Resmed Case Essay Example

Resmed Case Essay Reseed did file a suit claiming that Reconciles Infringed on their patent. However, Responsive convincingly argue that their devices did not infringe on Resumes proprietary device and the court ruled in their favor. Reseed failed to bar Respiration entry into the CAP/OSHA market as well as prevent imitation and substitution of their CAP device. Reseed was aggressive in their RD (spent heavily), but brought products to market late. They often pursued several simultaneous projects through 3 departments (Mechanical design, electronic development and software development). Examples of Hess were APP to provide therapy to a larger group of OSHA sufferers and to expand into other areas of respiratory therapy. They consistently feel behind their Respiration in delivery products to the market. Market Selection Selected OSHA/SAD market as appear. 2% of population was possible candidates for CAP therapy. This was Resumes initial target market. They started in Australia, but then expanded into other countries such as Germany and eventually to the US. The branched into emphysema, CHEF, stoke therapy and other pulmonary diseases. They focused on the faces market where they were very successful. We will write a custom essay sample on Resmed Case specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Resmed Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Resmed Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Also looked to revive an alternative treatment for Cheyenne-Stokes respiration. Market penetration and adaptation They established sales offices and partnerships with distributors as an entry strategy into the local markets. They eventually purchased the distributor when its sales were the majority of the distributors business. This was to help Reseed combat their smaller size. They also established an office In the US to have a local presence. Every country has a different health care system with differing reimbursement systems, market structures and competitive Reseed approached each market with those differences in mind. Main target market was the US. US market had MM people affected by sleep disorders according to the Congressional Sleep Disorders Commission. OSHA identified as the largest culprit and that many werent properly diagnosed. This study put OSHA related products in the spotlight and this market grew almost 500%. This Increase In market share would be a tremendous opportunity Tort tense companies won were positional to take advantage. Unfortunately, Respiration was the first mover in this market and took a commanding market share. Barriers to entry were minimal as a new market entrant would only have to demonstrate to the FDA that the CAP device complied with guidelines. Reseed was second in the US to Respiration to provide SAD therapy equipment. Respiration holds the majority of the market share in the US. In most other countries, healthcare is usually controlled by a single source (e. G. Government) which was very motivated by cost. Germany being one of the exceptions as they were more concerned about the level of care provided and not the costs/reimbursements. Reseed offered the Sleepiest which was a product to provide non-sleep specialists medical staff the tools for identifying a diagnosis and a treatment. This was ultimately designed to increase the flow of patients into payer-dictated paths for CAP prescription. [2] Competitive industry structure and competitive positioning Porters Five forces analysis will help to determine industry structure and competitive positioning Industry Competition Respiration major competitor in OSHA and breathing therapy market Respiration had more advanced and relevant technology. Two major competitors merged (Respiration and Healthy), but was distracted by integration and No real source of product differentiation amongst the restructuring process. Competitors with the exception of an Outset device which constantly monitors and adjusts air pressure. Source of product differentiation with the faces. Low levels of product differentiation and many competitors will put a downward pressure on the Caps prices. N o competitors in the CHEF and stroke treatment markets. First mover advantage. Supplier Power Raw materials and products needed to manufacture these devices and fastbacks would be very similar. Supplier power will be controlled by supplier competition and the demand of the product being sought. Suppliers can drive prices upwards by following the leader or creating a shortage in essential raw parts needed for the CAP/APP machines. Buyer Power Products which treat OSHA/SAD offer very little product differentiation. Because of number of competitors and lack of product differentiation, this will put pressure on the manufacturers to compete on pricing. Buyers have less power with fastbacks and Reseed is the industry leader. Has a greater level of product differentiation. Barriers to Entry Low barrier to entry with OSHA markets. FDA had a set standard spec for the CAP. If competitors met the standards of the design, the CAP machine would be allowable. A barrier to entry would be in partnering with a distributor that had injections with governments and/or the insuranc e companies. Another barrier to entry would be the specific regulations governing medical therapy devices. How loose or how strict these regulations would be would affect the barrier to entry. Hall Drawler to entry would De Tort products wanly were Antennae to treat c Stroke patient market. This product required timely and costly clinical trials. There was also no compensation incentive for cardiologists/neurologists. In the CHEF and Stroke markets, high barrier to entry as these markets had well defined diagnostic and treatment methods. Threat of Substitutes High threat of substitutes in the OSHA/SAD markets from competitors products, surgical procedures and prescription medicines all meant to alleviate the symptoms of OSHA. Interaction with regulatory bodies, other key organizations Had problems getting the commercial backing for development of the device and the medical community to accept CAP. Farrell had many publications on the topic of sleep medicine and established credibility in this medical community. FDA was responsible for the approval of therapeutic products treating OSHA/SAD. In Germany, doctors and not government had the greatest influence on which product was used. However, the German government also had very strict technical specifications and patients expected cutting edge technology. Management, leadership and organization structure Flat organization structure focused on minimizing politics, being value driven, being innovative and doing tasks with a sense of urgency. CEO/leader with high standards and demanding targets. Relentless drive, attention to detail with intelligence. He was good at forming networks and assembled a medical advisory board of experts to advise the company on trends in medicine. Hired former graduate students who already had worked with Farrell and understood his demanding sense of urgency. Reseed geographically expanded as they went into new markets. Farrell wanted to maintain the companys culture often communicated with all levels of the organization as well as visited the Australian office. Changed organization and leadership in RD, when they couldnt deliver results and fell behind their competitors. Acquired MAP (a competitor in the German markets), which created synergies and economies of scale in its German operations. Map also had new products in the pipeline which would help to lower the R costs of the combined company. This brand recognition in Germany could service to strengthen the companys competition as they expand into new markets. In the US, they kept their sales force lean in order to keep their costs down and focused on the strategic repositioning of reimbursable products in new areas of treatment. Access to capital Partnered with Baxter International, invested in Resumes product to improve patient comfort and reduce the noise produced by the machine. [3]Almost failed when Baxter sold its respiratory care businesses, but Farrell funded Reseed privately. Distributor partnership with Monitored, they gave $1 MM for development of next generation of CAP evolves In exchange Tort a Malory Interest In ten Resume. 0 secure althorn funding, Reseed came out with an PIP in the US which raised $MM. What should Reseed do with regard to the CHEF (congestive heart failure) and Stroke market opportunities? Reseed should continue developing technologies to take advantage of the CHEF and Stroke markets. Reseed needs to expand on sicknesses that can be treated using the same types of therapy. This will offer the most synergies to their current infrastructure and will offer them large growth potential in the future. These markets had almost MOM people affected by CHEF or Strokes in the US. There were no competitors in this market and the first to move could potentially capture the lions share of the market. This would be a huge capital investment and the rewards as well as the risks will be large. For the CHEF opportunity, there were studies which showed the link between SAD and hypertension, which was an accepted risk factor for CHEF. CHEF needed new technology to respond to CHEF patients breathing patterns. With the focus on prevention as opposed to treatment for many illnesses, pushing into this market and spending the capital on RD could be lucrative.

