Personality, Personality Development, Spheres, Public Relations

Define personality The free dictionary: the visible aspect of one's character as it impresses others: He has a pleasing personality. the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual. the organized pattern of behavioral characteristics of the individual. the quality of being a person; existence as a self-conscious human being; personal identity. the essential character of a person. http://www. thepersonalitysystem. org: â€Å"Personality is the entire mental organization of a human being at any stage of his development.It embraces every phase of human character: intellect, temperament, skill, morality, and every attitude that has beeen built up in the course of one's life. † (Warren ; Carmichael, 1930, p. 333) (In an acknowledged overstatement†¦ ) â€Å"Personality is the essence of a human being. † (Hall ; Lindzey, 1957, p. 9, characterizing statements by Gordon Allport) â€Å"An individual's pattern of psychological pr ocesses arising from motives, feelings, thoughts, and other major areas of psychological function. Personality is expressed through its influences on the body, in conscious mental life, and through the individual's social behavior. (Mayer, 2005) 2. ) Define personality development http://www. education. com: Progressive organization of the psychological traits unique to an individual, occurring as the result of maturation and learning from birth through adulthood http://www. angelfire. com: Personality development is the developing a personality cult so as to create a strong positive impression about self with the targeted group, or in general; and more pertinent aspect of such personality is to maintain and prove in a long run. http://www. healthofchildren. com:Personality development is the development of the organized pattern of behaviors and attitudes that makes a person distinctive. Personality development occurs by the ongoing interaction of temperament, character, and environ ment. 3. ) components/spheres of personality Wikianswers: 1. Physical Aspect- Height, weight, size complexion. 2. Intellectual aspect-ability to analyze, synthesized or to give opinion 3. Emotional aspect- the right time,place 4. Social aspect-capability to go other people. meet other people without necessarily withdrawing. 5.Moral Aspect- Knowing right or wrong https://sites. google. com: 11. 2. 1 Identity Identity is experienced as being aware that one exists and that one has the right to live. The person accepts his limits and is prepared to exert his right to exist. He derives strength and courage from a basic feeling of security, from self-confidence and faith in others. He accepts responsibility for his behaviour. A patient with weakness in the sphere of identity feels insecure, â€Å"not O. K. â€Å"and avoids responsibilities. This often obstructs progress in therapy.Strengthening identity then has a high priority. 11. 2. 2 Intimacy Humans are social animals. One of the fi rst needs of an individual is to relate closely to one person in particular. This produces bonding between infant and mother. Later in life the intimacy of lovers and close friends develops, one learns to be close to others without losing one's own identity. Intimacy develops on the edge of fusion (identification with the other) and self-assertion. The antithesis: fusion versus autonomy is solved by â€Å"sharing†.A person who feels supported by a strong feeling of identity can reach out and become intimate with others thereby enriching their lives. The intimacy offered in return, is a reinforcement of one's own identity. If something in the sphere of intimacy is lacking, a patient may experience trouble in developing adequate social coping skills. In a therapist an unrequited need for intimacy may give rise to problems: the transfer of feelings by the patient to the therapist may cause confusion and elicit inadequate responses. 11. 2. Drives and emotions The art of living is making the right choices and decisions. This aspect of human behaviour is studied by motivation theory. It is an important domain for the communication pathologist: many disorders have their beginning in this sphere. 11. 2. 4 Relating socially In the process of self-actualisation this is the buffer-zone that people build around their identity and intimacy. Human drives and motivations are consummated in the social sphere: identity is fostered, intimacy has to be actualised in a social context.Interaction takes place with members of the family and other people in the environment, in an ever widening circle. Out of early experiences with socialisation a complex scene of transactions between people will grow, which E. Berne has aptly described as activities, pass-times and â€Å"games†. A fair number of games get people entangled in risky social habits of which they themselves are hardly aware. A life-scenario with unwholesome games may include some vicious speech- and voice ne uroses.Replacing the dominating games and changing the scenario, by role-playing and practising game-free relationships can bring about a profound change. It will bring the person closer to a true feeling of identity (instead of a fake one) and to genuine intimate relationships. 11. 2. 5 Creative energy and the power of will Men and women are often judged by the impression of power they display in carrying out their designs and resolutions, in demanding achievements from themselves and in dominating others or, on the other hand by submitting to others.Phantasy and creative power are important factors in people's lives, and so are ambition and perseverance to carry out one's design. 11. 2. 6 Cognition: perception, discrimination, evaluation In this sphere the person keeps his internal image of the environment and of his own functioning in this environment. Cognition has been collected from and pervades all previous levels: identity, intimacy, emotional self-preservation, relating to others, creativity and willpower, have their involuntary controls as well as a conscious representation.By rational thought the person tries to make sense of what is happening to him and to his environment. Rational though they may seem to be, thoughts may be subject to distortion: Misinterpretations and false expectations may occur as a consequence of exceptionally strong experiences dating far back in time. [pic] 4. ) define public relations http://www. businessdictionary. com: The profession or practice of creating and maintaining goodwill of an organization's various publics (customers, employees, investors, suppliers, etc. , usually through publicity and other nonpaid forms of communication. These efforts may also include support of arts, charitable causes, education, sporting events, and other civic engagements. http://www. prsa. org: â€Å"Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publi cs. † www. answers. com (Britannica): Aspect of communications that involves promoting a desirable image for a person or group seeking public attention.

Historical Development of Nursing Timeline Essay

This paper discusses a timeline of the development of nursing science history starting with Florence Nightingale to present times. Florence Nightingale will always be associated with nursing, regardless how the field of nursing changes. Significant historical events to include dates which have enhanced the field of nursing will be discussed. Over the past century, the field of nursing has been positively impacted by numerous theories. (Kendall, 2011). Florence Nightingale, worked to improve conditions of soldiers in the Crimean War (1854), and she is known for laying the foundation for professional nursing (Kendall, 2011). Statistical charts and graphs were utilized by Florence Nightingale for the support of her theory as the first nursing theory (Donahue, 1996). For example, her theory related to a positive, clean environment. In 1859, Florence Nightingale published a small book called Notes on Nursing, relating to how to take care of babies (Florence Nightingale). Florence Nightingale was responsible for providing a new image for female nurses as a profession. She opened the Nightingale School of Nursing, the first formal nurse training program (Brestovansky, 2014). For example, the Nightingale Training School was opened in 1860, and modern nursing was created (Florence Nightingale). She also reformed midwife practices and established a health visitor service in Britain (Brestovansky, 2014). The 1950’s introduced theorists such as Orem and Peplau, and the existence of psychological theories entered during this century (Kiikkala and Munnukka, 2006). For example, the patient’s needs were a focus of the theories related to psychology. The self-care theory related to a goal of a person caring for themselves. And if they are not self-deficit, a nurse will be expected to care for the individual (Kiikkala and Munnukka, 2006). During this same period of the 1950’s, a developmental theory was developed that related to nursing and interpersonal relationships (Kiikkala and Munnukka, 2006). Peplau’s  theory regarded nursing as interpersonal because of a common goal between two or more people (2011). This common goal contributed to a mutual respect between the patient and nurse (Peplau, 2011). Nursing Theory Timelines (Development of Nursing, 2013). 1860- Florence Nightingale: Manipulating the client’s environment facilitates the body’s reparative processes. 1952- Hildegard Peplau: Nursing is a therapeutic interpersonal process. 1955- Henderson: The needs often called Henderson’s 14 basic needs. 1960- Faye Abdellah: The nursing theory describes delivering of nursing care for the whole person. It relates to the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual needs of the client and family. 1962- Ida Orlando: The client is an individual that has a need. When met distress diminishes, adequacy increases, or enhances well-being. 1968- Dorothy Johnson’s theory of nursing focuses on the client’s adaption to illness. It also focuses on how actual or potential stress can affect the ability to adapt. The focus of the goal is on nursing to reduce stress. Therefore, the client can move more easily through recovery. 1970- Martha Rogers Theory: Health Promotion wellness, prevention of illness, and rehabilitation of the ill and disabled client through â€Å"humanistic science of nursing 1971-Dorothea Orem: The theory is about a self-care deficit theory. Nursing care becomes necessary when the client is unable to fulfill biological, psychological, developmental, or social needs. 1971- Imogene King: Communication can assist the individual reestablish positive adaptation to environment. 1972- Betty Neumann: The goal of system model of nursing practice is stress reduction . 1979- Roy Callista: The adaptation model is based on the physiological, psychological, sociological and dependence-independence adaptive modes. 1979- Watson’s Theory: Watson’s philosophy defines the outcome of nursing activity in regard to the; humanistic aspects of life. The 1990’s-2000’s consists of numerous research studies which test and e xpand nursing theory (History of Nursing Science, 2013). The late 20th century continued to expand research studies and nursing theories. Practice orientation was the focus in the late 20th century which continues today Nursing Science and Profession Relationship Nursing science and the profession have been seen as complex for  numerous years (Lindberg, 2005). According to Lindberg, the complexity of the healthcare system, increased technology, and the speed of care provided are contributors to the complexity of nursing science and the professional relationship. Science provides an increasing flow of contributions to the nursing care delivery which enhances the professional relationship (Lindberg, 2005). It is vital for nursing scholars and leaders to get involved in the new science for insights that will enable nurses to enhance the well-being of patients (Lindberg, 2005). For example, nurses play a central role in health care; a complex system, and they interact with numerous elements of the system. These elements involve patients, families, physicians, communities and public health agencies according to Lindberg (2005). Influences on Nursing Science of Other Disciplines The disciplines of philosophy, religion, education, anthropology, social sciences and psychology positively impact nursing (History of Nursing Science, 2013). According to The History of Nursing Science (2013), the individuals impacted by these disciplines are the ones who deliver nursing practice. Conclusion The roles of nurses continue to expand, and theories are used to improve quality of care. A time line of important events in the field of nursing which. has contributed to the profession has been discussed. Nursing is committed to serve the healthcare needs of society. Throughout history, nursing has shown the uniqueness of the profession. The nursing practice benefits daily from the interaction with other disciplines. Numerous positive outcomes have occurred throughout the decades with the use of theories for the enhancement of the quality of patient care. References Brestovansky, L (2014). A history in nursing. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5364906_history-nursing.html Development of Nursing Theories (2013). Retrieved from http://www.currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/development_of_nursing_theories.html Donahue, P. A. (1996). Nursing: The Finest Art (2nd ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. Nightingale, F. Timeline part 2:1850-1901. Retrieved from http://www.countryjoe.com/nightingale/tl2.htm Kendall, C. (2010). Nursing history theory and timeline. Retrieved from http://www.careerpath360.com/index.php/nursing-history-theory-and-timeline- 10767/ Kiikkala PhD, I., & Munnukka PhD, T. (2006). Nursing Research: On What Basis? [Entire issue]. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19(2). doi: 10.1111/j.1365- 2648.1994. tb01087.x Lindberg, C. (2005). Complexity: The science of the 21st century. Retrieved from https://stti.confex.com/stti/bcscience38/techprogram/paper_25908.htm Peplau, H. (2011). Theory of interpersonal relationships.. Retrieved from http://nursingtheories.weebly.com/hildegard-e-peplau.html The History of Nursing Theory (2013). Retrieved from http://prezi.com/nfrrptnxrczz/the-history-of-nursing-science/

