The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and Its Economic Benefits

Ms. Bonner English 290 16 December 2011 The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and its Economic Benefits When most people hear the word hemp the first thing that comes to mind is marijuana. While hemp and marijuana are of the same plant species, Cannabis Sativa, they are different plants with their own chemical makeup. Hemp has been known as one of the world’s greatest agricultural crops of all time with a wide variety of uses. Unfortunately the United States still sees hemp as drug and the manufacturing of hemp is still illegal today.The United States is outlawing one of the most economically beneficial and functional crops of all times because of its cousin marijuana. Hemp was the world’s greatest agricultural crop for more than 1000 years before Christ until 1883 AD (Herer). The manufacturing and cultivation of hemp has been used for thousands of products and many different industries including producing a majority of the world’s fabric, fibe r, oil, paper, and even food. The earliest known fabric was made of hemp around 8000 BC (Herer).Ninety percent of all ships' sails from at least the fifth century BC until long after the invention of the steam engines in the mid- to late-19th century were made from hemp (Herer). Many of the ships’ logs, maps, and charts were made on hemp paper from the time of Columbus to the early 1900s (Herer). In the first century AD, the Chinese found that hemp paper lasted 50 to 100 times longer than most preparations of papyrus and that it was 100 times easier and cheaper to make (Herer).Eighty percent of all humankind's textiles and fabrics for clothes, tents, linens, rugs, drapes, quilts, bed sheets, towels and diapers were made principally from cannabis fibers in much of the world until the 20th century (Herer). Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp and Americans were even legally bound to grow during the Colonial Era and Early Republic (Hemp Facts). With all these uses for hemp, from almost the beginning of the known world, why would hemp be illegal today? Marijuana and industrial hemp come from the same species of plant, Cannabis Sativa.The species can yield two different plants, marijuana and industrial hemp. Comparing marijuana and industrial hemp is like comparing field corn and sweet corn. While they are both from the same species, the chemical makeup and final product is very different. Cannabis produces two major cannabinoids-THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) (West, Hemp and Marijuana). THC is the one responsible for the psychoactive effect that you get from smoking marijuana. CBD, on the other hand, has been found to block the effect of THC in the nervous system (West, Hemp and Marijuana).Marijuana usually contains 3 to 15 percent THC, while industrial hemp being grown normally contains less than 1 percent THC (Industrial Hemp in the United States). Many people believe that if industrial hemp was allowed to be grown that many people would still try and smoke it, but if one was to smoke industrial hemp, which is high in CBD and low in THC, it would actually counter act the THC and block the effect of a marijuana high. This shows that not only is hemp not marijuana but could possibly even be called â€Å"anti-marijuana. Even with this scientific information and the United States continues to outlaw the manufacturing of hemp. Other countries have recognized the difference between marijuana and industrial hemp. Current hemp varieties being grown in Canada and Europe are certified to have THC levels below 0. 3 percent (West, Hemp and Marijuana). The certification system was originally developed in Europe to allow for the commercialization of industrial hemp and takes into consideration the ratio of CBD to THC as well as the absolute percent THC (West, Hemp and Marijuana).The original THC threshold was 0. 8 percent. When varieties with lower levels of THC were developed by French breeders, the breed ers were able to persuade the European Union to reduce the tolerance further (West, Hemp and Marijuana). In the United States, Cannabis with any measurable trace of THC is illegal, CBD concentration is not considered at all. The United States is outlawing this potentially economic beneficial crop with no just cause and they are completely overlooking all of its uses and benefits. The United States’ laws have not always treated marijuana and hemp the same.The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act outlawed marijuana. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act defined marijuana as: â€Å"(A)ll parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L. , whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or resin; but shall not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture salt, derivative, mi xture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin xtracted there from), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination. † The Act outlawed marijuana and punished people who grew it, without infringing on the rights of hemp growers. The act did not make hemp illegal but simply just put a tax on hemp. Dr. Andrew Wright, an agronomist with the University of Wisconsin's Agriculture Experiment Station and steward of the Wisconsin hemp industry during the first half of the twentieth century, wrote in 1918, â€Å"There are three fairly distinct types of hemp: that grown for fiber, that for birdseed and oil, and that for drugs. (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This shows that even in the early 1900s, we knew and understood there being a difference between hemp and marijuana. However, in 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act repealed the Marihuana Tax Act and instead changed its definition: â€Å"The term â⠂¬Ëœmarihuana' means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa (L. ), whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin; . . † The key difference in this provision was that the 1937 Act used a system of taxation that allowed the government to punish the marijuana growers without punishing hemp growers. The 1970 Act abolished the taxation approach and effectively made all Cannabis cultivation illegal (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This act lumped marijuana and hemp into the same category. Why did the United States change their definition of the word and make hemp illegal? Why the United States changed its mind and decided to make hemp illegal is not really clear.There are not any definite answers. It could be that they realized that they couldn’t tax it anymore, the war on drugs, or that people that were growing hemp were abusin g their rights and also growing marijuana. It is up for anyone to speculate on. The only thing that is clear by hemp being illegal is that the United States is ignoring the economic benefits and uses of one of the most functional crops of all times. Hemp has been used for a wide variety of products for almost 3000 years.Overall, hemp is the strongest, most durable, and longest lasting natural soft fiber on the planet, which makes its fabric longer lasting, tougher, cheaper, cooler, and more absorbent than cotton (Herer). Hemp seed can be pressed into a healthy oil, which contains the highest amount of essential fatty acids of all plants. The byproduct of the pressed hemp seeds can be baked into cakes, breads, and casseroles and contains high quality protein (Hemp Facts). Another use for hemp is that it can be made into fuel.Hemp is the Earth’s number one biomass resource, capable of producing 10 tons of biomass per acre in only four months (Hemp Facts). This biomass can be co nverted into methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost very similar to the cost petroleum (Hemp Facts). It can also produce 10 times more methanol than corn (Hemp Facts). Since hemp is a natural plant, the use of hemp as a fuel makes it better for the environment. It does not add to global warming. Not only is hemp as a fuel better for the environment, but using hemp fiber for paper is also better for the environment.One acre of hemp produces as much fiber as 4. 1 acres of trees (Herer). While trees cut down to make paper usually take about 50 years to grow, hemp is ready to be harvested in about 120 days (Hemp Facts). Since hemp takes less time to be ready to be harvested and it can produce more fiber per acre, hemp could possibly be the answer to the deforestation problem. Only eight out of about one hundred known pests cause problem to the plant so hemp is normally grown without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides (Hemp Facts).Hemp is also a natural weed suppressor due to the fa st growth of the canopy causing a blockage of the sun that does not allow for the weeds to grow (Hemp Facts). All of these things make hemp a cheaper, more environmentally friendly crop. Hemp has been one of the most widely used crops, all around the world, for more than 3000 years. With hemps thousands of uses, it could possibly save our country in this time of deficit. However, the United States still refuses to recognize it has being a potential economically beneficial crop because of a plant of the same species.Works Citied â€Å"Hemp Facts. † HempUSA. org. HempUSA. org, 1 June 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. Web Herer, Jack. â€Å"The Forgotten History of Hemp. † Earth Island Journal 5. 4 (1990): 35. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. Web Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential. Rep. no. AGES-ERSAGES001. Ers. usda. gov, Jan. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. Web West, David P. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities. Prescott, Wisconsin: North American Indust rial Hemp Council, 27 Feb. 1998. PDF. The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and Its Economic Benefits Ms. Bonner English 290 16 December 2011 The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and its Economic Benefits When most people hear the word hemp the first thing that comes to mind is marijuana. While hemp and marijuana are of the same plant species, Cannabis Sativa, they are different plants with their own chemical makeup. Hemp has been known as one of the world’s greatest agricultural crops of all time with a wide variety of uses. Unfortunately the United States still sees hemp as drug and the manufacturing of hemp is still illegal today.The United States is outlawing one of the most economically beneficial and functional crops of all times because of its cousin marijuana. Hemp was the world’s greatest agricultural crop for more than 1000 years before Christ until 1883 AD (Herer). The manufacturing and cultivation of hemp has been used for thousands of products and many different industries including producing a majority of the world’s fabric, fibe r, oil, paper, and even food. The earliest known fabric was made of hemp around 8000 BC (Herer).Ninety percent of all ships' sails from at least the fifth century BC until long after the invention of the steam engines in the mid- to late-19th century were made from hemp (Herer). Many of the ships’ logs, maps, and charts were made on hemp paper from the time of Columbus to the early 1900s (Herer). In the first century AD, the Chinese found that hemp paper lasted 50 to 100 times longer than most preparations of papyrus and that it was 100 times easier and cheaper to make (Herer).Eighty percent of all humankind's textiles and fabrics for clothes, tents, linens, rugs, drapes, quilts, bed sheets, towels and diapers were made principally from cannabis fibers in much of the world until the 20th century (Herer). Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp and Americans were even legally bound to grow during the Colonial Era and Early Republic (Hemp Facts). With all these uses for hemp, from almost the beginning of the known world, why would hemp be illegal today? Marijuana and industrial hemp come from the same species of plant, Cannabis Sativa.The species can yield two different plants, marijuana and industrial hemp. Comparing marijuana and industrial hemp is like comparing field corn and sweet corn. While they are both from the same species, the chemical makeup and final product is very different. Cannabis produces two major cannabinoids-THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) (West, Hemp and Marijuana). THC is the one responsible for the psychoactive effect that you get from smoking marijuana. CBD, on the other hand, has been found to block the effect of THC in the nervous system (West, Hemp and Marijuana).Marijuana usually contains 3 to 15 percent THC, while industrial hemp being grown normally contains less than 1 percent THC (Industrial Hemp in the United States). Many people believe that if industrial hemp was allowed to be grown that many people would still try and smoke it, but if one was to smoke industrial hemp, which is high in CBD and low in THC, it would actually counter act the THC and block the effect of a marijuana high. This shows that not only is hemp not marijuana but could possibly even be called â€Å"anti-marijuana. Even with this scientific information and the United States continues to outlaw the manufacturing of hemp. Other countries have recognized the difference between marijuana and industrial hemp. Current hemp varieties being grown in Canada and Europe are certified to have THC levels below 0. 3 percent (West, Hemp and Marijuana). The certification system was originally developed in Europe to allow for the commercialization of industrial hemp and takes into consideration the ratio of CBD to THC as well as the absolute percent THC (West, Hemp and Marijuana).The original THC threshold was 0. 8 percent. When varieties with lower levels of THC were developed by French breeders, the breed ers were able to persuade the European Union to reduce the tolerance further (West, Hemp and Marijuana). In the United States, Cannabis with any measurable trace of THC is illegal, CBD concentration is not considered at all. The United States is outlawing this potentially economic beneficial crop with no just cause and they are completely overlooking all of its uses and benefits. The United States’ laws have not always treated marijuana and hemp the same.The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act outlawed marijuana. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act defined marijuana as: â€Å"(A)ll parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L. , whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or resin; but shall not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture salt, derivative, mi xture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin xtracted there from), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination. † The Act outlawed marijuana and punished people who grew it, without infringing on the rights of hemp growers. The act did not make hemp illegal but simply just put a tax on hemp. Dr. Andrew Wright, an agronomist with the University of Wisconsin's Agriculture Experiment Station and steward of the Wisconsin hemp industry during the first half of the twentieth century, wrote in 1918, â€Å"There are three fairly distinct types of hemp: that grown for fiber, that for birdseed and oil, and that for drugs. (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This shows that even in the early 1900s, we knew and understood there being a difference between hemp and marijuana. However, in 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act repealed the Marihuana Tax Act and instead changed its definition: â€Å"The term â⠂¬Ëœmarihuana' means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa (L. ), whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin; . . † The key difference in this provision was that the 1937 Act used a system of taxation that allowed the government to punish the marijuana growers without punishing hemp growers. The 1970 Act abolished the taxation approach and effectively made all Cannabis cultivation illegal (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This act lumped marijuana and hemp into the same category. Why did the United States change their definition of the word and make hemp illegal? Why the United States changed its mind and decided to make hemp illegal is not really clear.There are not any definite answers. It could be that they realized that they couldn’t tax it anymore, the war on drugs, or that people that were growing hemp were abusin g their rights and also growing marijuana. It is up for anyone to speculate on. The only thing that is clear by hemp being illegal is that the United States is ignoring the economic benefits and uses of one of the most functional crops of all times. Hemp has been used for a wide variety of products for almost 3000 years.Overall, hemp is the strongest, most durable, and longest lasting natural soft fiber on the planet, which makes its fabric longer lasting, tougher, cheaper, cooler, and more absorbent than cotton (Herer). Hemp seed can be pressed into a healthy oil, which contains the highest amount of essential fatty acids of all plants. The byproduct of the pressed hemp seeds can be baked into cakes, breads, and casseroles and contains high quality protein (Hemp Facts). Another use for hemp is that it can be made into fuel.Hemp is the Earth’s number one biomass resource, capable of producing 10 tons of biomass per acre in only four months (Hemp Facts). This biomass can be co nverted into methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost very similar to the cost petroleum (Hemp Facts). It can also produce 10 times more methanol than corn (Hemp Facts). Since hemp is a natural plant, the use of hemp as a fuel makes it better for the environment. It does not add to global warming. Not only is hemp as a fuel better for the environment, but using hemp fiber for paper is also better for the environment.One acre of hemp produces as much fiber as 4. 1 acres of trees (Herer). While trees cut down to make paper usually take about 50 years to grow, hemp is ready to be harvested in about 120 days (Hemp Facts). Since hemp takes less time to be ready to be harvested and it can produce more fiber per acre, hemp could possibly be the answer to the deforestation problem. Only eight out of about one hundred known pests cause problem to the plant so hemp is normally grown without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides (Hemp Facts).Hemp is also a natural weed suppressor due to the fa st growth of the canopy causing a blockage of the sun that does not allow for the weeds to grow (Hemp Facts). All of these things make hemp a cheaper, more environmentally friendly crop. Hemp has been one of the most widely used crops, all around the world, for more than 3000 years. With hemps thousands of uses, it could possibly save our country in this time of deficit. However, the United States still refuses to recognize it has being a potential economically beneficial crop because of a plant of the same species.Works Citied â€Å"Hemp Facts. † HempUSA. org. HempUSA. org, 1 June 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. Web Herer, Jack. â€Å"The Forgotten History of Hemp. † Earth Island Journal 5. 4 (1990): 35. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. Web Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential. Rep. no. AGES-ERSAGES001. Ers. usda. gov, Jan. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. Web West, David P. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities. Prescott, Wisconsin: North American Indust rial Hemp Council, 27 Feb. 1998. PDF.

