Marketing assignment Essay

1.1 Ryanair are pioneers of low cost airlines in Europe operating more than 1600 daily flights from 57 bases across 1600 low far routes connecting 180 destinations in 29 countries. They recently announced that they have ordered 175 new Boeing craft. 1.2 In order for Ryanair to keep the costs to a minimum, their airline uses small, regional airports only to reduce operational costs and operates as a point-t-point airline carrier, thus when other airlines avoiding the cost associated with a hub-and-spoke service. 1.3 Ryanair advertises it’s self as a â€Å"The low fare airline† and has a price promise under which it will pay double the difference if a customer finds the same flight cheaper elsewhere. 1.4 They pay as little as possible for their aircraft. They get big discounts on aircraft because they buy them when other airlines want them. 1.5 They spend as little as possible on advertising. They do not employ advertising agencies; instead all of their advertising is done in-house. 1.6 They don’t use travel agencies, so they don’t pay commissions. Ryanair uses direct marketing to recruit and retain customers and to extend products and services to them and this reduce cost. You book online or on the internet. This saves 15% on agency fees. Question 2 Kulula and Mango are South Africa’s low cost airlines. These airlines have in some areas imitated the Ryanair business model. 2.1 Kulula uses Lanseria Airport as an alternative to OR Tambo airport which can be attributed to reduction operational costs. Ryanair makes use of smaller airports instead of the large busy airports to reduce costs and reduce the time between flights. 2.2 The low cost airlines in South Africa, such as Kulula and Mango also upsell products such as car hires, travel packs and hotel accommodation. This is similar to the business model of Ryanair. 2.3 The low cost airlines in South Africa also reduce their costs by not including food on the fare; you can buy your food if you want. 2.4 To make bookings simpler the customers of Kulula and Mango can also book and buy flight tickets at Shoprite/Checkers for there’s is no commission paid to travel agencies. The internet online process also exists for self-service of making bookings. Question 3 The marketing environment consists of Micro and Macro environment. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2012;90) Micro environment consists of the actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers such as the company its self, its suppliers, its marketing partners, customers and the general public. The macro environment is said to consist of the larger societal forces that affect the macro environment such as political, economic, social, technological, natural environment, and legal framework (Kotler & Armstrong, 2012) 3.1 The Micro environment 3.1.1 Company Ryanair’s mission is to keep their customers happy by offering a simple service and that involves maintaining low-cost fares, such as offering no meal options or extended service elements such as beverage consumption, thus keeping labour-related costs low and inviting the more humble or thrifty consumer to enjoy travel to regional destinations without the worry of excessive airline expense. 3.1.2 Suppliers Suppliers are very important to the company and they are the determining factor for Ryanair to keep customer value. In a running an airline Ryanair require a lot of fuel but they are unable to influence their suppliers since the price of fuel is controlled by external bodies such as OPEC(Ryanair Annual Report, 2004). 3.1.3 Competitors The increasing number of competition with carriers offering lower-cost fares is impacting the consumer mentality regarding which carrier to choose when travelling within European destinations. 3.1.4 Marketing Partners Ryanair does not use advertising agencies instead all their advertising is done in-house by doing so they are cutting cost and making sure that they maintain low cost strategy. They simple use adverts that tell passengers that Ryanair has low fares. 3.2 Macro environment 3.2.1 Political The external political environment is one of significant advantage to Ryanair, as the majority of its operations are contained within Europe. It is relatively common knowledge that this region maintains political stability, thus Ryanair does not experience issues with governmental instability in Europe as a concern regarding passenger volumes or flight destinations. 3.2.2 Technological The technological environment does not appear to significantly impact the firm in a negative capacity as the firm. Additionally, supply chain software programs and other integrated software applications are available to assist Ryanair in streamlining labour functions and improve internal organisational efficiency. 3.2.3 Economical Economical factors in the Euro region such as the Greece debt issues, increased unemployment in Spain and other countries have a negative impact in the number of customers for air travel like Ryanair. Question 4 Low cost airline offer a no-frill service, they sell the cheapest tickets you can buy. Unlike branded airlines that argue that passengers are willing to more for a better level of service. These are the reason I would not use low cost airlines such as Ryanair. 4.1 Customer Service Ryanair offers poor customer service such as when your bag is broken into no compensation is provided. It is also reported that their staff is unfriendly and rude. Ryanair also do not make provisions for fragile items that you wish to carry on the aircraft with you. Musical instruments and sporting equipment can be taken but at a fee. 4.2 Value added services There is no complementary food and what is offered is expensive and unhealthy. 4.3 Misleading pricing The policy of 70% sets sold at lowest fares and 30% at higher fares can be misleading. This means that you may not always be paying the lowest price for the fares. 4.4 Convenience Ryanair does not offer convenience as you cannot chose seat. You also cannot change flights. Their plains are old and offer low comfort. They use secondary airports which tend to be smaller regional airports. Question 5 Ryanair’s objective is to firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies 5.2 Understanding customer needs and wants 5.2 Design a customer driven marketing strategy 5.3 Construct an integrated marketing program that delivers superior value 5.4 Build profitable relationships and create customer delight Question 6 6.1 Product or Service Low cost, no frills air travel to Europian destinations. There is no free food or drink on-board. Food and drink are income streams. You buy on-board, or you do take your own food and drink if you like. 6.2 Price Ryanair has low fares. 70% of seats are sold at the lowest two fares. 24% of seats are charged at higher fares. The last 6% are sold at the highest fare. 6.3 Place Ryanair does not use travel agents so it does not pay agency commissions. It uses direct marketing techniques to recruit and retain customers, and to extend products and services to them (i.e. Customer Relationship Management). This reduces costs. You book online over the Internet. This saves them 15% on agency fees. They are based in Stansted in Essex – which is known as a secondary airport. It is new and accessible. It is cheaper to fly from Stansted than either Heathrow or Gatwick, and since it is less busy Ryanair can turn aircraft around more quickly. 6.4 Promotion They spend as little as possible on advertising They do not employ an advertising agency. Instead all of the advertising is done in-house. In fact O’Leary himself oversees much of the promotion of Ryanair. They use simple adverts that tell passengers that Ryanair has low fares. Ryanair employs controversy to promote its business. For example in 2009, the company reasoned that passengers would be charged  £1 to use the toilets on board. O’Leary reasoned that passengers could use the terminals at either the destination or arrival airport. This would speed things up. It was reasoned that this is what passengers wanted – since they did not want other passengers leaving their seats and walking the aisles to go to the toilet. O’Leary also argued that larger passengers should be charged more since they took up more room – again it was reasoned that this is what the majority of passengers wanted. 6.5 People Pilots are recruited when they are young as pilot cadets. They work hard and take early promotions and then move on after 10-years or so to further their careers. Cabin crew pay for their uniforms to be cleaned. They invest in their own training. They are mainly responsible for passenger safety as well as ancillary revenues onboard 6.6 Physical Evidence They pay as little as possible for their aircraft. Planes are the most expensive asset that an airline can make. They get big discounts on aircraft because they buy them when other airlines don’t want them, for example after September 11th, or on the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Aircraft manufacturers cannot simply stop a supply chain in minutes. If orders are being cancelled or delayed, this is when to buy. It was rumored within the industry that Ryanair was buying Boeing 737s – list price around  £40,000,000 (forty million pounds) – with up to a 50% discount. 6.7 Process There is no check in. You simply show your passport and supply your reference number. You cannot select a preferred seat. It is first come, first served. This aids speed. There are no air bridges (the tunnel that connects to the side of the aircraft when to board it). You walk or are bused to the aircraft. Baggage is deposited directly onto the terminal – it’s quick. However if your bag is broken don’t expect high levels of customer service. Question 7 7.1 Cultural factors Ryanair has addressed a global cultural need for leisure travel by making their prices extremely low and the easy availability of tickets operating between two points. One of the factors that influence consumer behavior is social class such as people’s income. Ryanair get most of their business from lower income group. 7.2. Social factors One the factors that influence consumer factors is the social factors such as consumers small groups family and social roles. According to the case study Ryanair make use of buzz marketing by their controversial promotions. This influences people opinions about their services as it gets people to discuss the controversial promotions. 7.3 Personal factors Personal factors are influenced by personal characteristics such as customer’s age and life cycle stage, occupation, economic situation, life style and personality and self-concept. The people that would be influenced into buying Ryanair’s would need to have an easy going personality and not be concerned much about the service of the airline since many of the luxuries are removed from the service. 7.4 Psychological factors A person’s buying choices are further influence by four psychological factors motivation, perception, learning and beliefs and attitudes. Customers that would be influences to use Ryanair are customers that believe that are getting value for money through the low cost pricing. Question 8 Consumer market consists of individuals and households that buy goods and services for their personal consumption. These would normally be consumer goods such as soft drinks, cosmetics, travel and household goods. Ryanair’s consumer market is the individuals in the European region that use air travel as a form of transportation. Question 9 Below is an example of Ansoff’s Matrix which shows growth strategies that organisations can use to expand their operation followed by the explanations for each growth strategy (Riley, 2012). Figure 1 Ansoff’s matrix. Sourced from Riley (2012) 9.1 Market penetration Market penetration is when the company expands in the same market using the same products. For Ryanair, market penetration would involve increasing the number of flights in the same routes. This way they are in the same markets and using the same service. 9.2 Market Development Market development requires the companies to enter new markets while using the same products. For Ryanair, this would require the company to go to new markets such as Africa, Asia or America using the same low cost air travel service. 9.3. Product Development Product development means that in order to expand the company must introduce new products or services in the existing market. For company like Ryanair, product development would mean that they introduce new service such as business class or first class into the existing market. 9.4 Diversification Diversification is when the company seeks to enter into new markets with new products. For Ryanair diversification could mean that the company introduces new services such as leisure sea cruising. This would also mean that the company moves into a new market since leisure sea cruising would require different destinations and customer base. References Riley, J. 2012. Ansoff Matrix. [online]. Available at: http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix.htm [Accessed on 02 September 2013]. Kotler, P. and Armstong, G. 2012. Principles of marketing. 14th edition. Essex: Pearson.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 23

