The life of a Geriatric Person Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The life of a Geriatric Person - Research Paper Example Although they were not poor, they did not enjoy the luxuries of life. Education was the most important thing for her mother. She said that if she wanted a new dress, her mom would ask her, â€Å"What is more important, the dress or being able to go to school?† This question has made her realize the value of education. Often, she said, she would ask the same question to her grandchildren who would ask for the latest gadget from their parents. She hopes that her grandchildren too would realize the importance of education. In order to graduate in college, she had to take odd jobs since her father passed away when she was just in high school. Her mother could not afford to pay for their schooling. She worked as a sales clerk at a bookstore. It was this job that developed her love for books. During lean hours at the store, she would often get a book to read. This job also was also instrumental in her pursuit for a college degree. At age 22, she married the love of her life, Roger who was a classmate from college. She had eight wonderful children from the marriage. Even with eight children, she was able to balance her time as a wife, mother and a supervisor at a multi-national company. She considered her life at that time difficult because financial problems would always set in. Her husband was an ordinary salesman and her earnings as an employee was not enough to feed eight children. It was not easy, but with God’s help, they always survived whatever crisis they faced. But in 1980, the greatest tragedy happened to her. Roger suddenly died of a heart attack. She said that was the lowest point in her life. She was left alone to support her children who were all still in school, except for one who was working already. But again, relying on God’s help and the support of her family, she was able to overcome that obstacle. She is now savoring the fruits of her labor. She now has eight professional ch ildren. All are happily married and

Brand Positioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Brand Positioning - Essay Example There is now a strong emphasis on brand building through the explicit communication of a vision in the whole organisation where strong brands are more than mere trademarks that people recognise. In the generation of a branding idea and implementation of the same to build a brand profile, organisations behind the strong brands have managed to build a brand identity. "Brand identity should help establish a relationship between the brand and the customer by generating a value proposition involving functional, emotional or self-expressive benefits" (Aaker 1991). While the consumer's behaviour is based on a brand, and the reasons for choosing an associated product may depend on various factors including peer reference, peer approval, or other social factors beyond the direct control of the brand's investor, the brand's marketing mix is definitely within the investor's control, and something that demands big budget investment. Therefore, investor's and researchers are always concerned about the actual effects and results of marketing components including advertisement, sales promotions, and company emblems - upon the consumer's perception and their consequence upon brand equity. In the last decade, a lot of research has been dedicated to conceptualizing and measuring customer-based brand equity. However, apart from putting forth various influencing factors, no integrative framework has so far been developed to account for the complex psychological processes underlying the formation of customer-based brand equity. In this context, this paper a ttempts to propose such a framework by drawing on the theory of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. (Kotler, 1997) This has been firstly discussed in the case of the Coca Cola Company. A soft drink giant, the Coca Cola company shifted its strategy from mass marketing to product variety market and then to target marketing so as to cater to the growing market for soft drink products. Its strategy can be studied under the elaboration likelihood model as it wanted to be a forerunner in the market where soft drink brands were emerging with each passing day. The choice of the Elaboration likelihood Model was one that came directly from the consumer oriented characteristics of brand equity and brand knowledge. Elaboration Likelihood Model identified message relevance as one of these factors. According to this model, when message relevance is high, individuals will actively process and evaluate the information in the advertisement when forming or changing attitudes. (Aaker, 1991) When message relevance is low, individuals will not actively process the information in the advertisement, but will instead rely on peripheral message cues to form or change attitudes. Brand Identity is that element of customer perception and awareness which has its focus in the results of a certain kind of projection through the brand equity building measures. This calls for an integrative model which will combine the basic elements of the brand identity and brand equity concepts so as to create a platform for the effective discussion of the Elaboration Likelihoo d Model. This has been of special relevance for the Coca Cola company as far as its foray into target market and product variation is concerned. (Kotler, 1997) An integrative mode

