Procter Gamble Company

Introduction Procter Gamble [PG] is a public limited company that was established in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio, US. The firm operates in the consumer goods industry and has managed to venture into the global market. The firm operates five main segments, which include Family Care and Baby Care, Health Care, Grooming, Beauty, Home Care and Fabric Care.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Procter Gamble Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The firm has over 121,000 employees (PG 2013). In the course of its operation, PG has managed to develop a strong market position both in the local and the international market. The firm’s success can be explained by the effective management and marketing practices that have been integrated. Moreover, the firm has adopted optimal business models, which ensure that its products are aligned with the prevailing customer needs and wants. Consequently, its products have gained substantial market acceptability (PG 2013). Vision and mission statement PG intends to position itself as the global leader with regard to consumer products and services. Moreover, the firm is committed towards providing customers with high quality products and services. Values and principles The firm has adopted a number of values and principle. Some of its core values and principles include trust, leadership and integrity. Objectives PG is focused towards achieving the following objectives To develop a strong customer base and ensure that its brands achieve market leadership. To transform its existing businesses into market leaders. To regain market leadership and growth momentum in Western Europe region. In addition to meeting the customers’ needs, PG is focused towards delivering high value to shareholders’ by maximising their wealth. Over the 175 years it has been in existence, PG has managed to survive challenging economic situations such as economic downturns and other changes emanating from the external and internal business environments. The firm cannot rule out the likelihood of such occurrences in the future considering the fact that it does not operate in isolation. Consequently, the firm may experience challenges in its quest to achieve the aforementioned objectives.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Aim This report is aimed at conducting a comprehensive situational analysis of PG. This is achieved by evaluating the challenges that the firm faces and the strategies that the management team should integrate in order to enhance the firm’s competitiveness and future success. The report mainly focuses on the strategies that the firm can adopt in order to develop a high competitive advantage. Situational analysis Businesses operate in an environment that is characterised by a high rate of dynamism. One of the elements tha t characterise the modern business environment is hyper-competition. Lancaster (2005) is of the opinion that it imperative for firms’ management teams to continuously monitor the external business environment in order to adjust their firms’ competitive strategies. Ferrell Hartline (2013) are of the opinion that â€Å"a thorough situation analysis empowers the marketing manager because it encourages both analysis and synthesis of information† (p.56). Firms do have control of the external business environment. Therefore, failure to understand the external business environment may adversely affect the organisations’ competitiveness. To understand the external business environment, it is imperative for PG’s management team to take into account the cultural, economic, social, political, legal and demographic variables. This can be achieved by integrating the PESTLE and the SWOT models as illustrated below (Hiebing Cooper 2004). PESTLE Analysis Poli tical -The firm participates in political processes in its pursuit to touch the consumers’ lives. Consequently, the firm contributes in shaping public policy. -The firm is committed towards ensuring that it complies with the set state and federal laws such as the Open Government Act, and the Lobbying Disclosure Act. -The US is characterised by a high level of political stability. Consequently, PG is able to operate effectively and efficiently. -The US government has increased its effort in curbing the proliferation of counterfeit products by integrating comprehensive intellectual property laws. This has played a critical role in guarding innovation. Economic -The US is experiencing an increment in the level of its Gross Domestic Product and the National Income. This will increase the consumers’ purchasing power. -Despite the increase in consumer purchasing power, PG is experiencing pressure to reduce the price of its products. Jopson (2013) emphasises that it is impe rative for PG to provide customers with products that are affordable. -The recent economic recession has led to a significant change in the consumers’ behaviour. Bohlen, Carlotti and Mihas (2010) opine that â€Å"consumers in the US are learning to live without expensive product† (para. 1). -The firm faces a challenge in the international market arising fluctuation in the exchange rate and the rate of inflation. -Some of the developing markets that the firm markets its products, especially Africa are characterised by a low per capita income (Hattingh et al. 2012). Social -Environmental conscious consumers; consumers are increasingly becoming conscious of the environment. Consequently, it is imperative for businesses to operate in an environmental sustainable manner by avoiding pollution. PG has adopted the concept of corporate social responsibility. -Health and safety consciousness;consumers are increasingly becoming conscious of their health and safety. In the cours e of its operation, PG is committed towards improving the consumers’ nutrition and hygiene. Thus, the likelihood of PG increasing its sale revenue with regard to health and beauty products is high. Moreover, PG has teamed up with UNICEF in its quest to improve the health of babies (PG2012). -Cultural diversity; the high rate of globalisation has led to transformation with regard to the workforce, which is becoming culturally diverse. Consequently, it is imperative for organisations to adopt effective human resource management practices. PG has appreciated the concept of diversity by embracing cultural differences (Cooper 2000). Technological -The consumer packaged goods industry is experiencing a significant change arising from technological innovation. Some of these changes relates to emergence of e-commerce. -The high rate of technological innovation presents a major challenge to PG. The firm has to continuously invest in research and development in order to be successful . According to Cisco (2012), â€Å"continuous product innovation is the lifeblood of the consumer product goods industry† (p.1). Legal Environmental Climate change; The high rate of climate change has led to enactment of strict carbon tax in an effort to ensure that organisations are responsible of the carbon dioxide emitted. PG is conscious of the environment in which it operates. Environmental laws and regulations; the UK government has enacted strict rules and regulations that are aimed at protecting the environment. The laws advocate for effective waste management. SWOT and TOWs matrix SWOT Matrix Strengths Research and development;The firm strongly focuses on research and development. Market leadership; the firm has developed global market leadership with regard to detergents, beauty and health care products. Acquisitions;the firm has the capacity to acquire other firms in the consumer goods industry. Effective brand management; PG have integrated an effecti ve brand management strategy, which has enhanced its market position and brand portfolio. The firm has over 25 brands. Strong human capital base; the firm has established a strong human resource, which enhances its competitiveness. Weaknesses The firm’s competitiveness is hindered by high cost of production. The firm faces a challenge in meeting the consumers’ needs and wants as a result of different culture. Unable to protect the company’s innovative products. High product prices compared to competing products (Jopson 2013). The firm mainly focuses on high-end markets, which limits its market reach. It is difficult for the firm to achieve growth especially in mature product categories. High product recalls; PG is experiencing an increment in product recalls. Most of the firm’s products are targeted for female consumers. Loss of market; the firm is losing market at an alarming rate, which is affecting its market leadership. Counterfeit products;PG has no t been able to eliminate counterfeit products sold under its brand name. Opportunities -Market growth; the firm can attain market leadership by exploiting emerging markets such as India and China.The firm should target the middle class consumers. -New market opportunity; the firm can exploit new market segments for example by developing beauty and health products targeted for men. -Tapping new markets;the firm can increase its sales revenue by penetrating urban areas. -Adopting eco-friendly strategies; PG can increase its market leadership by going green. Strength-Opportunity Strategy The firm should consider expanding its