â€Å"Where've you been?† asked Roman. I hadn't landed in Seattle until later the next day. Turns out getting flights from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest can take a little longer than immortal teleportation, particularly on short notice. â€Å"To the edge of the known world and back,† I said, falling onto the couch. Both cats came to me, which I took with some smugness, seeing as they usually fawned all over Roman. â€Å"So, what, South Dakota?† I made a face and covered my eyes with one arm. My trip to locate Seth had only taken twenty-four hours, but really, that was a lot to endure in so short a time. â€Å"I found Seth.† â€Å"Oh.† Roman's enthusiasm dimmed considerably. â€Å"I guess his disappearance wasn't as milk carton?Cworthy as Maddie made it sound.† â€Å"Well, I had to – literally – call in a demonic favor to hunt him down.† â€Å"And? Are you guys running into the sunset together now that he's free?† The mention of sunset made me flinch, recalling how Seth and I had held each other on the beach. â€Å"Not quite. I†¦left him.† â€Å"What's that mean exactly?† I tried to explain all that had gone down with Seth, but it wasn't easy. It was almost too much for my brain to wade through, let alone articulate to someone else. When I finished, I felt even more exhausted than before. â€Å"So that's it? You're never going to see each other again?† Roman's voice was skeptical. â€Å"He said he's not coming back, and I didn't stick around. So, yeah.† â€Å"I have a hard time believing that. Is he just going to live at that hotel permanently? Even he can't make that much money.† â€Å"No, he mentioned at dinner that he'd be settling down somewhere else. He just hasn't decided where.† All was quiet between us for a minute or so. The only sounds were the traffic outside and Aubrey purring near my ear. At last, Roman asked, â€Å"Are you okay?† I glanced over at him in surprise. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Exactly what I said. This can't be easy on you. I mean, you haven't even had any downtime since the Oneroi.† I don't know why his words caught me by surprise. I guess it was because amidst all the woes that were always going on in my life, few people ever asked if I was okay. Maybe they'd given up asking because depressing things were so commonplace for me. How weird, I thought, that Roman had swung from sociopathic to compassionate while Seth had fallen down a darker path. Of course, I had no hard evidence that Roman wasn't actually a compassionate sociopath. Still, I gave him a smile of gratitude. â€Å"I am okay – or will be eventually. Thanks.† There must have been something in my smile that gave him hope or just made him feel inspired because his own smile grew radiant. I'd forgotten just how beautiful it was, the way it could light up his face. We left dangerous topics alone after that but spent the rest of the night hanging out together. I wasn't totally okay by any means, but it was nice to simply be ordinary for a while and free of drama. I wondered if that's what my life would be like now – and what role Roman would play. Still, adjusting to a world without Seth wasn't easy over the next few days. Even when he'd been with Maddie, even when the sight of him had caused me pain, he'd still been there. And I'd known he was there. Now, the knowledge that he was gone and that he wasn't coming back left a strange emptiness in my heart, even as the rest of my life began to stabilize. I returned to work, a good thing for the store because Maddie had taken some much-needed time off. I checked on her via Doug and offered to go to her if needed, despite knowing I wouldn't enjoy listening to her mourn for Seth. Of course, since I was doing the same thing, maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to turn down commiseration. â€Å"She just wants to be alone right now,† Doug said, leaning in my doorway. He had no joke today, none of his usual wackiness. â€Å"Still upset – but she's a trouper. I'll let you know when she's ready to see anyone.† â€Å"Okay.† My heart went out to her. â€Å"Keep me posted.† It was nearing closing time, and I went out to the store's main part to help with some of the evening tasks. A few of the staff members were already going home. One of them was Gabrielle. And she was leaving with Cody. â€Å"What's going on?† I whispered to him while she went to get her purse. He wasn't even wearing black. â€Å"We've gone out a couple times since†¦well, while you've been distracted.† He sounded apologetic for his happiness. â€Å"That's fantastic,† I said. Love was managing to survive somewhere in this world. â€Å"What changed her mind? The concert?† â€Å"A little. I think that opened the door. She's really excited that I'll only hang out at night. And that I can show her real vampires.† â€Å"What? You managed to convince her Peter was a vampire?† To the average human, that would be even less likely than Cody being a vampire. â€Å"No, of course not.† His lovesick expression hardened a little. â€Å"But Milton – you know that vampire from Eugene? – he's been in town this week. Claims he's visiting friends.† Vampires were very territorial about their hunting grounds, even ones like Peter and Cody who rarely took victims and didn't kill when they did. â€Å"He hasn't caused any trouble, but I don't buy that vacation thing. It's as ridiculous as Simone just visiting.† â€Å"She is gone, right?† That had been the rumor, and seeing as there'd been no wacky mishaps with two Georginas, I had to believe it was true. I'd never know what her motivation had been. â€Å"Yup, as far as I know. Anyway. Milton. He sure does look like a vampire. Have you seen him? He's like a modern-day Nosferatu. I took Gabrielle when I went to spy on him at a dance club, and she got really excited. She thinks I have some special knack for finding vampires – at least wannabe ones.† â€Å"Huh,† I said. â€Å"That's somehow bizarre, funny, and cute all at the same time. Maybe a little disturbing.† He grinned at that, showing his fangs. â€Å"What's she think of the teeth? You can't hide those if you're up close and personal all the time.† â€Å"Told her I had them cosmetically done.† He looked very pleased. â€Å"She thinks it's hot.† His new romance left me in a good mood when I finally took off. I stepped outside into the chilly night, surprised I didn't mind it so much. Something about the clean, brisk air seemed refreshing to me, and for the first time in a while, I regretted moving out of Queen Anne. It would have been nice to walk home on this early winter evening, instead of climbing into the plastic and metal of my car. There was nothing to be done for it, though. I turned the ignition and checked my cell phone before heading out of the parking lot. I often left the ringer off while working, and three calls had come in for me. I had a voice mail for each. The first was from a few hours ago, from Erik. He spoke in his usual genteel tones, but I could hear some urgency underneath. He told me he'd come up with some theories about my contract and wanted to talk to me soon. The next message was from Roman, from about an hour ago. He knew my work schedule perfectly and was calling to see what kind of takeout I wanted. If I called as I was leaving, he said, he'd probably have food by the time I walked in. I felt my lips turn into a smile at that – one that promptly dropped when I heard the last message. It had come in five minutes ago and was from Erik again. â€Å"Georgina – â€Å" That was it. Just my name, tense and strangled. After that came static, what sounded like the phone dropping, and then the voice mail ended. I stared at my phone as though it were a totally foreign object. I had never, ever heard Erik call me by my first name. My car was already headed toward his store when I dialed him back. It was too late for the store to be open, but that was the number my cell phone had logged. No answer came. I tried his home number, just to be safe, and received no answer there either. My fear increased, as did my speed. Easy traffic moved me along, but I still felt like his store might as well be hundreds of miles away. I made it there in fifteen minutes, which was actually pretty remarkable. The store's lights were on, though everything else in the strip mall and its lot was dark. I parked right in front, in a handicapped spot, and tore out of my car, nearly coming to a halt at what I found. The glass of the door and window were smashed, with glittering shards covering the sidewalk. Even if the door had been locked, I could have reached right in to open it. I pushed through, stepping inside to find more destruction. Fountains still tinkled, music still played, but everything else was in shambles. Bookshelves knocked over. Statuary in pieces. Jewelry cases broken – and empty. â€Å"Erik?† I called, hurrying through the store. There was no answer. I passed the register, saw the drawer hanging open, and suspected I'd find it as empty as the cases. I was heading for the store's back room when I heard a small noise. Turning, I peered around wildly and caught a glimpse of a hand, behind the checkout counter. There, I found Erik sprawled on the floor, pale despite his dusky skin. A hand lay over his stomach, which was a pool of dark blood. His eyes were glassy, and for a moment, I thought he was dead. Then the lids twitched, and his eyes focused on me. â€Å"Miss Kincaid†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I dialed 911 while simultaneously trying to rip my coat off. I screamed at them to send an ambulance and pressed the light fabric of the trench coat into his stomach. The effort was futile. A red strain promptly began spreading through the cloth. â€Å"Don't say anything,† I pleaded when I saw his lips move. They were blue-tinged. â€Å"Someone's coming. You'll be okay.† I wanted to ask a hundred questions: what had happened, who had done this. None mattered. Only saving him did – and besides, the scenario seemed painfully clear. A break-in, one in which he must have interfered. Two bullet holes on the wall revealed what had happened to his stomach. The third shot had hit. â€Å"Miss Kincaid†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice was so small, barely a croak. â€Å"Shh. We'll talk later, after the paramedics come. Save your strength.† â€Å"There won't be a later,† he gasped. I swear, he tried to smile. â€Å"Not†¦for†¦me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"They'll be here in, like, five minutes,† I countered. â€Å"Doesn't matter. Too weak. Too much blood.† â€Å"No,† I said desperately. â€Å"No.† Even as I begged, my hysteria growing, I knew he was right. He had lost too much blood. He was only alive now because this was a slow-killing wound. Even if paramedics walked in right now, they wouldn't get him away in time to save him. With his age and recent illness, he wouldn't come back from this. Still, I denied it. â€Å"You'll be okay. Listen – â€Å" â€Å"You listen.† There was no real force behind the command, but I shut up. One of his hands clung to me. â€Å"It's not†¦your contract.† I was confused, my mind still on his condition and the store. Then, I caught the context. â€Å"Let the contract go. We'll worry about it later.† His grip tightened. â€Å"There must be another. Two contracts.† â€Å"There†¦what? No. That's not how it works. I know that for sure. One contract per soul. I signed one. Now, please. Don't say anything else.† â€Å"Find it,† he coughed. There was blood on his lips. â€Å"Find†¦it.† â€Å"I will, I will.† I would have agreed to anything, though what he was saying made no sense. My words must have comforted him because he relaxed ever so slightly. There was still no question that he must be in agonizing pain, though. I glanced up at the front of the store, willing myself to hear sirens. â€Å"They'll be here,† I said. â€Å"Too†¦late. You†¦you can stop the pain.