Martha Stewart's Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Martha Stewart's Case Analysis - Essay Example The company’s stated market is ‘as big as everyone who has a house.’ The company is shown to have four segments which are divided into three platforms in order to leverage investments. There is the Omnimedia platform which is divided into publishing (focusing on the Martha Stewart Living (MSL) magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings as well as a selection of special interest magazines and books and a New York Times column) and television (focusing on the Martha Stewart Living television series, From Martha’s Kitchen, prime time specials and Christmas events). There is also the OmniMerchandising platform (focusing on Martha Stewart branded lines ranging from the Martha Stewart Everyday line to the Martha Stewart Home line, distributed principally through Kmart and Sears respectively) and the Internet/Direct Commerce platform (focusing on Martha by Mail catalog and the marthastewart.com website). Stewart herself is the driving force behind the company, maintaining control over the company following privatization with 60% control of shares and 96% control of votes. She maintains close relationships with her female dominated board of directors while her family also play an important role in the business. The root problem of the report is that it is difficult to assess the value and long term future of a company which is based around a personality. This is because the company could be seriously adversely affected by a change in public opinion with regards to Martha Stewart herself. This problem exists because the company has become a personality led brand. It is therefore extremely difficult to predict how public opinion will react to the personality in the future if their perceived strengths are threatened. Examples in the case study include criticisms of Stewart as being difficult to work with, as setting unreasonably

William Cowper Essay Example for Free

William Cowper Essay I am writing to tell you all about my misfortunes I had last month upon my wedding day. My wife decided that after 10years of marriage that it was time to go on holiday for the first time. As you know, she is very conscious about money and extremely proud, so she brought a carriage for herself, our 3children, her sister and her child, and so I had to ride upon horseback behind them but no-one was able to know. So once the morning arrived, I kissed her goodbye and we set off. The horse was misbehaving; I could not control him at all, all the time he was bucking, trotting and galloping when it wasnt necessary and especially on stony roads, so I fell off about twice. Then Betty came running back to me and said that we had left the alcohol behind and so I tied it to my belt, one on each side so I was balanced and so I could try to not fall off of the horse. Once on my way for the second time, I finally got to some smoother road which became easier for the horse to ride upon. But instead of the easiness I believed this road would be it was the complete opposite, the horse got faster, he began trotting. I tried to get him to slow down but he wouldnt and the trot soon turned into a gallop, even though I pulled the reins and demanded him to stop. It was terrifying, I was holding onto the reins for dear life. He continued to do this for miles, even through the towns. The towns people even believed I was racing and so cheered me on. I was confused and it scared the horse so it again galloped off leaving me holding on for dear life. I finally reached where I was meant to be and where my wife and the rest of my family were waiting for me. We went past them and they shouted after me to stop as they were all hungry and wanted to rest but the horse kept going and wouldnt stop. We kept going until we reached the horses owners horse, and finally the horse stopped! I got off the horse and spoke to its owner. He offered me dinner at his home, but I declined his request as it felt stupid to be having dinner in a different town to my wife, especially on our wedding evening. We were about to set off again, when suddenly a donkey made a noise and the horse set off yet again. We went racing on again, and once more we passed straight through the town I was meant to be staying. This time my wife saw me going past and told a messenger boy that if he caught up with me and brought me back safely then she would give him half-a-crown. So the boy set off after me and tried to stop my horse three times by pulling at the reins. Unfortunately that didnt work, and the horse got more scared and so galloped faster and faster. We then went past some other people who thought I was a highwayman as I was riding away and the boy was chasing after me. They kept shouting at me stop thief and as I didnt they all joined in, in the chase. When we arrived at the town I was meant to being staying at they thought I was still racing and so cheered me on even more, as they thought I had won. Was indeed a very bizarre way to spend my wedding day, and although I regret being away from my wife on that day I do not regret anything that happened that day!

Service: The Main Essence Of Hospitality

Service: The Main Essence Of Hospitality Service is the main essence of Hospitality .Guest service means being attentive to the guest request and needs. Good quality service is the main essence to run a good hotel and it can achieve by creating such a environment for the guest that should give feeling of Home away from home. Guest should feel comfortable and relaxed while staying in the hotel. Every guest should be handled as special customer which help in making good relation with the guest. It does not matter how good is the ambience, how tasty the food is, its always the service and attentiveness which guest experiences which determines their return in the hotel. Hospitality is known for its generously providing kindness and care, who is in need. Knowing what exactly the customer expects is the first and most important step in delivering good quality service.You cannot give quality service without knowing customer expectations. Hotels or inns are believed to have started around 12000 years ago.Traveling concept started in Greece and ancient Rome in 800BC-146BC.Early warriors and traders were the travelers.In thosedays accommodation means offering a cot or a bench in corner of a room or astable, most of them were private residences that used to give temporary residence or give loading to strangers.In the Dark Ages travelers had little choice except to stay in monasteries that offered food and shelter.The idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹hosting travelers was taken even further when trade and commerce began to boom, prompting taverns and inns to arise, especially in ports cities. That time sanitation and privacy was not in exist.When money came in establishment in 6th century BC, hospitality was one of the first enterprises where money was exchanges for receiving service.Inthose days Hotels or inns not used to operate for 24 hours, after a certain hour the main door of residence would close andafte r that one cannot enter although you are a customer. These Residences or inns were generally situated near intersection of two major roads or near railway station or at the entry of a city. Since then Hospitality industry has grown into a highly competitive industry (WelingkarI., 2011). Hospitality now just not about getting from point A to point B,its about how you go to your destination forwarded by how much you enjoyed your stay. Tourism plays an important role in the growth of throughout the hospitality industry because people will never stop traveling and while traveling they always require a place to stay. Intelligent commercial planners have realized the industries potential and are taking advantage of the same by providing all the wants and needs of potential guests. Hotel operators are radically changing the service manner in which they provide food,drinks,and accommodation within the organization,the main reason for doing so is that hospitality industry is movingvery promptly. Customers are varying, technology and markets are changing rapidly.Managers are reexamining their existing service offering and deciding which innovation will create more value.Managers are researching on innovation, which are economically sustainable to the organization but also delivering additional value to their customers. Each year Market Metrix evaluates industry best practices and publishes Hospitality Trends and Opportunities. One important trend is to focus on is Personalization and it is impacting customer engagement and loyalty for hospitality companies.