operation in the emerging and developing markets by developing new products. PG should consider developing new products by investing in research and development. Weakness-Opportunity strategy -The firm should consider outsourcing some of its services in order to lower the cost of production. This will improve the competitiveness of its products. -The firm shou ld invest in IPR in order to protect its products from being counterfeited -PG should focus on expanding its market to low-income consumers. – The firm has to continuously ensure that it monitors market changes so as to attain adjust its market trends. -PG should target new consumer groups such as men in order to increase its sales revenue. Threats Intense competition; PG is experiencing intense competition especially from Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever hence leading to a decline in PG market share (Jopson 2013). Substitute products; the firm is experiencing an increment in the number of substitute products, which are retailed at a price that is lower than that of PG. Private labels;growth of private labels presents a major threat to the firm’s competitiveness and global market share. Economic recession; change in consumer behaviour as a result of the 2008/2009 economic recession. Increase in the cost of raw materials Strength-Threat strategy -The firm should ensure that its products are aligned with the consumers’ needs and wants. -PG should invest in continuous product improvement in order to improve their competitiveness – Weakness-Threat strategy -The firm should invest in cost-effective operational strategies in order to improve the quality and competitiveness of its products. Core competencies According Boone (Kurtz Boone 2013), core competencies are critical in an organisation’s marketing practises because they enable an organisation to optimally position itself. P G’s success is based on a number of core competencies, which include. Source: (PG 2013)Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Procter Gamble Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Porters’ five forces According Stonehouse and Snowdon (2007), the five forces model enables a firm’s management team to determine the attractiveness of a particular market and hence the potential of attaining its desired level of profitability. The degree of industry attractiveness varies from one industry to another. The Porter’s model is comprised of five main dimensions, which include the threat of new entrant, buyer and seller bargaining power, degree of rivalry and threat of substitute. Below is an analysis of the Porter’s five forces with specific reference to PG Group. Degree of rivalry-High The firm operates in an environment that is characterised by a high degree of rivalry (PG 2013). Yannapoulos (2011) is of the opinion that â€Å"competition forces companies to constantly engage in offensive and defensive marketing strategies† (p.1). The rivalry emanates from the regional, local and global firms that have established operations in the industry. PG competes against organisations that deal with private labels and branded products. The firm’s main competitors include Colgate-Palmolive, Revlon, Kimberly-Clark Johnson Johnson and Unilever. The large number of competitors gives consumers a wide range of options to select from (Drummond Ensor 2009). Consumers select products on the basis of their price, quality, and the strength of the brand amongst other factors. PG Group is experiencing an increment in competition emanating from non-branded products, which are sold at a lower price. Thus, low-income consumers can afford diverse health and wellness products (Rehtmeyer 2010). Threat of new entrants-moderate According to Rehtmeyer (2010), the consumer goods industry is characterised by a low threat of entry. New entrants do not have the capability to rival big and well established entities such as PG, which are adequately capitalised. Another factor that acts as a barrier to entry relates to the high cost of research and development that the firms are required to undertake (Rehtmeyer 2010). New entrants must ensure that their products are effectively differentiated. The industry is in its mature stage thu s making it less attractive to new entrants (Doole Lowe 2012).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Threat of substitute-Low to moderate The consumer goods industry is characterised by a low threat of substitute products. According to Rehtmeyer (2010), most firms in the industry deal with necessities, which do not have perfect substitutes. Supplier bargaining power- low PG derives its competitiveness from partnerships and joint venture. Consequently, the firm is able to invest in research and development (Rehtmeyer 2010). Moreover, the firm has the capacity to control its suppliers because of its large size. Consequently, the firm sets standards, which suppliers are required to adhere to in the course of supplying the raw materials (Serena 2013). Buyer bargaining power-moderate PG mainly depend on Wal-Mart and other business affiliates in its quest to generate revenue. It is estimated that 15% of the firm’s sales originate from Wal-Mart. Organisational consumers such as Wal-Mart have a relatively low buyer bargaining power compared individual consumers who have the option o f selecting competing products. Therefore, the industry’s has a moderate buyer bargaining power. Source: (Rehtmeyer 2010) Market commoditisation and innovation According to Ferrell and Hartline (2013), the consumer goods industry is increasingly becoming commoditised. Most of the products offered by competing firms are similar. For example, the products have similar features and they have minimal price differences. Ferrell and Hartline (2013) postulates that â€Å"commoditisation is a consequence of mature industries where slowing innovation, extensive product assortment, excess supply and frugal consumers force margins to the floor† (p.2). According to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lafley, it is imperative for the firm to review its product differentiation strategy. This will ensure that the firm’s products remain unique and relevant to the consumers (Jopson 2013). Commoditisation of an industry presents a major challenge to industry playe rs. This arises from the fact that the competing firms have to ensure that they adopt effective differentiation strategies in order to be competitive. The consumer goods industry in the US is experiencing a high rate of commoditisation as a result of its lucrative nature, which is increasing the intensity of competition. More firms are venturing into the industry in an effort to exploit the industry’s profitability. Consequently, it has become difficult for firm’s such as PG to successfully differential itself (Pulendran, Speed Widing 2002). In order to survive in such an industry, it is imperative for industry players such as PG to formulate strategies that will attract and retain customers. This calls for organisations to be innovative. One of the ways through which the firms can achieve this is by investing in value-added strategies. The firm’s management team should conduct a comprehensive consumer market research in order to determine what the consumersâ⠂¬â„¢ needs and wants. Secondly, the firm’s research and development department should be adequately innovative in order to develop products that are customised. Such a strategy will improve the effectiveness and efficiency with which the firm addresses the customers’ value. Such an analysis will enable PG respond to the consumers’ unarticulated needs hence improving their level of loyalty. Customising its products will also enhance the firm’s capacity to survive in a market that is mature. Alternatively, PG can also consider integrating the concept of targeted extension, which entails adding value to the firm’s core products and marketing them to specific market segments in order to meet the desired market needs (Wierenga 2008). Developing competitive advantage In order to remain competitive, it is imperative for P G Group to consider improving its competitive advantage. According to Davidson and Keegan (2004) â€Å"competitive advantage is achie ved whenever your company does something better than competitors† (p. 167). Thus, it is fundamental for PG to develop it competitive advantage in order to survive in the long term. PG can develop its competitiveness by adopting the strategies proposed by the Ansoff Matrix. The advantages of these strategies are discussed herein. Market development PG should consider investing in market development strategies. According to McDonald, Brian Ward (2007), market development strategies entail marketing existing products to new markets. This entails identifying a new customer group to whom a firm markets its product to. PG mainly markets its products to female consumers. However, it is imperative for the firm’s management team to consider marketing its products to men. Moreover, the firm can achieve market development by identifying potential markets that it can enter. To achieve this, PG should focus on entering the emerging and developing markets. Consequently, the firm sho uld abolish its centralised operational strategy (Jopson 2013). Some of the markets that the firm should consider include