Chronic disease managment Essay

What is self-management? Self-care management is defined as the behaviour employed by an individual in managing and implementing the treatment regimen within the individual’s lifestyle routine and it recognizes an individual’s central role in managing chronic diseases (Costantini et al. , 2008). In sum, self-management is to help individuals collaborate with health care professionals to help themselves, by using strategies and proper interventions, to bring self-care into daily routine to help managing chronic diseases and to promote quality of life. How will you promote self-efficacy and autonomy for your clients in your practice? Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects almost every aspect of patient’s life, both physical and emotional. According to Mok (2011, p12), several strategies identified in helping patients with CKD to improve nutritional adherence. These strategies fall into three categories: patient education, behaviour modification and organizational changes. These strategies also applicable in other treatment in CKD. According to Barbra (2011,p183), when patients’ disease deteriorate or towards terminal states, strategies of ending self-management and back to medical or comfort care were also mentioned. Nurses can apply these strategies by nursing interventions to help promote patients self-efficacy and autonomy. First, patient education strategies. Nurses should assess patients’ need and their knowledge and literacy level before providing education. These assessment should make sure patients are ready to accept the changes and the education received can be fully understood. Usually when patients are knowledgeable in their own condition, their self-efficacy and autonomy will be greatly improved. In addition, education should also be provided to caregivers because a lot of patients with CKD depend on caregivers in ADLs. During assessment and education process, nurses should be aware of using good communication skills, interviewing skills and make sure accurate information and related resources are provided to patients and caregivers. Second, behaviour modification strategies. According to Mok (2011, p12), several techniques can be used in behaviour modification such as reminders, self-monitoring, and positive reinforcement. Nurses can combine effective behavioral, psychosocial strategies such as periodical reminder by using telephone, email, regular appointment or face to face interaction. Nurses should advocate patients for regular follow up to make sure patients adherence to treatment. No patient is alone in chronic disease treatment, nurses should collaborate with patients’ family members and caregivers to help maintain compliance. In addition, nurses can assist patients in using self-monitoring techniques such as blood pressure monitoring, diaries, logs, personal health records to help track their health condition. Third, organizational changes. According to Mok (2011, p13), nurses can collaborate with other health care professionals such as dietitians and physicians to enhance compliance. Nurses can directly help patients in developing dietary plan and improve patients’ satisfactory, in turn, promote treatment adherence. Lastly, according to Barbra (2011, p183), when patient unable to perform self-care, giving up self-management and return to professional medical care should be acknowledged. Nurses should educate and assess patients’ and caregivers’ capability of performing self-management, making sure they are knowledgeable of serious symptoms and capable of seeking help when needed. What are indicators of successful self-management in patients with CKD? According to Mok (2011, p12), several factors may affect successful treatment such as lack of knowledge, hectic lifestyle, lack of decision making in own dietary outcomes and dissatisfactory of dietary prescription. First, knowledge deficit will make patients unable to choose proper food or make necessary adjustments, in turn, leads to failure in self-care management. Therefore, patients education, knowledge and ample resources provision are indicators of successful self-management. Second, hectic lifestyle such as fast-paced lifestyle or elderly depend on others are often unable to adherence to the prescribed regimen. Therefore, lifestyle modification, caregivers’ capability and support are also indicators of successful self-management. Third, lack of decision making of own dietary outcome due to depend on caregivers instead of patients might influence successful self-management. Fourth, dissatisfaction of prescribed renal diet will affect patients’ adherence. Therefore, patient readiness to change, communication skills, assessment tools and psychosocial support are also indicators of successful self-management. In sum, indicators of successful self-management involves every aspect of disease process and treatment. In nurses’ and patients’ perspective, nurses’ communication skills, interviewing skills, collaboration capability, staff training, patients’ readiness, patients’ emotional support, patients’ knowledge, problem solving techniques, etc are all indicators of successful self-management.

Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Essay

Description: Preferred language style: English (U.S.). Each student will complete a 15–20 page paper in which they will discuss current issues facing adolescents today and how a counselor should deal with these areas. The paper must be in APA style with a minimum of 15 current references (within five years). This paper is to be 15-20 pages in length, and that means the body of the paper itself -not the title page, abstract, etc†¦The topic is Adolescent Sexuality: PREVENTION OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY. Adolescent Sexuality: PREVENTION OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY Name: School: University: Adolescent Sexuality: Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Abstract: One of the commonest problems faced by teens in the several nations, has been the issue of teenage pregnancy. Although, the rates of teenage pregnancy are decreasing, there are still several problems associated with the issue. As teenage pregnancy can be a huge social issue and most of them do not want a child, such pregnancies can create a negative impact on the quality of life of the teenage couple. The rise in teenage pregnancy has been due to several issues including faster onset of maturity, greater occasions of premarital sex, etc. Besides, teenage pregnancy is usually not preferred due to several issues such as greater rates of defects in the developing child, greater amount of maternal problems, social concerns, difficulties of the mother in bringing up the child, etc. In all cases, efforts should be made to support the pregnant teenage girl rather than ignore her. A teenage pregnancy prevention program should look into several areas that encompass teenagers including career development, education, STD’s, contraception, counseling, drug abuse, women’s health, etc. It should involve several parties including the parents, politicians, social workers, child and women groups, NGO’s, etc. The two techniques that are utilized frequently include abstinence and contraception. Studies have shown that school-based prevention program were successful in decreasing the rates of pregnancy amongst teens. Efforts should be on to include the entire society in the teenage pregnancy prevention program. There are several factors that may cause the teenager to indulge in irresponsible sexual behavior including social factors, psychological factors, family factors, etc. The counselors should always try to include the parents, family and the entire society in the prevention programs. If abstinence-based programs seem to be difficult, then the contraception-based programs may seem to be effective. The counselor may have to follow a holistic approach in solving the problems of the teens. The counselor should determine the characteristics of the teens and accordingly use these characteristics to motivate them further. Teens whose academic performance is superior may seem to gain more from pregnancy prevention programs. The teenage pregnancy program should also look at various issues that surround teenagers including STD’s, contraceptives, drug abuse, careers, higher education, etc. It is also important that the teenage pregnancy prevention program helps pregnancy teenage girls to quality life without any problems. They should be taught how to handle the social and family pressure that may develop resulting from unwanted pregnancy. It is important that the teenage program involve the teenagers. The US HHS and the CDC have shown a lot of interest in the teenage pregnancy programs in recent years. In developing nations, the rates of teen pregnancy are on the rise. On the other hand, in the developed nations such as the US and Canada, the rates of teenage pregnancies are decreasing due to greater awareness levels. In the US, about 97 per every 1000 teenage girls (usually between the ages of 15 to 19 years) get pregnant each year. Most of these pregnancies (about three-quarters) are usually not wanted. During the years 1999-2000, the rates of teenage pregnancies have dropped. The rates of teenage pregnancies are about 28 %, and the rate of teenage childbirths is about 21 %. There may be several reasons for teenage pregnancies (Weiss, 2000 & Huberman, 2005). These include: – 1. Girls are maturing faster, now between the ages of 12 to 13 years. 2. Teenage sex is very common. Before the girl reaches adulthood in the US, about 80 % of them would have had sex. 3. Teenagers are less likely to take precautions in order to prevent pregnancy. 4. Teenagers are not aware of the reproductive problems that can develop during the pregnancy period (Weiss, 2000). Teenage pregnancy can have serious consequences and implications (Weiss, 2000). These include: – 1. Several problems such as miscarriage, neonatal death, stillborn baby, maternal sickness, etc are higher in teenage girls than in pregnant women. 2. Children born from teenage girls have several problems including developmental problems, congential defects, low birth weight, neglect, child abuse, etc. 3. Socially, teenage pregnancy is not accepted. 4. The teenage mother is more likely not to take care of the child. She is more likely to smoke, consume excessive alcohol, subject the baby to abuse, etc. 5. The government has to spend a huge amount to solve the problems related to teenage pregnancies. These include public health problems, housing, assistance, childcare, legal issues (Weiss, 2000). Teenage pregnancy prevention programs should have a specific objectives and goals. Studies have shown that from previous teenage pregnancies that the Socio-economic life, standard of living, etc, would be very poor following teenage pregnancy. As it is one of the major public health concerns, the politicians should take up the issue on a priority basis. It is important that the teenage parents be supported rather than being ignored. The main goals of any teenage pregnancy program are to: – 1. To bring down the teenage pregnancy rates by at least 50 % by the year 2010 (this is an objective of the Healthy People 2010). 2. To include the teenagers themselves in the program so that the initiatives made come from this group of the population itself. Teenagers should be educated, trained and employed in the teenage welfare programs. Special emphasis should be made on focusing on the teenage pregnancy prevention. 3. The teenage pregnancy prevention programs should also focus on other areas including drug abuse, gynecological issues, career development, counseling, etc. This would ensure that all-round the teenager is given attention. 4. Voluntary services should be oriented towards understanding teenage behavior and changing them in order to bring about better attitudes and practices. 5. Several stakeholders including the politicians, government, judiciary, social welfare groups, public, women’s groups, etc, should be involved in these programs. 6. Efforts should be organized at the national, regional and the local levels in order to help teenagers to develop appropriate attitudes and behaviors towards teenage pregnancies. 7. Adoption of better prevention techniques such as sex education, contraception, avoiding the risk factors, etc. 8. Supporting the teenagers and their parents so as to help them develop a good future. Also, to ensure that the teenagers get appropriate help in problematic situations. 9. Ensuring that the pregnant teen mother is given special attention during the pregnancy period. This would ensure that both the mother and the developing child is healthy and is able to get appropriate medical attention. Many may think that in a teenage pregnancy prevention program, the issues relating to the pregnancy period need not be considered. However, this should be an area of focus, as it would help to prevent further problems (Blank, 2003). The Government has begun to include teenage pregnancy prevention programs as one of the priority areas for the social cause. Initially, the government had a lot of problems associated with these programs. However, following a few initial hiccups, these programs have turned out to benefit the teenagers and their families in developing a fruitful life. One of the programs meant for teenage pregnancy prevention program is the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006 or SHPPS 2006. It is basically performed to study the various health programs and policies conduced at the classroom level. in the year 2000, about 45 % of the states belonging to various middle schools taught about pregnancy prevention, and in the year 2006 it increased to about 59%. With relation to high schools, this figure similar. The number of hours spent teaching on pregnancy prevention also varied in high, middle and elementary schools. In high schools it was 3.5 hours, 2.7 in middle schools and 1.3 in elementary schools. In high schools, 2.0 teachers were required to teach about pregnancy prevention in the year 2000, which increased to 2.6 in the year 2006. About 38 % of the districts and about 20 % of the states provided about pregnancy prevention services. These services were either provided on a one to one basis or on a group basis. About 28.4 % of the district authority provided for services on the local property rather than on the schools property. About 97 % of the schools provided for pregnancy prevention. About 28.7 % of the schools provided for pregnancy prevention programs through arrangement from outside organizations. The number of staff members who received training also varied. About 30.6 % of the staff had training on pregnancy prevention, 17 % had training on prenatal care and 14 % had training in childcare, 2 years before the program started. 20 % of the psychiatric service staff had training in pregnancy prevention and 13 % had training in child care (SHPPS, 2006). Currently, there are several issues, which could be responsible for promoting teenage pregnancy prevention. Many of the teenage prevention programs may not be successful, as they do not involve the society as a whole. The program strategy may be such that it lacks some amount of reality leading to a failure. Hence, the social blanket needed for the program to be a success should be greater. Furstenberg considers that the conflict present on sexuality needs to be resolved especially the cultural and the political tendencies. As the attitudes and behavior of the society towards teenage pregnancies has not been corrected so far, it may be difficult to control teenage pregnancy. Hence, methods adopted to prevent pregnancy can be adopted. The intervening variables include: – 1. Controlling age of entry to the sexual unions – There has been a dramatic increase in the number of teenagers who have sex before the marriage. In the 1950’s and the 1960’s, this figure was about 10 %, and in the 1970’s and the 1980’s this figure was 20 %. There could be many causes for this including peer pressures, lack of pressure from the home, trend in dating, etc. There has been also a rise in the cases of venereal diseases affecting the teenage population. Many a times, the teenage population is not exposed to family or parental discussions on sex and childbearing. This has created even greater number of problems. Family discussions usually create healthy practices and attitudes. Studies conducted in schools on teenage boys and girls demonstrated that family teaching had a great role. When family opposition was present without any kind of support or understanding, the teenagers indulged in sexual activity. One important fact to note was that it was not always true when there was an increase in the teenage sexual activity, there would be an increase in the teenage pregnancy rates. In the year 1979, there was an increase by about 50 % in the rates of sex in teenage girls. However, there was also a rise in 50 % in the contraceptive use. Studies have shown that use of contraceptives always did not help to prevent pregnancy, and hence something more was required (Kohli, 2007). 2. Contraception use – Studies conducted in the US and the Western European region demonstrated that even though the teenage sexual activity rates were similar in both the regions, the rate of teenage pregnancy rates were higher in the US compared to the Western European region. One of the main reasons as to why teenage girls become pregnant is that they do not stress upon the need to use a contraceptive. Some teenagers feel that they are not sexually active and feel that they would not need a contraceptive. Teenagers would also not like to make long-term decisions about their life. They may behave in an immature and irresponsible way due to their young age. Teenagers may always feel shy of purchasing a contraceptive. They may also not consider the risk of getting pregnant as real and may not use their knowledge to help prevent the pregnancy. Many girls fear that they would be losing a boy friend due to rejection if they did not have sex with him. This type of fear has lead to several problems. In true fact, it has been seen that girls usually prefer long-term relationships and boys prefer short-term relationships. Most boys would have no idea of contraception and pregnancy, and would usually leave it up to the female to prevent herself from getting pregnant (Kohli, 2007). 