Chinese Shih Poetry and Philos Essay

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to explain the world around him. This is called philosophy, a Greek word which means â€Å"love of wisdom. † However, over the millennia it has come to mean much more. The philosophies of the ancient Chinese people, whether they explain nature or present ways to live a just life, became so complex that simple prose could not suitably express their meaning. Yet paradoxically, the simpler, less exact form of poetry does put forth the ideas. Nowhere is this more exemplified than in the literature pertaining to the two major schools of ancient Chinese thought; Taoism and Confucianism. Poets such as Tu Fu and Po Chu-i expressed the ideas of Taoism and Confucianism, respectively, while their fellow poet T’ao Ch’ien expressed both, through their poetry. Confucianism is based on the ideas of Confucius, the man who gave the school of thought its name. The main goal of Confucianists was to return a gentlemanly society to China. The core of Confucianism concerned social structure. Confucius taught that a man should respect and obey those of higher rank than himself, whether they be the father of a family, or the emperor of a nation. But even with absolute obedience, Confucianists believed that men should practice restraint and benevolence in those inferior to them. At the same time, those in high status were expected to lead virtuous lives, and to set examples for those that followed them. Confucianists believed that the moral code of man was set down by heaven, and if those in positions of authority did not set good examples, then they would deposed by the forces of heaven. One of the first great Chinese poets to write of Confucianism was T’ao Ch’ien. T’ao Ch’ien’s poem Substance, Shadow, and Spirit shows a comparison between Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and the views on life and death of each. A clear example of Confucian beliefs can be taken from this poem. He states, â€Å"Let us strive and labor while yet we may / To do some deed that men will praise. † This clearly demonstrates the fact that Confucianists do not believe in reincarnation. Also, in his Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country, T’ao Ch’ien writes, â€Å"In the same world men lead different lives; / Some at the court, some in the marketplace. † These lines illustrate that for every man there is a place in an organized Confucian society. Taoism, along with Confucianism, is one of the most ancient ideas in Chinese philosophy. The first known Taoist master was the ancient figure Lao Tzu. Perplexed by Chinese politics in his day, Lao Tzu planned to leave Chinese society for the wilderness of western China. But, before he could do this, he was stopped by a man who asked him to write down all of his ideas and beliefs. The result was the Tao Te Ching, or the Book of the Virtue of the Way. The book set forth the basic ideas of Taoism; that is, following the Tao, or the Way. The main goal of Taoists was to live in harmony with the natural world around them, and to rid themselves of materialistic desires. The primary concern for Taoists like Lao Tzu was to understand the way of the world, and to use that knowledge for self-preservation. One of the greatest poets in Chinese history to demonstrate Taoism in his poetry was Tu Fu. One example can be found in the poem that he Sent to Li Po as a Gift. At the end of the poem, he closes his message to Li Po this way, â€Å"Your days pass in emptiness, / Your nature is a spreading fire, / It is swift and strenuous. / But what does all this bravery amount to? † This shows a Taoist idea that man should not put too much effort into life, and should simply follow where fate leads. Tu Fu is telling his friend that he lives in simplicity, yet he lives in excess of those simple things; something that Taoist should not do. Loneliness is another poem where Tu Fu shows his Taoist beliefs. The eighth line reads, â€Å"The processes of nature resemble the business of men. † This shows that the Way of nature is ever present all through the universe, even in the business of man. This even goes back to Lao Tzu, who felt that one could use Taoism to rule a just and ordered government. Centuries after T’ao Ch’ien wrote his poems on Confucianism, Po Chu-i added his take on the ancient philosophy. Unlike other Chinese poets, Po Chu-i was very realistic, and very direct; writing not about landscapes and mountain peaks, but about the normal experiences of life. For instance, Sick Leave, demonstrates Confucianism in that the speaker shows utter dedication to his position; enough to work himself to illness. The speaker, even after becoming sick from overwork, regrets that he cannot be working. Last Poem shows examples of Confucianist relationships. For instance, the speaker’s grandchildren read him a book; a task they do out of respect and love for their grandfather. Also, his servants show their respect to their master by heating his soup. Finally, the speaker shows his regard for the relationships with his friends by frantically replying to their letters. Besides being open minded to the ideas of Confucianism and Buddhism, T’ao Ch’ien was also an ardent Taoist. His Taoist poetry about attaining tranquillity and serenity are at great contrast with the world around him, which was full of chaos and turmoil. In the final section of the poem Substance, Shadow, and Spirit he discusses the Taoist view, which is that one should not worry about death, but should â€Å"go where Fate leads ? Drift on the Stream of Infinite Flux† and â€Å"make as little fuss as you can,† when death finally comes. His Poem on Returning to Dwell in the County also shows Taoist ideas on simplicity, and following the way of nature. Passages such as â€Å"Long I have loved to stroll among the hills and marshes, / And take my pleasure roaming the woods and fields,† demonstrate the Taoist love for nature. Poets such as Po Chu-i presented the ideas of in a form that better impacted the common man, and carried their ideas crystal clear to the intellectuals. His fellow poets, T’ao Ch’ien and Tu Fu presented images of nature so intense, that the reader could gain a sense of calm from reading their poems. These poems have passed the test of time, and have not weathered the slightest. The followers of these schools were gifted enough to state their beliefs in poetry so vivid that they still enlighten lovers of wisdom today.