Vocabulary Game Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Vocabulary Game - Research Paper Example II. Players: The participants are divided into two to four teams. Each team is divided into equal members. Ideally, each team should be composed of at least four members but not more than eight people in one group to make sure that each member are able to contribute and participate in the activity. III. Materials: white board (paper), markers (pens or pencils), whistle, and timer. IV. How to Play: First, the moderator/ teacher would provide the instructions of the game—each team would be given two minutes to list down as many words as they could think of per category mentioned. Then, the teams would have to wait for the signal from the moderator before they could proceed from writing. And once the category is given, the moderator would signal that the time had start by whistling. When the time is up, the moderator would whistle again and the participants would have to hold up their markers/pen to ensure that everyone had stopped writing. For instance, the category is â€Å"co ntinental breakfast† each team would then have to make a â€Å"menu list† of dishes that are considered to be continental breakfast—i.e. omelets, hash browns, French toasts, oatmeal, bagels. Categories could also work based on themes like ‘fruit-based dishes,’ ‘salads,’ ‘Mexican food,’ ‘pasta,’ ‘liquid form,’ any category that would inspire participants to think creatively and would invoke fun and humor to the game. This would make learning more interactive and enjoyable without the participants noticing that they are not only learning new words but they are also developing their socialization skills and confidence through interaction, team work and cooperation by working together as one group. V. Winner: To determine the winner, for each category, the moderator would have to check the list that each team had made for any errors and repetitions. The checking would be done by the moderator and the ot her teams to ensure transparency. The most number of items listed per category wins one point. Points are cumulative. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. VI. Variations: There are many variations that could be made to this game. Though the game is called â€Å"menu listing† modification could be made to fit required lesson. If for instance the lesson is about pronouns or synonyms/ antonyms, ask the participants to catalog pronouns or synonyms/antonyms of the given category. Menu Listing Game, an Analysis Vocabulary games are important learning tools for English Language Learners because it helps them get more acquainted with recognizable words and familiarize themselves with words that they do not often hear or use. Vocabulary improvement activities according to August, et al (2006), must include â€Å"both definitional information and contextual information about each word’s meaning, and that effective instruction actively involves students in word learning and provides multiple exposures to meaningful information about each word† (p. 97). Vocabulary games also develop the students’ knowledge with the various parts of speeches as it becomes the focal point of the game—through the categories, to which the game is played. For instance, since the topic of our discussion is noun/ pronoun I based the ‘menu listing game’

ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM - Essay Example The Supreme Court exists over the Court of Appeal; the decisions of the Court of Appeal can be challenged and appealed in the Supreme Court. Criminal Division The decisions of the Crown Court can be challenged in the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal. Civil Division The cases relating to the family justice and the civil law from the High Court, the County Courts in certain cases and the Tribunals; all can be appealed in the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal. High Court They, the Queen’s Bench Division, the Chancery Division, and the Family Division, are included in the legal structure of the High Court. Verdicts of the High Court may be appealed to the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal. Queen’s Bench Division: Technology and Construction Court (TCC) This Division hears the cases of disputes in the technology and construction involving questions and issues which are technically complex. In such cases, a specialist TCC judge is desirable to hear the proceed ings of the cases. Queen’s Bench Division: Mercantile Court The national and international business disputes involving complexity and claims of lesser value are heard in the Division; the cases must be other than those heard by the Commercial Court. Queen’s Bench Division: Commercial Court The Commercial Court of the Queen’s Bench Division hears the cases of disputes of the national and international business level relating to the commodities, banking, arbitration dispute and international trade. Queen’s Bench Division: Admiralty Court The shipping and maritime disputes are heard in the Admiralty Court of the Queen’s Bench Division. Disputes concerning collisions, carriage of cargo, salvage, limitation, and mortgage are heard in the Division. The Admiralty Court by exercising its legal power can issue an order arresting cargoes and vessels. Queen’s Bench Division: Administrative Court Administrative Court is entrusted with a considerable jur isdiction. It hears statutory appeals and application, applications under the Drug Trafficking Act 1984 and the Criminal justice Act 1988, and judicial reviews as well. In addition, the Division is entrusted to observe the legality factor of decisions and actions of the tribunals and inferior courts, Ministers of the Crown, local authorities and other public bodies. The Chancery Division: Companies Court Companies related disputed are heard by the Companies Court of the Chancery Division. The cases of commercial fraud, management of company, director’s disqualification, business disputes and insolvency, are brought into the Companies Court. The Chancery Division: Divisional Court Cases concerning bankruptcy, tax partnership, trusts, equity, contentious probate and land, are heard by the Divisional Court of the Chancery Division. The Chancery Division: Patents Court The Patents Court of the Chancery Division hears the cases of copyright, trademark and patent, intellectual prop erty and passing off. Family Division: Divisional Court Family disputes are mostly brought into the Divisional Court of the Family Division. The disputes concerning parentage, domestic violence, family homes, children custody, adoption, annulment, separation, medical treatment and divorce declarations, are heard by the Division. County Courts The County Courts hear cases concerning claims for debts repayment, contract breach involving goods or property, family issues, housing issues and enforcement of the previous decisions of the County Court.

Offenders Facing the Death Penalty Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Offenders Facing the Death Penalty - Term Paper Example The population consisting of blacks has been selected for this study. Characteristics and challenges they face in prison Since the time of slavery when the black people were considered as property, the injustice meted out to this category of the population has never lessened. Studies reveal that the blacks are more subject to death penalties than the whites. This bias stems from the fact that a majority of these decisions are made by the white. The blacks are 3.9 times more likely to face death penalty on committing crimes of similar magnitude as done by the whites. (Dieter, 1998) The blacks facing death penalties suffer from mental trauma and helplessness during their stay in the prison. 5 to 10% of those facing death penalty suffer from grave mental illness. Severe mental trauma causes brain damage. This results in impairment of normal physical, behavioral and cognitive functions. These people often face physical and / or sexual abuse in the prison (Mental Illness on Death Row, n.d .) How they adjust to incarceration The prisons in the US- particularly in Texas and California are faced with overcrowding. This has negatively affected the living conditions in prison, prisoner’s safety and proper prison management. ... The prisoners are hyper vigilant about impending threats and danger. They fail to trust their fellow prisoners because of fear of getting victimized. This tendency is seen more in the Blacks, since they are the potential targets of victimization. A research in this regard reveals that about 40% prisoners avoid high risk areas in prison. Most of these prisoners spend additional time in their unit to avoid getting victimized. Almost 75% of prisoners act tough with others to avoid being exploited. Also, about 25% prisoners keep weapons with them to protect themselves. These behaviors on the part of the prisoners reflect the high degree of distrust among them. (Haney, 2002) Social withdrawal and isolation is another method adopted by the prisoners in order to adjust to incarceration. It involves withdrawal from group activities in the prison. The prisoners do not interact with others in such situation. They adopt evasion tactic to cope with the situation. The state of withdrawal is assoc iated with psychological depression. The attitude, behavior and perception of the Blacks facing death penalty can be studied by categorizing them into six categories. These are as follows: Indifference: This behavior is expressed in a consistent manner during the early days of trial. It is characterized by lack of concern for the things happening around. It is caused due to utter disbelief in the situation. (Radelet, 1990, p. 42) Resignation: After the indifference phase comes resignation. It is caused because of the feeling that waiting for death is more difficult than dying. The offenders facing death penalty seek their execution and do not want to undergo further trial. The case of Rumbaugh in 1982 can be used to clarify

Royal Opera House analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Royal Opera House analysis - Term Paper Example d analysis of the entire organization, products, uniqueness, strengths and weaknesses of it as a business model, and other imperative sectors which will enable others to understand how this organization functions and targets its demographic in order to serve the public by meeting cultural desires of the people for entertainment and also to provide jobs for those who are employed by the ballet and opera house as performers. The organization itself is a series of different theaters, both inside and outside that are home to the ballet, opera, and orchestra and also show many other performances. Not only is there an entertainment sector, but there is also an educational sector that serves as a program for young and promising dancers and musicians to further their knowledge in hopes to try their own personal talent. The students are coached as if at a school and become more formally educated than they would at a public or private school in London. The Royal Opera House is one of the top theaters in the world. While there are numerous other theaters in the area, many are much smaller than the Royal Opera House. This organization is supported by patrons, donors, and even grants. However, additional income is earned through the bars and restaurants that are included within the Royal Opera House. Another portion that serves as a fundraising opportunity for the organization is the gift shop which offers products both for sale onsite and also on the Internet. Music and the arts as a source of entertainment is very popular in this area. Located in the City of London, it is a place where not only locals but visitors can attend performances all year long. Many of the productions are targeted toward elitists. However, many of the programs produced at the Royal Opera House are starting to focus more on the youth. One recommendation is that the Royal Opera House continue to market toward the youth both as performers and as audience members. This is an excellent

Business -Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business -Assignment - Essay Example The increase in unemployment would result to lesser people having jobs. Lesser people having jobs would translate to lesser Tesco sales. People have less money to buy Tesco products. Clearly, one possible effect is the decline in the company’s sales(Geroski & Gregg, 1997,49). Another possibility is the increase in variable expenses. Inflation would translate to higher prices of commodities, raw materials and other purchase amounts. The company must spend more to purchase the same number of inventory sold in the Tesco Plc stores. The prices of other products sold in its outlets would rise. Obviously, another possibility is the increase in variable expenses(Lipsey & Chrystal,2007,334). A third possibility is an increase in fixed expenses. The electricity cost could increase because of the increase in the electricity company’s operating expenses. The water utility company would increase prices. The telephone costs could demand a price increase. The fixed salary of Tesco employees could increase. Definitely, A third possibility is an increase in fixed expenses(Ingham,2000,47). A fourth possibility is the decline in purchases. A decline in sales would result to an oversupply of products being displayed at the Tesco Plc shops. Many of the inventory items displayed in the Tesco Plc will have a high probability of expiring because of the slowdown in demand for Tesco Plc product. The company, Tesco Plc, will be forced to reduce the number of items purchased due to the large stocks of unsold store items displayed. This reduction in Tesco Plc purchases would ensure that the newly bought products will be sold only after the prior –purchased products have been sold. Surely, a fourth possibility is the decline in purchases(Mullard, 1995,113). A fifth possibility is retrenchment of some employees. A reduction in sales would mean that the company may generate a large decline in the company’s products. Thus, the company has to

