We Need Talk About Kevin - 8189 Words

Text Title – We Need Talk About Kevin Text Type - Visual Author – Lynne Ramsay The movie is shoot in the past and present going back and forth, where Tilda is experiencing the aftermath of her family’s death, and the past, delving deeper into the way her son treated her. We need to talk about Kevin tells us the story about a fractious relationship between a mother and her son. Tilda goes through intense grief and violence after a homicidal massacre where Kevin had killed 15 people with this bow and arrow. As mother Eva questions herself where she had gone wrong in the upbringing of her son. In flashback she reflects on significant moments in Kevin s upbringing. She recalls falling in love with her loving husband, Franklin. Eva was living her life with a very promising career as a successful writer when an unexpected pregnancy hurls her life off-balance. Since birth Kevin was trouble, he constantly cried which literally made Eva sick. As a toddler, Kevin continued to be disobedient. He didn’t communicate with Eva nor did he respond to any of her actions. Eva openly admits that she was much happier before Kevin came into her life. Kevin was a troubled and difficult child from early age as he seems to be doing everything to annoy Eva. In one of the scenes Eva becomes so frustrated by Kevin’s coldness and his reluctance to potty train that in rage she tosses him across the room which leads him to have a broken arm. Eva relives the memory where we can see the day of Kevin’sShow MoreRelatedWe Need to Talk About Kevin639 Words   |  3 PagesWE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN It was a good movie to see that how the interaction of attachment and biological predisposition goes on a a school massacre as an ending point. In the beginning of movie we saw a young woman in a fest and enjoying with friends. Then she married and quitted such life. It was the precursor of her unhappiness and insecure attachment with his child. Then she moved another place and began to live a different life from she had before. She had a baby through an unplanned pregnancyRead MoreWe Need to Talk About Kevin821 Words   |  4 Pages your own interests, needs and wishes while ignoring those of others (Encarta Dictionary). Eva expressed some delight in having a child during a moment of reflection, Eva stated, â€Å"Maybe my saying I wanted more â€Å"story† was all by way of alluding to the fact that I wanted someone else to love†. Eva also thought about how she would be able to share her travels with her children and how they might ask her questions and she could share stories about different countries. Read MoreWe Need to Talk About Kevin1904 Words   |  8 PagesThe Media Plays a Negative Force In We Need To Talk About Kevin The media prominently impacts our lives as we are drawn to a fictional world, which influences our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about controversial subjects. Children are exposed to various sorts of media that may play a positive or negative role in their socialization. If children are involved in numerous extra-curricular activities they have a broadened social network, which allows them to be stimulated in positive atmospheresRead MoreTicking Tension And Silent Screams1483 Words   |  6 PagesExamining Sound in We Need To Talk About Kevin In director Lynne Ramsay’s We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011), dialogue serves as just one of many modes of sound used to guide the narrative. Through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, orchestrated by diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, the film follows Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), mother of baby Kevin (Ricky Duer) and, later, teenage Kevin (Ezra Miller), as she recalls the influential events leading up to and the aftermath of Kevin murdering hisRead MoreDepression And Its Effects On Depression1434 Words   |  6 PagesLife will not be perfect all the time. Sometimes, we might suffer from failure and sadness in our daily life, but all we need to do is think positively and try to solve every problem. However, people in the society nowadays always live under pressure and stress, if people hide their feeling and pressure all the time they will likely to suffer from depression. What is the meaning of depression? Depression can actually affect people’s though t and feelings, people who suffer from depression may feelRead MoreYoung Teens And Risky Behaviors That Affect Their Health And Leave Negative Outcomes On Their Bodies Essay1437 Words   |  6 Pagesany form of sexual activity. From the statistic we can confer that education about sexual health is something that is not being administered in schools and thus will cause a larger problem in the future. The situation with the 14 year old boy Kevin happens more often than not around the world. Young teens want to â€Å"fit in† or â€Å"Seem cool† so they participate in these behaviors not knowing that they can be detrimental to their well-being as a human. Kevin is a 14 year-old male visiting his pediatric physicianRead MoreClothes and Their Power to Transform and Create Character Through Performance1045 Words   |  4 PagesThe semiotics of costume explores signs and symbols present which help create a character. Costume is a huge tool for the performer as it can convey a great deal about the character and places them into the setting and time period. Costume is a form of expression that allows the performer to change the way they are perceived by the audience. Colour used in costume can also translate a characters persona or status. Colour is often manipulated subtly by directors with mise en scene. †¢ Catholic churchRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst thing I did was plop onto my bed and open my backpack to start my hours of homework I had ahead of me. I tried to complete all of my homework I had before having to go to work in a couple hours. All of a sudden my stepdad barged in my room. â€Å"You need to go do the dishes!† he yelled at me. â€Å"I’m not doing the dishes that I didn’t make,† I explained. â€Å"The hell you re not,† he replied. â€Å"Get out of my room. I’m doing homework so I can graduate, unlike any your kids ever did.† â€Å"YouRead MoreThe American Of The English Language Essay1450 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Kevin is a ten year old male Hispanic student at William Beanes Elementary School. He lives with his father, mother, and brother. The household is bilingual. Kevin and his brother speak English and Spanish. The father speaks some English and the mother speaks only Spanish. His mother attended, â€Å"Morning Tea Sessions† at the school. Ms. Devers established this program to help mother who wanted to learn the English language. Kevin’s father is employed at a construction company andRead MoreGroup 4 Diagnostic Vignettes. Kevin And Mary Met 3 Years Ago1629 Words   |  7 PagesGroup 4 Diagnostic Vignettes Kevin and Mary met 3 years ago. He was charming and attentive, constantly surprising Mary with small gifts. His courtship of her was a whirlwind of phone calls, dates and promises of love everlasting. Mary found him irresistible and soon found herself deeply in love with him. Both were working at good jobs making decent money and in a short few weeks decided to marry, and a honeymoon cruise was planned. During this time Kevin’s mood had shifted to normal, but he loved

