Mentoring and Enabling Learning in the Practice Setting Essay

Mentoring and Enabling Learning in the Practice Setting - Essay Example Every profession including health care can be wide and vast and in order for one to understand and gain experience, they need more than what is learnt in the class. In practicing health care, there is need to have a mentor who will guide the prospecting practitioner with vast experience. NMC defines a mentor as an individual who is registered and has completed the NMC approved mentor preparation programme and has acquired the skills, knowledge and competence needed to meet the defined outcomes. As a mentor, an individual has a key role to play in ensuring that they guide new and potential practitioners as they go through transition. Their roles include; Mentorship in nursing is very crucial considering the profession deals with lives. This calls for high standards and strictness in carrying out the duties. For that reason, there is need to have proper training, and guidance for new practitioners. This is what has necessitated the need for a mentor. Mentorship programme ensure that new practitioners and students gain the much needed orientation and training in a real life situation other than theory as it is done in schools. According to Bosher and Pharris (2009) mentorship in nursing plays a key role in growing careers as well as develops the social aspect of the individual. The Nursing and Midwifery Council the NMC official regulator of nurses and the main purpose of the council are to protect the public. This is done by keeping a register of all practicing nurses and by developing and setting standards that will guide their education, training, performance, conduct and ethics. The council came up with standards that will help and support learning and assessment in practice in the health care. The standards have been set in form of development frameworks and are put in 4 stages. These include, Registrants, Mentors, practice teachers and teachers. In addition to these four,

Capabilities and Effects of Background Music Essay Example for Free

Capabilities and Effects of Background Music Essay Abstract Nonverbal communication speaks louder than verbal communication; therefore, nonverbal communication, such as background music, needs to be sensibly evaluated. As a form of nonverbal communication, background music is capable of influencing a target audience. In advertising, emotions can be shifted depending on the music being played in the background and the same feelings are then transferred to the product, providing a tremendous advantage in business (Dillman Carpentier, 2010). Music can change one’s mood; in the workplace, an improved mood allows employees to be more content and, overall, more productive. In addition, with the right musical selection, the music is able to increase the amount of information an individual is able to retain (Balch Lewis, 1996). Various aspects from several studies have been examined, demonstrating the power of background music and music in general. The Capabilities and Effects of Background Music Nonverbal communication may be unintentional and speakers may not be aware of their behaviors or it may be just the opposite (Troester Mester, 2007). However, background music is often carefully selected in order to aid in the desired goal, particularly in advertising (Dillman Carpentier, 2010; Kellaris, Cox, Cox, 1993). The goals of every businessperson may not be the same; yet, the capabilities and effects of music are rather consistent (Dillman Carpentier, 2010). Whether via television, radio, or in person, music is able to affect the moods of those in the audience (Knobloch, 2003). Music also has the ability to improve the performance of the task at hand of an individual (Fassbender, Richards, Bilgin, Thompson, Heiden, 2012). According to Balch and Lewis (1996), an increase in memory is also induced by music. In any aspect of business, the effects of music can be utilized and even increase efficiency and productivity. Mood Alteration One’s mood determines the way one thinks and acts and what is said (Knobloch, 2003; Hunter, Schellenberg, Schimmack, 2010). According to Hunter et al., â€Å"music is the language of emotions† (p. 47). The perception of music determines the emotion felt. The perception of happiness is more often transferred to feeling happy than the perception of sadness and feeling sad (Hunter, Schellenberg, Schimmack, 2010). Davies (2011) refers to the emotions of music as being contagious. When one is around people who are depressed, that person’s mood adjusts closer to those who are in the depressed state. Similarly, although a person may not actually be sad, a sad part in a movie can make that person feel sad; the same applies to music. Hearing music that sounds happy can make one feel happy and to the contrary. Davies models this as a cause and effect relationship. The music being heard is the cause and the effect is one’s reaction to the music. Whether the reaction is happy or sad is dependent upon the perception of the music to the listener. Sounds that reflect happiness include little amplitude variation, a vast pitch variety, and fast tempo (Hatfield, Cacioppo, Rapson, 1993). Therefore, when one hears these sounds of happy music, emotional contagion is invoked on the subject and causes that person to feel happy. In advertisements, music is selected as an enhancement but also to affect mood. It is a company’s goal to influence potential buyers by creating a positive attitude and feeling towards that company’s product. With a positive image in mind of a particular product, there is a greater likelihood that the consumer will purchase the product (Dillman Carpentier, 2010). An average of more than 9.5 hours of media is taken in by the average American on a daily basis; of those hours, 38% is dedicated to music – all of which affects mood in some way (Knobloch, 2003). In addition, according to Dillman Carpentier, 90% of commercials include music of some sort (2010). The preceding statistics show the value of music to consumers and therefore, reflect the importance music-induced moods have in marketing. Enhanced Performance Not only is music able to affect one’s mood but it is also capable of increasing the performance of an individual (North Hargreaves, 1999). According to Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky, the IQ scores of the participants of their study were highest when the participants were under the influence of music (1993). In the other two trials, the participants went through a relaxation process and sat in silence for 10 minutes; the scores were 2.95 and 3.56 points respectively lower (Rauscher, Shaw, Ky, 1993). Some teachers have started using music to increase the focus and efficiency of students. Relaxing music is played to keep the students’ minds from wandering and, instead, concentrated on the lesson. The relaxing music causes one’s brainwave frequencies to alter, entering the alpha state. The alpha state has been found to be the state where the best connection to one’s subconscious is made (Fassbender, Richards, Bilgin, Thompson, Heiden, 2012). Koenen’s and Restak’s (as cited in Fassbender et al., 2012) findings have both supported that music inhibits thought. Restak’s claim is based on a study conducted with surgeons as the participants. Due to differing parts of the brain being used for music and for physical tasks, the music doesn’t inhibit the task but keeps the other part of the brain occupied and, therefore, from becoming distracted (Fassbender et al., 2012). In another study, surgeons were asked to count backwards by various numbers under three different conditions and were monitored throughout their tasks. The different conditions were no music, music of personal preference, and experimenter-selected music. Each surgeon was individually tested and each surgeon’s blood pressure, pulse, timing, and accuracy were recorded. The results showed a significant difference among the three conditions and the areas being monitored. The surgeons’ blood pressures and pulses were at much higher levels when performing the tasks without music. The results of the tasks with the presence of music showed lower blood pressures and pulses but an increase in the speeds and accuracies of the surgeons. Of the two music conditions, the overall results of the surgeons were better when listening to music of their choice rather than the experimenter-selected music. The participants of the study are of a profession that undergoes much stress in the operating room; by listening to music of their choice, the effects of stress decrease and the quality of performances increase (Allen Blascovich, 1994). The studies of Dr. Adrian C. North provide several benefits of music for employers and employees. As previously mentioned, music can affect one’s mood. In the workplace, putting the employees in a better mood will increase their productivity by improving how well they interact with their fellow employees. It has been proven that one’s mood and helpfulness are directly related (North Hargreaves, 1999). Music has also been found to raise the employee morale, leading to a decrease in the number of absences (Furnham Bradley, 1997; North Hargreaves, 1999). The output per employee can also be increased in a work field involving repetitiveness. According to Johnson (2004), participants of his study (whose work was repetitive) matched the tempo of the music being played while working. Therefore, with the addition of music – causing a better mood, cooperation, and increased pace – the overall productivity and efficiency of the workforce can increase and, in turn, boost the company revenue. Music is a friend of labour for it lightens the task by refreshing the nerves and spirit of the worker – William Green ( quoted in Furnham Bradley, 1997) Increased Memory Although music and its relationship to human memory are still being researched, scientists do know that music affects several parts of the brain (Weir Nevins, 2010). Cognitive neuroscientist, Petr Janata, says, â€Å" It [music] calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person’s face in your mind’s eye† (Weir Nevins, 2010, p. 12). According to John Sweller, one must relate what is being learned to something that is already known (2003). Studies have proven the word-for-word is much higher when heard with music than when heard without music (Wallace, 1994). Wallace also suggests the musical accompaniment is used as a retrieval device or as an aid in the way the words are stored. The belief is that the music accents the words being spoken by acting as a cue when determining the number of syllables in a word and words in a verse (Wallace, 1994). It has also been shown that some memories are solely dependent on music being the trigger to recall them (Balch Lewis, 1996). In marketing and advertising, music plays a significant role on one’s memory. Most can probably identify the brand image, along with the melody, by simply reading, â€Å"five, five-dollar foot long† (Weir Nevins, 2010) due to the capability of music that allows one to recall melody and image from the text read (and the contrary) (Wallace, 1994). Pertaining to memory, music can also serve as an aid in health services (Simmons-Stern, Budson, Ally, 2010). According to a study by Simmons-Stern et al., patients with Alzheimer’s disease were able to recall more of the information they were given when it was sung rather than spoken. It is thought to be possible that these findings may aid in discovering a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease patients (Simmons-Stern et al., 2010). Conclusion There is no doubt music plays a role in everyone’s life in some way. The effects of music are nearly unavoidable due to the fact that music is incorporated into such a variety of activities and places and can cause differentiating feelings and results. Sad music can spread sadness (through emotional contagion) and infect the listener with that sadness, causing the listener’s mood to worsen. On the contrary, music is also able to make one feel happy (Davies, 2011). In the workplace, music is able to improve the mood of employees, motivate employees, and quicken the pace of the work being done (Furnham Bradley, 1997). By playing upbeat music where the work to be done is monotonous, the workers are less irritated and fall in rhythm with the beat of the music. A workforce that has a higher rate of productivity can ultimately benefit the company by increasing the profits (North Hargreaves, 1999). Music also accentuates words and increases the memorabilia of those words; this can be quite beneficial in advertisements (Weir Nevins, 2010). Another benefit music offers, with regards to memory, is as a possible treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (Simmons-Stern, Budson, Ally, 2010). Regardless of being a form of nonverbal communication or where it may appear, music strongly affects human beings with its ample array of capabilities. References Allen, K. P., Blascovich, J. P. (1994). Effects of Music on Cardiovascular Reactivity Among Surgeons. Journal of The American Medical Association, 272(11), 882-884. Balch, W. R., Lewis, B. S. (1996). Music-Dependent Memory: The Roles of Tempo Change and Mood Mediation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 22(6), 1354-1363. Davies, S. (2011). Infectious Music: Music-Listener Emotional Contagion. In A. Coplan, P. Goldie, Empathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press. Dillman Carpentier, F. R. (2010). Innovating Radio News: Effects of Background Music Complexity on Processing and Enjoyment. Journal of Radio Audio Media, 17(1), 63-81. Douglas Olsen, G. (1995). Creating the Contrast: The Influence of Silence and Background Music on Recall and Attribute Importance. Journal of Advertising, 59(4), 29-44. Fassbender, E., Richards, D., Bilgin, A., Thompson, W. F., Heiden, W. (2012). The Effects of Music on Memory f or Facts Learned in a Virtual Environment. Computers and Education, 58(1), 490-500. Furnham, A., Bradley, A. (1997). Music While You Work: The Differential Distraction of Background Music on the Cognitive Test Performance of Introverts and Extraverts. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 11, 445-455. Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., Rapson, R. L. (1993). Emotional Contagion. Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 2(3), 96-99. Hunter, P. G., Schellenberg, E. G., Schimmack, U. (2010). Feelings and Perceptions of Happiness and Sadness Induced by Music: Similarities, Differences, and Mixed Emotions. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 4(1), 47-56. Johnson, V. W. (2004). Effect of Musical Style on Spontaneous Exercise Performance. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, 24, 357. Kellaris, J. J., Cox, A. D., Cox, D. (1993, October). The Effect of Background Music on Ad Processing: A Contingency Explanation. Journal of Marketing, 57, 114-125. Knobloch, S. (2003, June). Mood Adjustment via Mass Communication. Journal of Communication, 53(2), 233-250. North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. (1999). Music and Driving Game Performance. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 40, 285-292. North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. (1999). Musical Tempo, Productivity, and Morale. Unpublished Manuscript. Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., Ky, K. N. (1993). Music and Spatial Task Performance. Nature, 365, 611. Simmons-Stern, N. R., Budson, A. E., Ally, B. A. (2010). Music as a Memory Enhancer in Patients with Alzheimers Disease. Neuropsychologia, 48, 3164-3167. Sweller, J. (2003). Evolution of Human Cognitive Architecture. San Diego: Academic Press. Troester, R., Mester, C. (2007). Chapter 7: Nonverbal Civility. In Civility in Business Professional Communication (pp. 87-105). Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. Wallace, W. T. (1994). Memory for Music: Effect of Melody on Recall of Text. Jornal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20(6), 1471-1485. Weir, K., Nevins, D. (2010). Music and Your Mind. Current Health Kids, 34(1), p. 10.