Reinventing the wheel at apex door company Essay

In 2011, a stock trader of a well-known investment firm along with two alleged accomplices was convicted of insider trading. The lawyers allegedly browsed around their law firm picking up information regarding corporate deals and would provide it to a person who would then pass the inside information to the trader. This information was then used by the trader for him to earn millions of dollars. Since the information came from the lawyers, the trader would thank them by providing envelopes filled with cash. II. Central Problem Screening out the potential bad stock traders and only those stock traders with good values and can be trusted with confidential information are selected. Find a way to control the behaviours of those already in the firm who are prone to engage in inside trading. III. Conclusion The firm shows that they have a poor system in selecting employees since unethical employees are able to enter their company. They also possess poor security regarding with the works of their employees that is why most probably some employees are able to do insider trading. And lastly there is limited communication between top management and the employees which lead to this kind of behaviour by employees. IV. Recommendation Due to the alarming case of insider trading we recommend that the firm should strengthen their employee selection program in order to select the right personnel with ethical values. With this improved selection program, top management would be able to identify who should be selected and who should be not.

Constructivism and Problem Based Learning Annotated Bibliography

Constructivism and Problem Based Learning - Annotated Bibliography Example is particular investigation, emphasizes on practicality, while training professionals of different fields, but somehow, does not recommend that, for teaching in school. In the viewpoint of the current paper, children studying in school should also be given assignments, featuring various practical problems to solve, because by this method, their ability to analyze issues will groom, which is a required ability in all fields of life. Megalakaki, O., Sotiriou, S., Savas, S., & Manoussakis, Y. (2012). Problem-based Educational Environments: A Case Study in e-Commerce and Business Planning. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology 10(1) , 423-446 This study argues, that electronic learning facilities allow learners from various areas to develop their knowledge base, through providing them with integrated access to international libraries. At the same time, offer students an opportunity to consult with leading professionals. In this way, learners could develop in depth understanding of the practical issues of the field. However, in the light of above mentioned source, constructivism is an ideal methodology, while instructing medical students, because in this field problem based method could result in disastrous ramifications, without proper understanding of the medical knowledge. On the other hand, this research believes, that technological aids such as online videos are assisting; language instructors in making their students, learn various foreign languages. In teaching linguistics, professors should encourage their pupils to practice the language in their daily life, because this is the only way to learn, the art of communication, because, human mind initiates the process of self-correction, once the person starts talking in a non-native language. Nevertheless, theoretical background possesses a certain degree of importance in this regard, but ample amount of time should be allocated towards practical learning in the process of developing

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Virtual Perceptorship Nursing - Essay Example From the study, notable findings were that; over the study period, women above 35 years increased their rate of delivery by over 84 % while for women above 40 years, their deliveries increased by over 100%; The prevalence of smoking in women decreased from 32.7% in 1988 to below 25.1% in 2001; prevalence of women below 20 years remained almost the same during the study period at 50%; there was an increase in the proportion of women with a pre pregnancy weight gain of over 90 kilograms over the study period; There was a also an increase in proportion of women with a pregnancy weight gain over the study period. Finally, nulliparity increased significantly over the study period. From the study, the research team concluded that, dramatic changes have occurred in maternal characteristics in Nova Scotia, over the years between 1988 and 2001. From the foreseen changes, it is evident that these changes are on-going. The research team also concluded that, if these maternal characteristics con tinue changing into the future, it is going to affect perinatal health and obstetric practice. This is because; maternal characteristics are known indices of obstetric practice, perinatal mortality and morbidity (Bianco, 1996). Research Critique This research has been done proficiently and effectively. The time period that the research team used was sufficient enough to attain the necessary results and possible conclusions. The study was conducted on Nova Scotia women in a time period of 14 years. This long period of time chosen has made the research proficient in the sense that it gave the research team sufficient time to analyze the chosen maternal characteristics which are useful indices of obstetric practice and perinatal care. Another factor that has made the research proficient is that women chosen were of varying age groups. This has enabled the research team to avoid bias in their findings since one finding may be characteristic of a particular age group and not the other. For example, smoking prevalence was assessed in women below 20 years and those above 35 years. It was found that the prevalence did not change much over the 14 year period in women below 20 years while it increase d tremendously in women above 35 years. The data of the study is reliable and this has ensured that the findings are consistent with the available data. The representative sample chosen was women in Nova Scotia who had given birth between 1988 and 2001. The data was obtained from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database (NSAPD), a reputable organization that has for years collected accurate data on births in Nova Scotia since 1988. Its personnel are well trained so that there are no errors during data collection exercises. As a result of this, findings on the study are highly accurate and up to date, and they represent the reality on the ground. The reported findings from the study in Nova Scotia are consistent with information available on the subject matter. More recently, studies in western countries indicate that maternal characteristics are changing, and this trend is worrying health care experts (Edwards, 1996). For example, pre pregnancy weight gain has been observed to incre ase in various women, and this is worrying because adverse weight gains in pregnancy are associated with adverse birth outcomes. Recent findings assert that

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William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying study questions - Essay Example Each character is shown as being differentiated and actually utterly alone in his thoughts and interpretations of the events. Whatever a character is thinking is what what is encountered by the reader. Incomplete thoughts and hard-to-decipher dialect compound the initial problem that the reader encounters. Since the reader is obliged to follow the mental meanderings and preoccupations of each character, one at a time, it is inevitable that the reader will become confused. The reason for the family's obstinacy in getting Addie's request fulfilled is left to the reader to decipher from the family's behavior and thoughts. Aside from the unfolding of events (the story itself), what holds the interest of the reader is the challenge, or at least the wait, of being able to piece this puzzle together. The presence of characters not part of the Bundren family allows the reader feel that he can make a more objective judgment, and these outside characters show us that what the Bundren family is doing is not 'normal'. In the early parts of the book, I expected that there would be quite a lot of confusion. Faulkner gives only small glimpses of the plot, and slowly, so that the picture becomes clearer as the story goes on. The structure of the novel began to feel simpler as I pro

CRR-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRR-2 - Essay Example This approach, according to (Davis and McKay 1996, p. 100) first of all recounts the oppositions views, and also to help construct the writers own position. After having registered his stance, Howard delves right into the point of the argument he likes to defend by reiterating Deegans concern "what did my son die?" (Howard 2002, p.11). In fact at this point Howard continues with his pathos by registering contingent emotions through the description of the Islamic fanatics who bombed Bali using terms like "despise", "liberal", "open life of western nations" and "violent murder" to appropriate orientation between himself and the audience (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1992, p.40; Hughes 1990, p. 33). By addressing Deegans concerns one by one Howard logically defends and establishes his ethos (the concept personality and stance as introduced by Aristotle). As a reader since we do not have any preconceive idea as to his character or emotions, these lines establish his personality as sympathetic, logical and as concerned as any Australian citizen (his audience). The essence of Howards argument lies in his statement that Australia is publicly and closely associated with the US since September 11, 2001 because of security reasons. However, in the next five to six paragraphs, Howard digresses from his stance. While he manages to use facts to establish logos, the "process of judgement" (Cockcroft and Cockcroft 1992, p. 10), he does not effectively make a case for his argument. According to Bakhtin (Andrews 1992, p.8), argument principles involve internal dialogic quality of discourse" which means both the sender and receiver must understand the elements of logic in an argument. In these paragraphs Howard digress from his logic, which loses the appeal he established at the beginning of the letter, thereby reduces his credibility. The loss of credibility is also because of Howards inability to find the correct analogy to defend his

Facebook use benifits and risks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facebook use benifits and risks - Research Paper Example These teenagers have brought with them the much needed attention deriving regime which is so very important for this age population in the current times. The benefits of using Facebook for the teenagers is that they remain busy in one chore or the other whilst being on a page, at a friend’s wall or even while viewing photos. The negative is that they find out just too much for their liking. The element of gossip within the teenagers is derived from the feed that they witness or post on the Facebook. Facebook is such a big phenomenon in their social circle that they cannot live without it. They believe that their whole life is dependent on the good and bad points that come attached with Facebook in essence. There is a good amount of research available that infers the fact that Facebook is creating waves for all the right and wrong reasons. Delving deep into the benefits of Facebook, one should understand that Facebook is a complete experience for the teens of today. They can gain so much from it that one can only fathom about. The positives are in the wake of understanding how they get to become friends with people they have just met in real life, and at times too when they have not even met an individual; they are connected in a virtual world through Facebook. The positives are endless and the bounties that come attached with it are aplenty. Facebook educates the users to have a smooth flow of the website which is indeed a social networking tool (Greenfield 2008). The Help section represents the manner in which steps are detailed in a sequential way. The step by step procedures are such that one can comprehend a great amount of knowledge and information from the manual that is embedded within Facebook. Also the amount of information that they receive with regards to their favorite eateries, products, events and servi ces is something that one can see as a major positive within the thick of things. Facebook educates,