Uncertainty reduction theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Uncertainty reduction theory - Essay Example I did not want to speak up, because of the fear that I may offend my new friend, but still, I wanted to express my-self. However, through the axioms of the uncertainty reduction theory, I was able to create and maintain a positive relationship with my friend. Thee first principle that was applicable to my relationship, was based on the ideas that Berger proposed, concerning verbal communication. This is the first axiom of uncertainty reduction theory (Rodriguez, 56). According to this axiom, an increase in the level of verbal communication between strangers manages to reduce the rate of uncertainty. This was directly applicable in my relationship, because I constantly maintained a series of verbal communication with my new friend. The next axiom is non-verbal warmth. An increase in non-verbal communication has the capability of reducing uncertainty. This includes smiles, head nods, hugs, etc. These were widely used in my relationships, because I constantly smiled on my new friend, whenever we met. The third and the fourth axioms involved information seeking and self-disclosures. Under information seeking, the parties to the relationship are involved in looking for information about each other. These types of information include the likes, the dislikes, the culture, the age, and other attributes of their friend. This is important because it would help in creating a relationship that is based on the understanding of the other person. Self-disclosure involves disclosing information pertaining to ourselves to each other. This was an important to my case, because I managed to explain to my friend all about my-self, my family, my likes and dislikes. This played a great role in reducing uncertainty between my friend and my-self. Due to my self-disclosure, my friend was able to reciprocate, and disclose more about himself. This brings us to the fifth axiom which is reciprocity (Baxter and Barbara, 108). Under this concept, when the uncertainty is high,

Professional Services Firms Ideal Location and Building Layout Assignment

Professional Services Firms Ideal Location and Building Layout - Assignment Example Examples of professional services firms include accountants, architects, attorneys, brokerage firms, software consultants, business consultants, and engineering design consultants etc. The similarity between the above-stated professionals is that that the jobs which are done by these individuals cannot be done by the individuals or the businesses on their own. For example, a business setup cannot have a software consultant of its own which is certainly needed by the business set up for software development. Such capabilities and technical knowledge are not expected to be possessed by any individual or employee of business so these capabilities have to be acquired by hiring the services of professional services firms. The location decision for a professional services firm depends on the following factors: - Services were already provided in the vicinity. - Employment at the site. - The area is available. - Other businesses already present at the site. - The availability of the required workforce in the locality. - The rent of the site and the financial matters related to the site allocation. - The extent of customer interaction with the firms already working at the site. - Location (downtown, near downtown, elsewhere in the city, suburban or rural). - Previous history of similar kind of businesses working in the area. - The financial considerations regarding construction in the locality if a permanent office has to be established. - Accessibility for the customers.   - The traffic control, environmental pollution and noise pollution levels in the area.

Prepare an analysis of ethics in the 21st Century Essay

Prepare an analysis of ethics in the 21st Century - Essay Example It has been viewed that majority of the organizations value ethics for the purpose of attaining several significant benefits. The benefits may include enhancing the procedure of decision-making, improving profitability in the long-run, generating credibility and most importantly accomplishing a superior competitive position (Mahdavi, n.d.). In this discussion, the perception of ethics as well as its importance in the competitive financial market will be taken into concern. Additionally, a fundamental analysis of ethics in relation to 21st century will also be described in the discussion. Role of Ethics in 21st Century Ethics is known to play a decisive part in every business organization. It can be stated that an organizational structure related to the learning of business ethics is given increased importance. This is due to the reason that different roles as well as job descriptions which exist in a particular business organization might trigger some sorts of unethical behavior. It has been viewed that ethics broadly contributes to the organizations by assisting them to make effectual decisions which in turn enhances their productivity as well as profitability by a substantial level. By considering this factor, it can be stated that ethical behavior in organizations is majorly found to be occupying a central position in this era of 21st century. It not only affects the procedure of decision-making but also aids to develop the prevailing culture of organizations (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2009). It has been observed that the aspect of ethics has become a topmost priority for the business organizations in the era of 21st century. The organizations strongly believe that their technological advancements, organizational strategies as well as goals and values are considerably related to ethics. Moreover, the interrelation between the business leaders, customers, vendors and clients are supposed to get duly affected by ethics. In this regard it can be mentioned t hat the main intention of forming an ethical organizational background relates to the actuality of incessantly developing the relationships to avail significant benefits such as increased market share, business reputation and profitability. The organizations prioritize ethics because they realize that it is quite necessary for them to safeguard their business reputation and evade any sort of unfavorable media coverage. In the recent era i.e. in the 21st century, ethics is offered prime significance as it is regarded as a â€Å"values-based culture†. It has been observed that ethics is neither considered to be an alternative nor a comfort. It is simply an approach which emphasizes upon the competencies, intelligences and experiences of the members at all levels of an organization. According to various researches, it has been noted that there exists certain vital factors which contributes towards generating a values-based culture. The important factors include shared values, mo ral courage, commitment and common language (Brimmer, 2007). In relation to the factor of shared values, there are certain core values which can be observed in all the global cultures. The core values comprise honesty, compassion, accountability, fairness and respect. These vital core values act as a driving force which ultimately supports the organizations to formulate

Improvement in Operational Efficiency Due Essay Example for Free

Improvement in Operational Efficiency Due Essay IT Investments ply chain integration; and euro conversion. Many IT landmarks have been achieved during this period: more than 4 billion Web pages on the Internet; creation of software to combat cyber worms, viruses, and warfare; millions of distributed databases; and widespread utilization of data warehouses and data mining for decision support systems. To support these IT initiatives and to achieve these landmarks, IT budgets of most companies during this decade Copyright  © 2006, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. Information Resources Management Journal, 19(2), 18-36, April-June 2006 19 increased substantially (Seewald, 2002). There is, however, a growing criticism of escalating IT investments (Mears Dubie, 2002) and their lack of justification (Krochmel, 1999). ERP systems are software systems to support and to automate the business processes, providing timely and accurate enterprise-wide information for decision making. ERP systems have a long history of evolution. The production scheduling, material ordering, and product shipment systems evolved from manual reorder point systems for material procurement to computerized Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) to Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP-II) systems that integrated MRP and capacity requirements planning to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that further integrated MRP-II and shop floor and device control systems, and finally to ERP systems. Much of the streamlining of materials procurement process was achieved by MRP and MRP-II. By the late 1980s, tens of thousands of firms were using MRP-II systems (Rondeau Litteral, 2001). The SAP R/3 modules and submodules consisting of sales and distribution, materials management, warehouse management, quality management, production planning for process industries, financial accounting, controlling, project system, and office communication were expected to reduce inventories, improve cash management, and cut down operating expenses. Kalling (2003) recently provided a theoretical framework in which resource-based views (RBV) are advanced to understand how ERP can provide sustainable competitive advantage. The RBV is not universally accepted as a final explanation of competitive advantage. Some believe that dynamic capabilities, not resources, are the source of competitive advantage. It is possible that ERP provides both unique resources as well as dynamic capabilities in the form of improved information and decision making to improve competitive advantage. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems To avoid struggling with integrating myriad IT applications, many companies implemented ERP systems that required substantial investment of time, internal resources, and capital, resulting in significant organizational change (Dorien Wolf, 2002). Often, ERP system implementation is accompanied by other improvements and enhancements in existing legacy systems. Due to many simultaneous changes that accompany ERP system implementation, it is hard to attribute any performance changes after ERP system installation solely to ERP systems. However, ERP system implementation is, by far, the most criticized aspect of IT investments. ERP systems require outlays ranging from a few million dollars to several hundred million dollars (Mabert et al. , 2001). Despite high expenditures, ERP implementations have resulted in problems. Rushed software installations and inadequate training are blamed for well-publicized troubles with ERP. In 1999, soon after the rollout of its ERP system, Hershey Food Corp. , in the third quarter of that year, lost $60. 4 million due to problems in customer service, warehousing, order processing, and timely shipments to retailers. ERP implementation problems of Whirlpool Corporation and W. L. Gore Associates Inc. also have received considerable attention (Collett, 1999). The bankruptcy of FoxMeyer (a drug distribution company) in 1996 is directly attributed by many to flawed implementation of ERP systems. www. igi-global. com/article/improvement-operational-efficiency-due-erp/1289 www. igi-global. com/chapter/tutor/13373 www. igi-global. com/chapter/object-database-benchmarks/14575

