Analyzing Personal Conflict Management Styles Essay

Conflict management is the detriment of many teams or groups in accomplishing its goals. This is because most people do not understand the different conflict styles and how to apply the rules and principles associated with the style you may be dealing with. In this paper I will analyze three of the five management styles discussed in the textbook Communication in Small Groups. Avoidance and competition are two styles that I believe have the greatest effect on hindering a group or team from accomplishing its goals. Collaboration, however, is a style that I believe is most effective in assisting a team in attaining its goals. This is a style that I use not only in my professional life but also in my personal life and have seen the difference this style of conflict management makes on individuals who are approached with this technique. Avoidance, according to the Collins English Dictionary is â€Å"the act of keeping away from or preventing from happening. † This definition sums up the reason I believe that of the five conflict managing styles, this one is among the top reasons some teams fail at achieving their goals. Whether it is just that a person does not like confrontation, are afraid to voice his or her true opinions out of fear, or simply do not want to hurt another person’s feelings, the simple fact remains that the team may not be aware of everything they need to consider. They miss the opportunity to be more objective in reaching an educated decision on the goals the team is trying to attain. This can also lead to members of the team feeling as though a member does not care and give them reason to discount whatever input that member may have. It is important to remember that there are certain instances when avoidance is needed to move the team along. For instance if what is causing the conflict is something trivial that will not have an adverse effect on the ultimate goal of the team it is likely a good idea to avoid it. It may be also be a good idea to use this method temporarily to give a team time to gather their thoughts on an important issue they need to resolve, but cannot get certain members to be objective or reasonable because they are standing firm behind their point of view. Competition is a conflict management style exactly opposite of avoidance. This is a very confrontational style, which characteristics consist of forcefully persuading others that their position is the only correct position. A person who exerts this style in most cases seeks to win with the intent of another person losing. They want control and work to achieve it no matter what. This type of style is infectious to a team. It is hard for a team to work at attaining a common goal if the level of competition in the team is such that no one can agree. Competition often leads to unethical ways of trying to persuade others in the team like shouting, or even threatening. These types of behaviors lead to defensiveness and distrust as members may feel as if they are forced into a decision rather than arriving at a decision on their own. Again, just like with all management styles it is not always a bad thing to be competitive. When working as a team it is important to remember the goals of the team and be mindful that the actions taken are working toward that goal. No matter how right a person is individually, he or she must find a way to get the rest of the team to agree that their point of view is correct or the best action for the goal the team is trying to accomplish. Otherwise, they will accomplish nothing and alienate themself from the team. The other members of the team can again feel as if that member does not care about what is best for the team and discount his or her ideas as one sided. Of all of the conflict management styles, collaboration is the style that most researchers agree is the best for achieving the goals of a team. â€Å"To collaborate is to have a high concern for both yourself and others† (Beebe & Masterson, 2009, p. 52). This common belief among users of this style drives them to search for answers using all of the tools at the team’s disposal. The different dynamics of the team become assets. They see the differences that distinguish the members of the team as points of view are respected and viewed objectively. Differences like a male versus a female’s perspective, race, culture, and even social or economic status are viewpoints that give all in the team a bigger picture of the different issues they may need to consider when coming to a conclusion about how best to achieve their goal. Though this style is thought of as the best route for teams to use, it is lso one of the most difficult. Even a person who has a natural talent or personality that promotes this style of conflict management has to practice to be effective using this style in a team setting. A person cannot be judgmental and must be sure not to take anything said personally. This is something that most if not all of the team members must have an awareness of. All team members have to feel comfortable with the results and with what was given up from their own personal point of view to arrive at the team’s decision. This style is also very demanding so it requires a good amount of patience. Depending on how quick a decision is needed it is not always possible for a team to achieve and some in the team may not believe that their best interests were achieved. I realized through this research that I am a person who naturally uses the collaboration style of conflict management in many areas of my life. In my relationship with my wife, I use collaboration as a way to strengthen our alliance in running our household. Feeling as if we are a team benefits the decisions we make for our family. Our children see us as united in our decision making. This is something we had to work to achieve and collaboration was the key to its success. We had a competitive style at first and our children would use that fact to split us up on decisions that we made pertaining to them. I could break that cycle by focusing on putting our ego’s aside. Our discussions were no longer about who was right or wrong. It was a process that started with accommodation to show I was willing to take the first step. That eventually grew into compromise, which is what most couples strive for. Finding a middle ground gives most couples the sense that they are working as a team. Collaboration, however, is the ability of that team not to find a middle ground, but actively work to agree and the best plan or action together by understanding and processing each other’s viewpoint to come up with decisions together. It is a style that comes in handy when training my children on the importance of being responsible and accountable for their actions. Collaborating on goals so that they are part of the decision-making process empowers them to believe they have control over what decisions they make. In my school and professional life collaboration has proven to be a way to drive for results. Team members work better when they are at ease in their decision-making, and everyone is comfortable with each other. Disagreements work themselves out with little stress because of the trust established through everyone’s willingness to collaborate on the goals set in place. Because the goals were set together, everyone has a vested interest in its outcome and most want that outcome to be a successful one. When I do encounter a person on my team with a conflicting style, I tend to take some time away from the situation to evaluate the best course of action for our progress. I take into account the level of importance our issue may have on our ultimate goal and what if any ethical issues are involved. Collaboration, though it is my favorite approach, is not always the approach I may use to resolve the issue. I am not one to avoid the issue entirely, but I have had to use accommodation, compromise, and even competition depending on what the issue is and what personality I am dealing with. In conclusion, you can see that there is no one way to manage conflict. I believe that being able to adapt to the different conflict styles will assist a person in overcoming conflict. Collaboration best supports a person who is adaptable and best supports a team’s objective because it focuses on the goals of the team by giving each person on the team’s needs equal importance.

A Critique of a health promotion tool Essay

The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse a health education resource, to show knowledge and understanding of the use of health behaviour models and to understand the concept of health promotion. The health education resource chosen by the author is presented in the form of a leaflet promoting breast awareness. Health promotion is â€Å"any planned combination of educational, political, environmental, regulatory, or organisational mechanisms that support actions and conditions of living conductive to the health of individuals, groups and communities†. (Joint Committee, 2001, p.101). The purpose of health promotion is to encourage the adoption of â€Å"healthy† behaviours. Health promotion is made up of 3 main concepts, which are Health education, Health protection and Prevention of disease, these also referred to as the health triad. There are many factors which may affect the implementation of health promotion, these are: educational background, sociocultural contexts, demographic position, attitudes, behaviour, socioeconomic groups and beliefs. Health promotion is also cost beneficial, although it appears to cost money, society saves money in the long run because treatment costs more than disease prevention, health protection and health education. Even though health promotion was being practiced in the 18th century, the most relevant changes have occurred in the past 20 years, this is primarily due to a change in the emphasis of health care. Health become more about prevention of illness rather than treatment in the early 1980’s, this paradigm shift in emphasis is directly related to cost benefits from health promotion and the change of responsibility for health onto the individual rather than the establishment (Health professionals). Health has been defined as: â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and merely the absence of disease or infirmity†. Health consists of five dimensions, which are: Physical health, Emotional health, Social health, Mental health and Spiritual health. Main Body Health promotion is a fundamental component of the health care systems. The health promotion relies on the health triad model, which consists of 3main domains as mentioned above in the introduction. The author will now go into more detail about these three domains. Health education – All aspects of  positive health education are comprised in the domain. This includes helping individuals, groups or communities develop positive health impute, such as self-esteem and life skills by influencing behaviour (Butler, 2001). Health Protection – This domain focuses on the increase of positive health and the prevention of ill health. It also comprises regulations and policies (Downie et al 1998). Disease Prevention – Planning and measures taken to stop disease or health problems before health event occur. This domain is split into three levels of prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary prevention – seeks to stop the onset of illness or injury during the pre-pathogenesis period. Secondary prevention measures leads to early diagnosis therefore treatment can be carried out promptly to prevent more severe pathogenesis. Tertiary prevention measures focus on the rehabilitation following significant pathogenesis, the role of tertiary prevention is to limit the affects of the pathogenesis has on individual’s lives (Cottrell et al 2002). A model is a framework used as a tool in health promotion to plan actions. Health behaviour is the focus of health promotion models, is to promote health successfully the models purpose is to promote a change in the individuals behaviours or to adopt new behaviours. Behaviours are modified by a number of internal and external factors, such as demographic variables e.g. gender, age, socio-psychological variables e.g. personality, social class and structural variables e.g. Knowledge about disease (Butler, 2001). There are numerous models used in health promotion but the author is going to concentrate on 3 of these models. The first model the author is going to look at is â€Å"The Health Belief Model† (HBM). The HBM is one the first behavioural change models to be developed; it is one of the most influential approaches to explaining health related behaviour. The HBM is a model of cognition, based on the predictors and precursors to health behaviours. Changes in behaviour are dependent on 5 factors – Perceived severity – cues to action, the belief that a health problem is serious. Perceived threat –  susceptibility, the belief that one is susceptible to a problem. Perceived benefit – the belief that changing one’s behaviour will reduce the threat. Perceived barriers – a perception of the obstacles/costs of changing one’s behaviour, self efficacy – the belief that one has the ability to change one’s behaviour (Butler, 2001). This model is most commonly utilised in primary and secondary preventions such as breast screening, testicular examination, cervical smears and the prostate cancer screening to name a few (Pender et al 2002). The second model the author is going to look at is the Transtheoretical Model. This model is also referred to as the Stages of Change Model. In this model behaviour change is viewed as a process which concentrates on the individual’s readiness to change. The difference with this specific model is that it is a cyclical process. Client’s often drop out of the interventions but may later re-enter where they left off or alternatively return to the initial stages. According to this model the are 5 stages of change: Pre-contemplation – not thinking about changing behaviour, Contemplation – thinking about changing behaviour in the near future, decision – making a plan to change behaviour, Maintenance – continuation of behaviour change. This model is most commonly associated with secondary prevention such as smoking, alcoholism, drugs abuse. Exercise and dietary change (Butler 2001). The third and final model the author is going to look at is the Dia gram of Reasoned Action (Appendix 1) which interlinks with the diagram of theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) (Appendix 2). The above models consist of attitudes towards the behaviour, subjective norms, intention and behaviour but the TBP also includes perceived behavioural control. The purpose of both of these frameworks is not to study behaviour itself but to study attitudes towards behaviours. These models are most commonly associated with primary and tertiary preventions, primary preventions such as immunisation, contraception and nutrition, tertiary preventions such as smoking cessation, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV) Auto Immune Disease Syndrome (AIDS) (Cottrell, 2002). In the United Kingdom (UK) approximately 1 in 12 women will develop breast cancer at some time in their lives. There are 25,000 new cases and 15,000 deaths due to breast cancer annually; approximately one percent of breast cancer incidence occurs in  men. The main risk factors associated with breast cancer are as follows: Family history, increasing age, late menopause, first child after 30 years of age, nuliparity (no pregnancies), social class (this is the most significant risk factor), and geographical location (e.g. UK has higher mortality than Japan). Other factors which are under evaluation are, stress, high alcohol intake and high – fat diet. (Alexander et al 2000). The incidence of breast cancer in women very rarely falls below the age of 35 years, rates being to increase steadily from then, affecting over 300 of 100,000 of the population by the time women reach the age of 85 years. The greatest numbers of women are diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 65 years of age. Breast cancer in men is almost always detected beyond the age of 65 years (Alexander et al 2000). As a requirement of this health promotion essay the author h As chosen a breast awareness leaflet to critically analyse. When critically analysing a health promotion resource, there are 5 important points to consider: links – The material should contain obvious and direct links to the discussion, Intelligibility – The material Should be understandable and a reasonable learning resource, the use of complex language and over long sentences or statements should be avoided to maintain concentration, print size should be of a reasonable size to prevent audience squinting to read the text and the font also should be pick with care such as sans seril (e.g. Ariel) use of pictures and diagrams. Colours should also be appropriate to the subject e.g. discreet subject, plain neutral colours, should be chosen. General style – style of the material should remain consistent to avoid distractions. Highlighting – This is a useful way of emphasising important points. Some methods of highlighting are bold text, underlining, changing c olour of the text, shaded area of importance. Targeting – This is aiming at the target audience e.g. age, gender. In relation to the leaflet the author is going to critically analyse the leaflet using the 5 points above. : Links – All points of the discussion mentioned in the leaflet were relevant to breast awareness. Intelligility – simple language is used throughout the leaflet although sentences so tend to be long winded/ Print size is of a reasonably readable size, the fonts is reasonable and consistent, two pictures are included in the leaflets but the audience would have benefited  more from diagrams as the pictures were not self explanatory, the front cover is appealing to the eye (see Appendix) and relevant to the subject, the background is purple which fades in form the top to the bottom and the pink ribbon which is the motif for the breast cancer this make the leaflet automatically recognisable to a person who was looking for a leaflet on this topic, yet not necessarily noticed by someone who isn ’t. Breast awareness is printed in white, with fairly large print size and an acceptable if muted font. The front cover specifies the main purpose of the leaflet is to provide information and support; there is also a clear indication of who is promoting this learning resource. General style – The style and format of the leaflet is consistent from start to finish. Highlighting – Highlighting was used throughout the leaflet to determine headings and subheadings this was achieved by changing the print colour to purple. Shading was also used to highlight important points. Targeting – The target audience of this learning resource is women, although men are briefly mentioned. The author feels that the leaflet would most likely be targeting women from quite a young age as it is a precautionary action so the quicker adaptation to new behaviours are absorbed the earlier the individual becomes familiar the there own breast and what normal form them.