Why is everything made in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Why is everything made in China - Research Paper Example China is an industrialized nation and has the support from various aspects such as government for survival in the industry. The trading relationships with other countries are also excellent such as the US traders prefer to have Chinese suppliers because the bulk shipping order’s cost is less which means import from China is cheap compared to other countries. According to the study performed by Booz Allen Hamilton, only those companies are successful that integrate China as the basis of competitive advantage. The improvement in the economy shows that China has a great potential for future domestic sales, therefore setting up factories will facilitate to be a beneficial project for the future. The major domestic industry in China is automobile, which may change in the future (Booz Allen Hamilton Inc, â€Å"Booz Allen/AMCHAM Shanghai Study Finds Companies Adopting China as Both a Growth Market and Manufacturing Hub Are Two-Thirds More Profitable Than Others†). There are ce rtain controversial views such as China is not good in social responsibilities because they make the children work for cost minimization. Hence, the myth is that a company in China is only concerned about the profit and not the society. They do not consider all the 3 P’s that are Profit, People and Planet (Whycenter, â€Å"Why Is Everything Made In China†). ‘Made in China’ products are becoming more famous in today’s world. In this research paper, the benefits of manufacturing units in China have been analyzed with an example of plastic manufacturing unit. The effect of the economy and environment are examined to understand the reason for building manufacturing units in China. The integration of all economy implies globalization, hence the increase of ‘Made in China’ products are affecting the world’s economy. The economy of China and other countries have been analyzed to understand the impact in other countries. Every company fo cuses on cost minimization to increase the profit margin. The labor cost in China is a factor to be taken into consideration for the labor intensive companies such as clothing, footwear and others. In order to reduce cost of production, companies generally look to shift to China for establishing manufacturing units. There is a potential growth in China but the question arises whether it is sustainable or not. In this context, the future prospects in China are identified. Benefits and Reasons for Manufacturing in China China has emerged as preferred destination for setting up of manufacturing units due to certain advantages that are present in the country. The labor cost is less in India and Africa. However, to build a plant in developing country a few infrastructure facilities such as electricity, technology, telecommunication, financial infrastructure, government cooperation and others are essential to be considered. In this case, China is advanced than India and it is incomparable with Africa. Hence, China provides the advantage of cheap labor and adequate industrial infrastructures. China is perceived as the huge potential market thus it encourages the potential to build the operations in the country. Certain examples of reasons as well as benefits of manufacturing in China are: Reduction in cost of Direct Labor, Overhead and Material Cost Indirect Engineering, Marketing, Financial Labor & Transactional Cost is reduce. Supply chain logistics & service are made simpler to Asia’s customers Center for Material Sourcing throughout Asia for Domestic and China Production

Racial stereotype of young black males which lead to their death by Term Paper

Racial stereotype of young black males which lead to their death by shooting by people in authorities - Term Paper Example Black males are the hottest target for racial profiling, and thus, many young black males have been victims of racial profiling in the history of Africans in America. African-Americans have been victims of racial profiling since the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 1850s. Why males of African descent face racial profiling in today’s American society is not simply a matter of expression of ethnic practices; rather, it goes back to the convoluted race and gender histories reflecting transformations in social and political processes, resulting in oppression that occurred in conflicting ways, and generated a system of white oppression and racial profiling (Johnson & Stanford, 2002, p.207). After the slaves got integrated into the American society, the Americanization created a new tension. This made them lose their traditional customs and practices, and they lost their identities in the new world. Examples include Sean bell and Travon Martin, who became victims of police brutality. Travon Martin was â€Å"the unarmed teenager allegedly killed by a neighborhood watch captain while walking home from a store† (Lee, 2012, para.1). Hence, racial profiling has become an American tradition, because black males have been targeted, shot, gunned down, punished, and tortured, just because of their race. Racial profiling is a social problem because it is giving disadvantage to black males in the community, which is a violation of human rights. If it continues, black males will have no place in the community, and they will go on suffering like inferior beings, becoming scapegoats for every crime and every illegal activity going on in the society. Supporters of racial profiling state that racial profiling is not an aspect of racism; because, it explains that someone is more likely to be a criminal if his appearance matches a particular race. However, even this definition has disadvantaged the blacks, since they have been

A Raisin in the Sun Essay Example for Free

A Raisin in the Sun Essay In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry you go back in time to when segregation was still aloud. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life. The American Dream, to be specific. This dream is portrayed differently for each character, all of which impact the play. Two of these character`s are Walter Lee Younger and Lena Younger. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams conflict and impact the family through materialism and desire to be the ideal American family in society. Mama and Walter both desire to provide for their family. They both look at money as success. When the $10,000 insurance check comes along, Mama sees it as a chance for her family to finally live up and be more like the rest of the American society. She aspires to look after her family, by giving them a house, a car, and most of all- happiness. Walter on the other hand becomes obsessed with his dreams of business, which he believes will result in financial independence to provide for his family. He feels ashamed when he can’t give money to his son. When Travis asks for fifty cents and Ruth tells him they don’t have it, Walter gives him fifty cents anyway. â€Å"In fact, here’s another fifty cents†¦ Buy yourself some fruit today- or take a taxicab to school or something†(12) He yearns for his son Travis to look up to him. He adds another fifty to make this more real or true. This also shows how Walter looks at money as success. Walter believes this will be true if he has his dream of owning his own business or all in all- wealth. Success to both them means that they no longer have to struggle, and live up to what people perceive. Mama distinguishes herself from Walter when it comes to materialistic matters. The first thing mama does when she gets the insurance money is buy a house for her family. This shows how the capitalistic society is having a materialistic effect on Mama. Mama’s dream consists of a house and happy family. Mama’s plant is a perfect indication of her dream. It symbolizes her family in a way. When the family is down, the plant is down. Mama is constantly in protection of the plant, in hopes of holding on to her dream. Walter in comparison is always looking to be somebody and make it in life. Walter sees wealth as the only solution to this. He longs for financial support. He becomes corrupted by society -to find his identity through money. Walter tells his mother, I want so many things(60). This shows his greediness. All in all Mama and Walters dreams both involve money. Mama shows us her longing for the acceptance of society when she immediately buys a house in a white neighborhood, to provide for her family. Walter shows us his desperation to be a valuable human being when he steals money in hopes of starting his liquor business. Walter wants to be respected and live a happy lifestyle for this family. He longs to be the head of the household. Walter see’s himself with a liquor store as having power. It isn’t till the end until he rethinks the values of himself and his family’s future about how there is more to living than just having material riches. Mama only yearns for her family to be respected and live up to what society perceives. No matter what you perceive The American Dream to be, it is possible to attain it and be successful. The American Dream is whatever your dream of success perceives to be. Hansberry shows how hard it was for colored people to find their identities during segregated times. Walter and Mama learn that money doesn’t possess much when it comes by itself. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams differentiate and impact the family through their wanting to be accepted in society and live in peace. Anyone in this country can undertake happiness and success if they work at it.

