to attempt this alone, as Rose had become somewhat angry during previous attempts. Feelings: What were you thinking? Even though I had previously assisted qualified staff in placing Rose on a bedpan, I was rather apprehensive about tackling this procedure unsupervised. As no help seemed to be arriving, I realised that I had to make a decision. Not only was Rose becoming increasingly desperate, she was also becoming irate and impatient. I decided, that in order to adhere to the Code of Conduct (NMC, 2008) I would have to try and help Rose to the best of my ability, alone. I was very nervous, not only was I worried that I would not get her on the bedpan in time; I was also concerned that I would not be able to cope with her demeanour, if this happened. I did not feel experienced enough in my communication skills to be able to carry this out, whilst at the same time, attempting to place her on the bed pan. I explained to Rose that I was going to place the bedpan underneath her; I also explained that I was a student nurse and that I was still learning. Above Rose there was an over bed pole hoist (monkey bar) that she was able to use to pull herself up, whilst I placed the bed pan underneath her. Whilst Rose was pulling herself up she was making a lot of noise due to the strain of using her upper body, and the pain of her hip. I tried to encourage her with a calm voice, however I was aware that my tone of voice was rising because I felt panicked. This in turn caused Rose to become even more agitated. This was making me even more apprehensive, and I began to feel flustered and very inexperienced. It was very difficult to sit rose squarely on the bedpan as she was lying flat, I was very worried that she would completely miss it and soil the bedding. Not only would this be very humiliating and uncomfortable for her, but it would make me feel very incompetent as a nurse. During this time I f elt very inexperienced, and doubtful as to whether I would make a very good nurse at all. Eventually Rose managed to open her bowels, it was extremely loose and had an offensive smell. I was very worried that I would not be able to remain professional due to the sight and smell of the faeces. I was aware that this could be detrimental to Roses self esteem and could cause a barrier within the nurse, patient relationship. Whist wiping Rose, it was clear that she was very embarrassed. I too felt embarrassed, and endeavoured to keep talking to her until I had finished. Even though I had tried to hide my embarrassment, I was very concerned that Rose had been aware of it. This made me feel frustrated and annoyed with myself. Evaluation: What was good and bad about the situation? I feel that my lack of communication skills during an embarrassing situation were evident during the procedure. Rose was embarrassed enough, without me adding to her discomfort by showing my awkwardness. Although I managed to check my facial expressions whilst Rose was defecating for signs of distaste, I failed to check them for signs of embarrassment whilst wiping her. Despite my inexperience, I feel that I made the right choice when I decided to place Rose on the bed pan myself. I was aware that I had limitations as a student nurse, however, I felt that it was in Roses best interests for me to go ahead unaided. The whole situation would have been made a lot worse if Rose had defecated in the bed. She would have felt very humiliated and embarrassed and her feelings of lost independence would have escalated. Analysis: What sense can you make of the situation? On reflection I feel that I pre-judged Rose. Every time I had dealt with her over the previous two days she had appeared very demanding and short tempered. However, when everything had been cleared away, I sat with Rose and we talked for a while. Through the use of open questions I began to understand why Rose came across as difficult. Sully (2005), suggests that the use of open ended questions allows the patients to elaborate their feelings, and closed questions should only be used in instances when yes or no answers are required. I discovered that Rose was a very nice lady, who was simply embarrassed and frightened by her lack of mobility and independence. She explained that previous to her hip problems she had played golf on a regular basis, and that she was very worried that she would not be able to resume this pastime. According to Kennedy Sheldon (2004) anger in patients is often a reaction to fear and anxiety, particularly in cases where there is lack of independence. After ou r conversation, I felt that I had a greater understanding of Rose. Although I knew Rose was in pain, and appreciated her embarrassment, I had viewed her as an impatient, demanding lady. Rogers (1951), cited in Kennedy Sheldon (2004) suggest, that the manner in which a person responds to illness, is an individual response to their change of circumstances. He goes further, and states that it is the responsibility of the nurse to treat the patient as an individual, devoid of any prejudice, and with unconditional positive regard. (ibid). Smith Hart (1994), cited in Hollinworth et al (2005) concur, stating that nurses should refrain from being judgemental and should never label patients as being difficult or demanding following a particular episode of anger. On reflection this is exactly what I did. Due to Roses frustration during earlier attempts to place her on the bed pan, I had perceived her as a demanding and bad tempered lady, this had led to me feeling very apprehensive about dea ling with her. On reflection, I realise that I made assumptions about Roses personality that were not true. During the procedure I had attempted to calm Rose down by talking to her. However, I had allowed the tone of my voice to rise because I felt flustered. Ellis et al (2003), suggest that the tone and pitch of a senders voice can give clues to the receiver about the mood, and mind state of the sender. Jack Smith (2007), argue that the actual tone of the voice