Virgin Media Business Strategy

Virgin Media Business Strategy This report is a study of Virgin Media Inc and the business strategies that define the company. The analysis was an attempt to correlate the theories that define the business strategies of a company and the practical approach taken by Virgin Media in those areas. So we have performed a study of the Marketing Mix of Virgin Media and based on our findings a SWOT Analysis of Virgin Media. From the results of the SWOT analysis we have drawn our conclusions of what Virgin Media has to focus on in the future and predict the path that they should take. Virgin Media: A First Look Virgin Media is a leading name in the communication and entertainment sector providing a â€Å"quad play† of services consisting of broadband, television, mobile and fixed line telephone. The company was founded by Sir Richard Branson and has James Mooney as the company chairperson and Neil Berkett as chief executive officer of the firm. It has established itself as UKs leading media and communication provider and has built its large business through constant innovation, successful diversification and competitive product design using a future proof strong communication network. Virgin Medias three main operating segments Cable Mobile Content The cable segment offers broadband Internet, television and fixed-line telephone services under the Virgin Media brand to residential customers in U.K. In the mobile segment Virgin Mobile has teamed up with T-Mobile by purchasing airtime from T-Mobile and branding it under the Virgin Mobile brand name. The content segment includes eight genre-based entertainment channels, including Virgin1, Living, Bravo, Trouble, Challenge and Challenge Jackpot. The content segment also oversees the companys interest in the UKTV television channels through joint ventures with BBC Worldwide. There is also the Video On Demand services and the website services that provide movies, TV shows and news to the customers. History of Virgin Media In March 2006 NTL and Telewest which were UKs leading cable companies merged together to become the provider of UKs leading triple-play services. Later in July 2006 the merged company acquired Virgin Mobile providing the first quadruple-play offer of TV, internet and fixed and mobile telephony services from a single operator. Finally in February 2007 the combined companies were rebranded and launched as Virgin Media. Virgin Media has rebranded Ntl:Telewest, the companys business Internet Service Provider (ISP), as Virgin Media Business. Virgin Media is the largest privately built network in the UK, with 330 Ethernet PoPs and over 38,000 street cabinets across the country. Virgin Media Inc. Is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED) Track Record Virgin offers ultrafast internet access of up to 50Mb to just over half of all homes in UK. Virgin Media has one of UKs most advanced TV on demand services and was the first TV platform to carry BBC iPlayer.(#CITATION) .It is the second largest provider of pay TV, was the first to launch a high definition TV service and offers a high-specification, HD-ready V+ personal video recorder. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country. Virgin Media has also announced that it would be launching 100 Meg broadband services by the end of December 2010. â€Å"We are expanding our trials of a 200Mb broadband service and are planning the commercial launch of a 100Mb service later this year. The development of our next generation TV platform is progressing well and we are confident it will provide the UKs most accessible, comprehensive and seamless home entertainment experience. â€Å", Says Neil Burkett CEO of Virgin Media. Virgin medias performance in the stock market has improved over the last year. Its share price fell in the beginning of 2008 but remained stable during the recession period. Stock price have been rising from the fourth quarter after the company announced its successful Q4 results for the year 2009 .This shows that company has gained the trust of the investors. Technology Virgin Media is one of the largest residential broadband providers in the UK using a unique fiber optic cable network. It is the first company in UK to offer Broadband, Telephone, and TV through its fiber optic cable network. The fiber optic cable is made of glass and it delivers vast amounts of information at the speed of light whereas other providers use copper wires to deliver information, which is much slower than optical fibers. The fiber optic network gives the customer all the benefits of next generation telecoms: It helps to reduce costs through voice and data convergence It quickly transfer large volumes of data Helps to centralize and secure your data storage Instantly implement disaster recovery plans Key Facts about Virgin Media Revenue: 3.8 Billion (GBP) Employees: 10939 Marketing Orientation The aim of a Market oriented company is to satisfy the customer needs and requirements and to align their products and services to the demands of the customers. A typical marketing orientation model is shown below. A market oriented company tries to continuously improve customer satisfaction. To deliver superior customer value they pay close attention to service, both before and after sales. The concept of market orientation is built on three pillars of: Customer focus Coordinated marketing Profitability. An organizations capabilities to develop an orientation towards each of these three pillars depend on the internal structure and culture. Virgin Media follows a market orientation strategy in which the company is concerned about the customers requirements and needs. It pays attention to what its customer needs and delivers the information accordingly. Also due to high competition amongst various service providers Virgin Media also follows Sales orientation in which the company pays attention to the s of sales as well. Virgin Media has put together 3 strategic priorities in its â€Å"Manifesto†: Engaging our people Growing our business Fixing the fundamentals Virgin media has created a broad portfolio that can be tailored to enables its marketers to meet customer requirements. Product diversification within a single business allows it to be one step ahead of its competitors. Virgin Media believes in continuously interacting with its customers, either on day-to-day basis or in one of their stores, during a home installation or on the phone with one of Virgin Medias agents. Virgin Media uses a management tool called â€Å"Net Promoter† to monitor and measure the customer feedback. This helps the company to improve their performance by analyzing the feedback and suggestions from its customers. Show below are statistics of Virgin Medias customers and the number of customers added in 2009. Competitive advantage Competitive advantage is termed as â€Å"The achievement of superior performance through differentiation to provide superior customer value or by managing achieve lowest delivered cost† (Jobber, D., (2009), Principles and practice of marketing, 914) UK has become a highly competitive market for the telecom sector. With the government pushing for improved broadband services for everyone (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8012848.stm) Broadband speed offered by service providers has gone from up 14.4 kbps to 50 mbps. There is a cutthroat competition in the broadband sector with more than 20 companies serving 61.4 million population of UK. (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1352). Due to this intense competition major market players like BT, Virgin media and Sky have almost similar packages offered to their customers while playing to their strengths in different market segments. Sky offers the most number of channels than any other service provider in UK and hence sky subscribers tend to be those who prefer their superior television services whereas Virgin media advertises its superior broadband network and hence its subscribers are normally those who use internet more. BT has more customer base due to its economical packages (Table 1). Services offered 2 Comparison of the basic packages offered by BT, Sky and Virgin Media * Package information taken from * http://allyours.virginmedia.com/?buspart=Portal_HP_topnav_1_1 * http://www.sky.com/shop/bundles-offers/popular-bundles/ * http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayCategory.do?categoryId=CON-BT-BUNDLE-Is_intcid=con_intban_overview_packages_home In HDTV section Sky seems doing far better than Virgin media. They have positioned well in HD TV market. Virgins video on demand service is highly acclaimed by the viewers (750m views in 2009, 50% rise over previous year). Bravo, a pay channel of Virgin media has acquired exclusive rights of the US block buster series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Despite this Sky added 172,000 customers in the fourth quarter and Virgin media added only 34,200 new subscribers. Due to the uniqueness of services offered by sky Virgin media seems is lagging behind in the race when it comes to TV channels. In order to study the competitive advantage a company has over its competitors, Porter, M. E. (1998) suggested the five forces model. Analysis of Five forces for Virgin Media: Entry barriers: Entry into the telecom industry is primarily determined by the high cost of the fixed assets. There are significant costs to be incurred like the cost of establishing the network, operating costs of the network and associated infrastructural costs. Virgin media has spent billions of pounds just to lay the optic fiber cable network required. Acquiring telecast rights for sporting events, TV shows etc. is also a key entry barrier determinant as the competition for the rights normally increases the price, making it harder for new entrants. BT a significant competitor and running on an aging copper based network is finding it hard to convince its investors to develop infrastructure after incurring current losses in excess of  £7b. The telecom industry is an extremely competitive market where key market players try to make profits through sales volumes and not price. So for an entrant into the market the initial return on investment will be low and market expectations for generating profits in the long run are low as well. The market is also highly competitive and any product or service is immediately replicated by the competitors. For example BT has offered a 40 mbps broadband service to compete directly with Virgin Medias 50 mbps broadband service. There is a significantly high cost for advertisement as the competition is with established brands with significant brand recall. The telecommunication service is a vital and intensely used and hence customers demand high quality of service. Service complaints are investigated by OfCom, UKs independent regulator of the telecommunications industry and hefty fines are placed on service providers for poor service quality. All these factors combined reduce the number of new entrants into the telecommunications sector. Rivalry determinants: Due to the presence of significant market players like SKY and BT, there is intense competition in the telecom industry. Increase reliance on internet has increase customer expectations and dominant market players frequently reduce prices to attract more customers. There is hence a reduction in overall profitability and investments are hence done cautiously. Key market players have strong brand names and hence significant brand loyalty. Competing brands have their unique strengths making it difficult for users to switch networks. Sky network offer premium television content and hence retain its customers even though Virgin Media has a superior high speed internet network. Customers also find it easier to take all the bundled services from a single provider due to advantages like ease of payment and discounts on bundled deals. High switching costs hence make it increasing difficult for Virgin Media to increase its market share. Supplier power: To develop a cost leadership advantage one really needs to control supplier power. This is one big determinant of economies of scale. As there are many competitors in the telecom sector, suppliers tend to demand higher prices for the services in od force the company to provide better deals. The supplier may refuse to work with the company if their demands are not met and provide its services to a competitor. For example Sky charges a high wholesale price to its competitors like Virgin Media to permit them to display their premium offerings like sports. Since Sky has all the associated broadcasting rights and Sports channels are in great demand by the UK consumer, Virgin media and BT have no choice but to pay more for the content. Owing to this fact Sky has become a dominant force in the Television sector as its competitors are not able to match its prices. Threat of substitutes: There are players like Sky and BT in the bundled services market segment and O2, Vodafone Talk-talk etc. in individual service market segment. All of them offer comparatively similar services at very competitive prices. Due to this it is difficult for a new customer to choose a service. The choice may then be made instantaneously and based on current need. For example a sports fan when choosing a new service may immediately go for the Sky network without much consideration to the quality of the other networks. Existing customers may also be tempted to switch networks due to economic or service based needs. Virgin Media could lose an existing customer to BT which offers more economical bundle packages and with the upcoming sports events like the football world cup and London Olympics it could lose customers to the Sky network as well. Also in order to reduce network congestion during peak hours, Virgin Media throttles the network speed and this has irked some of its internet users. If a rival service makes a claim that it does not perform such a speed check on the network, users may switch to the rival network. Buyer power: Every service provider in the telecom sector aims at minimizing its churn rate (rate at which a customer leaves the service).Hence the customer enjoys a greater degree of bargaining power. Service providers tend to offer discounts and cheaper rates to ensure that they do not lose customers. Virgin media may be forced to renegotiate deals with the customers in order to minimise this risk. Five forces analysis though tells us about the microenvironment of the business, it is not enough to gain competitive advantage. A firm can get competitive advantage by developing strategies to create value to customer. Michael Porter suggests that company can either differentiate their product or service by, Differentiating their product offering or Managing lowest delivered cost. Competitive strategy options model Virgin media has adopted a Differentiation leader strategy and utilises this in its advertising campaigns. Virgin Media advertisement campaigns focus on the fact that it is UKs fastest network and that it offers premium content on its Video on demand services. In a survey conducted by Ofcom Virgin media broadband speed was found to be highest in all the service providers. Traffic on