Thursday, October 31, 2019
Marketing Planning on Portakabin Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words
Marketing Planning on Portakabin - Assignment Example Currently, it is employing more than thousands of people and expanding its operations in European countries. Although construction industry relies on the same traditional methods of first designing building architecture and then moving ahead with the project; Portakabin changed the entire industry by introducing innovative products in the market. The management of company realized that it will have to apply Piercy (2010) going to market concept which states that everyone within the firm will have to work together to achieve the desired goals. The key elements of this concept are represented in the figure: Source: Piercy (2010) The companyââ¬â¢s market has definitely changed in the last couple of years as it is focussing on providing quality products to their consumers by the implementation of finest production methods. Portakabin has applied the lean production process which ensures that procedural steps creating wastage are eliminated from the processes (The Times 100, 2010). The basis of a building is prepared on-site while actual structure is manufactured and fitted in factory; the module of the customer is taken to site, craned into desired position and then linked together. Other architectural features like brick cladding on buildingââ¬â¢s exterior side, glazing, pitched roof, stair tower and lifts are added on-site; any other modifications required by customers are done on-site so that customersââ¬â¢ are satisfied. Portakabin has positioned itself as a company that is offering quality products at premium prices that reflects high value for money. Portakabin has changed its focus on quality development of products so that every customer is satisfied with services provided to them (The Times 100, 2003). In order to have superior quality, there are two sources important for every business i.e. internal and external. For internal quality insurance, it has developed its own range of buildings on the basis of market research and aim of this frequent re search is to identify precise needs of customers. Similarly, strong emphasis is done on offering value added features such as fitted furnishings, quality carpeting and climate control systems so that high quality working environment is created; customers are provided the opportunity of availing one stop shop service. In order to meet external quality level, all of its products ensure compliance with appropriate regulations of building along with demands of ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems. Hence, Portakabin has ensured that going to market concept is properly applied throughout the organisation to meet needs and demands of consumers. Question No. 2a Examine the factors that would determine Portakabinââ¬â¢s ability to plan its future marketing activity effectively. What does Portakabin need to understand and control in order to plan effectively and measure the effectives of its activity? Answer No. 2a In UK construction industry, Portakabin is the market leader as it manufactu res modular buildings with superior quality. It has been delivering products and services that have been tailored to meet each customerââ¬â¢s requirements. In order to provide top quality services to customers, Portakabin has implemented some crucial processes as follows: 1. Continuous research and development for developing new product solutions and providing value-added solutions
Monday, October 28, 2019
Library Statement of Goals Essay Example for Free
Library Statement of Goals Essay I have submitted my application for admission into the Kent State School of Library and Information Science as an avenue for professional growth within my current career. As a former Spanish teacher and currently a computer technology teacher, it is important to pursue the MLIS as current librarians seek retirement and technology continues to infiltrate libraries across our nation. I am currently interested in pursuing the MLIS plus the K-12 licensure in order to serve in an urban school library setting. My current teaching assignment of computer technology lends itself to a smooth transition from the classroom to a librarian position as our school district places more emphasis on digital media. I remain fully committed to providing instruction to students; however, with teachers and school librarians retiring in droves, I fear that our schools will be left with overworked teachers and no librarians in our schools. By completing the MLIS degree, I will be accomplishing an additional career objective. I remain committed to my career goals that were previously established many years ago. My first goal was accomplished by completing my undergraduate course of study at the University of Cincinnati. My second career goal was to obtain my M. Ed. In School Administration and I accomplished that particular goal in the year 2000. My third goal, albeit somewhat personal, was to earn my private pilotââ¬â¢s license, and I successfully completed that task in 2001. My fourth career oriented goal was to transition from teaching Spanish to teaching computer science with an ultimate goal of finishing the required courses to earn the MLIS degree. I am currently in the middle of this goal. After speaking to our retiring librarian, she suggested that I apply my technology expertise and apply for the vacant school librarian position. Our current librarian highly encouraged me to seek at least the minimum courses for K-12 certification. After speaking with Dr. Sarah Harper and educating myself about the MLIS program and learning about the additional career opportunities associated with the MLIS, I have decided to pursue this additional graduate degree. The role of the librarian appears to be shifting from the traditional aspects of managing a library to more of the role as a librarian media technologist. An important current issue of the library is to also serve as a digital media center due to the increased technology needs facing libraries. I am greatly interested in this transition as many school librarians almost double as the digital media technologist. Colleges and universities are also adopting the model of librarian media technologist to enhance the needs of such educational institutions. As our digital technology library needs grow, I foresee a point where the current traditional school librarian could potentially be at a slight disadvantage without minimal technology background. I firmly support digital media; however, print media is equally as important. It will be the role of the librarian to determine which media shall remain in print edition for students, and which media will transition to digital media. Another current issue that is important is to fully integrate the school library as an extension of the classroom. It is important to fully utilize the library beyond the common routine of ââ¬Å"pulling booksâ⬠for a specific course. Instead, it would be beneficial to teachers and students if the library were to be established as an academic department. Establishing meaningful collaboration between the library personnel and teachers will foster a learning environment conducive to learning. As a school librarian, a goal should be to create a library setting that embeds the role of the library into the classrooms. Instead of thinking of the library as an independent space of a school, the library now serves as an extension of the classroom. However, it is equally important to keep in mind, the school librarian is not able to provide content specific instruction, but rather, instruction on how to locate the resources required for the specific content. It is important for the librarian to serve as an instructional partner in the learning process. Finally, another current issue that I believe is important is increasing the mobility of the library. Technology has advanced to where it is no longer required to leave the house and go to the library to seek and acquire information. With nearly all of our students owning a mobile device, whether it is a cellular telephone, iPad, Nook, mobile devices are changing the way information is delivered and accessed. While students easily have access to the internet through mobile devices, it is equally important that students have access to digital records housed in the library. Furthermore, many library users have learned the convenience of downloadable e-books. As teachers, students, and others navigate away from the traditional book delivered in print, it will be important for the librarian to explore new ideas and collaboratively implement a plan to cost effectively deliver more data via mobile devices.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Poverty and Crime Correllation
Poverty and Crime Correllation America is experiencing poverty at an increasing rate in terms of the number of children in poverty and the intensity of poverty. There are approximately 15.3 million U.S. Children living in households defined as falling below the poverty line (Duncan, 1998), and they are increasingly concentrated in impoverished and underclass neighborhood (Greenwood, 1995). One-third of all children experience poverty in at least one year of their life and only one in twenty experiences ten or more years of poverty. Poverty has become a major concern in the United States because of the effects it has on the youth in our society. Many young children are faced with lack of food, inadequate living conditions, and lack of parental guidance. Strains are placed on children living in poverty as young as the age of seven. Children living in poverty generally isolated from mainstream society, dont have access to community organizations, poor schools, low self-esteem, depression, behavioral problems in school, and engage in delinquent activities. Delinquency among the poor has been studied over the years to see if there is a relationship between delinquency and poverty. Theories have suggested the link between delinquency and poverty is due to unemployment, family disruption, lack of education, marital disruption, female- headed households, teenage pregnancy, isolation of poorer neighborhoods, lack of role models in the communities, less supervised youth programs, and no formal community networks to deter potential criminal (Anderson, 1993; Hannerz, 1968; Liebow, 1967, Rainwater 1970, Sullivan, 1993, Sutles, 1968). The link between poverty and crime is diverse (Jargowsky and Bane, 1991). The reasons why people who are living in poverty commit criminal acts vary from crime being the only opportunity to achieve a higher level of socioeconomic status to enhance financial ability. People of all class commit crime for different reasons, but it has been proven over the years by different researchers that people living in poverty commit more crime than any other class. This literature will focus on what is known about the poverty and delinquency, the gaps in this field, method used in this field, and current study in this field. Literature Review How Poverty is defined and measured? How poverty is defined and measures has attributed to different results in the study of poverty and crime. Poverty has been defined in several different ways. One definition of poverty is a situation in which a persons income is below 60% of the median income of a country. According to the Census Bureau, poverty is defined an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. The official poverty measurement was adopted in the last 1960s and it consisted of a set of thresholds for families of different sizes and composition that are compared to a resource measure to determine a family poverty status. The thresholds represent the cost of a minimum diet multiplied by three to allow for expenditures on other goods and services. This measurement of poverty had several weaknesses according to the National Research Council and the Panel on Poverty and Family. The official measurement did not take into consideration the expenses it takes to hold a job, and it does not reflect the effects of key government policies that alter the disposable income available to families (Citro and Michael, 1995). Alternatives approaches to measure to poverty thresholds were viewed by in 1995 by the Panel on Poverty and Family in regards to experimental poverty measures. For experimental purposes, poverty was measured by a dollar amount for food, clothing, shelter, and utilities, as well as a small amount for needs such as transportation expenses, expenses to maintain a household, and personal care. The panel developed a threshold designed for a family of four- a mother, a father, and two children. According to the panel, thresholds can be adjusted for the needs of families of different sizes and composition and geographic locations. Paul Jargowsky, one of the most well known researchers on poverty and crime, adopted only a small fraction of the official measure of poverty recommendations of the Panel of Poverty and Family. During his methodology for his many studies, he measured poverty by calculating a simple poverty score by determining the proportion of high poverty census tracks within a city during his several different studies. He believed that the cut off threshold was 40% of poor residents, and other researchers such as (Wilson, 1996) used 30% threshold to represent poverty. Data from the Census Bureau has also been used to measure poverty as well. The percentage in poverty is calculated as the percentage of the total population in the census that fall below the Social Security Administrations poverty line. Poverty definitions and measurement differ from researcher to researcher; therefore, results in research will vary depending on what definition and measure of poverty is adopted (Jargowsky and Bane, 1991; Rickets and Sawhill, 1988; Wilson, 1996). Why People living in Poverty Commit Crime People living in poverty commit crimes for several different reasons. Survival in the poverty stricken neighborhoods is one of the main reasons for criminal behavior. Often times, many