Management proposal

Abstract The present paper is based on a case study of Top Travel. Inconsistent manager practices in selecting travel clerks and trainees are described. Furthermore, the paper includes a section in which a relevant strategy to improve the selection process is recommended. A job description for the position of a HR manager is included. Finally, the paper focuses on a person specification for this management position. Introduction This paper is based on a case study of Top Travel, with focus on inconsistent practices in the selection of travel clerks and trainees. It has been reported that store managers have made mistakes while recruiting potential employees. Therefore, a specific strategy is outlined to improve the selection process. Other aspects discussed in the paper include a job description for the position of a HR manager and a person specification for this position. Inconsistent Success in Selecting Travel Clerks and Trainees One of the likely reasons why Top Travel’s store managers are not consistently successful in selecting suitable travel clerks and trainees is that managers failed to give candidates prior notice and areas to research and focus on. As a result, store managers were unsuccessful in focusing on important aspects, such as accurate determination of candidates’ skills and information on corporate culture and the job position (Mathis and Jackson, 2010). Another reason for the inconsistent success in selecting travel clerks and trainees refers to the lack of formal interview training of store managers. The organisation has not emphasised strategic planning into improving the interviewing process. There was not a sufficient plan of interviewing that had been created in advance. In addition, store managers failed to assess culture fit of candidates within the company (Patterson et al., 2011). The inconsistency of employee selection at Top Travel could be also explained with the fa ct that managers extensively focused on job skills and experience rather than evaluation of candidates’ personality. The ability to differentiate critical job skills was not consistently present during the employee selection process at Top Travel. A Strategy for Improving the Selection Process Based on the issues that have been identified, it is important to recommend a strategy for improving the selection process, for both travel clerks and trainees. Giving candidates prior notice and areas to research is essential because it enables store managers with an opportunity to focus on relevant aspects of the selection process (Mathis and Jackson, 2010). One of the most important issues is to determine candidates’ fit within Top Travel’s culture. Managers should provide an adequate description of the company, including background information, tendencies and trends pertaining to its corporate culture as well as expectations of the job position (Patterson et al., 2011). The organisation should consider the use of competent and qualified interviewers who understand the specificity and structure of the interviewing process. Interviewers should meet in advance and prepare a relevant plan to follow during the interview. It is recommended to assign different responsibilities to different professionals (Brewster et al., 2011). For instance, one person would be responsible for specific types of questions asked during the interview, while another person would be in charge of assessing of candidates’ credentials. Even though store managers at Top Travel have declared their accurate instinct at spotting the right people, there should be emphasis on the evaluation of applicants’ personality. The company needs diverse individuals with diverse personalities to deal with the evolving needs of travel customers (Patterson et al., 2011). Managers should also focus on differentiating one candidate from another. The consistent use of testing and discussi on is a relevant part of the strategy to differentiate the critical job skills that managers expect to see in candidates. Finally, it is important to take the time in creating a small candidate pool with several individuals who meet the needs of Top Travel (Brewster et al., 2011). It may be necessary to reopen the search for employees in case the right people with adequate skills and experience are not settled. Job Description for HR Manager The position of a HR manager requires that the manager should develop policy and regularly participate in the adequate coordination of human resources processes in the organisation. Important responsibilities of a HR manager include employment issues, compensation, maintaining labour relations, benefits, providing employee training opportunities and services (Bareham, 2012). One of the essential duties of a HR manager is to analyse salary trends in the company as well as determine competitive compensation plans. This professional is directly responsible for the creation of suitable policy within the organisation, with focus on ensuring equal employment opportunities and employee benefits (Cushway, 2008). Different policies, regulations and reporting mechanisms should be maintained properly in order to ensure adequate compliance with standards in the field. In addition, a HR manager is expected to evaluate industry trends that could help the organisation grow in the future (Patterson et al., 2011). Furthermore, a HR manager screens and recruits employees when there is a need to fill vacant positions in the organisation (Cushway, 2008). New employee orientation is adequately planned by the manager in an attempt to ensure positive attitude towards the company’s culture and goals. A HR manager should complete reports and recommend procedures that could lead to the decrease or elimination of absenteeism and turnover in the organisation (Bareham, 2012). This professional is also responsible for contracting with outside suppliers to provide appropriate employee services and relocation services. A Person Specification for the HR Position The HR position includes key competencies, such as degree or equivalent, evidence of professional development, extensive contribution to organisational change, experience in delivering reliable HR practices, and experience in developing HR policies (Brewster et al., 2011). Having a professional qualification in the field along with evidence of professional development is a necessary component of screening candidates’ education and training capacity. Focus on organisational change is important considering the fast pace in which modern organisations develop (Bareham, 2012). In addition, a HR manager should demonstrate an extensive experience in the HR field, which would serve as a strong basis for developing successful practices in the organisation. Conclusion The paper discussed inconsistencies in the employee selection process at Top Travel. Store managers demonstrated practices that did not lead to the selection of the right people. Therefore, the paper included important sections on recommending a strategy to improve the selection process along with details on a job description for the position of a HR manager and a person specification for this position. References Bareham, S. (2012). HR in a Nutshell: Making Good Managers Great! Birmingham: Summa Publishing. Brewster, C., Sparrow, P., Vernon, G. and Houldsworth, E. (2011). International Human Resource Management. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Cushway, B. (2008). The Handbook of Model Job Descriptions. New York: Kogan Page. Mathis, R. L. and Jackson, J. H. (2010). Human Resource Management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R. and Switzler, A. (2011). Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Constructive Criticism vs Disciplinary Actions on a Nursing Unit Essay

Constructive Criticism vs Disciplinary Actions on a Nursing Unit - Essay Example On the other hand, disciplinary actions are means of dealing with unfavorable job-related behavior, especially those which do not meet with work and performance standards (US Legal, 2012). The primary purpose of these actions is to support the employee in understanding that performance issues for improvement exist. It is basically a way of imposing discipline for the employees (Hessler and Humphreys, 2008). While constructive criticisms provide a means for the employee to re-evaluate his actions and further improve on these, disciplinary actions are imposed punishment for failing to live up to the standards of the practice (Kennedy, 2006). Constructive criticism is more palatable for employees who can choose to consider the criticism as a means of improving their practice; however disciplinary actions are mostly met with disfavor due to its final and imposing nature on the work of employees (Hendren, 2011). B. What are likely outcomes to delivered action? 1. In order to deliver the n ecessary actions while still retaining employee productivity, it is important to first identify the unacceptable action, specifically indicating what the staff member is doing or is failing to do well (Hendren, 2011). The focus in effect is in the action, not the behavior or his personality. Specifying what the employee did wrong is also an essential part of achieving the best outcomes in establishing constructive criticism (Nursing Times, 2007). It is also important to explain the outcome, which behavior is not acceptable and how the action negatively impacts on productivity and on patient outcomes. Descriptive terms must also be used in order to establish how the behavior is wrong and how such behavior can be changed (Nursing Times, 2007). The expectations must also be indicated and clearly established from the very start. The employee must know what behavior is unacceptable and the various actions which can be applied to improve behavior. 2. Personal feelings must also be set asi de when giving constructive criticism. There are various outcomes to delivered action and for employees, their actions may produce unfavorable or favorable outcomes (Nursing Times, 2007). In giving feedback to employees, personal and subjective opinions have to be set aside (Clynes and Raftery, 2008). Saying to the employee that they are â€Å"useless† is an unnecessary comment and achieves nothing except feelings of discontent in the employee. It degrades the employee and makes his performance even worse (Nursing Times, 2007). Instead, the focus of the criticism must be on the activity, what was not done, what was done well, and what the criticism would be expected to achieve. The criticism must also be clear and concise, as well as professional, indicating positive feedback with information on how to improve actions and performance (Hendren, 2011). Asking the employee how he feels about his performance is a means of achieving improved outcomes and constructive benefits for the overall nursing profession. The manner of giving the feedback must focus on the problem, not the individual (Hendren, 2011). It must be direct and not contain any mixed and confusing elements. It must also be given in person and in private, preventing any embarrassment for individuals involved. The employee should also be involved in the discussion, allowing him to express his issues with his work, and inquiring about his coping skills and difficulties (Nursing Times,