Smallpox And Vaccination Of Smallpox - 2238 Words

Imagine a quick spreading rash throughout the entire body, leaving not a single space behind; every opening and crevice in your body, including your mouth and eyes covered in painful bumps accompanied by high fever and severe body aches. Flat red spots transforming into fluid-filled lesions and soon oozing out yellow pus, evidently emitting a pungent odor to anyone who dared get close. The live virus present in the darkening crusty scabs that would soon fall off only to leave behind a deep pitted scarred filled complexion on anyone who was fortunate enough to survive. These scars would be forever remembered as the hallmark for the smallpox epidemic which tormented the world for over 3,000 years. (Riedel â€Å"Deadly Diseases†). The earliest case of smallpox according to a journal published in the US National Library of Medicine titled, â€Å"Edward Jenner and the History of Smallpox and Vaccination† was recorded as early as 1122 BC. (Riedel â€Å"Smallpox the Origin of a Disease†). Mankind’s triumph over this horrible disease was initiated by an English doctor named Edward Jenner. Through observations and experimentation, Jenner would create a procedure now known as vaccination. (Riedel â€Å"Edward Jenner†). During the next two centuries, vaccinations would be used worldwide to stop the spread of small pox. After the successful worldwide vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization, small pox was eradicated worldwide in 1980. As a result of the eradication of smallpox accordingShow MoreRelatedVaccinations Of The Smallpox Vaccine1687 Words   |  7 PagesVaccinations were first introduced in the late 18th century by Edward Jenner. He injected a small amount of cowpox in a thirteen year-old boy to demonstrate the effectiveness it had against smallpox, resulting in the development of the first smallpox vaccine in 1798. Because of his discovery, Jenner contributed to the overall annihilation of the disease in 1979 a fter the vaccine was implemented in different medicines throughout the world (source). Following Jenner, many others produced vaccines toRead MoreThe First Vaccination For Smallpox Essay1324 Words   |  6 PagesThe first vaccination for smallpox was discovered in 1796 by Edward Jenner; since then there have been arguments over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of all vaccinations. A vaccination is a killed or weakened organism that is used to create immunity that protects you from a particular disease without causing the suffering from the disease itself. Immunizations have saved more than a billon lives and protected civilians in the United States from life threatening diseases. During theRead MoreEssay on Vaccination and Eradication of Smallpox1604 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vaccination and Eradication of Smallpox Smallpox, a disease caused by the variola virus, has devastated humanity for many centuries. Because of its high mortality rate, civilizations around the world sought to protect themselves from this disease. Throughout the 1700s, these protective methods became more sophisticated, and led up to Edward Jenner’s vaccination method in 1796. Indeed, the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and the Agency for International DevelopmentRead MoreVaccination Of Smallpox And The Elimination Of Various Infectious Diseases1464 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the greatest achievements of public health is that of vaccinations (Dubà © et al., 2013). Since the first vaccine was administered over 200 years ago, immunizations have saved millions of lives worldwide (Larson, Leask, Aggett, Sevdalis, Thomson, 2013). They have contributed to the decline in the morbidity and mortality of various infectious diseases and are credited with the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the elimination of poliomyelitis in the Americas (Dubà © et al., 2013). AccordingRead MoreEthical Issues That Arise In Jenner’s Vaccination Against Smallpox1116 Words   |  5 PagesEthical Issues That Arise In Jenner’s Vaccination Against Smallpox In Edward Jenner’s Vaccination Against Smallpox, the way Jenner experiments on the people in his village questions whether or not his actions were ethical. Jenner’s work on the people in his community addresses many health risks due to the smallpox disease, his work may have had both purpose and justification, but the way Jenner carried out his experiments were very dangerous and harmful to his community. Jenner put many people’sRead MoreSmallpox, Etiology Of The Disease And Nursing Considerations970 Words   |  4 Pages The advent of vaccinations has led to a declining incidence of many diseases and their associated high morbidity and mortality. Diseases that once threatened large populations are now controlled through the implementation of effective vaccination programs. Variola major or smallpox, is one of these diseases. Smallpox was once a major public health concern associated with a high mortality rate. Through a global vaccination effort, the diseas e is now considered irradiated. However, in the aftermathRead MoreWhy The Disease Has Been An Enemy Of A Human Ever Since It First?856 Words   |  4 PagesThe concept of vaccination has been one of the most significant medical advancements in history because it has prevented the onset of deadly diseases, has eradicated previously malignant maladies, and has improved human life by removing fear of acquiring such contagious afflictions. The institution of vaccination began with smallpox. Smallpox had been a very eminent fatal disease throughout the world, an extremely serious disease from 10,000 BC. It was most likely that the smallpox started by theRead MoreEdward Jenner and the Discovery of Vaccines Essay755 Words   |  4 Pagesnew method was successful to such an extent that by 1840 the British government had banned alternative preventive treatments against smallpox. [IMAGE] His invention of vaccination against smallpox was the medical breakthrough that saved the most lives, before antibiotics came into mass use. Before Jenners vaccine, smallpox was a killer disease; the majority of its victims were infants and young children. In the twentieth century alone it killed more than 300Read MoreEssay on Cause and Effects of Smallpox1520 Words   |  7 PagesCause and Effects of Smallpox Smallpox is caused by the variola virus that emerged in human populations thousands of years ago. Smallpox is a specific, infectious, and highly contagious febrile disease known only to be transmitted by humans. It is caused by a virus from air currents which are eventually passed on from person to person. Smallpox varies from a mild form without skin manifestations to a highly fatal hemorrhagic form. Edward Jenner, an English physician, discovered a means of preventingRead MoreHistory and Causes of Smallpox Essay850 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Smallpox is a viral disease that causes pus-filled boils on the dermis. It looks similar to chickenpox, but has certain characteristic differences. Unlike chickenpox, smallpox is lethal in 30% of the cases and leaves the victim with disfiguring scars and/or blindness. Smallpox has now been eradicated through aggressive vaccination. The last case was reported in Somalia in the late 1970’s. After 2 years of worldwide surveillance, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the