people have to commit crimes such as robbery or burglary as a mean to have financial gain in order to feed themselves and their children or to be able to maintain their household expenses. People also commit crime because it is the norm to take the law into their own hands (Cooney, 1997). High poverty areas do not have the access to the local law enforcement as other areas normally have. Law enforcement is often viewed as not being helpful; therefore, we see many retaliatory crimes committed in these areas. Retaliatory violence in response to disrespect becomes a way to achieve status in the absence of other opportunities. People living in such neighborhoods believe that they have to take the law into their own hands because the local authorities have failed to protect them Kurban and Weitzer (2003). T he response time to such neighborhoods is much slower compared to neighborhoods in the suburbs, and everyone is viewed as a criminal when they may actually be a victim. Crime in poorer communities is a just a form of self help (Anderson, 1993). Many people living in poverty do not want to be living in poverty. In order to obtain a higher level of socioeconomic status, crime is seen as the only option (Wilson, 1987). Money that is made by committing crimes such as illegally selling crack cocaine, or another type of drug, or money that was obtain illegally is used to established some type of legal business establishment. Once the legal business is established, there is no longer a need to commit crime and this places the individual into another class. Crime is also committed to have fun or have something to do to occupy an individuals time (Agnew, 1992). Grand Theft Auto is one of those crimes that are committed to just have fun. Many people, especially, adolescents, commit this offense to joyride around the city. Many youth begin a life of crime because of their parents ineffective parental practices. Being poor and having children to provide for can lead to emotional distress. Parents are inconsistence with their children, forceful, and extremely harsh and the bond between parent and child is weaken (Sampson and Laub, 1994). When that bond weakens, children are more at risk for deviant behavior. Parents are also not involved with their childrens education as other parents in mainstream society. It has been proven that poor performance in school is associated with the onset of delinquency (Maguin and Loeber, 1996). School is often viewed as a place to go to fight and steal from classmates rather than a learning institution. Obtaining an education is not stressed by some parents to their children; therefore; their children never understand the importance of education. School is looked at as a place for fighting, bullying, stealing, and just a place to hang out. Poor children are not successful in school. They have been found to be deficient in reading and mathematical skills (Beebe, 1993). Rewards from the school environment are limited by the lack of school success, therefore, the risk for delinquency is increase and a life is crime behavior is developed (Mofitt, 1981). Growing up in an isolated poverty community, children are told they can not achieve high academics because of their living conditions. Many children are forced to withdraw from school because of attendance. Missing school on a daily basis is a norm in high poverty areas because children lack decent or proper clothing for different types of weather, the lack transportation. They may faced interrupted utility services and over crowdedness in the home they may hinder their ability to attend school and learn (Swain, 2006) Poverty and Delinquency (Isolation) . Poverty can be classified into three types which are persistent poverty, underclass poverty, and ghetto poverty (Wilson, 1996). Many studies have link poverty to geographic isolation and street crime as crime and violence (Anderson, 1999). High poverty areas are generally clustered together and are isolated from mainstream society. Jargowsky (1996) suggested that the loss of jobs in the poor neighborhoods, and the creation of managerial and professional jobs in the suburbs lead to economic segregation. Isolated neighborhoods are deprived of the basic needs that it needs to prevent problems such as violence and crime. Excellent schools, churches and reinforcements of morals and values that mainstream society lives are absent from the neighborhoods that are segregated (Jargowsky 1996). Segregation from mainstream society has limited people in high poverty areas to have contact with people in mainstream society. Due to the limited contact, poor people are not given the opportunity to see values and norms that the remaining of society bases their lives. People living in mainstream society base their life around obtaining the American Dream. They believe in college education, marriage, family, career, and home ownership. In poorer communities, these values and beliefs are irrelevant and replaced with norms that are appropriate for their environment (Wilson, 1987). As suggested, the norms for most poor people are some form of criminal behavior. Poor people tend to only associated themselves with others that are poor. This is mainly because they feel intimated by someone who has higher socioeconomic status, or someone who has a higher education level than themselves. They are most comfortable with someone who is receiving welfare or some form of assistance from the government. Seeing only criminal behavior and not being able to see mainstream societys behavior severely handicaps poor people. Behavior is learned; and if an individual is isolated and only see crime being committed within their communities, they will be more likely to commit crime. For the high poverty stricken areas, criminal behavior is spread throughout the community and thus creates a powerful predictor for delinquency (McDonough, 1992). Some members of the isolated would like to move to a more their families to a more affluent neighborhood to decrease the chances of their young children engaging in delinquency (Ludwig, 1998). Children will have more opportunities, better education, better job networks, and will be able to achieve the American Dream. Moving from a poor isolated community to a more affluent community can be difficult for some of the residents. Due to the isolation, they are often afraid and believe they are not intelligent enough, and fear they will be rejected by society because of their background. Poverty and Delinquency (Time and Persistence) People who are identified as poor do not have the same experience of poverty. The difference in the experience of poverty is based on its persistence and its timing (Franworth, 1994). Poverty early in a childs life and the longer a child lives in poverty are strong indicators of delinquency (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997). Many children are born into poverty and remain in poverty throughout their entire childhood. This type of poverty is known as persistent poverty. African Americans experience poverty longer than other ethnicity groups, and the elevated rate of delinquency among African Americans is contributed to lower socioeconomic status and urbanization (Hawkins, Laub, and Lauritsen, 1998). Recent studies confirm that exits from poverty are higher for household headed by white males and much lower for those headed by black females (Steven, 1994). A child living in persistent poverty faces a wide range of behavior problems that leads to delinquency. Some of these problems are school related issues such as fighting, humiliation, and anger. Duncan (1994) investigated the impact of persistent poverty on children who were five years old. The study indicated that the effects of short-term poverty are not as large as the effects on persistent poverty (Duncan et, al., 1994; 307). Delinquency is most prevalent in persistent poverty than short-term poverty. Poverty early in a childs life can be detrimental because it is then when shaping of a child is most important. If poverty is experienced later in a childs life, it can affect school attendance and possible it can be a factor in whether a child graduates from high school or not (Duncan, 1998). School is not a priority for an adolescent living in poverty; but rather, living conditions, survival, negative influences within the community, and any emotional issues that may arise within a child living in poverty. Previous Researchers Studies and Methods To determine the link between poverty and crime, determines what type of method is used. Ethnographic research is best used to examine the relationship between poverty and delinquency (Anderson, 1990; Jankowski, 1991; Sullivan, 1989; Williams and Kornblum, 1985). This type of study link other factors such as persistent unemployment, marital disruption, and female-headed household and teenage pregnancy to poverty and delinquency (Anderson, 1993). Ethnographic is best for capturing persistent poverty which is living in poverty for a period of eight years or longer (Duncan and Rogers, 1991). Although the best method, it would take at least a ten year longitudinal study which most researchers dont have the time to dedicate to such study. Individual analysis is the most convincing type of research, but provides the least support between poverty and crime (Jankowski, 1995, Tittle and Meier, 1990). Empirical research has also suggested that persistent poverty leads to crime (Currie, 1985; H agen and Peterson, 1995; Jencks, 1992; Krivo and Peterson, 1996; Sampson and Wilson, 1995). Researchers such as Coulton, Chow, Wang and Su (1996), Massey and Denton (1998), and Lee (2000) used at least one of the three measures while looking at poverty segregation in 100 metropolitan areas. The first measure used was the proportion of poor families living in the extreme poverty census track. The second measure was proportion of poor families living that would need to move to a different census track to achieve an equal distribution of poverty throughout the metropolitan area, and the last measure was the probability that poor families would encounter other poor families within their census track. These three measures are distant, but are empirically related (Coultron et al. (1996). To show the poverty by census track, Pittsburg (PA) and Cincinnati (OH) cities with near the same in population (334,563 verses 330,662) was used. Cincinnati had 31.2 % of its poor residents living in the census track in which 40% of the tract residents are poor in contrast to 22.5% in Pittsburg. It was suggested that poor residents living in Cincinnatis poverty ring are more geographically and socially isolated from non-poverty tracks that are resident s of Pittsburghs high poverty track. In 2000, 236 cities with a minimum population of 100,000 were used in a research that focused on the relationship between poverty clustering and crimes in the cities. For the purpose of the research, the Uniform Crime Reports and the Census of Population and Housing were the two data sources used. The Census of Population and Housing calculated the percent of residents on poverty in each census tract. This study used two tracks for the research; one track for 30% poor census track and one for contiguous 40% poor census tracks. The study took the median age of city residents because the crime rates are most likely be committed by younger residents (Baller, Messner, Deane, and Howkins, 2001; Cohenand Land, 1987). Other factors that were measured in this study were unemployment, African Americans, and female headed households. This study concluded that social isolation rather than deprivation contributed to the relationship of segregation and crime. Longitudinal data spanning over 14 years was used to measure the level of exposure to poverty and its timing and used to examine the relationship between poverty and delinquency. The sample population range in ages from 10 -15 years old and a face to face interview were conducted from 1979-1992. This study had an over representation of Hispanic and African- Americans disadvantage youths. The sampling in this study has several limitations. First limitation was the self-reporting of delinquency for the youth, and no one older than the age of 15 could participant in the study. This sample is not a national representation of all children living in poverty between the ages of 10-15. Exposure to poverty was measure by the number of years the youths family lived in poverty. The family income was measure by each year the family was below the poverty level, thus was the divided by the youths age to determine the percent the youth spent in poverty in his/her lifetime. The study also examined t he impact of poverty at different stages in life (Brooks-Gunn, 1997). Stages in a youth life were measured form birth to 5 years old, from 6 to 10 years old, and from 11 and older. The results of this study indicated that the extent that the level of exposure to poverty is important in the likelihood of delinquency. It also revealed that poverty had more effect on a child in the early years of development (Jarjoura and Triplett, 2002) Kurbin and Weitzer (2003) studied retaliatory homicides in St. Louis. They found that retaliatory homicides were more prevalent in disadvantage isolated communities. They took narratives from individuals who were involved in homicides and they confessed retaliation was associated with a mistrust of the police. Kurbin and Weizer (2003) concluded that disadvantage isolated communities suffer from policing vacuum and promotes cultural values to settle disputes among themselves. Kurbin and Weizer were not the only researchers that concluded that crime is way to settle disputes. Anderson (1999) and Wilson (1897) argued that poor people who are isolated developed a set of alternative norms in order to survive on the streets. Cooney (1997) also argued that poor people engage in more criminal behavior because the limited access to the law. To truly capture the relationship between poverty and crime, ethnographic research is the most productive type of study. A field researcher will have the