used, can have more of an impact that the actual words spoken. This can lead to a total misinterpretation of the message being conveyed and could ultimately lead to a breakdown in the nurse, patient relationship (ibid). Even though I was encouraging Rose, the tone and level of my voice could have been perceived as impatient. This would have caused Rose to become even more agitated, during what was an embarrassing and humiliating time for her. During the procedure I had also underestimated how my facial expression could be perceived by Rose. Although I had been conscious of not displaying signs of distaste whilst Rose was defecating, I had failed not to show signs of my embarrassment whilst wiping her afterwards. Arnold and Boggs (2003) argue that if the verbal message fails to match the non-verbal message, then the non-verbal aspects will take precedent. Therefore, even though I was telling Rose that everything was fine; my face was conveying quite clearly that I was very embarrassed. On reflection, I can see that this must have been very humiliating for Rose, as she was normally a very independent lady who was used to dealing with her elimination needs herself. Conclusion: This situation, has taught me the importance of building a therapeutic, trusting relationship with patients. It is essential that the nurse knows the person as a whole in order to treat them as individuals. If I had been aware of how independent and active Rose had previously been, then I would have been far better equipped to deal with her. I have also been made more aware of the dangers of pre-judging patients. I had labelled Rose as a bad tempered lady, and had failed to understand her reasons for this behaviour. This experience has shown me the importance of questioning and listening to patients in order to see them as whole beings. My experience has shown me, how lack of communication skills can cause barriers within the nurse patient relationship. It is very important to not only be aware of what you are saying, but to also be aware of non-verbal communication techniques that run alongside language. Action Plan My encounter with Rose has shown me how inexperienced I am with regards to communication with patients. I realise the importance of continually striving to enhance my skills, in order to progress as a student nurse. During subsequent placements, I will take the opportunity to practice my communication techniques, bearing in mind that communication is not only about conversing with the patient verbally, but also about being aware of facial expressions, paralanguage and the ability to listen attentively. In future I will be acutely aware of the importance of not pre-judging or labelling patients, but will endeavour to treat them respectfully and as individuals. Overall Conclusion In conclusion, good communication skills are essential in order for a nurse to provide the best level of care. For a nurse to be able to establish a trusting relationship with the patient, they must first have a mutual understanding. This understanding can only be achieved if the nurse is able to communicate effectively, being aware, not only of the words being used, but also of the non-verbal traits that run alongside those words. The nurse also needs to be aware of the patients non-verbal cues. Many patients will show signs of frustration or anger because they are frightened, it is important that the nurse is able to read these signs and investigate them further. For a nurse to successfully practice, it is essential that they continually practice, develop and enhance their communication skills throughout their career. Reference List Aggleton P and Chalmers H (2000) Nursing Models and Nursing Practice. (2nd edn.) Hampshire: Palgrave Anderson C (1990) Patient Teaching and Communicating in an Information Age. New York: Delmar Publishers Inc. Arnold E and Underman Boggs K (2003) Interpersonal Relationships; Professional communication Skills for Nurses. (4th edn.) Missouri: Elsevier Science Bulman C and Schutz S (eds.) (2004) Reflective Practice in Nursing. (3rd edn.) Edinburgh:Bailliere Tindall Ellis B Gates B and Kenworthy N (2003) (2nd edn.) Interpersonal Communication In Nursing. China: Elsevier Science Heberer M and Marx A (1995) Complications of enteral nutrition. London: Edward Arnold Hollinworth H Clark C Harlanor R Johnson L and Partington G (2005) Understanding The Arousal Of Anger; A Patient Centred Approach. Nursing Standard 19(37) pp.41-47 Jack K and Smith A (2007) Promoting Self-Awareness In Nurses To Improve Nursing Practice. Nursing Standard 21(32) pp.47-52 Jasper M (2003) Beginning Reflective Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Jones P (1998) Holism: Making Sense of It. All (online) Available at http://www.p-jones.demon.co.uk/hcmholis.html, (accessed 14 October 2008) Kenworthy N Snowley G and Gilling C (2002) Common Foundation Studies in Nursing. (3rd edn.) Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Manley K and Bellman L (2003) Surgical Nursing; Advance Practice. London: Churchill Livingstone The Nursing and Midwifery Code of Conduct (2008) (Online) Available at http://www.nmc-uk.org/aArticle.aspx?ArticleID=3 056 (accessed 16 October 2008) OBrien S Engela D Leonard S Kernohan G and Beverland D (1997a) Prosthetic Dislocation in Customized Total Hip Replacement: A Clinical and Radiographic Review. Journal of Orthopaedic Nursing 1 (1):4-10 Palmer D and Kaur S (eds.) (2003) Core Skills for Nurse Practitioners. London: Whurr Publishers Riley J B (2004) Communication In Nursing. (5th edn.) Philadelphia: Mosby Roberts A (2008) (online) Available at http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2008/05/27/reflection-on-keeping-an-action-log-for-a-month (accessed 20th October 2010) Sheldon Kennedy L (2005) Communication for Nurses; talking with patients. Boston: Jones and Bartlett. Stanton K (1990) Communication. London:Macmillan Sully P and Dallas J (2005) Essential Communication Skills for Nurses. China: Elsevier Mosby