Technology advance classroom Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology advance classroom - Research Paper Example Moreover, the concerned units can accelerate testing procedures, which overtly leaves extra room for execution of other instructional prospects. Additionally, they are also instructional applets. With the electronic respond devices which look like a TV remote control devices with a meagre digital screen, tutors and teachers can effortlessly access students’ test grades at their convenience. This eliminates frequent visits to scanners and other devices to sort county and area assessments that are pertinent in enrolling students for tests taken state-wide. Moreover, the same devices may be useful in instructor-mended examinations or for quickly sorting queries that teachers weave in normal classroom sessions (Meador, 2012). One obligation that teachers have is to strive and ensure that they deliver instructions that are designed and efficiently tailored to adequately provide for all students needs and educational requirements. Furthermore, since assessments and regular examinations are a pertinent mode of learning and tutoring students, offering teachers with these advanced devices that can competitively execute assignments would be immensely consummate and advantageous to both teachers and students (Meador, 2012). However, currently these advanced classroom tools are being utilized effectively for benchmarking and administering shortly termed examinations and assignments in most schools. Furthermore, the technological department is still prospecting on more ways of aiding the teachers to deliver their service to students by aiding them to teach and correct their students in succinct ways. In accordance with a president of a popular data and testing affiliation, this mode of teaching and learning in the institution would obviously elicit better results and performance output for the tutors among other merits such as the assessing procedure (Meador, 2012). Moreover, other

Auditing and Assurance Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Auditing and Assurance Services - Essay Example The objective of the paper signifies the importance of the auditory system along with the reliance level that can be provided towards the audit process. This paper also intends to reflect on the pros and cons of the auditory as well as assurance services that need to be present in the financial statement of the organizations. The auditing process of an organization or a firm involves with the model of accountability, inspection of the monetary reports along with the financial demands for assessment of the auditory system. The audit process in this regards provide with the statements which significantly fulfill the gap of expectations between the user and the financial statements. The auditing process for the organization generally involves with the convenient regulation dealing with control tools of the system. Conducting an auditing and assurance program also assists an organization for the critical assessment of the financial statements with the proper evidence. In this context the application of tools as well as techniques examine the main revenue along with the cost activities of the firm. Management representation of the organization, identifying the errors as well as the weaknesses of the financial activities of the firm is also an important responsibility of the audit process for the organization. Therefore, documentation of the audit and assurance shall provide the management with valuable assistance in taking the initiatives according to the review of the financial statements that were prepared in the audit process of the organization. The assurance service of the auditing process further helps the auditors to keep the record of the evidence in the auditing process of the firm (Pearsoned, â€Å"An Introduction to Auditing and Assurance†). With regards to the pros and cons of the process in the auditing system, it can be said that it may help to forecast the future cost activities of the firm along with the

Google Project Glass Jelly Bean Google Self Driving Car Nexus Case Study

Google Project Glass Jelly Bean Google Self Driving Car Nexus - Case Study Example By recognizing the repeated actions of web users, Google now has the ability to preempt the desires of smartphone users and deliver results for different tasks. However, the adoption of this application has been associated with a number of impacts on the society, both positive and negative. Due to the tough and busy schedule of business owners and managers, the development of Google now has been received as an opportunity to comfortably run their affairs without pressure. With Google Play, the schedules of an individual can be simulated and reminders provided promptly based on the culture of the user. For example, an individual who plans for a meeting at mountain view will be informed of the same 45 minutes before the time and the factors that may delay prompt arrival such as traffic is factored (Weiss, 2013). Soccer or basketball fans that spend most of their time searching for international results have benefited from the customized features of Google now. Once every match is played and the results out, Google now sends the updated results to the users without prompts from them. This has enabled different organizations to save massive time wasted by their employees online. With prompt notification, the users can continue with other activities knowing that the results will be posted in time thus saving the time. As compared to Siri, a product that was developed and sold to Apple's iOS application, Google now is instantaneous and this makes it more economically reliable. Within a few seconds, Google now will post the results of the self-prompted search and deliver to the users (Weiss, 2014). Despite the benefits of the application, Google now has also impacted negatively on the society and businesses. With this new initiative, the number of people who will be able to share one means of transport will increase and this will positively impact on the environment. Though the technical limits of this new invention by Google has not been identified, its adoption and use in public vehicles will face significant resistance from workers unions and labor organization. As Americans continue to rely on self-driven vehicles, taxi and public transport employees will lose their jobs and this will affect its acceptability to the general public. This has the potential of causing a financial crisis as resistance and protests from labor organizations will affect other sectors of the economy (Brown, 2011).

Human rights abuses and violations of international law in Israel-Gaza Article

Human rights abuses and violations of international law in Israel-Gaza war - Article Example Israel is waging a war of self-defense against a â€Å"terrorist organization† (the Hamas authority) and, hence, is obligated to protect its security whilst meeting the â€Å"vital needs† of the civilian population of Gaza. Were these needs at odds with security, priority was to be given to security. Apparently, the Israeli Supreme Court resolved that the Gaza Strip was not occupied by Israel on the basis of the closure of Israeli military rule and the temporary existence of Israeli combatants in Gaza. Therefore, the court decided that, â€Å"Israel no longer has effective control over what takes place within the territory of the Gaza Strip† (Davis & Kirk 128) and, thus, â€Å"has no general obligation to care for the welfare of the residents of the Strip†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mukhimer 33). Basically, the court believed that the widening of the occupation to a certain territory necessitates the recognition of the right to ‘permanent presence’ of soldiers and hostile armed forces in that territory (Davis & Kirk 128-9). Such facts only show that the Israeli state is in clear violation of the legal rights of the Gaza Strip. Violation of the laws of war by the Israeli army involved drone-propelled missile assaults that took the life of several civilians. Hamas and other Palestinian militias encroached upon the laws of war through rocket-launched attacks intentionally or extensively to civilian territories in Israel (Garlasco 59). Furthermore, both Hamas and Israel keep on violating international humanitarian law. Palestinian armies have loosened up but did not cease their wholesale rocket attacks against Israel. Israel is seriously limiting the import of needed supplies for rebuilding into Gaza. After the hostilities, civilians in Gaza have been incapable of restoring their devastated houses and infrastructures. Insofar as right to self-defense is involved, the UN Charter stated that the right to self-defense is an â€Å"inherent right of [the] state† (Meloni & Tognoni

Hospitality Operations of Alltalia Airlines Research Paper

Hospitality Operations of Alltalia Airlines - Research Paper Example The management is in disarray since it cannot possibly determine the source of the problem. The company that had a capital base of more than three million dollars and over two hundred employees has now shrunk to about five jumbo jets and other smaller jets with monthly revenue of six million dollars down from the previous eleven million monthly incomes. The current revenue cannot comfortably sustain the operations of the industry a fact that has resulted in the company retrenching some of its employees. The hospitality industry has a number of challenges and requires an extremely vigilant and dynamic management to process and effect policies that counter the challenges. Some of these challenges include understanding the market. Stakeholder analysis According to Slattery (2008), no business exists in a vacuum. Before setting up a business, one must have an effective understanding of the market and the entire community. Operations in the hospitality industry have a number of smaller co mmunities that must integrate for the business to succeed. The management requires a fundamental understanding of all these communities and effective operational policies that incorporates all of them. These communities are the global community, the industry community, business community and the local community. The global community determines the scope of the business, by understanding the global community in the hospitality industry, the Alitalia airlines will determine the global destinations that have a sizable customer base and the new global destinations to introduce to make the business relevant to the market (Painter, 2012). By understanding the industry community, Alitalia airline stays conscious of its competitions. In analyzing the competition, the manager determines the weaknesses of the current existing companies and majors on their weaknesses to introduce unique products that complement the weaknesses thus grabbing the market from the previous owners. The industry also reveals the stratification of the current market. Through this, the management formulates products that target every segment of the market thus maximizing sales through an increased presence. Understanding the business community is one of the most important determiners of the success of the market. This includes having an effective human resource management. Operations in the hospitality industry rely on the human resource, the employees of the companies require effective management to ensure that there is an efficient flow of information and optimum service delivery to the customers resulting in satisfaction. The management must determine cost-effective ways of hiring the human resource and keeping them highly motivated. Alitalia is currently retrenching its employees a clear indication of the human resource management flaws (Lane, 2005).

Understanding and Teaching the Jewish Life Assignment

Understanding and Teaching the Jewish Life - Assignment Example This is why in this unit; the teacher will emphasize the importance of life events among the Jewish people. Judaism does not recognize these events as passages that are ordinary to normal human life. They are all considered extraordinary, therefore, given extraordinary methods of commemoration and remembrance (Marcus, 2013). Each lesson will take50 minutes. In order to understand one of the Jewish life cycle events, it is important to discuss what life cycle events are. This lesson will introduce the unit by first defining life cycle events, and discussing with the students to ensure that they understand. From then I can introduce the Jewish life cycle events and discuss briefly. Give a take home assignment to enhance understanding. All students are to ask their parents or guardians about any life cycle event that they may know, and the student note two or more activities that are associated with it. The delivery of a child is a wonderful event. The Jewish believe in the bible command that says, they should be â€Å"fruitful and settle the world† (Wein, 2003, p. 13). When a child is born into the world, the Jewish are happy because it is a fulfillment to God’s command. Because of this command, the Jewish have a general rule that seeing children and welcoming children to the world is a blessing. The birth of a Jewish is a national joy as well as personal satisfaction. From the knowledge of the birth of a child as a national joy and personal satisfaction, the teacher can deduce the reasons why a child is valued among the Jews. These reasons are described below, and these can be classified as personal or communal. A child is valued because: Inherent in the link are thousands of years of beliefs, practices, traditions, and a sense of humanity, which the Jewish belief and know, that it is a mission and privilege to carry. The newborn carries hope of bearing the Jewish heritage. The teacher should

Managing Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Managing Human Resources - Essay Example The most ideal course of action the Chief Human Resource Officer should take is to advice the company to delay and adjust to an elective contribution solely when the committee that oversees the 401k plan and the company as a whole does not contain material nonpublic details (Boudreau, & Ramstad, 2007). In addition, it is not apparent how tasks are distributed between the executive committee of the company and the committee that oversees the 401k plan. Therefore, the most suitable route of action that the chief human resource officer could take would be to forward the concern to both the executive committee of the company and the committee that oversees the 401k plan, to have them cooperatively reach an agreement on how to address the issue. Would doing something about it constitute insider trading? If the Chief Human Resource Officer does something about the situation, it will comprise insider trading. Insider trading refers to the act of selling and buying shares in the stocks of the company by the board of directors, management of the company, or by a holder of over 10% of the shares of the company. Company managers are permitted to trade the stocks of their company on condition that they reveal their pursuit before ten days to the end of the month within the duration the dealings take place. Nevertheless, it is unlawful for company insiders to trade on the basis of their knowledge of material company developments which have not been publicly proclaimed.