Brazil, China, Russia and India. Prior to entering new markets, PG should conduct a comprehensive market research in order to determine the prevailing market potential. According to Jopson (2013), consumers in the developing economies are increasing consumption of household and personal consumer products despite the poor economic performance. PG should also ensure that it develops a comprehensive understanding of the target markets’ culture, and consumption behaviour. This will improve the likelihood of its products gaining sufficient market penetration. Product diversification Currently, PG specialises in five main market segments, which include Family Care and Baby Care, Health Care, Grooming, Beauty, Home Care and Fabric Care. It is essential for the firm’s management team to consider diversifying its product portfolio. This will improve the like lihood of the firm attracting a new customer group. In its product diversification strategy, PG should focus on Fast-Moving-Consumer Goods [FMCG]. This will minimise the need of the firm to develop new capabilities and resources. Currently, the firm specialises in producing high-end products. To increase its customer base, it is imperative for the firm’s management team to consider targeting low-income consumers. This will enable the firm increase its sales revenue. Furthermore, product diversification will caution the firm against macro-environmental changes hence enhancing its financial sustainability. Product development Firms in the consumer goods industry are experiencing a challenge arising from change in consumer behaviour. The consumers’ product tastes and preferences are changing at an alarming rate. According to Wright (2006), firms that specialise in production of consumer goods are experiencing an increment in pressure to ensure that their products are inno vative and are aligned to their needs and wants. Wright (2006) further opines that â€Å"failure to address the consumers’ needs and wants may lead to loss of sales and to a complete demise of an organisation† (p.14). To survive in such an environment, it is imperative for the firms’ management team to increase its investment in research and development. The research and development will enable PG to undertake continuous and new product development. In its product development efforts, the firm should consider enhancing the content of its products. Furthermore, PG should improve its product packaging. According to Wright (2006), product packaging plays a critical role in enhancing the attractiveness of a product, which is a quintessential element in an organisation’s effort to build its brand. Investment in new and continuous product innovation will contribute towards improvement in the firm’s ability to attract and retain customers. According to Jo pson (2013), it is important for the firm to ensure that the new products are successfully launched in the market. Previously, PG has experienced botched product launches, for example the Pamper Dry Max. Furthermore, the firm experienced a challenge in its quest to launch the Tide Pods laundry (Jopson 2013). Market penetration McDonald, Brian Ward (2007) posit that market penetration entails marketing an existing product or service to an existing market. One of the strategies that the firm can adopt in its quest to achieve sufficient market penetration entails targeting the competitors’ customers. Adopting market penetration strategies will contribute towards improvement in the firm’s market share. Despite these benefits, there are a number of challenges associated with market penetration. First, targeting the competitors’ customers will increase the degree of rivalry between PG and its competitors, which might culminate in price wars hence leading to a decline in the industry’s profitability. Conclusion and recommendations The report shows PG operates in an environment that is very dynamic. Despite the challenges faced, PG has managed to survive the transformations emanating from the external business environment. One of the challenges faced by the firm relates to increment in the intensity of competition. Some of its main competitors include Kimberly-Clark, Colgate Palmolive and Johnson Johnson. Most of the industry players have adopted aggressive operational and competitive strategies such as continuous product improvement and new product development in an effort to meet the consumers’ needs. Consequently, the industry has become commoditised. Moreover, the industry’s transformation also emanates from the change in consumer behaviour. To survive in such an industry, it is essential for PG’s management team adopt effective growth strategies. Some of the strategies that the firm should consider are outlined b elow. The firm should consider expanding its market by venturing into the developing and emerging markets. Some of the markets that the firm should focus include Russia, Brazil, India and China. Market expansion will enable the firm maximise its sales revenue. Moreover, the firm will be able to achieve economies of scale. PG should also consider integrating the concept of product diversification. However, the firm should focus on fast-moving consumer goods in order to successfully exploit its capabilities and core competences. This strategy will enable PG to attract new customer groups. It is also important for the firm to consider developing products and services that are aligned with the consumers’ needs and wants. The firm can achieve this by conducting a comprehensive consumer market research. As a result, the firm will be able to deliver high value to consumers. Moreover, PG will be able to differentiate its products. Reference List Bohlen, B, Carlotti, S Mihas, L 201 0, How the recession has changed US consumer behaviour, http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/04/consumer-spending-recession-leadership-managing-mckinsey.html CISCO: Intelligent innovation in the consumer packaged goods industry; faster, cheaper, local 2012, https://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=8cad=rjaved=0CGMQFjAHurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cisco.com%2Fweb%2Fstrategy%2Fdocs%2Fretail%2Fcisco_cpg_white_paper.pdfei=eGSbUuL4H-nV4QSm6oD4CQusg=AFQjCNHP3BVE2twU5iW3SuOcov5H1hs2awsig2=qYZTNOcEuFhkJZSY8VDLfgbvm=bv.57155469,d.bGE Cooper, L 2000, ‘Strategic marketing planning for radically new products’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 64 no.1, pp.1-16. Davidson, H Keegan, W 2004, Offensive marketing; an action guide to gaining competitive advantage, Routledge, New York. Doole, I Lowe, R 2012, CIM coursebook 08/09; strategic marketing decision, Routledge, New York. Drummond, G Ensor, J 2009, Introduction to marketing concepts, Routledge, New York. Ferrell, O Hartline, M 2013, Marketing strategy; text and cases, Cengage, Mason, Ohio. Hiebing, R Cooper, S 2004, The one day marketing plan; organising and completing a plan that works, McGraw-Hill, New York. Hattingh, D, Russo, B, Basorun, A Wamelen, A 2012, The rise of the African consumer, https://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjaved=0CCwQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mckinsey.com%2F~%2Fmedia%2FMcKinsey%2520Offices%2FSouth%2520Africa%2FPDFs%2FRise_of_the_African_consumer.ashxei=I1GbUrHOGMTWtQaVyoHQCAusg=AFQjCNFCtnAqIkryOKv_OhPFkP6rDcl4KAsig2=N3gsbTWEF8-ad-jr3by14gbvm=bv.57155469,d.Yms Jopson, B 2013, Procter and Gamble; time to freshen up, http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e1782cc4-e95a-11e2-9f11-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2mKQuXw9S Kurtz, D Boone, L 2013, Boone and Kurtz contemporary marketing, Cengage, Mason, Ohio. Lancaster, G 2005, Management of marketing, Routledge, New York. McDonald, M, Smith, B Ward, K 2007, Marketing due diligence; reconnecting strategy to share price, Butterworth, Boston. PG: Core strengths 2013, http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/04/consumer-spending-recession-leadership-managing-mckinsey.html PG: Pampers and UNICEF; working together for healthy babies 2013, http://www.pg.com/en_UK/sustainability/social-responsibility/pampers-and-unicef.shtml PG: Supplier engagement 2013, http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/operations_suppliers/supplier_engagement.shtml Pulendran, S, Speed, R Widing, R 2002, ‘Marketing planning, market orientation and business performance’, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 37 no. 3, pp. 476-497. Rehtmeyer, J 2010, The Procter and Gamble company, M.J Neeley School of Business, New York. Serena, N 2013, PG, big companies pinch suppliers on payments, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324010704578418361635041842 Stonehouse, G Snowdon, B 2007, ‘Competitive advantage revisited’, Journal of Management Inquiry, vol. 16, pp. 256-275. Wierenga, B 2008, Handbook of marketing models, RSM Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Wright, R 2006, Consumer behaviour, Cengage Learning, New York. Yannopoulos, P 2011, ‘Defensive and offensive strategies for market success’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, vol. 2, no. 13, pp. 1-12. This report on Procter Gamble Company was written and submitted by user Lexie Pate to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Heinrich Schliemann and the Discovery of Troy