opportunity to capture the lives of people living in poverty for an extended period of time. This type of research will provide the answers to why people living in poverty become delinquent and a researcher will understand the struggles and hardships poor people face. A researcher conducting ethnographic research will be able to explain in his findings the state of mind of someone living in poverty and clearly explain why criminal activity has become a way of life. Many different researchers have conducted research using different methods, but most of the researchers have concluded that there is a direct link between poverty and crime. It can be concluded from the various studies that people living in poverty commit greater amounts of crime than others not living in poverty. It can be concluded that the limited access to police is one of the reasons greater amounts of crime occur in poor communities. It can also be concluded that isolation plays a major role in criminal behavior among poor people. Previous study mainly focused on segregation and isolation. Current study has focused on spells and timing of poverty as it related to criminal behavior. Gaps in the Knowledge on Poverty and Delinquency One major gap is that there has not been a study to explore the interaction between overall poverty and concentrated poverty, even though there is some indication that poverty may indeed interact with its spatial concentration in predicting crime. An example of this is the research that was conducted by Sampson and his colleagues on neighborhood effects. Their findings were that social behavior is influenced not only by what happens in ones immediate neighborhood, but also by what happens in surrounding areas (Sampson, Raudenbush, 2001). The negative consequences of living in a poor neighborhood and living in non-poor neighborhood can spill over to surrounding communities, implying a possible interaction between poverty and its geographic distribution. The effect of poverty on crime may be higher in neighborhoods where poverty is spatially concentrated because poor residents in such areas are less likely to experience negative influences not only fro their own community but surroundi ng ones as well. Researchers can believe that poverty on criminal behavior may be somewhat mitigated when it is less spatially concentrated and potentially exacerbated when it is more concentrated. Another gap in the relationship between poverty and crime is criminological investigations. Nor do criminological researchers draw upon the vast literature that now exists on poverty in America to inform their analyses of delinquency. It is not shown that there are considerable differences among the poor by the level of exposure. Understanding the importance of distinguishing the poor by level of exposure begins with recognition that there is a dual nature of poverty in America (Bane and Ellwood, 1986). The concept of a dual nature to poverty refers to the fact that while there are substantial numbers of people living in persistent, long-term poverty, many people, including children, experience only short-term poverty. There is a need to pay more attention to the measures of poverty that that is used and to understand just who is captured by the measures. What is missing in most studies of poverty and delinquency is data on more than one year in the life of the subject. Debate on the Subject There has been some debate over the relative roles of concentrated disadvantage and segregation in explaining violence (Sampson and Wilson, 1995). Researchers are at odds with whether or not it is isolated African American communities or race related factors that explain higher crime in those communities. Massey and Denton (1993) believe that segregation is more important than race related factors. In previous studies, it was shown that overall poverty and isolated poverty affected whites, but only the overall poverty affected American Americans (Pruitt, 2000). The most difficult part of the debate is the importance of isolated poverty verses the importance of racial segregation is that isolation poverty is related to African American and isolated poverty among whites is rare (Krivo and Peterson, 1996, Kasarda, 1993). Researchers have conducted several studies to try an overcome this debate. Krivo and Peterson (1996) analyzed the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and ind ex street crime in Columbus, Ohio with some white neighborhoods experiencing disadvantage. Conclusion
Thursday, October 24, 2019
The Rodney King Beating Essay -- essays research papers
The Rodney King Beating On March 3, 1991, Los Angeles police officers attempted to stop a white sedan traveling at a high rate of speed through Lake View Terrace, a residential neighborhood in northern Los Angeles. After a short pursuit, King was ordered out of his vehicle at gunpoint. King refused to comply and became belligerent and uncooperative. The use of open-hand controls, pepper spray and tasers were ineffective, as King continued to assault officers while resisting arrest. More LAPD officers arrived and King was finally subdued with the use of nightsticks. Investigation later revealed King was under the influence of a combination of PCP and cocaine. This incident would have produced nothing more than another report for resisting arrest had a bystander, George Holliday, not videotaped the altercation. Holliday then released the footage to the media. LAPD Officers Lawrence Powell, Stacey Koon, Timothy Wind and Theodore Brisino were indicted and charged with assaulting King. Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg ordered a change of venue to suburban Simi Valley, which is a predominantly white suburb of Los Angeles. All officers were subsequently acquitted by a jury comprised of 10 whites, one Hispanic and one Asian, and the African American community responded in a manner far worse than the Watts Riots of 1965. ?While the King beating was tragic, it was just the trigger that released the rage of a community in economic strife and a police department in serious dec...
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Tourism Management
ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â- Managing Adventure & Sports Tourism Environments COURSE MODULE: TRM341 BA. HONS STRATAGIC TOURISM MANAGEMENT Word Counts ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â- Managing Adventure & Sports Tourism Environments COURSE MODULE: TRM341 BA. HONS STRATAGIC TOURISM MANAGEMENT Word Counts Acknowledgement I would like to thank my lecturer Mr Li Yee for his guidance in this report. ContentsAcknowledgement1 Introduction3 Destination4 Implemented Strategies7 Effectiveness of Implemented Strategy10 Recommendations11 Conclusion18 References20 Introduction ââ¬Å"Sports tourism can be defined as travels away from oneââ¬â¢s primary residence to participate in sports activity for recreation or competition, travel to observe sport and grassroots or elite level. And travel to visit a sport attraction such as sports hall of fame or Water Parkâ⬠. Gibson, Attle, Yiannakis, 1997) On the other hand adventure tourism can be simply defined as Recreational travel including variety of rugged activities for adventure. Adventures and sports tourism can benefit economies by providing a fast source of income for local government and community, supporting the sustaining improvement and protection for environment and encouraging culture exchange between the developed countries and the developing world.If the undeveloped tourism destination do not focus on their tourism, it will be really hard for them to improve their poor situation of economic, environment and culture. Adventure and sports tourists can be attract for a certain destination by looking at the facilities and environment of that place such as; hotels services, price of goods in the area, transport services, travel agencies, guides, airlines, social and cultural aspects of life and most important sustainable natural resources. Ralf Buckley, 2006) A tourism sports destination can be attractive for many reasons; different types sports activities in big city or some time big sports events in small cities, beautiful islands or beach, recreation activities, sports activities for family fun etc. most of all a unique atmosphere of sport and adventure. Destination In perspective of West Cambria sports and adventures tourism it provides to tourists; Attractions which related to sports such as sports theme park, hiking, bungee jumping etc.West Cambria tourism site has highest mountain such as scafell, including stunning coastline and wastwater, also resorts can be include with sports tourism activities. According to Cumbria tourism statistics, each year 35 million day trippers and 5 million overnight visitors spend their night; Cumbria is a place where tourists get a chance to attend all the sports events. As a developed and well established destination; the Ecological environment of sports and a dventures tourism is not only about green tourism but also deeply related with socio culture with Cambria tourism.Naturally sustainable environment of sports and adventures tourism in west Cambria also socio-culturally respectful and have a huge effect on both the natural environment and the human population including man made tourism destination. Sustainable environment of west Cambria tourism often involves locals of remote areas experience and interacting with foreigners. Multi-Sport Activities: it is physical outdoor activities. Rafting, mountain biking, climbing, surfing, diving, etc. all offered in the same package. West Cambria tourism provides these sports facilities.Sports included in west Cambria: Angling, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball & Softball, Basketball, Boccia, Bowls, Canoeing, Cricket, Cycling, Dance, Disability Sports, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Netball, Orienteering, Outdoor Activities, rounder, Rowing, Rugby, Running, S ailing & Windsurfing, Scuba & Snorkelling, Snow sports, Squash & Racket ball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Walking Water, Polo, Weight Lifting and Wheelchair Basketball. The relationship between sustainable tourism and othersAs a sports destination Sports destination West Cumbria tourism has all the potentiality to be sustainable. According to West Cumbria adventure and sports tourism, relationship between ecological and socio cultural can be compare through their essential facts for each other; Ecological factors relate to socio cultural environment 1. Air quality of the area, 2. Transportation, Parking facilities 3. Pollution discharge process, 4. Water quality for sports activities, 5. Waste management facilities; 6. Land and Coastal resources etc. Socio-cultural fact relates to Ecological environment . Balanced population of the area, 2. Health care facilities for local and tourists. 3. Population employment patterns, job market freedom and locals attit udes to work, 4. Social attitudes and Lifestyle and cross cultural understanding. 5. Roman Heritage 6. Locals cultural activities & interests on tourism 7. Financial services, investment 8. Resorts, hotel and camping services 9. Entertainment facility and tourist Information service provider. Adventure and sports tourism has brought people into contact with each other in west Cambria.As ecological tourism has an educational element it can foster understanding between people and cultures and provide socio-cultural exchange between hosts and tourists. This increases the chances for people to develop mutual sympathy and understanding and to reduce prejudices. A Socio cultural and ecological relationship has added more vitality of west Cambria communities in many ways. Such as; sports events and adventures activities of the local residents where they have been the primary participants and spectators. Often these are refreshed and developed in response to tourist interests.Implemented St rategies The West Cambria tourism is an award winning destination for tourism in 2011; it is also one of the most spectacular beaches in UK and an area that has been popular for many years. To develop Adventure and sports tourism Allerdale Borough Council and Carlisle Leisure limited on 1 April 2004 developed a sustainable tourism strategy. The aim was to balance the need to manage and stimulate sports tourism to the area with the need to avoid damaging the very natural assets on which the tourism industry depended. Interest in the idea of sustainable tourism is greatest in those countries where there is a high level of interest in sustainable development in general. â⬠(John Swarbrooke, 1999) To ensure the strategy was tailored to the needs of the area, authorities engaged in a considerable amount of consultation prior to writing the document. This involved meetings with key stakeholders, National benchmarking survey of tourism authority; the result of this consultation was th at many valuable ideas generated via the process made it into the strategy and action plan.Following the secondary method of research; the implemented strategic objectives can be pointed out 1. More visitors from outside the region 2. More overnight visitors 3. More business and high-value leisure visitors 4. More private sector tourism investment. Enhancing the West Cumbria tourism for residents and visitors to create: 1. World-class cultural/sport/leisure facilities 2. High standards of quality 3. Avenues for learning, business support and careers 4. Jobs and economic benefit through sports and adventure tourism 5. Sustainable development (environmentally, socially, economically) 6.Local and regional pride. Some of the tourism vision can be explained as follows; Performance of tourism businesses 1. To encourage businesses to invest in the range and quality of their facilities where required 2. To encourage the entire sector to value customer service and to invest in staff skills. Marketing promotions/Events and festivals The strategy focuses on sports events and festivals, in particular those that have the potential to attract new visitors to the region, generate