3. Use of abortion 4. Use of adoption Psychological factors associated with teenage pregnancy – Most of the teenage girls do not intent to have a child during their teenage period due to a variety of factors including the need to grow and develop academically, social factors, etc. Only a small proportion of teenagers would like to have an infant and improve their mission in life. The bringing of a child would also increase the relationship and the bonding to their boyfriends. Teenage pregnancy would also improve the chances of becoming independent, stepping into their motherhood, etc. However, the psychological problems created by teenage pregnancy are more often negative. It creates a sense of low self-esteem. Teenagers who become pregnant may not be given the same amount of respect and esteem as before. This is mainly due to the engagement in sex. These psychological pressures would invariable lead to poor academic performances. Poor performance in academics may in turn create a lot of psychological pressure for the teenager and may lead to irresponsible sexual behavior. If the sexual behavior is responsible and if the child was intelligent and understanding, it was found that the academic record was also good (Kohli, 2007). Family Factors – Family communication holds a vital key in helping prevent teenage pregnancy. The mother and the daughter need to hold vital discussions on how should teenage pregnancy are prevented. The teenage girl would use contraception infrequently and incorrectly if not advised by the mother. In the other side, important discussions between the father and the son would hold the key to responsible sexual behavior of the male teenagers. The parents and the child needs to invariable discussion about sex-related issues. This would certainly prevent anything untoward from happening. Frequently, it was found that the sexual behavior of the parents did not have an important role to play in permitting the child to have sex. Sons were less likely to follow the parental advice on sex than the daughters. Parents, who were friendly and attentive towards their children, resulted in the teenagers becoming less sexually active. If the parents take up the issue of contraception and sexual activity with the teenager at a young age, then the chances of the child staying close to the parents is high. Studies have shown that even if the parents approves of the child’s sexual practice through non-verbal means, the chances of developing healthy sexual behavior was high. In traditional families, the chances of having a binding daughter were higher, than the son. If the mother was a homemaker, the chances of the daughter sticking to the mother’s advice were higher. It was found that in the males, peer involvement had an even greater role to play than family factors. This is because boys may not want to discuss any sexual issue with the parent and instead prefer to discuss it with the friends. Boys may only want to discuss sexual issues with individuals of the same age and belonging to the same sex. Any bad company would create irresponsible sexual behavior. On the other hand, when it comes to girls, they are more often affected by the advice of the male teenager than with the advice of their female friends. When a single parent existed at home, the chances of developing irresponsible sexual behavior was higher. Sexual abuse and problems in the family, was more likely to be responsible for undesired sexual behavior in the teen. The teenager was likely not to give importance to self. Teenager who previously suffered from certain mental disorders or those who were involved in crime were at a greater chance of becoming pregnant (Kohli, 2007). Social factors – Children belonging to certain social groups are more likely not to indulge in sexual activity or use contraception as a mean to prevent pregnancy. It is usually seen that in restrictive societies, the chances of becoming pregnant during the teenage period are lesser. This is due to the restrictions placed by the families on the child to stay away from sex. Socio-economic status also plays an important role in helping to prevent getting pregnant. Hispanics and other sexual minorities due to their lower Socio-economic backgrounds are less likely to receive sexual advice from home and from school. They may also lack medical facilities and contraception (Kohli, 2007). A counselor conducting teenage prevention programs should use various methods to prevent the teenage girl from becoming pregnant. Some of the most frequently utilized methods of preventing teenage pregnancy include use of contraception and abstaining from sex. The counselor needs to ensure that both these methods are used either alone or in combination with one another, depending on the situation (Kohli, 2007). Children who belong to societies, which are having strict sexual code, would like the teenagers not to indulge in sexual activity. There may pressures from the family, school and society for the teenager to abstain from sex. The teenagers may be told to delay all sexual relationships until marriage. In such a circumstance, the counsellor would have to create attitudes and behaviors in the teenager so that they would delay all sexual activity until adulthood. One of the laws developed in the year 1996 was the Welfare reform law and this gave birth to the development of the Abstinence education program. Federal funds were being utilized in such a program to counsel and educate the teenagers of premarital sex and the need to abstain from it. Every year about 50 million dollars was spent on the program. Several activities were a part of the program. The HRSA developed a community-based abstinence program in the year 2001. Federal funds were utilized to educate the public about premarital sex. They also conducted education programs for students between the ages of 12 to 18 years. More than 20 million dollars was being spend every year on such programs (Kohli, 2007 & USHHS, 2002). The counselor would have a role to play in addition to that of the family. He should work in close association with the family and the school-based activities. Frequently, the counselor would be advising the school of the increased need to have school-based sex education classes. Some parents may not want their children to have school-based sex education classes and instead prefer to give them advice personally. In such circumstances, it is the duty of the counselor to advise the parents of the importance of such activities. In teenagers it is found that abstinence-based program may be difficult to prevent them from indulging in sexual activity, but would definitely help to prevent them from indulging in sexual activity until the age of 18 years (Kohli, 2007 & USHHS, 2002d). As teenage pregnancy has multiple factors responsible, the program to be successful and effective needs to adopt a holistic approach to solve the problem. One of the issues that the counselor needs to emphasis on is the need to continue education and literary to a higher level. Teenagers having higher intellectual capacity are more likely to get motivated and continue with education on a longer term. Some teenagers may also like the issue of getting employed and standing on one’s own feet. It is found that such students are more likely to follow the advise of the counselor and respond. The counselor should continuously motivate the teenager to use contraceptive during sexual activities or if possible to abstain from sex (Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 2006). The counselor should also use the family as a role model to ensure that the teenager adopts healthy sexual practices. The teenager should be convinced about the strong family ties that are present. They should be told to take their mother and father as role models and lead a life that is going to be constructive in the future. Students belonging to various colleges may have a lot of creativity housed within them. They would like to use this skill to build a future. This could also be used as a point on which further motivation can be performed (Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 2006). The intervention performed should not be single measures as a number of factors are involved that are related to teenage pregnancy. Some counselors would utilize various psychotherapy techniques to help the teenagers to adopt healthy sexual practices. Some of the psychotherapy techniques that could be utilized included family therapy, group therapy, support groups, couple therapy, etc (Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 2006). All the issues that encompass sex and teenage matters need to be sorted out in a teenage pregnancy prevention program. Some of these issues include HIV/AIDS, responsible sexual behavior, use of contraceptives, drug abuse, etc. The teenagers should be motivated to lead a fruitful and a productive life. Many teenagers may feel depressed and hopeless in case they fall pregnant. However, a counselor should also be available to tackle such situations and offer the teenagers a way out. The counselor would have to adopt a stand that would encourage the teenager. Some of the points over which the teenager could be encouraged include: – 1. Make the teenager understand that young blood could be utilized for constructive purposes. 2. Helps the teen to build a life filled with purpose and responsibility. 3. Building a very promising future. 4. Helping teenagers who have had previous pregnancies and abortions to lead a life filled with hope and quality (Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 2006). However, this is not always the case with teenagers who have had previous pregnancies. Teenagers who have had previous pregnancies may be pressurized from various quarters. They may be forced to lead a life filled with poverty, misery, hopelessness and depression. The counselor should in such situations be available to uplift such teenagers to lead a quality life. The counselor should consider such teenagers to be at a high risk for depression and suicidal tendencies. He should be able to assess the presence of such risk and accordingly take measures to protect the teenager. Teenagers under the difficulties of life, require love and care. For this reason, they may indulge in sexual activities. However, the performance of such activities may result in a critical error leading to the female girl becoming pregnant. The counselor should provide hope and motivation for the teenager to lead a fruitful life (Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 2006). One of the most effective programs when it comes to social issues such as teenage pregnancy, community-based approaches seems to be very superior. The US Health and Human Services is one organization that is supporting the use of community-based programs for the prevention of pregnancy amongst teenagers. They would be using various resources such as financial, human, supportive, infrastructure, material, etc, to perform various activities such as building partnerships, researching, monitoring, evaluating, planning, disseminating knowledge, etc (Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 2006 & US HHS, 2002). The CDC has taken the issue of teenage pregnancy prevention on a priority basis since the year 1995. The programs support various activities in order to help prevent teenage pregnancies. These include community actions, coordinated efforts, identify shortcomings, identifying and allocating resources, evaluating the project, etc. Several governmental and non-governmental would be taking part in such activities, including local, regional and federal (US HHS, 2002). Several other issues need to be considered in the teenage pregnancy prevention program. For the provision of reproductive health services, several health insurance options should be available to the teenagers (such as Medicaid and Medicare Services). Several of the State, Regional and Federal Public Health programs such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, etc are meant for adolescent health and to prevent pregnancy in young teenage girls. Teenagers should also have facilities to help them with several other issues such as drug abuse, alcohol abuse, legal issues, etc (US HHS, 2002). In a teenage pregnancy prevention program, during the implementation certain principles need to be adhered to: –  · The objectives, goals and the expected outcome of the program should be clearly defined.  · The mode by which these objectives are to be achieved need to be determined.  · Collaboration should exist between the governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and private organizations.  · The involvement of teens in the program.  · The activities and the content of the program performed should be attractive to the teens.  · All activities should be constructive in nature.  · Cultural activities and local resources would provide huge amount of benefits.  · Use of local volunteers and counselors would also help in the program.  · Long-term support should be provided to the teens in helping to carve out something constructive for the future.  · The two measures by which the program would be acting include abstinence and contraception. Abstinence can delay the interest in indulging in sexual activity by the teen. Contraception methods and techniques should be taught. Males should be encouraged to take up contraception use, as it is more convenient and reduces the load on the females.  · The programs should be developmentally appropriate.  · Decision-making skills and problem-solving methods should be taught to the teenagers.  · Several health services such as gynecological services, obstetrics services, adolescent health, pregnancy testing, prevention and treatment for STD’s, contraceptive counseling, etc. The health services should incorporated certain features including confidentiality, informed consent, flexibility in appointments, free services, etc. (Davies, 2007). References: ASPE-HHS (2007). â€Å"Involving Health Care Professionals in Teen Pregnancy Prevention.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from ASPE-HHS Web site: http://aspe.hhs.gov/HSP/get-organized99/ch10.pdf Blank, L., Goyder, E. & Peters, J. (2003). â€Å"Teenage pregnancy prevention initiatives in New Deal Communities.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from The University of Sheffield Web site. Center For Maternal And Child Health (2007). â€Å"Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from Advocates for Youth Web site: http://www.fha.state.md.us/mch/html/teenpreg.cfm Children’s Aid Society Carrera (2006). â€Å"Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from Children’s Aid Society Carrera Web site: http://www.stopteenpregnancy.com/ourprogram/ Connelly, M. T. & Inui, T. S. (2004). â€Å"Principles of Disease Prevention.† In: Braunwald, E., Fauci, A. S., Kasper, D. L., Hauser, S. L., Longo, D. L. and Jameson, J.L. (Eds) Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, New York: McGraw-Hill. Davis, L. (2007). â€Å"Components of Promising Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from Advocates for Youth Web site: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/iag/compnent.htm Huberman, B. (2005). â€Å"National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM) Planning Guidebook.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from Advocates of Youth Web site. Kohli, V. & Nyberg, K. L. (2007). â€Å"Teen Pregnancy Prevention through Education.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from California State University Web site. Ontario’s Maternal, Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre and the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (2007). â€Å"Update report on Teen pregnancy prevention.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from OMNECD Web site: PCL (2007). â€Å"Unplanned Pregnancy Counselling.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from PCL Web site: http://www.pcl.org.au/ SHPPS (2006). â€Å"Pregnancy Prevention.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from SHPPS Web site. The National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2006). â€Å"Teen Pregnancy – So What?† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from Teenage Pregnancy.org Web site: http://www.teenpregnancy.org/whycare/sowhat.asp US HHS (2002). â€Å"Preventing Teenage Pregnancy.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from US HHS Web site: http://www.policyalmanac.org/health/archive/hhs_teenage_pregnancy.shtml Weiss, D. (2007). â€Å"Reducing Teenage Pregnancy.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from Planned Parenthood Web site: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policyissues/teen-pregnancy-sex-education/teenage-pregnancy-6240.htm University of Richmond (2003). â€Å"Teenage Pregnancy Prevention.† Retrieved on December 14, 2007, from University of Richmond Web site: http://www.solutionsforamerica.org/healthyfam/teenage-pregnancy.html