Heinrich Schliemann and the Discovery of Troy According to widely published legend, the finder of the true site of Troy was Heinrich Schliemann, adventurer, speaker of 15 languages, world traveler, and gifted amateur archaeologist. In his memoirs and books, Schliemann claimed that when he was eight, his father took him on his knee and told him the story of the Iliad, the forbidden love between Helen, wife of the King of Sparta, and Paris, son of Priam of Troy, and how their elopement resulted in a war that destroyed a Late Bronze Age civilization. Did Heinrich Schliemann Really Find Troy? Schliemann did, in fact, excavate at a site that turned out to be the historic Troy; but he got his information about the site from an expert, Frank Calvert, and failed to credit him.  Schliemanns voluminous notes are full of grandiose lies and manipulations about everything that occurred in his life, in part to make his public think he was a truly remarkable man.  With a keen facility in numerous languages and a wide-ranging memory and hunger and respect for scholarly knowledge, Schliemann, in fact, was a truly remarkable man! But for some reason, he needed to inflate his role and importance in the world.   That story, said Schliemann, awoke in him a hunger to search for the archaeological proof of the existence of Troy and Tiryns and Mycenae. In fact, he was so hungry that he went into business to make his fortune so he could afford the search. And after much consideration and study and investigation, on his own, he found the original site of Troy, at Hisarlik, a tell in Turkey. Romantic Baloney The reality, according to David Traills 1995 biography, Schliemann of Troy: Treasure and Deceit, and bolstered by Susan Heuck Allens 1999 work Finding the Walls of Troy: Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann, is that most of this is romantic baloney, manufactured by Schliemann for the sake of his own image, ego, and public persona.  Ã‚   Schliemann was a brilliant, gregarious, enormously talented, and extremely restless con man, who nevertheless changed the course of archaeology. His focused interest in the sites and events of the Iliad created widespread belief in their physical reality- and in so doing, made many people search for the real pieces of the worlds ancient writings. It could be argued that he was among the earliest and most successful of public archaeologists During Schliemanns peripatetic travels around the world (he visited the Netherlands, Russia, England, France, Mexico, America, Greece, Egypt, Italy, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, all before he was 45), he took trips to ancient monuments, stopped at universities to take classes and attend lectures in comparative literature and language, wrote thousands of pages of diaries and travelogues, and made friends and enemies all over the world. How he afforded such traveling may be attributed to either his business acumen or his penchant for fraud; probably a bit of both. Schliemann and Archaeology The fact is, Schliemann did not take up archaeology or serious investigations for Troy until 1868, at the age of 46. There is no doubt that before that Schliemann had been interested in archaeology, particularly the history of the Trojan War, but it had always been subsidiary to his interest in languages and literature. But in June of 1868, Schliemann spent three days at the excavations at Pompeii directed by the archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli. The next month, he visited Mount Aetos, considered then the site of the palace of Odysseus, and there Schliemann dug his first excavation pit. In that pit, or perhaps purchased locally, Schliemann obtained either 5 or 20 small vases containing cremated remains. The fuzziness is a deliberate obfuscation on Schliemanns part, not the first nor the last time that Schliemann would fudge the details in his diaries, or their published form. Three Candidates for Troy At the time that Schliemanns interest was stirred by archaeology and Homer, there were three candidates for the location of Homers Troy. The popular choice of the day was Bunarbashi (also spelled Pinarbasi) and the accompanying acropolis of Balli-Dagh; Hisarlik was favored by the ancient writers and a small minority of scholars; and Alexandria Troas, since determined to be too recent to be Homeric Troy, was a distant third. Schliemann excavated at Bunarbashi during the summer of 1868 and visited other sites in Turkey including Hisarlik, apparently unaware of the standing of Hisarlik until at the end of the summer he dropped in on the archaeologist Frank Calvert. Calvert, a member of the British diplomatic corps in Turkey and part-time archaeologist, was among the decided minority among scholars; he believed that Hisarlik was the site of Homeric Troy, but had had difficulty convincing the British Museum to support his excavations. Calvert and Schliemann In 1865, Calvert had excavated trenches into Hisarlik and found enough evidence to convince himself that he had found the correct site. In August of 1868, Calvert invited Schliemann to dinner and to see his collection, and at that dinner, he recognized that Schliemann had the money and chutzpah to get the additional funding and permits to dig at Hisarlik that Calvert could not. Calvert spilled his guts to Schliemann about what he had found, beginning a partnership he would soon learn to regret. Schliemann returned to Paris in the fall of 1868 and spent six months becoming an expert on Troy and Mycenae, writing a book of his recent travels, and writing numerous letters to Calvert, asking him where he thought the best place to dig might be, and what sort of equipment he might need to excavate at Hisarlik. In 1870 Schliemann began excavations at Hisarlik, under the permit Frank Calvert had obtained for him, and with members of Calverts crew. But never, in any of Schliemanns writings, did he ever admit that Calvert did anything more than agree with Schliemanns theories of the location of Homers Troy, born that day when his father sat him on his knee. Uncovering Schliemann Schliemanns version of events- that he alone had identified Troys locaiton- stood intact for decades after his death in 1890. Ironically, the celebration of Schliemanns 150th birthday in 1972 touched off a critical examination of his life and discoveries. There had been other murmurs of irregularities in his voluminous diaries- novelist Emil Ludwigs meticulously researched Schliemann: The Story of a Gold Seeker in 1948, for example- but they had been scorned by Schliemanns family and the scholarly community. But when at the 1972 meetings American classicist William M. Calder III announced that he had found discrepancies in his autobiography, others began to dig a little deeper. Just how many self-aggrandizing lies and manipulations are in the Schliemann diaries has been the focus of much discussion throughout the turn of the 21st century, between Schliemann detractors and (somewhat grudging) champions. One defender is Stefanie A.H. Kennell, who from 2000–2003 was an archivist fellow for the Schliemann papers at the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies. Kennell argues that Schliemann was not simply a liar and a con man, but rather an extraordinarily talented yet flawed man. Classicist Donald F. Easton, also a supporter, described his writings as a characteristic blend of one-third dissimulation, one-third arrogant rhetoric, and one-third obsequiousness, and Schliemann as a flawed human being, sometimes confused, sometimes mistaken, dishonest... who, despite his faults... [left] a lasting legacy of information and enthusiasm.   One thing is crystal clear about the debate over Schliemanns qualities: now the efforts and scholarship of Frank Calvert, who did, in fact, know that Hisalik was Troy, who conducted scholarly investigations there five years before Schliemann, and who, perhaps foolishly, turned over his excavations to Schliemann, does today due credit for the first serious discovery of Troy.   Sources Allen, Susan Heuck. Finding the Walls of Troy: Frank Calvert, Excavator. American Journal of Archaeology 99.3 (1995): 379–407. Print.-. Finding the Walls of Troy: Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann at Hisarlik. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999. Print.-. A Personal Sacrifice in the Interest of Science: Calvert, Schliemann, and the Troy Treasures. The Classical World 91.5 (1998): 345–54. Print.Bloedow, Edmund F. Heinrich Schliemann in Italy in 1868: Tourist or Archaeologist? Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica 69.3 (2001): 115–29. Print.Calder III, William M. Heinrich Schliemann: An Unpublished Latin Vita. The Classical World 67.5 (1974): 272–82. Print.Easton, D. F. Heinrich Schliemann: Hero or Fraud? The Classical World 91.5 (1998): 335–43. Print.Kennell, Stefanie A. H. Schliemann and His Papers: A Tale from the Gennadeion Archives.  Hesperia 76.4 (2007): 785–817. Print.Maurer, Kathrin. Archeology as Spectacle: Heinrich Sc hliemanns Media of Excavation. German Studies Review 32.2 (2009): 303–17. Print. Schindler, Wolfgang. An Archaeologist on the Schliemann Controversy. Illinois Classical Studies 17.1 (1992): 135–51. Print.Traill, David A. Schliemann of Troy: Treasure and Deceit. New York: St. Martins Press, 1995. Print.