Organism Physiology Essays - Cnidarians, Venomous Animals, Jellyfish

Organism Physiology Essays - Cnidarians, Venomous Animals, Jellyfish Organism Physiology Organism Physiology There are many different types of organisms that could have been chosen for this assignment. Organisms are any living thing such as fungus, animals, plants, or micro-organism. It is a body made of organs, organelles, or other parts that will work together to carry on the various process of life. The organism I chose for this assignment is the jellyfish. The name ?Jellyfish? is a term that refers to the enormous variety of creatures that live in the sea. Some jellyfish live in fresh water. Jellyfish is an animal that belongs to phylum cnidarians, that is included in the class of scyphozoan. They are members of two groups that float freely or swim. The two groups are cnidarians and ctenophores. The type of jellyfish in the diagram is the scyphozoan medusa. They are the jellyfish that is commonly found washed up on seashores (Building Bodies of Jelly-Jellyfish, 2012). Jellyfish has two major body forms. The first body form is the polyp stage. This stage is characterized by the non-moving stalk that will catch food floating by. The second major body form is called the medusa stage. This form is characterized by the round body with hanging tentacles that will catch food (Hernandez, 2012). This form is more familiar to most people. The jellyfish feeds off of small fish and zooplankton that has been caught in their tentacles. They also have an incomplete digestive system, this means that both food intake and waste expulsion according to (Hernandez, 2012). The tentacles and oral arms are moved by its muscles. The jellyfish uses its oral arms and/or tentacles to move food to the mouth. Once the food is in the jellyfish?s stomach it is digested into broth within 6 hours. The liquid is transported around the animal by the circulatory system. Part of the waste are carried out through the mouth of the jellyfish. The canals of the jellyfish and stomach make up the gastroendodermal system. The jellyfish do not have an anus to release waste like humans and most animals according to (Building Bodies of Jelly-Jellyfish, 2012). In the jellyfish, it has cells that are grouped together into tissues which is also grouped into organs that all work together as an organ system. The cells, tissues, and organs along with the tentacles make up the jellyfish. The tentacles and other parts of the jellyfish are armed with the stinging cells that are called nematocysts. The nematocysts are well grouped into the stinging batteries. When each cell is triggered by a touch of the potential prey or predator that discharges a tiny thread where small harpoons will impale the victim and inject venom. A prey will be injected with dozens of harpoons. Harpoons are the tiny threads in a jellyfish that has poisonous venom. These harpoons are located in the tentacles according to (Building Bodies of Jelly-Jellyfish, 2012). Jellyfish has different types of nematocyst that are found in coelenterates. An individual must know which type of species in order to know what type of nematocyst it has. Different types of jellyfish species will determine how many tentacles it will have and if it has an oral arm. These arms are surrounded by the mouth of the jellyfish. According to (Hernandez, 2012) some jellyfish are not dangerous to humans but they are highly toxic. Some jellyfish does not have these arms. Jellyfish perform the functions of life through regulating the jellyfish?s internal environment. These parts of the jellyfish will allow the organs to still be evolving and become suited to its environment of today. In conclusion jellyfish are sea creatures that rely on their environment for all of life living. Jellyfish are unique sea creatures that have major body forms to help them catch food. The jellyfish uses their tentacles to protect themselves and to catch food. The many different types of organisms there are jellyfish was the most interesting. Jellyfishes are odd creatures that most individuals try to stay away from because of their toxic stinging cells called nematocysts. These stinging cells are located in the tentacles. Jellyfish has a complex life cycle that takes on a number of different forms. References: Building Bodies of Jelly-Jellyfish (2012). Retrieved from Jellyfish: http://cronodon.com/BioTech/Jellyfish.html Hernandez, B. (2012). What is Jellyfish?

Article summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article summery - Essay Example With the help of the caregiver, it is important for pregnant women to calculate the estimated delivery date (EDD) by accurate determination of the last menstrual period (LMP) or through an early ultrasonography, which should be carried routinely to establish EDD and lessen the necessity for labor induction. Additionally, accurate dating is imperative for timing screening tests and interventions, as well as for optimum management of complications. The first three months of pregnancy are a time of formation of fetal organs and fetal vulnerability teratogens is very high. For this reason, there is need for counseling about risk behaviors. Other issues for discussion in early pregnancy include air travel, breastfeeding, exercise, hair treatments, hot tubs and saunas, labor and delivery; medications including prescription over-the-counter and herbal remedies; substance use including alcohol, illicit drugs and smoking; sex and workplace. Performance of history and directed physical examina tion is also necessary to detect conditions linked to increased maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Prenatal examination also allows for cervical cancer screening, ectopic pregnancy and spontaneous pregnancy loss – ectopic pregnancy should be a consideration with the present of risk factors, bleeding or abdominal pain.