Theories of Stress and Stress Management

Theories of Stress and Stress Management Psychology and Management of Stress Jane Jerard Outline and evaluate Selye’s (1956) General Adaptation Syndrome of stress Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome of Stress is a model that analyses an individual’s response to long term stress which is broken down into three main stages, the initial alarm stage, the interim resistance stage and finally the exhaustion stage (Nicky Hayes, 1994). If the stressor persists the individual will progress through each of the stages, and in some cases disease and even death can result. During the alarm stage the body reacts to the stressor with a ‘fight or flight’ response in which the parasympathetic nervous system is activated and hormones (e.g. adrenalin and noradrenaline) are released from the adrenal medulla (Richard Gross, 2010). If the stressor remains, the body then goes into the resistance stage during which it may outwardly appear to be functioning normally, however levels of blood glucose, cortisol (stimulated by adrenocorticotrophic hormones known as ACTH) and adrenaline remain higher than normal and the individual’s heart rate, blood pressure and breathing will be higher than normal. The individual may appear calm but they are physically and mentally at ‘action stations’ (currentnursing.com, 2014). During the final, exhaustion stage the further release of ACTH is inhibited by the hormones it has already stimulated and the levels of ACTH itself circulating in the blood. At this point the body begins to use up its energy reserves or resources and the body cannot function adequately. Blood sugar levels drop and the individual becomes vulnerable to disease and death. As Nicky Hayes (1994, p450) states ‘This [final stage] produces an immediate and strong – sometimes excessive – reaction to even mild sources of additional stress’. As a model of stress, the General Adaption Syndrome (GAS) is focused primarily on the bodies’ physiological response to stress. It does not take into account other factors influencing an individual’s response to stress such as their thoughts, perceptions or feelings and how these cognitive and psychological factors impact upon their experience of stress itself (garysturt, 2004). Nonetheless the GAS was a hugely influential model which generated a lot of further study (currentnursing.com, 2014). Folkman Lazarus’ (1984) Cognitive Appraisal Theory of stress Unlike the GAS model of stress, the Cognitive Appraisal Theory of stress focuses on an individual’s cognition of a stressor which informs their emotional response. It is ‘a theory of emotion which implicates peoples personal interpretation of an event in determining their emotional reaction’ (psychcentral, 2014). The way in which an individual interprets the stressor is significant and according to Folkman and Lazarus we respond to a stressful event or situation by making a primary appraisal, during which we assess whether the event is harmful to us either physically or in terms of our esteem, core beliefs and our values or goals (Folkman, 1986). During the secondary appraisal (which can take place before, at the same time or after primary appraisal) we consider whether we have the resources to manage the stressor; the outcome of which affects our coping strategy. Coping strategies can be understood as either: problem based; where the stressor is perceived as a challenge and we generate strategies to manage it or solutions to remove it, or emotional based; where the problem is considered to be a threat that cannot be resolved and various coping strategies such as avoidance, distancing and acceptance are employed (blackswanstress, 2014). According to the Cognitive Appraisal of Stress model then, in response to a stressor we establish if there is a threat, employ coping strategies and then reassesses the threat which results in identification of emotional responses (Nicky Hayes, 1994). Stress is viewed in a more transactional sense, as a two way process in which individuals respond dynamically to their environment. Unlike the GAS model then, cognitive approaches are of paramount importance and it is a more fluid and responsive model, recognising the importance of the individual in each and every stress response. With reference to the case study, examine the evidence that there is a link between personality and stress. There is little dispute that life events can have a dramatic effect on an individual’s mental health, and even their physical health. However an individual’s reaction to a stressor is subjective and influenced by their cognitive and psychological makeup. An individual’s experience of stress will depend upon their personality. Kobasa (1979) proposed that this response to stressful events will be determined in part by an individual’s hardiness, with those low on hardiness more likely to experience psychological and physiological illness in response to stressful life events, whilst those high on hardiness are buffered to a certain extent from the effects of stress, using research amongst executives to back up this hypothesis. Hardiness is to be understood as having a sense of commitment (both individual and work related), as having an internal locus of control and, as a positive response to change viewing it more as a challenge and less as a threat (psych.uft .ed, 2014). Other studies of personality support the work done by Kobasa, for example Ironson (2010) completed a study on disease progression in HIV in which she found that ‘Those low on optimism (25th percentile) lost CD4 cells at a rate 1.55 times faster than those high on optimism (75th percentile) †¦ reap[ing] health benefits partly through behavioural (proactive behaviour), cognitive (avoidant coping), and affective (depression) pathways’. Although some studies such as Funk Houston 1987, and Schmid Lawler 1986, have not supported or replicated Kobasa’s findings it is believed that at least in terms of cognitive processes, personality and an individual’s subjective response to life situations (stressful or not) directly impact their experience of stress, and the degree to which they experience stress (fatih.edu.tr, 2014). With reference to the case study, Nick could be described as having low levels of hardiness. Although his commitment to his work seems high it is at the expense of his sense of commitment to himself (evidenced by his persistent failure to take a lunch break). In addition his feeling