Art †Vincent Van Gogh Free Essays

When she rejected him, van Gogh suffered a breakdown. He threw away all his books except for the Bible, and devoted his life to God. He became angry with people at work, telling customers not to buy the â€Å"worthless art. We will write a custom essay sample on Art – Vincent Van Gogh or any similar topic only for you Order Now † He was eventually fired. Between the time of the heartbreak/ breakdown and the fall of 1880, van Gogh taught at a Methodist boys’ school. He aspired to become a minister and after a year of diligently studying, he refused to take the exams in what he called Latin, the â€Å"dead language of poor people. † He was denied entrance. In the winter of 1878, the same thing happened again. Van Gogh volunteered to preach and minister to the sick in south of Belgium. The evangelical committees disagreed with van Sago’s lifestyle, which begun to take a tone of martyrdom. They refused to renew van Sago’s contract and he was forced to find another occupation (Vincent Van Gogh). In the fall of 1880, van Gogh decided to move to Brussels and become an artist. Although he had no formal training, his younger brother Thee offered to support van Gogh financially. At the academy, he met Nathan van Rapped, who was to be his most important artist friend during his Dutch period. The Climax of his life In April 1881, van Gogh moved in with his parent’s where he set himself the task of earning how to draw. He experimented endlessly with all sorts of drawing materials and concentrated on mastering the technical aspects of his craft like perspective, anatomy and physiognomy. Most of his subjects were taken from peasant life. After a couple encounters with different women, he moved in again with his parent’s, who were now living in Ennui. The Potato Eaters The paining consisted of 5 figures sitting around a square table eating potatoes. Four of them are females and one male. Although the piece is laced in darkness, the mixed emotions residing in the faces of the occupants shine out brightly. These fugues are so intense that one can nearly hear the conversation being spoken. Subtle aspects create the illusion that the building is an actual residence for the five figures. The portrayal of ordinary peasant life did not come in a burst of creativity. Van Gogh had this painting planned out in advance. Van Gogh had a sense of confidence that took him to advertising the painting before he even had it. Nevertheless, the Potato Eaters failed to become the painting he set his mind to. Today, however, the painting has reached great heights in the artistic community and is considered as one of his retreat masterpieces, as he had intended it to be (The van Gogh Gallery). In Ennui, van Gogh first began painting regularly, modeling himself chiefly on the French painter Jean-Franà §ois Millet, who was famous throughout Europe for his scenes of the harsh life of peasants. Van Gogh set to work with an iron will, depicting the lives of villagers and humble workers. In the end of 1884, he began painting and drawing a major series of heads and work-roughened peasant hands in preparation for a large and complex figure piece that he was planning. By April of 1885, this period of his life came to fruition in the masterpiece of his Dutch Period. In the summer of 1885, he made a large number of drawings of the peasants working in the fields. The supply of models dried up; however, when the local priest forbade his parishioners to pose for van Gogh. He thus turned to painting landscape, inspired in part by a visit to Risks museum in Amsterdam. This same year he enrolled at the academy in Antwerp. He found the lessons rather tedious but was impressed by the city and its museums. He fell under the spell of Rueben’ palette and brushwork and also discovered Japanese prints. In early 1886, van Gogh went to live with his brother in Paris. There he was finally confronted with the full impact of modern art, especially with the recent work of the impressionists and vivisectionists. He discovered that the dark palette he had developed in Holland was out of date. In order to brighten up he began painting still lives of flowers. The search of his own idiom led him to experiment with impressionist and postmodernists techniques. He also studied the prints of Japanese master. During this time, he made friends with fellow artists such as Paul Gauguin, Emilee Bernard, Paul Signal, and Georges Serrate. Within two years van Gogh name to terms with his latest development and had forged his own highly personal style. In the early 1888, van Gogh was now a mature artist, who went south to Arles, in Provence. There was where he at last began to feel confident about his choice of career. He set out to make a personal contribution to modern art with his daring color combinations. He was swept away by the landscape around Arles. In the spring he painted numerous scenes of fruit trees in full blossom. In the summer he painted the yellow wheat fields. Although he had difficulty finding models, he did make portraits, among which were those in the Rolling family. It was typical of van Sago’s faith in his own abilities that he decided not to try to sell any work yet but to wait until he had thirty top-class pictures with which he could announce himself to the world. He enjoyed the thought that a number of other artists would come and Join him in Arles, where they could all live and work together. The idea seemed to get off to a promising star when Gauguin arrived in October of 1888 (Vincent Van Gogh [1853-1890]). The End Although towards the end of 1888, his optimism was rudely shattered by the first signs of his illness, a type of epilepsy that took the form of delusions and psychotic attacks. It was during one of those seizures that he cut off his left earlobe. Gauguin made hasty departure and van Sago’s dreams of an artist’s colony disappeared. In April of 1889 he entered himself in the Saint-Paul-De-Mausoleum asylum as a voluntary patient. Van Gogh was unable to work when he suffered episodes of his illness, if he felt well enough, he went out to draw and paint in the garden or surroundings of the asylum. His use of color, which was once intense, became mute. He tried to make his brushwork more graphic. By the closing months of the year, he successfully had two f his paintings shown at the fifth exhibition of Society des artistes independents. Van Gogh made a large number of â€Å"transitions in color† of prints by some of his favorite artists, like Millet and Eugene Delicacies. He found them consoling. They helped him keep in practice (Van Gogh: His Life and Art). Starry Night One of van Sago’s most well-known paintings is Starry Night. The features within the painting are responsible for its growing popularity. There are actually several main aspects that intrigue those that view the image. The sky is filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence and a bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, it is view most individuals are comfortable with. This painting was painted while in an Asylum at Saint-Remy in 1889 (The van Gogh Gallery). In January of 1890, although he now had a small but growing group of admirers, van Gogh had lost his original passion. He wrote to his brother: â€Å"l feel – a failure. That’s it as far as I am concerned- I feel that this is the destiny that I accept, that will never change. † He nevertheless continued working hard during his two months in Avers-sure-Jose, producing dozens of paintings and drawings. Life had become an intolerable burden. At Eternity’s Gate At Eternity’s Gate also known as Sorrowing Old Man is an oil painting that he made in 1890 in Saint-Remy. The painting was completed in early May at a time when he was convalescing from a severe relapse in health and two or so months before his death. The work depicts an aged man seated with his head held in his hands, experiencing extreme sorrow and regret at the moment of his passing. Although this was Just once a drawing from 1882, it was until he was at Saint- Remy that he painted this work. It reflects the emotions van Gogh must have been feeling as his mental state deteriorated (The van Gogh Gallery). On July 27, 1890, he hot himself in the chest. He died two days later. Thee, who had stored the bulk of Vincent work in Paris, died six months later. Theses widow, Johanna van Gogh- Bonged returned to Holland with the collection and dedicated herself to getting her brother in law the recognition he deserved. In 1914, with his fame assured, she published the correspondence between the two brothers. Today, van Gogh is considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. Unfortunately, van Gogh was not around to witness the greatness his works became. He contributed so much to the artistic community with his use of nature and painting figures the way he arrayed them. How to cite Art – Vincent Van Gogh, Papers