(criminology)managing crime part 2 community safety Assignment

(criminology)managing crime part 2 community safety - Assignment Example Under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act, there are strategies are implemented for this purpose. Work is achieved with partnerships with several agencies, and other representatives of the business and voluntary communities and local groups. A crime audit is an essential part of this process (What is community safety? 2013). The primary objective of the Act is to â€Å"make provision for preventing crime and disorder† (Crime and Disorder Act 1998 1998). This includes the preventing crimes against children or aggressive offences taking place in the society and also bringing in changes in the criminal justice system. With this Act various amendments have been made in the system along with abolition of the death penalty for criminals (Crime and Disorder Act 1998 1998). While partnership working has benefitted different regions to deal with crime, mostly after the occurrence of the offence (Berry et al 2009); failure occurred as the concept of community safety was considered too broad ly. Hence it involved so many issues, such as education, housing, social work and others, along with the issue of crime that eventually it failed to bring advanced changes in the system as it planned to do (Helms 2012). The Crime and Disorder Act of 1998 â€Å"served to completely restructure the youth justice system in England and Wales by establishing a new national and local infrastructure† (Goldson and Muncie 2006). Youth Offending Team was an agency developed that reflected the shift from the conventional justice system (Goldson and Muncie 2006). Yet, the Act failed to mainstream community safety as several issues had started cropping in regard to the crime audits and in enhancing the sense of community. Crime audits were a lot dependent on data obtained from police that was narrowly focused on crimes. Enhancement of community safety could not be achieved as the projects largely depended upon groups and organizations that were existent in the society and hence failed to address groups that were sidelined. Thus â€Å"community safety projects† under the Act â€Å"could divide communities rather than unite them† (Joyce 2013). Thus it could be concluded from this section that the Crime and Disorder Act of 1998 failed to mainstream community safety successfully primarily due to the broad conception of community safety, along with the ineffectiveness of the Act to enhance the sense of community. The groups and the causes behind crimes could not be successfully addressed by the community safety projects thereby not allowing the Act to mainstream community safety and crimes could still occur in the society that were dealt with after the occurrence of the crimes. Section 2: The â€Å"ultimate goal of crime prevention is to reduce the risk of being a victim† (What is Crime Prevention? 2006). In order to achieve this, it is essential that opportunities to criminal minded people are not provided to commit illegal activities (What is Crime Prevention? 2006). This section of the study discusses about the strengths and weaknesses of crime prevention measures in reducing crime and disorder, considering theories associated with crime prevention. Over the years, the police departments have evolved in their ways to handle crime and their methods of prevention. The strengths of the system lie with the measures that are considered by the police departments effectively such as â€Å"

Project Management Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Project Management Review - Essay Example If outsourcers fail to re-document the message according to the individual requirements, it means that outsourcers did not get the content of the actual message. It is recommendable for the individual not to settle a response such as â€Å"Yes, I got the message’. Finally, the individual has to request outsourcers to create a prototype for the order placed. This prototype would be very helpful for the individual to ensure that outsourcers have absolutely understood his wants and needs. In order to make the communication between individual and outsourcers better, it is advisable to make use of pictures as they are more powerful tools for communication. In this way, everybody working on a placed order can thoroughly understand how the final product looks like. By undergoing these phases, an individual may ensure that outsourcers clearly understand his requirements. 2. It seems that a project manager’s trust is the key to exercising influence in an organization. A project manager deals with each and every aspect of a particular project, from creating a methodology for specific task completion to formulating a quick plan changes in response to unforeseen contingencies. While considering time-sensitive as well as cost consuming nature of modern business projects, the project manager’s trust is very vital to an organization’s financial success. ... uggests that every project team must â€Å"have sufficient checks and balances in place to insure against untrustworthy behaviors† either by project team members or by other concerned parties (Bourne, 2010). Therefore, a project manager’s trust is vital to make sure better accountability and thereby a positive reputation for the organization. A project manager’s stature also plays a significant role in contributing to organizational flexibility. Since the modern business environment is highly unpredictable, proposed project structure may need to be changed in times of contingencies. A project manager cannot delegate such last-minute changes if he has not earned the trust of his teams. 3. â€Å"Principled negotiation is an interest-based approach to negotiation that focuses primarily on conflict management and conflict resolution† (Principled negotiation). This concept mainly uses an integrative approach with intent to explore a mutually shared outcome. The concept of principled negotiations was firstly introduced in the book â€Å"Getting to Yes† which was published in 1981 by Roger Fisher and William Ury. The principled negotiation is based upon four key points which are illustrated below. 1. Separate people from the problem 2. Focus on interests, not positions 3. Invent options for mutual gain 4. Insist on objective criteria The first key point reflects the fact that relationship issues must be separated from substantive issues. According to Fisher, Ury, and Patton (1991, p. 21), popular problems mainly involve issues related to perception, emotion, and communication. Negotiating on interests does not indicate that it must be about things which people express as a want or need. Often, people tend to achieve extreme positions which are capable of confronting with