An Essay On Leonardo Da Vinci

What do we consider a genius, and who? When studying different definition, and with prior knowledge from speaking to psychiatrists and other mood evaluators, I now have a good sense of the term genius. A genius is someone who has incredible intellectual ability, as well as creative. One who is not only mentally progressed, but emotionally and creatively as well. Mastering a number of different and diverse skills and having all sorts of knowledge would qualify you. Leonardo Da Vinci, is thought to be one of the most intelligent people to ever have lived. Considered a Renaissance man, Da Vinci was not only an accomplished scholar but also a painter, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, anatomist, cartographer, inventor, geologist, botanist, and writer. Da Vinci mastered a number of difficult skills, and had knowledge nobody else had found, especially for his time. His advancements, inventions and art were beyond what you would call good, they were genius. Born April 15th, 1452 out of wedlock, his father Piero and Caterina da Vinci were considered peasants. He was raised by his father, some believed he was not worthy of an education due to this. However, Da Vinci was advanced at the fine arts by age 15 and began his studies in a studio with Verrocchio a Florentine painter. Verrocchio painted for "The Baptist of Christ". He let Leonardo paint with him, though eventually ending his career because he was humiliated that he had been outshone by his student. Da Vinci was accepted into the Painters Guild of Florence. The most famous of Leonardo Da Vinci's art would be the portrait of "Mona Lisa" also known as La Gioconda (wife of Frances Giocondo). You can find it in the Louvre Today. You may have also heard of "The Last Supper", a religious piece of Jesus eating his last supper. Many people still study both these paintings today, still under covering secrets. In the episode "The Da Vinci Conspiracy" on Ancient Aliens, they study both of these paintings. They point out a UFO int the background of the "Mona Lisa". The historians on the show strongly believe that Leonardo Da Vinci had extra terrestrial knowledge, and help due to what he had achieved. He was significantly advanced way before his time, in all subject matters. Da Vinci's had countless inventions, stemming from his engineering knowledge. The most advanced and memorable ones, that we still use today include the helicopter, tank, concentrated solar power, and the calculator. It is hard not to wonder, how was this possible? How did a man of the Renaissance period have this advanced knowledge! It doesn't add up with the rest of his era, or what the rest of the world knew at that point. We still use his notes and mapped out ideas for the inventions he created that we are still using hundreds of years later. Ancient Aliens suggests that Da Vinci had some other wordily knowledge that he some how acquired. Personally, I am open minded but I am not suggesting this is necessarily true, but you have to wonder. I am not opposed to the idea and theories of extra terrestrials, I'm just not set on it either. However, this raises a greg point, how did he acquire this knowledge and intelligence in the era he lived in? Leonardo Da Vinci is by far one of the most, if not the most, interesting and intriguing person to study in history. Da Vinci was known for writing in "code". He had planned to publish a encyclopedia, sharing is knowledge of science and the human anatomy, unfortunately like many other of his plans this one did not get finished. However, 4000 pages of documents have been found from his notebooks and journals of exactly that. The "code" people refer to is his style of note taking. Not only did he spell words peculiarly, but he also wrote form right to left, a mirror image. Another thing that Ancient Aliens covers is this code, it almost seems like he was afraid someone would steal his ideas. There are many other theories about the code but we'll never know the real reason why. May 2, 1519 was the day Leonardo Da Vinci passed away. He lived to be 67 years old, which was a good age to have lived at that time but not for him. He left hundreds of projects unfinished, and the mystery of his knowledge for people to find. Think if he had lived to be eighty, or ninety what other great things he would have discovered. Da Vinci is my, as well as many others, favorite philosopher, scientist, and artists. To this day no one can compare to the way he mastered numerous fields of study and made history for being a genius. It makes you wonder what else is possible in this world if a man as smart as him could of lived. Leonardo Da Vinci is the most studied, interesting and cherished of all the scholars who have lived.

Condoleezza Rice - On Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Condoleezza Rice - On Leadership - Essay Example She was the first woman to occupy this key post of national security adviser. She is the most academic member of the Bush foreign affairs team and, because of her gender, background and youth, one of the most distinctive. The recent Forbes ranking of the world’s most powerful women, Rice still placed at the top despite the Bush administration’s supposed failed policies in Iraq. Richard Melanson (2005) in examining American foreign policy commented that Rice proved a relatively weak national security advisor because she generally deferred to the vice president and the secretary of state. (p. 322) Supposedly, this was unfortunate because the â€Å"group think† environment in which the basic assumptions about the world and America’s role in it went unchallenged within this inner circle of policymakers. But this is wrong. Melanson’s commentary in fact underscored a manifestation of Fiedler’s Contingency Model in Rice’s style during the mentioned circumstances. As the national security advisor, Rice was not expected to originate or debate ideas, and single out any particular view within the Bush administration. This finds credence in Simon Serfaty’s argument. To quote: Her primary responsibility was to absorb al of the ideas, all equally plausible and all convincing in different measure, before compressing them in ways that would enable the president, in words of one of her predecessors, â€Å"to perceive the essential among a mass of apparent facts† and â€Å"to impose some direction,† meaning make decisions which Rice would then coordinate and implement. (p. 86) In short, Rice played the part. She had displayed an impeccable ability to remain in the sidelines in serving a wider and greater objective. Her teamwork approach displayed a subtle self-confidence, sensitivity to others a degree of determination that supersede all else in order to achieve goals. One must remember that Rice had a direct access to