out of control may indicate that he has an external locus of control and finally his rigid attitude towards his work life may suggest that he might struggle with change, viewing it more as a threat and less as an opportunity. According to Kobasa et al, this could explain why he suddenly experienced chest pains (which could be either a panic attack or symptoms of a heart condition). Nick’s GP prescribed the anti-anxiety drug Benzodiazepine to help him cope with stress symptoms. Briefly explain how benzodiazapene works on the body Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter, which inhibits neuron activity in the brain. Around 40% of the brain responds to the presence of GABA and so when an individual takes benzodiazepine which boosts the activity of GBA, they experience a general calming effect, or a slowing down of the brain. ‘It [GABA] is in some ways the bodies natural hypnotic and tranquilizer’ (benzo.org.uk, 2014). The neurons are less responsive because they have become supercharged by the presence of chloride ions which have been channelled through GABA receptors. The presence of benzodiazepine (which locates itself within the GABA receptor site) serves to increase the rate at which chloride ions flood the neuron making it less responsive to other stimuli. Discuss two advantages and two disadvantages of taking benzodiazepine to relieve stress The advantages of benzodiazepines are that they are anxiolytic (relieve anxiety) and so reduce the physiological symptoms of a wide range of panic and anxiety disorders as well as phobias. They are also hypnotic and cause sleepiness which can assist with any sleep problems that an individual may experience (insomnia, or other kinds of sleep disorders often accompany anxiety). Over a short term period then, benzodiaepines can be beneficial, especially for those who suffer from anxiety and have disturbed patterns of sleep. However they are highly addictive and so cannot be used for more than a 4 week period, therefore they are not a solution in themselves and for this reason they are rarely prescribed in isolation. Usually some kind of CBT is prescribed concurrently with a course of benzodiazepine. In addition the body quickly adjusts to the drug and higher and higher doses are required to achieve the same affect. Nicks GP also suggested that he undertakes cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) Outline the main features of CBT and discuss its usefulness in treating stress. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a practical therapy which focuses on problems in the present, rather than issues from an individual’s past. The client and the CBT clinician will agree specific goals, and a strategy and timescale at the outset. There is a strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship between the client and the clinician and the client is much more active in terms of putting the therapy into practice; the skills and techniques learnt during each session is ‘tested’ by the client in their homework. They are to experience directly through repeated practice whether or not these techniques are effective. The general underlying assumption of CBT is that maladaptive ways of thinking stem from cognitive errors which are to be challenged systematically throughout the course of the therapy. Different disorders are characterised by different cognitive errors. Because of this there is a wide variety of CBT methods available. The way in which CBT is delivered is also flexible and includes self-help (books, DVD’s and increasingly popular PC or online formats), group CBT (particularly useful with social phobias) and CBT informed specific interventions (training courses) (Graeme Whitefield, 2007). CBT is useful in treating stress because it challenges the core assumptions we make (our maladaptive thinking) that contribute or even create our experience of stress, or our interpretation of an event as stressful or not. In the above case study, Nicks belief that he requires control in the workplace, or that controlling his work environment is an achievable goal could be challenged. His homework would include different approaches to his working day such as ensuring he takes regular breaks and he would ‘see for himself’ the cognitive errors that have resulted in the maladaptive thinking that you have to be on the go all the time at work to succeed etc. Because CBT focuses on symptoms experienced in the here and now, and because stress is just such a symptom, it (CBT) is a very effective method of treating stress with a strong evidence base to support this (it is also cost effective and efficient in terms of time). Read the following case study and: Identify two life events and two daily hassles that could be causing Selina stress Selina’s mother has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she has recently divorced from her husband. Both these are considered significant life events according to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS). The scale ranks divorce as the second highest source of stress with a mean value of 73, whilst the change of health of a family member comes in at 11th on the scale with a mean value of 44. In terms of daily hassles her children frequently quarrel and she encounters congestion which can sometimes make the children late for school. How, according to Holmes and Rahe, do life events cause stress and how do they effect people in the long term? The Holmes and Rahe questionnaire identifies what it considers to be significant life events in the causation of stress, and ranks them according to the associated levels of stress that they would induce. Upon completing a questionnaire, individuals who scored highly (i.e. experienced a significant number of life events within the last twelve months) are expected to be at a greater chance of suffering from stress and developing illness than those who did not. The results of their studies showed a small positive correlation meaning that life events are part of (but not wholly) the cause of illnesses (simplypsychology, 2014). The kinds of physiological effects stress can have on the body include heart disease, high blood pressure, a repressed immune system and gastric ulcers (psychology4a, 2014). Other effects include being more prone to accidents. The underlying assumption being that these life events are negative changes and that they cause us to experience stress which in turn has a n effect on our wellbeing in the long term.