Frankenstein and Bladerunner Essay

How do Frankenstein and Bladerunner reflect their Composers context? Mary Shelley’s Gothic Romantic novel Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Science Fictions Noir film Blade Runner both explore similar ideas however relative to the context in which they were both made. Both Scott and Shelley use their texts as a cautionary tale, warning humanity of their inevitable downfall through greed and the exploitation of nature, and the influence science is slowly obtaining over the role of religion. Through the use of visual and auditory techniques, Scott demonstrates how nature and religion are absent in a world overrun by consumerism and technology while Shelley similarly uses imagery and allusions to hint at the consequences humanity will suffer if they try to better God through the misuse of science and the exploitation and nature. Humanity’s rejection of the natural world in favour of the unnatural pursuit of technology to prolong life is a major concern in both Shelley’s Frankenstein and Scott’s Blade Runner. In the world of Frankenstein, nature is an important aspect of a person’s life and beliefs. Shelley conveys Victor’s desire to conquer nature through the use of his narration such as â€Å"new species would bless me as its creator†¦many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. † The monster is then used as a metaphor for the inevitable consequences of the exploitations of nature. She therefore uses Frankenstein as a warning against the rising industrial revolution. Similarly Scott uses Blade Runner to warn society against the exploitation or nature through the rise of consumerism in the 1980s. The long shot of a dark dystopian Los Angeles after the opening credits juxtaposed with jets of fire from oil refinery towers warns the viewer of the consequences of consumerism through the exploitation of nature. There is also a lack of natural imagery such as plants and animals seen in Blade Runner and the use of chiaroscuro lighting gives the world a very artificial tone indicating to the audience that nature has been destroyed.