(Merchant, 2011) Hotel industry has changed a lot compared to recent years and is changing continuously. Numbers of changes are coming in way to give service to guest. New applications are coming in the market that is helping in providing better customer service.They make a big difference in terms of winning new businesses and new customers.Technologies continue evolving to make it as easy to use as possible for the hotels staff.In the past, the systems that hotel staff uses have been traditionally designed and required a great deal of training in order to be used successfully.Hotel technology will continue to evolve and improve so that training is minimized and the type of training that the hotels can concentrate on will be on hospitality-oriented, customer facing services.The main emphasis is on how to treat the guests, not how to deal with computer systems. Service innovation not only involves new ideas or new technology but modifying and renovating existing ideas by new and unique thinking.The main objective of innovation is to improve operations, guest service and revenues. However, Hotel industry is one of the oldest industries so it is not easy to innovate in industry with traditional methods. Service science gives us a good chance to innovate services in a new day. As a growing industry, hotel industry includes all types of accommodations from 5 star luxurious properties to youth hostels, which offers a variety of services including but not limited to food, beverage, laundry and valet services. Servqual and TQM-Total quality management are the two widely used concepts within service industries to understand the perceptions of target customers regarding their service needs. And to provide ameasurement of the service quality of the organization.Servqual is an empirically derived method that may be used by a services organization toimprove service quality.The method involves the development of an understanding of the perceived service needs of target customers.These measured perceptions of service quality for the organization in question, are then compared against an organization that is excellent.The resulting gap analysis is used as a driver for service quality improvement(lalvanzonline,2011).TQM processes are mainly divided into four general categories: plan, do, check, and act also called as PDCA cycle. In the planning ,people define the problem to be addressed, collect relevant data, and ascertain the problems root cause; in the doing phase, people develop and implement a solution, and decide upon a measurement to gauge its effectiveness; in the checking phase, people confirm the results through before-and-after data comparison; in the acting phase, people document their results, inform others about process changes, and make recommendations for the problem to be addressed in the next PDCA cycle (Margaret Rouse,2005) The boutique hotel is an excellent example of innovation offering in hospitality industry. A boutique hotel is one that is generally not chain-affiliated, features an intimate, stylish appearance and provides impeccable amenities(Cathy Rogers,2011). The target market for most boutique hotels is the 25-55 age range, most within the middle to upper income level.These hotels are generally situated in a stylish location .The goal for a boutique hotel is a level of personalized service not necessarily doable in a larger hotel. At many boutique hotels, the staff knows each guest by their name. Most offer 24-hour guest services. Some offer the comforts of canopy beds, bathrobes and fireplaces in the lobby. Others offer healthy food choices, mind and body themes and on-site bookstores.As a boutique hotel varies in other features, so does its technological amenities. While some offer the latest in technology, others focus on a calm, soothing environment. To some patrons, the bed and breakfast concept may be similar to that of the boutique hotel. Many boutique hotels have on-site, reputable dining, as well as bar and lounge areas that are also open to the public. As the trend continues to grow, many hotels market themselves as boutique; most being small, luxury type hotels worldwide. Eva Floor is also a new concept which has started in India, by The ITC group, called Eva Floor which means a floor only for ladies travelers. Seven hotels have currently been outfitted with the Eva Floors.The main concept to come up with such idea is to provide maximum safety and security to ladies travellers. Amenities on the Eva floors include extra security in the form of double latches, special floor access cards, all-women staff and a separate check-in counter. Women like pretty colors, hate harsh lighting, are prone to lay around a lot, and spend most of the time in the bathrooms, the rooms are decorated in soft pastels, have special lighting, separate day beds for an afternoon nap, larger counters for cosmetics, high-end toiletries, silk robes and bathroom slippers, more powerful hair dryers, and ironing boards (Juliana, 2005). A good and important invention in Hotel services is the use of Information Technology. IT innovation are beneficial and have future benefits for Hotels.IT is playing a very important role in hospitality industry.Technology powers and contributes to the growth to practically every industry in the present age. Hotel industry too isnt insulated from its effects. Many new technologies have invented to run the system smooth and flexible. IT has minimized the human efforts in many levels. Some of the good examples of IT innovations includes Express check In/Check Out, , internet check in/check outs, wake up system , electronic door locks ,in-room pay-per-view, electronic safe guards, express check-in/out systems, CD/Dvd Players, voice mails, multiple phone lines,electronic mini bars. Technology powers and contributes to the growth to practically every industry in the present age. Hotel industry too isnt insulated from its effects. Many new technologies have invented to run the system smoot h and flexible. Now, with the invention of the internet and other electronic channels, new media offers an avenue for hospitality companies to gain an advantage. At one time travel agents were almost controlled the hospitality industry. They were largely responsible for creating guests travel plans and offering specified rates. While large chains and big time destinations can afford traditional marketing channels, smaller, independent entities can gain an advantage through new hospitality concepts. Companies such as Expedia, Tripadvisor, and TravelCLICK help level the playing field and empower the host as well as the traveler more than ever before in the history of the hospitality industry. Globallypeople are working overtime to take advantage internet, in order to catalyze their sales and to improve customer relations.Internet is playing a key role in development of hotel industry today. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter etc. are interestingly playing a dominant role in strategies of h otels all over. User generated feedbacks and reviews on such websites play a huge role in popularizing the services of hotels by word of mouth. Further, it also becomes easier to stay in touch with and maintain relationships with ex-clients by making use of online tools. The number of travelers booking and researching online is growing impressively. According to one research, more than 114 million people will research travel online this year, while 94 million will actually book reservations. While more than 50 percent of travel bookings are made on the Internet, the online travel market has matured and expects modest growth and stabilization. More and more travelers are using their mobile devices to not only research lodging and travel options, but to book and communicate room preferences directly with the hotel. Mobile channel booking has increased four times between 2008 and 2010 according to Forrester Research. Google is projecting that mobile will overtake PCs as the most common Web-access device by 2013. With travelers adopting smartphones and tablets at such a rapid pace, its crucial for hoteliers to optimize their website for mobile usage to capture potential mobile transactions(RobertRauch,2011). About a decade ago, hotel industry was much more concern on people who are now mostly in their 50s and 60s but now hotel industry has started to anticipate a group of travelers who are in their 20s to mid-30s and are very important for economic growth. They are more attracted towards technology, social media and design. Many hotels are renovating their existing hotels or introducing new ones with free hotel wide Wi-Fi connections, large welcoming lobbies with modern age ambience, comfortable fittings, state-of-the-art fitness areas; in-room power consoles to plug in iPads, laptops and other devices; and stylish bar. Some are also coming up with night social events, like happy hours and free wine tastings, aimed at attracting smartphone generation to their hotels . The changes involves higher-quality beds, brighter lighting and bigger work spaces. And those travelers were loyal to brands that offered reliable, comfortable services. Wi-Fi service is not only demanded but expected. Hig h-speed Internet is as essential as beds and towels (Janet Morrissey, 2012).Younger travelers tend to visit three or four different restaurants and bars a night, so hotels are opening up multiple bars and lounges with different themes at different times of the day to attract new crowd . Many many new concepts are which offers free daily events, including tea tastings, yoga sessions and wine tastings etc.