Man-made environment issue- Eutrophication Essay Example for Free

Man-made environment issue- Eutrophication Essay Eutrophication is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances to an aquatic system. (Schindler, David and Vallentyne, John R. 2004)Most people don’ t really know about it, so I’m writing this essay to tell some facts about two major causes, the bad effect in my country – China and the prevention and reversal and how can the algae be used to make more benefit to the world and people who live on it. The two major causes of eutrophication are excess nitrates and excess phosphates in water. (e-How Jul 05, 2012)Many farmers use fertilizers to make their plants grow better, but one of the most frequently-used fertilizers is the fertilizer which contain nitrates and phosphates. Once fertilizer is applied, the nitrates, which are water soluble, will leach into groundwater or erode and end up in surface runoff. Phosphates will adhere to soil articles, and often accumulate in soil and erode, along with soil, into aquatic environments. ( Smith, V. H. ; Tilman, G. D. ; Nekola, J. C. 1999. ) Meanwhile, nitrates can also vaporize into the atmosphere, where they become a major source of acid rain. When the raindrops drop into lakes or rivers and streams, there are nitrates that come into water and cause the eutrophication. The bad effect of eutrophication in China is really serious. One of the most famous ones is the Tai River blue-green algae in 2007. Because of the eruption of blue-green algae, the water can’t be used at all. It smells like something is becoming putrid. Also some algal blooms are toxic to plants and animals. It has affected the citizen’s lives; they can just drink and use the water which was brought in shops. The urgent demand of the water has caused the price of the water to became more and more expensive. (Face to the Tai River blue-green algae 2007) It has not only brought people a lot of inconvenience but it also causes ecological consequences. â€Å"The general types of ecological consequences include: reduction in biodiversity, die-off of certain organisms, reduction in visibility and mobility functions due to biotic overgrowth. † (Eutrophication December 18, 2007) Because it causes a lot of biont to die, it breaks the balance of the natural world. Once the balance is broke, it’ll take a lot of time and plenty of human interference to fix it. In addition, it also affects the pocketbook of fishermen. There was less fish so fishermen could not catch many fish. (Face to the Tai River blue-green algae 2007) Even though eutrophication is just like an evil, there are still some ways to make it better. First of all, people can solve it by using biont that can remove or eat the nitrates or algae. â€Å"One proposed solution to eutrophication in estuaries is to restore shellfish populations, such as oysters. Oyster reefs remove nitrogen from the water column and filter out suspended solids, subsequently reducing the likelihood or extent of harmful algal blooms or anoxic conditions. †(Kroeger, Timm, 2012) And some plants, such as water hyacinth, Alternanthera sessilis, Zizania aquatica and plants like them are also helpful. ( No data,2008). The second one is a future work: minimizing nonpoint pollution. People can make riparian buffer zones which are interfaces between a flowing body of water and land. Creating riparian buffer zones nearby farms and roads is an efficient way to manage the eutrophication problem goes further. ( Angold P. G. 1997) At the mean time, government can manage this problem by promulgating policy. The policy can be broken into four major sectors: technologies, public participation, economic instruments, and cooperation. Technologies include all kinds of technologies that can prevent the eutrophication or can make it within a region. (Oglesby, R. T. and Edmondson, W. T. 1966. ) For example, the treatment of sewage is one of them. Public participation is used to make sure people do something to help reverse the eutrophication so that the policy will be effective. The economic instruments are used to give incentives to those who are eco-friendly. (Planning and Management of Lakes and Reservoirs: An Integrated Approach to Eutrophication. 2000) The cooperation between different organizations is really necessary to prevent it spreading further. Lastly, sponsoring people to use algae is also a good idea. China is a good example. The supply of crabs in China is always less than demand because Chinese love eating crabs. But the same crabs in Germany were so much that cause a lot of problems. The reason is Chinese eat them but German don’t eat them. This means Chinese know how to use them, but Germans don’t. However, how to use eutrophication? I’ll talk about it in next paragraph. Although there are lots of bad effects of eutrophication, it is also possible to use the algae. First, they are used as fertilizers, soil conditioners and are a source of livestock feed. People can also eat them. â€Å"It is a complete protein with essential amino acids and it contains high amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates which provide the body with a source of additional fuel. † (Uses of Algae as Energy source, Fertilizer, 2013) From this we can see, the algae not only can be eaten but it also has a high level of nutrition. They are good for humans, animals and land. As they are crude, it won’t hurt the environment and they don’t use a lot of energy. As a result, the eutrophication also has a good aspect. To conclude, although there are a lot of causes of eutrophication, there are still ways to solve the problem. By these solutions, people can be successes in managing the eutrophication and even use it as a kind of resource. This can be helpful to the short of resources and the environment. At last, I hope after reading my essay, you can learn more about eutrophication! Reference list Angold P. G. (1997). The Impact of a Road Upon Adjacent Heathland Vegetation: Effects on Plant Species Composition. The Journal of Applied Ecology 34 (2): 409–417. Doi:10. 2307/2404886. JSTOR 2404886. [Accessed 13 April 2013] eHOW, (2012) Causes Effect of Eutrophication [online] Available at: http://www. ehow. com/info_8387377_causes-effects-eutrophication. html [Accessed 13 April 2013] Face to the Tai River blue-green algae (2007) [online] Available at: http://news. sina. com. cn/c/2007-06-11/172513203878. shtml [Accessed 13 April 2013] How to manage eutrophication (2007) [online] Available at: http://www. goootech. com/solutions/detail/73015891. html [Accessed 13 April 2013] Schindler, David and Vallentyne, John R. (2004) Over fertilization of the Worlds Freshwaters and Estuaries, University of Alberta Press, p. 1 [Accessed 13 April 2013] Uses of Algae as Energy source, Fertilizer, Food and Pollution control (2013) [online] Available at: http://www. oilgae. com/algae/use/use. html [Accessed 13 April 2013]