The relationship between cannabis use and mental health disorder

The relationship between cannabis use and mental health disorder Abstract This assignment evaluates the relationship between cannabis use and mental health disorder related to it in Australia. Recent national data reflects that cannabis use was at its peak in 1998 when over 60% of people aged 20-29 were reported having used cannabis. Since then various studies have found co relation between cannabis use causing no mental health issues and cannabis use causing schizophrenia and psychosis. Recent studies have found that cannabis is recognized in Australia as the third most prevalent drug of dependence following alcohol and tobacco. About 10% of people who try cannabis will develop dependence at some point in their life. Studies have found relationship between weekly frequency of cannabis use and mental illness such particularly psychosis, schizophrenia, anxiety and depression (www.mhca.org.au). Introduction Cannabis is a plant contains a psychoactive molecule that produces a high associated with this drug. The psychoactive product contains dried flowers and leaves of plants selected to produce high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (www.dictionary.com). There is a significant and growing research on the relationship between mental illness and cannabis use in Australia. The evidence supports the association between mental illness and regular cannabis use. The evidence states that regular cannabis use from young age will increases the risk of mental illness since there is genetic vulnerability to psychosis being which can be triggered by cannabis use. Evidence shows that cannabis use facilitates schizophrenia in people who have family history of mental illnesses. The average first use of cannabis users is now 14.9 years. This is of a very important concern in Australia as this is the age at which there are psychological changes in brain. Psychosis is an abnormal condition of the mind in gene ric psychiatric term for a mental state is often described as a loss of contact with the reality. This disorder can disable the normal functioning of the brain. This malfunction in brain causes people with elevated risk of death by suicide. Thus it is important to analyse the evidence carefully in order to make conclusions and recommendations (Hall et al, 2004). Relationship between Mental Illness and Cannabis. Certain pockets of Australian population consume cannabis in form of heating or ignition combined with inhalation of smoke or oral consumption of the plant itself mixed into a food medium. The other way that individuals consume cannabis is by vaporization, which causes the active ingredients to evaporate into gas without burning the plant material. This is generally done by boiling the ingredients of cannabis plant. Once these vapours are inhaled, it produces various short term and long term effects. The short term effects range from sleepiness, difficulty keeping track of time, impaired or reduced short term memory. In my general practice I have observed that the patients consuming high amount of cannabis find it hard to communicate and focus. They are generally slower to react and have increased heart rate, heart palpitations and show signs of psychological dependence on cannabis drug consumption. Their reasons for addiction generally range from recreational purposes and sometimes to escape their present hardships in life (Personal Communication, Clinical Placement, 2010). Evidence shown by scientific research shows that potential harm of cannabis use is generally and especially in vulnerable groups such as Aboriginal, young people, people belonging to poor socio economic background. The habit starts from peer pressure and gradually becomes an addiction. Rates of cannabis use by people with mental illness such as anxiety and depression also show heavy use of cannabis use.(Castle, 2004) The self medication hypothesis states that people experiencing signs of mental health disorder consume cannabis in order to alleviate or increase symptoms. There have been longitudinal studies to determine whether the mental illness is related to cannabis use. The hypothesis covers two scenarios -that cannabis initiates mental disorder that were previously lying inactive and that cannabis causes mental health illness who would not otherwise develop them. Thus research has been conducted on biological mechanisms such as effects of cannabis on brain chemistry and its effects on people without genetic predisposition to mental illness. Other social effects are taken into consideration when researching on cannabis users exposed to factors such as poor mental health, substance using peers, school dropout, unemployment and crime. It is a difficult to justify the effects of cannabis on an individual if many variables co exist both for the cannabis user and people with other social vulnerabil ities including family difficulties. Thus it is possible that there is a common genetic factor that predisposes individuals to cannabis use and mental illness (Patton et al, 2002). According to DSouza et al (2004) there is little dispute that cannabis can produce short term recurrences of pre existing psychotic symptoms. However there is no evidence relating to the fact that cannabis actually causes schizophrenia or other psychotic illness in long term (Johns, 2001). Research also shows that cannabis can also amplify a pre existing thought in an individual. These thoughts tend to overwhelm the individual causing severe reactions by individuals including suicide and self harm in extreme cases. In order for ascertain the research Hill (1965) states that following criteria must be met: Strength, consistency, specificity, temporality, biological gradient, coherence and plausibility. Every case needs to support each criteria to make the hypothesis stronger. Relationship between Cannabis consumption and Psychosis A recent study conducted by Hldes et al (2006) states that there is a two way relationship between psychosis and cannabis which states that regular use of cannabis is associated with higher risk of psychotic relapse. Many longitudinal studies have found that the mental illness particularly psychosis leads to increased use of cannabis. Research conducted by Hall et al (2004) states that most common symptoms related to the individuals with psychosis smoking cannabis were sudden confusion which were generally related to delusions and hallucinations. Their emotional state became unstable and showed signs of paranoid symptoms. These findings have been supported by individuals suggesting that they took large doses of cannabis product. Most of these people had no family history of psychosis. Their symptoms were gone once the individuals stopped their cannabis intake. These symptoms were seen back within days once the individuals started cannabis consumption again. Thus this evidence supports the hypothesis that the regular use of cannabis increases chances of psychosis in an individual. On the other hand the other hypothesis can be argued that cannabis intake does not support psychosis. There have been number of studies conducted that have compared people with people who have mental illness post cannabis use and who have developed mental illness prior to cannabis consumption. There is always a little variation in the results. According to Mental health council of Australia, there have been number of researches that have been conducted investigating the cannabis use among individuals with psychotic disorders and found that they were not significantly different from the general population. A range of motive can be grouped into following four categories: coping with unpleasant affect (to relieve emotional distress), enhancement (to have fun), social interaction (to affiliate with others), confirming (to fit in) (www.mhca.org.au) The evidence obtained shows that the first two tend to be heavy cannabis consumers and the later two are just recreational. The first two consume cannabis to relieve themselves from emotional distress, psychotic symptoms and medication side effects which lead them to consume heavy amounts of cannabis in order to feel that state of mind and emotion. People with psychosis initially use substance to change their emotional state and facilitate social contact. They then develop dependence on this substance stating, If I dont smoke then I will not be able to cope. These individuals then have belief that cannabis is the only way out thus worsening their psyche and this will lead to worsening cannabis dependence (Spence in Castle and Murray, 2004) Conclusion Various cases and individual analysis state that there is a strong connection between cannabis consumption and psychosis. The hypothesis states individuals consuming cannabis have developed symptoms of psychosis and these individuals have normalised once they stopped consuming cannabis. Thus, there is some evidence that suggest that cannabis consumption will impact the psyche of an individual but these findings are inconclusive at this stage as it fails to take into consideration other variables such as socioeconomic background, mental state, lack of family and community support. Relationship between Cannabis Consumption and Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental illness caused by disintegration of thinking process and disorientated emotional response. It usually consists of hallucinations, paranoid, disorganized speech and thinking process with social and occupational dysfunction, withdrawal from reality, social apathy (www.dictionary.com) According to research by Mental Health Council of Australia relationship between Schizophrenia and cannabis use is growing though by no means comprehensive. Schizophrenia affects one percent of the Australian population. Smaller but substantial bodies of research exist such as depression and anxiety. In some cases, Schizophrenic patients had previous symptoms of psychotic illness (Hall et al, 2004). In research conducted on 100 young people consuming high amount of cannabis, 49% male with an average age of 19.3 years were identified at ultra high risk of psychosis. Schizophrenia was the symptom with presence of other acute psychotic symptoms. This research is very difficult due to the fact that there are many variables that co exist both cannabis users with mental health illness and non cannabis users with mental health difficulties have similar behavioural problem. Most of them have substance abuse history, unemployment and life time on benefits past. It can be possible that these are the common genetic factors in both cannabis users with mental health issues and non cannabis users with mental health issues (www.mhca.org.au). Longitudinal studies show that continuous cannabis consumption in people with schizophrenia is associated with worse mental health outcome in terms of more severe symptoms and thus there is a greater chance of relapse and more psychosocial issues. Thus frequent cannabis use is associated with a higher risk of psychotic relapse and a more increased risk of cannabis relapse (Hides et al, 2006). Studies conducted by Arsenault et al, (2004) cite cross national surveys from USA, Netherlands and USA found rates of cannabis consumption among people with Schizophrenia was double than those of general population. Thus following conclusions were derived from these findings: Evidence of self medication of cannabis because of pre existing Schizophrenia due to the mental health issues caused by schizophrenia related to negative symptoms may be a factor in continuous Cannabis consumption. There have been consistent longitudinal studies stating that cannabis precipitates schizophrenia and many other psychosis related symptoms in people who are vulnerable because of their family background. The rate of schizophrenia has remained stable or decreased with increases in cannabis use over the past few decades. Overall longitudinal studies conducted by Nemesis study from Holland and New Zealand have made these findings that conclude that cannabis can be considered a casual factor in schizophrenia. Research has found that alleged increases in cannabis use over past two decades have not affected increase in rate of schizophrenia. However vast number of people who consume cannabis have not developed schizophrenia and vast number of people who have schizophrenia have n ot got schizophrenia because of their cannabis consumption (Degenhardt et al, 2004). Conclusion Cannabis consumption may affect small percentage of population that is vulnerable socially and mentally. The pattern of cannabis use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress has manifested by a need for increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or desired effect. That effect is then reduced by continuous use of the same amount of substance. Individuals then consume larger amount of substance to achieve that similar feeling and these persistent efforts start to affect the psyche of the individuals. Schizophrenia is more prevalent in individuals with poor socio economic background and history of substance abuse. Cannabis causes changes in neurotransmitter systems that make depressed mood more likely but greater evidence supports that this problem is due to individual behaviour pattern. Evidence from both hypotheses is limited and there needs to be well designed longitudinal studies including studies that examine cannabis use on older Australians to furt her narrow the relation between cannabis use and schizophrenia (Degenhardt et al, 2004).