People Suffering Mental Disorder Nursing Essay

People Suffering Mental Disorder Nursing Essay Introduction Auditory hallucinations for some people suffering mental disorder are frequently experienced as alien and under the influence of some external force. These are often experienced as voices that are distressing to the individual and can cause social withdrawal and isolation. Although auditory hallucinations are linked with major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, it also occurs in people who have not been diagnosed with any mental illness (Coffey and Hewitt 2008). The annual incidence is estimated between 4-5 percent (Tien 1991), with those experiencing voices at least once, estimated between 10-25 percent (Slade Bentall 1988).The standard professional response to voice hearing has been to label it as characteristic of illness and to prescribe anti-psychotic medication (Leudar Thomas 2000). However, Romme and Escher (1993) view the hearing of voices as not simply an individuals psychological experience, but as an interaction, reflecting the nature of the individuals relationship with his or her own social environment. In this way, voices are interpreted as being linked to past or present experiences and the emphasis is on accepting the existence of the voices. However, the cause of schizophrenia is unknown; most experts deem that the condition is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors (Szas, 1988). This dissertation will aim to discuss the experience and management of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia looking into therapeutic relationship, helping approaches, and working towards the ending of a therapeutic relationship discussing discharge. First chapter will aim to explain what schizophrenia is, the cause of schizophrenia, its symptoms and types with particular focus on auditory hallucinations. The chapter will then discuss what auditory hallucinations are in the diagnosis. Therapeutic relationship between service user and the nurse is paramount in mental health nursing and is seen to prove long term outcome such as social functioning (Svensson and Hansson 1999). Chapter two will aim to discuss the building of therapeutic relationship in the management of auditory hallucinations using Peplaus interpersonal relations model (1952). The importance of holistic assessment using a variety of tools, scales and questionnaires that will identify symptoms, risks, management of risk and address the service users needs will be discuss in chapter three. Chapter four of this dissertation will discuss helping approaches. Gray et al (2003) states that pharmacological and psychosocial interventions have been heavily researched to find the most up to date literature and recommendations for the management of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia with medication and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).. The final chapter will aim to discuss the ending of the therapeutic relationship between the nurse and the service user looking into discharge planning process and conclusion. Chapter one What is Schizophrenia and Auditory Hallucinations? Introduction to chosen topic Schizophrenia is one of the terms used to describe a major psychiatric disorder (or cluster of disorders) that alters an individuals perception, thoughts, affect and behaviour. Individuals who develop schizophrenia will each have their own unique combination of symptoms and experiences, the precise pattern of which will be influenced by their particular circumstances (NICE 2010). Allen et al (2010) define schizophrenia as a chronic and seriously disabling brain disorder that produces significant residual cognitive, functional and social deficits. Schizophrenia is considered the most disabling of all mental disorders (Mueser and McGurk, 2004), it occurs in about 1% of the world population, or more than 20 million people worldwide (Silverstein et al., 2006). The DSM -IV TR (American Association of Psychiatry (APA) 2000) defines schizophrenia as a persistent, often chronic and usually serious mental disorder affecting a variety of aspects of behaviour, thinking, and emotion. Patients with delusions or hallucinations may be described as psychotic. However, Tucker (1998) argues that the system of classification developed by the DSM-IV does not actually fit many patients as a whole; the syndromes outlined in DSM-IV are free standing descriptions of symptoms. He said unlike diagnoses of diseases in the rest of medicine, psychiatric diagnoses still have no proven link to causes and cures; Tucker argues that there is no identified etiological agents for psychiatric disorders. Schizophrenia is characterized by clusters of positive symptoms (e.g. hallucinations, delusions, and/or catatonia), negative symptoms (e.g. apathy, flat feet, social withdrawal, loss of feelings, lack of motivation and/or poverty of speech), and disorganized symptoms (e.g. formal thought disorder and/or bizarre behaviours). In addition, individuals with schizophrenia often experience substantial cognitive deficits including loss of executive function, as well as social dysfunction (Allen et al., 2010). It is estimated that nearly 75% of people with schizophrenia suffer with auditory hallucinations (Ford et al., 2009). It is suggested that one of the many symptoms of this disorder is hallucinations. It is put forward that hallucinations takes place when a person experiences a sensation in any form of sensory modality when there is nothing or nobody there to account for it (Green, 2009). There are several types of hallucinations olfactory, tactile, gustatory, cenesthetic, kinesthetic, visual and auditory (Kasper, 2003). One of many forms of hallucinations is an olfactory hallucination, which relates to smells or odours. They can be particular scents like urine, or involve more general odours like a rotting smell (Blom and Sommer, 2011). Another is a tactile hallucination, which is characterised by a feeling of skin sensations, such as bugs crawling on arms and legs or electric shocks. This type of hallucination is rare in schizophrenia (Vidbeck, 2010). A different form of hallucination is a gustatory hallucination, these are concerning taste, were the sufferer either has specific taste in the mouth or a food tastes like something else (Campbell, 2009). In addition there are also cenesthetic hallucinations, which are when the sufferer feels the physical functions that are ordinarily imperceptible like signals going to and from the brain (Sadock and Sadock, 2008). A further different form of hallucination is a kinesthetic hallucination, this is when a sufferer is motionless but reports that their body is moving, for instance floating off the ground, bed or chair (Thornhill, 2011). More commonly reported experiences are visual hallucinations which are when somebody sees something that is not there. Such as a person, object or commonly flashing lights (Kaufman, 2011). A further form of hallucination is an auditory hallucination; this is when a person experiences a sensation where they believe they can hear voices or noises. Sometimes these voices can be commanding and make the person suffering from the hallucination do things that are generally out of character (Joppich, 2009). The focus of this dissertation is the management of auditory hallucination in schizophrenia for more on schizophrenia see appendix 1. Auditory hallucinations in diagnosis Auditory hallucinations are often considered symptomatic of people diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia (Millham and Easton, 1998). The American Association of Psychiatry (APA 1994, p.767) defines hallucinations as a sensory perception that has the compelling sense of reality of a true perception but that occurs without external stimulation of the relevant sensory organ. Auditory hallucinations range from muffled sounds to complete conversations and can be experienced as coming either from within or from outside ones self (Nayani David, 1996). However, Stanghellini and Cutting (2003) argue that APA definition of hallucinations is false, they believe an auditory hallucination is not a false perception of sound but is a disorder of self consciousness that becomes conscious. Hearing voices is not only linked to a persons inner experience but can reflect a persons relationship with their own past and present experiences (Romme and Escher, 1996). Beyerstein (1996) suggests that voic es are anything that prompts a move from word based thinking to imagistic or pictorial thinking predisposes a person to hallucinating. Auditory hallucinations, or hearing sounds or voices are the most common and occur in nearly 75 percent of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (Ford et al., 2009). Auditory hallucinations are often derogatory or persecutory in nature, and can be heard in the third person, as a running commentary, or as audible thoughts. Some individuals with schizophrenia also experience useful or positive voices that give advice, encourage, remind, and help make decisions, or assist the person in their daily activities (Jenner et al., 2008). Voice hearers can work with their voices and either choose what to listen to or can completely ignore them (Romme et al., 1992). Sorrell et al (2009) states that some individuals experience positive voices which do not affect the way they function or go about their daily living, these hearers also find that their voices may offer advice and guidance. The hearers voice can be reported as a little distressful or some go on to report no distress at all (Honig et al., 1998). However Nayani and David (1996) argues that individuals who experience a constant negative voice found them difficult to control, they found the voice more powerful and attempt to ignore the voice often fail. Chadwick et al (2005) said that those who resist voices or feel the need to argue or shout back are seen as harmful/evil(exhibiting ill will), those who think voices are good and engage with them are seen as kind , they see voices are helping them so they tend to listen and follow advice. Not all auditory hallucinations are associated with mental illness, and studies show that 10 to 40 percent of people without a psychiatric illness report hallucinatory experiences in the auditory modality (Ohayon, 2000). A range of organic brain disorders is also associated with hallucinations, including temporal lobe epilepsy; delirium; dementia; focal brain lesions; neuro- infections, such as viral encephalitis; and cerebral tumours intoxication or withdrawal from substances such alcohol, cocaine, and amphetamines is also associated with auditory hallucinations (Fricchione et al., 1995) There is also evidence that delusion formation may distinguish psychotic disorders from non clinical hallucinatory experiences. In other words, the development of delusions in people with auditory hallucinations significantly increases the risk of psychosis when compared with individuals who have hallucinations but not delusions. Auditory hallucinations may be experienced as coming through the ears, in the mind, on the surface of the body, or anywhere in external space. The frequency can range from low (once a month or less) to continuously all day long. Loudness also varies, from whispers to shouts. The intensity and frequency of symptoms fluctuate during the illness, but the factor that determines whether auditory hallucinations are a central feature of the clinical picture is the degree of interference with activities and mental functions (Waters, 2010) The most common type of auditory hallucinations in psychiatric illness consists of voices. Voices may be male or female, and with intonations and accents that typically differ from those of the patient. Persons who have auditory hallucinations usually hear more than one voice, and these are sometimes recognized as belonging to someone who is familiar (such as a neighbour, family member or TV personality) or to an imaginary character (God, the devil, an angel). Verbal hallucinations may comprise full sentences, but single words are more often reported. Voices that comment on or discuss the individuals behaviour and that refer to the patient in the third person were thought to be first-rank symptoms and of diagnostic significance for schizophrenia (Schneider, 1959). Studies show that approximately half of patients with schizophrenia experience these symptoms (Waters, 2010). Waters (2010) says a significant proportion of patients also experience non verbal hallucinations, such as music, tapping, or animal sounds, although these experiences are frequently overlooked in auditory hallucinations research. Another type of hallucination includes the experience of functional hallucinations, in which the person experiences auditory hallucinations simultaneously through another real noise (e.g., a person may perceive auditory hallucinations only when he hears a car engine). The content of voices varies between individuals. Often the voices have a negative and malicious content. They might speak to the patient in a derogatory or insulting manner or give commands to perform an unacceptable behaviour. The experience of negative voices causes considerable distress. However, a significant proportion of voices are pleasant and positive, and some individuals report feelings of loss when the treatment causes the voices to disappear (Copolov et al., 2004). The exact processes that underlie auditory hallucinations remain largely unknown. There are two principal avenues of research: one focuses on neuro anatomical networks using techniques such as positron emission tomography and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The other focuses on cognitive and psychological processes and the exploration of mental events involved in auditory hallucinations. A common formulation suggests that auditory verbal hallucinations represent an impairment in language processing and, particularly, inner speech processes, whereby the internal and silent dialogue that healthy people engage in is no longer interpreted as coming from the self but instead as having an external alien origin. There is support for this language hypothesis of auditory hallucinations from neuro imaging studies. These show that the experience of auditory hallucinations engages brain regions, such as the primary auditory cortex and broca area, which are associated with language c omprehension and production. This suggests that hallucinatory experiences are associated with listening to external speech in the absence of external sounds (Waters, 2010) Frith (2005) says the reason these experiences are not perceived as self-generated facts is that individuals who have the hallucinations fail to distinguish between internal and external events. This arises because of deficits in internal self-monitoring mechanisms that compare the expected with the actual sensations that arise from the patients intentions. This abnormality also applies to inner speech processes and leads to the misclassification of internal events as external and misattribution to an external agent. However, Bentall and Slade (1985) suggest that individuals with hallucinations use a different set of judgment criteria from healthy people when deciding whether an event is real, and they are more willing to accept that a perceptual experience is true. This bias essentially involves a greater willingness to believe that an event is real on the basis of less evidence. According to the context memory hypothesis of auditory hallucinations, the failure to identify events as self-generated arises because of specific deficits in episodic memory for remembering the details associated with particular past memory events. These specific deficits in memory cause confusion about the origins of the experience (Nayani and David, 1996). Patients with auditory hallucinations tend to misidentify the origins and source of stimuli during ongoing events and during memory events (Waters et al., 2006). The lack of voluntary control over the experience is a key