Southern White Slaveholder Guilt :: American America History

Southern White Slaveholder Guilt Guilt is an inevitable effect of slavery. For no matter how much rhetoric and racism is poured into such a system, the simple fact remains that men and women are enslaving men and women. Regardless of how much inferior a slaveholder may perceive his salves, it is obvious that his "property" looks similar, has similar needs, and has similar feelings. There is thus the necessary comparison of situations; the slaveholder is free, the slave is in bondage-certainly a position that the slaveholder would find most disagreeable. So there is no doubt that any slaveholder with any measure of humanity within himself would feel guilt. And in fact, as the evidence is considered-including the pro-slavery propaganda-the reality of southern guilt is overwhelmingly obvious. The guilt is seen in their words, both private and public, uncovered in the pro-slavery diatribes, and understandable in their humanity. Before this discussion of guilt in slaveholders begins, it is necessary to first define how we will define guilt. Certainly if a man says he is guilt-stricken with conviction we can take this as adequate evidence of his guilt. However, certainly not everyone takes this direct an approach. James Oakes makes a good point in recognizing that guilt is not always starkly obvious. "Guilt is the product of a deeply rooted psychological ambivalence that impels the individual to behave in ways that violate fundamental norms even as they fulfill basic desires (Oakes 120)." In other words, guilt creates such inner turmoil that a guilty man will deviate from normal behavior. In this case, we will have to show two things: first, a slaveholder is committing detrimental actions (to himself or his family) that show he is in mental distress, and second, that these actions are a result of his status as a slaveholder. It is obvious that we cannot prove the latter point, but we can show it is the most p robable situation for his guilt. Finally, if a slaveholder is making pains above and beyond law and custom, it is most likely that these actions are to alleviate feelings of guilt. This is because we may assume any deliberate actions taken by any man are usually taken because he assumes they will benefit him in some manner. And if such an action is costly (money-wise), then it must have some allure in terms of personal happiness. So to show guilt, we will set forth examples of open confessions of guilt, deviant behavior, and uncommonly good treatment of slaves.

Rural American Family Farms :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oxfam America is a supporter of small family farm based business, according to Laura Rusu the US government spends up to 16 billion dollars a year on farm payments. Most of those funds from the US government go towards large commercial farms. Oxfam America is supporting the act called the Rural America Preservation Act, which will help smaller based farms with funding. Since there are so many loopholes in the current government system that are only helping the larger commercial based farms, this Act will help prevent these loopholes and help the smaller farms with more funding. There are many misleading ideas about the small scale farms, some of which are that small scale farms cannot support a family, that they need to grow into large scale farms to make money, and that small scale farming is usually just a hobby or for extra income. After researching the agribusiness, most of these accusations and most because small scale farms could be more successful if they w ere provided the support from state and federal governments like they should be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the statement of Barbara Fiorito (2005), the US government spends up to 16 billion dollars each year on farm payments, and 70 percent of the money goes to the farms that are already receiving government funding either through different federal grants or state funding. The article discuses how the large commercial farms also hurt smaller farms abroad. Since a large farm can mass produce a product they can sell their product at a much lower price because of the supply they have, verses the smaller farm that can not produce as much so it must then have higher prices. Even though this example that Oxfam give us is using farms from abroad it is the same kind of situations small American agribusinesses are facing. Andrea Perera of Oxfam said that the Rural America Preservation Act if passed will limit the subsidy payments to industrial farms and corporations and will help family farmers make a living. If passed, this Act will now have a cap on payments the farms will receive; the payments will be lowered by 30 percent from $360,000 to $250,000 said Perera in her article and most loopholes in the current government allow the largest farms to collect enormous subsidies, which can exceed $1 million will also be taken care of too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In doing research it seems that most â€Å"common† people or people that grew up in larger cities have been mislead to what a small farm is.

Ensure a Safe Workplace Essay

Chemicals purchase large quantities of cleaning chemicals. These are delivered in 205 liter drums and include solvents, acids and other corrosives, and detergents. These products are decanted by ABC chemical’s staff into retail size containers (not exceeding 30 liters/kilograms) , re-labelled and shipped in company-badged delivery vehicles to retail outlets throughout the metropolitan area. There is, within 25 meters of ABC chemical, a local nursing home that cares for elderly residents with age-related conditions including dementia. Across the road from the nursing home is a child care center that provides day care for the under 5’s. ABC chemicals employs some 50 people whose duties include the day-to-day running of the business and decanting of the chemicals into smaller containers. Small spills during the decanting procedures are cleaned up with rags, which are disposed of at the end of the day into the general waste dumpster in the rear yard of the premises. The dumpster is collected by a waste contractor on a weekly basis. The ABC chemicals building was constructed in 2000 and has been fitted with limited emergency equipment. None of the staff has received any training in safe handling of chemicals or how to cope with emergencies and there is no emergency plan displayed in the workplace. ABC chemicals is situated on a busy intersection and there have been several significant vehicle accidents in front of the premises. All empty chemicals drums are stored in the rear yard against the back cyclone fence. These drums are collected on monthly basis and as many as 250 drums can be stored there awaiting collection. Behind the cyclone fence is a large open, overgrown paddock with dry grass, which is owned by the local council. The council has advised ABC chemicals that they wish to build a community center on this site at some time in the near future.

The Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation of Public Policy

The Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation of Public Policy Introduction The efforts to solve certain problems attracting public concerns create the necessity to formulate and implement public policies. Ridde (2009:939) defines a public policy as an action that a government deems appropriate or inappropriate for its citizens.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation of Public Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Put differently, public policy encompasses a set of aims coupled with a specified group of activities, which resolve a particular public problem when properly executed (Lyhne, 2011:324). From this paradigm, the processes of formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies are defined as covering the integration of myriads of fragmented process (sub-processes) (Ridde, 2009:943). In some situations, governments adopt policies that fail to achieve the anticipated outputs. This scenario occurs when a formulated public policy is implemented, but the problem intended to be solved by the policy continues. Such a situation attracts the attention of policy analysts, who try to determine the reasons for the policy failure. One of the most common approaches to this involves finding out the deficiencies within the policy-formulation and implementation phases (Ridde, 2009:945). Public policy is an important aspect of contemporary government operations. Taking the above arguments as a starting point, this essay aims to discuss evaluation as an important component of policy formulation and implementation. Non-incorporation of evaluation in the two phases creates difficulties in determining eminent deficiencies in policy that has been formulated and implemented. Deficiencies in policy formulation and implementation are risk factors for the failure of a policy to achieve the anticipated outcomes. This essay is divided into two main sections. It first describes the processes of policy formulation, policy implementat ion, and policy evaluation as discrete entities. A discussion of policy evaluation as an integrated process in policy formulation and implementation then follows in the analysis section. The essay also addresses the rationale behind integrating public-policy evaluation into the formulation and implementation stages. In conclusion, the essay will hold that the evaluation, formulation and implementation of public policy cannot be separated into discrete stages. Description Formulating Public Policies Governments, organisations and groups of people set and adopt procedural guidelines towards the achievement of their set goals and objectives. Policies are generally initiated to influence various environments, thereby addressing adverse effects that arise in those environments.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Public-policy formulation involves the processes of studying an d assessing issues that emerge as a potential threat and the impact they may have on the public (Vizzard, 1995:342). The public-policy formulation process intends to limit the identified consequences of a problem for the subject environments or invoke better performance of undertakings in the public sector (Fyfe, Miller McTavish, 2009: 214). Well-formulated policies are rational, specific in their statements, and applicable to specific extents only (Marsh McConnell, 2010:565). Such policies are not ambiguous and are effective in achieving the intended objectives. The process of public-policy formulation is intricate. Creating a policy in order to oversee all stakeholders and pressure groups is a dangerous mistake. The civil society working together with the government is one way of ensuing democracy and collective representation. In the end, this enhances the effectiveness of the policy-formulation process. For an effective policy-formulation process, it is crucial that staff is h ighly knowledgeable of, and conversant with, institutional processes. Institutional processes encompass the determination of policy subject matter, implementation plans, and designing and scrutinising the assessment and revision of public policies (Vizzard, 1995:344). Thorough analysis based on the identified problems in public-policy formulation enhances the realisation of well-formulated policies; thus, mitigating the risks of unintended consequences emerging. Plans made for dealing with organisational setbacks in policy management play a significant part in raising the policy-formulation capability. The process of creating public policy involves decision-making processes; it centres on making amendments during the implementation of public policies (Milward, 1980:256). This implies that the formulation and implementation of public policies works mutually, but not as two separate entities. Implementing Public Policies Policy implementation follows the process of policy formulation. Mazmanian and Sabatier (1983:56) describe policy implementation to include exercising particular policy decisions in a manner directed by the prescriptions of an administrator, law, or court guidance. There are two main approaches to policy implementation: bottom–up, and top-down.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation of Public Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The top-down approach is bureaucratic. Sabatier (1986:32) notes that it starts through a â€Å"policy decision and focuses on the extent to which its objectives are attained over time and why†. The establishment of the capacity of the implementation process to be consistent with causal theory, coupled with policy objectives, aims, and goals, is essential for a successful top-down process of policy implementation. The top-down approach to policy implementation is unidirectional (Sabatier, 1986:28). The process does not provide room for information flow through feedback channels. The success of the top-down process of public-policy implementation is a function of the capacity of the legal frameworks and the enforcing agencies to force or compel groups of people targeted by the policy to abide by the policy guidelines. In the implementation of any policy, one determinant of success is how skilled the people charged with the implementation are (Matland, 1995:162). Success in implementing a policy using the top-down approach is also dependent on socio-economic factors. The socio-economic factors have a role to play in policy implementation, as they constitute one of the measures used to assess the success of implementation. The top-down approach requires political willingness as well as political support. May and Wintner (2009:467) maintain that the approach demands that the eventual success of the policy implemented should be measured by how well it is able to solve the problems that it was initially meant to offer solutions to. The process divides the public-policy implementation process into two main segments. The first segment, the ‘top’, takes the role of the development of the policy. The ‘bottom’ constitutes the public-policy implementation agents. This segmentation ensures the flow of voice of command from the uppermost level to the lowest level in a single direction so that bureaucracy is enhanced during the implementation process. A major challenge of using the top-down approach in the implementation of public policies is encountered when all issues affecting groups targeted by a given policy must be fully addressed in the implementation of that policy. As a result, researchers supporting the top-down approach, such as de Leon and de Leon (2002:468), and researchers opposed to it, such as Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009:14), fail to agree on an appropriate process for public-policy implementation.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Leon and de Leon (2002:472) state that bureaucrats constitute important agents for public policy implementation, although they are ignored by those who are charged with the role of implementing the top-down approach in public policy. The main argument here is that abiding by policy guidelines should not be a choice. Rather, it is mandatory. As opposed to the top-down approach to policy-implementation process, the bottom-up approach integrates the groups of people targeted by a public policy into the implementation process. Sabatier (1986:32) notes that this step is initiated by â€Å"identifying the network of actors involved in service delivery in one or more local areas and asking] them about their goals, strategies, activities, and contacts†. The acquired contacts are then utilised in the development of myriads of networks with an objective of increasing the number of local, national, and regional actors who would play the roles of financing, planning and executing the pol icy. In the bottom-up approach, ‘top’ as well as ‘bottom’ actors in the process of creating public policies collaborate and exchange information about policy formulation and implementation via a dynamic process. The bottom-up approach maintains that the phases of policy implementation and formulation are inseparable (Matland, 1995:167). According to Pastine and Pastine (2010:85), the approach views politicians and administrators as playing critical roles in the successful process of policy formulation followed by its implementation. Policy-making experts and politicians form the top level of the policy-making process. The people whose problems a public policy seeks to solve form the bottom level. The need for a public policy emerges from the bottom. The response to these needs, however, is a responsibility of those at the ‘top’. Sabatier (1986:41) criticises this direction of information flow in policy-making in the context of the bottom-up app roach, claiming that it is unidirectional because policy-making initiates from the ‘bottom’ and moves towards the ‘top’. The successful implementation of public policies requires the integration of the person affected by the policy in the planning, formulation, and implementation phases of the policy (Cope Goodship, 1999:9). Considering that the top-down public-policy implementation process is unidirectional and Sabatier (1986:46) argues that bottom-up approach is also unidirectional, hypothetically, perhaps the best approach to public-policy implementation is the one that encourages constant interaction between the ‘top’ and the ‘bottom’ actors in formulating and implementing public policy via forward and backward information-flow loops. Such an approach can aid in capturing various intricacies that impede successful policy implementation (Whitford, 2007:21). Efforts to ensure the identification of pitfalls to successful policy i mplementation highlight the need to evaluate public policy at the formulation and the implementation phases (Barzelay Jacobsen, 2009:319). Evaluating Public Policies The evaluation process encompasses an integral aspect of the process of making public policies. It aids in the identification and reflection on the unanticipated and anticipated outcomes of a policy. Evaluation is the process of measuring the efficacy, utility, advantages, disadvantages, and the necessity of a particular process or physical installation (Cope Goodship, 1999:8). The main objective of policy evaluation is to inform policy developers of the progress of policy implementation and to what extent the formulated policies under implementation are providing the anticipated outcomes (Cope Goodship, 1999:11). When public-policy evaluators discover that policies being formulated or implemented have deficiencies that would cause those policies to fail to achieve the desired outcomes, evaluation becomes the tool fo r alerting policy-makers about the need to consider alternative policies. It also helps in the correction of erroneous aspects of a policy during the process of implementation (Rist, 1995:43). Where the policy-implementation process yields the anticipated outcomes, evaluation is also crucial because it forms the justification for the legitimacy of public policy. The evaluation process constitutes an important part of the learning process around policy-making. Evaluation is applied in the policy-making process as a scientific activity and a positivist exercise (Rist, 1995:56). It serves the functions of determining the quality, effectiveness, policy effects, capacity to achieve desired goals, and the rationale for costs incurred in the formulation and implementation of public policies (Marsh McConnell, 2010:580). In this context, evaluation does not form a discrete activity in the making of public policies. Rather, it is integrated into all processes of making public policy, includi ng policy formulation and implementation. Analysis In the description section, policy evaluation was treated as a discrete activity, separate from the formulation and implementation of public policies. In this section, it is presented as an integral part of the implementation and formulation phases of public policies. Simultaneous Evaluation of Public Policies in the Implementation and Formulation phases The formalisation of laws, rules and regulations precedes the process of implementing public policy. In a bid to ensure that policies work, bureaucratic forces then come into play (May Wintner, 2009:473). Policies are developed to ensure that the delivery of public services is in line with public demands and expectations. For the achievement of this outcome, whether bottom-up or top-down approaches to public-policy formulation and implementation are adopted, the evaluation of each of these phases is crucial. It is necessary for every step taken in the formulation and implementation of a policy to be evaluated in a bid to determine its relationship with the final desired outcome (Whitford, 2007:26). The evaluation of the overall effects of all the stages in the formulation of a policy aids in the determination of the overall effects of the formulated policy before it is implemented. In this way, it becomes possible to avoid challenges related to the implementation of policies that have errors at the formulation stage. Policy evaluation should be carried out during the formulation and the implementation phases and after the completion of each of these phases. Evaluation at the Policy-Formulation Phase Executing the policy-evaluation process alongside the formulation phase curtails policy-formulation errors. Such errors replicate themselves in the policy-implementation phase. The political climate and the interests of stakeholders influence the formulation of public policies (Palumbo, 1987:68). Evaluation at the formulation stage ensures that these concerns are addressed in the policy’s formulation process to ensure that the policy achieves the intended outcomes as determined by the stakeholders and the political-philosophical system of leadership in force. Evaluation at the formulation stage captures the attention of policy activists and groups supporting the government. These actors determine the kinds of public policies necessary for implementation (May Wintner, 2009:473). In the absence of evaluation at the formulation phase of any policy, regimes and administrations in power have a chance to advance their interest, which may not be in favour with the public. In later regimes, such policies become irrelevant, which amounts to a waste of scare public resources. Agents of policy formulation mainly include researchers interested in change and who are keen on the elements of a policy at its formulation phase (Palumbo, 1987:78). The researchers are also interested in the policy implementation, which means that they cannot be prevent ed from conducting in-depth scrutiny (evaluation) of the policy’s capacity to achieve its intended change. According to Pollitt (1999:82), policy makers should consider the political influences in the process of policy formulation. An independent body should be contracted to determine the nature and amount of this influence. Successful evaluation of public policy should be measured by the success of its implementation. It ensures that the implementation phase cannot trace its problems back to the formulation phase. Whitford (2007:29) states that the only challenge that can arise is in the event of policy-implementation agents failing to implement the formulated and evaluated policy in a manner that meets the expectations of its recipients. In the formulation phase, evaluation brings together measuring the capacity of the formulated policies to meet the desired policy objectives, aims, and goals. Evaluation at the Policy-Implementation Phase Implementing public policy through bureaucracy places more focus on the conformance of the groups of people targeted by the policy, and less focus on their reactions to that policy. This aspect creates a need for evaluation of policies at the start of the implementation phase through a bureaucratic system of administration throughout its development. Evaluating the implementing agency ensures the determination of its capacity to enforce the policy through established rules, regulations and laws to avoid deviance. The evaluation of policies before the onset of the implementation process is important as it ensures that the enforcing agents are compliant with the legal provisions of these policies, with legal consequences being advanced to those failing to adopt the policies. Bureaucracy is important in the implementation of public policies. It has the capability to understand and alter mythologies, aims, and areas of importance in the policy-implementation process to ensure compliance (Page, 1992:40). It has the abilit y to redefine appropriate policy goals to some extent. Such a policy-remoulding process in order to reduce the reluctance of target groups to comply with the policy constitutes the public-policy evaluation process in the implementation stage. The ability of bureaucratic systems of policy implementation to redefine some aspects of public policy explains the importance of public-policy evaluation at the implementation stage. Evaluation helps in monitoring the actions of the implementation agents. This is important in an effort to mitigate risks associated with the implementation agents’ capacity to redefine policies in ways that impair the implementation approach and methodologies prescribed during the formulation stage (Page, 1992:54). For this purpose, policy-implementation administrative agents such as courts and Parliament (de Leon de Leon, 2002:473) become important evaluators of the policy-implementation process. They also assist in the determination of necessary actions during the implementation process (May Wintner, 2009:474). Administrative agents responsible for policy implementation establish interim and final rules necessary for guiding the implementation process. Evaluation is essential to ensure strict compliance with the rules. It needs to be conducted at all stages of implementation to guarantee congruency of the policy and its anticipated goals, aims, and objectives enumerated during the evaluated formulation stages. Purpose of Integrating Policy Formulation, Implementation, and Evaluation Development of public policies takes place through interrelated stages. The appropriateness of each stage within a phase determines the appropriateness of the next phase in the process to foster the creation of a policy that responds effectively to a public problem. Evaluation is the tool for measuring the extent of the appropriateness of each stage with respect to the anticipated outcomes of the fully formulated public policy. This aspect means that the formulation or implementation of successful public policies is less likely when evaluation is treated discretely. Problems encountered at the policy-formulation phase result in policies failing to achieve their intended outcomes at the implementation stage. These challenges encompass certain implementation constraints, which prove problematic to the agents for policy implementation. These include inadequate time, financial resources, insufficient understanding of policy goals, and a resistance to comply with directions and commands issued by implementation agents (Hogwood Gunn, 1984:82). Integration of evaluation in all steps and sub-steps in the formulation and implementation phase helps to capture all of these challenges. Conclusion Policy formulation and implementation are two important phases of making public policies. The outcome of the implementation phase depends on the proper formulation of policies, which suggests that the two phases are related and their needs are int erlinked. This essay proposed evaluation as the important interlinking phase requiring incorporation in the formulation and implementation phases of making public policies. Evaluating the steps within the formulation and implementation phases helps to avoid the replication of errors and problems impeding realisation of the intended outcomes upon full implementation of a public policy. This essay holds that evaluation during the formulation phase coupled with its successive sub-phases helps pave the way to a successful policy-implementation process. In this context, the essay considers evaluation as an important phase in the process of making public policies, which merges the formulation and implementation phases to avoid the replication or even occurrence of challenges impeding realisation of the intended outcome of a public policy. The top–down and bottom-up approaches were discussed as the main theoretical frameworks of making and implementing public policies. The two theor etical approaches have the inherent problem of treating evaluation as a discrete entity. In proposing an alternative approach to making public policies, this essay discussed and assessed the relevance of incorporating evaluation as an integral part of the policy-implementation and formulation phases. The essay finds that the separation of formulation, implementation, and evaluation of public policies into discrete phases is inappropriate. Reference List Barzelay, M Jacobsen, A 2009, ‘Theorising Implementation of Public Management Policy Reforms: A Case Study of Strategic Planning and Programming in the European Commission’, Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, vol.22 no.2, pp. 319–334. Cope, S Goodship, J 1999, ‘Regulating Collaborative Government: Towards Joined-Up Government’, Public Policy and Administration, vol.14 no.2, pp. 3-16. DelLeon, P DelLeon, L 2002, ‘What Ever Happened to Policy Imple mentation? An Alternative Approach’, Journal of Public Administration and Research Theory, vol.12 no.4, pp. 467-492. Fyfe, G, Miller, J McTavish, 2009 ‘Muddling Through in a Devolved Policy: Implementation of Equal Opportunities Policy in Scotland’, Policy Studies, vol.30 no.2, pp. 203-219. Hogwood, W Gunn, L 1984, Policy Analysis of the Real World, Longman, New York. Howlett, M, Ramesg, M Perl, A 2009, Studying Public Policy, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Lyhne, I 2011, ‘Between Policy-Making and Planning: SEA and Strategic Decision-Making in the Danish Energy Sector’, Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, vol.13 no.3, pp. 319–341. Marsh, D McConnell, A 2010, ‘Towards a Framework for Establishing Policy Success’, Public Administration, vol.88 no.2, pp. 57-69. Matland, R 1995, ‘Synthesising the Implementation Literature: Ambiguity-Conflict Model of Implementation’, Journal of Public Adminis tration Research and Theory, vol.5 no.2, pp. 145-174. May, J Wintner, C 2007, ‘Politicians Managers and Street Level Bureaucrats: Influences on Policy Implementation’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol.19 no.3, pp. 453-476. Mazmanian, D Sabatier, P 1983, Implementation and Public Policy, Scott Foresman, Glenville. Milward, B 1980, ‘Policy Entrepreneurship and Bureaucratic Demand Creation,’ in H Ingram D Mann (eds), Why Policies Succeed or Fail, Sage, Beverly Hills, pp. 61-73. Page, E 1992, Political Authority and Bureaucratic Power: A Comparative Analysis, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Palumbo, J 1987, The Politics of Program Evaluation, Pluto, London. Pastine, T Pastine I 2010, ‘Politician Preferences, Law Abiding Lobbyists and Caps on Political Contributions’, Public Choice, vol. 145 no. 4, pp. 81-101. Pollitt, C 1999, ‘Stunted by Stake Holder? Limits to Collaborative Evaluation’, Public Policy and Admini stration, vol.14 no.2, pp. 77-90. Ridde, V 2009, ‘Policy Implementation in African States: An Extension of Kingdon’s Multiple-Streams Approach’, Public Administration, vol.87 no.4, pp. 938-954. Rist, C 1995, Policy Evaluation: Linking Theory to Practice, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River. Sabatier, P 1986, ‘Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Implementation Research: a Critical Analysis and Suggested Synthesis’, Journal of Public Policy, vol.6 no.1, pp. 21-48. Vizzard, W 1995, ‘The Impact of Agenda Conflict on Policies Formulation and Implementations: The Case Guns Control’, Public Administration Review, vol.55 no.4, pp. 341-347. Whitford, B 2007,’Decentralised Policy Implementation’, Political Research Quarterly, vol.10 no.1, pp. 17-30.