Software localisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Software localisation - Essay Example Localization contributes to the creation of the MacWorld Localization has contributed to Mac OS X by supporting seven languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Later releases have included functionality for more languages and Mac OS X v10.2 comes with full Unicode support and supports non-Roman alphabets (like Arabic, Thai and Hebrew) via improved input and a new Unicode Character Palette. Localization has allowed a single binary to support multiple languages and regional dialects. It also provides a mechanism to allow developers to dynamically add resources for new languages or regions. (MacOx) Q.1 (c) Localization promotes a homogenisation of culture through the use of global symbolism Localization results in the understanding of not only specific local markets, but the understanding of actual content surrounding a given culture promoting symbolism on a global context. The best example is that of â€Å"graphical globalization†, where â€Å"any graphics appearing in the project material must be adapted to conform to standards in the target culture and language. All words in graphic files must be translated. The same goes for all cultural symbols (flags, clothes, etc.). This typically involves replacing the existing graphics with new ones, e.g. when the "symbols" sent for translation represent people of different skin color from the target region, flags of a given country, characteristic road signs, or even vegetation characteristic for the climate prevailing in a given country, all of these have to be adapted to fit the target culture". (2006b) Q.1 (d) Localization increases the digital divide Since there is a need for the digital content, browsers and other software tools to be available in the person's own language, therefore localization is rapidly increasing the division of digital content, while making the digital content user friendly for the users. (2006c) Q.2 (a) Beta Testing: A second stage test for a new software product prior to its commercial release. Just after its release it is send to different beta test sites in order to receive feedback about the product, and if it serves as error free, it is commercially released for sale. Q.2 (b) Case Folding: It is a Unicode casing file system in Windows environment. Q.2 (c) Enabling: To activate any service (software or hardware) or device driver. Q.2 (d) NLS API: NLS API stands for "National Language Support, Application Programming Interface" are interfaces that are used to manipulate the translatable text within dialog boxes. (2006d) Q.2 (e) Spacing Character: Used for indentation. Q.3 (a) Translator or Assistance Tools: Tools that translate instruction from one language into another language. While running or executing program assistance tools translate bite code into machine code. Example In Java language the instructions are translated into bite code language. Q.3 (b) Supported Files: A program when executes requires a lot or resources, which are provided by the supported files. Example: In 3D Graphics cards, enhanced graphics can be seen while viewing a program while in case of simple VGA card supported files are used to view the same program. Q.3 (c) Software Leveraging: Free or open source software program available throughout the

How should we distribute global resources, to favor the distant needy Essay

How should we distribute global resources, to favor the distant needy or future people - Essay Example This will ensure that enough resources are available for the future generations. Two fundamental factors need to be addressed when tackling sustainable development issues. These include the needs factor particularly those that touch on the world’s poor, and how various nations in question regulate the use of technology while checking social organizations to ensure that they can be sufficiently supported by the available resources without causing a strain (Pryor, 2003). The key reason I am interested in addressing this issue is because I have realized that there are several man-made processes that are currently causing land degradation at an alarming rate. These processes include over-exploitation of natural resources, deforestation, damaging of the environment, and pollution of soil, air and water bodies (citation). If these factors are not addressed, then there is a possibility that all the global resources will be depleted, and nothing will remain for the future generations, who equally require these resources to sustain themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to control human made activities that lead to land degradation and over-exploitation of global resources to ensure their long-term sustainable usage (citation). In the second step, I will carry out fieldwork activities in areas that are facing extreme natural resource depletion. This will include areas such as mines, forests, and industrial areas that emit toxic wastes in the air, land and water bodies. In the third step, I will take the collected samples to the lab for analysis. This will require the assistance of experienced laboratory technicians and geologists who will help in the analysis and interpretation of the samples. In the fifth step, I will organize with my tutor to organize a presentation session. People who will be invited will include my classmates and other

Classical Opera and Popular Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Classical Opera and Popular Music - Essay Example The combination of sound and rhythm are particularly important in music as they enable people to relate to music and drive out the desired intention. Historically, music has been used to make life lively, entertain people and pass messages to the community. Music has gone through stages from the simple forms of art to the complex technologies that are used today to come to compose and record songs. This paper will discuss the evolution of music from the classical opera style to the modern popular music, and elaborate on the similarities and differences of the two music forms. Classical opera was introduced by the Greek and Roman societies, and was related to their scientific and cultural practices of the time. During this time, there were no inventions in drama and music (Naxos). However, religion and tradition had great influence on music of the day since during occasions related to the two there were performances that highlighted music. Classical opera is a form of art that incorpo rates lots of orchestral, lyrical and theatre techniques. Classical opera evolved over time and combined dissimilar genres to be become a form of music. Although it was performed on stage by using the stage, acting and costumes, the words in the operas were sung in order to make the audience more attentive so that they could get the message being passed and enjoy the performance. In classical operas, there existed two forms of singing, recitative and aria types of dialogue. Recitative operas consisted of harmonic conversation that was not accompanied by melody and the aim of this singing was coming up with a plot. Aria reefers to music that was accompanied with a melody and emotional attachments meant to capture the eyes and ears of the audience. In the early nineteenth century, the two forms were joined to form the arioso style, which combined melody and singing. Another component of opera is musical accompaniment, which was used to set the mood for the performance, and this enable d the audience to connect the scenes in the opera. Classical Opera music first came into existence from performances called ‘intermedi’, which were started to celebrate important events such as weddings or holidays (TheatreHistory). The performances were accompanied by simple musical accompaniments that had single lines of melody for catching the attention of the audience. This practice was known as monody and had originated from a prior style known as madrigal, which was a form of singing that used a polyphonic strategy but became outdated. The performances of this age of opera were undermined by some irrelevant scenes, and this stunted advancement of drama and music. A German composer, Christophe Gluck came in to help people fix music into lyrics and he played a significant role in the advancement of opera. This made performances to be dramatic since there was a relation between the performance and the musical background. This purged the recitative opera and music was used for expression. One of Gluck’s compositions was the Orfeo ed Euridice, which was a tragic based mythology from Greece that is still performed in cinemas today (Fuller). In this composition, he made action important in performance since they could help people associate with the scenes. The audiences were prepared for the later scenes from the preceding scenes and this significantly improved drama. The other famous opera is the Magic Flute in which singing was accompanied by dialogue, and this enabled

Copyright Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Copyright Law - Essay Example The internet is so vast that nobody can possibly keep a check or control on pictures or text being plagiarized or copied without permission from the owner. This report will identify the methods of preventing infringers from using, sharing or downloading images from the internet without the permission of the photographers. It also discusses in detail the proposal of the research including the objective of the research; the problems faced by photographers and their concerns; ways of preventing the infringement on copyright; and later the methodology to be used in the research is stated. This has a great relevance in the present scenario since the World Wide Web is threatened by excessive illegal use of photographs, write-ups, designs etc by uncountable number of users. The exclusivity of such works of creativity is at stake due to people who steal it for their own vested interest, depriving the owner from his rights of selling his original work. Though it's practically impossible to find out or keep a tab on sharing or usage of such works without permission, the research will definitely focus on aspects that may not be the perfect solution for the problem but a remedy atleast to bring down the practice, if not curb it completely. In the moder 2. Research Questions The research questions for this study will be: a) Do photographers have a copyright on their pictures b) How can photographers protect their rights c) What are the different types of infringements d) What are the various method of protecting images from being copied illegally 3. Literature Review 'The obvious problem arises when people say 'if something is on the net, then it must be free'. You can download photographs very easily'. Patricia L. Baade (1996-1997) In the modern world, with the advances of the technology, the infringement of copyright law is taking place not only in the real life but in the World Wide Web as well. In comparison with the real life, where infringing materials can be destroyed and their authors punished, the internet cannot be shut down. Therefore, it is often used for illegal purposes. The materials infringed can be of various characters: be it musical files, films, sound recording or photographs. This research paper will focus on one type of the works, namely works of photographers. A lot of research has been done on this subject in the past since there is a great concern among the photographers that with the development of Internet and other technology it would be very hard to control the ways their works are being published. Anybody and everybody in the present scenario feels free to download and

International politics and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International politics and Law - Essay Example 47 states are currently the members of UNHRC of which African and Asian contribution is 13 states each, 12 states are from Europe, 8 from Latin America and Caribbean and United States of America is the only member from North America. The UNHRC was established in March 2006. The council adopted its Institution Building Package in its first meeting in June 2007 and the elements of the institution package were formulated to serve as guideline for future developments. The most important element is the Universal Periodic Review which is formulated for the assessment of the human rights situation in all the member states of the United Nations. An advisory committee looks after the human rights situation in the different regions of the world and gives recommendations to device strategies and plans of action for ensuring the delivery of human rights to each and every human in this world. The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by the General Assembly resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979 and was entered into force on 3rd September 1981. It is one of the nine major treaties of United Nations on Human Rights. All the state party to this human rights treaty are bound to observe the clauses of the treaty and the UN Human Rights Council gives recommendations to the governments for observing the human rights restrictions as mentioned in this convention. The convention is based on the UN Charter of fundamental human rights which states the dignity and worth of the human person and equal rights for men and women. The convention states that discrimination against any person based on race, creed, nationality or sex is unacceptable because all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and each and every individual in this world is free to practice his beliefs and ideology and lead a life according to the way he deems suitable for himself. The con vention lays stress on the rights of women in the states party to the convention and states that equal economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights of men and women should be ensured. The convention establishes concerns over the women rights violation in the world and emphasizes the eradication of racism, aggression, deprivation of basic rights of food, clothes and shelter to women. Over the years the convention has been signed and ratified by almost all the countries of the world and has proven to be very effective in ensuring the provision of women rights in various regions of the world. The condition of women is very deplorable in various regions of the world which include South Asia, Africa, Middle East and Northern Africa. Certain inhumane traditions are still practiced in various countries of these regions and women are targeted in these traditions. The women in these regions are still not treated on equal basis in these regions of the world. The governments of these regions have established rules and guidelines and have passed constitutional laws and amendments for protecting the rights of the women but the situation in some of the regions is still very alarming. The United Nations Human Rights Council is working very effectively in reporting such incidents to the respective governments and United Nations bodies and taskforces. UNHRC also gives its recommendations to the governments and the United Nations bodies to enforce the human rights conventions in these areas. These efforts have been proved very