The Birth of Swatch free essay sample

The continuous decline in demand for the prestigious watches made in Switzerland in the 1970s and early 1980s made the time period devastating for the Swiss watch industry. Before the decline, it was master of the watch market, shining with its high-end image. However, with the evolution of technology in watch making, the market began changing rapidly where low-end watches were becoming more accessible and evasive. Nicholas Hayek became the CEO of Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d’Horlogerie (SMH) when he merged the SSIH and ASUAG. He revived and made the Swiss watch industry flourish through the introduction of Swatch, which became the best-selling watch in history. This success was driven by innovation in product and price strategies, as well as SMH’s attention to the surrounding market. Product and Pricing Strategy – Wise Decisions The unexpected introduction of an affordable and trendy Swiss-made watch – Swatch – took the watch industry by storm in 1983. We will write a custom essay sample on The Birth of Swatch or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is believed that the company’s tradition-breaking product and pricing strategies are the factors that led to their phenomenal success, these strategies were highly agreeable for several reasons. First, Swatch’s unique strategic approach to the product design was innovative unlike anything that customers have ever seen. Consequently, this contributed to the regain of a huge portion of SMH’s market share in the watch industry. In order to compete with the fast growing Asian competitors, the birth of Swatch penetrated the stereotypical image of a â€Å"Swiss-made† luxury time-keeping instrument. Introduced with a sense of style, Swatch offered a wide range of collections. Encased in plastic, Swatches featured groundbreaking designs that were â€Å"youthful, provocative, stylish and yet unpredictable†. Like a stream of fresh air, the pioneering designs successfully drew customers’ interest and love for Swatch. Second, Swatch ensured that the designs attracted a broad range of consumers by establishing a specific â€Å"Swatch Design Lab† based in Milan – the world’s fashion capital. This decision was favorable because it met the customer’s demand for continuous innovation. The design lab was responsible for distributing two new collections of styles each year, each collection included 70 different styles. The company invited industrial designers, architects and artists from around the world to help generate exciting and new ideas to present to their customers. Consumers were delighted and fascinated by the new models that rolled out in a fast pace, and found themselves purchasing one Swatch after another due to their attraction towards the different designs. An average Italian Swatch lover possessed around 6 of Swatch’s products and this drove the Swiss company into a highly profitable position. Third, Hayek’s vertically integrated product line management was favorable because it reduced cost and thus increased profits. Their focus on keeping direct labor below 10% of total cost was an essential part of the vertical integration decision. From manufacturing components to assembling parts together, every step of production was done within Switzerland. The â€Å"made in Swiss† label continued to give Swatch a sense of quality and enjoyed a superior image compared to its competitors. Lastly, Swatch’s pricing strategy is agreeable because it kept the product image approachable as well as affordable. Franco Bosisio emphasized the importance of a â€Å"clean price†, meaning it’s simple and unchanging. Swatch forbids dealers to raise the price and they have never increased the price no matter how much the demand grew. This pricing strategy is unique and clever in that it differentiates Swatch from other products. Swatch is endowed with not just an affordable price, but an approachable image that the customers depend on. This also facilitates impulse buying, as customers do not think too much when buying their third, fourth or fifth Swatch for its innovative design. Given the huge demand for Swatches, particularly for certain models, the company did not make a mistake in not raising the price. This decision ensures a positive relationship with the customer, which in turn ensures long term growth. If Swatch increased prices, perhaps the profits would increase in the short run, however, this decision would greatly interfere with Swatch’s image in the long run. Their approachable image becomes inconsistent if customers see that they raise the prices for popular watches, showing that their ultimate goal is to increase profits, as opposed to truly caring about the customers when selling this emotional product. Hayak’s argument Hayak argues that â€Å"We needed at least one profitable, growing, global brand in every segment [of the market] – including the low end†. We agree with this statement, but under certain conditions surrounding SMH – the declining profits due to retreating, the changing market, and the need for different brand images. First, the decision to expand rather than retreat was agreeable. In the early 1980s, watches sold below $100 were selling 450 million units worldwide, with Switzerland having no market share at all. Switzerland continued to persist in producing its high-end watches, selling 8 million units worldwide with 97% market share. In the 1970s when the low-end watches were booming in sales, the Swiss reacted by retreating. The more Swiss retreated, the more the Japanese expanded. Hayak’s decision to retreat no longer is correct because retreating in reaction to competition was driving down the profits as well as company growth. In order to broaden the market presence of SMH’s products, while not damaging the high-end image of other Swiss products, a separate brand should be developed for each segment, including and especially including the low end which is expanding at an accelerating rate. Second, a strong growing company should continue to develop their products and brands to adapt to the changing needs of different customers, instead of continuing to develop their initial product neglecting the changing market. Prior to the 1950s, the Swiss dominated the watch industry because of their centuries-long history of jewelry-making expertise. Also, watches were often considered to be a financial investment or fine heirlooms. They were made from precious metals and thus not accessible to ordinary people. The Swiss excelled in providing to these customers. However, after the emergence of quartz technology, watches were not only affordable by high-class people any longer. The market was beginning to be segmented as the production of watches increased. There were three major price segments for low-end, middle, and high-end watches. If SMH continued to ignore the growing and changing market demand and continued to produce only high-end watches, their loss would have been worsened. By 1983, both ASUAG and SSIH were losing millions of dollars and Switzerland’s unit share of the world watch market fell to less than 15%. Thus, a brand that tailored to each segment of the market would ensure SMH’s growth and profits as the segment that they were focused on (high-end) was beginning to decline in comparison to the growing low-end segments. Lastly, it is important for each brand to be different to ensure different messages. As Hayak stressed in his statement, a different brand would be needed in â€Å"every segment†, where the distinction among them is vital. In the high price sector, SMH offers Longines and Rado, as well as its flagship brand Omega. However, in the early 1970s, Omega aimed to increase its sales and decided to decrease its price. This mixed Omega’s image with the middle price segment watches. Omega was everywhere: high price, medium price, precious metals, cheap gold plating †. Omega lost its original high-end elite brand image with this price adjustment. Thus, this suggests that one brand, once it stands for a certain segment and message, should not try to tap into other segments because the mixed message will confuse the customers and eventually loose them. Instead, if the company wishes to expand into a segment, another brand with a separate and distinct message should be developed to keep each brand image clear. This achieves the company’s goal of expansion to different segments, but ensuring at the same time, the distinctiveness of each brand in the segment. Therefore, given the various conditions that surrounded SMH – the declining profits due to retreating, the changing market, and the need for different brand images – we agree with Hayak’s argument. Swatch and Wii – Changing How People Think Swatch enabled people to think about watches in a way they had never thought of them before. Similar to Swatch, the invention of Wii changed people’s perception of video games in a way never imagined. The video game industry is an industry driven by continuous technological development, which can make or break even the most established developers. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are the three largest competitors in the market. Nintendo’s Wii competes with Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Microsoft Xbox 360. The Wii was first introduced on November 19, 2006, during the seventh generation game console era, which includes consoles released between late 2005 to early 2012. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were designed for â€Å"hardcore† gamers, each product focusing on the intense technological development for people who play video games frequently. Both have inarguably superior technology compared to Wii in terms of graphics and other aspects attractive, as well as vital for the passionate gamer. However, Nintendo examined the market and wanted to change the video game experience. Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s game designer, envisioned a console that transformed player interaction. He stated in an interview that â€Å"power isn’t everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles can’t coexist. It’s like having only ferocious dinosaurs. They might fight and hasten their own extinction. † Nintendo recognized and accepted the fact that powerful manufacturers, such as Sony and Microsoft, excel at the technology they develop and the people they cater to within the industry. Thus, it decided to examine the broader market, which consists of many people who do not play video games at all, or only casually. Their goal was to penetrate a new market with the untapped broad based audience. Figure 1 shows how each product positions itself within the market. Figure 1: Product Positioning of Game Consoles In order to tap into the casual gamers’ market, the product must have high accessibility, good value and appealing gamer interaction. Wii’s tagline is â€Å"Social and family friendly, Wii has something for everyone†. It places emphasis on its motion-controlled, active play functions. The Wii remote is wireless and can be used as a pointing device which detects movement from three dimensions. This engages the player in a way like never before. For instance, the remote enables someone to play tennis or boxing right in the vicinity of his/her home. It is marketed as the ultimate gaming experience for everyone, whether 95 or 5. It includes everything from fitness, sports, racing to adventures and yoga. Similarly, Swatch had a unique message and it was sold as an emotional product. Wii’s unique message is that it’s social and family friendly, appealing to its customers on an engaging and emotional level. Nintendo Wii also highlights the family fun experience at an amazing value. For a 20GB console, PlayStation 3 is sold for $499 USD and the Xbox 360 is sold at $399 USD. On the other hand, Wii is sold for $249. 99 USD. The Wii is priced at a level more acceptable for the broader audience who do no wish to spend that much money because they do not need or seek the advanced technology offered in PlayStation 3 and the Xbox. The pricing strategy for Swatch was to give a quality watch at a casual and acceptable price. Wii is similar in that it offers a fun experience at an affordable price for families and individuals. Most importantly, Wii is similar to Swatch because they both changed the way people thought of a product. Wii changed the general audience’s perception of video games. For instance, people never thought that they can bring the outdoor experience of playing tennis into the realm of their own homes. Most families can now enjoy video games as a family activity. The invention of Wii changed the definition of video game playing, where it expanded to incorporate a more broad and interactive experience. As of March 2010, Wii leads the generation with 49% of the total market share, dominating the Xbox 360 and PS3’s market shares. Like Swatch, a product that constantly releases different collections, Wii is continuously expanding and developing its product to meet the different needs of its customers (e. g. Wii Fit and Wii U). Watchit – A New Sub-Category of Watch Swatch has become a fashionable wear amongst people, especially young people, across the world since its release in 1983. The success of Swatch is rooted in its radical innovation and design which met its customer’s needs. Today, customers’ needs and desires are constantly evolving. Consequently, the products must evolve with the changing customers’ needs in order to stay competitive. Our group believes in a brand new category of watch catering to the needs of business people and commerce students. We decided to name the brand â€Å"Watchit†, alluding to its many functions that the user can â€Å"watch† other than the basic time function. In the development of Watchit, we designed a questionnaire (see page 14) to survey the usefulness of 5 potential functions that could be incorporated into Watchit, alongside showing time. The 5 functions are schedule reminders (vibrate to remind), financial market indicators (e. g. stocks information – vibrate when gold drops or rises to a certain point), walkie-talkie, USB, and GPS navigator. Most students who participated in the survey are pursuing a finance specialist (RSM230 and RSM330 are finance courses). This may contribute to the stock function having the highest 5. 826 point. However, 5. 826 is a score that indicates the high appeal of the function to this finance segment, which may be worth implementing into Watchit. The users can check the latest information of the stocks, bonds, futures, options, gold and silver they invest through six small hot keys on the watch and the watch will vibrate to remind them when these financial products and precious metals increase or decrease by a special percentage chosen by the user, such as 1% and 5%. This function is predicted to be very popular among the finance students, bankers, financial advisors, traders and investors. The watch function of checking daily schedule and special events reminders received the second highest score, which indicates its potential for development. It is highly applicable to both students and businessmen. Thus, we decided that it’s a function that should be considered for Watchit. Although the walkie-talkie function received around 4 points, the increasing use of phones may drive the need for walkie-talkie down and more research should be conducted to test this hypothesis before making it a part of Watchit. The GPS navigator function will also not be considered for Watchit because it received the lowest score (1. 913 points), which shows that people do not find that function useful. The high cost of producing a small watch with GPS navigator is another important reason for abandoning this function. The response for the USB function is highly opposing. Nearly 20 people graded more than 5 points and at least 15 people gave less than 2 points. However, due to the risk that arises from this large disagreement in opinion, further research should be conducted before considering this function for launch. After consideration, Watchit would be a new sub-category of watch that targets business students as well as businessmen. It will include 2 functions – the stocks indicators and schedule reminder. (The preliminary design draft of the watch can be found on page 15) As evidenced in the research conducted, Watchit has a high potential of taking the industry by storm, just like Swatch did in 1983. This high potential arises from the fact that the business world is ever-expanding and there is a growing demand for technology to match the needs of these businessmen. For instance, the popularity of Blackberry among businessmen was largely due to its ease of use when sending emails, as well as other functions. The growing financial sector of the economy may find Watchit to be highly useful. The future working people in the business world are mainly current business students, who favor the two functions provided. Therefore, with the expanding financial industry and the concrete evidence provided in the research, it would be highly possible for Watchit to take the industry by storm. Swatch continues to thrive in the watch industry with its innovation and unique designs. Hayek’s bold and innovative vision changed the mentality of the watch industry, and should serve as an example for any other industry. After all, innovation ultimately drives change for the benefit of the future of our society.