Free Essays on Sport As A National Identity

Reflection Paper – Sport as a National Identity The world of sports has left our country full of emotions. Sports can make us laugh, cheer, hate, and even cry. It is very powerful and it has a major impact on the lives that we lead. Many times we can see people, including myself, rushing through their work, dinner, and family time in order to be in front of the television before the start of a big game. The World Series this year was one of the best series of all time. It was filled with so much emotion because it was the dominant Yankees, representing New York after the September 11 tragedy, against the newest team and underdog, Arizona Diamondbacks. You could not take your eyes off the game because if you did you might have missed some of the most significant and amazing comebacks in history. That World Series also meant a lot to our country for our National pride. My heart was filled with emotion, but also pride when the television focused on the flag that was flying over Yankee stadium during the World Series. It was the same flag that was flying over the World Trade Center the day it was attacked. Showing that flag, with the holes and damage it had received, sent a message to every American and the rest of the world. That flag flying over the World Series told the world that even though we might get hit, we will get up, dust off our wounds and continue to strive and live life the way that we want to live it. That World Series, I believe was the most recent show of national soldiatary and patriotism during a sporting event. Because of the recent attack on our country, sport and baseball were used as part of the healing process. With all that was going on in New York City the Mayor, Rudy Guilliani, still took his time out for every game to be sitting in the front row to show his support for the team that was representing his city. The Mayor most likely had a functionalist theory type of thinking. That is, he a... Free Essays on Sport As A National Identity Free Essays on Sport As A National Identity Reflection Paper – Sport as a National Identity The world of sports has left our country full of emotions. Sports can make us laugh, cheer, hate, and even cry. It is very powerful and it has a major impact on the lives that we lead. Many times we can see people, including myself, rushing through their work, dinner, and family time in order to be in front of the television before the start of a big game. The World Series this year was one of the best series of all time. It was filled with so much emotion because it was the dominant Yankees, representing New York after the September 11 tragedy, against the newest team and underdog, Arizona Diamondbacks. You could not take your eyes off the game because if you did you might have missed some of the most significant and amazing comebacks in history. That World Series also meant a lot to our country for our National pride. My heart was filled with emotion, but also pride when the television focused on the flag that was flying over Yankee stadium during the World Series. It was the same flag that was flying over the World Trade Center the day it was attacked. Showing that flag, with the holes and damage it had received, sent a message to every American and the rest of the world. That flag flying over the World Series told the world that even though we might get hit, we will get up, dust off our wounds and continue to strive and live life the way that we want to live it. That World Series, I believe was the most recent show of national soldiatary and patriotism during a sporting event. Because of the recent attack on our country, sport and baseball were used as part of the healing process. With all that was going on in New York City the Mayor, Rudy Guilliani, still took his time out for every game to be sitting in the front row to show his support for the team that was representing his city. The Mayor most likely had a functionalist theory type of thinking. That is, he a...