† He was so hard to hear now, I had to lean close. Even then, I didn't fully parse his words until a few moments later. â€Å"I'm trying.† I shifted the coat a little, which was proving totally ineffectual. â€Å"A kiss†¦one kiss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My eyes went wide. â€Å"No. No. It'll kill you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even as I said the words, I realized how stupid they were. This gunshot was already going to kill him. He was going to die. One kiss. He wanted a kiss to speed his dying, just as I'd given Luc. I'd never performed that deed again, nor had I wanted to. Maybe it had been mercy, but I'd felt like a killer. And yet, just like I had then, I knew it would ease the passing†¦. I shook my head. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Nyx†¦showed me. Showed me my death: you.† He coughed again and could speak no more. Still, he clung to life, with pain on his face and pleading in his eyes. Nyx? Nyx had shown him his death†¦. In the far reaches of my mind, I remembered finding him one day, right after Nyx had visited him and shown him a vision. He'd recoiled from me at first and then later shrugged it off, laughing it away as the remnants of a nightmare. But I understood now. He'd seen his death – seen me causing it. He'd been afraid of me in those moments. My man in the dream had been a lie, but all the other visions she'd shown had been true. My role in Erik's death had been destined†¦just not in any malicious way. That was how her dreams often worked. Never quite what you expected. And so, for the second time, I became an angel of mercy†¦an angel of death†¦whatever. I hunched down and kissed him, ignoring the blood on his mouth. Just like with Luc, there was only a breath of life left. Five more minutes, and Erik would have been gone without me. That tiny bit of life was as pure and good as I'd known it would be. Erik would be rewarded in the afterlife. As I lifted my head and watched peace settle over his features, faint feelings flitted through me, as sometimes happened when I took energy. There was affection for me. It wasn't romantic love. More like fatherly love. Friendship. Fondness. And underneath it was a warning, a warning for me he never got to convey. I was so caught up in those last bursts of life, that I was only distantly aware when the lights and sirens came. Someone lifted me away, and I saw people huddling around him – too late. I stared at the commotion that followed – paramedics, police. I saw it without seeing it, answered questions without even knowing what I said. A policeman with kind eyes took it all down and spoke to me gently, often repeating himself. I don't know how long it all took. Maybe an hour, maybe more. I only remember assuring them over and over that I was okay, that I was going home, and that I would answer any other questions that came up. But when I drove away, still in shock, still barely grasping what had happened, I didn't go to West Seattle. I went to Pioneer Square, parking in a lucky street spot and then winding my way through the partying crowds. A few people gave me curious looks when I walked into the Cellar, looks I gave no heed to as I honed in on Jerome's table. He drank alone tonight, his dark eyes watching me intently as I approached. â€Å"Georgie,† he said when I came to a stop in front of him, â€Å"what's the point of shape-shifting if you're going to walk around with blood on you?† I looked down, only then registering the stains on my shirt. I turned back to him, ignoring the shape-shifting suggestion. â€Å"Erik's dead,† I told him, my voice flat. Jerome's face displayed no reaction. â€Å"How?† â€Å"A break-in. Somebody shot him.† Jerome sipped his bourbon and remained silent. â€Å"Well? Don't you have anything to say?† He scowled. â€Å"What do you expect me to say? Should I cry? Put on sackcloth and ashes? Humans die all the time, Georgie. You're the one who mourns them – not me. I have no sentiment for any of them. You know that. And certainly not for him.† I did know that. When Duane – one of Jerome's former employees – had been killed, the demon's only reaction had been annoyance. â€Å"What's weird†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused, putting to words what had been coalescing in the back of my mind this whole time. â€Å"What's weird is that someone would break into a New Age store at all. It's not a good place for a robbery.† â€Å"If it has money, it's a good place for a robbery. If it's in a deserted strip mall, with only an old man there, it's even a better place for a robbery. Were the valuables gone?† â€Å"Yes,† I admitted. â€Å"Then why are you here wasting my time?† â€Å"The glass.† â€Å"The glass?† â€Å"The glass was broken from the inside,† I said. â€Å"The pieces were scattered on the sidewalk. Whoever did it didn't break the glass to get in. It just looked that way.† Jerome sighed irritably. â€Å"After everything you've seen, can you honestly question the behaviors of humans?† â€Å"It just seems strange that someone like Erik – someone who deals in the supernatural and who had – † I hesitated, about to say that he'd been pondering my contract. Instead, I said, â€Å"Who had just been involved with a big immortal blowout would be the victim of this by coincidence.† â€Å"Coincidences happen.† â€Å"I don't believe in coincidences anymore.† â€Å"Then replay your own words. Your ‘big immortal blowout' is the answer. They might not live in our world, but do you think dream creatures don't have connections here?† I frowned. â€Å"What are you saying?† â€Å"That I thought it was too convenient for the Oneroi's overlord to walk away. He knew he couldn't touch me or any other immortal. But a human? One who had been actively involved with thwarting him?† Jerome shrugged. â€Å"It's revenge. He could arrange for that. We can't prove it – and we can't do anything. Make sure you understand that. I'm not going to avenge your friend, if that's what you're asking for.† I hadn't expected him to. In fact, I really wasn't sure what I'd expected of him at all. Why had I come here? Because I was in shock. Because what had happened to Erik didn't make sense. Because Jerome often had answers for me. This time, he did too†¦but I wasn't sure that I believed them. The old adage came back: How do you know if a demon is lying? His lips are moving. â€Å"Okay,† I said with a small nod. His eyes narrowed a little. I think he was surprised I'd given in so quickly. Glancing down, I shape-shifted the blood away. â€Å"I'm going to go home and†¦I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do.† My confusion wasn't faked, and I hoped it would be enough to clear any suspicion. And really, what did he have to be suspicious of? I didn't even know. Two contracts. Jerome didn't try to stop me. I drove home with almost no realization of what I was doing until I pulled into the parking lot under my building. As soon as I opened my condo's door, I caught the faint smell of Chinese food. It smelled delicious, yet at the same time, it had that slight twinge of food that had been sitting around for a while. Roman sprawled on the couch, staring at nothing as far as I could tell. The TV was off. The cats remained unpetted. â€Å"I'm sorry I didn't call,† I said. â€Å"You won't believe what – â€Å" â€Å"I've got something for you,† he said. â€Å"Two somethings, actually.† The odd tone of his voice was about the only thing that could have stopped me from gushing about what had gone down at Erik's tonight. Even now, the events in the store were so surreal that it hardly seemed like something that had happened to me. Surely it was something I'd seen in a movie. I sat down in the armchair near Roman, the queasy feeling in my stomach growing as I wondered what else could possibly happen tonight. â€Å"What is it?† He handed me a piece of paper. â€Å"This was under the door when I got back with the food. I didn't mean to read it, but†¦well, it wasn't in an envelope or anything.† I took it wordlessly, immediately recognizing the scrawled writing. Seth's. To a lot of people it would be undecipherable, but I'd had a lot of practice in decoding his sloppy penmanship. Georgina, When I woke up without you in Mazatln, I was so angry. I felt betrayed and abandoned and wondered if you'd been playing me the entire time. Then, the more I thought about your words, the more my life began to come into focus. I still don't want to deal with the mess here in Seattle. I don't want to face Maddie. I don't want to face myself. But, I realized, I do want you to be proud of me. Maybe â€Å"proud† isn't the right word. Respect? Like? Love? I'm not sure, but the events at Erik's have still left an impression. Really, lying in your arms has left an impression. I meant what I said: I'd rather be alone than not be with you. Even apart, though, I can't stand the thought of you being disappointed in me. To regain your good opinion, I would risk almost anything. I'd even come back here to face my demons. And I have come back here, despite how much I wish I could run away. Disappearing won't erase the bad things around me, however. Maybe you're a messenger of some sort, some agent of destiny. If not for you, I almost certainly wouldn't have returned, but it turns out I needed to. Terry and Andrea received their results yesterday. She only has months to live, something that I'd almost swear was the doctor's joke. Only a few weeks ago, she seemed perfectly fine. I don't want to face that, any more than I want to face everything else. But they need me more than ever now, and I love them. I love them so much that I realize my own life and wants don't matter. As soon as I finish this book, I'm putting everything else – even the new series – on hold. None of it matters. Only they do. They'll need me in the next few months. They'll need me more in the months after that. I don't know when we'll see each other again – though you'll notice I say â€Å"when† and not â€Å"if.† Like I mentioned in Mexico, I know better than to think the universe will keep us apart. Regardless, I want you to be happy wherever your life takes you – and I hope someday I can be worthy of your respect again. I also want you to know that in returning, I don't expect anything from you. I just wanted to make sure you understood what I did†¦and how you've affected me. – Seth I looked up at Roman, who had been studying me while I read. I didn't know what astonished me more: Seth returning – because of me – or the god-awful news about Andrea. Both were monumental in their own ways. One was a tragedy of epic proportions. I swallowed, afraid if I fully processed it all, I'd start crying. â€Å"I'm not sure how much more I can handle tonight,† I said in a small voice. Roman's face was a mixture of sympathy and cynicism. â€Å"Well, you've got one more thing.† He handed me a magazine. It was a trashy celebrity gossip one that was a popular source of mockery over at the bookstore. I couldn't imagine why he was giving something so trivial to me, in light of everything else that had gone on. One page was marked with a Post-it, and I flipped to it. It was a spread of assorted celebrity shots, the kind of candids that paparazzi delighted in: actors out with their children, pop stars spotted in Las Vegas nightclubs. I skimmed over the two pages, feeling a frown grow on my face as I tried to figure out why on earth I'd care about this right now. Then, I found it. It was a small picture, shoved off to the side between much more interesting and larger ones of badly dressed actors. The caption read: Best-selling author Seth Mortensen enjoys some natural beauty in Mazatln. And it showed Seth and me kissing on the beach.