short breaks and which also positively add to the image and profile of the West Cumbria region.Where possible these major events and festivals should reinforce other market growth opportunities. The strategy also recognises that locally distinct events can enhance sense of place, sense of community and add value to the visitor experience. They create new opportunities for visitor spends particularly for shopping and for eating and drinking. Collectively they can strengthen the regional events and festivals profile. Hospitality Services The restaurant, hotels, bar etc. rowth opportunity as being about the quality of the eating experience; the presentation of the food, the ambience of the eating out experience including genuine customer service. It may also be about local produce and the provenance of food. Destination management Implemented strategy can be explained as; 1. Working with local businesses to drive up quality, encourage use of local produce and enhance the customer service 2. To invest in the presentation and marketing of farmers markets and food and drink events 3. To use food and drink as one ocus for destination marketing where it presents a strong and quality experience 4. To encourage all aspects of the food and drink sector that deal with consumers to value customer service and the skills of their staff and invest in them. West Cambria tourism implemented strategy can be summarised as; 1. provide all sports and adventures visitors a high quality, enjoyable and fulfilling experience 2. To ensure that tourism meets its potential as a driver of the local economy, bringing prosperity and jobs throughout the area 3. To ensure local communities are not adversely affected by tourism 4.To develop the appreciation of west Cambria distinctiveness as somewhere to live, work and visit 5. To encourage tourism enterprises, their suppliers and customers to reduce the impact of tourism on the environment. Implemented strategy can be summarised as; The objective is to retain the economic and social advantages of tourism development while reducing or mitigating any undesirable impacts on the natural, historic, cultural or social environment. Allerdale tourism council play an important role in ensuring the continued appeal of tourism in the tourist area. Effectiveness of Implemented StrategyBruce J. Dierenfield (2003:p,212) Found that although there are numerous negative influence of hosting sport tourism because of the expected benefit for the community and local business often cause potential host community to ignore any negative impact that may occur. These include: putting the country in global world, showing the destination, promoting political system, creating new business, attracting investment, creating job and urban renewal including housing, and infrastructure will contribute to the development of the country, and benefit citizens over a long period of time.Positive sides: sports adventure tourism development plan for west Cambria, mainly focused local benefits; Current strategy can helps raise funds for environmental protection, research and education through a variety of mechanisms, sports events entrance fees, hotel, airline and airport taxes and voluntary contributions. The local community also can be benefited. The jobs created by tourism can act as a very important motivation to reduce emigration.Local people can also increase their influence on tourism development, as well as improve their job, earnings prospects, through tourism-related professional training, development of business and organisational skills. Sports tourism can bring people into contact with each other and, as tourism has an educational element, it can foster understanding between peoples and cultures and provide cultural exchange between hosts and guests. Because of this, the chances increase for people to develop mutual sympathy and understanding and to reduce their prejudices.Negative Sides: Sports tourism development can creates additional demand for land and competition from the growing potential buyers. The demand for more hotels and tourist facilities brings sources of income to builders, real estate agent and landowners but the local residents are forced to pay more for their homes and larger tax duties increase in land values. In addition, increasing demands for basic services and goods from tourists will often cause price hikes that negatively affect local residents whose income does not increase proportionately.On the other hand, the development of tourism may cause inflation in prices of goods. The issue with seasonal workers is another negative aspect. They face job insecurity, due to the completion of projects. Thus, there will be lack of guarantee of employment from one season to another. Recommendations Develo ped transportation: Sport-tourism is a powerful force for development that encourage investment in infrastructure projects such as airport , roads that can be enjoyed by local people as well as tourist who came to use them. Joy Standeven, Paul de Knop, 1999, p 66) Travel service providers in the tourist destination area, such as airlines, railways, and bus service need to be sufficient and well developed to avoid all sort of hassle might impact for tourist or destination. To achieve greater competitive advantage; transport companies should have a sophisticated planning; the transportation sector is always a large and growing market in UK tourism. Security and personal safety: Security is a major issue for any tourism destination, for a large destination security sometime maybe itââ¬â¢s not enough to only depending on local police or community service.Private security services can be included, with modern camera technology, professionals to maintain successful tourism destination. The best course of action is to blend human security with technology. Managing adventure and sports safety remains an important topic to tourism industry. Perceived or real threats to sports person safety have immediate impacts on a destination's reputation and can dramatically affect visitation. If visitor health and safety is not well managed, adverse incidents can significantly impact on the profitability and sustainability of an individual business, community or destination.So itââ¬â¢s should be a compulsory objective for tourism organiser to have sufficient safety services. Developed infrastructure: Tourist development indicates that infrastructure accordingly developed. The provision of infrastructure- the construction of roads, and the system of electricity supply, water supply and sewages disposal, hospital, churches, schools and shop become necessary when an area is developed for the tourism. Indeed, in regions away from the main cities, a kind of micro-urbanization has to take place to attract tourists who assemble in such places to escape environmental monotony of their workday in cities.The tourists are prepared to live in the clusters of cottages but at the same time they demand most of the modern comforts to which they are accustomed with the possibility of a shopping centre, amusements and services to be made available at hand. Capacity of accommodating sports tourists: Carrying capacity for tourism is similar in some ways to ecological carrying capacity and different in others. Ultimately, physical resources limit both population and tourist levels. A dearth of land, shortage of food, or decline in water quality and availability will quickly put the brakes on both types of growth.But for tourism, cultural resources are also a concern. A well-developed tourism destination should provide an efficient accommodated service for their tourists. Technology applied to the provision of sports and adventure activities: The technological environment p lays a huge role and influence on the Sport-tourism through globalization due to the innovation of technological thought. For example the implication of restaurants and hotels has been joined by the technological strategy which connects the world through electronic business to exchange goods and services.Furthermore the internet has revolutionised the way executive and business partners operate and cash rings are replaced by credit and debit card payment system. This technological change will allow the use of electronic transfer fund to be more accurate on the information exchange and the target market (Weed et al, 2004: p, 33) Sport tourism may benefit from technological innovation such as currency exchange rate, details about accommodation, climate, culture, language, entertainment places, and requirement entry for visa.The technology infrastructure has opened a new way for Sport tourism to reach the outside world and enter to the competitive edge in the market share. (Devine et a l, 2009: p, 17). As the technology evolves and develops within the Sport tourism, stakeholders will find themselves with clear opportunities and one challenge emerging from this will be to streamline and simplify the transaction and consumption of products. This will require looking at global shift in consumer attitudes, tracking new motivations or opportunity in order to communicate and convince consumers (Knowles et al, 2004: p, 32).Technological developments are increasing rapidly. New recreation products, such as all-terrain vehicles and wind surfers, provide new ways for people to satisfy their recreational preferences. New production Technologies and materials offer recreation and tourism businesses ways to reduce costs and improve the quality of their products/services. Advances in telecommunications have and will continue to create new promotional opportunities. Technological innovations, in relation to jobs and the home, have resulted in increased leisure time for many peop le.Nowadays sports have become a part of our life. Sports have become one of the best interests of the people. Indoor sports activities for tourism is very popular fast growing. Sports are mainly related with the physical element of the body such like running, throwing, jumping, sliding, hitting, shooting, catching etc. , and at present time all those sports are depending on technological supports, as technology helps to give a fair result in any sports competition as well as sports person safety. Technology applied in modern gym helps to improve physical stamina through different level of exercise.For example, Technology applied Sport tourism includes rafting, Para gliding, bungee jump with crane, sky diving, and many more. Provision of diversified activities Diversified activities for tourism destination can create opportunity for more profits in local business. A tourism destination diversification can be point out as; Tourist Accommodation: Bed and breakfast hotel, resorts, camp ing facilities or caravan sites. Tourist recreation: Trekking holidays, heritage attractions, sports events and festivals, mountain biking/walking routes, clay pigeon shooting, archery, quad biking .Strategies can be including for Successful development: 1. Seasonal sports tourism offer 2. Marketing on Sports and adventures tourism activities 3. Ensuring each year sports tourism events got different attractions 4. Identifying major activities what can bring more tourists 5. Infrastructure investment targeting diversified activities More activities can be added as west Cambria has a suitable for sports and adventures tourism; 1. Horseback riding 2. Hang gliding, 3. Ballooning, 4. Parachuting Professionalism of service staff The professionalism in sports and adventures tourism is very vital.Becoming sports trainer or guide for tourism activities increased responsibility for the profession; Most of the time a destination future depends on their professional services. Professionalism ca n create demand for sports tourism, as a well-trained sports guide or trainer does mistake in rare occasion and that attracts sports tourists. Political stability Political stability can create significant impact on any tourism industry; an unstable political condition can spoil major sports events, same time it can ruin the economic development of Destination.A stable optical situation can creates; good economy, jobs, use of resources and growth of development. The government significantly by their activities may seriously influence the economic and non-economic opportunities essential in the creation of the conditions that conduct to the development of a business. Whether the Sport tourism development is encouraged or blocked, depends very much on the government policy and political view. (Tom Hinch, James Higham, 2011 p 206) Economic status of the destinationForeign Exchange Earnings: The spending of traveller brings income to the hosting country and possibly will stimulate a sig nificant investment to finance growth in other economic sectors. An important indicator of sports tourism development is itââ¬â¢s generate foreign exchange earnings The economic impact of tourism is massive. Tourism is generally regarded as labour-intensive. It generates direct full time employment in such formal sectors as hotels, restaurants, transport services, travel agencies, guides and foreign airlines, etc.Costs: In business, cost is usually a monetary valuation of (1) effort, (2) material, (3) resources, (4) time and utilities consumed, (5) risks incurred, and (6) opportunity forgone in production and delivery of a good or service. All expenses are costs, but not all costs (such as those incurred in acquisition of an income-generating asset) are expenses. A large number of deal and money will be costing the host destination of the event and local taxpayers for Sport tourism development. Developers will need the government to improve infrastructure which includes the airpo rt, roads and others which are costly activities for the government. ports and adventures tourism development costs can be divided in two parts, if the negative aspects of costs can be save than there will be benefit, on the other hand positive has always profitable for stake holders. Positive Costs | Negative Costs| 1. Tourist spending money returned to local economy as it is spent over and over again. | 1. Over tourism can effects