Return of the native; a complex chracterisation

Return of the native; a complex chracterisation 'In Eustacia, Hardy creates a woman who challenges conventions of her society' How do you respond to Hardy's presentation in 'Return of the native' of the conventions surrounding the relations between men and women?Contemporary readers tend to take for granted the notion that literature does not convey, or even attempt to convey, absolute truth. Since the modernist movement at the beginning of the 20th century, literature has tended to pose questions rather than define answers. One of the hallmarks of modern literature can be said to be unreliability: authors and readers recognize that literature is difficult; it is not to be trusted, or to be taken at its face value. In 1878, when The Return of the Native was first published, ambiguity was hardly understood to be the cornerstone of the novelistic edifice. And yet, while The Return of the Native is formally conventional, thematically it thrives on doubt and ambiguity.100_2238With its extensive narrative description, abundant classica l and scriptural references and stylized dialogue, the book adheres closely to the high Victorian style. Thematically, however, the novel is original and ingenious: not trusting perceptions, the book questions moral and ethical truths, implying the superiority of relative to absolute truth. It is an eminently unreliable novel, peopled with unreliable characters; even its narrator cannot be trusted.Take, for instance, the example of Egdon Heath, the first "character" introduced into the book. The heath proves physically and psychologically important throughout the novel: characters are defined by their relation to the heath, and the weather patterns of the heath even reflect the inner dramas of the characters. Indeed, it almost seems as if the characters are formed by the heath itself: Diggory Venn, red from head to toe, is an actual embodiment of the muddy earth; Eustacia Vye...

Apple Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple - Research Paper Example The company was previously known as Apple Computers for 30 years and in 2007, it was renamed as Apple Inc. to reflect the intended expansion of Apple in the field of entertainment technology. Apple’s Innovation In a periodical it was stated about Apple, ‘†¦this is truly one of the most innovative companies on earth, one that has defied the odds and overcome amazing adversity.’ (DeMarzo) Apple has always provided its customers with unique products which are ahead of time because its engineers are product-oriented. They create even before the consumer realizes that he needs it. In this period of global recession when companies are laying off their employees and cutting back on its research, Apple is successfully moving forward through ‘...investing, inventing and innovating. In an interview Steve Jobs once pointed out, â€Å"Some very good product people invent some very good products, and the company achieves a monopoly. But after that, the product peop le aren't the ones that drive the company forward anymore. It's the marketing guys or the ones who expand the business†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He explains that engineers of the company initiate an upward move by creating products but it’s the responsibility of the marketing personnel to keep the show running. It’s not just innovation and product development that defines the success of a product but it is important to understand how it is delivered to the customer. Very often, new inventions are not acceptable to the customers because they are not accustomed to the new product. Apple doesn’t advertise to reach out to its first customers but use it to help their first customers reach out to the rest. Apple’s marketing is so consumer-oriented that people buy their products even before seeing it. This happens when people market products for the consumers. An example of this is 250000 iPhone sales on the first day prove the success of their marketing strategy. Apple is, without doubt, the most successful consumer electronics company but it focuses primarily on business-to-consumer market. In my opinion, Apple should partner with other companies and also focus on business-to-business market. Partnering with other companies would enable Apple to grow its business through joint initiatives. For example, recently Nokia has partnered with Microsoft which enables it to become a massive force in the Smartphone industry, the advantages are numerous, both companies can exploit each other’s best resources and get ahead of the competitors. If apple caters to business to business market, it would be a new horizon for the company to grow. There is a lot of potential in Business to business market as the firms are becoming more aware of creating and maintaining competitive edge through being agile towards new technology. These strategies will not only boost its profits but will also help them create more innovative products like they did when they partne red with Intel and HP. I believe that Apple has become a market leader of business-to-consumer market and now, it should also work towards becoming the market leader of business-to-business market. Industry Analysis: Above 100 million iPods have been sold already since 2006. On the contrary statistics show that game consoles sold in 2006 stood at 26 million, digital cameras at 94 million, mp3 players at 135 million with iPods commanding an 80% market share and PCS sold at 209 million. Mobile phones sold at 957 million.

Ethical issues in the treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea with EXercise Research Paper

Ethical issues in the treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea with EXercise independently - Research Paper Example The increasing in OSA prevalence had motivated researchers to create over 400 studies regarding this disorder in a time frame of five or more years (Vanhecke, 2008). There are various surgical and/or non-surgical interventions which the disorder of OSA can be treated (Kline et al., 2011; Lam et al., 2007). CPAP is the most common non-surgical effective used to treat OSA (Kline et al., 2011). CPAP is considered quite inexpensive in comparison to surgical intervention. However, the problem with CPAP is a poor compliance with CPAP (Kline et al., 2011). Therefore, considering another line for treating OSA may be benefit. Exercise revealed a significant reduction in OSA severity when used as an adjuvant therapy (Netzer et al., 1997; Norman et al., 2000; Giebelhaus et al., 2000; Ackel-D’ Elia et al., 2011). In contrary, exercise alone reported to be less effective in treating OSA comparing with oral appliance as well as one day without use of CPAP and oral compliance reported in wor sening the OSA severity (Ferguson et al., 2006; Caples et al., 2010; Kribbs et al., 1993). Despite these evidences recently, few researchers utilized exercise independently to treat OSA in a randomize control trial (Kline et al., 2012; Kline et al., 2011; Sengul el at., 2011). ... Furthermore, the most important considerations in looking at the ethics of a research study are the magnitude of the potential harm, the significance of the knowledge to be learned, the likelihood that the research will produce such knowledge, and the methods chosen to minimize the potential harm to the subjects. This paper critically discusses and analyzes the ethical considerations for subject’s involvement in research that utilized exercise independently in treating OSA, focusing on autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Cure of OSA: The effects of ‘Obstructive Sleep Apnea have been evaluated to be harmful today more than ever before†. Patient realizes in severe cases that their controls over his/her sleep or rest condition is growing enfeebled with time. For psychologists it is a major cause of contorted dream pattern and has adverse effects on patient’s personality. Many people are not aware of this disease unless mention and repeated comp laint with the partner is made. In severe cases the patient himself feels too much perturbed with the disturbance that cause choking of the breathing. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is akin to the hamsters where calm conditions for rest are not achieved. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is often caused due to the relaxation of the throat’s soft tissue to such a level that it collapses causing airway blockage. The slack which in this type of unconscious can be harmful has been observed with a varying degree of treatments (MacDonald). Accentuating Exercise for the Treatment of OSA: Interestingly, Obstructive Sleep Apnea is linked with snoring because of having same causes as far as physiological construct and disposition is concerned. Many studies have been conducted with proven results. In order to cure Obstructive Sleep

Dynamics of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dynamics of Terrorism - Essay Example Nassar presents an in depth picture on the real and historic causes behind terrorism. For him, as it were, every global citizen and leader in Parliament are, among others, responsible for the current and widespread menace of terrorism. That is why Nassar says: Recently, a former student of mine wrote me one of those rare but special notes that teachers occasionally receive. Lynn Weddle of the class of 1985 wrote, "I often am reminded of the many things I learned while in your class and how some of the things you mentioned became truly prophetic." My former student went on to remind me of a statement I had made in class arguing that the Soviet Union was not the enemy we needed to fear but rather "a Third World country that we would never expect to wreak havoc on the US." The events of September 11, 2001, reminded her of that statement. While the events of that dreadful day were a wake-up call to most Americans, terror has been a normal way of life for a long time to many people around the world. It certainly has been a part of my life since birth (Nassar i-iv). Terrorism is and terrorist incidents are on the increase in Asia and Middle-East and West Asia while they are on a decreasing trend in Europe and America. Terrorist violence and incidents have led to thousands of death every year from 700 to about 6000 in the world (Sengupta and Cockburn 27 March 2007). International Terrorist Incidences 1968 to 2004 Source: Graph from MIPT database, http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp This menace of terrorists' violent and fatal incidents is beyond human description and definition. Various dictionaries and encyclopedias define terrorism mainly in terms of acts of fatal violence and attacks against established and recognized institutions of State and its citizens and forces. Academics and experts do not fully agree with such simplistic meanings and definitions. For Jimmy Carter, Palestinian people have always suffered at the hands of the Israel's policy of "Apartheid" against them (Carter 176). If this so then what about Palestine's' sustained terrorists attacks not only aimed at Israel but also the different countries of the entire world. For Nassar Jamal, terrorism is use of excessive force, fatal attacks with the intention to create terror and panic in order to secure calculated political demands. He, however, finds - quite like Bjorgo (First Chapter) - institution of State more responsible for present-day terrorism. Gurr and Cole believe that there are different levels of terrorist attacks and violence - the conventional and non-conventional. Terrorist groups are not gun-trotting armatures. They have there aims and purposes. As such there main objective is to accomplish their political aims through effective means of massive violence. They even use weapons of mass destruction especially nuclear, biological and chemical weapons [NBCs] (1-22). Defining terrorism leads also to a major question. Are terrorists normal human beings Are they primarily pathological cases Yes, even terrorists of today are normal beings and their global system and networking is

Chinas Educational System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinas Educational System - Essay Example In an age where globalization is taking place, one cannot afford to be left behind. Investing to the youth as they are the future leaders is the starting point. Surely, China realizes the importance of education. It is a nation rich in cultures and traditions. It is also one of the richest countries in the world. Through education, they have found the right solutions to mix their heritage and the demand for staying competitive against their neighboring countries. However, the changes did not happen overnight. Throughout the course of its history, China experienced a lot of transitions in leadership and form of government. The results affected different aspects in their society including the educational system. At present, China's education caters to almost 25% of the world's students. Even if it has the largest educational system, China is still finding ways to enhance the quality of education by continuously revising the curriculum. The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical development of China's educational system. It will primarily focus on the significant changes that have shaped the course of the system over time. Many historians recorded that formal schooling in China started way back during the Xia Dynasty (16th century B.C.). However, the type of educational system, also called Imperial education, was observed until the late 17th century. The concentration of the learning system is only for the rich and elite members of the society. These people are trained and prepared to be China's government officials. The subjects are all centered based on the "Six Arts" connected to their culture: Riding Chariots, Music, Arts, Archery, Math, History and Rites. They are also taught to excel in ancient written and spoken Chinese language. During Spring, Autumn and Warring State times, teachings of Confucianism is integrated in their studies. Students learn concepts on governance and citizenry, and codes for personal conduct (China Education Center). Confucianism has a great effect on the lives of Chinese people at that time. Their standards of living are guided by the codes set forth in the instructions within in this religion. The ultimate goal is to become a gentleman, one who does what is good, noble and just. However not everyone can be a gentleman. It was restricted to the upper class. A gentleman has the power to impose Chinese cultures and make rules for the society (China Education Center). Thus, money has power. The imperial government also established civil service examination to determine those who are qualified to be imperial officials. These tests contain open ended questions that would test the student's knowledge on Confucian teachings (Surowski 2003). For more than a thousand years the civil service exam is the only way to get a government position for the elite class. Since education favored only those who can afford it, illiteracy rate in China went up to about 80%. The underprivileged are forced to work in different areas at a very young age. Society was governed by highly educated rich people and a growing number of uneducated mass (Net Industries 2008). The 18th century At the turn of the next century, China made important technological advances like gun powder, compass and paper. The Chinese people felt that they already had