The Epic of Gilgamesh :: essays research papers

The Epic of Gilgamesh Questions for Analysis #1-6 1. What was the Mesopotamian view of the afterlife? 2. What is the message of Siduri’s advice to Gilgamesh? 3. Consider Utnapishtim’s initial response to Gilgamesh’s request for the secret of eternal life. How does his message complement what Siduri has said? 4. Consider the story of Utnapishtim. What do the various actions of the gods and goddesses allow us to infer about how the Mesopotamians viewed their deities? 5. According to the epic, what are the respective roles of the gods and humans? What do the Mesopotamian deities require of humanity? What do humans expect of their gods? 6. What wisdom has Gilgamesh gained from his epic struggles? How has he changed as result of his quest? 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mesopotamians viewed the afterlife as a place of darkness where there was no return when entered. It was ruled by the Queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, who was accompanied by her recorder, Belit-Sheri. From reading the poem, it was thought of as a baron place where the dead wandered and little else existed. Those who were kings and high priests were now servants for the gods. It’s definitely portrayed as a place one wouldn’t look forward to, and that’s the dilemma that Gilgamesh contemplates. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siduri’s message to Gilgamesh is to enjoy the life he was given and the life he retained. His days on Earth should be spent eating, being merry, and take care of his child. Essentially, the main idea is that at some point the life of man comes to end and it’s in god’s hands. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utnapishtim complements Siduri’s message by giving analogies in regards to the fact that death is unexpected. Nothing is permanent or certain except death. You could build a house that’s believed to stand forever, but is it really true? Does an agreement hold for all time? These are the examples Utnapishtim gives. While death is certain, the time it occurs is not known by man. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About religion in general, whenever man defies god, his existence, or his actions, it’s considered to be an act of defiance and they are to face punishment. With this in my mind, we can infer that at a time where man was expanding in Mesopotamia, the belief in the gods and goddesses was declining. Thus, the punishment from the infuriated gods was to eliminate them all. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mesopotamian deities required humanity to worship and praise them. Basically, they were to be their servants.