Six Sigma Methodology of Engine Overheating

Six Sigma Methodology of Engine Overheating Problem The Six Sigma is methodology for continuous improvement of process quality, operational excellence and minimizes defects by keeping in mind of customer requirements. The six-sigmas aim is to achieve 1.28 process capability per million opportunities in production, design of product and in administration of products. Adaptation of six sigmas in industry can lead to unrealistic improvement. In this paper the author depicts the use of six sigma methodology for eliminating an engine overheating problem in an automotive industry. Its also explores how company can use that methods and move toward six sigma quality level. The DMAIC (Define Measure Analyze Improve Control) method used by the author to solve an underlying problem for process variation and high rate of defects. After implementing this technique, the author found sand fusion and metal penetration were responsible for jamming the cylinder head. Hence implementation of method results into a reduction in the jamming problem observed in the cylinder head and increased the process capability from 0.49 to 1.28. This improvement had an significant impact on financial statement saving ($US110000 per annum). Â   Â   Process Figure 1: Process mapping for cylinder head core making In this case study the main objective was to reduce of water jacket- passage jamming in the cylinder head of an engine. This problem was tackled by six sigma DMAIC methodology. The cylinder head is the cast product used to produced high power that is produced at the bottom surface of the cylinder head and subjects to high heat and vibration. The water jacket passage is a complex passage for water circulation around the engine. The major problem was jamming the water jacket passage leading to customer dissatisfaction. The root cause of this defects has been identified as sand fusion and metal penetration during casting. Sand fusion defects are held by high temperature molten metal fuses with the mould and core. Metal penetration is due to porosity remain in the cores. Thus, it occurs in 13 location as shown in figure 2. Figure: -2 Location of water jacket jamming The main focused on the following process to enhance the customer satisfaction and reducing COPQ (cost of poor quality) from 0.194 defects per unit (DPU) to 0.029 DPU. Sand preparation Core making process Wash preparation and coating After that authors, have been used DMAIC tool to reduce defects and improve the quality of the product. Each stage of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) is explained below. Figure: -3 Five step methodology of six sigma The Define Phase: This is the first step of the DMAIC in which project goal, scope, boundaries and customer requirement are defined. The projects team member includes a champion, a black belt, a green belt and two graduate engineer. Furthermore, the team member asks certain question in charting sessions such that what is wrong in the production of the cylinder head casting? where is the problem? How big is the problem? What is the impact of the problem. The team make sure that these points should be been investigated prior the measure phase. The main goal of this projects was to reduce defects from 0.194 to 0.029 DPU, which immensely decrease in the cost of poor quality. After this the team conducting destructive test on cylinder head and identified root causes and performing brainstorming to an conclusion that the jamming was due to sand fusion and metal penetration. They also conclude that the major roots cause was the porous core. The main focused on the following process to enhance the customer satisfaction and reducing COPQ (cost of poor quality). Sand preparation Core making process Wash preparation and coating The measure phase: In this phase the teams select one or more products specification, mapping the process, making necessary dimensions and establishing a baseline of the process capability or process performance. This will identify all the value and non- value added steps, key process inputs and outputs. After mapping the process the team member proceed to analysis the causes of defects using cause and effects diagram shown in figure 4. Figure: -4 Cause and effect analysis of the porous core Table 1 Causes and effect matrix Its shows thats the process variables affecting the porous core were sand leakage, blow pressure, the AFS number of the sand, the gap in core box and vent choking. After identifying that contribution of porous core is over 80%, they create cause and effect table 1 showing customer needs with respect to process characteristic that are critical to customer. The next step was to define performance standards according to customer demands. A data collection plan has been establishing to track the project output and standard setting exercise. To identify the source of variation in the measurement system a gauge repeatability and reproducibility (RR) study was conducted. Its necessary to redesign the gauge to train operator how to use new gauge and read the gauge instrument and suitable fixtures were used to help the operator for more consistency. This system is used when there is variability less than 10% od the total process variability. This study is performed to check the accuracy of the workers operating the machine. Table 2 Result of gauge RR Study Thus, the result shows that variation is 6.08% which implies the measurement system acceptable as show in table 2. From the data Cpk value is estimated to 0.49, hence it is clearly indicated that the process performance is poor and improvement needed. The analysis phase: In this phase the first step is to gather data from the process to obtain a better picture of the depth of the porous core under different conditions. Later no the data that are factor affecting are being collected over a period of 36 days from different shits as shown in table 3. This data is further analysed to determine the relationship between process parameters direction of improvement. Table 3 Factors affecting response before improvement The passage jamming tendency relation to location is shown in the figure 5 with the help of Pareto chart. This has been drawn on the bases of day to day monitoring and recording the passage jamming at 13 location were arranged in descending order on X axis of the Pareto chart. Figure: -5 Pareto chart to show location wise jamming tendency The main aim of the project team to enhance the process capability by reducing variation in the process. A regression analysis is performed to determine the significance of process parameters. According the table 4. The variation P values less than 0.05 to 0.01 that are sand leakage, bulk density, and vent choking ratio are need to be further optimised and controlled. Table 4 Result of regression analysis for process parameters The improve phase: In this phase using three process parameters sand leakage, bulk density, and vent choking ratio are identified from the analysis phase. Sand leakage When the door half and the ram half were closely packed due to misalignment of the two halves at that time sand was coming out of the core box, after this the two halves were properly aligned and packing were used to seal any opening ends. The parameter may be varied from 10 to 30g/blow. Bulk density The required bulk density of core sand is between 1.78 and 1.95 g/cm3. To increase the bulk density iron oxide and mill scale was added, the iron oxide composition was accumulated to 3% to realize the required bulk density and to improve the high-temperature thermal properties of the core sand. Mill scale addition of 1.5 % additionally helped to extend the density and thermal conductivity of the sand. Vent choking This has been considered one of the serious problems posed by the foundry men. The resin used for the core sand blocked the gap of vent by sticking during the curing process. This results in the occurrence of porous core because from the core shooter air cannot escape out of the core box and only 30 vents were blocked out of 52 vents. Thinner was used to clean this vents. This cleaning was increased from once to twice a week during each shift break. The following steps were taken to control the process. AFS number Proper care was taken of sand so that only sand grain of 65-70 reaches the hopper of shell core machine. Blow Pressure The pressure gauge was checked to maintain blow pressure range of 4-4.5kg/cm2. Baume of wash According the specification standards (52- 56 Be) the was regularly checked. Fin thickness Using corrective maintenance, the fine thickness of range 0-0.85 was brought. Design of experiment (DoE) was conducted using three process and each process was studied at different levels. To have sufficient degree of freedom each trial condition was replicated as shown table 5 the results of the experiments shown average depth of porous core. Hence, the average depth of porous core was 1.25mm. The figure 6, 7 depicts the main effect plot and the interaction plots to relate this it was decided to construct a normal probability plot of effects. Figure shows 6 the main effects were statically significant at 10% level as well as figure 7 suggest light interaction between vent chocking and sand leakage. From figure 6 it seen that the optimum level of the process parameters for minizine all three defect. Thus, the average depth of the porous was computed to be 0. 80mm. Hence, process capability was improved from 0.49 to 1.28. Table 5 Result of full factorial experiment Figure: 6 Main effect plot for the depth of the porous core Figure: 7 Interaction plot showing the interactions among the process parameters The control phase: In this phase the extensive programme was conducted for the case study. Process sheets and control charts were made to take preventive action before the process went outside of control limits. A complete data base was prepared and proper monitoring of process help to detect and correct the signals before they result into customer dissatisfaction. run charts for the depth of porous core were drawn before and after improvements. The purpose of the run charts was to analyse variability in the porous core. Figure 8, 9 shows all the point are in the specification and that variability in the porous has been reduced. Figure: 8 Run chart for the porous core before improvement LSL, Lower specification limit, USL, Upper specification limit. Figure: -9 Run chart depth of core after improvement Table 6 Comparison before and after improvement based on key metrics As shown in table 10 the comparison before and after improvement the depth of porous and various systems has been improved and control by six sigma. If I were the project leader: In this case study, Brainstorming 5 why SIPOC 5S I would like to use all tools. In first step when team is made, it made by only team member so I would like to take one or two members from outside the plants and who are not from this field. By doing this there may be chance to get different ideas from them. Here author did detail study of whole process and found the reasons of problem and best possible solutions. After collecting data, I would suggest team members to find root causes by doing brain storming and also using Ishikawa Diagram. One the other important tool that authors didnt use that should be used is VSM (value stream map) through which we can easily find bottleneck of the process. I would also have used Poka -Yoke (error proofing) tool to easily find error and controlled production of incorrect parts. Just to apply Six sigma is not sufficient to improve process of product but also maintain the quality is one of the important things in any industry. So if I were the in charge of the project I would suggest to sustain the improvements and motivate team to find more better ways of handling problems.