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 41

Summary - Assignment Example The author has urged that the simulations should be closer to real world scenarios. The author states that heavy dependence on automation of flights is leading to underdevelopment and erosion of manual skills required to handle flights. The author even concludes that lack of training to handle flights manually is one of the causes of accidents. As a marketer I have learned through this article that such articles and the conference in which the speaker talked about all the issues related to training and automation of fights can send a negative image of the airlines in the minds of the consumers. The consumers may think that the pilots are not equipped to handle flights manually and pose a risk to their life. On the other hand, marketer of an air flight organization that have already been providing proper training on how to handle the flights manually can use similar issues to develop a positive image of themselves in the eyes of the

Chinas Educational System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinas Educational System - Essay Example In an age where globalization is taking place, one cannot afford to be left behind. Investing to the youth as they are the future leaders is the starting point. Surely, China realizes the importance of education. It is a nation rich in cultures and traditions. It is also one of the richest countries in the world. Through education, they have found the right solutions to mix their heritage and the demand for staying competitive against their neighboring countries. However, the changes did not happen overnight. Throughout the course of its history, China experienced a lot of transitions in leadership and form of government. The results affected different aspects in their society including the educational system. At present, China's education caters to almost 25% of the world's students. Even if it has the largest educational system, China is still finding ways to enhance the quality of education by continuously revising the curriculum. The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical development of China's educational system. It will primarily focus on the significant changes that have shaped the course of the system over time. Many historians recorded that formal schooling in China started way back during the Xia Dynasty (16th century B.C.). However, the type of educational system, also called Imperial education, was observed until the late 17th century. The concentration of the learning system is only for the rich and elite members of the society. These people are trained and prepared to be China's government officials. The subjects are all centered based on the "Six Arts" connected to their culture: Riding Chariots, Music, Arts, Archery, Math, History and Rites. They are also taught to excel in ancient written and spoken Chinese language. During Spring, Autumn and Warring State times, teachings of Confucianism is integrated in their studies. Students learn concepts on governance and citizenry, and codes for personal conduct (China Education Center). Confucianism has a great effect on the lives of Chinese people at that time. Their standards of living are guided by the codes set forth in the instructions within in this religion. The ultimate goal is to become a gentleman, one who does what is good, noble and just. However not everyone can be a gentleman. It was restricted to the upper class. A gentleman has the power to impose Chinese cultures and make rules for the society (China Education Center). Thus, money has power. The imperial government also established civil service examination to determine those who are qualified to be imperial officials. These tests contain open ended questions that would test the student's knowledge on Confucian teachings (Surowski 2003). For more than a thousand years the civil service exam is the only way to get a government position for the elite class. Since education favored only those who can afford it, illiteracy rate in China went up to about 80%. The underprivileged are forced to work in different areas at a very young age. Society was governed by highly educated rich people and a growing number of uneducated mass (Net Industries 2008). The 18th century At the turn of the next century, China made important technological advances like gun powder, compass and paper. The Chinese people felt that they already had

Emotional Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emotional Intelligence - Essay Example From the traits, it is evident that emotional intelligence is vital for success in an organization. Businesses are changing daily and high competition is played to be on top of the business, which requires a manager who would use emotional intelligence to understand the workers for successful achievements of set goals. According to Lazovic, the business can achieve better results if they are close enough to identify and solve issues relating to emotional responses in the work place. Leadership skills can be enhanced by emotional intelligence, which can lead to achievements of reasonable production in the firm if the management practices best emotional intelligence by relating well to the workers in the firm and understanding their emotions and using them to manage conflicts arising. In addition, communication between the employer and employees is improved because the heads of the company would be able to understand emotions undergone by employees. The employers will have faith in the ir managers and hence increase teamwork between the managers and the lower ranked workers in the company. Additionally, teamwork achieved from trust between managers and employees will increase and improve innovation because of the combination of more work forces with different intelligence. Emotionally intelligent employees who are in charge in an organization will maintain good working relationships with each other on sharing ideas, being responsible and working together. They would also be able to create teams who are aware of emotional intelligence. ... Businesses are changing daily and high competition is played to be on top of the business, which requires a manager who would use emotional intelligence to understand the workers for successful achievements of set goals. According to Lazovic (798), the business can achieve better results if they are close enough to identify and solvs issues relating to emotional responses in the work place. Leadership skills can be enhanced by emotional intelligences, which can lead to achievements of reasonable production in the firm if the manager practices best emotional intelligence by relating well with the workers in the firm and understanding their emotions and using them to manage conflicts arising. In addition, communication between the employer and employees is improved because the heads of the company would be able to understand emotions undergone by employees. The employers will have faith in their managers and hence increase teamwork between the managers and the lower ranked workers in t he company. Additionally, teamwork achieved from trust between managers and employees will increase and improve innovation because of the combination of more work forces with different intelligence. Emotionally intelligent employees who are in charge in an organization will maintain good working relationships with each other on sharing ideas, being responsible and working together. They would also be able to create teams who are aware of emotional intelligence. Team members in organization who are emotionally intelligent would be able to apply the attributes of emotional intelligent. For example, they would possess self-awareness traits, which is recognition of self-emotions and the way such emotions can have an impact on us. With regard to this, members will