(Stowe Boyd, 2011). The Arrabelle at Vail Square is implementing IntelityICE (Interactive Customer Experience) mobile technology for guests to use on Android, Apple smartphones and tablets. The Arrabelles traditional amenities, from in-room fireplaces to snuggly robes, will be complemented by the arrival of the most innovative, modern in-room technology available.After simply downloading the ICE app, all of the hotels services can be accessed directly from the palm of a guests hand. At the touch of a finger, guests can make a housekeeping request or look up information about the hotel and local attractions. They can also conveniently view signature dishes, like Executive Chef Douglas Dodds lobster mac and cheese, available at Vails hot new food and drink spot, Tavern on the Square (Hospitality Technology, 2011). Breadcrumb, an easy-to-use, powerful and affordable iPad point-of-sale (POS) system helps hotels to run their restaurants, bars and cafes more effectively. Breadcrumb combines intuitive and sophisticated software with outstanding support. Breadcrumb removes the complexities, frustrations and high costs common to legacy POS solutions. Breadcrumb streamlines all activity at local restaurants, cafes and bars, from taking and placing orders, to table management, payment processing and analyzing sales so merchants can learn about and improve their businesses.Servers can search for menu items or rearrange tables with a finger swipe, software updates are free and automatic, and we even ship new customers an all-in-one Breadbox that contains all hardware required to get started.Everything a restaurant or bar needs to operate more efficiently and deliver impeccable customer service. Breadcrumb has a full range of features that allows hospitality businesses to manage labor, take orders, proces s payments and analyze performance. Users can merge or split checks, add or adjust menu items, set employee access levels, view real-time sales and labor reports and more. The Plaza, the landmark New York City hotel located on Central Park South,have taken hotel lodging to a whole new, high tech level began by offering iPads in each of its guests rooms.The first hotel in the world to provide not only a tablet for each guest room, but a tablet with Intelitys ICE (Interactive Customer Experience) software to offer guests services and room controls.These iPads gives the abilities to guests to control hotel services and customizable content.These iPads are incorporated with the functions like to check flights, order room service, make dinner reservations, coordinate transportation, reach the concierge, request wake-up calls, explore destination guides and call a housekeeper (Katie Kindelan, 2011).Intelity has released the highlights of a two-year study of guestroom iPad usage. The first such study conducted using data from actual hotel guest usage.The study showed that 82% of guests used the tablet during their stays on a year-round basis. April had the hi ghest average guest usage at 91% (Hotel Technology, 2012). The industrys concern towards security has increased impressively due to severalterrorist attacks worldwide in recent years, and also because of the tourists kidnappings, robberies and assaults.Security of all types of hospitality and tourismoperations is critical and plans should bemade for each kind of threat.Personal safety of guests is the first priority (Walker, 2010). Increased security measures have forced hotel industry to upgraded their security measures by investingmillions of dollars in order to give the topmost security to the guests (Hall etal, 2003). Who Am I Now? Reflective Education Essay Who Am I Now? Reflective Education Essay My name is Muhammad Razin bin Amir Hamzah and I used to be called as Razin. I am 21 years old. Currently, I am furthering my study in Bachelor of Science in Computing under University of Wales, United Kingdom. Now, I am in the second year. There is only one year to go for me to complete my study. I enrolled in this course to fulfill my aspiration towards becoming the next Steve Job, the Chief Executive Officer of Apple Incorporation. It took 21 years to create where I am today. Within these years I worked hard to get where I am right now. The best way to know where am I now is by looking into my strengths and weaknesses. I have analysed, evaluated, and looked deep inside myself to determine the weaknesses and strengths of my true character. Positive attitude and patience are the two important strengths that I have built in me. These two characteristics have contributes to my career, my learning and almost everything in my personal life. On the other hand, the two aspects of myself that I need to improve are my organization skills and my public speaking skills. Having positive attitude is vital. This leads to a motivated learning team, a comfortable working environment, and a happy personal life. It is hard to find a scenario in which a person with positive attitude and full of compliments to be scolded. No negative or bad attitudes make my personal life great. I socialized with my family with happy and respectful thoughts which motivate them to share their happiness with me and others. My attitude keeps people around me in a good mood. This personal characteristic of mine allows me to manage the tense situations during my study sessions, especially when I have to answer assignment questions and submit them before the due date. Being positively motivated, I encourage others to be compliant and respectful. Positive attitude will be beneficial in my learning team because it will promote teamwork and friendship. I think a happy and friendly team will be more productive than a team that always argues and disagrees. My second strength is patience. We will feel comfortable when we speak to someone who is patient. People with patience do not interrupt others, instead they listen and try to be helpful. In my personal life, I have an autistic nephew who needs people with a lot of patience. Being bossy, angry, and snappy will only make me hard to handle him. I have to talk slowly and repeat my words several times so that he will understand me. In my study environment, it is also imperative that I have patience. I have to deal with tough and difficult assignment questions. Each question has its own degree of difficulties. Thus, I need to conquer each of the questions with my best answer and support it with reasonable evidence. I have to patiently search for the articles on the respective topics and provide my best answer to ensure that I get good results in my study. In addition, patience is a must when participating in a team environment. When many people get together in a team, things often progress very fast. However, sometimes things get sloppy or get misunderstood. With patience, I can maintain consistency and accurateness within an organization. Having described my strengths, I must now turn to reveal my weaknesses. I must say that I am not a superhuman or a perfect person. My weaknesses often frustrate and challenge me, but my positive attitude forces me to correct my weaknesses and win over them. My first weakness, I must admit, is public speaking. I get very nervous. The sign is my hands get clammy and begins to sweat. Droplets of water appear on my face and I mumble my words when I start to speak in front of large group of people. This problem neither gives a huge impact in my personal life nor affects my on-line learning team, but it does affect my daily duties at college. I speak with others in college, especially with my friends, regarding general knowledge and current issues. I am told that my nervousness does not show, but before and during every speech I feel my hands shake, my feet get clammy, and my face starts to sweat. Over the years, I have fought this battle of public speaking by doing many things. First, I h ave completed a college level English class. Second, I completed a college level speech class. Recently, I took an English tuition class to enhance my communication skill and widen my English vocabulary. My second blind spot that I must admit is my lack of organization skill. I organize my assignment papers by tossing