Broadband Network affect Speeds In order to create differentiated or lowest cost position it is important to understand the value chain of a company. Value chain analysis provides a holistic view of the company. It provides a framework for understanding the nature and location of the skills and resources that provide a basis for competitive advantage. Activities of a company are grouped into two Primary activities that generate a profit margin for the company Support activities that facilitate the primary activities The goal of a company is to ensure that the primary activities are performed efficiently so that the costs incurred from the primary activities and support activities remain lower than the price paid by the customer for the service provided, thereby granting a profit margin to the company. Virgin Medias Value chain: An analysis. Inbound Logistics: Virgin media has tie ups with BBC, ITV and Television show broadcaster to deliver their content on its network. Having settled their disputes with Sky network regarding television content Virgin media now has a tie up agreement with Sky network for their premium television content like Sky sports, Sky one etc. However the wholesale broadcaster fee of Sky Network is high causing a significant increase in costs for Virgin media. But Virgin media does not have to depend on a third party service provider for network and related logistics because it has its own superior network and in house facilities for network management. Hence it has a significant reduction in network costs. Operations and Service: Company is rated for its internet speed and its VOD service. This indicates that they have good operations throughout the UK. Their Web support chat window appears as soon as a net user starts browsing website. The response to queries was quick and informative when tried online. BT also has similar service however it was less prompt than Virgin media. They also have their support through social networking sites like Twitter and Face book. Virgin gives all options to pay bills. Outbound logistics: Virgin media gives installation and maintenance service to all its customers. Customer can opt for e bill or a normal hard copy. When order for new connection is placed it is completed within 7 working days. Any new subscription to any of their service is completed on the same day. Because Sky is a dish network, customers are required to take permission from the societies which can cause annoyance to the customers. This gives competitive advantage as Virgin service can be obtained through BT cable. Marketing and sales: Company is strongly advertising on internet and television. They are using social networking sites aggressively for their advertising. They have completely understood the need of the segment they are targeting and marketing their broadband speed as their customer winning strategy. Company also believes that calling the customers may spoil the image of company hence they have strict rules for calling customers. Procurement: Virgin has established a code of conduct for its suppliers. Best part is that company focuses on environment and labor issues when purchasing decisions are made. Technology development: With fibre technology Virgin media become UKs second largest telecom service provider company. They are unique in the market. Company is testing 100mbps broadband speed and will be operational by 2011. They are also trialing 200 mbps broadband. Company also have technologies to support web based learning and automated hospital care; with which they are ambitious to capture the market. Human resource management: Virgin media recently axed 2200 jobs due to economic slowdown. This will have a profound effect on its image in the employees. Company seems emphasizing more on employment cuts for cost effectiveness which will affect the morale of the employees. For cutting costs Virgin Media has outsourced some of its operations like billing and front end calling. This will benefit them in reduce expenses and increase efficiency. http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2205297/virgin-signs-network-contract Firm infrastructure: Virgin media is operating in telecom market with its giant network. They have 186,000 km nationwide fibre-optic network worth  £13 billion. They also have 157 telephone switches. Their infrastructure can support 70,000 calls/minute. 35% of the UKs broadband traffic is handled by Virgin media. This works as an entry barrier for new entrants in the telecom market. Suggestions: With sound technology and infrastructure virgin media has lot of opportunities to spread its network in the rural areas. Company can improve its internal customer relationship and boost the morale of the employees. There is higher scope of improving the logistics in terms of new connections being completed within 48 hours and compete Sky network. They can also improve their billing system by offering payment through set top box. Virgin Medias Marketing Mix: An Analysis Marketing Mix: Marketing Mix is defined as â€Å"The tactical tools that marketers use to implement their strategies† (Kotler 2008: 202). The four basic factors that we analyse the marketing mix on are Product Price Place Promotion For a successful marketing strategy, one needs to come at the equilibrium of above four tools. Product â€Å"A product is anything that is capable of satisfying customer needs†, (Jobber,D 5th edition :326 ). Virgin media has four main products in its portfolio. Television Broadband Landline Mobile Virgin Medias product portfolio is built up of intangible products making the post purchase services offered to the customers like customer services, help lines and value added content an important aspect of the Augmented Virgin Media Product. Virgin Media distinguish its product from other competitors like Sky and BT by using special feature like optic fibre cable and forms a total product. The core product can be differentiated in many ways Customers can be reached by applying following marketing mix:- Functionality: Virgin medias network is fibre optic network that provided support for high bandwidth and is unique in comparison to its competitors like BT and Sky who are still dependent on Copper based data transfer networks. This has helped Virgin media to gain customers attention as customer focus is now on high speed internet. Brand: â€Å"A brand is created by augmenting a core product with values that makes the product unique and distinguishes it from the competitors†(Jobber 2007: 334). â€Å"To achieve high sales, you need a powerful Brand Name behind it , which ultimately retains their customers through† brand loyalty(Jobber 2007: 334). Having an established brand name normally puts a business in a secure position in the competitive market as customers tend to focus on perceived brand value through the strong brand name. This enables retention of even the price conscious customers due to the loyalty created with the brand. Virgin media has Customer Based Brand Equity which is defined as â€Å"The differential effect that brand knowledge has on customer response to the marketing of the product† (Jobber 2007: 332). The Virgin Group started by Sir Richard Branson has a significant market presence in various sectors due to a varied range of products like Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines. This provides a positive impact in the market as a first time customer will associate Virgin Media with the brand values and market value of the Virgin Group. Managing the Product Mix Positioning and Repositioning: Positioning â€Å"A products position is the way the product is defined by consumers on important attributes the place the product occupies in the minds relative to the competitive products.† Virgin media operates in three segments in the B2C segment. Cable segment Data Content Mobile Segment In the cable segment Virgin media occupies the position of a Market leader because of its future proof fibre optic cable network that has won it the â€Å"Fastest home broadband Award â€Å"for their 50 MB broadband services. Due to its superior network Virgin Media is able to differentially position themselves against their competitors like BT and SKY In the Data Content Segment. Virgin media occupies the position of a market In the mobile segment Virgin media is playing catch up to most other providers like O2 and 3 Mobile services. It currently has an agreement with T Mobile for use of its airtime under the brand of Virgin Media. Repositioning In Feb 2010 Virgin Media rebranded NTL/Telewest as Virgin Media Business. The rebranding came as Virgin media stepped up its effort to capture market share from BT which is the dominant operator in the B2B market segment. By rebranding the name the Virgin Media family is able to use the Virgin Brand name and improve its marketing capability. As Richard Branson has quoted â€Å"Good progress with network development leaves Virgin Media Business well positioned to expand its offer out to smaller corporates.† http://www.telecomseurope.net/content/virgin-media-branson-means-business Market Positioning Of Virgin Media: Ansoff Matrix analysis â€Å"The emphasis on product portfolio analysis is managing an existing set of products in such a way as to maximize their strengths. But companies also need to look to new products and markets for future growth. A useful way of looking at growth opportunities is the Ansoff Matrix.† Existing Market: Existing Product: The Market Penetration Strategy is used when a company attempts to capture market share by launching its own version of an existing product. Focus then is placed on aggressive advertising and promotions Virgin Media had applied this strategy to capture market share from BT when it launched its broadband services. It emphasised on advertisement campaigns and cheaper package deals to capture customers from Sky. Existing Market: New Product: The Product development strategy is used when a company attempts to launch a new product in an established market catering to its existing customer base. Virgin Media has proposed to launch its 100 mbps broadband service as an upgraded product to its customers to improve on its existing portfolio offerings New Market: Existing Product: The Market development strategy is used when a company attempts to target a new market with an existing product. Virgin media launched its broadband services with a fixed focus on home customers. Utilising its existing network and operational services it has re-launched its B2C arm as Virgin Media Business in order to capture market share from BT. New Market: New Product: The Diversification strategy where a company launches new products in new markets where it had no market presence at all. While Virgin Media was a diversification strategy of Virgin group there is no product or strategy currently utilised by Virgin Media to justify this approach. The intense competitive nature of the business also makes it riskier for the company to attempt such diversification at this point of time. Stages of PLC for Virgin Media: Product development: When an established company enters in the market with new product with new design and development, the sales are zero. Virgin media has not disclosed any information about a product in this stage and typically this information would be secret as the telecommunication industry is highly competitive. Introduction: When a new product is introduced in an established market, the profit would be very less and the cost of introduction of the product would be very high , also it will lead to a small growth in sales. Virgin Media has launched its 100 mbps Broadband service as test service in Coventry on a test basis. Growth: When the new product is accepted in the market company starts making the profit , this period of acceptance and the profit would fall into ‘Growth of the PLC graph. Virgin medias VOD services fall in the Growth sector as it has recorded a 50 % growth in 2009. Maturity: When the product captures the majority of its market customers, slowdown the sales growth. There is decline in the Profit level because of increasing marketing costs in order to remain competitive. Virgin Media 20Mb Broadband being second popular choice has reached its maturity stage and there is a slow growth in the number of new customers. Hence Virgin Media has launched its 100 mbps broadband service in order to return the broadband segment into the growth. Decline Stage: When a product performs poorly and there is a reduction in sales it is known as the decline stage. Currently in our assessment Virgin Media does not have any product that is in the decline stage. BCG Matrix of Virgin Media The BCG Growth- Share Matrix is designed by leading management consultancy Boston consulting Group (BCG) which allows drawing the portfolio in 2X2 diagram and thus analysing the product. The BCG matrix gives guidelines for setting strategic objectives on the cash flow and categorized as. Stars: Build sales/ Market shares Problem children: Build selectively Cash Cows: Hold sales or/and market shares Dogs : Harvest or focus on defendable niche After analysing Virgin Media products the portfolio of the product can be drawn as follows 50MB Broadband,VOD Broadband+Landline+Mobile+TV Mobile Services 50Mb Broadband is a STAR because that has been awarded the fastest Home broadband .Virgin Media being the first Quad play player in the market they got positive response from their customers, thats why TV, Broadband , landline and mobile Services as a bundle falls in CASH COW. Mobile Services has got fierce competition in the market thats why virgin Mobile Services falls in DOG sector. Promotion â€Å"Promotion means activities that communicate the merits of the products and persuade the target customers to buy it†. (Armstrong and Kotler 2009: 84) Promotions help to influence customers purchase behavior. Promotion also keeps people informed and educated about the product. Advertising plays an important role in Virgin Medias Marketing Strategy. Virgin Media uses different means to educate and inform the customers about their products like television, pamphlets distribution, hoardings, internet, direct marketing and newspapers. Elements of Promotion: Direct Marketing: In Direct Marketing there is a direct communication with individual or group consumers either by internet, mail, email, fax, telephone etc. Direct marketing is useful to communicate directly with the potential buyers avoiding any intermediaries. Virgin Media does their direct marketing through call centers, sales representative, internet or distributing the pamphlets. Advertising: â€Å"Any paid form of non-personal communication of ideas or products in the prime media.† (Jobber D. and Fahy J. Foundation of Marketing 2nd Edition 2006:225). Virgin Media follows the product oriented advertiser strategy. This strategy involves highlighting the product features, services, price through various advertising channels such as television, internet, magazines, e-marketing etc. Virgin Media advertisements have been controversial due to the nature of their claims.A campaign Truth Lies and Broadband was subject of an ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) inquiry due to the complaints from its competito