Team Strategic Plan

Team Strategic Plan * Core Values: * Loyalty – stay committed to the team’s schedule. * Respect – Treat others as you would wish to be treated * Selfless Service – Put the best interest of the team and class above yourself * Integrity – Do what is right, even when no one is watching * Personal Courage – Do the hard right over the easy wrong * Operating Guidelines: * Zero tolerance for any member who refuses to contribute to the success of the team. * All team members are required to follow the Texas A&M-commerce’s code of conducts. * We will consult each other before taking any decisions. * SWOT Analysis: Internal Strengths- * Teamwork focused * Well rounded educational foundation * Diversity * Quantitative analysis * Writing skills * Internal Weaknesses- * 75% of members are 1st semester graduate students. * Ineffectiveness in communication because English is the second language for 75% of members. * None of the team members are famil iar with APA style. * External Opportunities- * Easy access to information about Strategic Management (textbook and library). * Abilities to research online needed information. * Aptitudes to ask for help to our wonderful well-educated teacher and at the Texas A&M-commerce library. External Threats- * Geographic distance * Limited time to achieve this assignment. * The high expectations of our teacher will not allow us to present a poor documented strategic plan. * Mission: (Who, what, when, where, why) This team was organized to enhance the collective learning experience and draw from the diverse backgrounds of its team members in order to successfully complete all MGT 591 course requirements to the highest standards . * Vision: (What we want to be): we will present to this class a strategic plan on the addressed topic: The potential Impact of Compassionate Leaders on Performance Excellence Initiatives. Goals: (Must be Specific, Measurable) * Broad Goals- write a research paper on the potential Impact of Compassionate Leaders on Performance Excellence Initiatives. * Specific Goals- * 1-Submit the team strategic plan on or before 11:30p. m. CST on 9/8. * 2- Submit the team Research Paper any time before 11:30p. m. CST on 10/27 * Strategy: (The plan of how and when to Achieve the Goals & Objectives. Who will do what, when) * Strategy Formulation- in order to be fully on time with the schedule, we will use all sources of communication available such as online chat, emails, phones, and face-to-face intercourse. Strategy Implementation- * First day of meeting: we will get to know each team member, choose a topic, and brainstorming on the best ways to get this assignment done on time. * Second day of meeting: first we will set a fix and detailed schedule. Then, we will found a common ground on whether to assign each team member with a specific part to research on, or to research the topic as a whole. * From then on until the final day: we will make sure to help eac h other stay on schedule. * Critical Success Factors: (Only two or three): * All team members must do thorough research on the topic. It is imperative to submit on time to avoid penalties. * Effective communication among team members. * Distinctive Competencies: (Different than Core values, but in line with them): the source of our competitive advantage comes from our diverse backgrounds. Each one of us has a different culture, which enables us to provide a synergy beneficial to this research paper. * Measurements and Feedback: this section will be use each and every day to avoid any misunderstanding. At any time, we will let each other know what we think should be done.

The Lake of Isle of Innisfree

â€Å"The Lake Of Isle Of Innisfree† is about a person who wants to have a different life in â€Å"Innisfree† and to relax in his life before. The first stanza is telling the readers that the main character wants to be free and leaves the annoying things behind his head and be free. The first sentence starts with â€Å"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree. † It’s showing the readers that he is keen to go to Innisfree and is determined to go away. The next sentence â€Å"small cabin† is showing that his life is easy and doesn’t need luxury or any other dear things. The two last sentences in the stanza are showing how fun he will live in Innisfree. Bean Rows†, â€Å"honey bee†, and â€Å"bee-loud glade. † All show that he will have peace here and live the way he wants here. This stanza shows just how determined he wants to go to Innisfree, how peaceful he will be here, and how relaxed he will be here. The next stanza shows how the main character will live in Innisfree, and is comparing to the life before he was in Innisfree. The second stanza starts with â€Å"And I shall have some peace there for peace comes dropping slow. † It’s using a metaphor saying that his life is easy and simple. Showing that the life in Innisfree is peaceful and quiet.The next sentence â€Å"cricket sings† tells the readers that it isn’t noisy in Innisfree, it’s quiet, peaceful and a natural sound. â€Å"Purple glow. † In the third sentence is showing the readers that Innisfree view is also beautiful in its view not just sound. The last sentence of the stanza is showing the difference between Innisfree’s views of night and day. This stanza is shows just how beautiful Innisfree is between night and day it’s also comparing between the views of his life before. The last stanza is like the first stanza, the main character is determined to go to Innisfree.It starts wit h â€Å"I will arise and go now, for always night and day. † Means that the main character doesn’t care how tired how far it will be to Innisfree he won’t care. He just wants to go there. The next 3 sentences are all comparing to the life before he was. This stanza is comparing how he lived before and now. It’s also comparing to how determined he is to go to Innisfree. This poem is about a person who has a bored life before and wants to have a new life in Innisfree. The story’s main idea is to relax and have a simple life. It’s also means that money isn’t everything.