them on my study desk. Thus, I will avoid looking at them. It is hard for me to find my belongings especially in my study room because of my unorganized attitudes. When the assignment season arrives, it will be a disaster for me. I often lose my important notes and my framework papers. These matters has made me spend twice the actual time needed to accomplish my task. I lose valuable times for this reason, whereas I could have used those precious times together with my family. Besides that, this will seriously affect my learning team. Before it gets much more severe, I have to improve my deportment and be a better organised person. I will not frighten up myself when I see papers containing college assignments. What I need to help me overcome my problem are a desk together with filing cabinets and a day planner calendar. The fears of obtaining a bad result in my diploma level made me realize that organization skill is crucial to succeed in life, especially in my study. WHAT DO I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? My short term goal is to finish my undergraduate program with a first class honours. In other words, I want to complete my study with flying colours. This is because the only commitment that I have now is being a full time student. So, my part is just to concentrate on my studies and struggle hard to achieve my ambition towards becoming the Information Technology lecturer. By building up a good academic base, I can hunt the job I wanted very fast without any resistance. Besides, by achieving good results, I will be exempted from paying back Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) loan. This will surely reduce my family burden to settle off my carried loan. My long term goal is that I will be counted among successful lecturer. I do often ask myself, what a better job would be than to be a lecturer. The answer is none. I believe that the ability to change and improve the world to be a better place for people to live starts from the effort and idea given by the educator. So, it will be my huge contribution to the society. I set high objectives for me as an educator and put a very great effort to accomplish my goals. I began to realize that awesome teachers have their own distinctive skills which I need to learn. Following their examples can make me become someone in the society. To be good at elucidating the contents of a subject, to be firm and patient towards students, to be always fair to students, to set high and realistic expectations, to have the skills to advice and motivate others are some of the indicators that are needed to become a great teacher. A great teacher will explain questions asked by their students and make them fully understand, and not let their students walk away in doubt. Brainstorming will be the best tool used by extraordinary teachers to convey particular lesson plan if their student did not understand. He or she would think, How am I going to explain this particular concept to my student and they need to understand clearly what I am teaching? This is the type of teacher I intend to be. Ability to inspire others is not just a gift or an opportunity but its a challenge. Currently, we can see that there are thousands of educators still with their old mind-set and do not like to accept this challenge. This serious matter need to be changed. Nowadays, students are being forced to school. Most of the time, students will think that learning is not their main priority but teaching is a teachers job. Students always learn but they may not be interested with the lesson taught by their teacher. An excellent teacher is not just an expert in his or her field, but he or she must be aware of the current issues and prepare himself or herself to teach something else. Some things can prove to be more valuable than knowledge itself, which are morals and character. I want to inspire the children who will represent the future of our great nation. In life, I tried to make many spectacular teachers that have taught me to be my role models. From the characteristic listed, I intend to grab them to become an excellent teacher. HOW DO I ACHIEVE IT? During my undergraduate program, I took a Computer Science course. This will help me to dual master myself, in Information Technology and in teaching. Most of the minor classes that I enrolled were communication and psychology, which would help me in my career as a teacher. Other than that, I also taught in a private tuition centres as my part-time job. During that time, I spent considerable amount of time observing classrooms. With strong education background and wide range of experience which I gained in the classroom, I realize that teaching will be the most suitable career for me. Meanwhile, I work as a personal Information Technology consultant for Smart Academic Management for about two years. This company was doing motivation work for universitie and college students. During this period of time, I am polishing my programming skills. Sometimes, I was given the opportunity to enrol in motivation programmes together with students. This exposes me to different range of human behav iours and life backgrounds especially those involving youngsters. Other than that, I do read a lot of articles regarding teaching methodology, student behaviour, and psychology. There are around 19 encyclopaedias in my book rack regarding software development and psychology. I often make my readings at night after performing my night prayers. I will make my own mind map to make me understand more and to get clear picture about the contents of books that I read. I do virtually contact my foreign friends via internet. This will help me keep in touch with their education line in Australia and Russia. Now, I need to start planning where to open my own private learning centre and how to enhance my marketing strategies. WHAT MIGHT STOP ME? I believe that, the time I set my goal there will be the obstacles to stop me achieving it. The most common barrier to reaching my potential is my mind-set, that is, what and how I think about myself and what I wish to achieve. I limit myself by the negative thoughts that I think and I may say. If I think and believe that I cannot accomplish something, then that will come true and I will fail. However, when I think that I can accomplish a task, or overcome a situation and I put in the effort, my future will turn bright. I will only succeed when I start to take control and action to change my destiny towards the goal rather than leave it to fate. Some people said that they have done some work and failed in their first trial. Thus they have not continued working on it anymore. This is just an irrelevant excuse. The solution for this is to reset our mind-set to believe in ourselves and achieve our goal in any way possible. Having failed in the past, does not mean that I will fail again and again for the rest of my life. I should think of things that happened in past in terms of what I can learn from them; seeing all the pass experience as feedback rather than as failure. I should think in this way Yesterday mining is for todays goal. The failure in my past will make me more matured. The past will be beneficial as I can learn from my mistakes. The only thing I can do about my past is to learn from it because the past is over and I cannot change them. Thinking negatively can really stop me from reaching my potential. Negative influences are always around us. Mass media such as radio and idiot box may pass some inappropriate message that can predispose our mind-set. Sometimes I do get negative feedback from family members and friends who are trapped in a negative mind-set. They believe that they are helping me by being realistic but it is not helping at all. The best solution is that I should make myself surrounded by positive minded people, people who work hard to a chieve their goals. Having positive support is vital. On the other hand, another obstacle that stops me from reaching my potential from being successful is inadequate of plan. Too many people including myself walk through their life simply by taking what is handed to them. The decision made by others will be the decision for themselves. I seldom make my duty plan for the weeks or months ahead. It is so essential that I take some time to start setting up my goals. During the process I can find out how to accomplish those aims, and make suitable timeline for me to have it done. This vital process is often neglected. To set goals starts with listing out what am I going to accomplish. They are those people who set their goal just to float along without any attention to better their situation. There is also people who have goals but they are unfamiliar with the correct way and proper plan to make their goal come true. I think I can be categorised under this type of person.