The Prince Essay -- Essays Papers

The Prince The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli provides an analysis on how to govern and maintain power in a principality. In the first five chapters, he defines the three ways a monarch can acquire his dominion: either he inherits it, whether he creates a new one, or annexes territories, and further discusses how to govern them. Machiavelli states that hereditary principalities are less problematic than the mixed ones since newly acquired dominion tend to be more rebellious. The ruler must therefore colonize them and allow citizen to keep their laws or annihilate the governmental structure. In order to illustrate his point, he analyses the success of Alexander the Great conquest in Iran. He then considers five possible ways to acquire power and become a prince (Ch. VI-XI). First, a private citizen can become a ruler due to his own qualities or virtues, like Cyrus or Romulus. A second way to become a ruler is through other’s power or favor. Hence a man like Cesare Borgia gained power due to his father support, but lost it when the latter died. For Machiavelli, getting power so quickly can be dangerous since the new monarch might lack knowledge on how to govern. In the third case, he uses the example of Agathocles of Sicily to illustrate power gained through murders. In his opinion, the conqueror must decide if his crimes will help him establish power and then commit them all at once so that he can later reestablish the confidence of his subjects. The fourth method is called civil principality, people basically choose the ruler, and this enables him to maintain power. The last possibility is to be elected pope and Machiavelli provides a brief overview of the religious order. Next, he explores (Ch. XII- XIV) which arms are best to defend a principality and states that a ruler can chose to use â€Å"his own, or mercenaries, or auxiliaries or a mixture of all three.† From Chapter XV throughout Chapter XIX, Machiavelli proposes to describe how a prince should behave and tells the truth about surviving as a monarch, rather than recommending moral ideals. He describes the virtues commonly assimilated with a prince and concludes that some "virtues" will lead to a prince's destruction, whereas some "vices" will enable him to survive. He describes the advantages of being generous or greedy, merciful or severe, deceitful or honest. Machiavelli... ...d not suffer from bad consequences on the long run. On the other hand, the Exxon-Valdez oil-spill case is an example of deceptive PR. Indeed, not much was done for the Alaskan community and the corporation ended up being perceived in a very negative way by the general public. These two crisis communication cases show that people and mechanisms of power have things in common with Machiavelli’s times, but society has become less tolerant of evil strategies. Rulers or corporations still have the means to deceive, but people are no longer subject to an authority considered divine. Therefore, the ones who govern are exposed to feedback and can hardly avoid the consequences of their acts. A counter example, of course, would be the one of President Clinton as he voluntarily lied in court about his relation with Monica Lewinsky. He put on the face of virtue to deceive his citizens and in so doing manipulated the perception they had of him. In fact, Clinton’s communication specialists probably advised him to use this strategy, which follow the Machiavellian precepts. Although power might not exactly be the same anymore, principles on human natures are constant throughout time.