Reacher paper about A rose for Emily Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reacher paper about A rose for Emily - Essay Example This world of the present with its absence of social propriety is strange and unrecognizable to Miss Emily, who has always been kept strictly within the bounds of Old South expectations. Miss Emily’s relationship with the town is therefore one of superior distance because of her social position and isolation as a result of her strangeness. To more fully understand this unique position she was placed in, it is helpful to understand the various cultures involved and how they each served to influence the other. To demonstrate how Miss Emily was a woman trapped by her society, it is necessary to examine the Southern culture as well as the Northern culture before it is possible to compare the two and understand the differences in approaches taken by the characters in the story. Faulkner introduces Miss Emily Grierson as a woman who has been strictly contained within the boundaries of her father’s old Southern ideals. â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough to Mis s Emily and such. We had long thought of them as a tableau; Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door† (437). This created a situation in which Miss Emily â€Å"got to be thirty and was still single† (437). ... â€Å"Attitudes about class shaped in southern England and in the border regions of Britain coupled with the appearance early on of race-based slavery would produce a class system that consigned blacks to the bottom and that paradoxically appeared to foster both the idea of equality for whites and large differences between upper and lower class whites in terms of power, privilege and wealth† (Beck, Frandsen & Randall, 2007: xxvii). The Griersons become the town’s image of the Old South and, as a result, the town cannot think of Miss Emily in any way other than in her association with the values and traditions of these old ways, meaning she is not able to mingle with the common white people of the town and must always be seen to be upholding the ideals of the past for the rest of the community. After her father’s death, Miss Emily is seen to attempt to break out of the mold he has placed her in through her willingness to date Homer Barron and begin adopting more N orthern ideals. The North was founded and characterized by its mostly Puritan founders who had fled England with a vision of a more equal and less socially rigid and materially oriented society (Woodworth, 2000). Once the Civil War was over, the North had little to rebuild and plenty of factories ready to go to work, with increasing numbers of Southerners fleeing the poverty of the war-ravaged South to find work in the Northern cities. Thus, the North was characterized by growth, progress, energy and new ideas such as women’s suffrage. When Miss Emily is seen in public following her father’s funeral, â€Å"her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl, with a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church

Role of energy in the body Essay Example for Free

Role of energy in the body Essay Energy is necessary to circulate blood, lymph and tissue fluid throughout the body; it is necessary for breathing and taking in oxygen; it is necessary for making new cells for carrying out growth and repair; it is used to transmit nerve impulses so that it can respond to changes in the environment; and it is needed to build different complex molecules such as enzymes and hormones from the simple molecules produced after digestion of food. Cardiovascular system The heart is a muscular pump which forces blood around the body through a system of blood vessels, namely arteries, veins and capillaries. Blood carries dissolved oxygen to the body cells and at the same time removes the waste products of respiration, carbon dioxide and water. However, blood is also important in distributing heat around the body, along with hormones, nutrients, salts, enzymes and urea. It is important that the blood flows in only one direction through the heart so it is supplied with special valves to ensure that this happens. Blood pressure The force blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels it is passing through is known as the blood pressure (BP). It can be measured using a special piece of equipment called a sphygmomanometer. Blood vessels Arteries and arterioles Arteries leave the heart and supply smaller vessels known as arterioles which, in turn, supply the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries. Arteries usually carry oxygenated blood. The exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical arteries carrying, respectively, blood to the lungs and placenta in pregnancy for oxygenation. The digestive system The alimentary canal is a tube that extends from the mouth to the anus. It is dilated, folded and puckered in various places along its length. Many glands are associated with the alimentary canal, and have important roles to play in digestion. When food is taken into the mouth it is mixed with saliva, chewed or masticated by the action of the tongue and teeth, rolled into a small ball known as a bolus, and swallowed. This process is called mechanical digestion and is an important part of physically breaking the food down at an early stage. The salivary glands Three pairs of salivary glands pour their secretions known as saliva into the mouth. Saliva, a digestive juice, contains an enzyme known as salivary amylase, which begins the digestion of carbohydrates as well as lubricating the mouth and helping bolus formation. The stomach The stomach is the widest part of the alimentary canal. Food can stay in the stomach for up to three hours, with a protein meal remaining the longest and food not containing protein passing through relatively quickly. During this time, the strong stomach walls roll and churn the food around and pour on secretions from the gastric glands The ileum The remainder of the small intestine, known as the ileum, is mainly concerned with the absorption of the now fully digested food. It is specially adapted for this by: †¢ long length. †¢ folded interior. †¢ lining covered in many thousands of tiny projections called villi. †¢ epithelial cells of villi covered in microvilli, projections so small that they can only be detected using an electron microscope. The liver The liver is a large dark-red organ. It has a multitude of vital functions in the body, one of which is to produce bile. Bile contains no enzymes at all, but it provides important bile salts that cause the emulsification of fats (lipids) in the duodenum The pancreas The pancreas is a slim, leaf-shaped gland, located between the intestines and the stomach, close to the duodenum. It secretes enzyme-rich pancreatic juice as well as alkaline salts needed to neutralise the acidic secretions from the stomach. Pancreatic enzymes go to work on all three macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrate) and are important agents for the complete breakdown of the complex food molecules into amino acids, glucose and similar simple sugars, fatty acids and glycerol. Major products of digestion -Peptides and amino acids are nitrogenous compounds. Sugars -Glycerol and fatty acids – glycerol is used for energy or reconverting fatty acids into a form of fat which can be stored. -Fat is stored under the skin and around organs where it forms a long-term energy store to be used after glycogen stores are depleted. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4osMUZqXDv4Cpg=PA223lpg=PA223dq=circulate+blood,+lymph+and+tissue+fluid+throughout+the+body;+it+is+necessary+for+breathing+and+taking+in+oxygen;+it+is+necessary+for+making+new+cells+for+carrying+out+growth+and+repair;+it+is+used+to+transmit+nerve+impulses+so+that+it+can+respond+to+changes+in+the+environment;+and+it+is+needed+to+build+different+complex+molecules+such+as+enzymes+and+hormones+from+the+simple+molecules+produced+after+digestion+of+food.source=blots=H2vrAem_qwsig=Hm34STuu06FNY2oXXPVbgrRVjzwhl=ensa=Xei=55fQUNTWHPSS0QX72oDoBQved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=circulate%20blood%2C%20lymph%20and%20tissue%20fluid%20throughout%20the%20body%3B%20it%20is%20necessary%20for%20breathing%20and%20taking%20in%20oxygen%3B%20it%20is%20necessary%20for%20making%20new%20cells%20for%20carrying%20out%20growth%20and%20repair%3B%20it%20is%20used%20to%20transmit%20nerve%20impulses%20so%20that%20it%20can%20respond%20to%20changes%20in%20the%20environment%3B%20and%20it%20i s%20needed%20to%20build%20different%20complex%20molecules%20such%20as%20enzymes%20and%20hormones%20from%20the%20simple%20molecules%20produced%20after%20digestion%20of%20food.f=false