Anaheim Mayor Jailed for Drunk Driving and Possession of Cocaine Assignment

Anaheim Mayor Jailed for Drunk Driving and Possession of Cocaine - Assignment Example The car was weaving wildly from lane to lane, nearly colliding with parked vehicles.† The police conducted a traffic stop and administered a sobriety test, and they found that Mayor Hillman exceeded the legal limits for blood alcohol content. Mayor Hillman informed the police that he was Mayor of Anaheim and asked if he could leave. The police rejected his request due to his conditions. They further decided that there was a probable cause for conducting a search. They found two grams of substance, which a field test proved to be cocaine. Apart from cocaine, the police also arrested a female minor with the Mayor on charges of public intoxication. She was released to her parents. Officer Parra declined to comment on the identity of the minor. The Mayor’s spokesman, Ryan Nguyen, replied to these allegations against the Mayor. Nguyen said: â€Å"We’re just sorting through the details. I can tell you that the mayor is willing to face the consequences of his actions, but at this point he is not admitting to any of these criminal charges.† He stressed that people should not make hasty assumptions: â€Å"Remember, in our system of justice everyone is innocent until proven guilty.† When asked about the young woman with the mayor, Nguyen answered: â€Å"Knowing him, I’m sure there’s nothing improper involved with her being in the car. Again, don’t rush to any judgment.†

FMC, Aberdeen, green river discussion on Organizational Behavior Essay

FMC, Aberdeen, green river discussion on Organizational Behavior - Essay Example Bob Lancaster, who was tasked to build and operate the facility, said that the central belief that guides Aberdeen’s organization and management is a participative-management system on the principles of trust, involving self-directing work teams that would eliminate fear from all employees. (Clawson, 1990) An employee is assigned to a team where a team leader is selected by the members - no supervisors or managers. The teams decide on all matters among themselves concerning their work as long as they get their task done. There are significant differences between Green River’s organizational behavior and management to those of Aberdeen’s. For instance, the people employed here are more than 1000 and have a worker’s union where Aberdeen has none. The facility is also charged with 100 products, which is being distributed worldwide in contrast to latter’s single product line. Both facilities cater to very different industries - one, defense, the other, chemicals. And finally, while Aberdeen is a start-up facility, Green River has been operating since 1948. Aberdeen and Green River facilities share the same FMC corporate guidelines, independence in running their sites, and operating values and systems. Thus, the success posted by Aberdeen’s organizational behavior is a challenge for a bigger facility like Green River. The structure and management approach adopted by Aberdeen, which is basically based on trust, might pose a great risk to a larger organization that must cater to a diverse product lines. The Aberdeen concept espouses the elimination of fear among its employees and mistakes are considered learning opportunities. Green River must consider if it is willing to trade the stability of the huge infrastructure which has been in place and tested for years to a system based on faith. Technical problems also abound, like how the

Sometimes a lie is better than the truth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sometimes a lie is better than the truth - Essay Example example, American troops in Pakistan earlier convince the Pak authorities that they will never undertake any mission inside Pak territory without the permission from the Pak authorities. However, they secretly conducted a mission and killed Osama Bin Laden. The Pak authorities came to know about this mission only after the mission. In this case, nobody can blame American troops for telling lies since the ultimate aim of this lie was to kill a terrorist and save the innocent people. Former American President George Bush convinced the world that Saddam or Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction. He has taken approval for conducting military strikes in Iraq from United Nations with the help of this lie. It should be noted that UN would never grand permission to attack Iraq, had they know the intentions of Bush prior to the attack. At present, it is crystal clear that President Bush was lying and his intention was to destroy Iraq and Saddam since Saddam humiliated his father Bush Sr. in an earlier encounter. The execution of Saddam created mixed response in the world. Some people criticized this execution whereas others, especially the Kurds, who suffered a lot from the hands of Saddam, welcomed the execution of Saddam. In other words, Kurds believe that Bush’s lie helped them in one way or another. Lies will be justified when the life is in danger. Imagine an American was caught by the Taliban. Nobody can blame the American if he tells some lies to escape from the hands of Taliban. â€Å"Police officers adopt ruses when trying to catch criminals. Spies do it to serve their nations. Military forces do it to achieve victory on the battlefield† (Akin). In these cases, telling lies help people in one way or another. It should be noted that it is the duty of the police officers to catch criminals and to protect the life of innocent people. In order to save the life of many innocent people, police officers may tell some lies to catch the criminals which are justified.

Importance of Matrifocal family in the caribbean Essay Example for Free

Importance of Matrifocal family in the caribbean Essay The Matrifocal family Is very prominent in the Caribbean. This is noted more as among people of Africans in the regions. Reasons for this diversity, Cultural Retention, Plantation system of slavery, SOCIO economic and the culture of property. Cultural retention, Melville Herkevitts was one of the first researchers to trace the African Origin of the slaves who came to the Americans he believed that despite attempts to strip Africans slaves ot their cultural heritage the practice ot polygyny was retained from the practice. affected by bonding and closeness of mother and child because the husband/ father was somewhat marginal. This pattern remained in the Caribbean society especially about lower class people of African descent. Plantation system, there is the belief that the persistence of the Matrifocal family can be seen as a consequence of the plantation system of slavery, M. C. Smith wrote that under plantation slavery stables families were not given a chance to develop unions of whatever sort, were often broken up as slaves were sold. The unit of mother and child was less likely to be torn apart than a unit of man, woman and child, males were denied family rights which resulted in a system of female centeredness therefore became marginalise. Women now lead their families. It is a well-organized social group which represents a positive adaptauon to the circumstances of poverty. By not tying herself down to a husband. the mother is able to maintain causal relationships with a number of men who can provide her with financial support. The above Information shows that the Matrlfocal family can be regarded as a form of family structure in its own right. It is therefore Important because it shows that a woman doesnt need a man to take care of her and her family, she If fully cable of performing both tasks all by herself. so Matrltocal family Is very Important.

The sins of memory

The sins of memory THE SINS OF MEMORY The Sins of Memory What are the sins of memory? Have you ever accidentally left your house keys in the front door or walked to the next room only to wonder why you are there? What about believing that someone told you something only to remember later that you read it or heard it on the radio? These are just a few examples of sins that ones memory executes every day. The means by which memory fails is comprised of the sins of omission as well as the sins of commission (Schacter, 2001). According to Schacter (2001) memory blunders can be divided into seven elemental lapses: transience, blocking, and absentmindedness (sins of omission), then misattribution, bias, persistence and suggestibility (sins of commission) (Psychology Today, 34(3), 62; Robinson-Riegler Robinson-Riegler, 2008). According to Schacter (2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007), transience refers to the deterioration or loss of memory over a period of time. As the offender of various memory troubles, transience is a basic aspect of ones memory (Schacter, 2001). Although studies have shown that immediately following an experience memory preserves a comprehensive file allowing one to call to mind the earlier period, with time lapsing ones memory of experiences disappear gradually with out rehearsal (Schacter, 2001) (Psychology Today, 34(3), 62). Most people have had the frustrating experience of failing to produce a face or name. According to Schacter, the memory has not faded and is later unexpectedly retrieved (Schacter, 2001). This blunder is termed tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (Robinson-Riegler, 2008). Simply because ones mind is unsuccessful in pulling up a piece of information does not imply that the knowledge is not there (Robinson-Riegler, 2008). It possibly will be briefly unobtainable given inadequate retrieval cues (Robinson-Riegler Robinson-Riegler, 2008; Psychology Today, 34(3), 62). According to Schacter (2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007), bias refers to the misrepresented persuasions of ones existing knowledge, and values on their current and later memories of ones experiences. The rebuilding of memories can influence appearance of family affairs and connections; and as a result, the information presented can consist of reconstructed memories adjusted to interconnect with the obligation of the current circumstances and, therefore, are not an accurate portrayal of childrens emotional or behavioral functioning (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007) (Journal of Child Family Studies, 16(3), 297-306; Psychology Today, 34(3), 62). Additionally, Schacter (2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007) suggests that there are different types of bias. Consistency and variation biases would cause people to call to mind their past feelings and beliefs so they would remind one of ones existing views and values (Schacter, 2001 as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). Whereas hindsight bias implies that memories of past dealings are categorized by current knowledge; egocentric bias would encourage people to recall ones past in a self-enhancing way; along with stereotypical bias that would persuade peoples memories and opinions of diverse social parties (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007) (Psychology Today, 34(3), 62). According to Schacter (2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007), memories can be influenced as a result of external manipulations and as a result may absorb the misleading information from other people into their memory (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). Well and Bradfield (1998, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007) documented that people who are given validation feel more certain in their own recollections. Additionally, people interrogated with intimidation may have doubts about their memories (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). One will get a more accurate answer if the questions are worded in a neutral way (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007) (Psychology Today, 34(3), 62). Absent-mindedness entails disengagement amid memory and attention, where recall blunders take place because one is distracted with an issue or concern and is not paying attention (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). As a consequence of this preoccupation, the wanted information is not transmitted in memory (Schacter, 2001as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). Conceivably, as a result of preventing oneself from expanding on specific information required for later recollection, dividing ones attention throughout encoding information inhibits later recall (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). People are prone to fail to remember central responsibilities. A good system to reduce this obstacle is to develop a prioritized duty record use daily (Haraburda, 2007) (The Free Library, 2007; Journal of Child Family Studies, 16(3), 297-306). Misattribution entails transferring a memory to the incorrect source. This breakdown of memory can consist of recollection of events that never transpired or recalling events accurately and nevertheless misattributing it to the incorrect situation or occasion (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). People recollect facts precisely and still may misattribute the source of the fact when one has uncertain memories of an incident (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). People have a tendency to remember things that did not happen (Haraburda, 2007) (The Free Library, 2007; Journal of Child Family Studies, 16(3), 297-306). The sin of persistence is the repeated recollection of unsolicited memories (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). Schacter believes that one may be able to avoid certain situations that are harmful because of the way that negative memories are stored (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007). He suggests that until memories are reframed adequately they are forced into conscious attention (Schacter, 2001, as cited in Renk, Donnelly, McKinney Baksh, 2007) (Journal of Child Family Studies, 16(3), 297-306). In conclusions performing the following actions can improve ones precision of the information acquired from others, but failure to do so can result in one making inadequate judgments based on flawed information (Haraburda, 2007). Acquire information promptly after an experience, while it is fresh in ones mind (Haraburda, 2007). Make use of a prioritized duty list. 3. Record observations from important dealings (Haraburda, 2007). Document important dates, events and goals on a daily (Haraburda, 2007). Utilize impartially worded questions when seeking information (Haraburda, 2007). Recognize the perspective of the person supplying the information (Haraburda, 2007). Be aware of and identify the symptoms of PTS (Haraburda, 2007) (The Free Library, 2007). Reference Chart is from The Seven Sins of Memory, by BrianWork, Vol. 12 No.3 May-June 2002 Neuroethies: Mapping the Field; http://perpich.com/neuroed/archive/78.pdf, chart Haraburda, Scott S. (2007, January 1). The seven sins of memory: how they affect your program The Free Library. (2007). Retrieved October 06, 2009 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The seven sins of memory: how they affect your program.-a0159699652 Renk, K., Donnelly, R., McKinney, C., Baksh, E. (2007, June). Do Schacters Seven Sins of Memory Apply to Ratings of Childrens Emotional and Behavioral Functioning? Journal of Child Family Studies, 16(3), 297-306. Retrieved September 28, 2009, doi:10.1007/s10826-006-9086- Robinson-Riegler, G. Robinson-Riegler, B. (2008). Cognitive psychology, applying the science of the mind. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Schacter, D. (2001). The Seven Sins of Memory. Psychology Today, 34(3), 62. http://search.ebscohost.com.kaplan.uah.edu