social community; such as tourism can increase drug related activities. | 2. Diversify and stabilize the local economy. | 2. Illegal prostitution can be harmful for sports destination.As tourists has a weak side for sexual activities. | 3. Governments get a chance to add up extra tax through tourism. | 3. Overcrowding and congestion. | 4. Fosters conservation and preservation of natural, cultural and historical resources. | 4. Crime activities can be increased. | 5. Encourages the preservation and celebration of local sport events or festivals. | 5. Natu ral resources and historical sites can be damaged for overcrowding. | 6. Local charity can raise fund through regular tourism. | 6. Over development can be cost local government. | 7.Tourism money can be spending to create more technological development in activity area. | 7. Developers from outside the destination can take the profit away. | From an economic point of view of the above table showcasing the region and its natural beauty should enhance its reputation as an attractive tourist destination. Good organisation and infrastructure could be highlighted to further promote investment in sports destination. More convenient and modern venues are likely to attract higher number of spectators and perhaps host upcoming mega-events which will generate higher income to the destination.Conclusion Sport and adventure tourism development can benefit economies by providing a fast source of income for local government and community, supporting the sustaining improvement and protection for environment and encouraging culture exchange between the developed countries. In perspective of the west Cambria tourism, with major sports or adventure events can speed up the development and growth and these includes; Touristsââ¬â¢ arrivals: sports team or sports man, media, officials and fans arriving into the destination from across the country and across the world for the events.Destination revenues: money spent by visitors spending time in the destination over the period of the sports events. Investment in destination: money injected into the west Cambria destination for infrastructure development. Employment for locals: many of the locals will have the opportunity to get employed in during the sports events. Skills development: knowledge and skills transfer which result from sports events preparations which remain in the minds and lives. Popularity: By building of profile of the Cambria tourism as a host destination through media exposure of the event.The long-term benefit s of a sports destination far outweigh the short-term cost. Though creating a modern facilitate destination can destroy some part nature. In that case developers should focus without destroying the nature adopting Sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is considerably beneficial in the respect of environment. For developing tourism business, most developed destination provides financial support or material resource for the conservation of the local environment and natural resources.It can create balance between limits and usage of nature through monitoring and planning; to ensure that sustainable tourism can be managed besides developed sports tourism. Sustainable development of sports destination must include the interests of all stakeholders including local communities, visitors, related business industry and government. Suggestions for the future development of this sports destinationâ⬠¦ References Books 1. Weed M, Bull, C, 2004. Sport tourism: Participants, policy and prov iders, 4th Edition. London UK: Elsevierââ¬â¢s Science and Technology. E-Books 2. Tim Knowles, Dimitrios Diamantis, Joudallah Bey El-Mourhabi, J. 2004.The Globalization of Tourism and Hospitality: A Strategic Perspective. 2nd Edition. London: Thomson Learning Available at: http://books. google. co. uk/books? id=uEi5NkHg0ZsC;printsec=frontcover;dq=The+Globalization+of+Tourism+and+Hospitality:+A+Strategic+Perspective;hl=en;ei=Y1HhTqinF9Do8QOmzPD_Aw;sa=X;oi=book_result;ct=result;resnum=1;ved=0CEMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage;q=The%20Globalization%20of%20Tourism%20and%20Hospitality%3A%20A%20Strategic%20Perspective;f=false Articles: 3. Devine, A, Boyle, E, Boyd, S, 2009. Towards a theory of collaborative advantage for the sport tourism policy arena. Available
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
The Necklace Review
'The Necklace' Review Guy de Maupassantà manages to bring a flavor to his stories that are unforgettable. Heà writes about ordinary people, but he paints their lives in colors that are rich withà adultery, marriage, prostitution, murder, and war. During his lifetime, he created nearly 300 stories, along with the other 200 newspaper articles, 6 novels, and 3 travel books that he wrote. Whether you love his work, or you hate it, Maupassants work seems to illicit a strong response. Overview The Necklace (or La Parure), one of his most famous works, centers around Mme. Mathilde Loisel - a woman seemingly fated to her status in life. She was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes as if by a mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks. Instead of accepting her position in life, she feels cheated. She is selfish and self-involved, tortured and angry that she cant purchase the jewels and clothing that she desires. Maupassant writes, She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries. The tale, in some ways, amounts to a moralistic fable, reminding us to avoid Mme. Loisels fatal mistakes. Even the length of the work reminds us of an Aesop Fable. As in many of these tales, our heroinesââ¬â¹Ã¢â¬â¹ one really serious character flaw is pride (that all-destroying hubris). She wants to be someone and something that she is not. But for that fatal flaw, the story could have been a Cinderella story, where the poor heroine is in some way discovered, rescued and given her rightful place in society. Instead, Mathilde was prideful. Wishing to appear wealthy to the other women at the ball, she borrowed a diamond necklace from a wealthy friend, Mme. Forestier. She had a wonderful time at the ball: She was prettier than them all, elegant, gracious, smiling, and crazy with joy. Pride cometh before the fall... we quickly see her as she descends into poverty. Then, we see her ten years later: She had become the woman of impoverished households-strong and hard and rough. With frowzy hair, skirts askew, and red hands, she talked loud while washing the floor with great swishes of water. Even after going through so many hardships, in her heroic way, she cant help but imagine the What ifs... What Is the Ending Worth? The ending becomes all the more poignant when we discover that all of the sacrifices were for nothing, as Mme. Forestier takes our heroines hands and says, Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste. It was worth at most five hundred francs! In The Craft of Fiction, Percy Lubbock says that the story seems to tell itself. He says that the effect that Maupassant doesnt appear to be there in the story at all. He is behind us, out of sight, out of mind; the story occupies us, the moving scene, and nothing else (113). In The Necklace, we are carried along with the scenes. Its hard to believe we are at the end, when the final line is read and the world of that story comes crashing down around us. Can there be a more tragic way of living, than surviving all those years on a lie?
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Executive Branch essays
The Executive Branch essays Powers and Limitations of the Executive Needless to say, the executive branch of our government is historically and presently a key role in our approach to an envisioned perfection of democracy. The executive has such a substantial effect in nearly every aspect of our political and economical situation because of the powers we the republic have chosen to delegate and entrust to this office. Because of its importance and power I felt impetus to write on this topic. The executive is a power in itself independent of the Congress but also in most cases restricted in power by that of Congress and the Supreme Court. The Constitution is specific on a few certain powers of the executive while being somewhat vague on other powers based more so on ones interpretations and also precedents that may have been set forth in previous terms. But we may want to read the 'fine print' because along with these executive powers there come limitations in order to prevent any sort of tyranny or dictatorship. Probably the most effective or compelling power given the executive would be the veto power in which case the president may veto a bill sending it back to its origin with reasoning. Some would say the veto power is a means of defense for him and his office from being reduced to a subject of the legislature, thus maintaining its independence. Of course, even the presidents most compelling power has limitation. Congress is able to override his veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. Of the 2,550 vetoes signed by our past 42 presidents, 106 were overridden by Congress, a little over 1%. This is not a discouraging number when analyzing the power the executive possesses. As much as the president is himself a powerful figurehead of our country, those appointed directly below him as part of the executive branch have a considerable amount of influence and say in the presidents decision making. For this very reason, the ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Constructing Social Problems essayEssay Writing Service
Constructing Social Problems essayEssay Writing Service Constructing Social Problems essay Constructing Social Problems essaySocial problems are the points of contact between a large variety of human characters and morals. Every group of people has its own opinion, and very often such a variety of opinions leads to an emergence of social problems. Social problems are also very dependent on external (outside of public and natural) factors and causes. Moreover, social problems, under certain conditions, can revive the society, without giving it a possibility to be ââ¬Å"boredâ⬠and do nothing. Thus, the main aims of the assignment are to explain the statement that social problems are socially constructed and to identify a social problem for further research and discussion.Despite the fact that social problem seems to be an objectively existing social condition a flaw in the social order, from the standpoint of common sense, it is impossible to define the term, without resorting to subjective assessments, to feelings of people and their thoughts that some matters are a social problem.Spector Kitsuse used the idea of ââ¬â¹Ã¢â¬â¹social construction to refocus the attention of sociologists on the subjective nature of social problems (Spector Kitsuse, 2010). That is, instead of determining the objective qualities common to the different conditions, which are defined as social problems, Schneider claimed that the problems have in common only the label of a ââ¬Å"social problemâ⬠(Schneider, 1985). The condition becomes a social problem when it is constructed that means recognized and identified, and called a social problem. Spector Kitsuse denote this process as the process of claims making; they define social problems as the activities of individuals or groups expressing discontent and allege demanding nature regarding some alleged conditions (Spector Kitsuse, 2010). Thus, the study of social problems should focus not on conditions by themselves, but on definition processes, when one or other conditions begin to be identified as proble matic. The concept of ââ¬Å"social construction of social problemsâ⬠means, therefore, the processes by which certain social conditions are a matter of public concern.Identifying a social problem, it is good to dwell on the problem of poverty. On the one hand, constructionists argue that the understanding of poverty as a social problem requires a different approach. For instance, there is nothing that would make it a social problem in the very nature of poverty because in many societies, poverty is seen as a natural part of the social order that is not considered a social problem. But it became obvious that the poverty is a socially constructed problem when it is taken another angle of observation of the problem. To explain, poverty becomes a social problem only when people define it as a cause of concern when they say that it is problematic. For example, the ââ¬Å"war on povertyâ⬠, which began in the U.S. in 1960, has made the poverty ââ¬â¹Ã¢â¬â¹the subject of more attention, and a more visible social problem. Thus, the problem of poverty was not only big but it also had a mass destructive character and influenced the life of many people.Discussing the process of claims making in the context of this assignment, it is possible to show that all claims with certain requirements are an attempt to convince the audience of the existence of some particular social problems; these claims become a form of rhetoric. The answer to the question about the components that constitute a convincing rhetoric varies depending on the time and place of the claims making, however constructionist research revealed a set of elements characteristic of many modern claims requirements. Social problems are often illustrated with the use of certain examples that typify usually a problem in melodramatic form showing the terrible suffering of the victims, the inhumanity of ââ¬Å"villainsâ⬠, etc.Thus, we have explained the statement that social problems are socially c onstructed, and gave an example of a socially constructed problem with its description and interpretation.