feature of auditory hallucinations, which might explain why self-generated inner speech is classified as external in origin (Copolov et al., 2003). Hallucinations are experienced when verbal thoughts are unintended and unwanted. Because deficits in cognitive processes, such as inhibitory control, are thought to render people more susceptible to intrusive and recurrent unwanted thoughts, studies have linked audit ory hallucinations with deficits in cognitive inhibition (Waters et al., 2006). Recent advances in the neurosciences provide clues to why patients report an auditory experience in the absence of any perceptual input. Spontaneous activity in the early sensory cortices may in fact form the basis for the original signal. Early neuronal computation systems are known to interpret this activity and engage in decision-making processes to determine whether a percept has been detected. A brain system that is abnormally tuned in to internal acoustic experiences may therefore report an auditory perception in the absence of any external sound (Deco and Romo, 2008). Ford et al., (2009) suggested that patients with auditory hallucinations may have excessive attentional focus toward internally generated events: the brains of persons who have auditory hallucinations may therefore be over interpreting spontaneous sensory activity that is largely ignored in healthy brains. Patients suffering from auditory hallucinations sometimes can not distinguish between what is real and what is not real, it is very important to build a trusting therapeutic relationship with the sufferer. This dissertation will go on to explore the importance of building a therapeutic relationship with a patient; To explore the extent of auditory hallucinations a patient may be experiencing it is important that an appropriate assessment and risk management are carried out, exploring the need for assessment and risk management in auditory hallucinations, It will also look into helping approaches discussing pharmacological and psychosocial approaches in the management of auditory hallucinations and how to end the therapeutic relationship between a service user and the nurse, looking into discharge planning. CHAPTER TWO DEVELOPMENT OF THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP Development of the Therapeutic Relationship Peplaus theories laid the ground for ascendancy of the relationship as the key context for all subsequent interventions with patients (Ryan Brooks, 2000). Although the idea of the relationship endures as the paradigm for psychiatric nursing (Barker, Jackson, Stevenson, 1999a; 1999b; Krauss, 2000; Raingruber, 2003), it does not appear there is any universal consensus on exactly how to frame this relationship. The nurse-patient relationship can be defined as an ongoing, meaningful communication that fosters honesty, humility, and mutual respect and is based on a negotiated partnership between the patient and the practitioner (Krauss, 2000, p. 49). Peplau describes nursing as a therapeutic interpersonal process that aims to identify problems and how to relate to them (Peterson and Bredow 2009). Forster (2001) defines therapeutic relationship as a trusting relationship developed by two or more individuals. However, Jukes and Aldridge (2006) says at first sight therapeutic nursing and the therapeutic relationship may seem relatively easy to define, but once we scrape the surface we find a complex range of ideas and concepts that stem from philosophies, ideologies and individual therapies. Sometimes there are difficulties in applying these definitions to our own work. Not least of these difficulties is the relevance of the concept of therapy as healing to nursing. This begs the question of whether a therapeutic relationship always entails the use of a therapy, or whether there is something more universal and fundamental in therapeutic relationships. It seems important therefore to attempt a workable definition of the therapeutic r elationship that has currency within nursing as a whole. Additionally, it seems that therapeutic nursing has two facets. The first of these, and probably the most apparent, is the emotional and interpersonal aspect, which we might call therapeutic nursing as an art. The second is the more logical and objective aspect, which we might call The therapeutic nursing as a science. Arguably, there is a synergy between the two that leads to a gestalt, and therefore a need to address both aspects if our nursing is to be truly therapeutic in a holistic sense. Peplaus theory focuses on the nurse, the patient and the relationship between them and is aimed at using interpersonal skills to develop trust and security within the nurse-patient relationship. Therapeutic relationships are the corner stone of nursing practice with people who are experiencing threats to their health, including but not restricted to those people with mental illness (Reynolds 2003). The relationship of one to one of nurse patient has potential to influence positive outcome for patients. Hildegard Peplau interpersonal relations overlap over four phases namely: Orientation, Identification, Exploitation and Resolution. Peplau also identify that during the four overlapping phases nurses adopts many roles such as- Resource person: giving specific needed information that aids the patient to understand his/her problem and their new situation. A nurse may function in a counselling relationship, listening to the patient as he/she reviews events that led up to hospitalization and feeling connected with them. The patient may cast the nurse into roles such as surrogate for mother, father, sibling, in which the nurse aids the patient by permitting him/her to re-enact and examine generically older feelings generated in prior relationships. The nurse also functions as a technical expert who understands various professional devices and can manipulate them with skill and discrimination in the interest of the patient (Clay 1988). The orientation phase is the initial phase of the relationship where the nurse and the patient get to know each other. The patient begins to trust the nurse. This phase is sometimes called the stranger phase because the nurse and the patient are strangers to each other (Reynolds 2003). Peplaus (1952) suggest that during this phase early levels of trust are developed and roles and expectation begin to be understood. It is important that during this time that the nurse builds a relationship with the patient by gaining their trust, establishing a therapeutic environment, developing rapport and a level of communication expectable to both the patient and the nurse. During the orientation phase trust and security is supposed to be developed between the nurse and the patient. Co-ordination of care and treatment of patient while using an effective communication between the MDT is a nurse role. The nurse also acts as an advocate/surrogate for a patient and promotes recovery and self belief. Essential communication skills are deemed to be listening and attending, empathy, information giving and support in the context of a therapeutic relationship (Bach and Grant 2009). Building a therapeutic relationship needs to focus on patient -centred rather than nurse-task focus. Bach and Grant (2009) say interpersonal relationship describes the connection between two or more people or groups and their involvement with one another, especially as regards the way they behave towards and feels about one another. Communication is to exchange information between people by means of speaking, writing or using a common system of signs or behaviour. Faulkner (1998) suggested that Rogers (1961) client centred approach conditions can be seen as important factors that contributes to a therapeutic relationship. Rogers (1961) three core conditions are: congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regards. Congruence means that the nurse should be open and genuine about feelings towards their patient. Having the ability to empathise with the patient would show that the nurse has the ability to understand the patients thoughts and feelings about their current problem. Unconditional positive regards is viewing them as a person and focusing on positive attributes and behaviour (Forster 2001). The orientation phase also gives the nurse the chance to asses the patients current health and once the assessment has been carried out the can then move the relationship forward to the identification phase. The identification phase is where the patients needs are identified through various assessment tools. Assessment will be discussed in detail in the next chapter. Butterworth (1994; DH 1994a; DH 2006a) says that during the identification phase the nurse and the patient will both work together discussing the patients identified needs, needs that can be met and those that cannot be met. They will al so identify risks and how to manage the risks and aim to formulate a care plan. Butterworth said the care plan should focused on the patients individual needs, long and short term goals and their wishes, whilst being empowered at all times to make informed decisions and choices that matter in their care. Collaborative working between multi-agencies ensures the needs of the patient are being met through appropriate assessment and treatment under the Care and Treatment Plan (CTP). The Care and Treatment Plan is one of a number of new rights delivered by the Mental Health (Wales) Measure (2010). The Measure also gives people who have been discharged from secondary mental health services the right to make a self referral back for assessment and it extends the right to an Independent Mental Health Advocate to all in-patients. A care co-ordinator must ensure that a care and treatment plan which records all of the outcomes which the provision of mental health services are designed to achieve for a relevant patient is completed in writing in the form set out (Hafal, 2012). The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (Rose 2001) found that patients are often not involved in the care planning process and many service users were not even aware of having a care plan. The exploitation phase is where interventions are implemented from the needs and goals set out in the identification phase which enables the service user to move forward, these interventions will assist in managing auditory hallucinations, whilst educating the patient and family members about the illness. Helping approaches will be discussed in detail in the next chapter looking at various up to date interventions available for the management of auditory hallucinations. A trusting relationship can help with recovery and during these interlocking phases is what the nurse and the patient are aiming for (Hewitt and Coffey, 2005). Building of a trusting therapeutic relationship is essential for nursing interventions to work (Lynch and Trenoweth, 2008). Nurses need to be sensitive, show compassion at all times and understanding to a patients needs. Nursing interventions needs to address physical, psychological and social needs; this involves having holistic approach (Coleman and Jenkins, 1998). Nurses need to work with the best evidence based therapeutic treatment available, this then being a positive approach to care (NMC 2008). The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) review of the Mental Health Nursing (2006) noted that to improve quality of life, service users risks need to be managed properly, whilst promoting health, physical care and well being. However, Hall et al., (2008) argues that the CNO review does not take into consideration the great pressure nurs es are under and also the complex needs of the service user. Therapeutic interventions are an important aspect of recovery (Gourney 2005). Recovery can be described as a set of values about the service users right to build a meaning life for themselves without the continuous presence of mental health symptoms (Shepherd et al., 2008). The purpose of recovery is to work towards self determination and self confidence (Rethink 2005). National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE, 2005) described recovery as a state of wellness after period of illness. Nurse need to provide a holistic view of mental illness with a person centred approach that can work towards the identification of goals and offer the patient appropriate support through interventions like CBT, family therapy and coping skills, this will enable the patient to be at the centre of their own care, thus taking responsibility for their own illness and improve quality of life. Service user who have a full understanding and accept their illness can engage more with therapies and in terventions with the necessary support from professionals, this then leads to self determination and better quality of life (Cunningham et al., 2005). However, Took (2002) says it is important to remember that with a service user experiencing auditory hallucinations, their mood and engagement can fluctuate and also the side effect of prescribed medication can affect this which may slow down the recovery process. Early intervention is also recognised to improve long term outcomes of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia (McGorry et al., 2005: NICE 2009). However, not all service users will seek advice when first experiencing symptoms, due to stigma attached to mental illness and fear of admission to hospital (French and Morrison 2004). Some service users have also complained that the hospital has a non therapeutic environment and that they also feel unsafe and in an orison like setting (SCMH 1998, 2005; DoH 2004b). Drury (2006) says that service users felt that some professionals lacked compassion. Mental health nurses are encouraged to adopt a client centre approach, some research suggests nurses lack empathy and have general uncaring attitude (Herdman 2004). The final phase of Peplaus theory is the resolution phase. This is where the nurse and the service user will end their professional relationship. The relationship can end either through discharge or death. For the purpose of this dissertation the ending of the relationship that will be discussed at a later chapter will be discharge. Therapeutic relationship is seen as paramount during these interlocking phases of peplaus interpersonal relations theory, nurses needs to promote the service users independence whilst treating them with respect, privacy and dignity. By identifying treatment goals, implementing and evaluating treatment plans the service user can move on to interventions that will help them manage and cope with auditory hallucinations. Chapter 3 Assessment of a patient with Auditory Hallucinations Assessment of Auditory Hallucinations Assessment is the decision making process, based upon the collection of relevant information, using a formal set of ethical criteria, that contributes to an overall estimation of a person and his circumstances (Barker 2004). Hall et al (2008) described assessment as one of the first steps to the nursing process; it is also part of care planning and a positive foundation for building a relationship and forming therapeutic alliance. It is an ongoing process that enables professional to gather information that allows them to understand a persons experience. Most assessments have similar aims. However, how assessments are conducted can vary enormously. Such differences are very important and can influence greatly the value of the information produced (Barker 2004). In Wales, Care and Treatment Plan (CTP) was introduced under the Mental Health (Wales) Measures 2010. CTP means a plan prepared for the purpose of achieving the outcomes which the provision of mental health services for a relevant patient is design to achieve and ensures service users have a care plan, risk assessment and a care co-ordinator to monitor and review their care (see appendix one). NICE (2010) suggest that assessment should contain the service users psychiatric, psychological and physical health needs and also include current living