Finding Fish Themes

Theme Essay Abandonment Antwone demonstrates difficulty forming relationships to abandonment issues he developed as a child. Antwone’s father left him after being shot by an ex-girlfriend. His mother was incarcerated most of his childhood and did not take him back after being released. His best friend Jesse was killed in front of him after a botched robbery. Antwone states his feelings that Jesse is the lucky one for being dead and not having to fight anymore. Abuse Mrs. Tate, Antwone Fisher’s foster mother, verbally humiliates Antwone calling him and his brothers â€Å"nigga† instead of their actual names.Antwone and his brothers buy into Tate's view of their low self worth to the point they can tell who she is talking to by the way she says â€Å"nigguh†. Besides the verbal abuse, Tate regularly beats Antwone and locks him in dark rooms for hours on end. When Antwone finally demonstrated resistance to Tate’s beatings she used what Antwone calls â €Å"other ways† by playing upon Antwone’s pyrophobia (fear of fire). Tate’s cruelty is further exposed when she refuses to let Antwone go out and accuses him of stealing money (which he intended to use to go out to a concert). Similar article: The Themes Of MaruAntwone denies the unfounded accusation and states he got the money raking lawns. Tate demands he give the money to her explaining that â€Å" a dumb nigguh like you wouldn’t know what to do with it. †Antwone is also sexually abused by Nadine Tate multiple times. He can only turn to his best friend Jesse to help him. The psychological effects demonstrate themselves as Antwone gets older by his inability to develop relationships with women (most particularly Cheryl). The abusive background leads to the rage Antwone feels as an adult who considers that the world conspires against him and that nothing good ever happens to him.Race The subject of race comes up multiple times in the film. The first is at the beginning of the film when Antwone feels a white sailor is mocking him for the way his face looks when he shaves. Another time is when Mrs. Tate points out that Antwone’s foster brother Keith is superior to him due to having a wh ite man for a father and being lighter-skinned. The lesson stays with Antwone to the point that he tells Davenport the order of adoption begins with light-skinned girls, then light-skinned boys, then dark-skinned girls, and dark-skinned boys being left for last.While Antwone waits in social services to obtain information about his parents, he notices advertisements for adoption. The viewer is then shown various posters of children who want to be adopted absent any dark-skinned boys. Antwone even calls a fellow sailor â€Å"an Uncle Tom† for his fraternizing with both white and black people despite the fact Antwone has white friends of his own. Psychiatry At the beginning of the film, Antwone and his fellow sailors mock psychiatry and call the psych house â€Å"the nut house. Antwone feels the profession is a foolish one and spends most of the first sessions refusing to acknowledge a problem and refusing to talk to Davenport. Eventually he relents and realizes the sessions ar e good for him. Antwone soon develops a dependence on the sessions and refuses to stop them because he believes Davenport is abandoning him just like everyone else had. Antwone also discusses his therapy sessions with Cheryl and understands if she wants to end their relationship because he’s â€Å"a nut. † Cheryl tells Antwone that her father (a Vietnam veteran) had also taken psychiatry and she felt there was nothing wrong with it.Healing The theme of healing is prevalent throughout the movie. Antwone feels enormous rage at being abandoned and feels that he is unwanted. He takes out this rage upon his fellow sailors in the Navy and is afraid to develop relationships (most notably with Cheryl). Davenport comments that Antwone is headed for a discharge, but Antwone seems largely indifferent. But through the guidance of Davenport, Antwone is able to open up and destroy the vicious cycle of self-destruction that he has fallen into.Antwone develops a bond of friendship wit h Davenport and a romantic relationship with Cheryl. At first, Antwone seems largely unconcerned with finding his family but eventually recognizes he needs to for closure to move on with his life. Finding his family brings the healing Antwone had sought and echoes his dream of sitting at a feast surrounded by loving family members (echoing the first scene of the film) with the little boy (referring to the poem â€Å"Who Will Cry For The Little Boy? â€Å") inside able to finally lay to rest.