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Developing Hospitality Tourism Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Developing Hospitality Tourism - Case Study Example And while the competitors made fun of Arison by offering "Mardi Gras on the Rock" drinks aboard their ships, Carnival added two more former liners to its fleet. In 1981 the company's first newbuild, Tropicale, entered service, which was the beginning of a story of a tremendous and unparalleled success: from 1981 to late 2001, Carnival put into service 18 new ships, with five more on order until 2004. Today the world's largest cruise line, Carnival offers the well-known and extremely popular "Fun Ship" concept with colourful interiors and non-stop action around the clock. Once considered to be the "party boat" cruise line for the 20-something crowd, Carnival has been undergoing an image overhaul in recent years. Carnival's newer ships reflect a main-stream dcor that is less glitzy than the older ships. However, Carnival's "Fun Ship" moniker lives on and there is plenty of fun to be had. On this cruise line, one will find something for every one of all ages. There is a great kids program "Camp Carnival" makes Carnival Cruisesa favourite for families on travel. Carnival also puts a lot of work into their entertainment style on board. The Las Vegas-style shows produced by Carnival's ... You are sure to find many lounges and bars on a Carnival Cruises ship with a variety of quality musical acts. In fact, it is safe to say that boredom will never be experienced on a Carnival ship, unless choosing to be. While the quality of food on Carnival has improved over the past few years, the portions and number of dinner courses have been reduced. Nevertheless, the options for dining are numerous and will satiate every appetite on a Carnival Cruise. Generally, the food is average to good with one exception; the new Spirit class ships have an upscale restaurant that got the Best Award for Alternate Dining in the Cruise Lines Competition within the industry. A. Issues with product portfolio As a segment of the travel industry, ship transportation is considered one of the oldest forms of travel, yet cruise ships are considered to be the "new kid on the travel block." In a real sense cruise ship companies are more in the entertainment business than in pure transportation. Whereas ships still provide "destination to destination" travel, cruise ships are veritable "floating hotels" featuring recreation and sports facilities, aerobic dance classes, and visits to ports of call. Because of the vast ports catering to cruise ships today, this paper focused its study on the changes of cruise ships and services in the ports of the United States and Canada and the tourists market that helped shaped the cruise services in the area. This thrust in the cruise ship style of service which caters to entertainment primarily and to travel secondly, makes it safe to assume that cruise services with Carnival Cruise Lines is highly profitable because: - Only a few people benefit from cruise ship tourism. Those that have
Friday, October 18, 2019
Formal Written Report and a Creative Marketing Presentation for Essay
Formal Written Report and a Creative Marketing Presentation for marketing mix - Essay Example Pricing Objective and Strategy 13 5.3 Perceptual Mapping 14 Perceptual map at the introductory stage of the PLC 14 Perceptual map at the maturity stage of the PLC 15 6. Marketing Mix adjustment strategies 15 7. Conclusions & Recommendations 16 Reference 17 1. Formal introduction 1.1 Authorization and Purpose The purpose of the report is to analyses the marketing and the branding strategies of Olay which the company has implemented and currently perceiving the strategies. 1.2 Limitation Most of the information was based on secondary research and due to time limit an extensive primary research was not a part of the report. 1.3 Scope of the report The report contains detail information about the brand Olay and its product total effect. The paper discusses the target market, promotion, product strategy of Olay, the positioning statement of Olay, also the perceptual map taking price and quality as two dimensions. 2. Product and target market Product is the core of any marketing plan for a n organization. It is the product that leads the company either towards the success or failure. Products are of many types, the type of product which is dealt in this case is the consumer goods products. Products are those which are consumed or used by the consumers. The brand chosen here is Olay, manufactured by Proctor & Gamble. Olay is regarded as worldwide leader in skincare and the brand is the most trusted by women for around 60 years. The product to be discussed further is Olay, Total effects. This product has been in demand for its features as it claims to fight seven signs of anti ageing problem (Olay, 2012). In this competitive world, women has been equally at par with their counter partners, the male segment and this has lead to more increase or demand of the grooming section. In... Product is the core of any marketing plan for an organization. It is the product that leads the company either towards the success or failure. Products are of many types, the type of product which is dealt in this case is the consumer goods products. Products are those which are consumed or used by the consumers. The brand chosen here is Olay, manufactured by Proctor & Gamble. Olay is regarded as worldwide leader in skincare and the brand is the most trusted by women for around 60 years. The product to be discussed further is Olay, Total effects. This product has been in demand for its features as it claims to fight seven signs of anti ageing problem (Olay, 2012). In this competitive world, women has been equally at par with their counter partners, the male segment and this has lead to more increase or demand of the grooming section. In order to tackle the issue with regards to skincare P&G has introduced line of products which claims to compliment her youthful looks in every stage of her life (Olay, 2012). Hence it can be concluded that the target market for Olay is the large section of women of all age group who loves to stay good, look good at all age of their lives. The product chosen is Olay Total Effects, which has been manufactured to fight the seven signs of ageing for a visibly younger looking skin. The product line of total effect includes from moisturizing to cleansing and also special treatment for skin and these arrays of products are dedicated towards making her skin look at its best.
Changes in Human Resource Management at BMW Company Essay
Changes in Human Resource Management at BMW Company - Essay Example BMW Company has two manufacturing groups mainly the Mini and Rolls-Royce and it has been documented that they produced more than 1.3 million vehicles in 2006. Reports further indicate that by 2010, the company stepped up its production to more than I.4million vehicles (Oliver 2008,p.576). It was found that the company had settled on the production of motorcycles after the completion of the First World War and later advanced into the production of vehicles. Human Resource Policy. With the era of improved business, BMW has changed its strategy to accommodate their customers as they have applied one that focused on serving their customers. In the last decade, the company has developed to be more practical and willing to accommodate change that is customer oriented (Dessler 2000,p.81). The organizational structure has been rearranged in that it can be able to handle new operation styles. The culture that exists in the company has helped a great deal in the implementation of the new strat egies that have been put in place and thus ensuring the success of the strategies (Gilmore & Williams 2009,p.83).This is an indication that the human resource policies have played a vital role in the good performance of the organization. Due to the pressure emanating from competition between BMW and other companies as well as the national economies, the organization has had to undertake several changes especially in the management of their human resource so as to be able to beat the competition at the international market.Ã
US Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
US Empire - Essay Example While this is the case, however, there have been instances where the United States has tended to take the wrong actions when it had the opportunity to use its massive leverage to help resolve the conflicts taking place in divided societies and its interventions in such conflicts have made some of the situations on the ground worse than they were before. The American military capability cannot be denied but its use in almost every conflict situation in the world is not advised because of the fact that not all conflicts can be resolved militarily. The foreign policy of the United States as it is currently is not compatible with the realities of the situation in the twenty first century because the times of wars of aggression are long past and an age of absolute global peace is fast approaching. The policy of taking sides in domestic conflicts in such situations as in Israel, Syria and Libya, instead of endearing the United States to the world as a global peacemaker, has ended up doing the opposite, earning this country a bad name on the global stage. It can therefore be said that the United States does not currently have the capability of resolving intrastate violence in divided societies and that in order for it to be able to do so, it has to have a massive overhaul of its foreign policy. The fact that the United States has been proven not to have the capacity for ending intrastate violence in the various societies in the world has created a situation where it is not trusted in matters of conflict resolution. This is mainly because in most of its interventions, it has consistently taken sides in local conflicts; a matter which has earned it many grievances from the excluded parties. There has developed a situation where it has become a necessity for the United States to change some part of its policies concerning interventions in intrastate conflicts so that it can easily bring such conflicts to a speedy end. Among the means which can be suggested is through the development of a strong neutral stance in such conflicts in order t o make the opposing sides feel comfortable with American intervention because taking sides more often than not alienates a part of the society; mostly against the power that is attempting to bring peace in the respective region (McGarry & Oââ¬â¢Leary, 2007). The development of a strong diplomatic resume would help the United States a great deal when dealing with intrastate conflicts because there would be level ground for the conflicting sides to come to an amicable solution. This was seen in recent times in Kenya, where during the violence which erupted after the 2007 elections, the United States stepped up its diplomatic machine to ensure that peace was returned to this divided society. The swift intervention in this conflict by the United States government, led by the then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice helped in a massive way in the swift ending of the conflict and the return to normalcy in Kenya (Adeagbo & Iyi, 2011). Diplomatic means should therefore be a priority for the United States in its endeavor to foster peaceful societies all over the world. The capability of the United States as a global diplomatic force is among the greatest in human history and this can be used to great advantage in the resolution of intrastate conflicts all over the wor
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Biological effects of the use of dirty bombs Essay
Biological effects of the use of dirty bombs - Essay Example The purpose of this report is to comprehensively examine these effects by assessing relevant scientific studies, researches and literature. Introduction As stated in the preceding section of the report, the focus of this assessment is directed towards conducting an analysis of the biological effects of the use of dirty bombs that are a type of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) which also incorporates the detonation of conventional explosives. The discussion topics that have been identified as primary and key considerations of this report include 1) an introduction to dirty bombs as a type of RDD 2) examination of the use of dirty bombs by military armies 3) identification of the determinants that govern the extent or degree of biological impact of dirty bomb detonation 4) assessment of an organismââ¬â¢s biological response to the detonation of dirty bombs and 5) the biological effects of the use of dirty bombs. ... he quantity and kinds of physical damage linked with the detonation of a dirty bomb would be comparable to that of an attack which is conducted by devices or bombs that are not radioactive in nature (Horoho 224). While, this statement postulates that the impact or effects of a dirty bomb are similar to that of a conventional bomb, the fundamental distinction in this case is that the detonation of a dirty bomb, as a radiological dispersal device (RDD) would result in the likelihood of victims and rescuers coming into contact with radioactive materials by the means of inhalation or through the embedment of radioactive materials in the injured party (Horoho 224). Thus, Lifshitz understands that the adverse effects of dirty bombs can be categorized on the basis of the direct impact of the explosion and the consequences that the victims may experience as a result of being exposed to radiation (710). The military application of dirty bombs involves their utilization as bunker busters in or der to break through fortified targets or targets that are present in underground compounds. Even though, the detonation of dirty bombs has proven to be effective in this regard the key issue of concern is linked with the harmful dispersal of radiation that is caused by the explosion which has the ability to adversely impact indigenous peoples. According to Lifshitz, the extent of the impact of a dirty bomb explosion on the victims can be viewed on a scale which constitutes of high-level radiation and low-level radiation (710). The impact of high-level radiation comprises of the onset of severe illness and radiation sickness, which emerge in a brief period ranging from days to weeks and can be identified as the cause of victimââ¬â¢s death, in most cases (Lifshitz 710). On the contrary, low