Analysis of Darcy’s first proposal to Elizabeth Essay

Look again at the Darcy’s first proposal to Elizabeth that is made in this novel. Choose at least two and, write responses to the following questions: * under what circumstances does Darcy propose * how does Elizabeth respond and why * how does Austen present the proposal to the reader That evening, just before Mr. Darcy comes to meet Elizabeth , she rereads Jane’s letters and finds out Mr. Darcy’s ‘shameful boast’ of misery that inflicted Jane’s happiness and it gives her a ‘keener sense of her sister’s sufferings’. To Elizabeth’s ‘utter amazement’, Darcy enters the room approaching her ‘in a hurried manner’ enquiring after her health. He ‘sat for a few moments’, got up, and ‘walked about the room’. Mr. Darcy’s body language shows that he is nervous and agitated. Then he took several minutes to say his true love for her that how ‘ardently’ he ‘admires’ and ‘loves’ her. However, the reader later realises that his nervousness is not due to his love for Elizabeth is so great but due to the hesitation, whether it is a good idea to propose considering the inferiority of her family and social background. Mr. Darcy explains to Elizabeth that ‘in vain’ he has ‘struggled’ to ‘repress’ his feelings towards not to love her’ he expresses his love for her unromantically and was less ‘eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride’. He talks about ‘his sense of her inferiority’ and the ‘family obstacles which judgment had always opposed inclination’. He means that although he had loved her for a long time he knows that her family is beneath him. Mr. Darcy considered his wealth and status as ‘sufficient encouragement’ for Elizabeth to accept his hand of marriage. Elizabeth ‘could see that he had no doubt of a favourable answer ‘as he ‘spoke with apprehension and anxiety’ although his ‘countenance expressed real security’. When Mr. Darcy first enters Elizabeth’s room, her ‘astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted and was silent’. Then Darcy tells Elizabeth how much he loves her in spite of her ‘inferiority’ and her family’s degradation’. Despite of her ‘deeply-rooted dislike’ for Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth ‘could not be sensible to the compliment of such a man’s affection’. She is flattered when she realises how much he loves her and ‘she is sorry for the pain he was to receive, but she ‘lost all compassion in anger’ with his subsequent criticism of her ‘family’s inferiority’ while asking her to marry him. As Mr. Darcy ‘spoke with apprehension and anxiety, Elizabeth’s ‘colour rose to her cheeks’, she refuses Mr. Darcy and says that she could not ‘feel any gratitude’ towards his proposal and she has ‘never desired’ his good opinion. Mr. Darcy is furious and looks at her ‘with no less resentment than surprise. ‘His complexion became pale with anger, and he was struggling for the appearance of composure’. He enquires ‘in a voice of forced calmness why she refused him ‘with so little endeavor at civility’ Elizabeth replies in a confrontational manner asking why he has spoken with ‘so evident a design of offending and insulting’ her by telling how much he loves her against his ‘will’, ‘reason’ and his ‘character’. She uses this opportunity to express how her feelings have been hurt by his insulting comment. Furthermore, she goes on to explain that even if his feelings had been ‘favourable’ she would never marry a person who has ‘ruined the happiness of a most beloved sister’. Although Darcy changed colour at this moment, he showed no feelings of remorse and listens ‘with a simile of affected incredulity’ as Elizabeth explains how he destroyed Jane’s happiness by splitting up Jane and Bingley. Mr. Darcy admits that he did ‘everything in his power to separate his friend from Elizabeth’s sister and he adds ‘to him (Mr. Bingley) I have been kinder than to myself’. This ‘civil reflection’ of Mr. Darcy, which she disdained, was unlikely to ‘conciliate her’. Elizabeth replies that Mr. Darcy’s interference in Jane and Bingley’s relationship was not the only reason for her bad opinion against him. She mentions what she had heard from Mr.Wickham. He responds to this ‘in a less tranquil tone and with heightened colour’. He answers that she taken ‘an eager interest’ in his concerns and Elizabeth accuses him of depriving Mr.Wickham, ‘the independence which was no less his due than his desert’. She is shocked by seeing Mr. Darcy speaking of him ‘with contempt and ridicule’. Mr. Darcy’s says that ‘perhaps these offences might have been overlooked, had not your (Elizabeth) pride been hurt by my honest confession of the scruples that have long prevented my forming of any serious design’. This explains that he believes his honesty has made her reject him and asks her ‘Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferior of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of my relations, whose conditions in life is so decidedly beneath my own?’ Jane Austen comments to the reader that Elizabeth ‘felt herself growing angrier every moment’. However, ‘she tried to the utmost to speak with composure’. When she says to Mr. Darcy ‘you could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it’, Mr. Darcy astonished by this remark and looks at her ‘with an expression of mingled incredulity and mortification’. She further comments that she disliked him from the very first time they met because of his ‘arrogance†¦.conceit†¦ self disdain of the feelings of others’. Her ‘immovable dislike’ has made her feel that he was ‘the last man in the world’ that she ‘could be prevailed to marry’. After Mr. Darcy left, Jane Austen writes that Elizabeth cried for half an hour. It seems she felt it was ‘almost incredible’ that Mr. Darcy is so much in love as to wish to marry her in spite of all the objections which had prevented his friend (Mr. Bingley) marrying her sister. She feels it was ‘gratifying to have inspired unconsciously so strong an affection’ but Elizabeth condemns Mr. Darcy’s ‘abominable pride’ and ‘his shameless avowal of what he had done with respect to Jane’ and Mr. Darcy’s ‘unfeeling manner’ when he spoke of Wickham. Jane Austen portrays how men and women in her times considered marriage through different characters in the novel. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s family especially shows that middle class women could not work; it would be seen as improper. Mrs. Bennet is desperate to get her daughters married to wealthy young men. This shows that parents were very much involved when it came to their daughter’s marriage and would play a large role in finding a husband. Jane Austen views love as the foundation for a happy marriage. This view is mainly portrayed through Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage and this is thought be the best marriage in the novel along with Jane and Bingley’s marriage because they are well suited and they are financially secure. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Lydia and Wickham and Charlotte and Mr. Collin’s marriages are viewed as bad marriages as their marriages lack the element of love that the other two good marriages have a plenty. Jane Austen portrays that these marriages are bad due to lack of intelligence and wit that neither person has, the lack understanding and communication between each other in their married life. Lydia running away with Mr. Wickham without getting married was a big scandal in the novel. She was excluded from the society as she went against its traditional values of the society in those times. However, getting married reduced the shame slightly that was passed on to the family. Jane Austen shows the consequences that will occur to women who live together with a man without getting married. Charlotte married Mr. Collin because she felt she was already a burden for her family and this would be a social embarrassment. Mr. Collins is Mr. Bennet’s closest male who will inherit his estate, which meant that he had definite financial security. This marriage shows that there was a lot of pressure on women like Charlotte from society. She is influenced to marry a man for financial security, protection and a house of her own.