Christina Gold Leading the Change

Christina Gold Leading Change in Western Union Challa Fletcher March 13, 2012 GM504-01N: Organizational Excellence & Change Professor Rogerson Unit 1 Case Analysis Christian Gold is met with some opposition as she works to define Western Union’s global placement. The new president of Western Union points out that Western Union International, a single entity responsible for all of Western Union’s international organizational operations, was not sufficient enough to meet the global clientele.Fully versed in geography and varying cultures, Gold understands that each region must be treated uniquely based on its regional needs and culture (Gosling & Mintzberg, 2003? ). By 2003, Gold proposes that Western Union International be divided into three divisions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East, Africa, and South Asia; and Asia-Pacific. Each region will be led by a division head. Gold’s theory is that each leader head can better manage the cultural needs of the individual regions, helping Western Union better target its consumers in different cultural markets.The fear of lost revenue and product control is causing pause in the parent company, First Data Corporation. Gold also faces opposition of her peers who agree with her strategic plan to grown Western Union International but differ on other aspects such as profit and loss responsibility and decentralization. Major Issues Expanding globally requires putting trust in the hands of people who may not be familiar with the standards of operations. Western Union is U. S. entric and despite being in 195 different countries, they have not relinquished any control over marketing or their product lines. Giving up control of long U. S. managed projects is not well received amongst the current four senior vice presidents (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 6). There is a combination of interactive management and inactive management making decisions for Western Union . Western Union has steadily grown; gaining eighte en percent of increased revenues in 2002 (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 4).This growth took place under the current Western Union and Western Union International. It is because of this steady growth, due to nothing more than regular marketing, First Data Corporation is satisfied with the current make-up of the organization. Inactive management only responds to change when it is absolutely necessary to avoid an impending crisis (Ackoff, 1999, p. 50). Where First Data is inactive, Christina Gold is interactive. Gold is looking at future development of the Western Union and not just at where it has been or where it is now (Ackoff, 1999, p. 5). Alternate Course of Action Compromise and start small; one region at a time. Change can be big and quickly become over powering. Jana Johnson, vice president of executive development for First Data, admits that the size of both Western Union and First Data is knowingly large, and knowing which direction to grow is a challenge (Konrad & Mitchell, 20 05, p. 12). The implementations of all three international divisions do not have to take place at the same time. Rapid growth can cause issues to spring up all at once, overbearing the new system.Such difficulties could include product introduction timing and new foreign policy implantation. Addressing these issues with three different divisions simultaneously can be too much for the organization to bear at once and still remain operating effectively; without causing profit loses (the sole concern of Christina Gold). To test the international division, Western Union can begin with opening the largest of the three divisions. In the beginning the division leader will take charge of marketing for the region and slowly begin to obtain the profit and loss responsibility.The remaining two divisions will remain under the umbrella of Western Union International until the test trial of the largest division is complete. A new division can roll out based on a developed schedule. Change is not permanent. If any division is no longer feasible and begin to lose profit it can be readjusted, or disassembled with each of its parts being restructured to other divisions. Management style of organization should be changed to be more future focused. Christina Gold and her supporters are operating interactively.The new design of Western Union’s international business is being expanded before a crises need is looming over the organization. Gold proposes a beginning process for where the company should be aiming for in the future (Ackoff, 1999, p. 58). Restructuring Improvements Restructuring is a part of growth. Western Union cannot go into the international market with the same management. Western Union needs management that mirrors the culture they are to represent. The environment will better relate to this type of leaders. Marketing and new product lines will be strengthened by the change in management restructuring.The division head will better be able to assess what mar keting techniques will be better suited to the environment. These divisions will also be able to design new products an aggressively market those that their cultural environment could better utilize. Division heads will be able to asses which products to work as well as see how those products fair in the environment. They will closely adjust marketing tools, knowing what works better for their regions. This knowledge of culture can also clear up language and communication barriers.Divisional heads will understand the nuances of what is appropriate and what is not in a region (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 5). The new restructuring and international growth will optimize the six core strategies of Western Union. Two of the six core strategies, develop a global brand and enhance global network distributions, applies directly to growth in international markets. Western Union is US centric in its management and production (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 1; 6). In order to expand globally they must restrict their management style and those they use to manage the various divisions.By adding the additional foreign markets, increasing their purchasing ability and awareness, Western Union will be developing the core strategies of increasing productivity. More availability of services to a larger market will also increase awareness and improve service excellence. Finally, Christina Gold placed Make Yerington as senior vice president of business development. Mike Yerington has been with Western Union for 30 years (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005 p. 11). The position of Western Union Americas was also given to a Western Union veteran. The final strategic core strategy is to develop leaders from within the organization.This is an important strategy for Christina Gold after her own organization growth was taken from her causing the end of her career with Avon (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 2-3). Western Union can continue on this inner organizational growth by assigning the vacant Asian-Pa cific divisional leader position to some one of the region who has shown great leadership abilities throughout their time with Western Union. Recommendation Trust the individual that was placed over the company. Christian Gold was chosen as president of Western Union because she has impeccable experience in management and global operations.Her degree in geography and experience gives her a clear vision of processing needed change. Gold exemplifies strong leaderships skills demonstrated in her vision of Western Union beyond its current market placement. An innovative leader begins the change process and takes risk (Kouzes & Posner, 2009, p. 3). Gold is aware of the challenges that will be faced by Western Unions International Divisions, but she sees beyond the organizational development process and sees the vision of the organization. She shares this vision with others (Kouzes & Posner, 2009, p. 3).She gives others the power necessary to make decisions, and achieve organizational goa ls (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 13). Gold wants to give the three division leaders the responsibility of profit and loss; believing they can handle the additional task. A true leader gives control and in return they receive loyalty and support from their followers (Bryant, 2010, p. 35). Gold has this loyalty of the already placed vice president and divisional leaders. Failure to allow change in Western Union could cost First Data Corporations market growth internationally but also the resource they have in Christian Gold.Failure to trust Gold’s judgment and to look over the potential she possesses may cause her to leave the organization. In the past when an opportunity that was earned fairly by Gold was given to another she left the organization (Konrad & Mitchell, 2005, p. 3). The growth of Western Union will not continue to be â€Å"just because,† Western Union must be able to penetrate deeper into the money market and Christina Gold is beginning this process in the international market. To continue effectiveness growth, Western Union will have to see the asset they have in Christina Gold (Lawler III, 2003, p. 87). Conclusion * Western Union has experienced continual growth throughout both its domestic and international markets, however Christina Gold see the need for international change. Christina Gold, president of Western Union, proposes a plan that will not only grow the international Western Union but also develop the six core strategies of Western Union. The major issues stem around the changes to the product line control and debates of the need for management change is necessary to advance international markets. All of the challenges are not negative.Those who agree with Christina Gold’s international development, differ on the need for decentralization. Despite the opposition for change, Christian Gold still strives to be a vision focused leader, encouraging her team and creating leaders from within the organization. First Data Corporation must see the asset in Christina Gold and trust her assessment of the needs of Western Union. References Ackoff, R. (1999). Re-Creating the Corporation: A Design of Organizations for the 21st Century, Oxford University Press. Bryant, J. H. (2010).Leading with love in a fear-based world. Leader to Leader, 2010(56), 32-38. Konrad, A. & Mitchell, J. (2005). Christina Gold Leading Change at Western Union. Harvard Business Publishing. Product #906M07-PDF-ENG. Kouzes, J. , & Posner, B. (2009). Five best practices. Leadership Excellence, 26(7), 3-4. Lawler III, E. (2003). Why treating people right pays off. Treat People Right. In J. S. Osland, M. E. Turner, D. A. Kolb & I. M. Rubin (Eds. ) (2006). The organizational behavior reader (8th ed. ) (pp. 581-593). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Memory