Band of Angels essays

Band of Angels essays As the title of this novel races through my mind I image a beautiful young girl living a peaceful life. As the story line unfolds the reader is trapped in a world of disbelief and anger. The main character, Amantha Starr, shows the reader that life is not always what it seems to be. On a plantation near Danville, Kentucky, Amantha grew up knowing only the love of her father, Aaron Pendleton Starr. Growing up as a motherless child many would think that she was lost to the world, but her father and Aunt Sukie made sure that she always had whatever her heart desired. Amantha, also called Manty, remembered a scene from her childhood where her father sold a slave. The slave was a dear friend to Manty, and it was hard for the girl to understand why the slave was sold. Her father doesnt like to talk about it and so the child grows up not knowing why. In August of 1852 Amanthas father decides it was time for her to go to school. On the trip they stopped in Cincinnati where Manty meet Miss Idell, her fathers fling at the time. Miss Idell took Manty shopping for new school clothes and such. Manty enjoyed every moment with the lovely woman. Later that week Manty is sent to Oberlin, Ohio where she is to attend school. She stayed with an n older lady called Mrs. Turpin. On the first day of classes Mrs. Turpin, being the godly woman that she was, cut the beautiful ruffles from Manty dress saying that to be beautiful was to be vain. Over the course of several years Manty too came to believe this. On a trip home Manty tried to convice her father to free the slave at Starrwood, the family plantation. He would not do so, saying that even if he did they would have no where to go and he would still have to feed them. Manty feeling hurt returned to school. Some weeks later a letter came saying that Amanthas father had died. She rushed to her fathers graveside. At Amanthas weake ...

Smallpox essays

Smallpox essays The issue regarding whether or not Americans should get the smallpox vaccine has been quite controversial recently with the prospect of a bio-terrorist attack. Although a threat of this nature might be possible in the future, I feel the medical risks that accompany getting the vaccination outweigh a possible threat of an outbreak. Therefore, I dont feel it as a priority to receive vaccination based on several medical studies surrounding the vaccination. Back in 1980, the disease itself was officially declared eradicated, and as a result, smallpox no longer exists outside the laboratory. However, two official stockpiles remain-one at the CDC and one in Siberia. The possibility that anti-American regimes, such as in Iraq, have obtained samples of the virus and have bred it into their weapons stocks is what has many Americans scared of a possible outbreak. Recently, the Bush Administration has proposed the idea of offering vaccination of the disease to all Americans, yet there are quite some risks associated with getting vaccinations, which have led way to extensive controversy over the issue. Several medical studies have discovered that when getting vaccinated, death may occur in rare cases, along with side effects unlike any other vaccine seen on the market. The unique aspect of this particular vaccine is the fact that the virus is live, meaning it can also be transmitted from the open sore caused by the vaccination to other parts of the body, or to other people. In the 1960s, 20 percent of bad reactions occurred not in vaccine recipients but among their household members and close contacts. Back in the 1960s when smallpox vaccination was still routine, the CDC came out with several shocking statistics if the entire population of the US was vaccinated. Based on those CDC statistics, around 300 people would die and another 7000 would accidentally spread the vaccine virus to somewh...