Sport Psychology Essay -- essays research papers

Sport Psychology: How it Helps Athletes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our society today it seems like sports rule the land. Everywhere we look, there is some kind of sporting event going on or being televised. Almost everyone could be considered a fan of at least one sport. Some people follow sports like a religion. With such an increased focus on sports, the athlete's performances are put under a microscope. This puts more pressure on athletes to give a winning performance. No longer do athletes play for fun, they play to win. This isn't happening just on the professional level; it is happening on all levels of sport. From little league to backyard football, the goal is to win at all cost. With this increase pressure, athletes are looking for more and more ways to better their performance. One such way, which is now gaining popularity, is Sports Psychology. Though this isn't a new field, its popularity is just beginning to take off. There is still a lot of skepticism about the validity or worth while of the practices used. The f ollowing is a review of a number of articles that outline different studies done that show how athletes can improve their performances. The articles were found using a database search of PsychInfo. Keywords such as increased performance, psychological practices, and sports were used to narrow the search. What is Sport Psychology?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years there have been many different definitions offered as to what Sport Psychology is. One of the best ways to look at it is to ask what does a psychologist do? A psychologist does a variety of things. They provide psychological assessment, crisis intervention, and psychological service. Just to name a few broad areas. All of these are areas that can also be useful to an athlete. A lot of the tools used by a sport psychologist are adapted directly from clinical psychology. Concepts such as Freud's Psychodynamics, Caltel's Personality Test, and The Piagetial Cognitive Theory are widely used. (Sloubanov, 1999) All of these are critical tools used by a sport psychologist to assist an athlete with his or her problem. Sport psychology involves preparing the mind of an athlete, just as one prepares the body. Sport psychology is an emerging field in the worlds of psychology and athletics. What Methods are Used?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem that an athlet... ...een much progress and many changes. Sport has gone through a great metamorphosis that no one of that time could ever imagine. Today sport psychology has moved from the simple experiments of the early labs to sophisticated trials and tests. Focus is now on subjects as mental health , psychopysiological reactivity, and body image and esteem. (Gauvin, Spence, 1995, p. 436) The world of athletics is now a business, and now like other businesses, is always looking for ways to improve itself. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since athletics seems to be moving from being a pastime to a way of life for many in today's world, it is important that there is a means to improve performance. The corporate world has long been using psychological techniques to improve employee performance. It was only a matter of time before the athletic world adopted the same practices. Some people are skeptical about the validity of sport psychology, while others live by it. With sports producing hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It is important that athletes do everything that they can to improve the way that they play. Sport psychology is a valid, scientific way for athletes to do just that.

Learning objectives Essay

1. After completing the lesson, the student will be able to analyze the question and build their own formula for them to answer and solve that problem. 2. After this unit, the student will have to recognize the meaning of that certain topic and state or identify it by their own interpretation. 3. By completing the activities, the student will provide a plan on every situation that challenge on them and organize it to reach their goals. 4. After the year, the student will recall the information of the lesson and it will easy for them to analyze every concept into components. 5. At the conclusion of the study, the student will make a percipients on how important the objective of the lesson and select an effective solution for their problem by using computer. Student’s Learning Objectives â€Å"Psychomotor Domain† 1. After completing the lesson, the student will able to follow instruction to notice the problem and for them to figure out the trouble encountered. 2. After this unit, the student will recognize one’s abilities and limitations and acts upon a sequence of steps in a process. 3. By completing the activities, the student will properly use computers, and repair simple problem, materially or psychologically. 4. After the year, the student will responds effectively to unexpected experiences and modifies instruction to meet their needs. 5. At the conclusion of the study, the student will construct their own theory, and will improve creativity based upon highly developed skills. Student’s Learning Objectives â€Å"Affective Domain† 1. After completing the lesson, the student will listen to other with respect and remember what other people open up. 2. After this unit, the student will show their ability to solve problems and provide a plan for the improvement of everybody. 3. By completing the activities, the student will differentiate the importance of freedom and responsibilities, and accept responsibilities for the progress of others. 4. After the year, the student will show his/her capability when working independently, and cooperates in a group that shows teamwork. 5. At the conclusion of the study, the student will values people for what they are, not how they look.