Marketing Activities To Affect The Potential Buyer Influences Marketing Essay

Marketing Activities To Affect The Potential Buyer Influences Marketing Essay This assignment will be addressing the issues faced by a company operating in the highly competitive sportswear market in the United Kingdom. The issues presented in the assignment will be discussed in relation with the changing nature of consumer behaviour. Firstly, it is vital to analyse the current position of the company as follows. SOLE-RUN Sole-Run is a company operating in sportswear market in the United Kingdom specialising in football boots. It is said that the firm has entered the sportswear market at a quite late stage of the market development which can be assumed to be at a stage where the market was maturing with high competition from the market leaders like Adidas and Nike. However, Sole-Run was able to capture 12% of the market share despite not having either the production capacity or the financial budgets to compete with such market leaders. On the other hand, it is said that fashionable trainers remain as the largest single part of the sports footwear market. While it was found that customers valued comfort and did not want to pay high price research findings also showed that low-to medium priced trainers provided the same levels of comfort as high priced trainers where paying a higher price for trainers did not ensure a higher quality or a higher level of comfort. Sole-Run is currently facing difficulties in increasing its sales despite the high potential market for trainers as consumers are buying trainers as a piece of fashionable clothing as well as for sports especially among the teenagers and older people with high disposable income. SPORTS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR In order to identify as how Sole-Run can influence the consumer purchase it is essential to understand the consumer behaviour of this particular market. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2010) consumer buying behaviour is the individual purchasing or consuming decision of an individual or household and whoever buys goods and services for personal consumption. Sports consumer behaviour is the process involved when individuals select, purchase, use, and dispose of sport related products and services to satisfy needs and receive benefits (Funk, 2008). This process is created by a desire to seek sports consumption experiences that provides benefits and satisfy needs (Funk, 2008). TASK 1- BUYER INFLUENCE AND PURCHASING PROCESS 1.1 WHAT IS BUYER INFLUENCE? Buyer influences will affect the degree of motivation in consumers to make purchasing decisions. On the other hand the level of involvement in sports will also affect the decision making. It is important for Sole-Rune to understand the consumers buying behaviour when designing a marketing strategy for its sports-fashion wear trainers or any other sports related products. Involvement involves represent a state of motivation with regard to a product, an activity, or an object (Rothschild, 1984). This state of motivation reflects the level of arousal, interest, or drive evoked by a particular sports stimuli or situation that influences consumer behaviour (Mitchelle, 1979). 1.2. INTERNAL INFLUENCES Generally consumer behaviour can be influenced by factors such as motivation, learning and perception which are known as internal factors. Also called as personal factors these gives the ability for the consumer to directly benefit from the product. 1.3. EXTERNAL INFLUENCES Social norms are a prominent external factor influencing consumer buyer behaviour. As pointed out by Kotler and Armstrong (2010) consumer purchases are influenced by forces such as social, cultural, individual and psychological. Cultural characteristics consists of the set of basic values, perceptions, wants and behaviours learned by an individual from being a member of a society. In this context Sole-Run will have to identify the cultural characteristics of the potential British based consumers who tend to be highly fashion conscious. Social characteristics on the other hand consists of social factors such as the targeted consumers relation to small groups, family and social roles. Individual characteristics can be regarded as the consumers age, economic situations and occupation. Psychological factors consist of the motivation, perception and beliefs and attitudes of the targeted potential consumers. Here it is evident that the targeted consumers for the sports-fashion trainers come from social groups which consist of individual characters of fashion conscious teenagers and old consumers who have high disposable income. 1.4. MARKETING ACTIVITIES TO AFFECT THE POTENTIAL BUYER INFLUENCES According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), marketing can be defined as a managerial process whereby you indentify, anticipate and satisfy customer needs and wants for a profit. In order to come up with marketing strategies that will affect potential buyer influences, it is vital that Sole-Run have a better understanding on the consumers decision making as this will not only increase consumer demand but will also help to sustain its demand. While Sole-Run should identify properly its market segments in order to design targeted marketing activities, it is said that the teenagers and older people with high disposable income are the highest consumer purchasers in the sports-fashion trainers market. On the other hand, it is also found through research that consumers do not wish to pay high prices for trainers while seeking for comfort. As it is said that Sole-Run does not possess adequate financial budgets, it is evident that Sole-Run cannot invest on large scale nationwide marketing activities by advertising on mass media such as television and on radio to influence potential buyers. The starting point of Sole-Run can be to influence the potential consumers by providing information about its sports-fashion wear trainers consisting of the marketing mix in other words, the product, price, place of availability and promotions. This information will lead the potential observable buyers to respond to product choice, brand choice, dealer choice, purchasing timing and amount. It is said that sports events play a significant role in a communitys marketing and branding strategy (Higham Hinch, 2003). Hence Sole-Run can target more local or regional sports events which are less costly in terms of marketing budget compared to national events. Sole-Run can have special promotions in its outlets for the first time buyers. Also, by having direct marketing campaigns online which is less costly and highly effective compared to television or radio advertisement, the company can easily target the technology savvy teenagers such as by uploading videos on YouTube, and creating pages on popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter encouraging them to comment and give their opinions on the trainers perhaps with special discount codes online which the potential buyers can redeem when purchasing in-store. On the other hand Sole-Run will be encouraging interactive marketing online where consumers will start conversation online about the Sole-Run trainers creating positive network influence for the company among others targeted consumers. On the other hand, in order to target the older consumers who has high disposable income, Sole-Run can advertise on sports related magazines and financial newspapers which are read by these targeted consumers and sponsor events created by sports clubs where these potential consumers can be found. TASK 2 ROGERS DIFFUSION CURVE AND ADOPTION MODEL 2.1. ROGERS DIFFUSION CURVE- Predicting buyer behaviour becomes particularly important with innovations and is particularly important in decisions concerning new product developments. Rogers (1962) attempted differentiate consumers according to their response to innovative products and identified five types of consumers based on the idea that certain individuals are inevitably more open to adaptation than others. These consumers were categorised as follows; 1. Innovators- brave consumers pulling the change and are very important communication mechanisms 2. Early adopters repectable people, opinion leaders, try out new ideas but in a careful way than innovators. 3. Early majority thoughtful people, careful but accept change more quickly than average people do 4. Late majority- sceptic people who will use new ideas and products only when the majority is using 5. Laggards traditional people who love to stick to the old ways and are critical about new ideas ad will only accept it if the new idea has become mainstream or even tradition. The research focus of diffusion has five elements which are; 1. characteristics of an innovation which may influence its adoption 2.decision making process that occurs when individuals consider to adopt a new idea, product or practice 3. characteristics of individuals that make them likely to adopt and innovation 4. consequences for individuals and society for adopting an innovation and 5. communication channels used in the adoption process (Kotler, 2010) According to this theory, the innovators and early majority comprise an estimated 15% of the population and are regarded as important as opinion leaders in the diffusion curve. Another important implication which this theory provides is that it is of no use of convincing the mass market in one go at the very beginning spending heavily on marketing and advertising. Thus the implication this provides for firms like Sole-Run is to establish the characteristics of the first two types of groups in other words, the innovators and the early adopters and to focus the marketing communication accordingly as according to this process there is always some consumers who would like to take risk and purchase the new products. This model shows the diffusion of new products as a chain reaction on influence between pioneering consumers and the mass market. 2.2. ADOPTION PROCESS MODEL The adoption model which is also called the AIETA model will help Sole-Run to identify the new product adoption process of consumers within the sports-fashion trainer market. This model suggests on how to help consumers move through the stages of purchasing especially new products. Adoption normally in this context applies to the new products. Kotler and Armstrong (2010) defined the adoption process as the mental process though which an individual passes from first learning about an innovation to final adoption. Consumers before purchasing new products will go through a five stage process which if successful will lead to adoption of products where adoption is the decision by an individual consumer to become a regular user of the product. 1. Attention also known as awareness is where the consumer becomes aware of the new product but lacks information about it. 2. Interest in this stage the consumer will seek information about the new product 3. Evaluation with the information the consumer received the consumer will consider whether or not to try the product 4. Trial here the consumer tries the product for the first time to improve the estimate of its value 5. Adoption finally the consumer decides to make full and regular use of the new product According to this model, adoption comes at the end of the process through which an individual consumer may go from initial awareness through to adoption at which point the consumer becomes a regular user of the product. Here, Sole-Run should identify the product characteristics that will affect the readiness of the targeted potential consumers to adopt the product in other words the unique characteristics of its sports-fashions trainers. The product characteristics would include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, divisibility, and communicability. On the other hand the product characteristics would not include the other aspects of the marketing mix such as price and promotions though these may also affect the rate of consumer adoption. TASK 3- EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION TO INFLUENCE FIRST BUYERS It is essential that Sole-Run pleases the initial buyers of its trainers by providing right information with effective communication that will lead to make a purchase as they will in-turn influence many subsequent customers brand choices. This can be especially true among the targeted market of teenagers due to network externalities. 3.1. THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS Before purchasing a product, consumers generally go through a process called the decision making process which needs to be identified by Sole-Run in order to come up with a better communication strategy especially for the first time buyers as the decision making process can be influenced by the personal, social, cultural and psychological factors as well as by the marketing mix variables and situational factors. 1. Need recognition this is the first stage of the buyer decision process where the consumers recognise a need or identify a problem. This can be triggered by internal or external stimuli. 2. Search for information in this stage the consumer is aroused to search for more information where the consumers will tend to obtain information from various sources such as personal through family and friends, commercial advertisements, mass media, and experiential sources. 3. Evaluation of alternatives here the consumers will use information gathered to evaluate between alternative brands in among the chosen ones. 4. Purchase decision the consumers decisions about which brand to purchase will be made at theis stage. However, two factors can come in-between the purchase intention and the actual purchase decision. The first being the attitude of others such as friends and family, and the other being unexpected situational factors such as sudden economic downturns. 5. Post purchase evaluation the final stage of the buyer decision process in which consumers take further action after purchase based on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. If the product is not up to the expected standards of the consumer than cognitive dissonance may occur. The decision making process shows that the buying process clearly starts long before the actual purchase and continues long after that where Sole-Run will need to focus on the entire buying process rather than focusing on just the purchasing decision when coming up with communication strategies to influence first time buyers. 3.2. THE DECISION MAKING UNIT On the other hand, many decisions consumers make had been either made for example in the case of youngsters or influenced by one or more parties. This is collectively known as the decision making unit which consist of 5 different roles of people consisting of an initiator, influencer, decider, financier, buyer and user. Initiators are those who initiate the idea of making the purchasing decision where influencers are the people who, because of their expertise, set the specification of what is to be bought. On the other hand, deciders are those who make the actual buying decision with financiers making the purchase, and buyers processing the purchase orders and users actually using the product bought. While there can be few people playing different roles in the buyer process as well as none among a particular consumer, it is essential that Sole-Run communicate the right information and provides the expected value to the consumers who are first time buyers. 3.3. INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION As identified above the different kinds of information that are needed to influence the first time buyers as well as the people who will affect the purchasing decision of consumers, Sole-Run can adopt a intergrated marketing communication strategy where through different communication channels the company can effectively target each personnel involved in the decision making unit while providing the information for the decision making process of the targeted consumers. Thus, this marketing communication strategy will allow Sole-Run to have individual personalised and tailor made communication among the targeted consumer groups. TASK 4- CUSTOMER ATTRACTION AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY 4.1. DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH CUSTOMERS DEFECTING FROM ANOTHER BRAND TO THE SOLE-RUN BRAND Sole-Run should take into account the type of buying behaviour of its targeted market as this highly affects the marketing mix decisions. On the other hand the buyer behaviour differs greatly for different types of products and services. The psychological theories of buyer behaviour differentiate consumer behaviour emphasising the environment which is the behavioural approach and the consumer behaviour emphasising mental processes called as cognitive approach. Mainly, there are four types of buying behaviour based on a buyers involvement and the perceived differences among brands. 1. Complex buying is where the level of involvement is high with high degree of perceived difference among brands. While this behaviour is tend to be cognitive in nature the involvement arises from uncertainty of product quality, high price, and personal factors such as self image, value and needs. 2. Dissonance buying which high in involvement and low in perceived brand difference tends to be cognitive and behavioural in nature mainly associated with risky, infrequent and expensive purchasing. 3. Habitual buying has a low consumer involvement with little brand difference and less price sensitive. This tends to be more of behavioural. 4. Variety seeking which is more cognitive has a low involvement purchase but significant difference in brands. In this situation consumers, if curious about a new brand or dissatisfied with the product choice, will engage in switching to another brand easily. The differences of buyer behaviour will largely reflect on the information and communication needs of potential buyers and the best means, in each case, of meeting these needs with respect to communicated messages and media by Sole-Run. According to the types of buyer behaviour, it can be said that purchases with regards to sports-fashion wear tends to be more variety seeking where customer are highly attached to a brands perceived difference. Thus in order to get consumers using brands such as Nike or Adidas to purchase Sole-Run, the company should create a unique selling proposition targeting comfort of the trainers and positioning as a brand which provides the same comfort level as the premium brands but for a much low price. This can be done through means of proper marketing communication strategies which will help consumers differentiate the brand as opposed to competitor brands employing more cognitive approaches to its marketing and advertising. Hence, Sole-Run should also draw strategies to retain these customers by offering better service for the value. 4.2. RETRAINING CUSTOMERS THROUGH CUSTOMER LOYALTY After successfully attracting customers to purchase Sole-Runs sports-fashion trainers, the company should also then put efforts for retraining the customers with differentiated marketing strategies. Sole-Run can develop loyal customers if the company is able to successfully influence the variety seeking consumers in the market to purchase its brand and to become habitual buyers by positioning itself in the consumers mind through means of effective marketing communication as then the customers will addicted to buy trainers from the brand Sole-Run. This can be done through marketing strategies that passively communicates information as they watch television or surf the internet where unconscious advertising repetition will create familiarity, which often translates into a brand purchase when the consumer in deciding which brand to buy (Ali Gomez, 2009). As this is pure behavioural decision making, Sole-Run can focus its advertising on classical conditioning in which the potential buyers can identify the products by a single symbol repeatedly attached to it (Ali Gomez, 2009). Thus, this will not only help Sole-Run to increase sales from its loyal consumers but will also help to g ain market share in the largest market. In order to retrain its loyal customers Sole Run should mainly engage in customer relationship marketing as research has found that it is five times costlier to attract a new customer than maintaining an existing customer and loyal customers mean repeat purchases. Thus loyal customers are a powerful source of marketing the companys brand identity through recommendations and word of mouth especially within the target market of teenagers creating positive impact of the brand Sole-Run. Although relationship marketing does not correspond to a specific set of techniques it does emphasise the need to build a continuous, strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the buyers and Sole-Run which is maintained even in periods that any purchase is not in the process. Further, through loyalty marketing, Sole-Run can also increase customers life time value in the long run as it is said that especially teenagers purchase trainers to match their clothing and outfits and if they become habitual buyers of Sole-Run they will be stick to the brand throughout their life as a partner. CONCLUSION It was identified that although Sole-Run entered the sportswear market at a later stage, there is a high market potential in the sports-fashion trainers with the increase of purchase by teenagers and consumers with high disposable income. Hence it is recommended that in order to increase its market share in the highly competitive industry, Sole-Run should also target the sports-fashion trainers market with a right marketing and communication strategy. Given the research findings that consumers do not wish to pay premium prices for trainers, Sole-Run can position its trainers as providing the same comfort level the consumers expect for a lower price than of the market leaders. This will in-turn help Sole-Run not only to increase its sales in the trainers but also its overall market share in the industry by capturing the largest market in sportswear.