The Psychological And Physical Effects Essay Example for Free

The Psychological And Physical Effects Essay Discuss the psychological and physical effects of loss and grief: How might an ethical therapist incorporate this knowledge into his/her work? Base your answer of the theories and models presented in Module 7. It is a fact of life that every individual will experience loss and grief at some point in their lives but in certain circumstances they may be unaware of it. Loss can come in many disguises from the easily recognisable bereavement, to redundancy, children leaving home, divorce, relocation, disfigurement, chronic illness, miscarriage, loss of a close pet, abortion and others. When a client presents for Counselling, it is vital to be alert for losses, both recent and historical, to check if there are unresolved issues because grief can be easily missed or misinterpreted. Chrysalis (2012) states that there are two ways in which a therapist will encounter the need to work with loss and grief. These are: 1) When a client presents with a recent loss and their goal is to work through the process and understand it, reaching a satisfactory conclusion. 2) When a client presents with other symptoms which you then uncover as being a grief reaction. In this case the person may not recognise that their problems are related to grief or unresolved grief in the past. For the purposes of this assignment, loss and grief will be focus primarily on bereavement. Worden (2009) states â€Å"that the overall goal of grief counselling is to help the survivor adapt to the loss of a loved one and adapt to a new reality without him or her†. He goes on to explain that there must be four adjustments: increasing the reality of the loss, dealing with behavioural pain, and helping the client maintain a bond with the deceased while being comfortable with the new reality. I will now examine the psychological and physical aspects of grief and how a therapist may use grief models and theories in the therapy room and take into consideration social and ethical factors. The Physical and Psychological effects of Grief. Before exploring the theories and models of grief, it is important to be aware of the psychological and physical issues which accompany the grieving process. It is possible indeed common that a client may present for Counselling on an unrelated issue and on closer examination by the  therapist; it becomes apparent that the client is in the grief process, and is in fact stuck at a certain stage in this process, or has failed to grieve in the past. There are feelings, cognitive processes, behaviours and physical symptoms which manifest not only in grief but in other psychological issues. It is the job of the Counsellor to make the link between the presenting issue with the unresolved past grief and loss. Many people will assume that the over-riding feeling associated with grief is sadness and if sadness is not being experienced then the issue is not grief. This is most definitely not the case. There is often a ray of emotions that individuals experience, such as anger, frustration, s ometimes and a sense of relief. This is not uncommon after the deceased has been ill for months or years or if there was a difficult relationship between the deceased and the client. There are several stages to the grief process and each of these stages has distinct range of emotions and feelings. Common feelings surrounding grief are shock, numbness, denial, fear, sense of abandonment, anxiety, anger, guilt, loneliness, pining, relief, tiredness and freedom. The same is true for cognitive processes and behaviours which can be frightening and confusing to the client. They include obsessive thoughts, hallucinations or visions of the deceased, denial that the deceased has died or even sensing that the deceased is in the room with the client. Behaviours can be disturbed sleep, loss or a gain in appetite, forgetfulness, or lack of interest in life, withdrawal from the client’s normal network of friends and family, crying, avoidance, restlessness, a idealisation of the deceased and the treasuring of the deceased objects. The bereaved can also experience a range of physical symptoms which can be disturbing and frightening and may exacerbate any feelings of anxiety being experienced by the client. These can include tightness in the chest, hollowness in the stomach, sensitivity to noise, shortness of breath, increased sighting or yawning, feelings that they are going to collapse, a sense of disconnectedness from others and the external world. In such cases, it is important as a Counsellor that the client is encourage to visit their G.P. if theIR symptoms become serious or a cause for concern. Sometimes clients need reassurance that their symptoms are normal reactions to the grieving process and that the physical symptoms will pass in time. The physical symptoms of grief can mimic depression but there is a difference. Freud believed that in grief the world looks poor and  empty to the client, where’s in depression the person feels poor and empty themselves. The Theories and Models used in Therapy. These have been numerous theories and models proposed by psychologists over the years, these include works by Bowlby, Worden, Murray Parkes and Kubler Ross among others. Bowlby (1907 to 1990) believed that in psychoanalysis the therapist is too interested in fantasy and not sufficiently interested in the present environment and events of the client’s current life. Bowlby tried to understand the human tendency to attach to others. He went on to study the reaction of infants when they are separated from their mother and what occurs when this bond is threatened or broken, (he went on in the 1950’s he published his Attachment Theory). His ideas on separation response could be said to be the underpinning theory of bereavement. Chryslais (2012) explains the three stages of separation response: 1) Protest (related to separation anxiety) 2) Despair (relating to grief and mourning) 3) Detachment or denial (related to defence). The models and theories used by psychologists present grief as a curve and that the grieving process (sometimes expressed as phrases or stages) must be worked through. Worden explains that he chooses to use the word â€Å"tasks† because he finds it more useful for the clinician; phrases or stages imply certain passivity, something that the mourner must pass through. The tasks concept on the other hand, can give the mourner a sense of leverage and hope that there is something that he or she can actively do to adapt to the death of a loved one. As there are a lot of similarities between the theories on grief, I will focus on Worden’s tasks of mourning. He describes four tasks through which the bereaved must work through: 1) To accept the reality of the loss (that the deceased will not return). 2) To process the pain of grief, the pain associated with the grief must be worked through. If there is avoidance or suppression then this will be carried through life to surface at a later date. 3) To adjust to a world without the deceased. This will differ from client to client depending on  the type of loss and what the deceased provided for the bereaved. Parkes (1972), explains, it is seldom clear exactly what is lost. A loss of partner may or may not mean the loss of a sexual partner, companion, accountant, gardener, someone to help with the children; this will obviously depend on the particular roles normally performed by their deceased partner. There are also the financial consequences of losing a partner which can cause a lot of worry and anxiety for the client which also create further change in the client’s lifestyle. 4) To find an enduring connection with the deceased in the midst of embarking on a new life, the Counsellors role is not to help the bereaved give up their relationship with the deceased but to help them find an appropriate place for the person they have lost in their emotional lives, a place that will enable them to go on living effectively in the world. I have discussed already that some people who present for therapy may be unaware that they are experiencing a grief reaction at all. Others, who have suffered a recent loss may not understand the grief process, particularly if this is the first time grief has been experienced. It is appropriate to ask the client this during the therapy, to determine how grief will be handled and whether there is previous grief that is unresolved, which could signify â€Å"complex grief† as being a problem. To help the client understand the grieving process, the grief curve is a visual tool which can be employed in the therapy room and given t o the client to take home with them. The therapist can ask the client if explaining to them about the grieving process would be useful. The curve plots the emotions over the time which the client can expect to experience following bereavement and confirms to the client that the feelings and reactions they are experiencing are entirely normal. The disadvantage of actually showing the client an illustration of the grief curve is that the client may start to put pressure on themselves where they feel they ‘should be at this stage of the grieving process! The curve begins at the time the loss was first experienced and then continues until the point of resolution. That is to say, when Worden’s fourth task has been completed and the mourner is able to reminisce and remember the deceased while forging a new life for themselves. This process does not have a time limit, Chrysalis (2012), explains that the time it takes for a person to complete the process will depend on the situation, the client’s previous ex perience of grief and the environment they are living  in. Worden (2009) states in order to understand how somebody is going to grieve, you need to know if he or she has had previous losses and the circumstances they were grieved. Did they grieve adequately or does the individual bring to the new loss a lack of resolution from a previous loss! The grieving process is not linear and the client is likely to move forwards and backwards through the emotions depicted on the loss curve. This can be very confusing and frustrating for the client, who may believe that they beginning to move forward only to take a backward step. This can be explained to the client as a perfectly normal and expected part of the grieving process and although it may seem frustrating and challenging at times, the overall motion is one towards resolution, even if it is two steps forward and one step back. As previously mentioned the grief curve plots the emotions the client is likely to experience during the process. It can be very useful to ask the name of the emotion that they are feeling in order to bring it to the client’s full awareness. Worden’s first task of mourning is to actualise the loss because the process cannot start without full realisation and confrontation of this fact. He states, the first task is to come to a more complete awareness that the loss actually occurred and the person is dead and will not return. Survivors must accept this reality before they can deal with the emotional impact of the loss. He goes on to say on occasions the Counsellor needs to use language that reminds the client that the deceased has died. This language can help clients with reality issues surrounding the loss and stimulate some of the painful feelings that need to be felt. As can be observed in Appendix 1, the emotions on the curve begin with shock. According to Chrysalis (2012) shock is an emotional defence mechanism which allows the situation to dip slowly into the bereaved awareness in order to protect them from emotional overload. It is a very difficult time and in reality it is not until this stage is over that people usually present for Counselling, unless they have become stuck here. The second stage is separation and pain, during which time there will be periods of very deep darkness and periods of easier times. The client may report dreams and hallucinations of the deceased and exhibit searching behaviours. The next stage is despair, during which the client, may experience many  feelings and emotions to understand. It can be accompanied by depression and lack of concentration or inability to focus on everyday tasks. People in this despair stage may feel unable to function and may say things like â€Å"I can see no way ahead and no way out of this†. Acceptance comes next on the curve and is the beginning of the upward slope towards resolution. Chrysalis (2012) explains that it is important to note that the client will often reach intellectual acceptance before emotional acceptance and can experience mood swings and depressions associated with despair at times. At this point, the client may feel able to begin to adjust to a new life, but may feel guilty and need reassurance and permission from the Counsellor. The final stage is resolution during which time the client will be able to make plans for the future and has found a place for the deceased to be remembered with happiness. The above is a representation of a normal grief process (although it is widely accepted that there is no norm), but there can be obstacles which can complicate the process and this is known as Complex Grief. Clients may have unresolved issues from their past which may be affecting the grieving process or stopping it altogether. This is why the therapist must check for unresolved grief in the past. According to Chrysalis (2012) the factors which should be taken into account are: 1) The nature of the attachment (is there an ambivalent attachment or conflict with the deceased). 2) Method of death (including socially unacceptable deaths such as suicide, violent deaths, missing persons and in other dramatic circumstances). 3) Historical unresolved grief. 4) Personality, how easily does the client assimilate change! 5) Social variables, how is grief handled in the client’s culture or faith! 6) Concurrent stresses (is the bereavement around the same time as other major life stresses such as relationship breakdown, loss of work, a close relative has a chronic ill and the client is the main carer giver, moving house). 7) What support system (friends and family) does the bereaved have! There are four types of complex grief these are: 1) Chronic grief, where the client is unable to find resolution 2) Delayed grief, the client has unresolved grief from the past and a present loss triggers the grieving process. 3) Exaggerated grief, the client may  use maladaptive behaviours such as drugs and alcohol, suffer general chronic anxiety, clinical depression. If a client is struggling to cope with difficult emotions then they may find outlets to help them manage. 4) Masked grief, the client does not link the symptoms to the grieving process. This is why the Counsellor must check when working with a client that their presenting issue is not masking unresolved grief. Ethical Factors It is widely accepted that a Person Centred Counselling approach is required when working with grief. The process cannot be hurried and each person will take their own time to work through the curve. All that may be necessary is the holding of the client and allowing them to work through the process. This means allowing the client to take their own time, to create a safe space for the client to explore their emotions, to reassure the client that what they are feeling is â€Å"normal† and to be a non-judgemental listener. Inventions however, must be carefully planned and only used towards the end of the grieving process when the client is nearing resolution and has the strength to take them on board. It is important to recognise that clients may display displacement activities or using defence mechanisms. In a normal therapeutic session this behaviour would often be challenged but in this instance it is often advisable to continue to support the client without challenging their behaviour, as the client may not have the reserve or strength to confront them at the current time. Conclusion Grief and loss is something that will be experienced by everyone at some point in their lives. Counsellors and psychologists generally agree that grief is a process and generally follows a curve. It can take approximately two years to work through (for someone close to the client) but obviously varies for each individual and this does not include complex grief. A variety of emotions will be experienced by the bereaved. The curve is organic, meaning that the bereaved is likely to move forwards and backwards through these until resolution is reached. The way grief is handled depends on a variety of factors unique to the individual. Grief can be â€Å"normal† or described as â€Å"complex†. Factors associated with complex grief I have mentioned previously in this  assignment, such as the circumstances of the deceased’s death, the importance of the relationship between the deceased and the client, the depth of the attachment between the two, how stressed was the client prior to this loss! Another important factor does the bereaved have the opportunity to express their grief or do they feel pressured to supress their emotions. An example of this, would be a mother who has lost their partner and has dependent children and feels that in order to appear strong, that she must soldier on without the opportunity to express her own emotions around the loss. There are four types of complex grief, chronic, delayed, exaggerated and masked, the therapist must use their skills to determine whether the client who presents for an unrelated issue actually has an unresolved grief issue in their past. Tools can be used in the therapy room to aid the process. These could include asking the client to draw their own grief curve or ask them to write to the deceased. A person centred approach is necessary to give the client space and time to process the loss in safety. Interventions can be kept to minimum unless near resolution and the client has progressed along the grief curve and has the strength to handle them.