French Direct Objects and Direct Object Pronouns

French Direct Objects and Direct Object Pronouns Direct objects are the people or things in a sentence that receive the action of the verb. To find the direct object in a sentence, ask the question Who? or What?: Je vois Pierre. – I see Pierre. (Who do I see? – Pierre)Je mange le pain. – Im eating the bread. (What am I eating? – bread) Direct object pronouns are the words that replace the direct object to avoid repetition. If it werent for direct object pronouns, we would be saying things like Marie was at the bank today. When I saw Marie, I smiled. Instead, we usually say Marie was at the bank today. When I saw her, I smiled. The use of direct object pronouns makes sentences sound more natural. The Direct Object Pronouns The French direct object pronouns are: Me / m  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  meTe / t  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ youLe / l   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ him, itLa / l  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  her, itNous  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  usVous  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  youLes  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ them Me and te change to m and t, respectively, in front of a vowel or mute H. Le and la both change to l. Like indirect object pronouns, French direct object pronouns are placed in front of the verb. Je le mange. – Im eating it.Il la voit. – He sees her.  Je taime. – I love you.Tu maimes. – You love me. General Rules Four main constructions use the French neuter object pronoun. 1. To Replace or Refer to an Idea Contained in an Adjective, Noun, or Clause This is the case in the following examples: Si tu es  satisfait, je  le  suis aussi. – If youre  satisified, I am too.Êtes-vous  amà ©ricain?  Oui, je  le  suis. – Are you  American? Yes, I am.Il est  espion!  Non, il ne  lest pas. –  Hes a  spy!  No, hes not.Il taime. Jespà ¨re que tu  le  comprends. – He loves you. I hope you understand  that.  Ã‚  Je vais me venger. Je  le  jure! – ​I will get revenge. I swear  it! 2. In the Second Clause of a Comparison This is the case after  the words aussi,  autre,  autrement,  comme,  plus,  moins,  mieux. Note that the  ne  which shows up in the second clause of many of these examples is also optional. Il est plus  grand  que je ne  le  croyais. – Hes  taller  than I thought.Cela  vaut  moins que tu ne  le  penses. – Thats  worth  less than you think.Elle est  autre  quil ne  lespà ©rait. – Shes  different  than he hoped.Il nest pas aussi  stupide  quon  le  croit. – Hes not  as stupid  as people think.Ce nest pas gentil de  parler des autres  comme tu  le  fais. – Its not nice to  talk about others  like you do. 3. With Negative Expressions of Opinion and Desire: Ne Pas Penser, Ne Pas Vouloir, Ne Pas Croire Va-t-il  venir?  Je ne  le  pense pas. – Is he going to come?  I dont think so.Allez,  viens  avec nous!  Je ne  le  veux pas. – Come on, come with us! I dont want to. 4. With the Verbs Croire, Devoir, Dire, Falloir, Oser, Penser,  Pouvoir,  Savoir,  Vouloir Comme vous  le  dites,  ce  nest pas juste. – As you say,  its not fair.Viens  quand tu  le  pourras. – Come  when you can.Il pourrait  aider  sil  le  voulait. –  He could  help  if he wanted to. Tips and Notes When a direct object precedes a verb conjugated into a compound tense such as the passà © composà ©, the past participle has to agree with the direct object.   If youre having trouble deciding between direct and indirect objects, the general rule is that if the person or thing is preceded by a preposition, that person is an indirect object. If its not preceded by a preposition, it is a direct object.