Implementation Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Implementation Plan - Essay Example This paper will present project plan for an information system. The information systems have turned out to be a vital part of every organization or business. Each business wants better handling, resource management and business operational management. The role of business information system is really vital and necessary. Our business is going to implement a web based business and desires to offer its customers a better business working structure. The e-commerce offers extensive business advantages for getting a better competitive edge in the marketplace. The online business structure is going to strengthen our business. The main goals of our business is to expend the business by capturing vast business market, attracting new customers, discovering new business markets, increasing business revenue and establish a better targeted business marketing. The main reason of launching a new business website is to offer the business a better online business platform that can attract customer, offer online sales, less costly marketing and capturing the cus tomers from the whole world. The scope of the business website is to offer our business to avail the new emerging business facility. This new emerging business facility will offer our business a better marketplace standing and attract more customers. This will also support the manual business practice. This new business information system will effectively manage and handle the business transactions and customers record. This section outlines the resources that are critical for the successful development of the website. For each activity, determine what resources will be required (Note: The resources can be staffing, hardware, software, and so on.). Also assign a cost to each of the resources In this web based business support information system development we can face lot of risks. These can be based on the business

Select a notable quote or phrase, which capture your thoughts about Essay

Select a notable quote or phrase, which capture your thoughts about Architecture - Essay Example For building different setups, we require someone who can comprehend our desired ideas and notions and convert them into our dreamt buildings. Jackie Craven (2011) defines architect as â€Å"An architect is a licensed professional who organizes space. Architects design houses, office buildings, skyscrapers, landscapes, and even entire cities†. Therefore, an architect is a person who is a specialist and has gained expertise at designing and construction. He is the one who can help us in constructing the places that inspire us or are part of our dreams. The buildings that we require in our daily lives can be constructed according to our requirements with the support of an architect. We can observe many beautiful and charming buildings at different places in the world such as Taipei 101 of Taiwan, Shanghai World Financial Center of China, Petronas Twin Towers of Malaysia, The Sears Tower of Chicago, Jin Mao Tower of China, Two International Financial Center of China, Shun Hing Sq uare and Burj Khalifa of UAE (Hasan 2008). The mentioned buildings are architectural wonders and are categorized among the world’s tallest buildings. No one can deny the architectural contribution of the designed buildings as without architectural thoughts, designing and construction, such awesome buildings cannot be constructed. Architects change our dreams to reality.

Politics versus need in politics of disaster payments Essay

Politics versus need in politics of disaster payments - Essay Example It also provides funding for rebuilding purposes to the States as well as to offer smaller relief loans at low interest rates to individuals in order to rehabilitate themselves. As a part of its preparedness effort, agency also provides training support to States and other territories in order to increase the overall responsiveness of the States to deal with such catastrophic events on their own. It also offers funds to impart training to the local State employees to better deal with the disasters. The arguments presented by Garrett & Sobel suggest that this funding to the States however have been political motivated. By questioning the public choice model, authors have actually attempted to outline the politics behind the public choices. The arguments indicate that the Congress and Presidential influences are key to the rate of declaration of disasters and subsequent provision of funding to the States. The arguments further suggest that States which are politically more important to the President tend to have higher disaster declaration. Further, the arguments also pointed out stronger correlation with election years and States having Congressional representation on FEMA committee. (Garrett & Sobel, 2003) The above arguments basically indicate the political motives of President and the States to get FEMA funding for the disasters. The overall distribution of FEMA funds therefore is not according to the way public choices should be made. The inability of the bureaus and departments to actually independently and submissiveness to the will of members of Congressional Committees therefore suggest that the overall distribution may not be just and equitable and that the political motives may be significant in making funding decisions. Over the period of time, various criticisms have been raised regarding how the grants and funds are distributed in US. During October 2004, grants were given to five of the most competitive States for