Julius Lester Essay examples -- Children Literature African American E

Julius Lester Julius Lester is an African American Jewish Professor at UMass-Amherst who writes children's books along with teaching classes in departments of Judaic Studies, History and Literature. Before Julius was a professor at UMass-Amherst; he was a graduate of Fisk University in 1960, where he began as a professional musician and singer. He then furthered his career to direct the Newport Folk Festival and then went on to host a live radio show. Presently, Julius is known as "foremost among black writers who produce their work from a position of historical strengths." Julius writes children's books to teach moral and political values. In many of his books, he uses African American characters to relate back to the days of slavery. For example in his book; John Henry, he uses an African American character and ,makes him into a hero. The character in the book is able to break through a cave faster than a machine which symbolizes strength and courage among the African American race. In Les ter's book, How Many Spots Does A Leopard Have?, he uses n...

Birth Control :: Contraceptives, Birth Control Essays

Birth Control Birth control has been a topic affecting women’s and men’s health, religion, sexuality and peace of mind for many years. Let me start with the history of birth control. A variety of birth control methods have been used throughout history and across cultures. In ancient Egypt women used dried crocodile dung and honey as vaginal suppositories to prevent pregnancy. One of the earliest mentions of contraceptive vaginal suppositories appears in the Ebers Medical Papyrus, a medical guide written between 1550 and 1500 BC. The guide suggests that a fiber tampon moistened with an herbal mixture of acacia, dates, colocynth, and honey would prevent pregnancy. The fermentation of this mixture can result in the production of lactic acid, which today is recognized as a spermicidal (New Internationalist). Before the introduction of the modern birth control pill, women ate or drank various substances to prevent pregnancy or induce miscarriage. However, such folk remedies can be dangero us or even fatal. In the last 4,000 years, we've come a long way toward safe and effective methods for contraception. Women don't have to drink poisonous teas as they did in the middle ages. They don't have to risk their health with painful douches as they did in Victorian Age. Men don't have to paint their penises with pitch as they did in Egypt, heat their testicles as they did in Rome, or cut openings in the base of their penises to spill semen outside of the vagina during ejaculation as they still do in Australia (Riddle). Women and men don't have to abstain from sex for fear of having more children than they can afford or of endangering a woman's health with a high-risk pregnancy. A lot less has changed in the last fifty years. In the 1950s, only one out of eight couples in the world used a safe and effective method of family planning. Today more two out of eight couples rely on modern methods of birth control to maintain the health and well-being of their families (Speroff). Margaret Sanger, an American nurse, pioneered the modern birth control movement in the United States. In 1912 she began publishing information about women’s reproductive concerns through magazine articles, pamphlets, and several books. In 1914 Sanger was charged with violation of the Comstock Law, federal legislation passed in 1873 prohibiting the mailing of obscene material including information about birth control and contraceptive devices.