Great Religions And Philosophies. : Greek Philosophy. Essays -- essays

Great Religions and Philosophies. : Greek Philosophy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 6th century B.C, there began a dualism in Greek Philosophy. The development of Greek Philosophy became a compromise between Greek monistic and oriental influences, in other words, a combination of intellectualism and mysticism. Thus began the pre-Socratic philosophy. The interests of pre- Socratic philosophers were centered on the world that surrounds man, the Cosmos. This was during the time of great internal and external disturbances in the Greek society, as it was right after the Peloponnesian war. The pre-Socratic era of Greek Philosophy came to an end when the Sophists turned their attention to man himself, delving into the moral and mental nature of man and dealing with the practical problems of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ancient Greeks mirrored their nature, beliefs, morals and customs in Greek Philosophy. Through understanding Greek Philosophy, we can see how the ancient Greeks regard the world around them. Greek Philosophy filled the void in the spiritual and moral life of the ancient Greeks, where in the same place other cultures had their belief in a religion. Wisdom, in the Greek sense, included not only a theoretical explanation of the world around them, but also provided a practical guide to life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From Homer to Hesiod, we see the reflections of the ancient Greeks and their use of Gods to fulfill their spiritual, social and psyc...

Huck Finn Novel Analysis :: essays papers

Huck Finn Novel Analysis I. Setting The story of Huck Finn begins in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. Then the setting changes to Jackson Island because Huck decides to run away and live there. After that the setting changes to the Mississippi River and various towns alongside, when Jim and Huck decide they are heading to a state where Jim will be free. The setting immediately reflects the tone of the book because the book is written in a southern dialect and the story is set in the south. The setting is crucial to the actions in the book. If Huck lived in a state where slaves were free, then there would have been no need for Huck and Jim to travel the Mississippi looking for a state where Jim would be a free man. If they had not traveled up the Mississippi then there would not have been any adventures of Huck Finn. II. Characters The protagonist in this story is Jim, a runaway slave. He always looks out for those around him, especially Huck. The three other major characters in the story are Huck Finn, the king, and the duke. Huck Finn is the main character in the story and Jim’s best friend. The king and the duke are thieves who force Huck and Jim to let them on their boat. Jim and Huck are dynamic characters. Their personalities and feelings on issues change throughout the story. The king and the duke are static characters. They are greedy thieves only out for themselves and they remain this way throughout the entire story. Two minor characters in this story are Mary Jane and the Widow Douglas.