REGIME CHANGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

REGIME CHANGE - Essay Example Coup de tat involves forceful transition where a leader comes into office by overturning or rebelling against the government. In such a case, the leader has authority, but lacks legitimacy/ claim to his or her title. In most cases, regime changes towards an authoritarian regime are characterized by totalitarian actions which inhibit peoples’ freedoms (Goerman, et al., 2009). The other one involves external forces, which are characterized by external pressure from non governmental bodies such as the United Nations and NATO. The UN may pass into law interventions that are aimed to kick out a certain regime in a country (Gilligan & Sergenti, 2008). A good example is the global communities’ involvement in ousting the current regime in Syria, which is being accused of going against its peoples’ wishes and lacking legitimacy. Examples of significant regime changes across the globe include Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and even Syria. Political history of Libya Libya has a real distinct history, which dates back to the 16th century with the decline of the Berbers dynasties, to the takeover by the Turks, then the French, and then under Italy in 1912; up to the time they gained independence in 1951 (History World, 2012). During the Italian rule between 1914 and 1945, there was the introduction of fascism, which should be noted distinctively as a new method of administration of Libya back then. Italy appointed fascist governors who operated with extremes measures to the point of setting up concentration camps to subdue resistant from two major Libyan areas. Major regimes in Libya After the second world war, and under a United Nations resolution the three major regions of Tripolitania, Cyrenacia and Fezzan come together to form the present day Libya, under the leadership of King Mohammed Idris I. His term in the throne was a huge shift from the fascist rule embraced by Italy during the colonial period. His style of governance involved ruling Libya as an old fashioned monarch. This meant that democracy was thrown out of the window. This kind of rule was retrogressive to the economy of the region since the royalty used up most of the resources impoverishing the population. Eighteen years into his rule as king, King Mohammed was deposed in a bloodless military coup by the then twenty seven year old Muammur Gadaffi, a captain in the air forces. He immediately becomes the commander in chief of the armed forces. Gadaffi ruled Libya with a firm grip, creating a reputation of being a hard stance dictator who was very unpredictable, and the world over. He developed a philosophy which he used in governing Libya which he wrote in a book titled ‘The Green Book’ which was published in two volumes, one in 1978 and the other in 1980.The book highlighted a political philosophy based on Islam, Arab nationalism and socialism. Gadaffi’s reputation on the international stage suffered a significant blow due to his unpredictable nat ure. He was many times accused of supporting financially extremist groups across the globe. The use of Libya’s oil wealth in meddling in other countries affairs made the international community set up measures of controlling his influence. In April 1986, in his government’s commitment against international terrorism, Ronald Reagan the then president of the United States authorized airstrikes in Libya,

NATO as peacekeeping force in KOSOVO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

NATO as peacekeeping force in KOSOVO - Essay Example Whether one likes it or not the presence of NATO forces in Kosovo is the harsh reality. Before that â€Å"the United States and its European partners sought to defer making difficult decisions, preferring instead to muddle through in the hope that somehow and someway a solution would present itself that would at once end the violence, provide a firm political basis for settlement, and avoid confronting the international community with a need to the massive force.† Its implications for the alliance and its future are full of uncertainties. â€Å"On March 24, 1999, NATO initiated Operation Allied Force as a means to compel Slobodan Milosevic to cease ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and to pull Serbian forces out of the disputed province. Although initially expected to last a few days, the operation did not conclude until June 10, 1999--78 days later--when Milosevic agreed to NATO's terms. Operation Allied Force marked a watershed in the Alliance's history and a significant departure from NATO's exclusive Cold-War focus on the defense of its members' borders.† Kosovo campaign opened new horizons for the Alliance, not in its designated operational objectives. NATO’s direction is to protect the overall interests of the countries that are signatories to the NATO treaty, but their subsequent brief touched the areas and objectives not anticipated earlier. They took in their stride the responsibility of crisis response and crisis management in the entire continent of Europe. Even when the territorial integrity and sovereignty.

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

Diverisity - Research Paper Example ts and may involve an employee reporting a fellow colleague involved in unlawful or illegal activity to the in charge of the department but this only happens when the complaint systems are available. â€Å"There are some reasons to believe that people are more likely to take action with respect to unacceptable behavior within an organization if there are complaint systems that offer not just options dictated by the planning and control organization but a choice of option for confidentiality (Rowe, Wilcox and Horwad). With regard to external reporting, whistleblower may report to different persons depending on the severity of the case and range from media, law enforcement or watchdog agencies. In UK, whistle blowing is subject to public interest Disclosure act including culture of raising concerns apart of normal business activity of any well led NHS Organizations, culture free from bullying where staff have the freedom to speak out without being bullied, support to find alternative employments elsewhere in cases where the employee can’t continue working in the same organization after reporting. In USA, there are several contradictory laws on the subject which keep on varying from state to state and the subject matter of the whistle blowing. Still state laws protects employees who call attention for the violations, help with enforcement proceedings, or refuse to obey unlawful proceedings. The first act was established in 1863 as a false claim Act which was revised in 1986 which tried to combat fraud by supplies of United States during America’s civil war. The act encourages whistleblowers by promising them certain percentage of recovered money by the government and protecting them from retaliation from the employer. Another law that protects whistleblowers is the Lloyd-La Follette Act of 1912. This guaranteed the right of federal employees to give information to the United States Congress. A good example is the clean water Act of 1972with subsequent acts like

Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Human Resources - Essay Example 13 Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., and Sargeant, M. 2002. People Management and Development: Human Resource Management at Work. London: CIPD Publishing. 13 Mayock, P. 2011. 28 best practices for hotel operators. [online] Hotel News Now. Available at http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Article/5800/28-best-practices-for-hotel-operators [Accessed 19 October 2013]. 14 McKay, M. n.d. What Is the HR Business Partner Model? [online] Chron. Available at [Accessed 19 October 2013]. 14 Price Waters Cooper. 2011. Shared service centres: opportunities and challenges in HR transformation. [online] Price Waters Cooper. Available at http://www.pwc.ch/user_content/editor/files/publ_hrs/pwc_shared_service_centres_hr_exec_summ_e.pdf Accessed 19 October 2013]. 14 Reilly, P. 2000. HR Shared Services and the Realignment of HR. [online] IES. Available at [Accessed 19 October 2013]. 14 Reilly, P and Williams, T. 2003. How to Get Best Value from HR: The Shared Services Option. London: Gower Publishing Ltd. 14 Snel l, S and Bohlander, G. ed., 2011. Managing Human Resources. Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA. 14 Snider, M. 2003. Compatibility Breeds Success: How to Manage Your Relationship with Your Business Partner. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. 15 Storey, J. 2002. Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA. 15 University of Michigan. 2013. Administrative Services Transformation Overview Presentation for Shared Services. [online] University of Michigan. Available at: http://ast.umich.edu/pdfs/Awareness-Presentation.pdf [Accessed 19 October 2013]. 15 Wenderoth, M. 2009. Change...On the other hand, when there are challenges facing the human resources department, profitability of the business cannot be guaranteed. Some of the challenges the human resources department can face include tension with the business owners, lack of proper power flow within the department. There are several ways these challenges can be addressed leading to regaining of business pr ofitability and success in its respective sector (Snell and Bohlander, 2011). The Snow mountain hotel has hotels and resorts across America, including Canada, United States, Bermuda, Mexico and Barbados. The hotel’s human resources department is in crisis. The department responsibilities and chores are not well-organized and structured and there has been tension between the owners of the hotel and the human resources management. They have varying perspectives and viewpoints on how the hotel should be run. Business leaders and owners have weight when it comes to making decisions, putting the human resources department between a hard rock and a wall. While they have the strategies on how to do their work, they cannot disregard the instructions from the leaders and owners. This paper will provide a number of propositions on how the human resources management should do to organize the department, agree with the owners and share responsibility. This is a human-resource strategy in which the company leaders and owners work together with the human resources department.

Literature Review for Concept Analysis Dissertation

Literature Review for Concept Analysis - Dissertation Example This is the premise in which exercise became an inevitable element for sustaining a healthy life. The changes that happened in the society were also reflected in the psychological and moral realm of lives as well. Thoughts about rights and power also emerged out of leisure and the question that who are the owners of leisure, and who commands it, arose. Though Oxford Dictionaries Online has offered several definitions for the term, ‘exercise’, I will explore the following two definitions in this concept analysis, a) â€Å"activity requiring physical effort, carried out especially to sustain or improve health and fitness,† †¦[and b)]†¦ â€Å"the use or application of a faculty, right, or process† (Oxford Dictionaries Online, 2010). The first definition stresses the meaning of exercise as a physical activity while, the second one views exercise as the fulfillment of a duty and as the claiming of a right. Taking these two definitions are taken as the yardsticks to understand the importance of education, this analysis envisages to find out how exercise attains a valuable place in the three areas of knowledge, namely, theology, psychology, and nursing. Exercise in theology In a democratic society, an individual has several rights and powers, the exercise of which is supposed to be the foundation of the democratic system itself. Whenever the exercise of any such right or power is denied, the foundations of democracy feel threatened. And this is why the people of many nations around the globe had to fight prolonged battles to be able to exercise these powers and rights. For example, in America, the people felt that â€Å"the right to vote was denied for so long to so many that we cannot afford to ignore any impediment to its exercise† (Grey, 2005). In the theological realm also, there are a set of such rights and powers, which follow the democratic rights but also give rise to many contentious issues as well. For example, Pos t (1995) has observed that â€Å"free exercise is justifiably overridden to promote public health- for example, medical treatment is required to minimize the spread of contagious disease or to benefit minors, even if religious belief is offended† (p.22). Though Post (1995) has reminded, â€Å"the free exercise clause of the First Amendment is central to American public life,† from a nurse’s point of view, situations may arise when a patient wants to exercise his/her right to refuse treatment and the nurse and the system in which he/she works are compelled to use authority and power to prevent that (p. 22). This is particularly important because, just as any other freedom, the freedom to exercise one’s religion also has limits and can be overridden if public health is at risk of being jeopardized (Post, 1995). Taking into consideration these two opposite yet justifiable positions, nurses have to be aware that a patient has the right to refuse or seek treat ment based on their religion and when the right to this free exercise is dishonored, it should be examined and justified. Post (1995) has discussed a legal case in which religion, law, and medicine clash. The article is based on the true story of Baby K, a baby born with anencephaly. The mother, who believes in the sanctity-of-life principle, wants Baby K kept on a ventilator; because of her faith, she believes that a person’