Memory is defined as the faculty by which sense impressions and information are retained in the mind and subsequently recalled. A persons capacity to remember and the total store of mentally retained impressions and knowledge also formulate memory. (Webster, 1992) We all possess inside our heads a system for declassifying, storing and retrieving information that exceeds the best computer capacity, flexibility, and speed. Yet the same system is so limited and unreliable that it cannot consistently remember a nine-digit phone number long enough to dial it (Baddeley, 1993). The examination of human behavior reveals that current activities are inescapably linked by memories. General competent (1993) behavior requires that certain past events have effect on the influences in the present. For example, touching a hot stove would cause a burn and therefore memory would convey a message to not repeat again. All of this is effected by the development of short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). Memories can be positive, like memories of girlfriends and special events, or they can be negative, such as suppressed memories. Sexual abuse of children and Memory adolescents is known to cause severe psychological and emotional damage. Adults who were sexually abused in childhood are at a higher risk for developing a variety of psychiatric disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and mood disorders. To understand the essential issues about traumatic memory, the human minds response to a traumatic event must first be understood. The memory is made up of many different sections with each having different consequences on one another. Can people remember what they were wearing three days ago? Most likely no, because the memory only holds on to what is actively remembered. What a person was wearing is not important so it is thrown out and forgotten. This type of unimportant information ...

Ethics within the retail sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics within the retail sector - Essay Example The paper tells that there have been numerous laws that regulating the organization terms of social responsibility. This rules focus on things like the disposal of toxic substances environmental pollution and the employment laws that regulate the working hours. However, it is the responsibility of the organization to comply with the regulations. It is significant that the organization focus on acting responsibly on ethical issues. There are long-term plans that would assist to deal with the problem of dumping the waste in a way that affect the environment. This would include establishing ways to treat the waste in order to ensure it do not have an effect to the environment. The other thing would develop pollution, and waste management policy in the company, in order to prevent future occurrence of such an incident that would affect the organization negatively, whilst eliciting negative impact to the society. The last thing is to establish a permanent means of disposing the waste in o rder to avoid pollution. Social responsibility should not be perceived as a policy or a moral approach, but it should be seen as the state of the corporate mind. A direct and mutual relationship exists between the environmental and commercial wellbeing. This is because a healthy environment facilitates the operations that are profitable to the business. There should be a substantial recognition by the board that it is within the self-interest of the corporation to operate in an entrusted society with a social responsibility. ... This is in order to ensure that the organization has an outstanding reputation in the society. This will facilitate the organization to achieve the desired market target in order to attain the organizational objectives. Therefore, the corporate should understand that it is not possible to fulfill the corporate responsibility through exploiting labor, shortchanging beneficiaries, pollution the environment, evading tax, neglecting the needs of the local community and engaging in anti-social practices. The business should focus on being socially responsible in order to facilitate the desirable operations of the business in the organization. The social responsibility makes the organization avoid the disputes that are brought about by law pursuits. Product safety According to EUROCOMMERCE (2010), there has been a lot of advancement in the field of product safety in the ethical situations. This has been facilitated by the federal initiatives. In the cases of chemical involvement in the pro duction, there have been implementations of legislations as a step aimed at the consumer protection. However, the consumers have been more suspicious concerning products more than ever. In the business, there have been a lot of strived in the challenging pursuit adhering to the provision of safe and ethical products. Numerous introductions of ethics in the retail business in have facilitated to the attendance of a significant portion branded products and consumer market. There have been retailers in the clothing industry with a high status in the market and willing to invest more with the aim of keeping the good will through the production of ethical products, which observe the consumer safety. These have led to many retails to be

Do you think it is advantageous for both the union and management to Essay

Do you think it is advantageous for both the union and management to remain flexible during collective bargaining negotiations - Essay Example Whenever there is a collective bargaining negotiation, the employees’ representatives usually take a broad step and approach the employer or the management in an effort to negotiate a deal on behalf of the employees in which both sides (employer and employees) have a take and can come to an agreement. Some of the common employees-employer issues include wages and salaries, the general working conditions, the rules and regulations that govern their activities and practices, the benefits accrued to them among other issues (Wise geek 2010). This piece of work looks into the relationships between the workers unions and the management or employer with much emphasis being given to the flexibility and rigidity of both the union and the management during collective bargaining negotiations and the benefits and problems accrued to either the flexibility or rigidity of either party. Various organizational examples will be used to justify some of the arguments related to collective bargai ning. Rise of Collective Bargaining Howell (1992) asserts that Collective bargaining is a concept that can be traced towards the end of the nineteenth century when most workers were now aware of their rights and hence they had the urge to demand for more rights related to their positions in the work places. They were able to recognize that they were involved in the success of the organizations and therefore they had to be treated well. It is then that most skilled personnel could use their skills and knowledge as the basis of bargaining in an effort to make the employers fulfil their workplace needs. Before, people were aware of the collective bargaining negotiations, they would engage in aspects like demonstrations, strikes and sheer numbers to air their issues and problems to the management until some labour pioneers came up and established a system that facilitated collective bargaining such that the negotiations between the employees and the employers could now run smoothly in a n organized manner and better solutions would be attained. Collective bargaining acts as a means of improving the terms and conditions of trade unions and also restores the unequal bargaining position that may exist between employer and employees. It is however important to note that although the collective bargaining negotiations usually result in a conclusion they do not always lead to a collective agreement. The process of collective bargaining entails various steps for example preparation which entails composition of a negotiation team from both sides, discussion of the rules and regulations to govern the negotiations, proposal which entails bringing forth of various views and embracing aspects of brainstorming, the bargaining process and finally the settlement where the parties come to a conclusion (Industrial Relations 2007). The above chart shows clearly the general aspects that are contained in the process of collective bargaining (MetaPress 1997). Reasons and consequences o f rigidity in collective bargaining negotiations According to Franz and Feiffer (2006), there are various reasons and consequences that are associated with rigidity in the collective bargaining negotiations irrespective of the party that is rigid. The employment condition that is of focus here is the wage rigidity which seems to affect most employees as they feel that they are being oppressed