Non Hormonal Methods Of Contraception Health And Social Care Essay

The planetary human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) pandemic is progressively going a load of the female population. HIV is preponderantly acquired through heterosexual transmittal and in many parts of the universe, HIV prevalence and incidence rates are higher among adult females than work forces ( Daly et al 1994 ) . At the terminal of 2007, an estimated 15.4 million adult females were infected with HIV, most of them being of fertile age ( Heikinheimo and Lahteenmaki 2008 ) . Importantly, immature adult females aged 15-24 have a 4- to 7-fold increased hazard of going infected with HIV, when compared with immature work forces of the same age ( Simon et al. , 2006 ) . The demographics and paths of infection vary harmonizing to the stage of the HIV epidemic ( Beyrer, 2007 ) . Womans with HIV infection may wish to be after gestation to restrict their household or avoid gestation. The pick of contraceptive method in people populating with HIV is constrained by the demand to forestall bot h sexual transmittal of HIV and unwanted gestations. Correct usage of most user dependant methods requires a basic cognition of reproduction and literacy accomplishments to follow written instructions. Double map preventives that at the same time prevent HIV transmittal every bit good as unwanted gestations might be the most appropriate prophylactic method for adult females populating with HIV and AIDS ( Kakaire et al, 2010 ) .Main BodyThe human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) is a retrovirus belonging to the household of lentiviruses. Retroviruss can utilize their RNA and host Deoxyribonucleic acid to do viral DNA and are known for their long incubation periods. Like other retroviruses, HIV infects the organic structure, has a long incubation period or clinical latency, and finally causes the marks and symptoms of disease. HIV causes terrible harm to the immune system and finally destroys it by utilizing the Deoxyribonucleic acid of CD4+ cells to retroflex itself. In that procedure, the virus finally destroys the CD4+ cells ( Calles et al. 2010 ) . There are two types of human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV-1 and HIV-2 ) , which each evolved from a different simian immunodeficiency virus ( SIV ) . Both viruses emerged in the late twentieth century. In contrast to the SIV ‘s, which appear non to harm their natural archpriest hosts. HIV infection amendss the immune system, go forthing the organic structure susceptible to infection with a broad scope of bacteriums, viruses, Fungis, and Protozoa ( Calles et al. 2010 ) . Surveies have shown dramatic similarities but besides of import differences between HIV-1 and HIV-2. They have the same manners of transmittal and are associated with the same timeserving infections, but HIV-2appears to come on at a slower rate ( CDC ) . HIV-1 is much more prevailing than HIV-2. It is HIV-1 that is mostly responsible for the AIDS pandemic, while HIV-2 is chiefly restricted to West Africa. Now, in each twelvemonth of the early twenty-first century there are about 5 million new HIV infections, and about 3 million deceases from AIDS, which has become the 4th biggest cause of mortality in the universe ( Carter and Saunders 2007 ) . HIV-1 infection is characterized by an insidious impairment of the cellular immune system ( Vergis and Mellors 2000 ) . Both the measure and proportion of plasma CD4+ T-cells lessening steadily over a period of old ages to decennaries, and this progressive loss of CD4+ T-cells is associated with the development of AIDS in septic persons. The grade of immunodeficiency associated with HIV-1 infection, as defined by the oncoming of timeserving diseases, correlatives closely with plasma CD4+ T-cell counts ( Calles et al. 2010 ) . HIV ‘s Life Cycle Host cells infected with HIV have a sawed-off life span as a consequence of the virus ‘s utilizing them as â€Å" mills † to bring forth multiple transcripts of new HIV. Thus, HIV continuously uses new host cells to retroflex itself. Equally many as 10 million to 10 billion virions ( single viruses ) are produced day-to-day. In the first 24 H after exposure, HIV onslaughts or is captured by dendritic cells in the mucose membranes and tegument. Within 5 yearss after exposure, these septic cells make their manner to the lymph nodes and finally to the peripheral blood, where viral reproduction becomes rapid. CD4+ lymphocytes that are recruited to react to viral antigen migrate to the lymph nodes. These become activated and so proliferate via complex interaction of cytokines released in the microenvironment of the lymph nodes. This sequence of events makes the CD4+ cells more susceptible to HIV infection, and it explains the generalised lymphadenopath y feature of the acute retroviral syndrome seen in grownups and striplings. In contrast, HIV-infected monocytes allow viral reproduction but resist violent death. Therefore, monocytes act as reservoirs of HIV and as effecters of tissue harm in variety meats such as the encephalon ( Calles et al. 2010 ) . The HIV life rhythm includes six stages harmonizing to Calles et Al. ( 2010 ) binding and entry, rearward written text, integrating, reproduction, budding, and ripening ( Figure 1. Appendix 2. ) . Binding and Entry, the envelope proteins gp120 and gp41 bind to CD4+ cell receptors and co-receptors on the exterior of CD4+ cells and macrophages. The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 facilitate viral entry. T-cell tropic viruses require CXCR4 to adhere, and macrotropic strains of the virus require CCR5. R5 is the most common virus transmitted during acute infection, and subsequently during infection X4 is the virus that is most common. The presence of a homozygous inactive mutant of the CCR5 allelomorph has caused opposition to infection by the R5 virus. The connection of the proteins and the receptors and co-receptors fuses the HIV membrane with the CD4+ cell membrane, and the virus enters the CD4+ cell and macrophage. The HIV membrane and the envelope proteins remain outside of the CD 4+ cell, whereas the nucleus of the virus enters the CD4+ cell. CD4+ cell enzymes interact with the viral nucleus and excite the release of viral RNA and the viral enzymes rearward RNA polymerase, integrase, and peptidase. The HIV RNA must be converted to DNA before it can be incorporated into the Deoxyribonucleic acid of the CD4+ cell. This incorporation must happen for the virus to multiply. The transition of HIV RNA to DNA is known as contrary written text and is mediated by the HIV enzyme contrary RNA polymerase. The consequence is the production of a individual strand of Deoxyribonucleic acid from the viral RNA. The individual strand of this new DNA so undergoes reproduction into dual isolated HIV DNA. Once rearward written text has occurred, the viral DNA can come in the karyon of the CD4+ cell. The viral enzyme integrase so inserts the viral DNA into the CD4+ cell ‘s Deoxyribonucleic acid. This procedure is known as integrating. The CD4+ cell has now been changed into a mill used to bring forth more HIV. The new DNA, which has been formed by the integrating of the viral DNA into the CD4+ cell, causes the production of courier Deoxyribonucleic acid that initiates the synthesis of HIV protei ns ( Calles et al. 2010 ) . The HIV proteins and viral RNA, all the constituents needed to do a new virus, gather at the CD4+ cell membrane to organize new viruses. These new viruses push through the different parts of the cell wall by budding. Many viruses can force through the wall of one CD4+ cell. These new viruses leave the CD4+ cell and contain all the constituents necessary to infect other CD4+ cells. The new virus has all the constituents necessary to infect other CD4+ cells but can non make so until it has matured. During this procedure, the HIV peptidase enzyme cuts the long HIV proteins of the virus into smaller functional units that so reassemble to organize a mature virus. The virus undergone the procedure of ripening and is now ready to infect other cells ( Calles et al. 2010 ) . Safe and effectual methods of contraceptive method represent a critical constituent of preventative wellness attention cut downing maternal and infant mortality ; particularly in adult females populating in resource-limited scenes ( Zdenek et al. 2010 ) here is broad fluctuation in contraceptive method prevalence worldwide runing from 8 % of adult females aged 15-49 old ages in western Africa up to 78 % in northern Europe. Female sterilization ( 32 % ) , intrauterine devices ( 22 % ) , and the unwritten preventive pill ( 14 % ) history for more than two tierces of all prophylactic pattern worldwide.4 In less developed states 70 % of contraceptive method users rely on female sterilization and intrauterine devices in portion because they are advocated by health care services as a consequence of cost effectivity in footings of gestation bar and service proviso ( UNPD, 2001 ) . Non-Hormonal Methods of Contraception A high grade of protection against HIV sexual transmittal is provided by consistent correct rubber usage ( Davis and Weller 1999 ) ; inconsistent or incorrect usage is non protective. Most planetary HIV transmittal occurs because rubbers are non used at all during sexual intercourse ( Steiner and Cates 1999 ) .Condom accidents are reported by 1-12 % of users and the method prophylactic failure rate is at least 12 % ( Trussel et al. 1992 ) . Double protection, the coincident usage of an effectual contraceptive method method with consistent rubber usage, has been advocated to cut down the hazard of unplanned gestation, horizontal transmittal of HIV to a non-infected spouse, transmittal of immune virus to an spouse with HIV infection, and the hazard of acquisition of other STIs including high hazard human papillomavirus ( HPV ) types ( UNDP/UNFPA/WHO 2002 ) . Male rubbers are the lone means proven to significantly cut down the hazard of HIV transmittal in heterosexual intercourse ( Cates 2005 ) . Harmonizing to a recent Cochrane reappraisal, consistent usage of male rubbers consequences in 80 % decrease in the hazard of HIV transmittal among HIV-serodiscordant twosomes ( Weller and Davis-Beaty, 2002 ) .The female rubber is a polyurethane sheath with two flexible rings at each terminal ; one ring is inserted into the upper vagina and the other covers the introitus. The female rubber is less likely than male rubbers to leak or interrupt during sex, but invasion of the outer pealing into the vagina is reported in 2 % of copulatory episodes. The cumulative chance of vaginal exposure to seeds with female rubber usage has been estimated as 3 % , compared to 11.6 % with the male rubber. The prophylactic failure rate is estimated at 5-21 % over 12 months ( Daly et al. 1994 ) . Consistent usage of rubber was associated with holding one spouse, greater income, no illicit drug usage and when rubbers were the lone preventive method used ( Wilson et al. 1999 ) .Women who besides use, effectual or long term methods of contraceptive method are less likely to describe consistent rubber usage ( Magalhaes et al. 2002 ) . Condom usage is besides related to whether the adult female has informed her spouse of her position ( DesgreA?es-du-LouE†  et al. 2002 ) less consistent usage is reported by concordant twosomes ( Clark et al. 1997 ) , even within discordant partnerships consistent rubber usage is reported by merely about 50 % twosomes ( Allen et al. 2003 ) .Obstacles to greater usage of male rubbers include deficiency of handiness, fright of being perceived as holding multiple spouses and being unfaithful to a regular spouse, resistance on spiritual evidences, and male laterality in determination devising ( UNDP/UNFPA/WHO, 2002 ) . Women populating with HIV inf ection may experience unable to unwrap their HIV position and negotiate rubber usage with new sexual spouses for fright of forsaking, domestic force, loss of economic support, and societal isolation. The issues around female rubber usage are besides negociating barrier method usage, ( Kalichman et al.2000 ) method acceptableness by users, and higher cost compared with the male rubber. The WHO audience on reuse suggested that female rubbers still run into fabrication quality appraisal specifications after seven rhythms of bleach disinfections, rinsing, drying, and relubrication. This protocol has non been evaluated for safety and efficaciousness in human usage and the WHO does non urge or advance reuse of female rubbers and is presently patronizing research to measure reuse protocols under local conditions ( WHO, 2002 ) . Furthermore, stop and vimules cover the neck and parts of the vaginal wall, while caps cover merely the neck. Their usage in discordant twosomes is non recommended, as a comparatively big country of vaginal mucous membrane remains exposed, micro injury during interpolation, and the accompaniment usage of nonoxynol-9 spermatocide may do epithelial break and increase viral transmittal hazard to the male spouse ( Carlin and Boag 1995 ) . Nonoxynol-9 ( N-9 ) spermatocide provides no protection against sexually familial infections including HIV ( Wilkinson et al. 2002 ) and frequent usage increases the hazard of HIV acquisition ( Van Damme et Al. 2002 ) . WHO Contraceptive Research and Development ( CONRAD ) proficient audience concluded that N-9 should non be used or promoted for the bar of HIV in adult females at high hazard of infection ( WHO 2001 ) . There are no published surveies on the female-male transmittal hazard with N-9 usage by adult females with HIV infection. It seems advis able for adult females with HIV infection with discordant sexual spouse to avoid N-9 spermicidal entirely or with other prophylactic methods to cut down the possible hazard of HIV sexual transmittal. There is no grounds that rubbers lubricated with N-9 are more effectual in forestalling gestation than rubbers lubricated with silicone. However, where pick is limited it is better to utilize any rubber than no rubber at all. In the hereafter, effectual and acceptable micro biocides may hold a function, supplying HIV positive adult females unable to negociate consistent rubber usage with a discordant spouse with an extra method to cut down sexual transmittal. HORMONAL METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION The combined unwritten preventive ( COC ) pill is an effectual user dependent contraceptive method with the non-contraceptive benefits of rhythm control, decrease in hypermenorrhea and dysmenorrhoea. Absorption can be affected by drawn-out intercurrent diarrhea and emesis. The COC is metabolised by the liver and its usage is contraindicated in adult females with unnatural liver map, which may be caused by intoxicant maltreatment, ague or chronic viral hepatitis, and inauspicious events on antiretroviral combinations. These factors are peculiarly relevant when doing contraceptive method picks for HIV positive adult females who are current or old shooting drug users with chronic active hepatitis C infection. Current drug users frequently have a helter-skelter life style that precludes effectual usage of user dependent contraceptive method methods ( Mitchell and Stephens, 2004 ) . Progestogen ( POP ) merely pills methods may be used by adult females with contraindications to estrogen usage. The POP is an effectual preventive method with right and consistent usage ; ovulation is non inhibited in all users, and inconsistent usage can ensue in gestation. A new progestin merely pill, Cerazette, which contains 75 milligram desogestrel, has late been introduced. In surveies Cerazette inhibited ovulation in97 % of rhythms at 7 and 12 months after induction ; this would propose enhanced efficaciousness in comparing with conventional POPs, though as yet unconfirmed by comparative tests ( Mitchelle and Stephens, 2004 ) . Under the long playing progestin merely contraceptive method, depot Provera ethanoate ( DMPA ) 150 milligram is given by deep intramuscular injection at 12 hebdomadal intervals and norethisterone oenanthate ( Noristerat ) 200 mg every8 hebdomads. These methods have the advantage of non being intercourse related but require regular entree to wellness attention for repetition injections. Likewise, implants need to be inserted by a trained wellness professional. Implanon is effectual for 3 old ages, and Jadelle for 5 old ages ( non licensed in the United Kingdom ) ; both are extremely effectual, non-user dependant, and reversible methods of progestin merely contraceptive method. Harmonizing to Mitchell and Stephens ( 2004 ) , factors impacting contraceptive method pick for HIV positive adult females are influence by the state of abode, the handiness of methods, entree to healthcare services, and cost.Religious, cultural, and personal beliefs of the function of adult female in society, acceptableness to spouse, effects on menses. Subsequent is the HIV position of adult female that involves the CD4 count, viral burden and physical well-being. Furthermore HIV serostatus, indefinite spouse concordant and discordant. Then catamenial, sexual, and generative history consist of hypermenorrhea, dysmenorrhoea, past pelvic infection, past ectopic gestation, gestation planning. In add-on the medical history findings like unnatural liver map, past history of venous thromboembolic disease, high blood pressure, lipemia, and current drug maltreatment. Finally the medicines causes such as, enzyme inducers, antibiotics, teratogenic agents. In the survey of ‘contraception among individuals populating HIV with infection go toing an HIV attention and support Centre in Kabale, Uganda ‘ by Kakaire et Al. ( 2010 ) shows that factors independently associated with prophylactic usage were degree of instruction and whether respondent has changed spouses since HIV diagnosing. Contraception usage and conformity is related to the scope of methods available, patient pick, prevailing wellness and spiritual beliefs, perceptual experiences of method effectivity, and side effects ( for illustration, adult females may hold less tolerance for heavy and drawn-out vaginal hemorrhage than amenorrhea ( Playle 2000 ) . Correct usage of most user dependant methods requires a basic cognition of reproduction and literacy accomplishments to follow written instructions. In Gazmararian et Al, ( 1999 ) many states adult females are unable to do independent determinations about their sexual and generative wellness because of political inst ability within society, deficiency of economic independency, and predominating cultural or spiritual attitudes to adult females ‘s rights. The Government ‘s 2001 National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV outlined policies to cut down degrees of insecure sex, new HIV diagnosings, and undiagnosed HIV by 2007, via puting in bar, bettering outreach services, co-ordinating enterprises and widening information runs. A cardinal mark for a 25 % lessening in freshly acquired HIV infections by 2007 was non met ; new diagnosings have increased significantly. The US Department of Health ( 2009 ) argues that other marks were achieved ; HIV proving increased and clinic waiting times declined. A policy briefing high spots the crisis in presenting just wellness attention for people populating with HIV and AIDS, and the overpowering load it places on adult females and misss. HIV and AIDS have brought an increased demand for community and home-based attention. Due to traditional gender norms and unequal gender dealingss it is the adult females and misss in the communities who are the primary health professionals, whilst perchance being HIV positive, and frequently needing attention themselves.DecisionAt this point in the AIDS epidemic, the bar of the heterosexual transmittal of HIV is of paramount importance ( Daly et al. 1994 ) . Women all over the universe are at hazard for HIV, even within matrimonial relationships. Sing that preventive usage is being promoted worldwide, including in countries where HIV incidences increasing, farther cognition sing the consequence of single preventives on HIV transmittal is imperative. Development and proviso of safe, effectual, low-cost a nd acceptable contraceptive method for adult females at hazard of HIV and those populating with HIV/AIDS is one of the major challenges of generative medical specialty. Currently, consistent usage of male rubbers is the lone proven means to cut down the hazard of HIV transmittal in heterosexual intercourse. All the available reversible prophylactic methods-OCs, prophylactic injections and IUDs-can by and large be used both by adult females at hazard of HIV infection and by HIV-infected adult females. An ideal preventive scheme for adult females at hazard of HIV infection would supply coincident protection against both unintended gestation and HIV acquisition. Word Count: 3,029Appendix 1Mention Lists:Allen, S. , Meinzen-Derr, J.and Kautzman, M. ( 2003 ) . Sexual behavior of HIV discordant twosomes after HIV guidance and testing. AIDS, vol.17, p. 733-740. Beyrer, C. ( 2007 ) . 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