Novel reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Novel reflection - Essay Example Krakauer demystifies the enigmatic Everest as well as points out that the climbers were like any other normal human beings with their share of heroism and courage, fear and failure. Just as he draws an account of the successful expeditions of the legendary climbers he would speak of the gruesome instances of failures, death and the struggles of survival. Krakauer being a passionate climber his story narrates first hand experiences. It is his understanding and knowledge of climbing that seems to give him an insight into the nature of the expedition and make his interpretation meaningful. The Lhotse Face episode reveals a disturbing picture of the state of the climbers who were completely demoralized and were suffering from a multitude of ailments related to high altitude. The stark reality of ego tussles and pride stand out amid the impending natural catastrophe that once again exposes the vulnerable nature of human beings. The utter lack of cooperation from the climbers of the other expedition teams and the climbing strategies that sometimes compelled one to be insensitive seem to question the ethical values of our society that are flouted on the mountains. A reading of his book Into Thin Air helps one to conceptualize the various intentions of those people who have willingly opted to undertake the hazardous journey to scale the Everest. It is astonishing for lay persons to conceive of the madness of spending some $70,000 dollars to climb Mt. Everest. It is all the more disturbing to find out that a large number of climbers though rich are not qualified climbers. As Krakauer points out that there were people from different walks of life be it the wealthy doctor Beck Weathers or the rich socialite Sandy Hill Pittman. It appears that all of those climbers have their individual reasons to ââ¬Ësummitââ¬â¢ (Krakauer, 1997) the Everest. For some reaching the top of the Everest is a dream fulfillment and something of a trophy for a
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
US Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
US Empire - Essay Example While this is the case, however, there have been instances where the United States has tended to take the wrong actions when it had the opportunity to use its massive leverage to help resolve the conflicts taking place in divided societies and its interventions in such conflicts have made some of the situations on the ground worse than they were before. The American military capability cannot be denied but its use in almost every conflict situation in the world is not advised because of the fact that not all conflicts can be resolved militarily. The foreign policy of the United States as it is currently is not compatible with the realities of the situation in the twenty first century because the times of wars of aggression are long past and an age of absolute global peace is fast approaching. The policy of taking sides in domestic conflicts in such situations as in Israel, Syria and Libya, instead of endearing the United States to the world as a global peacemaker, has ended up doing the opposite, earning this country a bad name on the global stage. It can therefore be said that the United States does not currently have the capability of resolving intrastate violence in divided societies and that in order for it to be able to do so, it has to have a massive overhaul of its foreign policy. The fact that the United States has been proven not to have the capacity for ending intrastate violence in the various societies in the world has created a situation where it is not trusted in matters of conflict resolution. This is mainly because in most of its interventions, it has consistently taken sides in local conflicts; a matter which has earned it many grievances from the excluded parties. There has developed a situation where it has become a necessity for the United States to change some part of its policies concerning interventions in intrastate conflicts so that it can easily bring such conflicts to a speedy end. Among the means which can be suggested is through the development of a strong neutral stance in such conflicts in order t o make the opposing sides feel comfortable with American intervention because taking sides more often than not alienates a part of the society; mostly against the power that is attempting to bring peace in the respective region (McGarry & Oââ¬â¢Leary, 2007). The development of a strong diplomatic resume would help the United States a great deal when dealing with intrastate conflicts because there would be level ground for the conflicting sides to come to an amicable solution. This was seen in recent times in Kenya, where during the violence which erupted after the 2007 elections, the United States stepped up its diplomatic machine to ensure that peace was returned to this divided society. The swift intervention in this conflict by the United States government, led by the then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice helped in a massive way in the swift ending of the conflict and the return to normalcy in Kenya (Adeagbo & Iyi, 2011). Diplomatic means should therefore be a priority for the United States in its endeavor to foster peaceful societies all over the world. The capability of the United States as a global diplomatic force is among the greatest in human history and this can be used to great advantage in the resolution of intrastate conflicts all over the wor
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Novel reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Novel reflection - Essay Example Krakauer demystifies the enigmatic Everest as well as points out that the climbers were like any other normal human beings with their share of heroism and courage, fear and failure. Just as he draws an account of the successful expeditions of the legendary climbers he would speak of the gruesome instances of failures, death and the struggles of survival. Krakauer being a passionate climber his story narrates first hand experiences. It is his understanding and knowledge of climbing that seems to give him an insight into the nature of the expedition and make his interpretation meaningful. The Lhotse Face episode reveals a disturbing picture of the state of the climbers who were completely demoralized and were suffering from a multitude of ailments related to high altitude. The stark reality of ego tussles and pride stand out amid the impending natural catastrophe that once again exposes the vulnerable nature of human beings. The utter lack of cooperation from the climbers of the other expedition teams and the climbing strategies that sometimes compelled one to be insensitive seem to question the ethical values of our society that are flouted on the mountains. A reading of his book Into Thin Air helps one to conceptualize the various intentions of those people who have willingly opted to undertake the hazardous journey to scale the Everest. It is astonishing for lay persons to conceive of the madness of spending some $70,000 dollars to climb Mt. Everest. It is all the more disturbing to find out that a large number of climbers though rich are not qualified climbers. As Krakauer points out that there were people from different walks of life be it the wealthy doctor Beck Weathers or the rich socialite Sandy Hill Pittman. It appears that all of those climbers have their individual reasons to ââ¬Ësummitââ¬â¢ (Krakauer, 1997) the Everest. For some reaching the top of the Everest is a dream fulfillment and something of a trophy for a
Life Resource Center Scavenger Hunt Essay Example for Free
Life Resource Center Scavenger Hunt Essay Questions 1. What are the three ways that students may receive counseling services through the LRC? 2. What heading are the Health Tools and Health Challenges found under? 3. Where is the Assess Your Health tool located? 4. What are the five categories on the Live Healthy Page? 5. Where can resources and articles about good nutrition be found on the LRC? 6. What are three of the health topics that can be found on the LRC? 7. What are two categories found under the Medical Care heading? 8. Where on the LRC would a person find information on addiction and recovery? 9. Where on the LRC would a person find information about health issues related to aging? 10. What are three psychosocial health topics that are available on the LRC? Answers 1. Three ways that students can receive counseling services through the LRC is free and confidential resources of your Life Resource Center. If someone would like to speak to a Counselor over the phone or meet with a local counselor in-person, please call 866-320-2817 or use the online Request Appointment section located on the right side of this page. 2. The heading that the health tools and health challenges is found under the thriving heading 3. The asses your health tool is located under the thriving health tools category 4. The five categories that are listed on the live healthy page is How Healthy Are You, Lifestyle Change, Physical Fitness, Prevention and Screening, and Tips for Healthy Living. 5. The resources and articles about good nutrition can be found under the thriving tab under the good nutrition guidelines. 6. Three of the health topics that can be found on the LRC are Aging, Balancing, and Thriving. 7. Two categories that are found under the Medical Care heading are Dental care and Recuperation. 8. A person would find information on addiction and recovery under the Balancing Tab. 9. A person would find information about health issues related to aging under the Balancing tab/ Personal Growth 10. Three psychosocial health topics that are available on the LRC is Mental Health, Grief and Loss, and Addiction and Recovery.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) Intervention
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) Intervention Henry Davis Hearing loss is not a common healthcare issue addressed by Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) occurs even less frequently. Often the onset of hearing loss (related to aging or noise exposure) is insidious, often spanning months to years and is typically bilateral. Hearing loss that occurs with advanced age is routinely compensated for with the use of electronic devices that amplify sound and this type of hearing loss is typically not cured. SSNHL by contrast has a well-defined acute onset within 3 days and is characteristically unilateral hearing loss. Some cases of SSNHL could be cured if a diagnosis is made and treatment initiated within a short time from onset of the hearing loss (Raghunandhan et al., 2012). Nurse practitioners may often be the first healthcare provider the patient encounters. Because of the early patient contact, nurse practitioners are uniquely poised to initiate the first line treatment after consulting with neurology, but prior to referral for follow-up care and further evaluation. Recent research supports that patients who receive early medical treatment for SSNHL recover hearing more often than those, who received delayed care (Raghunandhan et al., 2012). Epidemiology Current research indicates the morbidity of SSNHL is 2-20/ 100,000 persons annually and the mean age of occurrence is 43-53 years old. Mortality as not reported other than a possible link between SSNHL and strokes. Gender does not appear to influence incidents. Risk factors for SSNHL include; advanced age, concurrent cardiovascular disease and the presence of a positive antinuclear antibody (Weber, 2014). One study indicated ââ¬Å"â⬠¦viral infection being the most common etiological factorâ⬠for SSNHL (Raghunandhan et al., 2012, p. 229). Etiology The cause of SSNHL is currently considered idiopathic, however the preponderance of current research is directed at the supposition that the etiology of SSNHL is due to edema of the eighth cranial and subsequent compression of the internal auditory artery to the cochlea and circular apparatus. The likely cause of the compression is edema of the auditory nerve within the confined space of the internal auditory meatus from a viral infection (Mom, Chazal, Gabrillargues, Gilain, Avan, 2005). There is minimal clearance for the nerves and vessels. If any edema occurs, compression of the associated structures can result. This would be similar in nature to the pathology associated with Bellââ¬â¢s palsy or compartment syndrome associated with a casted extremity. The surrounding tissue swells and compresses adjacent structures. Cause of SSNHL is currently identified as idiopathic but current treatment targets a viral infection as the causative agent. Early treatment with steroids and antiviral drugs demonstrated reduction in percentage of patients who experience total hearing loss. The nurse practitioner can begin treatment of the patient and ensure timely neurologic specialty follow-up and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to rule out acoustic neuroma (Chen, Halpin, Rauch, 2003). Pathogenesis Initially to understand SSNHL we first should examine the anatomy and function of the inner ear. The ear communicates with the brain via eighth cranial nerve. The eighth cranial nerve divides into two main branches, cochlear and vestibular nerves. The first cochlear nerve travels to the cochlea and the vestibular nerve travels to the semicircular ducts. The Cochlea is the portion of the inner ear responsible for the transformation of sound from a physical force, from the tympanic membrane via the malleus, incus and stapes into a nerve impulse conducted to the brain via the cranial nerve (Copstead Banasik, 2013). The vestibular nerve conducts impulses from the semicircular ducts. Semicircular ducts change the forces of air movement into fluid movement that in turn is changed into nerve impulses that allow for proprioception. Damage to this branch of the vestibular nerve can result in vertigo, nystagmus, vomiting and disruptions of proprioception (Copstead Banasik, 2013). The eighth cranial nerve passes through a relatively small opening, the internal auditory