Acupuncture as a nonconventional chronic neck pain treatment Essay

Acupuncture as a nonconventional chronic neck pain treatment Introduction Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chronic neck pain is an ailment that is characterized by pain in the neck that lasts for a period of more than three months. It is usually different from common medical conditions of neck pains that last for only days. In most occasions, chronic neck pain is an ailment that may even take years without success in its treatment, particularly in the mainstream medical practices. Research assert that chronic neck pain is usually associated with a number of disorders, as well as diseases that can involve any of the tissues around the neck. The study was carried out to fully analyze the effectiveness of acupuncture in the reduction of chronic neck pain, and also to examine whether the possible effects attributed to the therapy are long lasting. The data used in this study was collected through specified procedures to ensure credibility of the results in regard to the use of acupuncture in health care to provide a remedy for chronic neck pain in both short and long term basis. Using a well-structured methodology to guide the research patients were carefully analyzed in regard to the various methods of acupuncture to determine the respective effectiveness of each method. Further, a thorough analysis of the data collected is subsequently discussed showcasing the viability of the medical alternative. Lastly, recommendations for further research of acupuncture as an ideal treatment for individuals with chronic pain of the neck is well provided in this paper. See more: Social process essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research indicate that acupuncture as a recognized nonconventional alternative for chronic neck pain that is increasingly becoming popular across the world. Acupuncture therapy is among world widely known health care procedures that is used to treat over 30 health conditions and diseases, with a major emphasize of relieving pain to different ailments. One of the main uses of acupuncture is to relieve pain, hence it is one of effective remedies for chronic neck pains. Research has for a long time hinted on the benefits of acupuncture for relief of chronic neck pain, as well as other body pains such as chronic shoulder pain, migraines and osteoarthritis among others(Blossfeldt 2004, p. 146). Researchers have provided data from over 30 high quality studies involving more than 18,000 patients with different chronic pains. As a nonconventional remedy for different pains, acupuncture is commonly used in different methods, providing flexibility i n its treatment procedures, as well as a provider of choice for patients who opt to use acupuncture as a remedy for chronic neck pain(Salter et al, 2004, p 10).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further, researchers assert that although acupuncture is increasingly being used for various conditions including chronic neck pain treatment, the evidence of its effectiveness remains inconclusive. This indicates that there is a need for a further well designed research. With the use of a variety of methods or options on the use of acupuncture to relieve pain, there is also a need to establish the key features required for the design, as well as implementation of larger scale trial on acupuncture for neck pain. Acupuncture is believed to decrease pain by enhancing the release of the chemicals responsible for blocking pain, commonly referred to as endorphins(Liang et al, 2010, p. 8). Most of the acu-points are usually found near the nerves. In this regard, when stimulated, the nerves cause a dull ache, a feeling of fullness in the patient’s muscle. The stimulated muscle then sends a message to central nervous system subsequently cau sing a release of endorphins. These are crucial elements in the human body that are automatically released to modify the nerve impulses, hence reducing or nullifying the effect of pain to the patient.The endorphins together with other neurotransmitters subsequently block the message of pain from being taken up to the brain, hence a relief to the patient(Blossfeldt 2004, p. 146). Acupuncture may be used as a reliable treatment for chronic neck,and therefore, should be included as a part of an extensive and comprehensive pain management programs for relieving pain in patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scope of this paper is to ascertain the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic neck pain. The paper seeks to understand the role played by the various methods of acupuncture that are used to relieve pain for patients ailing from neck pains. Shallow, Sham and randomized acupuncture therapies are well explained in regard to their role in relieving pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, the main purpose of this study is to establish the use of acupuncture in individuals with chronic pain of the neck. The paper focuses to establish the effectiveness of three acupuncture therapies used as alternative medical conventions to relieve pain. Additionally, the study proposes to explain both the short term and long term effects of acupuncture therapies in the treatment of chronic neck pain. To establish the viability of acupuncture therapies in the treatment of chronic neck pain. To understand how sham, shallow and randomized acupuncture therapies are utilized in the treatment of chronic neck pain. To provide a conclusive evidence of the success of acupuncture as an ideal method of relieving pain. To establish the effects of the three acupuncture therapies in the treatment of individuals with chronic pain of the neck. To offer recommendation of the viability of acupuncture as a treatment option that can be used by people with chronic neck pains. Basic approach to acupuncture as a nonconventional chronic neck pain treatment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of acupuncture as an alternative chronic neck pain treatment is based on the medical understanding of the specific elements responsible for alienating pain or sending messages of pain to the brain. The study of acupuncture is based on the thought that decrease or alienation of pain can be enhanced by releasing the chemicals responsible for blocking pain, referred to as endorphins. Most of the acu-points are usually found near the nerves(Liang et al, 2012, p. 8). The approach of this study is based on the understanding that, when stimulated, the nerves cause a dull ache, a feeling of fullness in the patient’s muscle. The stimulated muscle then sends a message to central nervous system subsequently causing a release of endorphins. These are crucial elements in the human body that are automatically released to modify the nerve impulses hence reducing or nullifying the effect of pain to the patient(Willich et al, 2006, p. 98). T he endorphins, as well as other neurotransmitters, subsequently block the message of pain from being taken up to the brain, hence a relief to the patient. The findings of this study will pin point out how the alienation of pain is conversely connected to the various elements thought to treat people suffering from chronic neck pains. Basic Background information   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Acupuncture used in the modern day alternative treatment for pain is a branch of a traditional Chinese medicine practice. It is a practice that has historically been tired, and equally tested as a health care practice that has in practice for thousands of years, particularly in China and South East Asia. For centuries, acupuncture has been gradually developed, tested and researched, as well as refined over many centuries giving out a complex, and rather detailed understanding of the energetic balance of the human body. The first known record of Chinese Medicine was a book, the classic of Internal Medicine of Yellow Emperor, which dates back to between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850). It is essential to acknowledge that all the styles of acupuncture found in the modern day health care practices trace their roots to this particular text.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Without the help of the modern day scientific equipment, scholars from the Ancient China discovered many aspects of biomedical science, like the effect of emotional stress on an individual’s immune system. The traditional acupuncturists were not less scientific or sophisticated that it is the case with the western clinicians with their understanding of the functioning of the body, although the contemporary acupunctural practices depict that of the culture and historic origin of the Chinese medicine. The traditional Chinese medicine has vividly remained in the shadow of the western medicine, until a certain period between 1934 and 1935, where the without drugs sick and wounded faced death. It was the intervention of traditional Chinese medicine, which generally used acupuncture and other several traditional treatment methods(Witt 2004, p. 99). From this point, the traditional and western medicines started to be practicing side to sid e in China. In the contemporary, the practice has gained popularity across different region of the world. More people with chronic pains, where it is primarily being used to treat such case, as it with the alienation chronic neck pain. Methods Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research data collected in this study focused on patients suffering from chronic neck pain. The individuals used in the research fell within the age of 21 and 55 years old. Although there are many patients who report about neck pain ailments in different health care facilities across the United States, patients with the age of 21 and 55 years old were ideal for a research. This is due to the fact that they are easier to track their progress of healing over a longer period of