Social Exchange Theory

Social Exchange Theory Social Exchange Theory is a perspective of the field of social psychology and sociology to explain social change and stability, representing them as a process of negotiated exchanges between people. Social exchange theory can be described as the theory, according to which, human interaction is a unique transaction, which seeks to increase the rewards and to reduce the costs. The social exchange theory advocates that all human relationships are formed by using a cost-benefit analysis and comparison with alternatives.ÂÂ  For example, when a person perceives the costs of a relationship over the profits made, the person, according to this theory, leaves the relationship.ÂÂ  This theory has its roots in economics, psychology and sociology. The social exchange theory is linked to the rational choice theory and structuralism, its major features. Exchange theory arose as a reaction to functionalism, which focused on the impact of a phenomenon on the system.ÂÂ  This is not a single theory, but rather the band theory, describing the social world as a system of exchanges of goods (tangible and intangible) between individuals and social groups.ÂÂ  Social exchange theorists see every interaction as a transaction something for something.ÂÂ  It is like a theory of individual self-interest.ÂÂ  If a person takes any action, it does so with the prospect of benefit for himself.ÂÂ  Often it is the intangible benefit, such as respect from others, obedience, satisfaction, etc. Social exchange theory is a theory in social science which states that there are elements in social relations without discipline, sacrifice, and benefits that affect each other. This theory explains how humans view their relationships with others in accordance with the assumption of human self is to: the balance between what is given to the relationship and what is excluded from that relationship. There is no unified sociology of exchange, but one can distinguish three main theoretical points of theories. Taking the example of the mutual exchange of between the bride and groom, so this could be either a civil contract between two different-actors to the mutual exclusive use of their bodies, or a mutually donated sacrament, by which ChristianityÂÂ  continues, or view as an institutional and thus pacification a driver or will form. Exchange of individuals.ÂÂ  Sociological theorists think consider the assumption that individuals always act when exchanged (individualistic, paired, antagonistic perspective).ÂÂ  No matter what they share in a particular case, there are always sociological social sanctions.ÂÂ  As positive sanctions, for example, congratulations or goods, but as negative there are insults or threats.ÂÂ  Often in the exchange theory only positive or ambivalent sanctions are treated, but include more general approaches and negative sanctions. In the distribution of conflict the actors face each other with conflicting interests. The one advantage is the other drawback: any one tried if it goes to positive sanctions, and spend as little as possible from the opponent to gain as much as possible.ÂÂ  In economics, this strategy, which it called only for positive sanctions (such as goods for money in markets), is the minimax principle.ÂÂ  And also, if people have antagonistic re lations and negative social sanctions (for example acts of violence against violence, such as in war) taken into account, the exchange ends here trying to minimize its losses and maximize the opponent. Considering the criticism, critical is pointed out that this is based on Homans and Blau, Exchange Theory as a variant or mutation of the behaviorism. It had become a rational choice model, and this methodological simplification was achieved at a price, as compared toÂÂ  classical and other approaches in sociology would be neglected by extra-economic motivations, norms and institutions and their history in general. Durkheim or Mauss expected to behave in exchange for all social collectives (community, systemic view).ÂÂ  Controlled by the exchange, the consideration to the group received the actors (mostly positive) from each other sanction.ÂÂ  The players share a common interest in the welfare of the collective, which is the individuals self-interest.ÂÂ  Each exchange includes the end and always a compromise in favor of the collective, even as a loyal member of a community and even with regard to his own advantage.ÂÂ  The Collective is always with a person, which is reflected in valid rituals (for example the handshake) or norms (such as the Commercial Law) that express stability.ÂÂ  Because of that, all exchange behavior is also spoken of as amphibole exchange. The theorist Clausen considers one of some forms of exchange that, in addition to the nature of man involves him into it with acting. Here, the parties conduct an exchange so that the survival of the human speci es will be encouraged to nature and other species.ÂÂ  So it is not only a sociological but also the anthropological institution.ÂÂ  This refers in particular to reproduction, child care and fighting prowess.ÂÂ  The most common example is the dyad between infant and caregiver time (usually, but not necessarily the mother), is expected to result that in the both the exchange is biologically supported and the happier they are, the better it is for others. Exchange theory by Homans. According to George Homans, the social behavior is an exchange of material goods, and it is also intangible, such as the symbols of approval and prestige. Homans, George tried to explain the behavior defined in the broadest sense as a result of interaction in which individuals acquire, sell, or share resources. He tried to explain social behavior using fundamental concepts of behavior, developed by behavioral psychologists, and neoclassical economists.ÂÂ  Behavioral model of operant conditioning is based on the utilitarian principle that individuals will seek to maximize enjoying and to avoid or minimize the pain.ÂÂ  It is assumed that individuals will respond as expected to reward and punishment.ÂÂ  Any interaction provides an opportunity to share resources, in which each party tries to get resources, with a higher value in comparison with that which he or she gives or which refuses. All social organizations were created on the basis of the network exchanges.ÂÂ  The organization needs the unit to be fulfilled by other bodies belonging to this organization.ÂÂ  Homans has developed five general provisions relating to social behavior and resource sharing.ÂÂ  Three of them reproduce the model of behavioral psychologists. The first statement directly follows from the model of operant conditioning, and says: In respect of any acts performed by people, the more often a person is rewarded for a particular action, the more that person will perform this action.ÂÂ  The second situation is linked to recognition of the role of past experience: In the past, the emergence of a particular stimulus or set of incentives has created a situation in which human action is rewarded, the more the present-day incentives are similar to those past stimuli, the more that person will perform the same or similar toÂÂ  his action in the present.ÂÂ  However, the third provision states that for their actions when a person does not receive the expected rewards or receive unexpected penalty, he goes berserk and can behave aggressively.He created a series of allegations, among them are the claim of success, the assertion of deprivation and that there is saturation of aggression. These statements are a part of seven and, according to crowning this list is the assertion of rationality, which says that the body of the two alternative measures will choose the one which gives the most likely results to achieve greater benefits. The basic proposition is: success: the more action the individual is rewarded with, the more likely it is to take this action. the stimulus: if the past occurrence of a specific stimulus or combination of stimuli was a circumstance, in which individual action has been rewarded, the more likely it is that the unit would take this or a similar effect. value: the more the action is for the individual securities, the more likely that it will be demonstrated this action. -saturation of deprivation: the more frequently in the recent past, the unit received a particular prize, the less valuable it becomes for each additional unit of the award. frustration-aggression: If the unit does not bring action to obtain a reward or punishment received by the entity, which they did not expect, it will react with anger, and anger aggressive behavior results will have a reward value. Exchange Theory by Peter Blau. Peter Blau introduced the analysis of exchange, which processes the term marginal utility, which says that the more the expected rewards entity obtains from a particular act, the less valuable this action is, and the less likely it will be.ÂÂ  The idea is that if in a result of the exercise we get some action on the awards, you will have less value, which will be a new round of the award.ÂÂ  Another concept introduced by Blau is the concept of standards for fair exchange, which indicates what should be the ratio of rewards to costs in the exchange relationship.ÂÂ  If these standards are shaken, then the injured party may disclose to aggressive behavior. Blau concept differs from the concept of Homans that provides conflict situations. Balance in one relationship, which is impaired by homeostasis seen in another.ÂÂ  Blau has another concept, which is social attraction that is the perception of opportunities for reward.ÂÂ  This is according to sociologist factor, necessary for the existence of the exchange ratio, which is based on the belief that people who give awards, in turn, you will receive the award as payment for the goods delivered.ÂÂ  There are four types (classes): the prize money, social acceptance, respect (deference) and submission.ÂÂ  Of these, the greatest value is the submission, then the respect, acceptance, and the least appropriate reward in the relations of social exchange is money. Submission is the most valuable prize because for Blau it is inherent in the relationship of power, and this in turn gives a possibility of denying rewards to those who do not want to comply with the standards.ÂÂ  Power is born when the value of services exceeds the value of services received in return.ÂÂ  If people have to choose only one or a few alternative sources of awards, then it also comes to forcing submission.ÂÂ  This is further facilitated if people are not giving to the possibility to use the coercion and opposition to a person providing services.ÂÂ  Inability to work around without data prizes also affects positively the opportunity to force the submission by the person in possession of these awards. Exchange in social psychology. Social psychology also speaks about human relations as relations of exchange. These systems are based on the so-called rule of reciprocity, under which we are committed to the future for favors, gifts, invitations and the goods that we have received.ÂÂ  According to social psychologists one of the important principles is governing the human investigation.ÂÂ  This commitment to the rematch probably exists in all human societies.ÂÂ  Researchers say that this rule has developed in order to encourage people to contact, based on mutual exchange of services without fear of giving something to another, and we lose it forever.ÂÂ  Another form of this rule is called reciprocal concessions, namely: if someone goes to hand us, we do it to him, too.ÂÂ  Thus we can safely take the first step to someone, as he will be obliged to give us a similar sacrifice.ÂÂ  This rule is valid according to social psychologists and it is an effective r egulator of social relations. The emergence of social exchange theory. In general, the social exchange theory consists of social relations rather than public. The societies have viewed the behavior influence of each other in the relationship; there are also elements of discipline, of sacrifice and gain that reflect social exchange.ÂÂ  The reward is all that through the sacrifice, when the sacrifice can be avoided, and the benefit is reduced by the rewards of sacrifice.ÂÂ  So the social behavior of the exchange at least between two people is based on the cost-benefit calculations.ÂÂ  For example, patterns of behavior in the workplace, romance, marriage and friendship. Analogy from the case, at some point people can feel in any of their friends, who, usually, are always trying to get something from you.ÂÂ  At that time you always give what a friend needs from you, but the opposite is actually happening when you need something from your friends.ÂÂ  Each individual course has a goal to be fri ends with each other.ÂÂ  These individuals would be expected to do something for others, help each other if needed, and provide mutual support.ÂÂ  However, maintaining friendly relations also requires the costs, such as the lost time and energy and other activities.ÂÂ  Although these costs are not seen as something that is expensive or burdensome when viewed from the point of reward obtained from these friendships.ÂÂ  However, these costs should be considered if we are to objectively analyze the relationships that exist in a friendly transaction.ÂÂ  If the cost seems not in accordance with the compensation, what happens is the uneasy feeling of a person who feels that the benefits received were too low compared to the cost or sacrifice that has been given. An analysis of the social relationships that occur according to the cost and reward is one characteristic of the exchange theory.ÂÂ  This exchange theory has focused on micro-level analysis, particularly at the interpersonal level of social reality.ÂÂ  In this discussion the focus will be on the notion of exchange theory by Homans and Blau.ÂÂ  Homans in his analysis insisted on the necessity to use the principles of individual psychology to explain social behavior rather than merely describing it. But Blau, on the other hand, was trying to move from the level of interpersonal exchanges at the micro level to the macro level of social structure.ÂÂ  He attempted to show how larger are the social structures that emerged from the basic exchange processes. Unlike the analysis described by the theory of symbolic interaction, exchange theory was mainly seen as the real behavior, not the processes that are purely subjective.ÂÂ  This was also adopted by Homans and Blau, who were not focused on the subjective level of consciousness or reciprocal relationships between the levels of dynamic interaction of subjective.ÂÂ  Homans further argued that scientific explanations should be focused on real behavior and then can be observed and measured empirically. The process of social exchange has also been expressed by the classical sociologists.ÂÂ  As expressed in the classical economic theory of the 18th and 19th century, the economists like Adam Smith have analyzed the economic market as a result of a comprehensive collection from a number of individual economic transactions.ÂÂ  He assumes that transactions will happen only if both parties can gain from these exchanges, and welfare of the community in general can be very well s ecured when the individuals are left to pursue personal interests through negotiated exchanges in private. Conflicts of individualistic and social exchange in collectivism. Conflict that occurs is a result of the growing contradiction between the individualistic orientation and collectivism.ÂÂ  Homans is probably someone who was very stressed on an individualistic approach to the development of social theory.ÂÂ  This is certainly different from the explanation that the Levi-Strauss, a collectivist, in issues especially regarding to marriage and kinship patterns. Levi-Strauss is an anthropologist who comes from France. He developed a theoretical perspective of social exchange on the practice of marriage and kinship system of primitive societies. A general pattern of analysis is when a man marries his mothers daughter.ÂÂ  A pattern that happens is that people rarely marry the daughter of his fathers brother. This latter pattern was analyzed further by Bronislaw Malinowski, who advanced by the exchange of nonmaterial. In explaining this, Levi-Strauss distinguishes two exchange systems, which include restricted and generalized exchange.ÂÂ  In restricted exchange, members of the dyad groups are directly involved in the exchange transaction, each member of the couple give each other a personal basis.ÂÂ  And in the generalized exchange, members of a group of triads or even larger accept something other than a dyad who gives something useful. In these exchanges the impact is on the integration and solidarity groups are inÂÂ  a more effective manner.ÂÂ  The main purpose of this exchange process is not to allow couples who are involved in an exchange to meet the needs of individualization. An analysis of marriage and kinship behavior is a criticism of Sir James Frazers explanation of a British expert who studies the economic anthropology on patterns of exchange that occurs between mating pairs in primitive society. The theory of exchange today does not represent a single school of thought.ÂÂ  Strictly speaking, there are several theories that share a common position that human interaction is a process of exchange.ÂÂ  In addition, each of them has their own views on human nature, society and social science. Theories of exchange have been and still are often criticized for the lack of freshness, the evidence of certain statements, ignoring the existence of a forced situation.ÂÂ  Most can be found with the view that this point of view narrows the social life and relations between people only to the physical assets. As a fact, social forms of exchange are perceived differently and communicated, as a sociological and anthropological analysis would be expected to.