American Constituional Law :: Argumentative Persuasive Papers

American Constituional Law (2) The rights of the individual in the United States have been debated since before this country was formed. Does a woman have the right to do with her body what she sees worthy, or is it the responsibility of the United States government to tell her what and what she can not do with her body? Do women, and doctors, have the right to clone a human zygote from a single donation of male sperm and to implant the zygote into the woman’s body in order to impregnate the woman? The state of Connecticut passed a law that bans the cloning of human cells, including the reproductive zygote cells that can be used for the purpose of impregnating a woman. The holding in this case that I make is that the cloning of human zygotes for the purpose of impregnating a female is protected by the constitution and therefore the doctors who violated Connecticut’s â€Å"Frankenstein Act† should be freed because of the unconstitutionality of the act. As cited in Roe v. Wade the woman has a right to privacy that the government should not be able to encroach upon. As emphasized in Roe the due process clause protects freedom of choice in decisions respecting â€Å"marriage, divorce, procreation, contraception, and the education and upbringing of children.† In Roe v. Wade the due process clause made it possible for a women to obtain an abortion. This same theory allows for women to do as they want concerning issues of procreation and contraception. The cloning and subsequential insemination of a woman with a cloned zygote is an issue that clearly falls under the headings of procreation and contraception. Law protects these two aspects of life and therefore the cloning of the zygote for the purpose on contraception is the woman's right that is protected by law. Women have the right, protected by law, to do as they see fit with their own body. This instance also pertains to men. If a man wants his zygotes cloned and the woman agrees and wants to be inseminated by the cloned zygotes then they have that right, protected by the law. There is also the principle of privacy and autonomy that allows a woman the right to have a child using a cloned zygote.

Benefits of Technology

Ever since it developed, there has been controversy over whether or not mechanical inventions benefit our lives. Doug Rennie’s article, â€Å"Faxed to the Max†, says â€Å"the timesaving devices we created give us more freedom to do what we want have instead imprisoned us in our own technology. † Although this may be true to some people, everyone has the power to resist technological devices. People can chose to use these tools to enhance their lifestyles, like they can chose to use a hammer or a saw for a project; they don’t necessarily need it, but it would save time and energy.It is the ability to mistreat these inventions that makes some people uneasy towards about using technology in their daily lives. Although it can be abused in many ways, technology used properly is a tool that aids in education, health and communication. Our physical health has benefited greatly from technology. Through inventions like the pacemaker and artificial limbs, a tremend ous amount or people have had better physical conditions. This biological technology is not favourable to all. Some say that it is better for nature to do its work and people should not interfere.The spread of new inventions can soon get out of hand. For example, if we have the ability to clone humans, our lifestyles will change. People will abuse this power by being careless about their health. They believe people think technology can save them in the end, so they can exercise less and eat more unhealthy foods. On the other hand, curative inventions have saved lives and allowed people to lead healthier ones. There can be ways to make technology accessible to only certain people, but there is no reason to stop the usage of these medical products if they can help save lives.An example of one of these products is the pacemaker, invented by Canadian electrical engineer, John Hopps. Because the heart stops beating when it cools, he found that mechanical or electric stimulation could mak e the heart start up again. Since then, many were given healthier lives. Prosthetic limbs have also played a great role in helping the lives of amputees. Artificial limbs with sensors and microchips have recently been designed so that these people can maintain an active lifestyle rather than being confined to wheelchairs. Technology plays a very important role in the communication of people  today.With the touch of a button, the Internet and the cellular telephone can allow us to transmit our message to someone on the other side of the planet. Certain people chose not to use any of these appliances because of the negative consequences. The Internet contains inappropriate sites and some parents don’t want to risk the chance of their child meeting a dangerous stranger in a chat room. People are so used to e-mailing that they don’t know how to send letters anymore. Other antagonists of technological communication believe that the invention of cellular phones is prone to car accidents.Contrariwise, internet has allowed to world to communicate and to easily get in touch with someone. There are parental controls on the Internet and the phone is simply a tool that people can chose not use. In a car accident, it is more of the driver’s responsibility than the cellular phone because the driver chose to use the cellular phone. The Internet is a cheaper and quicker way to communicate. Typing an e-mail and it getting it to the other person takes only a matter of seconds, whereas writing a letter and sending it could take days.Through instant messages and chat rooms on the Internet, a person can converse with another on the other side of the world and save money on their phone bills. Cell phones are convenient devices, especially in emergencies. For instance, if someone was lost in the woods, they can either phone for help or check the map on their cell phone. Cellular phones are also timesaving tools because they can fit in pockets and there is no n eed to find a payphone or carry coins on the street. We can easily abuse the technology around us, but we can just as easily find that the consequences are more beneficial when we use it properly.We should consider the negative effects of technology and find ways to limit them, but we cannot let these issues stop us from the possibilities that the devices can offer. Many of the appliances that scientists created have improved our communication with the world, easier and faster learning, and have even extended the life spans of numerous people. It is wrong to say that everyone has been trapped into being time-sick patients of modern devices. We are simply using these tools to our advantage so we can accomplish the numerous tasks in our lives easier. Without any technology at all, we will be taking a step back from mankind.