Cracking Ciphers Through Mathematics

Cracking Ciphers Through Mathematics Math Exploration:  Cracking different Ciphers Rationale From the ancient times to the modern day cryptography has played an important role in our lives. This mathematics exploration is going to look at different ciphers ranging from Monoalphabetic to machine driven cipher. The main use of ciphers is to protect sensitive information when it is being send on paper or digitally. In the 100 BC the Caesar cipher was used by Julius Caesar to send messages to his general which included strategies for war. Now a days these ciphers can be cracked instantly using a computer which makes these ciphers very unsecure. In this exploration I will look at the Caesar Cipher, Vigenà ¨re cipher, Hill Cipher and the Enigma Code machine. The Enigma code machine was one of the most fascinating machines I have encountered in my life. It was a complicated machine and could have been unbreakable if the Germans hadn’t had the flaw. After the war ended â€Å"It was thanks to Ultra (project associated with the cracking of the Enigma) that we won the war.â₠¬  Winston Churchill to King George VI. All the ciphers being explored in this exploration have been cracked using mathematics. Monoalphabetic Substitution Cipher: Caesar Shift Cipher: The Caesar Shift Cipher was used by Julius Caesar and thus is named after him. This cipher was used to encrypt military messages. The Caesar cipher is a type of substitution cipher. The Caesar cipher was decrypted 800 years after its creation by an Arab mathematician Al-Kindi using the process of frequency analysis. The Caesar Shift Cipher used the English letters and shifted each letter by 3 places to encrypt it. For Example: In this example let the alphabet be x and the cipher text will be x+3. Plain Text Number 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Plain text a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w z y z Cipher Text D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z Y Z A B C The plain text is â€Å"attack the castle at dawn†. This is currently plain text and if Caesar send it to his military his enemies could easily find out. But when it is encrypted applying the formula e(x) = (x + k) (mod 26) Using the formula above where x is the plain text number and k is the number by which the cipher is shifted and modulo 26 is the total number of alphabets in the English language. This leads us to the encrypted message from Caesar would be â€Å"dwwdfn wkh fdvwoh dw gdzq† this message could be only decrypted only by the people who knew the shift value. There are only 25 possibilities in this cipher which makes it relatively easier to crack than other ciphers. In the modern age this type of cipher can be decoded in seconds making the message being transmitted very unsecure. Breaking the Caesar Cipher This Cipher was cracked using a method called frequency analysis which bases on the some letters occurring more than other. This process was discovered by Al-Kindi in the 9th century. As we can see from the frequency analysis of the English language there is a lot of repetition of the word e. Thus making it easier to crack the Caesar Cipher or any other similar kind of substitution ciphers. To crack this cipher when we are looking at the encrypted test find the letters that are occurring the most which will tell us the shift needed for the cipher text. For example: â€Å"nmfajfxjhwjyrjxxfljktwymjljsjwfq† Using the text without spaces makes it harder for the person trying to decode without the key. Now as we can see from the encrypted message above if we use the frequency analysis method we find that j repeats 8 times and if we assume that j is represented as e then it has a shift of 5 alphabets in this cipher. e(x) = (x k) (mod 26) Now we use the above equation in which we now subtract the shift and multiply with modulo 26. After decrypting the final message we have is â€Å"ihaveasecretmessagefromthegeneral†. Polyalphabetic Substitution Cipher: Vigenà ¨re Cipher: The Vigenà ¨re Cipher method was originally described by Giovan Battista Bellaso in his 1553 book La cifra del. Sig. Giovan Battista Bellaso. This method was later misattributed to Blaise de Vigenà ¨re in the 19th century thus giving the cipher the name â€Å"Vigenà ¨re cipher†. Vigenà ¨re cipher is method that uses a series of different Caesar ciphers based on a lettered keyword. This cipher is a form of polyalphabetic substitution. In this cipher we make a key before encrypting the message so that it is a bit more secure. In this method the key shifts the alphabets according to its position. In this encryption the key needs to be known for the person decrypting it because there are about 26n possibilities where n is the number of letters in the string. For example let the code be: â€Å"mybirthdayisinjanuary† and let’s take the key to be â€Å"math† Plain Text m y b i r t h d a y i s i n j a n u a r y Key m a t h m a t h m a t h m a t h m a t h m Encrypted Text y y u p d t a k m y b z u n c h z u t y k Thus the encrypted text cannot be broken easily and if someone tried without a key there are 265 ≈ 1.2 X 107 possibilities unlike the Caesar cipher with just 25 possibilities. Decrypting the Vigenà ¨re cipher: The first crack for the Vigenà ¨re cipher was discovered in 1854 by British Cryptographer Charles Babbage. This Vigenà ¨re cipher can now be easily cracked in the modern day cryptography using the Kasiski analysis method to crack this cipher. To crack a Vigenà ¨re cipher the most difficult part is to find the length of the key. The method used to find the key uses repeating patterns and finds the distance between the patterns. This can be done using the Crypto-Corner tool which will find the periods of the repeating patterns. Then using the frequency analysis we can decrypt the message. For example let the encrypted code be â€Å"GZEFWCEWTPGDRASPGNGSIAWDVFTUASZWSFSGRQOHEUFLAQVTUWFVJSGHRVEEAMMOWRGGTUWSRUOAVSDMAEWNHEBRJTBURNUKGZIFOHRFYBMHNNEQGNRLHNLCYACXTEYGWNFDRFTRJTUWNHEBRJ† Now to decrypt it just put the code in the crypto-corner tool and it gives us a repeating period of 3. Which leaves us with 3 separate Caesar shifts to decrypt this message using the frequency analysis. The image above shows the encrypted message and the decrypted message. It also shows us the key used to encrypt this message. This was done using frequency analysis for three Caesar shift ciphers. After the cipher is decrypted the key is discovered to be â€Å"NSA†. It is a relatively easy cipher to crack but can be time consuming using a computer brute force attack. The main uses of Vigenà ¨re cipher was in the military to send secrets to allies so the enemy could not decrypt it easily. As this cipher took me around 4 minutes to crack using the tool. Diagraph Substitution Cipher: Hill Cipher: The Hill cipher is a polygraphic substitution cipher which is based on linear algebra. It was invented by Lester Hill in 1929 it was the first polygraphic cipher in which it was possible to operate on more than three symbols at once. Plain Text Number 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Plain text a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z The main idea behind hill cipher is to convert the plain text into numbers and separate into blocks and then covert them into column matrix. Then it is multiplied by a key of the form .The result of this is multiplied by modulo 26 which keeps the numbers in a cycle of 0 to 25. The matrix in the form obtained by this method is then covered back to a non-column form and then to plain text. For example let’s take the word â€Å"TROJANHORSES† which converts to 19, 17, 14, 9, 0, 13, 7, 14, 17, 18, 4 and 18. Now let the key that is known by the person who is encrypting and decrypting be . Thus now we divide the plain text numbers into two column matrix and multiply by our key. Thus this encryption gives us a cipher text â€Å"ETRVNNLGBUOU† from the original text â€Å"TORJANHORSE† the Hill cipher overcomes the problems related to frequency analysis associated with the Caesar shift cipher. Decryption of Hill Cipher: For the decryption process of the Hill cipher the inverse of the key is done. To make it into the form thus making the encryption matrix key used in the example into the form. Now we calculate the determinant of the encryption key is = (5*3) (3 * 2) = 9 A-1 = 9-1 mod 26 To get rid of the mod 26 we take modulo inverse of the determinant and thus it gives us. This can sometimes be a problem because if the determinant of a matrix is not a co-prime number to the 26. Then it is not invertible and thus we cannot decipher the text. A-1 = 9-1 Thus 9-1 mod 26 is 3 as per the modulus tables of multiplicative inverse modulo and modulo of A-1 = 3 A-1 = = mod 26 The decryption key now is now we multiply the cipher text â€Å"ETRVNN† which will give us â€Å"TROJAN† Thus the deciphered text is ‘TROJAN† which makes this cipher weak if a person is aware of the keys as it might not take a lot of time to do this by hand. Also nowadays the computer can easily crack this cipher given the key is present with the person cracking it. Cracking this cipher can be easily done these days using a brute force attack on the cipher and it took me around 40 seconds to break the code. Which indicates it is relatively insecure to use hill cipher to code the text today to send secret messages as it can be intercepted and easily decrypted. Machine Driven Cipher: Enigma Code Cipher: The Enigma code cipher was invented by the German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I. It was used to send encrypted messages to German U-Boats and communicate between German military. During the World War II it was adopted by the Nazi Germany to send and receive encrypted messages from German army or the Air Force. The Enigma machine uses a keyboard on which the operator types the message he wants to encrypt. Then the message goes to the 3 rotors these rotors combine of 3 different types of rotors a fast rotor which turns when a letter is types. Then a medium rotor which turns when the fast rotor completes a revelation and the slow rotor which rotates when the medium rotor completes a revolution. After the plain text has gone through the three rotors it reverses and goes again through the slow, medium and fast rotor to the plug board. The German army had a choice of choosing 3 rotors from a set of 5 rotors and the rotors could be set in any orientation. The number of ways the rotors can be positioned from a set of 5 are = 60 possibilities. The different starting positions of the rotors as they were changed every day giving 263 = 17576 possibilities of different codes. The 1-26 numbers on the three rotors represent the alphabets from a-z. After the letter is plain text in pressed on the enigma it goes through plug board to the 3 rotors and gets ciphered. Then the cipher text goes back to the plug board usually the plug board would have been connected to the 10 wires which connected 20 alphabets together. Thus if the ciphered text is connected to a wire it would light up the alphabet it might be connected to. For example if the letter h was pressed it would go to the plug board then through the circuit it goes through the 3 rotors which cipher the plain text 3 times. After that it returns back to the plug board as letter M which is connected to the letter A and thus the bulb connected to letter A lights up. The number of possibilities on the plug board are The possibilities that are displayed above are the total theoretical possibilities for changing the plug board setting in different orientation giving ways. The total number of possible ways the settings of the enigma could be changed into are: (Possibilities the settings could be changed into. Thus making it really difficult to solve by pen and paper. The use of computer is really essential to break a code which has been encrypted using enigma. Decrypting Enigma code cipher: To decrypt the enigma code the German army distributed a sheet which contained the settings for each day of the month. So the side receiving the code can set the settings and then type the code using the keyboard which reverses the process and after typing the plain text blinks on the light panel. The enigma code was cracked by the allies during the World War II by the Alan Turing and his team consisting of mathematicians. The flaws that helped decrypting the enigma code cipher was that if a letter was typed it wouldn’t place the same letter in the cipher text. For example if a person typed B in code the cipher would be something like X but never B. To break the code Alan Turing built a bomb machine which checked all the Possibilities of settings and took only 20 minutes to break the code. For example let the plain text message be â€Å"THISISAVERYSECRETMESSAGE† as I don’t have access to an enigma machine using an online simulator. The cipher text using the rotor order as VI-I-II, the rotor start as EGW (5, 7, 23), the ring setting as JEN and the plug board setting as QF XV SM YH JL KC GP IO UN ZD. Now when we encode this message we use the encoding setting as EHU and the cipher text is â€Å"UVATHXTYABCBRSDXJPHFEXLN†. To decrypt this message either a brute force attack which took around 7 minutes or if the settings are provided use a decryption tool online to decrypt the cipher text to plain text. Bibliography Ekert, A. (n.d.). Cracking codes. Plus.maths.org. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://plus.maths.org/content/cracking-codes Caesar cipher. (n.d.). Princeton University. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Caesar_cipher.html Casselman, B. (n.d.). Feature Column from the AMS. American Mathematical Society. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://www.ams.org/samplings/feature-column/fcarc-enigma Clark, D. R. (n.d.). Vigenà ¨re Cipher. Crypto Corner. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://crypto.interactive-maths.com/vigenegravere-cipher.html#intro Clark, D. R. (n.d.). Hill Cipher. Crypto Corner. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://crypto.interactive-maths.com/hill-cipher.html#2x2encypt Count On :: Codebreaking :: The Vigenà ¨re Cipher. (n.d.). Count On :: Codebreaking :: The Vigenà ¨re Cipher. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://www.counton.org/explorer/codebreaking/vigenere-cipher.php Crypto. (n.d.). Practical graphy. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://practicalcryptography.com/ciphers/hill-cipher/ Crypto. (n.d.). Practical graphy. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://practicalcryptography.com/ciphers/vigenere-gronsfeld-and-autokey-cipher/ Crypto Analysis to Crack Vigenà ¨re Ciphers. (n.d.). IB Maths Resources. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://ibmathsresources.com/2014/05/31/crypto-analysis-to-crack-vigenere-ciphers/ Cunningham, Z., Mabey, M. (n.d.). Security Ninja. Security Ninja. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://csilm.usu.edu/~securityninja/index.psp Ellis, C. (n.d.). Exploring the Enigma. Plus.maths.org. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://plus.maths.org/content/exploring-enigma Enigma machine. (2014, October 27). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine Lyons, J. (n.d.). Crypto. Practical graphy. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://practicalcryptography.com/cryptanalysis/ Simpson, R. (n.d.). Cipher Machines. Cipher Machines. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://ciphermachines.com/enigma Singh, S. (n.d.). The Black Chamber. Caesar Cipher. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://www.simonsingh.net/The_Black_Chamber/caesar.html Singh, S. (n.d.). The Black Chamber. Vigenere Cipher. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.simonsingh.net/The_Black_Chamber/vigenere_cipher.html Sutherland, S. (n.d.). 3 The Caesar Cipher and Modular Arithmetic. 3 The Caesar Cipher and Modular Arithmetic. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~scott/papers/MSTP/crypto/3Caesar_Cipher.html Vestergaard, E. (n.d.). The German cipher machine Enigma. Enigma. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://www.matematiksider.dk/enigma_eng.html Vigenà ¨re cipher. (n.d.). Vigenà ¨re cipher. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Vigen%C3%A8re_cipher.html