Strategic managment report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic managment report - Essay Example This paper will discuss the relevance of the organizational paradigms to the implementation of strategic management processes. Organizational Paradigms It is essential for the modern day organizations to take into account the understanding and interpretation of the concept of organizational paradigm. The word 'paradigm' pertains to the description of distinct thought patterns or concepts being applied. It refers to the exemplar or the pattern of any structure or object, which distinguishes the particular object from other objects. Through this term, it is understood that the term 'organizational paradigm' refers to the arrangement of the organizational structure and activities into such patterns that make it stand out from the other similar companies in the corporate world. All the paradigms of an organization are alive and possess their own weaknesses and strengths. Some of the traditional organization paradigms include circle, hierarchy, bureaucracy, and network paradigms (Hailin, 2009). All these paradigms involve various ways in which tasks are performed and people coordinate in the organizations. However, nowadays, these conventional paradigms have experienced a shift and are moving towards the integration of all these conventional paradigms in an organization. ... The conventional organizations focused on their internal functions, while after experiencing the paradigm shifts, the organizations are now more focused on the competitive environments around them. They now create potential markets for the future instead of concentrating merely on the current market competition. Organizational Paradigm and Strategic Management Process From the time period of 1960s and to date, the corporate environment has altered and been modified to a large extent. Various driving forces such as increasing innovation in telecommunications, enhancing employee diversity, boosted public consciousness and globalization have made the organizations more socially responsible. Thus, they have adopted a ‘new paradigm’ whereby they are more flexible, sensitive, and adaptable to the expectations and demands of stakeholders. Therefore, in order to integrate the new shifts into their business processes and activities, the organizations have blended the paradigm shi fts into their strategic management process (Hailin, 2009). The business organizations that are strategically managed tend to analyse the significant initiatives which are adopted by the top management and which involve the performance and resources in the external business environments. The entire process of strategic management entails formulating and implementing a mission, vision, objectives, the development of plans and policies, resource allocations and programs and projects in the organization. Unlike the conventional planning processes, the contemporary organizations now plan and develop their mission, vision and objectives keeping in view the application of information technology resources, analysis of the external and internal corporate

Environmental Risk Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Environmental Risk Management - Coursework Example For adoption of an effective EMS, this paper discusses the processes involved in Environmental risk assessment. These include hazard assessment, exposure assessment, consequences assessment as well as risk estimation. Through integration of these processes with the major activities undertaken in formulation and implementation of EMS, an organization is able to benefit from an effective EMS. Some of the major implications of an accredited EMS to institutions such as Cowcaddens University include reduced operational costs, public support and competitive advantage. In this regard, this paper discusses some key recommendations that Cowcaddens should adopt. For instance, the institution should engage all stakeholders including employees and students in the entire process of formulating and implementing the EMS. This also entails offering environment conservation courses in addition to offering training to the employees and holding environmental protection seminars and forums. Introduction Environmental Management System (EMS) entails comprehensive strategies that are adopted to effectively manage environmental aspects that affect the day to day operations of companies. ... Other advantages of EMS include improving the production process, reduction of company liabilities and expenses as well as reduction of costs of managing waste materials. For companies to increase total sales, it is imperative for firms to emulate effective EMS especially in the modern times when most consumers are keenly looking for products that are harmless to the environment. This paper seeks to discuss the concepts that are vital in the development of an environmental risk assessment process as part of an Environment Management System of Cowcaddens University. Specific Environmental legislation Environmental Permitting Regulations 2011 SI 2043 Environmental Permitting Regulations 2011 SI 2043 is one of the major environmental legislation that was emulated by UK government in October 2011. The law that seeks to redefine radioactive waste was adopted after several amendments of the earlier Acts. The amendment was done in order to provide effective EMS that ensures risks associated with radioactive materials are properly addressed. Due to the anomalies of Radioactive Substances Act (RSA) of 1960, the UK government recognized the need to make adjustment of the Act. RSA 1993 was also based on RSA 1960. Even though some countries such as Northern Ireland and Scotland have still retained the majority of the provisions of RSA 1993, major reviews have been adopted in UK that are contributed by various environment regulators and industries. This was aimed at making UK attain a strong approach of preventing the country from being negatively affected by the large amount of radioactive materials from the industries. The monitoring of the implementation of the law is to be undertaken in 2015.

Justifications For Improvement In Social Services for the Aged in the Republic of Ireland Essay Example for Free

Justifications For Improvement In Social Services for the Aged in the Republic of Ireland Essay Access to health and social services remains a fundamental human right to a civilized society like that of republic of Ireland. Every person, regardless of age, religion or political affiliation should be able to access health and services if and when they need it. In the case of people with special needs, access to these services becomes even more important. This is because they are the ones that are likely to need these services more frequently. They are also the ones who are likely to be unable to access these services, despite the fact that they need them more. These people with special needs include the aged, the children and the disabled amongst others. For example, those people with mental illnesses are entitled to visits from social workers. These visits are made by the social worker to the homes of the mentally ill to make sure that the family is treating them with respect and care and to make sure that they take their medicine in time and when the need arises. The aged in the republic of Ireland are entitled to certain fundamental social and health services. These include treatment for the diseases that are likely to afflict them and counselling from the social workers. However, it is with deep concern that the writer has noted that the social services that are availed to this group of people are not enough. Some of them are forced to go to homes for the aged where it is said that they will be receiving social and medical services round the clock. However, it is not the wish of these people to spend the rest of their lives enclosed in an institution that they did not want in the first place. This writer noted that the home based care of these people needs to be improved. They should be allowed to stay at their homes. But the number of social workers should be increased such that every old person has a personal social worker who will be accessible at all times. Thus, this paper is advocating for the improvement of home based social care for the aged. Status of the Social Services for the Aged in the Republic of Ireland Social service in Ireland falls under the docket of public health care system for the country (Cahill: 2008). It is enshrined in the health act that was enacted in the year 2004. This act provided for the development of institutions that are tasked with providing social services to every citizen of this country. The social services as such ended up been a part and mandate of the Health Service Executive (Chandran: 2008). Within the HSE, as this body is popularly known, social service is under the department of primary, community and continuing care (Gunnar: 2007). The services that are provided for the older people include rehabilitation and community services. They are also provided by home based services. The latter includes the visitations made by the nurses and other community health officials to the homes of the aged. This paper is going to petition the HSE to improve the social services that the aged gets at their homes, rather than at the institutions for the aged. Improved Social Services for the Irish Aged In 2006, a census was conducted in the republic of Ireland by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. According to this census, the aged in Ireland were estimated at 207,000 for the male and 260,000 for the females (Schnepper: 2008). These were the ones who are aged sixty five years and above. This is the group that is considered and defined as the aged. They are the ones that need social services more than the others in the society. This number seems big if it is compared with the total number of social service providers that are employed by NSE. NSE employs around 100,000 service care providers. These are the ones that provide care for the aged, the children, the mentally ill and the disabled amongst others (Higgins: 2009). As such, the service provision for the old is neglected, since these care providers are overworked and their resources overstretched. As such, NSE needs to recruit more service providers to cater for the old. The old people have problems accessing not only the social services entitled to them, but also other services like the home care scheme, which provides for a package to cover for their treatment. The national economic and social forum came up with a report on May 2009 highlighting the difficulties that these people experience as they try to access this service (Hughes: 2009). This package has helped at least ten thousand Irish aged in 2008 (Hughes: 2009). But this number is very small compared to the earlier stated estimates of the aged. This means that some of these people are unable to access this service. Something must be done to enable these people to access the service. It is not enough to provide for the service in society, the authorities must make sure that the services are accessed by those people who need it. As John Rawls says, â€Å"institutions in the society†¦. ut regulation in place to ensure that support services are availed to those who experience the targeted problem† (Hughes: 2009). This means that HSE should ensure that the old people get the services that are available for them. There is only one way to ensure this. If these people had access to a social worker, he will be able to sensitise them on how to access such services when the need for it arises. The social worker will not only help the aged access the service, he will also ensure identify situations when the service is called for. It is fact that Irish aged have little or no access to the care services that they need. Many old people, since they lack constant care and other services, ends up developing complications that leads to their incapacitation. These complications could have been avoided if they had accessed the appropriate care at the appropriate time (Chandran: 2008). For example, they develop diseases like cardiac and diabetes. These diseases can be prevented by healthy diet and exercise. However, these people have no one to advise them on the best diet to take in order to avoid such illnesses. They have no one to advise them on the lifestyle they should adopt in order to live healthy. As such, these complications lead to their admissions to nursing homes. This is too little too late, since the condition is likely to have deteriorated. However, if they had the constant care of a home based social service provider, they would have been advised appropriately on the lifestyle to adopt and diet to take to avoid such incidences (Higgins: 2009). According to John Rawl â€Å"equality cannot be achieved by worsening the least advantaged† (Hughes: 2009). This means that there will be no equality in the society if the status of the less advantaged (in this case the old) is made worse. This will be a contradiction to the human rights of justice and equality to all. Less than three percent of Irish aged enjoys home based care, like the one provided for by the social workers (Schnepper: 2008). This is as compared to other countries in this continent, like the United Kingdom. This number is very small, considering the number of aged people that are in this country. The reasons for this measly access are varied. Some include ignorance on the part of the aged, as they do not know that such services do exist. The other reason, and may be the most important, is that there is a shortage of social care providers. This means that there is no one to deliver these services to the aged. The services are there, but there is no one to deliver them. Conclusion There is disproportionately large number of aged people in Ireland as compared to the social service providers. As such, the aged remain to have their health and well being deteriorate. Majority of the aged suffer from depression. This can be mitigated if they have access to the services of social care providers, who will help by counselling them. It is not only their mental health that is at risk, but also their physical health. There is need then for NSE to increase the number of home based social service providers to cater for the well being of this segment of the society.