meatus, in the skull(Weber, 2014) (Kim Lee, 2009). This small opening also provides the arterial blood flow for the inner ear via the internal auditory artery (Kim Lee, 2009). Even a small amount of edema in the eighth cranial nerve can result in both compression of the nerve and occlusion of the arterial blood supply to the inner ear. The result of these Sequelae would be rapid hearing loss, nystagmus and vertigo (Weber, 2014). During the acute period, the first few hours, it would be possible to decrease the edema by administration of steroids thereby decompressing the nerve and re-establishing blood flow to the inner ear (Narozny et al., 2006). Delays in the reduction of this edema may result in tissue necrosis and clot formation due to stasis of blood in the internal auditory artery. Another less researched cause of SSNHL is vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke or a thrombi occlusion of the arterial supply to the inner ear (Kim Lee, 2009). The resultant Sequelae following the occlusion would mirror the presentation of SSNHL from edema however; the key difference would be the response to oral steroids is ineffective. Any negative effects of oral steroids, if an ischemic stroke were diagnosed would be minimal as the follow-up for MRI should be performed immediately after initial treatment. Clinical Manifestations Onset of SSNHL appears as idiopathic and not related to any trauma and patient denies current source of infection. The patient may report having a clogged ear or pressure in ear. There is an absence of signs and symptoms of infection such as fever, drainage and pain. The patient may find it difficult to impossible to determine the direction of the source of a sound, as both ears are needed to identify the direction of a source of a sound. The brain normally uses the auditory input from both ears identify source location of an auditory stimulus. The occlusion of blood flow to the cochlea on one side has resulted in complete hearing loss to that side. SSNHL may present with an acute onset of tinnitus in the affected ear. The patient may describe the sound as a ringing or roaring sound. Initial onset of tinnitus may cause difficulty in concentration. The pathology responsible for tinnitus remains unclear. The onset of SSNHL is rapid and unilateral, proceeding from normal hearing to complete absence of hearing of the effected ear in less than 3 hours(Weber, 2014). SSNHL is often accompanied by nystagmus, tinnitus and vertigo. This may be due to the compression of the internal auditory artery and the resultant occlusion of blood flow to the cochlea and semicircular apparatus. In addition, when we consider the functions of the central nervous system in the perception of proprioception, multiple stimuli typically confirm the position of the body such as the semicircular apparatus and visual stimuli. With the sudden cessation of blood flow to the inner ear, a mismatch of stimuli rapidly occurs. This mismatch of stimuli among various nerves results in the perception of vertigo and often nystagmus. The Performance of a Rinne test and Weber test enables the nurse practitioner to differentiate between bone conduction damage, as is the case with traumatic injury or nerve damage as is the case in both SSNHL and ischemic stroke (Tintinalli, 2010). Also important is the Dix-Hallpike test, to differentiate between central or peripheral vertigo (Furman Barton, 2014). Central vertigo would be those with a site of origin inside the brain, were as peripheral vertigo originates outside the brain. The Dix-Hallpike test differentiates between central and peripheral vertigo. A Dix-Hallpike test is positive if vertigo and nystagmus is elicited when the head is rotated. Dix-Hallpike test also identifies unilateral vertigo, as well as it differentiates between central and peripheral causes of vertigo and nystagmus. Benign positional nystagmus is also evaluated utilizing the Dix-Hallpike test. In (BPN) the result is a delay of onset of nystagmus of >20seconds, nystagmus slowly resolves if head h eld in the same position, and response decreases with repeated testing (Dix-Hallpike Test, 2014). A central cause of vertigo and nystagmus need to be evaluated if the Dix-Hallpike test yields atypical results of nystagmus that occurs without rotation of the head, begins without delay, and does not decrease with retesting(Dix-Hallpike Test, 2014). Treatment The recommended treatment of SSNHL is early administration of oral glucocorticoids (Raghunandhan et al., 2012)(Narozny et al., 2006). This intervention is well within the scope of practice of the Nurse Practitioner. Nurse Practitioners should be encouraged to take the lead in diagnosing and initiating treatment for SSNHL. The risk associated with early treatment of suspected SSNHL is minimal however if treatment is delayed hearing loss may be permanent. The indication for administration of steroids is to decrease edema of the eighth cranial nerve as this edema leads to loss of nerve conduction and ultimately nerve tissue death and possible arterial occlusion (Chen et al., 2003). The result of tissue death of the eighth cranial nerve is hearing loss, nystagmus, tinnitus and impaired balance (Copstead Banasik, 2013). Current treatment of SSNHL aims at the reduction of damage to the eighth cranial nerve. Other medications can be used to treat the after effects of SSNHL such as vertigo. Select antihistamines, which are also classified as vestibular suppressant, are often used to decrease the perception of vertigo. These drugs reduce ââ¬Å"the activity in the vestibular nuclei and cerebellum.â⬠(Denner, 2013, para. 6). This class of medication is used as needed for vertigo control. Vestibular suppressant antihistamines are first line medications for vertigo. If Vestibular suppressant antihistamines are not successful in controlling vertigo then an escalation to a low dose benzodiazepine most often resolves vertigo not controlled by first line medications. Benzodiazepines cause central nervous system depression and thereby decrease vertigo. The treatment of choice for chronic vertigo is vestibular rehabilitation. Vestibular Rehabilitation is an exercise-based therapy used to retrain the central nervous system (CNS). Often vestibular rehabilitation is sufficient to control symptoms of vertigo without the need for daily medications. The provider often refers the patient experiencing vertigo to physical therapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT) for a course of progressive exercises with associated head/eye movements to retraining the CNS (Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT), 2014). Vestibular rehabilitation can greatly reduce the need for medications to reduce symptoms of vertigo and improves the quality of life. Vestibular rehabilitation is only the first of many topics that should be addressed by the nurse practitioner to assist the patient in lessening symptoms and coping with functional loss. Patient education is targeted toward identification of limitation and practices to compensate for those limitations. Simple functions such as body position during sleep can cause functional problems for patients. An example would be if patient sleeps on the non-affected ear toward the pillow, they would not hear sounds such as alarm clocks, smoke alarms, or other auditory products. Specialized alarms are available which provide both auditory and tactile stimuli (a strong bed vibrating unit) to awaken non-hearing or limited hearing persons. Also, educate patient that stressful situations and loud environments can exacerbate the experience of tinnitus and vertigo. Family members of the patient would be educated on actions to compensate for patientââ¬â¢s hearing loss. Walking on the non-affected side and not speaking close to affected ear are two examples. Also explaining the emotional stressors for the patient and the family members as both learn to cope with the new limitations. The Nurse Practitioner can also provide a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist to evaluate the patient for cochlear implant for complete unilateral hearing loss. Current implants consist of a base magnet implant into the mastoid bone on the affected side. An external device is worn over the magnet and conducts sound into the magnet and across to the functional ear via bone conduction. The delay between air and bone conduction allows the patient to regain the ability to directionalize sound stimuli. The negative impacts of this option are cost, some insurances do not cover this surgery or only cover a portion of the total cost and this is a surgical intervention and all invasive procedure have associated risk factors. Conclusion Nurse Practitioners should broaden the scope of examination and treatment when assessing patients with sudden hearing loss. In the face of a presumptive diagnosis of SSNHL, the provider may improve outcomes by beginning treatment prior to conclusive diagnosis. Increased early intervention for SSNHL by Nurse Practitioners and beginning steroid treatment within the first few hours after onset of hearing loss may decrease the incidence of permanent hearing loss. The Nurse Practitioner is able to discriminate between sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. A causative factor is then diagnosed to direct care. SSNHL is an infrequently occurring health problem that can be treated with an early presumptive diagnosis. If the initial diagnosis of SSNHL is delayed for MRI to rule out Acoustic Neuroma, it increases the chance that hearing loss will become irreversible. The initial treatment with oral steroid is relatively low risk, yet this option is often omitted despite the apparent benefit. Although the confirmation of SNNHL requires MRI to rule out a differential diagnosis of acoustic neuroma, steroid treatment could begin as a protective measure. If an Acoustic Neuroma is diagnosed the steroid therapy could be discontinued. The impact of steroid use associated with Acoustic Neuroma has not been examined in current research. Appendix Figure 1 (Arora, 2012, figure 5) Figure 2 (Kim Lee, 2009, figure 2) References Arora, R. (2012). Vestibular Rehabilitation: An Overview. Int J Otorhinolaryngol Clin, 4, 54-69. Retrieved from http://www.jaypeejournals.com/eJournals/ShowText.aspx?ID=3564Type=FREETYP=TOPIN=_eJournals/images/JPLOGO.gifIID=280isPDF=NO Chen, C., Halpin, C., Rauch, S. (2003). Oral Steroid Treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Ten Year Retrospective Analysis. Otology Neurotology, 24, 728ââ¬â733. Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/9088236_Oral_steroid_treatment_of_sudden_sensorineural_hearing_loss_a_ten_year_retrospective_analysis/links/00b7d51c062542efbc000000 Copstead, L., Banasik, J. (2013). Pathophysiogology (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Denner, K. (2013). Meclizine ââ¬â Does it help? Retrieved from http://vestibular.org/news/10-07-2013/meclizine-ââ¬â-does-it-help Dix-Hallpike test ââ¬â Quick guide. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.ncuh.nhs.uk/our-services/dix-hallpike-test-quick-guide.pdf FM Jr, B. (1984). Sudden hearing loss: eight years experience and suggested prognostic table. The Laryngoscope, 94, 647-61. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.okcu.edu:2192/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1[emailprotected]hid=4201bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#db=mnhAN=6325838 Furman, J., Barton, J. (2014). Evaluation of the patient with vertigo. Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/evaluation-of-the-patient-with-vertigo?source=machineLearningsearch=Dix-HallpikeselectedTitle=2~5sectionRank=5anchor=H29#H29 Hearing Loss: A Ten Year Retrospective Analysis. Otology Neurotology, 24, 728-733. Retrieved from http://www.tonybaino.com/otorhino/steroidsssnhl.pdf Kim, J., Lee, H. (2009). Inner Ear Dysfunction Due to Vertebrobasilar Ischemic Stroke. SEMINARS IN NEUROLOGY, 29, 534-540. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1241037 Mom, T., Chazal, J., Gabrillargues, J., Gilain, L., Avan, P. (2005). Cochlear blood supply: an update on anatomy and function. French Ear, Nose Laryngology, 88, 81-88. Retrieved from http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/17470070/1437766444/name/KimJS2009 [Inner Ear Dysfunction Due VB Ischemic Stroke].pdf Our Experience. Association of Otolaryngologists of India, 65, 229-233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12070-012-0506-9 Our Experience and a Review of the Literature. Annals of Otology. Rhinology Laryngology, 115, 554-558. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.okcu.edu:2192/ehost/pdfviewer/[emailprotected]5vid=16hid=4104 Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Prospective Clinical Research. The Journal of Otolaryngology, 36, 32-37. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.okcu.edu:2192/ehost/pdfviewer/[emailprotected]3vid=1hid=4104 Tintinalli, J. (2010). Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide (7th ed.). New York, NY: Mc Graw Hill. Tintinalli, J. (2010). Tintinalliââ¬â¢s Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Tintinalli, J. (2010). Tintinalliââ¬â¢s Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT). (2014). Retrieved November 15, 2014, from http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/treatment/treatment-detail-page Weber, P. (2014). Sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/sudden-sensorineural-hearing-loss?source=machineLearningsearch=SSNHLselectedTitle=1~6sectionRank=2anchor=H4#H12 Weber, P. (2014). Sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/sudden-sensorineural-hearing-loss?source=previewsearch=SSNHLlanguage=en-USanchor=H2selectedTitle=1~6#H2 Yuan-Yuan, L., Zhe, J., Bu-Sheng, T., Jian-ming, Y., Ye-Hai, L., Maoli, D. (2008, January 8). A clinical study of microcirculatory disturbance in Chinese patients with sudden deafness. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 128, 1168-1172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00016480801901626
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