Principles of Motivational Interviewing

Principles of Motivational Interviewing Motivational Interviewing Assignment Introduction: For the purpose of this assignement this student will identify 4 principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI) based on Miller and Rollnick’s (2002a) skilful clinical method of communication, comparing and contrasting these principles with the Digial Recording from my Laboratory work, concluding with the contribution that MI has made to the provision of nursing practice. What is Motivational Interviewing: The World Health Organisation (WHO) clearly identified Health Promotion as â€Å"†¦ the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (WHO 1986), however, there have been â€Å"feelings of frustration† recorded from primary health care workers (HCW) when interacting with patients in relation to making healthy lifestyle changes. This has been attributed in part, due to a lack of motivation in patients and therefore the patient may be adverse to change (Percival, 2013). Miller Rollnick (2002b) hope that HCW by using a collaboration of MI techniques may bring about positive change within a patient, by promoting their hopes and aspirations for the future, drawing on their tangible strengths and using motivation as the mechanism to achieve this change. Indeed, Miller and Rollnick (2002c) defined MI as: â€Å"It is a collaborative, not a prescriptive, approach, in which the counsellor evokes the person’s own intrinsic motivation and resources for change.† Principles of Motivational Interviewing: Miller Rollnick in 2002 identified a number of guiding principles for MI; expressing empathy, develop discrepancy, roll with resistance and support self-efficacy, further reviewed by Rollnick et al. (2008) and expressed using the acronym RULE: Resist the righting reflex, Understanding person’s motivation, Listen with empathy and Empower the person. To achieve success in MI using these principles, there are certain skills that must be utilised in a positive and effective outcome, for instance asking open questions, affirming the strengths of the patient and reflecting back or summing up what you have heard. Assess and critique of digital recording using identified principles: Resist the Righting Reflex: A natural and automatic reaction of the HCP is to make things â€Å"right† by fixing a problem, this stems from their training and experience in healthcare. Through the role play I feel that I spent too long trying to redirect the patient back to the topic of smoking, wanted to right the situation and I wouldn’t take verbal and nonverbal cues that the patient did not want to talk about smoking at that given time, it seemed to me that she had a greater desire to vent her feelings about her current marital situation including the recent infidelity, from a biopsychosocial perspective this was central to her recovery, and yet I returned on a number of occasions to the question of smoking albeit in a covert manner. The patient was in a state of pre-contemplation (Prochaska and DiClemente 1986), whereby she didn’t want to engage in any confrontational situation, believing that she did not need to change her habits regarding smoking, upon reflection the patient appeared pressured to into accepting change which further exacerbated her lack of desire to change. It appears that there was an increase in persistent resistance from the patient, which was as a direct outcome of me reverting back to the issue of smoking, therefore it is probable to say that in this scenario as a result of my desire to â€Å"right† the situation, I in fact made it worse, creating an underlying tension which was not beneficial for the patient’s recovery. I feel that a better approach would have been to gently broach the subject, with an understanding and acceptance that this was not the right time to discuss smoking cessation as the patient had other ongoing stressors. If by looking at and talking with the patient about her current biopsychosocial and socioecological stressors, I may have developed greater insight into what exactly may motivate this patient, therefore giving me clearer collateral to help develop my objective of discussing smoking cessation. Exploring and understanding the individual’s motivation: The patients own motives for change are more often than not prone to initiating change, however, in this scenario there was no indication that the patient was voicing any indicators that they wanted to change their smoking habbit, yes, she had mentioned that she had given up in the past and though I tried to develop that area it was met with resistence. Instead of trying to reason why this person isn’t motivated, I should have looked at what it is exactly that motivates her, irrespective of her current situation. There was scope to develop this as the patient showed great concern for her children, a key discrepancy in her concerns and her current smoking habit, this is a focal point that I should and could have developed further. In her current situation the patients confidence appeared to be extremely low, however I could have measured a true subjective rating in her confidence level by asking her a simple rating question â€Å"to rate from 0-10 how ready are you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This would have given me a springboard on which to probe for further motivational factors. Again by asking simple open ended questions such as: â€Å"what do you want to achieve? or how important is this for you?† it would have given greater insight into what motivates the patient by denoting what their goals are. As such, my focus was to talk about smoking cessation and unfortunately I didn’t pay much attention to signals; identifying what interests and concerns the patient was currently experiencing. There were small marked areas of ambivalence, which some (Mill Red 2008) regard as normal in MI and it was apparent at this time that the cons to giving up smoking outweighed the pros thus the patient appears to be somewhat unmotivated. Listening with empathy Empathy entails the HCP to listen to and engage with the patient in a non-judgmental manner. I expressed an understanding of how personal this experience was for the patient asking them to focus on their own issues and recovery, it could have been very easy for me to have been blasà © about the circumstances leading up to the admission, accepting what the patient was telling me in a non judgmental way. Giving a summary reflection, I paraphrased what the patient had told be asking for affirmation that I had an understanding of the current situation, which helped me to contextualise and use the patients own frame of reference. I listened for ‘change talk†, but couldn’t identify any desire, ability, reasons, need, commitment or taking steps towards instigating change, therefore the patient may not have been ready to engage in MI, however, it was a brief encounter of 5 minutes, giving me good insight into the patients current situation. The patient may not have been able to articulate their true convictions because of fear, lack of cognizance or increased anx iety due to her physical ill health and also the far reaching impact of her partner’s infidelity. Upon reflection my opening of â€Å"tell me about your problem† was poor and should have been more open and empathetic could have been more, I should have used â€Å"tell me about it† I felt that I displayed some very good attributes to listening empathetically; my body language and posture were open, engaging and receptive. I was non-confrontational or judgemental and verbally exhibited this through an appropriate use of tone and pitch, however, as mentioned earlier, I missed some important cues and felt that I didn’t ‘roll with resistance’, though it must be noted that working in a psychiatric environment there are less time constraints and more opportunities to develop an augmented MI working relationship with a patient. Empower the patient: Erickson et al. (2005) deemed that a person can increase their belief in the probability of change based on their ‘past successes’, so by focusing on the patient’s strengths and allowing them to achieve their own goal(s) the HCP can give the responsibility, ownership and control of choices back to the patient. It is within this stage that the HCP has to be a facilitator and motivator to the patient. Again the use of ‘scale questions’ can be very beneficial to the patient allowing them to rate how they perceive their situation allowing them to focus on their skills and strengths. As with all interventions in nursing, the skillset is with the clinician and MI can only work effectively if used correctly. Throughout the role play there were a number of positive example of where I was empowering the patient, starting with â€Å"I am not hear to lecture or preach to you, just to talk to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this I felt set expectations with the patient though it could have been more specific to smoking cessation. Focusing on strengths and positives; I asked â€Å"what did you do before to give†¦Ã¢â‚¬  showing the patient that they have succeeded in stopping smoking in the past. The patient expressed concerns about intrinsic family issues, though acknowledging that these are important, I advised the patient to focus and ‘concentrate on themselves in the here and now’. There were a number of pitfalls that I should have avoided such as using technical terms ‘psychosocial/biopsychosocial’ as the patient may not have understood what I meant, I should have kept it short and simple, mirroring the language used by the patient. Another area that should have been avoided was when I asked â€Å"when did you start smoking again? I know you don’t want to talk about it but..† as I feel that this reaffirmed a negative with the patient, contrasting strongly with the strengths and positives previously identified. Patients’ own arguments for change can be more persuasive than any arguments that an HCP may put forward, but it must be noted. Concentrate on the here and now†¦ It is fundamental that the HCP engages with the client in an open, non-confrontational manner with the HCP not falling into the trap of being the expert trying to assess the patient, apportioning blame or having preconceived ideas/beliefs regarding the patient. Conclusion: The Contribution that MI has mad to Nursing Practice. MI by the virtue of its patient centredness, MI affords itself to be used in a wide array of clinical settings through the use of interpersonal relationship (Rollnick and Miller 1995) allowing healthcare providers to be at one with the patient (Sobell Sobell 1993). There have been, in excess of 200 Randomised clinical trials validating the efficacy of MI in a wider cohort of nursing interventions (REF). It appears from the research that there are more studies needed to validate the true clinical efficacy of MI, however, MI has been used successfully in a multiplicity of settings from from smoking/alcohol cessation, improved efficacy in medication adherence, clients with Cancer (Thomas et al. 2012) HIV, weight management, indeed MI could and should be used all encounters between HCP and patients. The UK’s National Health Servce is rolling out a programme through all sectors about making every encounter count† which has its basis in MI. The WHO actively encourages the use of MI for those working on a quit lines when used in combination with theoretical approaches (WHO, 2014). Talking therapies have been complimented by the symbiotic use of MI in the promotion of health and as such must be embraced across all segments of the health sector, affording self-efficacy in positive outcomes for the patient. References: Mill Red 2008) Erickson, S. J.,Gerstle, M., Feldstein, S.W. (2005). Brief interventions and motivational interviewing with children, adolescents and their parents in paediatric health care settings. Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 159, 1173–1180 Miller, W. R. (1983). Motivational interviewing with problem drinkers. Behavioural Psychotherapy, 11, 147–172. Miller W.R. (1995) Motivational Enhancement Therapy with Drug Abusers http://motivationalinterview.org/Documents/METDrugAbuse.PDF(Accessed 13/10/2014) Miller W, Rollnick S (2010) What’s New Since MI-2, 2’nd International Conference on Motivational Interviewing, Stockholm, Sweden. (Last accessed: 14/10/2014) http://www.motivationalinterview.org/Documents/Miller-and-Rollnick-june6-pre-conference-workshop.pdf Miller, W. Rollnick S. (2002a pg. 41) Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change, 2nd edn. Guilford Press, New York Miller, W. and Rollnick, S. (2002b) Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change, 2nd edn. Pg 22 New York; The Guilford Press Miller, W. and Rollnick, S. (2002c pg.41) Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change, 2nd edn. New York; The Guilford Press. Moyers, T. Rollnick S. (2002) A motivational interviewing perspective on resistance in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy in Practice 58, 185–193. Percival, J. (2013) Healthy lifestyle changes – getting beyond the ‘difficult’ conversationNovember 2013 | Volume 23 | Number 9 RCN London Prochaska J.O, DiClemente C.C (1986) Towards a comprehensive model of change. In Miller WR, Heather N (Eds) Treating Addictive Behaviors: Processes of Change. Plenum Press, New York NY, 3-27. Rogers C. (1951) Client-Centered Therapy. Houghton-Mifflin, Boston, MA. Rollnick, S. Miller, W. and Butler, C. (2008) Motivational Interviewing in Health Care. London; The Guilford Press. Sobell M.B. Sobell L.C. (1993) ProblemDrinkers. Guilford Press, New York. Thomas, M.L. (2012), Elliott, J.L., Rao, S.M. Fahey, K.F. Paul, S.P Miaskowski, C. A Randomized, Clinical Trial of Education or Motivational-Interviewing–Based Coaching Compared to Usual Care to Improve Cancer Pain Management: Vol. 39, No. 1, January 2012 Oncology Nursing Forum White, W.L. Miller, W.R. (2007) The use of confrontation in addiction treatment: history, sciences and time for change. Counsellor 8, 12–30. WHO (2009) Milestones in Health Promotion, Statements from Global Conferences. Accessed 17/10/2014 /http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/Milestones_Health_Promotion_05022010.pdf?ua=1 WHO (2014) Training for tobacco quit line counsellors: telephone counselling. WHO, Geneva. 1