time. Elderly patients over the age of 55 years are not best placed in this research considering the various attributes in the healing processes of such people, which is proven to be relatively lower. Most of the data about individuals with chronic pain of the necks was randomly collected in health care facilities in the State of California, United States. The majority of these patients was diagnosed with chronic neck pain and were put under a special focus while t hree acupuncture methods of therapies were performed(Witt 2004, p. 99). The study generally involved a thorough investigation of 191 patients in California’s health care. It is important to acknowledge that the various patients were deliberately initiated to acupuncture treatment as their decision to try the alternative medical practice after allegedly failed treatments in the mainstream medical procedures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were certainly no limitation on the sex of the patients, hence the research involved both male and female patients. Additionally, there were no specified number of male or females in the study, as patients, as treatment and progress of treatment of patients was randomly taken. Further, it was assumed that both male and female patients presented similar responses to the different acupuncture therapies performed in the study(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850). The research was also not limited by either ethnicity or race, although believed to have different characteristics in regard to various medical procedures. Variable and Delimitations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dependent variables in this study included the neck pain as an ailment caused by various aspects such as physical injury and disease or condition among others. The rates of cases involving chronic neck pains during the period of this study was generally unprecedented as the causes of such ailments greatly varied. Chronic neck pain among the patients varied in regard to the specific causes, which in this case included degenerative disc disease, neck injury, neck strain, herniated disc as well as pinched neck(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850). The first step in the treatment procedure involved a thorough diagnosis of common neck infections that caused the chronic pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The key delimitations were based on neck pain due to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck.The different patients involved in this study had chronic neck pains attributed to extremely different causes, which included physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others(Witt 2004, p. 99). The patients with this problem are generally taken through the three acupuncture therapies, regardless of the cause of their condition(Hush 2004, p. 1533). The fact that all patients are uniformly taken into similar medical procedures without being categorized in relation to their specific cause of chronic neck pain remain as the greatest delimitating attribute of this research. Search Criteria   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The key terms I commonly used while searching for the relevant articles included: chronic neck pain, cervical pain types of acupuncture, alternative medicine, sham acupuncture, Shallow acupuncture and randomized acupuncture. Short statements were also useful in searching for relevant information about the use of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain. These statements included: Alternative treatment of chronic pain, use of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic neck pain, and the acupuncture methods used in the treatment of chronic neck pain(Witt 2004, p. 99). I thoroughly searched in various databases for article that provided information for patients suffering from chronic neck pains, specifically those individuals between the age of 21 and 55 years old. I further categorized the data collected to form two groups of patients of the age bracket of 21 and 34 years and those between 35 and 55 years old. The creation of these two grou ps was essential as taking a wider range of people of ages 21 to 55 years old would present relatively a higher deviation in the healing processes of the patients, as those above the age of 35 years present a much longer period of healing as compared to the youthful 21 to 34 years group. I also focused my research on the following: MasterFile Premier, ALT Healthwatch, US National Library of Medicine, BioMed central. Chronic Neck Pain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chronic neck pain is an ailment that is characterized by pain in the neck that lasts for an unusually long period of time, commonly over a period of three months. Although different from the common medical conditions of neck pains that last for only days, chronic neck pain is typically an ailment that takes even years without success in its treatment in the mainstream medical practices. Chronic neck pain is usually associated with a number of disorders, as well as diseases that can involve any of the tissues around the neck(Witt 2004, p. 99). For instance, the common causes of this condition are strains of the neck, injury of the neck like a herniated disc, pinched disc, or whiplash, and degenerative disc disease. In addition, chronic neck pain is also linked to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones ar ound the neck. Some patients also had chronic neck pains caused by extremely different causes, which include physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others. Further, chronic neck pain is also caused by certain infections like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. Risk Factors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chronic neck pain is generally caused by numerous factors ranging from physical injury to certain infections around the neck body tissues. Since neck pain affects the muscles around the body areas of the neck, it becomes painful to move the neck as it is usually painful. The risk factors for pain usually include injury from involvement in motor vehicle accidents, horse rising, contact sports and bull riding among others(De Loose, 2008, p. 475). In order to avoid or to prevent neck pains for the patients, it is always essential to consider staying away from activities may twist the neck and subsequently aggravate the already painful section of the neck(Witt 2004, p. 99). In addition, it is also advisable to have activities that will enhance neck strengthening exercise, as well as neck bracing. Types of acupuncture used in the treatment of chronic neck pain Optimized acupuncture therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Optimized acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic neck pain involves the utilization of traditional acupuncture, which is usually followed by intradermal needle therapy, commonly referred to as INT(Hush 2004, p. 1533). The use of OAT usually consists of the use of nine acupuncture points typically selected for an optimized acupuncture therapy group on the advice and consensus of the national expert committee of the OAT procedures. In this case, four points are subsequently located by physician intending to perform the OAT. The points selected are usually the cervical positive reactions planes found in the top and bottom of the cervical planes as well as horizontally away from the corresponding cervical vertebra(Witt 2004, p. 99). This type of acupuncture practice is highly sensitive and usually need to be performed by an individual with more than five of practice experiences. Sham acupuncture therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sham acupuncture therapy involves the use of skin penetrating shallow needles on the specified sham groups’ tender points.The tender points that are used in this method of acupuncture therapy are categorized as the key areas recommended for the acupuncture, which are the Ah Shee, also referred to as â€Å"oh yes point†. The points are crucial in this therapy and have to be used throughout the treatment procedure. Typically, the location of sham points is commonly defined by 25mm lateral extending to the standard location used for the OAT group.They include: the sham point of Dazhui (GV14) 25mm, which is 25 mm vertically below the usual standard GV14, sham points of (S115) Jianzhongshu and Huatuojiaji, which is 25 mm lateral to standard S115 (Liang et al, 8).After the sham acupuncture, individuals undergoing the process or patients are treated through the use of point pressing (De Loose, 2008, p. 475). Shallow acupuncture therapy Shallow acupuncture group undergoes similar procedures as the other OAT groups.