HealthCare Bottleneck Relief Essay -- essays research papers

Many health-care industry bottlenecks can be eliminated, resulting in major improvements in efficiency, cost savings and patient care when hospitals borrow principles from production lines on the factory floor, according to researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo. At UB's Center of Excellence for Global Enterprise Management, Li Lin, Ph.D., professor of industrial engineering, and his colleagues apply industrial-engineering tools, including Six Sigma and other lean enterprise methodologies originally developed for manufacturing processes, to improve the operations and competitiveness of hospitals. "In today's competitive environment, especially with the severe shortage of skilled nurses, the pressure on streamlining hospital operations continues to increase," said Lin. "Health-care managers are seeking new perspectives and creative ways to manage their business. We can engineer medical services with improved cost, quality and efficiency." Lin and his colleagues use animated computer simulations that are based on statistical analyses -- routinely used to model the flow of parts through complex manufacturing processes -- to uncover the bottlenecks or potential problem areas in health-care facilities. "What do cars on highways, manufactured parts in a factory and patients in a hospital have in common?" he asks. "They all move. We use computer simulations to analyze how patients flow through hospitals, while ensuring that th...

The Road Away from the Beast :: Personal Narrative Medicien Papers

The Road Away from the Beast It all starts with a dull pain that is inside my head. The starting point varies from the base of my skull, to my temple, or just behind my right eyeball. I know that if I do not catch this nuisance quickly enough, it will become a beast and have the potential to keep me bedridden for days. The beast does not always stay for days. Sometimes, it presents itself and then transforms into a more mild animal, which is more bearable but keeps me company for as long as a week. When I feel him coming, I immediately feel helpless. I force my mind to take me to another place; a place where this beast's strength is weaker than mine. Unfortunately, I can only beat him 10% of the time. The rest of the time, he beats me and I dread even more his next unannounced visit. The second lunch bell just rang and I went back to my desk after approaching my third grade teacher, Sister Patricia Rose. I never liked Sister Patricia Rose and this day, I had even more reason not to like her for she disregarded my request to go home. "Just put your head down on your desk," was Sister's response to my ill feeling. Perhaps she did not agree that a headache was a good enough reason to leave school, but she had no idea as to what kind of headache I was suffering. As I had predicted, my headache was getting worse. The pounding was strong and focused behind my eyes. If I could just rip my eyes out, I would get relief. Then I knew it had gone too far when I began to feel the nausea. With tears in my eyes, I made one last attempt to raise my hand and ask Sister Patricia Rose if I could go to the office, but again, she refuses and strictly replies, "Just keep your head down on the desk." I could feel my mouth started to salivate, like it usually does when I get sick from a migraine headache. While tears rolled roll from my eyes, sympathetic classmates gave me looks of concern. They knew my illness was legitimate because this day was the day I missed the lunchtime kickball game for the first time ever. I tried to talk myself out of getting sick because I hate the way I feel when I vomit.

Essay --

Lisette Galvan Outlining - Position Paper Title: Should the Level of Immigration Be Heightened and Border Security Tightened? Thesis statement : I truly believe that the level of immigration should be increased but only with the exception that border security should be better utilized. If people from other countries want to better their lives here and agree to â€Å"play by the rules† then it should be allowed and put into law. Immigration seems to a big issue these days in America.The main concern that many Americans have is that immigrants will swipe the available jobs that are offered here and will consequently leave the natural born citizens with nothing. The idea that drug dealers and terrorists are more prevalent to enter the country is also a strong fear. There are obviously many in the U.S. who are here illegally that should not be but there should be a way that they can earn citizenship. Essay Map If someone is not of Native American descent, their ancestors are immigrants. The economy will improve Border Security needs to be stronger. Immigration reform should be put in...