AFrican American equality Essay

From the time our country was founded, many African Americans lived a life of hardship merely because the color of their skin. In many instances they were treated as animals, being sold and traded in shackles and chains. At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence when the country was founded, most African Americans worked as slaves. Working conditions for slaves were inhumane, who were often forced to work long hours in the sweltering summer heat. In 1865, the ratification of the 13th amendment made slavery illegal everywhere in the United States. However, this was not the end of inequality and segregation for African Americans. The racism in the south did not stop just because slavery ended. For decades after the end of slavery, laws such as the Jim Crow laws significantly limited African American’s rights and freedoms. In addition, share-cropping allowed servitude to continue only in a different form. Former slaves were now financially bound to their land. These laws significantly disheartened American Americans right and fight for equality – a battle that did not really get started until the civil rights era. In one of the greatest moments in American history when MLK gave his speech on the inequality of races. In one line he said â€Å"the negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of prosperity†. This meant that even though there was a great economic boom the blacks were not sharing the wealth. Instead of blacks sharing the great wealth of this time they were left out of the boat by being ineligible force retain perks that the white man had been innate to. In an truly inspiring line of his speech MLK says â€Å"the negro community must not lead to distrust all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny†. This says that not all the white men are prejudice which would be just as stereotypical as anything else done against blacks at the time. This is truly encouraging saying that blacks have been persecuted for hundreds of years and some still find ways to show some remorse toward them. In one of the most famous lines of the speech MLK says â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident:that all men are created equal†. He means that he hopes one day that all men with see each other not on the basis of skin color but by the content of the character which is perfectly expressed in â€Å"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. † Martin Luther king speech expresses the inequality blacks felt. The civil rights movement took time and many brave people. However even after all the protest and laws passed to help equal the races the blacks still do not have the same freedoms as whites. Most blacks live inner cities and are not treated with dignity that they deserve in humans. They are constantly unfairly prosecuted by law enforcements and are scapegoated by many people of the root of the problem. However there has been a major increase in freedoms they have gained over time. Since MLK speech they have gained equality and it should be so far in the future that they are looked at as complete equals.

Mississippi Burning Essay

Burning is a movie about racial hate and bigotry. How has the director Alan Parker presented the genre through the use of Camera, Music and other techniques? Racial hate has been one of the biggest issues in society over the past 100 years. Film has traditionally been considered a very effective medium in presenting a message about this. Mississippi Burning is a heart wrenching film based on racial hate and bigotry. Alan Parker is the director of the film and has incorporated many techniques such as, camera angles and lighting, costume and language and sound. All of these techniques are to suit particular scenes in the film and or to highlight certain attributes. Alan Parker provides a theme and or message with in his film, and his techniques used without help to provide the message and or theme he wishes to portray. Camera Angles and Lighting are highly influenced in the film as they help symbolise certain objects and highlight hidden meanings. SCENE displays this as once the FBI men have had the fright of their life they spot something outside, to then see it is a burning cross. At this point the cross is burning bright and the environment around is dull, almost not there. This is highlighting the fact that at this point of time the police are winning and their ways are brighter and better then there’s. This proves that the police believe that treating black people like dogs is okay. Throughout the film there are dramatic camera angles, the best one that highlights the whole movie is the opening scene, where we are looking directly at a white mans’ drinking fountain and a black mans’ drinking fountain, the differences in the fountains show that black men have no rights and white men have too many. Alan Parker uses language and costume to highlight certain characters and their actions. Language being a strong point throughout the film, Alan highlights the fact that the police for example are pig headed by the way they speak. They have a lot of slag and a lot of attitude. Alan highlights the fact that the black people have a voice as when they do speak, they are polite and confident. The way the characters all dress reflects them too, as Alan tries to portray a message that the black people cannot afford not only nice clothes but a better life, that the white men can afford to dress nice but cannot afford a nice attitude. Sound is used to help maintain a scene, to help make it more dramatic, to make you more excited, to prove a point or make you sadder. Sound helps portray messages in such a way that words cant. Mississippi Burning without fail reaches to enhance these points as the film carries out many strong ‘sound’ points. SCENE when the three civil right men are found, the funeral is withheld and a black woman with a strong voice take the scene as she evokes the point that the two white boys were not allowed to be buried near the black boy and not only she, but the whole black culture has had enough of being treated like dirt. This scene shows a rise up, a community of black people standing together for the last time as dirt and rising up together as strong-willed people. Mississippi Burning uses a wide range of techniques to provoke messages being hidden throughout the film. Racial hate and bigotry are constantly highlighted behind mixed messages and a hidden meaning as Alan Parker allows a viewer to withhold their own opinion on not just the film, but racism itself.