Middle Eastern Views of Mental Illness

There are many countries that are considered to be countries of the Middle East. Some of these include Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Yemen, and Isreal, just to name a few. Many of these countries have things in common, such as belief in Islam, use of the Arabic language, connections through the Arab League, historical ties, etc. The different countries form a chain of countries that are linked by culture and religion on the one hand and yet vary greatly in terms of dialect and history on the other.The Arabic language is a large common denominator between these countries; however, dialects can be so different from each other to a point where a person from Syria can hardly communicate with a person from Algeria. (1) Most landscape in the Middle East is either occupied by harsh desert conditions or mountains. This has made its people very tough in terms of living conditions. Lebanon, parts of Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq have mountainous areas while most of the other countries are flat and extrem ely arid.Those living in the desert traditionally used to move around in a perennial search for water, which resulted in unique eating behaviors and homes. A typical Arab house in the desert is built out of mud and has little furniture. The food is basic with little processing. However, in the mountains of Lebanon, Syria or Turkey one will encounter strong homes with heavy stones and arches that can last for generations. In addition, food in these areas is usually produced during summertime and stored in cellars for use when nature does not allow them to go out and work their snow covered fields. 1) Religions play a big role in the dynamics of the Middle Eastern society. They are considered to be one of the main pillars of the society and individuals are stereotyped based on religion. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are the main religions practiced in the middle-east and people who practice these faiths only surround themselves with people of the same faith. Daily life is practiced on the basis of ones religion and others are expected to respect that.1) The present day Middle East is a mixture of very old cultures and very young nations that were organized by European colonial powers after the defeat of the Central Powers which led to the end of World War One and fall of the Ottoman Empire. The culture of the Middle East is thus understood only by learning about the history of the region and the forces that have influenced the growth and demise of controlling powers. Since World War One, colonial countries such as France, Great Britain, and The United States have ignificantly influenced the Middle East. (1) Keeping in mind this very generalized description of the Middle Eastern culture we can now begin to look at the beliefs in terms of mental illness. In my research it is safe to say that most all opinions by middle easterners are based off of their religious beliefs. According to the SRA (Stigma Research and Action) people from non-Western cultures tend to attribute the cause of mental illness more frequently to the afflicted individual.It is possible that discrimination against the mentally ill differs in an Islamic culture where mental illnesses and other ailments are, to some extent, considered to be due to the will of God, rather than evil forces, bad behavior, or other personally devaluating factors. According to the holy Koran, people with a mental disorder should be treated with respect, and this might result in a less stigmatizing attitude.Such a perception of causality would also reasonably apply to the individual, and might be a factor that reduces self-blame. One must bear one’s predicament and wait for the mercy of God! A study was done by SRA researchers and participants were asked a series of open-ended questions. Responses indicated feelings of alienation, sharing stereotypes about the mentally ill, experiences of discrimination, social withdrawal, and resistance to being stigmatized and discriminated against.For example, responses included: Yes, they discriminate against us; They don’t count on us; Our society has no capacity for us; I mean there is no cultural understanding in our society; They ridicule, insult and harm us; I wish they could understand that psychiatric patients are like other patients, like patients with cancer or cardiac disease and that they can live their lives.A recurring theme was the idea of the mentally ill as dangerous and aggressive: They all believe a mentally ill patient is a natural born killer and that’s why I try to keep myself to myself and not even claim what I’m entitled to; When the police came they were acting as if I was a criminal, but they ought to know that I’m a patient, not a criminal. (2) The International Journal of Mental health Systems has thoroughly researched the country of Iraq in terms of their views on Mental illness.According to their research public attitudes towards mental illness in Iraq has shown that comm unity opinion about the aetiology of mental illness is broadly compatible with scientific evidence, but understanding of the nature of mental illness, its implications for social participation and management remains negative in general. (3) As nurses we have to remain unbiased, and educational towards our patients and their families.When faced with a patient with a mental illness whom is Middle eastern we need to stay mindful of the fact that they probably believe that they were afflicted by their God in some way, or in some way they deserved to be born with this illness. We need to simply educate them on the importance of medication Therapy and safety. We should treat all of our patients the same no matter what their cultural beliefs are and we should always treat each patient with respect.Active listening is an important skill to master as a nurse with all patients but with Middle Eastern patients especially it is a sign of respect to listen to them first, and allow them to finish completely prior to speaking. Giving this level of respect to all patients all the time will ensure that as nurses we never offend, and that we give the best quality care.

The History of the ARPANET essays

The History of the ARPANET essays The beginnings of the Internet were initiated by the Advanced Research Project Agency, or ARPA. This was a program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense whose original goal was to improve communication among government officials. As ARPA soon found out, it would not be an easy task to accomplish. There were many different areas that would hold them down. Very soon, a man named J.C.R. Licklider was the man chosen to head the creation of this soon - to - be vast network of communication. Welcome to the history of the ARPANET, the foundation of what is now known as the Internet. The current system (batch), as Licklider found, was not very efficient. The majority of the Department of Defense wanted to improve on this current format of computing, which used cards to take in code, and took a day or more to compile the code. In order for communications to expand, Licklider decided, they would have to change the entire way of computing, not just improve on the current format, What (Larry Roberts, successor to Licklider as head of ARPA) concluded was that we had to do something about communications, and that really, the idea of the galactic network that Lick talked about, probably more than anybody, was something that we had to start seriously thinking about. So in a way, networking grew out of Lick's talking about that, although Lick himself could not make anything happen because it was too early when he talked about it. But he did convince me that it was important. This shows that Licklider had a very important impact on the way that ARPA attacked its goal of creating what Licklider called, an "intergalactic network," which would eventually change the ways of computing for the future. Because the company that the Department of Defense had already contracted, System Development Corporation, was not moving forward with ARPA, the Department named Licklider's division the Information Processing Techniques Office ...

Outsourcing Support of Desktop Computers Assignment

Outsourcing Support of Desktop Computers - Assignment Example According to the research findings, there are various risks involved in the process of outsourcing support for desktop computers. One of the risks is a financial risk – high costs. The company may incur costs of hiring people to provide support for desktop computers. The second risk is a security risk. The outsourced support for desktop computers may not offer enough security to the desktop computers of the company. Other risks include: hiring inappropriate vendors, not being in line with internal functions, loss of control, loss of employee morale, lock-in risks, regulatory and monitoring risks, need for change, and technology risks. The outsourced staff may not be able to do the job appropriately. Outsourcing support for desktop computers may not be in line with internal functions because outside staff may have some conflicts of interest or may be unqualified to carry out the job. In terms of loss of control, the vendors may go against the needs of the company to pursue thei r own interests. Employees’ morale may also decline, resulting in low commitment, attitude, and performance. Regulatory requirements may also prevent vendors from carrying out certain activities of reporting and monitoring. A change in the business model may also lead to risks of outsourcing support for desktop computers because vendors may lack appropriate means to respond to the changing business model. Financial risks may cause an opportunity while the security risks may result in loss of data and injuries if they occur. Hiring poor quality of service may also cause poor quality of service and not be being in line with internal functions may cause poor management in the company. There is also a possibility of lack of independence for the company if it incurs lock-in risks. The company may also lose customer trust if the company incurs regulatory reporting and monitoring risks.

High rate of STI in Juveniles can patient teaching decrease Essay

High rate of STI in Juveniles can patient teaching decrease reoccurance - Essay Example e increased risks of contracting the disease from the street and the GLBT and African-American population have higher chances of getting syphilis, gonorrhea and other STIs than the rest of the US population. It has been estimated that as much as 71 percent of the black juvenile population had gonorrhea in 2008, while 21 percent of homeless youth were identified with STIs (CDC, 2009). To change the present scenario and educate these youth about the risks and prevalence of STI, it is proposed that not only should this problem be addressed in schools and town hall meetings- giving information about these diseases, risk factors and how to avoid contracting them- but also by starting free clinics where these STIs can be reported confidentially and cured through conventional means. STIs should be viewed as a social problem that affects certain populations more than others, but being aware of the risk factors and taking adequate precautions can prevent their occurrence and reoccurrence, rather than having to deal with their symptoms at a later stage. The benefits to the healthcare environment would be profound. By educating not only the youth and adolescents but also part of the adult population that consist of their family members and friends though lectures and pamphlets, we can help decrease both the prevalence and reoccurrence of STIs in the local community. Taking our clinics to the streets to help homeless and runaway juveniles will also help reduce prevalence and reoccurrence and educate them in making better life choices. It is better not to have sex than risk contracting STIs due to unprotected sex, sharing needles and so