Should Mental Illness Be Taken Into Account in Determining Punishment

The penal system has been no help in alleviating the stigma attached to mental illness, routinely and historically treating mentally unstable inmates with just the same harsh approach as their criminally insane counterparts. Indeed, the distinction between these two populations is significant; however, authorities have long been reluctant to entertain such a concept. Similar to the treatment availed to them in institutions, mentally ill inmates have a history of being shackled, beaten and deprived of the most basic human needs.One might readily argue how state and federal penitentiaries exist for one reason and one reason only: to lock up the criminal and throw away the key. The conspicuous absence of rehabilitation programs speaks to the attitude society openly harbors about its convicted felons – keep them out of sight forever. Only recently has the idea of rehabilitation over incarceration been considered throughout contemporary correctional institutions as an alternative t oward addressing the imprisoned mentally ill, a population many believe are deserving of this option because of their blatant lack of free will in making morally responsible choices.The perpetuation of criminal activity, coupled with the severely limited resources availed to the state and federal criminal justice system, has made it almost compulsory for the penal system to implement comprehensive mental health programs not only to help alleviate prison overcrowding but also to rescue those inmates who do not belong in the penal system. Most people like to think that human beings possess free will, at least with regard to a wide range of actions.In contrast, however, some believe that certain people lack the aspect of free will. Many great theorists have contended that the reason some people may, indeed, lack free will is not so much due to the determined nature of their choices and behavior, but rather due to the fact that their behavior is not responsive to their choices in such a manner as to reflect those who do possess free will.When examining this viewpoint in further detail as it relates to mental illness playing an integral role in punishment, it is important to consider whether or not an individual can truly possess free will while at the same time having one's choices and behaviors determined by a greater force, as well. When one attempts to distinguish the principle essence of such theorists as David Hume, it is essential that one understand the difference between free will and determinism. When one is cast forward by ay of determinism, it is as though one has absolutely no control over the various and sundry occurrences that take place during one's life. Free will, on the other hand, speaks to the concept of having full authority over one's aspirations and ultimate direction, reflecting the exact opposite of those ruled by determinism. Having grasped the difference in meaning, the student may then want to argue that Hume's position was more than si gnificantly biased toward the concept of determinism.One might readily surmise how an individual whose life is ruled by determinism could realistically become void of any moralistic tendencies, inasmuch as one can claim that responsibility for any action would not fall upon the individual but rather the fateful path his is forced to follow. The manner in which this concept relates to Hume's radical principle is such that one might not be compelled to fight his own destiny, choosing instead to follow a path that is not always pristine and virtuous.The message that Hume is trying to convey is one of responsibility – all man's ideas come from impressions of things that have occurred before. Contrarily and without assuming responsibility for one's own actions in light of this assertion, the world would be nothing if not a jumble of adulterated confusion. By acting upon a basis of Hume's principle, one effectively relinquishes all accountability for his actions and – in the case of considering mental illness when doling out punishment – does not deserve the option of rehabilitation over incarceration.A world without moral liability, according to Hume, is certainly no place for a civilized being. â€Å"There is a species of skepticism, antecedent to all study and philosophy, which is much inculcated by Descartes and others as a sovereign preservative against error and precipitate judgement. It recommends a universal doubt, not only of all our former opinions and principles, but also of our very faculties; of whose veracity, say they, we must assure ourselves, by a chain of reasoning, deduced from some original principle which cannot possibly be fallacious or deceitful† (Hume PG).Characteristic of humanity's constant quest for the concept of meaning, the journey of understanding has come to represent myriad things to myriad people, ultimately rendering any universal explanation virtually impossible. The problem with meaning as it relates t o free will's impact upon one's moral responsibility is attempting to successfully pinpoint a single yet comprehensive connotation to its overall concept; however, this cannot be achieved as long as any two individuals harbor decidedly different interpretations, which is usually the case when debating this highly controversial subject matter.Critics have long questioned the theory of free will existing within the shadow of determinism, arguing how difficult it is to realistically determine if people exhibit certain behaviors out of fear of consequence or because they have the power to take control of their own lives, often causing them to become neglectful and unwise. Unlike other living beings, for what is possible is pretty much fixed by instincts and reflexes, one may argue how people initiate much of what they do, whether that means for better and for worse.Clearly, the connection one might make between free will and behavior based upon Hume's conjecture leads one to believe tha t people are much more likely to act out in such a manner that is motivated only by their personal desire to do so, rather than depending upon automatic reaction or stimulation. â€Å"The skeptic, therefore, had better keep within his proper sphere, and display those philosophical objections, which arise from more profound researches† (Hume PG).Society has not been very successful in addressing its mental illness problem; one only has to witness the nation's tremendous homeless population, obtain criminal justice statistics and examine the number of people currently taking psycho tropic medication in order to underscore the prevalence of mental illness. Understanding the origins of mental health is paramount to gaining further understanding of how to address punishment issues directly associated with mental illness, which requires the examination of myriad cultural and genetic elements that have been suspect in the study of human behavior.Recognition and treatment of mental i llness has undergone a tremendous metamorphosis over the past three centuries, with the very definition of â€Å"insanity† having encountered a most significant evolution. What was sane and what was normal was completely left open for interpretation by the powers that be, ultimately sealing the fate of many a mentally unbalanced individual whose only crime was chemical disparity. Institutional inmates were forced to live out their lives in formidable surroundings where they were cloistered in small, dark, dank rooms accommodated with one floor mattress for some half a dozen people.Chained in place, the inmates were forbidden to enjoy any of what one would consider necessary daily elements for sustaining sound mind and body: fresh air, sunlight and nutritional sustenance; along with regular beatings, the unfortunate victims of ignorance were deprived of virtually every common decency known to man. A handful of professionals from the medical community sought to defend the legit imate nature of insanity and tried to explain the need for medical attention; however, their attempts fell upon deaf ears, and their reputations were immediately tainted.The mentally ill were lumped together with the criminally insane, with officials making no distinction whatsoever between the two, inasmuch as the former â€Å"were not recognized as sick people and were accused of having abandoned themselves to shameful and forbidden practices with the devil, sorcerers and other demons† (History of Mental Illness). Ancient Egyptians understood the inherent connection between the body and mind, supporting the notion that if something was amiss in one's life it could easily cause one a bout of mental instability.Their approach was simple and straightforward: talk it out and rejoice in religion. The combination of these two elements was believed to empower the individual with internal strength that would ultimately overrule the continuation of any mental imbalance. Similarly, A ristotle and Socrates – the logical beings that they were – also recognized mental illness for what it truly was and prescribed such cures as soothing music to help alleviate melancholia.Hippocrates followed suit by prescribing a natural vegetable diet and exercise as a means by which to overcome mental illness (History of Mental Illness). It was not until the concept of the â€Å"mind† began to overtake such simplistic approaches, along with blaming the victim for such a disgraceful downfall, that the entire notion of mental illness began to shift for the worse. Dual diagnosis presents yet another concern where mentally ill offenders are concerned, a situation where an individual is diagnosed as being both mentally ill and a drug addict.While it is wholly possible to be dually diagnosed with a different secondary disease, drug abuse ranks high on the list. Research findings indicate that mental illness leads into drug abuse, inasmuch as the mentally ill partake of recreational drugs no differently than their mentally stable counterparts. What does separate the two groups, however, is what is termed downward drift, meaning that â€Å"as a consequence of their illness they may find themselves living in marginal neighborhoods where drug use prevails† (Dual Diagnosis).In these cases, it is customary to address the drug problem before approaching treatment for mental illness. There are a number of social and environmental factors that encourage criminal delinquency – one in particular is overlooked more than the rest when it comes to, for example, juvenile delinquency: mental illness. Indeed, an adolescent who is suffering from any one of many forms of mentally illness can display myriad socially unacceptable behaviors; within this mindset, juvenile delinquency has been found to be a prevalent occurrence.Considered for decades to be a disease of the insane, mental conditions like depression that intensify juvenile delinquency hav e finally been recognized for the debilitating and emotionally unbalancing illnesses they truly are. With an astounding nineteen million Americans suffering from clinical depression, the disease can no longer be looked upon as nothing more than merely the blues. Additionally, another five percent are victims of occasional despondency, with one of every six people succumbing to a serious or major depressive episode at some point in life (Clinical Depression).Depression often hits the elderly more than any other age group; however, with each passing year the average age of sufferers continues to drop as depression in young people is on the rise. Indeed, mentally ill offenders have much to contend with in their own way; as such, their punishment needs to fit their mental stability. If an offender is convicted of aggravated assault yet lacks the capacity to ascertain that he actually committed a crime, then it would seem prudent that he be given the right to appropriate counseling as a means by which to overcome his tendencies.However, the implementation of the insanity plea has allowed for perfectly normal criminals to reap the rehabilitative benefits typically bestowed upon the mentally ill, which has served to compromise the very foundation of this legal loophole (Harley 45). The theoretical implications contend that far too many people are crying insanity as a means by which to evade punishment for a crime they willfully committed, knowing full well that if they can achieve an insanity status, the penalty they receive will be significantly less overall, if they receive any.Clearly, intent does not have any relevance to its determination; as such, the tactics and strategies of both the prosecution and the defense have little, if any, bearing on how insanity is determined. The implications of such a problem speak to the overall distortion of insanity, as well as illustrate how much more difficult it makes it for the truly mentally ill to secure a legitimate insa nity plea (Harley 45). Re-training the mentally ill offender to become positive, contributing members of society has always proven to be a challenge for officials in charge of rehabilitation.Myriad programs have been implemented throughout history to achieve this goal but according to those in the field, none have proven as effective as the treatment approach. In attempting to put back the missing elements of a stable and productive person, such programs as behavioral therapy have been said to be instrumental in realigning otherwise maladjusted individuals as opposed to the harsh approach of boot camps and shock incarceration programs. Critics of such programs contend that such brutal methods do nothing but instigate more of the same behavior the recovery programs seek to overcome.If delinquency is â€Å"rooted in personality characteristics rather than in external forces† (Banks et al 49), then it does not make sense to employ this type of rehabilitation. Implementing behavi or therapy is one way of addressing the issue of mentally ill offenders whose deviant tendencies lead to criminal activity. With the help of professional therapists, law enforcement agencies are learning the art of behavior therapy as a means by which to control otherwise unreachable mentally ill delinquents.The objective of behavior therapy is to first assess and then treat mental problems that cause people to act abnormally. The current consensus among mental health professionals is that behaviors responsible for causing distress or preventing normal functioning in daily life are considered abnormal. There is a social standard by which all members are expected to abide; however, when an individual shows a propensity for straying from that social norm, behavior therapy theories are more than likely applied to determine the problem's origin and ultimate treatment.There exist myriad influences that can prompt a person into sidestepping what is considered to be normal behavior, includ ing mental disorders, physical diseases and stress-related issues. Experts report successful treatment outcome and maintenance for dealing with mentally ill offenders, inasmuch as behavior therapy theories focus upon unconscious conflicts that cause anxiety or maladaptive behavior. In effect, these myriad theories represent the means by which therapists are able to assess, diagnose, treat and finally heal their mentally ill patients. News reports that usually frame mental illness in the context of violence and crime are giving rise to stereotypes which stigmatize de-institutionalized mentally ill people. Thus, the challenge facing journalists is addressing deep-rooted and largely unjustified public perceptions about mental illness and violent crimes† (Smellie 25).In order to work toward a solution to the overwhelming inadequacy of mental health resources in contemporary penal systems, grants must be both created and obtained to address the following issues: Housing the mentall y ill in places other than jail and prison †¢Revisiting community mental health centers from the 1960s and 1970s †¢Assembling a task force of researchers to undertake myriad projects †¢Assessing mental health issues in minority communities †¢Exploring mental health issues in African-American communities †¢Providing a more active role by the clergy in reference to mental health issues, especially in African-American communities †¢Researching the correlation between mental health, crime and recidivism, with particular emphasis upon minority populations Conducting ongoing research for early identification programs, prerelease programs, transitional care management programs and effective parole/probation programs †¢Maintaining consistency in all programs from start to finish (Clinical Depression and African-Americans). Clearly, continuum of care is the key for the incarcerated mentally ill, a model consisting of three distinct phases: jail/prison; comm unity mental health programs; and probation/parole. Within this continuum resides effective pre-release programs for all incarcerated mentally ill inmates; ongoing substance abuse and literacy programs; and behavior modification programs.Activities for daily living would include employment, job training and retraining through vocational rehabilitation programs, state employment services, adult ex-offender job programs and effective communication programs; and alternatives to incarceration programs for the mentally ill and dual diagnosis. Are all delinquents created equal? Indeed, there are myriad levels of criminal activity that land offenders in jail, with a percentage of those criminals committing their crimes under the duress of mental illness. These prisoners, who many believe are deserving of severe punishment, often do not have full control of their faculties.These orphans of society are compelled by an emotional or mental imbalance that provokes them to display deviant behavi or toward society and their fellow human beings. Clearly, such individuals need treatment, not prison; rehabilitative help is in order for these offenders, not a lifetime behind bars. By placing the criminal into long-term therapy, there is at least a chance of rehabilitation there likely would not be in a full security prison. To stray from the norm is to deviate from socially acceptable behavior; when one is deviant, he goes against the very essence of what society has deemed acceptable.One of the easiest things in life is to deviate from what is considered by the masses to be normal; in fact, Morpheus points out that it is often considerably more difficult to remain upon a straight and narrow path with the myriad obstacles that appear in daily life. Therefore, one can readily argue how deviant behavior has found its niche within contemporary society, even to the point of infiltrating what is considered to be a standard of normalcy; as such, appropriate corrective measures must be applied in order to expect any semblance of rehabilitation for the mentally ill criminal.WORKS CITED Banks, Terry & Dabbs, James M. , Jr. â€Å"Salivary testosterone and cortisol in a delinquent and violent urban subculture. † The Journal of Social Psychology 136, (1996): 49. Clinical Depression. 25 April 2004 http://www. nmha. org/ccd/index. cfm Clinical Depression and African-Americans. 25 April 2004 http://www. intelihealth. com/specials/depression/htmDeprAfrAmer. html Dual Diagnosis: Substance Abuse And Mental Illness. 25 April 2004 http://www. schizophrenia. com/family/dualdiag. html Harley, Debra A.