Nursing in the Community Essay Example for Free

Nursing in the Community Essay In this assignment the topics discussed is a nursing problem related to a medical diagnosis taking from an example of a patient dealt with while the nursing student was out on clinical placement. For this assignment the patient has a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Kevin Brophy (pseudonym) is a 9 year old boy that had come into the Paediatric Unit. He is of the Roman Catholic religion. He lives with only his mother and she is educated about his disease of Diabetes. His mother’s sister is a nurse also and knew how to manage his Diabetes and looked after him if his mother was busy. The multidisciplinary team have been treating him for the condition for 4 years. He gets hospitalized often to regulate his blood sugar levels and monitor his insulin intake. The nursing problem associated with his diagnosis is related to his diet and nutritional status and being able to monitor these with caution and ease. The nurse had a form for filling out what had he eaten that day and what time this had happened at in the ‘end of bed’ chart which was with his other documentation such as his vital signs and also the fluid balance intake and output chat. There was also a section in this form for documenting what level his blood sugars were and was directed to take record of them after every meal. The nurse then had an idea  of what sort of food he was eating and also a report of his blood sugars which were monitored closely throughout the day. The nurses primary responsibility was to ensure this boy was eating correctly and following the dietary guidelines of a Diabetic patient. The model of assessment/care used to treat Kevin was devised from Roper, Logan and Tierney (1980). The Roper, Logan and Tierney’s’ activity of living (AL) model of nursing consists of twelve activities of living. According to Aggleton Chalmers (2000 P46), â€Å"Each AL specifies a relatively distinct type of human behaviour related to meeting a particular need.† Information was obtained from a booklet containing facts and advice on Diabetes and Healthy Eating from the Department of Health and Dietetics in Waterford Regional Hospital. This has described diabetes as a condition where the body is unable to control the amount of glucose i.e. sugar in the blood. Everyone’s blood has some glucose in it because your body needs glucose for energy. Normally your body breaks food down into glucose and sends it to the bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps to get the glucose from the bloodstream into the cells to be used for energy. In people with Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas is not making enough insulin or is unable to use the insulin properly, or both. In people with Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreas is unable to make insulin full stop. Without insulin in the body, the blood glucose rises (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Waterford Regional Hospital 2006). To manage diabetes in paediatrics is primarily challenging and m uch more complicated than dealing with the diagnosis in adults with Diabetes (DH Diabetes Policy Team 2007, Christie et al 2009). Nurses have to educate and facilitate the self management of Diabetes and also introduce skills to gain the best possible control over the patient’s blood sugars i.e. glycaemic control. If these skills are not executed properly then diseases such as micro-vascular e.g. nephropathy or retinopathy or cardiovascular diseases (macro-vascular), which decreases the quality of life and a reduced life span (The Diabetes Control and Complications Study Group,1994). The nurses and patients responsibility is to monitor and control the intake of food and also be educated on what can have a negative or positive effect on the body. This is a major nursing problem associated with the Diabetic patient and  intervention by the nurse is necessary throughout. In doing so, the nurse must follow the Nursing Process in relation to their diet. Assessment Patients diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes are assessed for signs of Diabetic Ketoacidosis, including ketonuria, Kussmaul respirations, orthostatic hypotension, and lethargy. The patient is asked about symptoms of DKA, such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Laboratory results are monitored for metabolic acidosis (i.e. decreased pH and decreased bicarbonate level) and for electrolyte imbalance. If the patient exhibits signs and symptoms of DKA, the nursing care first focuses on treatment of these acute complications, as outlined earlier. Once these complications are resolving, nursing care then focuses on long-term management of diabetes. The patients emotional status is assessed by observing his or her general demeanour (e.g., withdrawn, anxious) and body language (e.g., avoids eye contact). The patient is asked about major concerns and fears about diabetes; this allows the nurse to assess for any misconceptions or misinformation regarding diabetes. The nurse is also assessing th e vital signs of the patient such as temperature, respiration, blood pressure etc. and develops a baseline of these results. In this case the patients normal vital signs were as follows : Temperature- 36.4ââ€" ¦, Blood Pressure- 114/70, Respiration rate- 18 breaths per minute. Nursing Diagnosis Based on the assessment data, the main diagnoses the nurse must adhere to are as following: Risk for fluid volume deficit in relation to polyuria and dehydration, imbalanced nutrition related to imbalance of insulin, food, and physical activity. The main ones that are focussed on in this essay are the imbalance of insulin and the patient’s diet. Planning The major goals for the patient may include maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance, optimal control of blood glucose levels. The nurse would plan suitable charts and regimes for the patient to follow. Intake and  output are measured. IV fluids and electrolytes are administered as prescribed, and oral fluid intake is encouraged when it is permitted. Vital signs are monitored hourly for signs of dehydration (tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension) along with assessment of breath sounds, level of consciousness, presence of oedema, and cardiac status. If the patient agrees with the diet plan and increases his fruit and vegetable intake this can highly optimise nutritional health, promote a healthy image and reduce the chances of obesity (Lock et al., 2005). In Diabetes, diet is a chief obstacle in the control of the condition (Watson et. al 1997). The patient’s goals in agreeing with a healthy diet for their Diabetes are as follows: 1) To regulate and sustain lipid levels an d blood glucose back to their normal state. 2) To avoid fluctuations in their blood glucose levels during the day. 3) To manage and control a desirable body weight. 4) To prevent or hinder the growth or advancement of renal, neurological or cardiovascular difficulties (Watson et. al 1997). The nurse should introduce a dietary plan for the patient with the Diabetes. This controls the amount of calories that are needed for each day and the magnitude of these calories to be assigned to carbohydrate, protein and lipids. This is determined by a person’s age, weight, gender, activity and their dietary intake before they discovered the disease. In general, the amount of targeted calories allocated to each food type is in the region of 50-60% carbohydrate, 10-15% protein and under 30% of fat (Rees and Williams,1995). In the diet, the concentrated sugars should be strictly limited e.g. sweets, jam, cake, and should only represent a minute part of a meal to prevent rapid increase in the blood sugar levels. The unrefined carbohydrates such as whole-meal bread, fruit and vegetables, and also fibre-rich f oods, should be consumed as an alternative to the refined carbohydrates as mentioned before. Implementation Meal planning is put into practice, with the control of glucose as the primary goal. The nurse must consider factors before beginning to intervene such as the patients lifestyle, cultural background, activity level, and their food preferences. A suitable caloric intake allows the patient to achieve and maintain the desired body weight. The nurse would encourage the  patient to eat complete and wholesome meals including snacks that have been prescribed in the diet that the team has devised for Kevin. The nurse needs to take into consideration of the fluid intake and keeps records of IV and other fluid intake, also record urine output measurements. Hypoglycaemia is the most dreaded acute difficulty in the disease of Diabetes, and can be a major factor in the hindering of the metabolic control in the body. Night-time hypoglycaemia states, more common in the paediatric side of Diabetes, places an immense worry for the child themselves but also the parents, as it more likely to go unnot iced and care for (Nordfeldt S, Ludvigsson J 2005). Hypoglycaemia may occur if the patient skips or delays meals, does not follow the prescribed meal plan, or greatly increases the amount of exercise without modifying food intake and insulin. In addition, hospitalized patients or outpatients who fast in preparation for diagnostic testing are at risk for hypoglycaemia. Juice, milk, or glucose tablets are used for treatment of hypoglycaemia. The patient is encouraged to eat full meals and snacks as prescribed in the meal plan. If hypoglycaemia is a recurring problem, the whole dietary plan must be looked over and improved if needed. The risk of hypoglycaemia with rigorous insulin routines, it is of the utmost importance for the nurse to review with the patient the signs and symptoms, possible causes, and measures for prevention and treatment of hypoglycaemia. The nurse should emphasise to the patient and family the importance of having information on diabetes at home for reference. Evaluation After putting this plan into practice, the nurse found that it helped in the treatment and care of Kevin Brophy in managing and controlling his Diabetes. After following the Roper Logan and Tierney model of Nursing it helped understand his Activities of Daily Living and how the patient could work his new dietary plan into these ADL’s and control his blood glucose to prevent hypoglycaemia. Kevin will also be able to be knowledgeable of and carry out duties in a way to control his diabetes mellitus and also maintain adequate fluid volume in the body. He will be able to monitor his blood glucose periodically throughout the day, administer his own insulin, increase his own fluid balance and monitor his urine output. He should demonstrate a participation in activities that include having a proper diet, exercise and  lifestyle (Palandri, M.K. 1993). He also should be wary of and identify community, outpatient resources for obtaining further diabetes education. Conclusion To conclude, Kevin will need continuous assessment and advice on managing and controlling his Diabetes diagnosis. He will need support from his mother and also help from the multidisciplinary team that works with him and his mother in the hospital. In following the Roper Logan and Tierney model he will then be able to manage his ADL’s better and be more understanding with the condition of Diabetes. He will be able to control his dietary intake and follow a routine throughout life to deal with his diagnosis. References Aggleton, P., Chalmers, H. (2000)Nursing Models and Nursing Practice. (2nd edn). London: Macmillan. Lock, K., Pomerleau, J., Causer, L., Altmann, D.R. McKee, M. (2005) The global burden of disease attributable to low consumption of fruit and vegetables. Bull. World. Health. Organ. 83, 100–8. Nordfeldt S, Ludvigsson J. Fear and other disturbances of severe Hypoglycaemia in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. J. Pediatr. Endocrinol. Metab. 2005; 18: 83–91. Palandri, M.K. and Sorrentino, C.R. (1993). Black and Matassarin – Jacobs, Pocket Companion for Luckmann and Sorensen’s Medical Surgical Nursing: A Psychophysiologic Approach. 4th Edition. W.B. Saunders. The Diabetes Control and complications Study Group (1994) Effect of intensive diabetes treatment on the development and progression of long-term complications in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. J. Pediatr. 125, 177–188. Waterford Regional Hospital (2006) Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Watson et. al (1997) Clinical Nursing and Related Sciences 5th edn. Bailliere Tindall, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DX. Patricia Power Sorcha Dineen Miriam Cass 20053881 Patricia Chesser Smyth Nursing in the Community Module Leaders