ÂÂ  As the question of justice, including equivalence of an exchange is directed according to dominant values, or it is judged differently from the representatives of warring values. Social exchange theory Social exchange theory Main dependent factor(s): Value and utility: profit, rewards, approval, status, reputation, flexibility, and trust Main independent factor(s): Exchange relation, dependency, and power Summary of theory Social exchange theory was formed by the intersection of economics, psychology and sociology. The theory was developed to understand the social behaviour of humans in economic undertakings, according to the theorys initiator Hormans (1958). There is a fundamental difference between the two the theories: economic exchange and social exchange theories, which is the way in which the actors are seen. Exchange theory views actors (persons or a firm) as dealing not with another actor but with a market (Emerson, 1987, P.11), reacting to various market characteristics; while social exchange theory sees the exchange relationship between specific actors as actions contingent on rewarding reactions from others. (Blau, 1964, P.91) Nowadays, various forms of social exchange theory exist, but all of them possess the same driving force which essentially is the same central concept of actors exchanging resources via a social exchange relationship. Where social exchange (e.g., Ax; By) is the intentional transfer of resources (x, y ) between several actors (A, B) (Cook, 1977). A network model (Cook, 1977) with market properties (Emerson, 1987) is the evolved form of the theory which previously was a dyadic model. The core of the theory is best captured in Homanss own words (1958, P.606) Social behaviour is an exchange of goods, material goods but also non-material ones, such as the symbols of approval or prestige. Persons that give much to others try to get much from them, and persons that get much from others are under pressure to give much to them. This process of influence tends to work out at equilibrium to a balance in the exchanges. For a person in an exchange, what he gives may be a cost to him, just as what he gets may be a reward, and his behaviour changes less as the difference of the two, profit, tends to a maximum.In conclusion, social exchange theory is best understood as a framework for explicating movement of resources, in imperfect market conditions, between dyads or a network via a social process (Emerson, 1987). Agency Theory or Principal-Agent Problem Key dependent factor(s) Efficiency, alignment of interests, risk sharing, successful contracting Key independent factor(s) Information asymmetry, contract, moral hazard, trust Summary of Theory In economics, the principal-agent dilemma treats the technical hitches that come up under conditions of unfinished and asymmetric information when a principal hires an agent. A variety of mechanisms could possibly be used in an attempt to align the interests of the agent with those of the principal, for instance piece rates/commissions, profit sharing, efficiency wages, the agent posting a bond, or fear of firing. The principal-agent problem is seen in the majority of employer/employee relationships. Agency theory is focussed at the ever-present agency relationship, which basically is: one party (the principal) entrusts work to another (the agent), who carries out that work. The resolution of the two problems in an agency relationship that can occur is the primary concern of agency theory. Firstly, is the agency problem which surfaces when (a) the desires or goals of the principal and agent conflict and (b) its difficult or expensive for the principal to authenticate what the agent is actually doing. The predicament here is the principal cant confirm that the agent has behaved fittingly. Secondly, is the problem of risk sharing that arises when the principal and agent have dissimilar attitudes towards the risk. The problem at this point is that the principal and the agent may fancy different actions since they have different risk preferences. Relationship between theory and Information Systems Agency theory sees the firm as a nexus of contracts amongst interested individuals. The owner employs agents (employees) to execute work on his/her behalf and delegates some decision-making power to the agents. Agents must be under constant supervision and management; this stems the introduction of management costs. As firms grow consequently management costs rise. Information technology minimises agency costs by providing information without difficulty so that managers can oversee a larger number of people with fewer resources. Simply, technological changes support the agency theory, which enables managers to supervise more employees at a reduced cost. Technology in general, and information systems particularly, save companies lots of money by reducing the number of managers needed to oversee larger numbers of workers. Transaction Cost Theory or Transaction cost economics Main dependent factor(s) Governance structure, degree of outsourcing, outsourcing success, inter-organizational coordination and collaboration Main independent factor(s) Coordination costs, transaction risk (opportunity costs), coordination costs, operational risk, opportunism risk, asset specificity, uncertainty, trust Summary of Theory In the field of economics and its related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost incurred while making an economic exchange. A variety of transaction costs exist, for instance, search and information costs are the costs incurred in determining if a required good is available on the market, who has the lowest price, etc The costs required to achieve a satisfactory agreement with the other party to the transaction, drawing up an suitable contract, etc., is known as the bargaining cost. Policing and enforcement costs are costs that make sure the other party abide the terms of the contract, and taking appropriate action (regularly through the legal system) if this turns out not to be the case. Transaction costs consist of costs incurred in the process of looking for the best supplier/partner/customer, the cost of drawing-up a supposedly air-tight contract, and the costs of monitoring and enforcing the carrying out of the contract. Transaction cost theorists state that the total cost incurred by a firm can be grouped basically into two components: transaction costs and production costs. Transaction costs, which are often referred to as coordination costs, are the costs of all the information processing necessary to coordinate the work of people and machines that perform the primary processes, whereas production costs comprise the costs incurred from the physical or other primary processes necessary to create and distribute the goods or services being produced. Relationship between theory and Information Systems Transaction cost theory is based on the notion that a firm incurs transaction costs when the firm buys on the marketplace in comparison to making products for itself. Traditionally, in an attempt to reduce transaction costs firms wouldve gotten bigger, hired more employees, integrated vertically and horizontally, and wouldve taken over small-company. IT helps firms reduce the cost of market participation (transaction costs) and helps firms minimise their size while producing the same or even greater amount of output. In simplified terms, transaction cost theory supports the idea that assistance or through the help of technology businesses can minimize their costs of processing transactions with the same emphasis and enthusiasm that they attempt to minimize their production costs. Frameworks Traditionally, the Chief Information Officer (CIO)s job description entailed ensuring that the Business Strategy and Information Systems strategy were aligned. Successful information technology/business alignment, however, entails more than executive level communication and strategy translation. Achieving alignment is usually done by establishing a set of well-planned process improvement programs that systematically tackle obstacles and go further than executive level conversation to filter through the entire IT organization and their culture. IT/Business Alignment Cycle A generally used methodology is the IT/Business Alignment Cycle, which introduces a straightforward framework that the IT organization can take on to manage a broad range of activities. The cycles four phases are: plan, model, manage, and measure. Organization-wide shared expectations between business and IT managers are fostered utilizing this cycle, and a universal framework is defined for a wide-range of activities that jointly serve to align IT and business objectives. Within the cycle the best practices and common processes within and between IT functional groups are identified which makes IT/business alignment sustainable and scalable. When integrated and automated with software applications and monitoring tools the framework functions optimally. Plan Phase: In this phase business objectives are translated into quantifiable IT services. This phase aids in closing the gap between what business managers need and expect and what IT can deliver. Giga Research reports that IT leaders in poorly aligned organizations are still trying to elucidate technology management issues to their business colleagues and havent made that leap to comprehending business issues and communicating with them on a business-minded level. To bridge the gap between what business expects and what IT can deliver, IT must have an ongoing dialogue to elucidate business needs in business terms. Without any ongoing dialogue, its difficult for IT to determine which IT services to offer or how to efficiently allot IT resources to maximize business value. Also, when business needs change, IT ought to adjust and modify the service offering and IT resources fittingly. CIOs should consent the use of a regimented service level management process that will lead to agreement on precise IT services and service levels required to support business objectives. IT management can then translate service definitions and service levels into fundamental rules and priorities that empower and guide IT resources. Lastly, IT needs a method to measure and track both business level services and the underlying capabilities that support the services. Model Phase: An infrastructure should be designed to optimize business value. The model phase pinpoints resources needed to deliver IT services at dedicated service levels. This phase involves mapping IT assets, processes, and resources back to IT services, then prioritizing and planning resources that support those business critical services. The bottom line in measuring the triumph of an alignment is the extent in which IT is working on the things which business managers care about. This implies that IT must have processes in place for prioritizing projects, tasks, and support. To effectively prioritize resources, IT needs a service impact model and a centralized configuration and asset management repository to connect the infrastructure components back to particular IT services. This amalgamation is vital if IT is to efficiently plan, prioritize, and constantly deliver services at agreed-upon service levels while also minimising costs. Manage Phase: Results should be driven through fused service support. The manage phase permits the IT staff to deliver pledged levels of service. Assurance from the CIO that the organization meets expectations by providing a single location for business users to submit all service requests and by prioritizing those requests based on pre-defined business precedence. Without a single point-of-service request, it isnt easy to manage resources to achieve agreed-upon service levels. Furthermore, lacking a system for effectively managing the IT infrastructure and all changes, the IT staff is faced with the danger of causing failures. In order for the IT staff to ensure the effectiveness of the service desk they need to provide: A technique for prioritizing service requests based on business impact. A well-organized change management process to reduce the risk of negatively affecting service level commitments. An IT event management system to monitor and manage components that support business critical services. The basic operational metrics that enable service delivery at promised levels, in addition to the means for measuring and tracking the advancement of service level commitments using these metrics. Measure Phase: Involves the verification of commitments coupled with improvement of operations. Cross-organization visibility into operations and service level commitments is improved in this phase. Conventional IT management tools operate in functional silos which confines data collection and operational metrics to focused areas of functionality, relating more to technology than to business objectives. Component-level metrics and measures are definitely essential for continuing service availability. Nevertheless, to support real-time resource allotment decisions, these measures must be construed in a broader business context, with the inclusion of their connections to business-critical services. Without a business context for construing measures and metrics, isolated functional groups cant get a holistic view of IT services that sustain business objectives. By committing to the cycle and integrating and automating activities using software solutions, its possible to align a whole organization to make logical improvements that prevail over obstacles. Competitive Forces Model Porters competitive forces and strategies is one of the popular and effective models for formulating a strategy. After studying a number of business organizations, Michael E. Porter proposed that mangers can formulate a strategy that makes an organization achieve a higher level of profitability and reduce vulnerability if they understand five forces in the industry environment. Porter found the following forces determine a companys position vis-ÃÆ'Â  -vis competitors in the industry: The rivalry among existing competitors The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products and services The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of suppliers Porters framework (competitive forces model) has long been acknowledged as a valuable tool for business people to utilize when thinking about business strategy and the impact of IT. Porters framework illustrates why some firms do better than others and how they gain competitive advantage. It also analyzes a business and identifies its strategic advantages, as well as, demonstrating how entrepreneurs can develop strategic advantages for their own business. And lastly, it shows information systems contribute to strategic advantages. The threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants to an industry can create pressure for established organizations, which might need to hold down prices of increase their level of investment. The threat of entry from in an industry depends largely on the amount and extent of potential barriers, such as cost. The power of suppliers: Large, powerful suppliers can charge higher prices, limit services of quality, and shift costs to their customers, keeping more of the value for themselves. The concentration of suppliers and availability of substitute suppliers are significant factors in determining supplier power. The power of buyers: Powerful customers, the flip side of powerful suppliers, can force prices down, demand better quality or services, and hence drive up costs for the supplying organization. The threat of substitutes: The power of alternatives and substitutes for a companys product or service maybe affected by changes in cost, new technologies, social trends that will deflect buyer loyalty, and other environmental changes. Rivalry among existing competitors: In most industries, especially when there are only a few major competitors, competition will very closely match the offering of others. Aggressiveness will depend mainly on factors like number of competitors, industry growth, high fixed costs, lack of differentiation, capacity augmented in large increments, diversity in type of competitors and strategic importance of the business unit. Information Systems Competitive Advantage In order to be competitive, companies must have a degree of quickness, nimbleness, flexibility, innovativeness, productivity, thriftiness and customer centricity. It must also align its IS strategy with general business strategies and objectives. Given the five market forces mentioned above, Porter and others have proposed a number of strategies to attain competitive advantage: Low-Cost Leadership Information systems can be used achieve the lowest operational costs and the lowest prices. For instance, Wal-Mart has utilized IT to develop anefficient customer response systemthat directly links customer behaviour back to distribution, production, and supply chains. Product Differentiation Information systems can be used in the process of enabling new products and services, or significantly changing the customer convenience in the use of an existing products or services. Mass customization enables organizations to offer individually tailored products or services through the use of mass production resources. Focus on Market Niche Using information systems enables a firm to pinpoint a specific market focus, and thus allowing them to serve this narrow target market better than competitors. Information systems can support this strategy because it can be used to produce and analyze data for use in finely tuned sales and marketing techniques. Companies can now analyze customer buying patterns, tastes, and preferences closely so that they efficiently and effectively pitch advertising and marketing campaigns to smaller and smaller target markets. Strengthen Customer and Supplier Intimacy The use of information systems tightens linkages with suppliers and develops intimacy with customers. Switching costs increase when and where therere strong linkages between customers and suppliers (expense a customer or company incurs in lost time and expenditure of resources when changing from one supplier or system to a competing supplier or system). STRENGTHS OF THE FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES MODEL The model is a strong tool for competitive analysis at industry level, compared to PEST analysis It provides useful input for performing a SWOT Analysis LIMITATION OF PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Care should be taken when using this model for the following: do not underestimate or underemphasize the importance of the (existing) strengths of the organization (Inside-out strategy). The model was designed for analyzing individual business strategies. It does not cope with synergies and interdependencies within the portfolio of large corporations. From a more theoretical perspective, the model does not address the possibility that an industry could be attractive because certain companies are in it. Some people claim that environments which are characterized by rapid, systemic and radical change require more flexible, dynamic or emergent approaches to strategy formulation. Sometimes it may be possible to create completely new markets instead of selecting from existing ones.