Consumer Behaviour Towards Milk Products

Consumer Behaviour Towards Milk Products Consumer behavior is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy products. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioral variables in an attempt to understand peoples wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. Consumer behavior is influenced by: demographics, psychographics (lifestyle), personality, perceptions, motivation, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. Consumer behavior concern with consumer need consumer actions in the direction of satisfying needs leads to his behavior of every individual depend on thinking process. Consumers with similar incomes and socio-demographic characteristic, facing similar relative prices, and equipped with similar information, tend to choose similar baskets of goods ( Connor, 1991). There is much research on dairy products that show that socio-economic factors and consumers demographic factors have a major impact on their consumption of dairy products (e.g. Bogue and Ritson, 2006; Armstrong et al., 2005; Valli and Traill, 2005; Tendero and Bernabeu, 2005; Vermeir and Verbeke, 2006; Viaene and Gellynck, 1997; Kotler, 1997). In addition, cultural diversity may have an important influence on consumption (Valli and Traill, 2005). There are large differences in the quality of life indicators between urban and rural areas (Sengul and Sengul, 2006). Also there are differences among the urban and rural populations in terms of their socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Customer behavior study is based on consumer buying behavior, with the customer playing the three distinct roles of user, payer and buyer. Relationship marketing is an influential asset for customer behavior analysis as it has a keen interest in the re-discovery of the true meaning of marketing through the re-affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. A greater importance is also placed on consumer retention, customer relationship management, personalization, customization and one-to-one marketing. Social functions can be categorized into social choice and welfare functions. The idea that customers prefer one product or one service over another is not new. The ability to identify and measure the elements of such preference decisions with any accuracy and reliability has only recently become available. Research into this area of consumer behavior has brought understanding to some of the major issues with standard customer satisfaction research. Most importantly, we have come to realize that high customer satisfaction does not assure continued customer preference. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR CULTURAL FACTORS: Culture Sub-Culture Social Class SOCIAL FACTORS: Reference Group Family Role and Status PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS: Motivation Perception Learning Attitudes Beliefs PERSONAL FACTORS: Age and Life-Cycle Occupation Economic Situation Lifestyle Personality Figure 1.2 Factors affecting Consumer Behavior Consumer behavior is defined ad the mental and emotional process along with the physical activities of the people who purchase/consume goods and services to satisfy their particular needs and wants. Consumer is the most important person to the marketer because the marketer takes in to consideration on the liking and disliking of the consumer and he produces the goods and services accordingly. Consumer behavior is important for the three persons. For consumer: As a consumer most of the time will spend time in the market and a lot on decision making that what to buy and how to buy and meeting and conferencing with different types of peoples and friends with different types of good and services. For producer: Consumer behavior is also important for producer because producer design and manufacture different types of product and services keeping in view the wants and needs of consumer. For scientist: The knowledge of consumer behavior is also important for scientists, whether the scientist is working for profitable organization or non profitable organization. One of the advantages of consumer behavior can be seen when looking at advertisers and how they advertise by keeping the consumers in mind. Advertisers spend a lot of money to keep individuals and groups of individuals (markets) interested in their products. To succeed, they need to understand what makes potential customers behave the way they do. The advertisers goal is to get enough relevant market data to develop accurate profiles of buyers that is basically to find the common ground and symbols for communication. This involves the study of consumer behavior, the mental and emotional process and the physical activities of the people who purchase and use goods and services to satisfy particular needs and wants. Along side the behavior of organizational buyers (the people who purchase the products and services for use in business and government). The primary mission of advertising is to reach prospective customers and influence their awareness, attitudes and buying behavior. This can be done successfully only through knowing the consumer preferences, behavior towards various stimuli i.e. consumer behavior. 1.2 CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS, ATTITUDES AND MOTIVES TOWARDS MILK PRODUCT 1.2.1 Consumer Perceptions As a consumer, decision making is a very important factor as good decision making will see the Prosper but poor decision making could cost it a lot. In the fact, consumer perceptions influence all the decision of consumer. Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. The perception is important in the study of consumer behavior because people or consumer behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself. A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort perception. These factors can reside in the perceiver, in the object or target being perceived, or in the context of the situation in which the perception is made. Factor in the perceiver: Attitudes Motives Interests Experience Expectations Factor in the situation: Time Work setting Social setting Factors in the target: Novelty Motion Sounds Size Background Proximity Similarity PERCEPTIONS Figure 1.3 Factors that influence perceptions. Perceptions and Individual Decision Making, Organization Behavior (Fifth Edition) When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she sees, that interpretation is heavily influenced by the personal characteristic of the individual perceiver. Personal characteristic that affect perception include a persons attitudes, personality, motives, interests past experiences and expectations. Characteristic of the target being observed can affect what is perceived. Loud people are more likely to be noticed in a group than the quiet ones. For example of the milk product is the milk product with more benefit and promotion are more likely to be noticed in consumer mind than the low promotions. So, too, are extremely attractive or unattractive individuals. Because targets are not looked at in isolation, the relationship of a target to its background also influences perceptions. Based on study by Grunert et al. (2000) mentioned that consumer perception of dairy product quality was characterized by four major dimensions, hedonic, health-related, convenience related and process related. The information of the product itself rather than the physiological properties of the product influenced consumer acceptance of dairy product. Watanabe et al. (1997) classified consumer characteristics of milk consumption and indicated that men, middle-aged people, and people with no calcium concerns preferred soda and alcoholic beverages. People with relatively stronger health concerns consumed more milk products. Hsu and Kao (2001) evaluated product attributes and demographic factors that influenced purchases of fluid milk products in Taiwan using consumer survey data. Their result revealed that larger households purchases more fluid milk products. Households with higher income and household shoppers with higher educational levels tended to reduce purchases of flavoured milk products. 1.2.2 Consumer Attitudes As a consumer, each of us has a vast number of attitudes towards products, services, advertisements, direct mail, the internet, and retail stores. Within the context of consumer behavior, an appreciation of prevailing attitudes has considerable strategic merit. To get at the heart of what is driving consumers behavior; attitude research has been used to study a wide range of strategic marketing questions. For example, attitude research is frequently undertaken to determine whether consumers will accept a proposed new-product idea, to gauge why a firms target audience has not reacted more favorably to its new promotional theme, or to learn how target customers are likely to react to a proposed change in the firms packaging design. 1.2.1.1 The Attitude-Toward-Object Model The attitude towards object model is especially suitable for measuring attitudes towards a product or service category or specific brands. According to this model, the consumers attitude toward a product or specific brands of a product is a function of the presence and evaluation of certain product-specific beliefs and attributes. In other words, consumers generally have favorable attitudes towards those brands that they believe have an adequate level of attributes that they evaluate as positive, and they have unfavorable attitudes towards those brands they feel do not have an adequate level of desired attributes or have too many negative or undesired attributes. Conducting consumer attitude research with children, especially gauging their attitudes towards products and brands is an ongoing challenge. What are needed are new and effective measurement approaches that allow children to express their attitudes toward brands. 1.2.1.2 The Attitudes-Toward-Behavior Model The attitude toward behavior model is the individuals attitude toward behaving or acting with respect to an object rather than the attitude toward the object itself. The appeal of the attitude toward behavior model is that it seems to correspond somewhat more closely to actual behavior than does the attitude toward object model. 1.2.1.3 Theory of Reasoned Action Model The theory of reasoned action represents a comprehensive integration of the attitude components which is the consumer in this case, that ultimately are the building blocks of preference on multinational milk brand. The model is designed to provide a better understanding of how consumer preference is formed and, correspondingly, to provide the means to accurately predict consumer preference behavior. Figure 1.3 provides an overview of customer preference formation from the theory of reasoned action point of view. In order to understand preference it is need to determine the functional or performance demands involved in the purchase, the desired emotive outcomes, and the subjective norms consumers use to determine their desire for one milk product or brand over another. The primary assumption of the model is that individuals make considered purchases. In some cases the consideration may be minimal and the purchase behavior almost habitual. In another the period of consideration (incubation) may be extensive and each element of the consideration process carefully examined. Belief that the behavior leads to certain outcomes Attitude toward The behavior Evaluation of the Outcomes Preference Behavior Intention to buy milk Beliefs that specific referents think I should or should not perform the behavior Subjective comparison norm Motivation to comply with the specific referents Figure 1.3 Basic Structural Model of Customer Preference Formation Source: Adapted from Icek Ajzen and Martin Fishbein, Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1980), 84. The important contribution of the reasoned action model is the realization that consumers utilize the model in all purchase experiences of milk to a lesser or greater extent. Of equal importance is the realization that the components used to make a preference decision are also the ones employed by a consumer to evaluate the performance success of the milk product or service purchased and the company responsible for them. Therefore, as the components of preference on milk brand change, the elements influencing satisfaction change accordingly. The relationship is dynamic and fluid therefore static or predetermined satisfaction analytic packages often miss the most important elements of preference and can create a false sense of security on the part of companies who think that since their customer satisfaction scores are high they must in turn have relatively loyal customers. The theory of reasoned action assumes a consequence for the action taken. People prefer some product, someone, or some service because they determined the object was best aligned with companys performance and emotive requirements as judged through our comparative norms. People evaluate the performance in light of how well the product, person or service meets their preference expectations. (www.icrsurvey.com//Customer%20Preference%20Formation_1205.doc) 1.2.3 Consumer Motivation Motivation is one of the important factors that can influence the consumer behavior. Motivation is the processes that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal. The famous theory in the development of motivation concepts is the Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs. HIRARCHY OF NEEDS THEORY It is probably safe to say that the most well-known theory of motivation is Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs. The hypothesized that within every human being there exists a hierarchy of five needs. These needs are: Physiological: includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex and other bodily needs. Safety: includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm. Social: includes affection, belongingness, acceptance and friendship. Esteem: includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy and achievement and external esteem factors such as status, recognition and attention. Self- actualization: the drive to become what one is capable of becoming: includes growth, achieving ones potential and self-fulfillment. Need 3: Social Need Need 1: Physiological Need Need 2: Safety Need Need 4: Esteem Need Need 5: Self Actualization Figure 1.2.3 Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Model As each of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant. In terms of the figure 1.2.3, the individual moves up the steps of the hierarchy. From