Psychology Essays Forensic Psychology

Psychology Essays Forensic Psychology Forensic Psychology: Critically discuss research studies that have investigated the psychological factors associated with police stress. There is a natural assumption in the public consciousness that being a police officer is a stressful occupation. It is thought that the effects of dealing with the kinds of people and situations that police officers are regularly required to must be stressful. This perception is not just confined to lay-people: psychiatrists and occupational physicians find that police officers are in the top three occupations that are reported to the Occupational Disease Intelligence Network (ODIN). Similarly, studies such as Schmitdke, Fricke Lester (1999) have found a higher rate of suicide amongst police officers than other similar members of a German population. In a recent review of 26 different professions in the UK, Johnson, Cooper, Cartwright, Donald, Taylor Millet (2005) found that police officers were amongst the top 6 professions for high levels of stress and low levels of job satisfaction. Like any area of psychological research, individual differences are going to be important in how a person reacts to a situation. There has been some research carried out into the different individual factors that affect police stress in a number of different police forces around the world. Many of the researched populations have not, however, involved the police, but the factors that have been examined are common amongst occupational groups. Amongst these, Clarke Cooper (2000) include Type A behaviour, negative affectivity, the locus of control, coping styles and psychological hardiness. Negative affectivity, for example, is a tendency in an individual to show generally negative emotions and reactions across a range of situations. The research has frequently found a link between stress and negative affectivity. Similarly there is a large amount of research into Type A personalities. Type A personalities are often impatient, strive for achievement and are very competitive. This facto r has been shown to be important in connection with stress. Davidson Veno (1980) report that 75% of a sample of police officers showed that they had Type A personalities not a surprise considering some of the job requirements. The idea of psychological hardiness has also been shown to be important in stress reaction this has been defined by Lambert Lambert (1999) as involving the factors of control, commitment and challenge. Control refers to the extent to which a person believes that they have an influence over the things that happen to them, commitment envisages an involvement with events that are happening, and challenge infers an approach to life that incorporates and expects change as a matter of course. Hills Norvell (1991) examine psychological hardiness in a sample of 234 highway patrol officers. The findings showed that hardiness as well as neuroticism (almost the same as negative affectivity) moderated the relationship between measures of stress and its physiological and psychological consequences. Much of the older research into stress in the police has concentrated on the negative impact of police work. It has tended to assume that bad experiences at work will tend to result in stress, which in turn results in an absence of well-being. This may not be correct, as research has shown that bad experiences do not tend to have a negative effect on well-being (Cohen Hoberman, 1983). Hart, Wearing, Headey (1995) wanted to examine, then, how personality, coping and work experiences affected well-being. 527 Australian police officers completed a Perceived Quality of Life questionnaire that incorporated a number of different measures including the Satisfaction With Life scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen Griffin, 1985) and the General Well-Being Questionnaire (Cox Gott, 1990). This research made a number of findings based on these data. For their first finding they compared the psychological well-being of police officers to other professions, in this case school teachers, tertiary stude nts and community norms. It was found that police officers showed similar levels of psychological well-being to these other groups. This lead the authors of the this study to conclude that police officers have normal levels of psychological well-being. This finding can be questioned though, as Johnson et al. (2005) found that teachers also tend to have high levels of stress and low levels of job satisfaction. Hart et al. (1995) are not making valid comparisons. That caveat aside, the authors did look more specifically at what factors were associated with higher levels of stress. Here they confirmed what has already been a consistent finding in the research that it is organisational variables that contribute more to levels of stress than operational variables. In other words police officers in this sample, as in previous research, found their police departments a greater source of stress than dealing with criminals and the extreme situations they came into contact with during their j ob. As well as these aspects, this research also examined personality variables, police work experiences and coping strategies to see how they affected well-being but no particularly strong findings were reported other than some moderate correlations. Findings about the importance of organisational variables over operational variables have also been found in a sample of police officers from the UK. Collins Gibbs (2003) administered a postal questionnaire to 1,206 members of a county police force who were constables and sergeants. This questionnaire attempted to assess the complete loop of the stress-strain cycle by obtaining measures of perceived occupational stress and perceived life stress. Further to this measures were taken of personality factors, moderators in the form of social support and the individuals shift pattern to look for a correlation there as well. In addition to these the General Health Questionnaire was administered. Collins Gibbs (2003) report previous evidence of two studies in the UK that found that levels of mental ill-health amongst police officers was between 17 and 22% (Brown Campbell, 1990, Alexander, Walker, Innes Irving, 1993). In this study, however, mental ill-health had risen to 42% of the sampl e suggesting that levels of stress, and/or its effects, had risen in the 10 years between the studies. In examining the cause of the stress, this study confirmed the result found in Hart et al. (1995) in finding that it was organisational stressors that had a greater effect than operational stressors. The measurement of other factors such as personality, social support and shift work did not provide any particularly significant results. For example little association was found between shift work and stress levels, contrary to previous research which has found it to be associated with higher levels of stress (Brown Campbell, 1990). A clear disadvantage of this study in being able to generalise to other police officers was that it was carried out in a relatively small non-metropolitan police force. Different balances of operational issues and organisational demands may be present. The authors counter this criticism citing a study into Manchester Metropolitan police force which found a similar concentration on the organisational issues (Crowe Stradling, 1993). Much of the older research on stress in the police suffered from methodological flaws, such as using incorrect measures and failing to compare police officers with other occupational groups (Hart et al., 1995). Brough (2004) researched police officers as well as fire and ambulance officers to compare the levels of stress and the response. It was found that levels of psychological trauma and organisational stressors were relatively similar across the services, while again, the importance of organisational stressors over operational stressors was repeated. Looking now more closely at stress, and what kinds of stress police officers have to deal with, it is useful to outline a model of stress to inform the discussion. Mitchell Bray (1990) explain that stress reactions can be categorised into three main different forms: cumulative, delayed and acute. Cumulative stress builds up over a period of time from a number of incidents, while both delayed and acute stress may have their primary cause in one particular incident, often called a critical incident. Police officers are often exposed to a number of critical incidents so the study of their effects on officers is of importance. The effects of this stress have been found to be considerable in many studies. One particularly strong type of reaction to stress is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which may be caused by experiencing an event involving the threat of death or an actual death. This is clearly something that a police officer is more likely to experience in their career with regularity than in most other professions. Ursano McCarroll (1990), for example, found that the handling of dead bodies and parts of bodies was a significant psychological stressor that caused psychological trauma. Stephens Miller (1998) investigated the rates of PTSD amongst a sample of 527 New Zealand police officers. They found that the rate of PTSD was similar to that experienced by members of a different population that had experienced a traumatic event of a similar nature. The majority of individuals in both groups recovered successfully from the experience. An important finding of this study was that a relationship w as found between the number of traumatic events witnessed and subsequent diagnoses of PTSD. Research in the UK has augmented these findings, Green (2004) reports evidence from Robinson, Sigman Wilson (1997) that found the prevalence of PTSD amongst suburban police officers of 13%, this compares to the prevalence amongst the general population of 2-3%. Green (2004) examined whether PTSD was any more severe amongst members of the police force, once established, than it was in the overall population. The study found that there were no significant differences between the two groups. A criticism of this study was that the number of participants was limited, with only 31 police officers and 72 civilians taking part. Still, the strong effects of trauma are replicated in other research: Carlier, Lamberts Gersons (1997) found in a sample of 262 traumatised police officers that, 3 months after a trauma they showed introversion, emotional exhaustion. In addition, at 12 months post trauma the y continued to have difficulty expressing their emotions, suffered job satisfaction and lack of social support amongst other symptoms. How police officers process traumatic events, then, seems to be very important psychological factor in the stress it causes. Karlsson Christianson (2003) examined the phenomenology of traumatic experiences in a sample of 162 Swedish police officers. The research found that all the police officers who took part were able to remember a traumatic incident from while they had been on duty. The memory of that traumatic event tended to come from the officers early career and usually involved all of the senses many aspects of which could be remembered in considerable detail. The fact that it was early events that most readily came to mind suggested that these had the greatest impact on a police officer. Karlsson Christianson (2003) also cite earlier work by Stradling, Crowe Tuohy (1993) in the UK that found that during the socialisation process into the police force, there was a change of role so that the individual had a more professional attitude to their work. This was often associat ed with a more cynical approach and self-perception. Karlsson Christianson (2003) make the point that the alternative explanation is that police officers simply become more adept at dealing with the stressful situations with which they have to deal. From this survey of some of the research into the factors associated with police stress it can be seen that there are many aspects to consider. Individual differences have an important role to play in reactions to stressful events. In comparing sources of stress, much of the research has found the surprising result that organisational rather than operational factors are more important. It is possible that organisational factors become more important as operational factors diminish. The research into the phenomenology and coping mechanisms shows that police officers perhaps learn how to cope better with stressful events. Despite this, it is clear that witnessing a number of traumatic events is likely to lead to PTSD. A large proportion of the research looks at averages over reasonably large populations which masks the fine-grain details that are better explored by Karlsson Christiansons (2003) study. A hint at gaps in the current research is provided by Johnson et al. (2005) which fo und that police officers at lower levels suffered higher levels of stress than those in more senior positions. These authors suggest that this might be the result of higher levels of emotional labour a concept that has not yet been carefully examined in this occupational population.