Theories of Health Change Behaviour

Theories of Health Change Behaviour Introduction To understand the processes and causes of change in health related behaviours still represents a challenging process for health professionals (Orleans, 2000). People’s decisions to engage in such behaviours are affected by factors such as attitudes and beliefs and psychosocial variables (i.e. demographic, psychological or cognitive) which impact the decision-making process of planning behaviours. Thus, it is important to understand the interrelationship between these factors and their influences of adopting and maintaining healthy behaviours. Researchers have attempted to understand and predict health behaviour through the lenses of models and theories of behaviour change. Within the framework of a theory, the researchers get to understand what variables are most important and how to measure them, to formulate research questions based on the understanding of the variables, to test hypotheses regarding behaviour change, and lastly to guiding behaviour change interventions throu gh planning, actions, and maintenance of preventative behaviours (Noar Zimmerman, 2005). Theory-based predictors (i.e. cognitive factors) would provide an organized framework that helps understand and predict health behaviour in a systematic manner (Glanz Maddock, 2000). Theories based on processes of cognitions and thoughts are part of the collection of social cognitive models (SCMs) and focuses on influences of social-cognitive characteristics on decision-making processes. The present essay distinguishes two of SCMs, highly used in understanding the adoption and maintenance of healthy behaviours: the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA; Ajzen and Fishbein 1980) and the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM-SR; Leventhal, Diefenbach, and Leventhal (1992)). Both theories suggest that the motivation to change behaviour is driven by social-cognitive beliefs/representations of the health threat and the willingness to avoid adverse outcome. Research applying both theories has a rich history describing their uses in a wide range of behaviours including health (TRA: Cooke and French (2008); CSM-SR: Hagger and Orbell (2003)). Further, both models are based on a set of theoretical constructs and have been used to successfully explain and change behaviours. N evertheless, very little research has concerned empirical comparison of the two (Hunter, Grunfeld, Ramirez, 2003; Orbell, Hagger, Brown, Tidy, 2006) and there is still no consensus that one model is more accurate than the other. Aim This essay’s aim was to review two theories of health change behaviour – the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation – with special emphasis on the similarities and differences and the data needed to critically compare and contrast them. Lastly, the aim was to determine which aspects of the frameworks were most successful at predicting and explaining behaviour. What is health behaviour? It is the goal of many researchers to understand the causes, determinants and processes of health behaviour change (Doll Hill, 1964). The most common study looking into the causes of death is the Alameda County Study conducted by Belloc and Breslow in 1972 which identified seven aspects of lifestyle which predicted mortality: smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, sleeping more or less than 8 hours per night, being either underweight or overweight, skipping breakfast, and eating snacks (Belloc Breslow, 1972). A later British study, the EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study associated similar behaviours with lower risk of mortality (Khaw et al., 2008). Kasl and Cobb attempted the first definition of health behaviour as â€Å"any activity undertaken by a person believing himself to be healthy for the purpose of preventing disease or detecting it at an asymptomatic stage† (Kasl Cobb, 1966). Although this definition includes only preventive health behaviours there are other types of behaviours. Ogden (2007) described illness behaviour as a behavioural action aimed to seek treatment and sick behaviour as a behavioural action aimed to get well (p. 13). There are factors such as individual differences, which influence the change of health behaviours and contributed to the prediction of health behaviours (Baum Posluszny, 1999; Sherman Fazio, 1983). The cognitive factors received the most attention because are considered to cause changes in behaviour and because they are modifiable factors in comparison to, for example, personality. The characteristics of social cognitive factors (e.g. knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs) are involved in the process of decision-making and behaviour control (Fiske Taylor, 1991). SCMs focuse on psychological and social factors and how they influence behaviour change, with a focus on the self-regulation processes and how these relate to behaviour (Conner Norman, 2005). These models are used to ensure a positive change in individual’s behaviour (e.g., changing food intake or increased physical activity) through intervention (Anderson-Bill, Winett, Wojcik, 2011). A very known model used to examine individual’s reactions to illness threats is Leventhal’s (1992) the common sense model of self-regulation (CSM-SR). Another theory focused on motivation to perform health-enhancing behaviours by examining aspects of the cognitions to predict health outcomes is the theory of reasoned action (TRA) designed by Fishbein Ajzen (1975). The models mentioned and many other pr ovide a basis for interventions designed to change health-related behaviours through the emphasis of the rationality of human behaviour. Thus, the prediction of behaviour is considered to be the outcome of the intended behaviour based on a rational decision–making process. Overview of commonly used models Theory of Reason Action (TRA) TRA has been used to predicting the likelihood of performing a specific health-related behaviour based on the compatibility and behavioural intention (Fishbein Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen Fishbein, 1980). The model uses cognitive processes of attitudes toward the behaviour (i.e., feeling positive or negative toward the action) and social normative perceptions (i.e., beliefs of significant others about the individual performing the behaviour) to predict intention of a behavioural action through a rational decision-making process. The theory has been used in a wide range of fields such as information technology (Mishra, Akman, Mishra, 2014), software piracy (Aleassa, Pearson, McClurg, 2010), cyberbullying (Doane, Pearson, Kelley, 2014), hazing (Richardson, Wang, Hall, 2012), domestic violence (Sulak, Saxon, Fearon, 2014), but also in health related behaviour such as substance-abuse (Roberto, Shafer, Marmo, 2014), physical activity (Plotnikoff, Costigan, Karunamuni, Lubans, 2013), diet (Middlestadt, 2012), smoking (Lorenzo-Blanco, Bares, Delva, 2012), HIV prevention behaviours (Jemmott, 2012). Description of the model The design of TRA looks at behavioural intentions of an individual in social context, while investigates the relationships between attitudes, intentions and behaviour. Attitudes toward the behaviour are considered to be a comprehensive gathering of evaluations of the behaviour. As a determinant of intentions, attitudes influence people’s perception, thinking and behaviour. Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) have proposed that attitudes should be measured at the same specific level as the behaviour. Thus, a high level of specificity in behaviour with regard to action, target, context, and time, will result in a high prediction of outcome behaviour. Individual’s attitudes can be explained through the set of beliefs about an outcome of the behaviour and the evaluations (favourable or unfavourable) of the expected outcome. The relationship between salient beliefs and attitudes is based on the Fishbein’s (1967) model of summative attitudes, which assumes they influence individ ual’s attitude. The research of Van den Putte (1991) and Armitage and Conner (2001) proved a strong link between attitudes and salient behavioural beliefs. Subjective norms are the second determinant of behavioural intention (Ajzen Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein Ajzen, 1975). This factor is the representation of the individual’s perception of the social pressures from significant others (i.e. family, friends, work colleagues, etc.) about whether he/she should perform a specific behaviour. This is quantified as the product of the normative beliefs (i.e., individual’s perceived behavioural expectations of important others regarding the performance of the behaviour) and individual’s motivation to comply. Once more, the research of Van den Putte (1991) and Armitage and Conner (2001) identified strong correlations between subjective norms and normative beliefs. Empirical support The TRA has been applied to the prediction of a wide range of different behaviours, including health-related behaviours, with varying degrees of success. There are a number of narrative reviews (Albarracin, Johnson, Fishbein, Muellerleile, 2001; Blue, 1995; Cooke French, 2008; Godin, Belanger-Gravel, Eccles, Grimshaw, 2008; Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Biddle, 2002; Hausenblas Carron, 1997; Sheeran Taylor, 1999) as well as a quantitative reviews of the TRA focusing on general and specific behaviours (physical activity: (Blue, 1995; Hagger et al., 2002; Hausenblas Carron, 1997); screening program (Cooke French, 2008), healthcare professionals (Godin et al., 2008), condom use: (Albarracin et al., 2001; Sheeran Taylor, 1999); and ). and general reviews: (Sheppard, Jon, Warshaw, 1988); van den Putte (1991)). The model has been tested by Sheppard et al. (1988), who reported multiple correlations between intentions and behaviour, and attitudes and subjective norms and intentions to be 0.53 and respectively 0.66 (k= 87, and k=87). Similar results were found by van den Putte (1991). These early studies results constituted the basis of the predictive validity of the TRA framework. In their reviews, Hausenblas and Carron (1997) found a medium effect size for the relationship of intention and behaviours of 0.47, in 31 studies with a sample size of 10,621. In addition, Albarracin et al. (2001) and Hagger et al. (2002) found the same higher correlation between intention and behaviour (r=0.5). In the most recent review to date, Cooke and French (2008) computed a lower value of r=0.42 in 19 tests of the relationship between intention and behaviour, which is slightly larger than the meta-analytic reports by Godin et al. (2008) (r=0.31, k=15, N=2,112). In conclusion, research provides evidence that there is a considerable consistency between TRA variables and their intention to predict behaviour change. Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM-SR) Description of the model The CSM-SR integrates environmental factors and individual beliefs about illness around individual’s common-sense representations of health (Leventhal et al., 1992). The framework outline is based on parallel-processing pathways (Leventhal, 1970). The model is based on two constructs of a) cognitive or objective perpetual pathway with its coping mechanisms and appraisal process; and b) affective or subjective pathway which represents the emotional response to the illness representation with its own coping mechanisms and appraisal processes. The cognitive pathway is based on individual’s beliefs or representations of illness threat and comprises five dimensions: identity, timeline, cause, consequences, and cure/control. Moss-Morris et al. (2002) explored the extent to which individuals can evaluate the coherence of illness representations, or how much individuals comprehend their condition. The pathway uses individual’s beliefs to shape the selection of appropriat e coping strategies (i.e. approach or avoidance), which in turn are appraised in a repetitive process over time. The self-regulation process implies selection and monitoring of behaviour aimed at controlling threat conditions and the illness representations are formed through symptoms perception and social messages from exposure to a wide range of social and cultural factors. A similar process takes place with the subjective or emotional pathway in parallel and in association with the cognitive process just described. The representation of illness triggers the activation of emotional responses regarding health-related behaviours. For example, fear is activated when a woman discovers an unusual lump thinking it might be cancer resulting in states of worry and distress. The efforts of controlling the emotional responses are appraised in terms of their success and lead to refinements of the representation of new coping strategies. Empirical support Up to date research provides empirical support for the interrelationship between the constructs of identity, timeline, cause, consequences, cure/control, emotions, and coherence and health outcomes (coping: (Heijmans de Ridder, 1998; Moss-Morris, Petrie, Weinman, 1996; Scharloo et al., 2000) and adherence to professional recommendations (Albert et al., 2014; Nicklas, Dunbar, Wild, 2010)). A series of meta-analyses have now been supported the validity of the CSM-SR framework, including narrative reviews (Hoving, van der Meer, Volkova, Frings-Dresen, 2010; Kucukarslan, 2012; Lobban, Barrowclough, Jones, 2003; Munro, Lewin, Swart, Volmink, 2007) and those focused on specific chronic conditions (diabetes: (Hudson, Bundy, Coventry, Dickens, 2014; Mc Sharry, Moss-Morris, Kendrick, 2011); acute myocardial infarction: (French, Cooper, Weinman, 2006); and mixed chronic diseases: (Hagger Orbell, 2003)). French et al. (2006) in a review of eight studies which predicted attendance at c ardiac rehabilitation interventions following acute myocardial infarction reported the constructs of identity (r=0.13) consequences (r=0.08), and cure/control (r=0.11) to be positively significantly associated with attendance behaviour. In addition, Mc Sharry et al. (2011) located nine cross-sectional studies and four RCTs examining the relationship between illness constructs and the HbA1c, and found a similar result for identity (r=0.14) but higher effect size estimates for consequences (r=0.14). Other significant associations were found for timeline cyclical (r=0.26), concern (r=0.21), and emotions (r=0.18). The most recent meta-analysis conducted by Hudson et al. (2014) included nine cross-sectional studies and found that individuals with high levels of constructs of timeline cyclical (r=0.25, depression; r=0.31, anxiety), consequences (r=0.41, depression; r=0.44, anxiety), and seriousness beliefs (r=0.38, depression) and lower perceptions of personal control (r=-0.27, depression ; r=-0.20, anxiety) are more likely to have poorer emotional health. Lastly, Hagger and Orbell (2003) review (N=45) addressed the validity of the model and the average correlations of illness representation dimensions were significantly positive for identity-consequences (r=0.37, p Comparison and contrasting of the models Research focused on comparing and contrasting theories of health-related behaviour change assesses the utility of those theories to advancing understanding of behaviour change processes. The two theoretical models outlined above show a number of similarities and differences. Several observations can be made in comparing the similarities of the models. First, CSM-SR and TRA are both social cognitive models concerned with how cognitive determinants are influencing each other in the regulation of behaviour and how these are applied to the understanding of health behaviours. Second, some constructs are common to both models, for example both CSM-SR and TRA are interested in how social-cognitive representations of health threat can motivate an individual to comply with his/her recommended treatment to avoid an adverse health outcome. Third, the models are used to analyse the influence of perceived factors external to individual on clinical-related behaviour. Moreover, both models explain behaviour change in terms of modifiable variables and support the importance of symptom attribution (Waller, 2006). Forth, CSM-SR and TRA are based on dynamic causal processes. In the CSM-SR, the individual regulates the interactions representations, coping mechanism and appraisal in an attempt to maintain coherence among them. In the TRA framework, changes in attitudes are influenced by changes in behavioural beliefs which ultimately produces changes in behaviour (Sutton, 2001). Lastly, both theories are used in developing intervention strategies, for example, related to help-seeking behaviour, by targeting modifiable variables (Waller, 2006). In contrasting the TRA and CSM-SR theoretical basis, the CSM-SR proposes that for a better understanding of individual’s behavioural adherence, the researcher needs to make reference to individual’s attitudes toward the threatening condition. In contrast, TRA proposes that the motivation needs to be understood through individual’s attitude toward the action of going to the appointment/ treatment (Orbell et al., 2006). The CSM-SR emphasizes the importance of assessment of the likelihood of adherence through the evaluation of illness beliefs constructs (i.e. identity, timeline, cause, consequences, and cure/control), while in the TRA model only a single attitude is used to evaluate outcomes. Another distinctive contrast between the two models lies within the constructs of the framework. While the CSM-SR takes account of the impact of emotional variables, the TRA is almost entirely rational and does not account for emotional factors. Another aspect is that CSM-SR do es not take account of the social influences that might shape illness beliefs or decision-making process, which is assessed by the TRA framework through subjective norms factor. The models also differ in the way they are applied in research literature. The cognitive and emotional constructs of CSM-RS were designed specifically for understanding illness perception and adherence. (Leventhal et al., 1992). By contrast, TRA was designed to predict volitional behaviours, thus it can be applied to various behaviours, for example information technology (Mishra et al., 2014), software piracy (Aleassa et al., 2010), cyberbullying (Doane et al., 2014), hazing (Richardson et al., 2012), and domestic violence (Sulak et al., 2014). Looking at the differences in measuring the components of the models, CSM-SR uses a well-validated set of constructs developed by Weinman and colleagues (Weinman, Petrie, Moss-morris, Horne, 1996). In contrast, the TRA models do not have a method per sei to measure its constructs. Thus, Ajzen Fishbein (1980) provides an extensive details of the constructs for research to develop theory own measures. In conclusion, the TRA and CSM-SR are both social cognitive model and their design is based on interpretation of cognitive factors in relation to behaviour change and each of them have their own weaknesses and strengths. Their contribution is significant and productive in the research literature because researchers can explore and test the theories to increases the understanding of health-related behaviours and help in the development of behaviour change interventions.