the standpoint of motivation, the theory would say that although no need is ever fully gratified, a substantially satisfied need no longer motivates. So, if the consumer wants to motivate someone, according to Maslow, the consumer need to understand what level of the hierarchy that consumer is currently on and focus on satisfying the needs at or above that level. While customers have different motivations for consuming the things they do, all consumers have motivations that guide them to want, and purchase certain goods or services. Some motivations for consumption could include the need for status, social acceptance, security or individuality while other motivations are unconscious and can be utilized by marketers to hook consumers into buying a product they never knew they always wanted. Beyond more emotional appeals there is the very real and tangible model of needs proposed by Abraham Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs pyramid. Maslows theory indicates that most consumer motivations can be attributed to where they fall on the pyramid of needs he developed. The lower level on Maslows pyramid begins with basic physiological needs (dinking fluids, eating, sleeping, etc.), and climbs all the way to the highest level on the pyramid to the need for beauty (as cited in Lindquist Sirgy, 2003, p. 250-251). Maslow believed that a person moved through each level of need sequentially. In other words, once the needs in one category were met completely, a person would move up to the next most immediate category, and his or her purchasing motivations would change as a result of the new category to which he or she would become a part of (as cited in Lindquist Sirgy, 2003, p. 250-251). Maslow separated the five needs into higher and lower orders. Physiological and safety needs were described as lower order needs and social, esteem and self-actualization as higher-order needs. The differentiation between the two orders was made on the premise that higher-order needs are satisfied internally (within the person), whereas lower-order needs are predominantly satisfied externally (by things such as pay, union contracts and tenure). Unfulfilled Needs, Wants, and Desires Tension Learning Drive Behavior Goal or Need Fulfillment Cognitive Processes Tension Reduction Figure 1.4 Model of Motivation Process Source: From Jeffrey F. Dugree et al. Observations: Translating Values into Product Wants, Journal of Advertising Research, 36, 6, (November 1996) The figure above is presents a model of the motivational process. It portrays motivation as a state of need-induced tension that drives the individual to engage in behavior that he or she believes will satisfy the need and thus reduce the tension. Whether gratification is actually achieved depends on the course of action pursued. The specific goals that consumers wish to achieve and the source of action they take to attain these goals are selected on the basis of their thinking processes (cognition) and previous learning. Therefore, marketers must view motivation as the force that induces consumption and through consumption experiences, the process of consumer learning. 1.3 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 1.3.1 The Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior towards Milk Product Consumer purchases are strongly influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological characteristics. It is difficult for marketers to control such as factors but they should take these into account because it does provide marketers with a guideline. 1.3.1.1 Cultural Factors Cultural factors have a significant impact on customer behavior: 1. Culture Culture is the most basic cause of a persons wants and behavior. Growing up, children learn basic values, perception and wants from the family and other important groups. Marketing are always trying to spot cultural shifts which might point to new products that might be wanted by customers or to increased demand. For example, among this particular family was believed that fresh milk has the highest nutritious value among all types of milk and fitness has created opportunities (and now industries) servicing customers who wish to buy: Low calorie foods Health club membership Exercise equipment Activity or health-related holiday etc 2. Subculture Each culture contains sub-cultures groups of people with share values. Sub-cultures can include nationalities, religions, racial groups, or groups of people sharing the same geographical location. Sometimes a sub-culture will create a substantial and distinctive market segment of its own. For example, people from one country only accept one flavor of milk, it is plain milk. So the people will only buy plain milk and do not want to choose other milk flavor. 3. Social class These are relatively permanent and ordered divisions in a society whose members share similar values, interests and behaviors. For example, high class people who really very concern about their health especially their body shape will only buy low fat milk instead of other types of milk. Cultural factors exert a broad and deep influence on consumer behavior. The marketer needs to understand the role played by the buyers culture, subculture and social class. http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/buying_cultural_factors.asp 1.3.1.2 Social Factors A consumers behavior is also influenced by social factors, such as the consumers small groups, family, and social roles and status. Because these social factors can strongly affect consumer responses, companies must take them into account when designing their marketing strategies. 1. Reference Groups Groups are a persons behavior is influenced by many small groups. Groups which have a direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups. References groups are groups that serve as direct or indirect points of comparison or reference in the forming of a persons attitudes or behavior. Marketers try to identify the reference groups of their target markets. The importance of group influence varies across products and brands, but it tends to be strongest for conspicuous purchases. For example, an individual may choose a selected milk brand based on their group reference. References by the group can also known as mouth to mouth advertising. The reference group may validate the experience faced by the customer. 2. Family Family family members can strongly influence buyer behavior. We can distinguish between two families in the buyers life. The buyers parents make up the family of orientation. From parents a person acquires an orientation toward religion, politics, and economics and a sense of personal ambition, self-worth, and love. The family of procreation-the buyers spouse and children-exerts a more direct influence on everyday buying behavior. The family is the most important consumer buying organization in society, and it has been researched extensively. Marketers are interested in the roles and relative influence of the husband, wife, and children on the purchase of a large variety of products and services. Consumers are also affected and influenced by the presence of a family member. For example, the parents normally decide what milk product they want to purchase but the children can decide what the flavor is. 3. Role and status Roles and Status a person belongs to many groups-families, clubs, organizations. The persons position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and status. Role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according to the people around them. Status reflects the general respects given to role by the society. People often choose products that show their status in the society. Apart from that, consumers are also affected by their role they play and the status they hold in the society. For example, a general managers role and status will definitely differ from the role and status of a clerk. Bearing this in mind, the needs of customers also change. 1.3.1.3 Personal Factors A buyers decisions are also influenced by personal characteristics such as the buyers age and life-cycle stage, occupation, economic situation, life style, and personality and self-concept. These factors are divided into: 1. Age and life cycle Age and Life-Cycle State people change the goods and services they buy over their lifetimes. The types of milk people buy change during their lifetimes. As people grow older and mature, their desires change. The make up of family cycle also change their behavior. For example, when one person was a kid, he always drinks chocolate milk. But as he grows older, his preference in chocolate milk change becomes low fat plain milk or yogurt. Marketers often define their target markets in terms of life-cycle stage and develop appropriate products and marketing plans. 2. Occupation Occupation a persons occupation affects the goods and services bought. Marketers try to identify the occupational groups that have an above-average interest in their products and services. A company can even specialize in making products needed by a given occupational group. For instance, blue collar workers would buy cheaper milk brand whereas executives will prefer to buy more expensive brand. 3. Economic Situation Economic Situation a persons economic situation will greatly affect product choice. A person with higher purchasing power will be more willing to spend on famous cheese whereby, someone with middle income will choose local cheese, which offer better values. Marketers of income-sensitive goods closely watch trends in personal income, savings, and interest rates. If economic indicators point to a recession, marketers can take steps to redesign, reposition, and re-price their products. 4. Lifestyle Life Style people coming from the same subculture, social class, and even occupation may have quite different life styles. Life style is a persons pattern of living as expressed in his or her activities, interests, and opinions. Life style captures something more than the persons social class or personality. The life-style concept, when used carefully, can help the marketer gain an understanding of changing consumer values and how they affect buying behavior. People who always consume and wear branded stuff might always want to consume only famous milk brand comparing to people who consume milk despite their famous brand. 5. Personality and self concepts (self-image) Personality and Self-Concept each persons distinct personality will influence his or her buying behavior. Personality refers to the unique psychological characteristics that lead to relatively consistent and lasting responses to ones own environment. Many marketers use a concept related to personality-a persons self-concept. 1.3.1.4 Psychological Factors A persons buying choices are also influenced by four major psychological factors motivation, perception, learning, and beliefs and attitudes. Motivation Motivation a person has many needs at any given time. A need becomes a motive when it aroused to a sufficient lever of intensity. A motive is a need that is sufficiently pressing to direct the person to seek satisfaction. Motivation is based on Maslows hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow, a person tries to satisfy the most important need first, which is known as the survival needs or the psychological needs. When the important need is satisfied, it ceases to act as a motivator and the person will subsequently try to satisfy the next important need, known as safety needs. Base on Maslow theory, it is stated that a person should meet their basic and physiological needs like food, shelter, and clothes. It can be applied to milk as well whereby a person with low income will think how to eat food which can fulfill their body need such as rice before they consume milk which is nutritious but can not satisfy their hunger. Perception Perception a motivated person is ready to act. How the person acts is influenced by his or her perception of the situation. Two people with the same motivation and in the same situation may act quite differently because they perceive the situation differently. Perception is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world. Learning when people act, they learn. Learning Learning is the reinforcement process, which an individual gained through the experiences. The practical significance of learning theory of marketers is that they can build demand for a product by associating it with strong drives, using motivating cues, and to the same drives as competitors and providing similar cues because buyers are more likely to transfer loyalty to similar brands then to dissimilar ones. Or it may design its brand to appeal to a different set of drives and offer strong cue inducements to switch (discrimination). Belief and Attitudes Beliefs and Attitudes through acting and learning, people acquire their beliefs and attitudes. These in turn influence their buying behavior. A belief is a descriptive thought that a person has about something. Marketers are interested in the beliefs that people formulate about specific products and services. If some of the beliefs are wrong and prevent purchase, the marketer will want to launch a campaign to correct them. People have attitudes regarding religion, politics, clothes, music, food, and almost everything else. An attitude describes a persons relatively consistent evaluations, feelings, and tendencies toward an object or idea. Attitudes put people into a frame of mind of liking or disliking things, moving toward or away from them. Based on study (Morrison, 2002) attitude describes a persons relatively consistent evaluations consistent evaluations, feelings and tendencies toward and object or an idea. (Morrison, Alastair M, Ph.D., Hospitality and Travel Marketing, 3rd Edition, Thompson Learning, United States) SUMMARY Markets must be understood before marketing strategies can be developed. The consumer market buys goods and services for personal consumption. Consumers vary tremendously in age, income, education, tastes and other factors. Marketers must understand how consumers transform marketing and other inputs into buying responses. Consumer behavior is influenced by the buyers characteristics and by the buyers decision process. Buyer characteristics include four major factors: cultural, social, personal, and psychological. A persons buying behavior is the result of the complex interplay of all these cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors. Many of these factors cannot be controlled by marketers, but they are useful in identifying and understanding the consumers that marketers are trying to influence.