The Florence Baptistery :: essays research papers fc

People often try to imitate a finished product if it has become popular. When this is done after several years it is considered a revival. Usually the artist or patron has a purpose such as modeling after a powerful culture or religious significance. They may slightly change or mix other styles to make the best of past and present. In Florence Italy there stands a baptistery. It resides west of the Florence Cathedral, which was modeled after the baptistery. The Cathedral began in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio. Although the two resemble each other, they are considered to be from two different styles. The Baptistery of S. Giovanni is categorized as Romanesque while the cathedral is considered Gothic. The exterior of the cathedral doesn't appear to be Gothic, it's the interior that is. The baptistery possesses an octagonal structure with an extension to the west. This extension was originally an apse. There are doors to the north, south, and east sides. All of the doors are decorated with beautiful sculptures. The first doors were done by Andrea Pisano and set the standards for the next to come. The second set, the first done by Lorenzo Ghiberti, were originally hung on the east end, but were soon moved to the north side to make room for the final set. These final doors, by Ghiberti, have earned the name 'Gates of Par adise.'; The name S. Giovanni was given to the baptistery because of the remains of Piazza S Giovanni found beneath the floor in a medieval cemetery. Historians have argued the baptistery's date for a few hundred years and it is still completely unsure what is it. The first recorded documentation of the baptistery's existence was March 4th, 897. Many have come to agree that the original constructed was during the 6th and 7th centuries and much of the restoration happened around 1059. Through the years nature's forces have taken their toll upon the San Giovanni. Several restorations have been made to the exterior and the interior since the 10th century. The most drastic change done would have to be the exterior marble. Around 1293 the corner pilasters were reconstructed with alternating slabs of green and white marble. This technique wasn't ever seen in the Florentine school and was assumed to have originated in Pisa. The use of alternating marbles and the arcade sills wrap around th e entire building. It gives a sense flowing continuity.