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the physicians are required to insert the needles in a vertical manner in order to reach the subcutaneous level at a specified depth of not more than 3 mm (Salter et al, 2004). Needle manipulation or any other sensation is prohibited in this particular group. Ultimately, after the shallow acupuncture, the patients are additionally treated by INT through the use of a similar method as in the other OAT groups. Physiotherapy versus acupuncture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Zhuang (2012) compares the use of acupuncture and physiotherapy in the treatment of chronic neck pain in a research that took place in China. The research involved screening of a total of 310 patients. The patients were then randomly split into two equal groups, where one group was treated using acupuncture method, while the other group received treatment through physiotherapy. The outcome of the treatment of the two procedures revealed that patients treated under acupuncture procedures had better results in relieving neck pain, particularly after a period of three months.It is essential to acknowledge that physiotherapy is an alternative medical practice that can be used in the treatment of chronic neck pain. While acupuncture therapies generally used sterilizes needles that are usually inserted in the area around the neck depending on the type of acupuncture used, physiotherapy does not involve the use of needles. Physiotherapy utilizes several types of manipulation as well as exercise to relieve pain. The common illustration of the use of physiotherapy is the stretch, strengthen and straighten up exercise movements of the neck. Adverse event and acupuncture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   White (2001) researched about the adverse events following a use of acupuncture to treat patients with chronic neck pain. In his survey, which included a prospective survey of 32,000 consultations with physiotherapists and doctors, the researcher, Adrian White aimed at ascertaining the incidence of adverse events that are related to acupuncture treatment, as practiced by British doctors during that time. The research utilized data that were collected for the June of 1998 to February of 2000, from a total of 78 acupuncturists. Altogether the resulting significant events were 43, subsequently giving only a rate of only 14 patients of the 10,000 patients included in the data. The results of this study showed that only 0.14 percent of the patients who used acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain experience adverse events. All the adverse events were reported to have had cleared within the period of one week after the therapy. Similar dimi nishing events were characterized at a longer period, except foronly one incident that lasted for several weeks. The result derived from the data of acupuncture treatment did not report any serious adverse events. The rates can only be classified as minimal considering that it was only 14 adverse effects out of the total 10,000 patients who were analyzed with the data provided. Generally, these event rates do not give significant risk per individual patient. Physician views on acupuncture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The article by Chen, L. et al., (2010), offers exclusive views on acupuncture given by various physicians. The research by Chen among other authors who contributed to the article, there study targets collecting information that addresses the role of acupuncture in the management of pain in regard to opinions of physicians who manage such conditions. The research was conducted between 2007 and 2008 using a nationwide e-mail to 1083 physicians who were in active acupuncture practice in the United States. Chan et al., (2010) found that the overwhelmingly majority of the responders of the survey had a positive attitude and favorable experience of the use of acupuncture as an alternative modality in the management of chronic pain. The results of the survey subsequently indicate that acupuncture is considered effective by physicians in the management of chronic neck pain. Discussion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chronic neck pain commonly occur as a result of a number of disorders, and diseases that in involve any of the tissues around the neck (Witt 2004, p. 99). The risk factors of this condition have also been linked tothe strains of the neck, injury of the neck such as the herniated disc, pinched disc, or whiplash, and degenerative disc disease. Additionally, chronic neck pain is also associated with to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. Further, chronic neck pain is also found to be caused other different causes, which include physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others. Moreover, chronic neck pain is also caused by certain infections like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, me ningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. Despite the different causes of the chronic neck pain, the use of acupuncture has subsequently been showcased as an ideal alternative medical procedure towards the treatment of this condition. The research shows that the three types of acupuncture are equally ideal in providing effective treatment for neck pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although I extensively performed research on a wide range of databases, there are some articles that may have been missed out. Since I was individually conducting this research alone, it is possible that the large number of crucial articles were subsequently overlooked. In addition, there are many external factors that could have influenced the entire result of the use of acupuncture as an ideal treatment for chronic neck pain. The majority of studies slightly differs in a number of issues such as data collected, population, or any of combinations of these factors. White (2001) preciselyresearched about the adverse events following a use of acupuncture to treat patients with chronic neck pain, with an extreme number of respondents. Chen, L. et al., (2010), had a relatively smaller number of responders, and also had collection of data to be collected only through email in his research on the effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of chronic pain in the neck. These are some of the factors that were out of the scope of the research, hence determining the effectiveness of acupuncture was difficult, since the aspect of effectiveness could easily be isolated from some external factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The analysis of the specific information provided by the studies of the literature review of this research paper indicate that either of the three methods of acupuncture can effectively treat the chronic neck pain. The procedural practice of sham, shallow and optimized acupuncture, though different, they present similar way of performing the acupuncture therapy, equally offering effective treatment for chronic neck pain. Liang et al, (2012) asserts that the three types of acupuncture to be based on the thought that decrease or alienation of pain can be enhanced by releasing the chemicals responsible for blocking pain. Issues of age in the study have been considered as the research only focused on individuals between 21 years old and 55 years, as they are likely to have a faster period of healing as compared to adult elderly groups of more than 55 years old. Generally, the use of acupuncture is illustrated as effective as it has previously been used to treat patients with chronic neck pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The loopholes evident in the research include the possibility of a prior knowledge in determining the differences that may emerge upon consideration for gender in the treatment program. In the entire study, there is no single explanation of the ratio of females against the males in finding out the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment procedures. The study focused on a general perspective of patients with chronic neck pain regardless of their respective sex or gender. The knowledge of the differences that exist between males and females could have some effects on the understanding the use of acupuncture. In addition, the paper did not focus on the causes of the various neck pain, which could also compromise the results of the study, considering that such plans are typically attributed to a wide variety of causes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Topics that can be considered for further research are establishing the element of gender in determining the effectiveness of acupuncture while treating chronic neck problem. The various studies illustrated in the research paper did not point out the importance of understanding differences in the healing process of male and female patients with chronic neck pain. I suggest a study be conducted with a major emphasis on the aspect of gender differences between patients in order to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for neck pain in male and female patients. If this study is conducted, it will be possible to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment between male and female patients within the same health condition of chronic neck pain. References Blossfeldt, P. (2004). Acupuncture for Chronic neck pain: a cohort study in an NHS pain Clinic.22(3): 146-151. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15551941Chen, L., Houghton, M., Seefeld, L., Malarick, C. & Mao. Jianren. (2010). A Survey of SelectedPhysician Views on Acupuncture in Pain Management. 11(4), 530-534 Salter, G.C, Roman, M., Bland, M. J & MacPherson, H. (2006). Acupuncture for chronic pain: apilot for randomized controlled trial. 7(1): 3-14 . Retrieved fromhttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2474/7/99 Liang, Z. H., Di, Z., Jiang, S., Xu, S. J., Zhu, X. P., Fu, W,. & Lu, A. P. (2012). The optimizedacupuncture treatment for neck pain caused by cervical spondylosis: a study protocol of amulticenter randomized controlled trial. 13(1): 2-18 . Retrieved fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22776567 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (2013). neck pain. Retrieved from http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00231Chen, L., Houghton, M., Seefeld, L., Malarick, C., & Mao, J. (2010). a survey of selected physician views on acupuncture in pain management. Pain Medicine, 11(4), 530-534. Retrieved from SPORTDiscus. De Loose, V., Burnotte, F., Cagnie, B., Stevens, V., & Van Tiggelen, D. (2008). Prevalence and risk factors of neck pain in military office workers. Military Medicine, 173(5), 474-479. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier. Hush, J. M., Michaleff, Z., Maher, C. G., & Refshauge, K. (2009). Individual, physical and psychological risk factors for neck pain in Australian office workers: a 1-year longitudinal study. European Spine Journal, 18(10), 1532-1540. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier. Irnich, D., Behrens, N., Gleditsch, J. M., Stà ¶r, W., Schreiber, M. A., Schà ¶ps, P., & †¦ Beyer, A. (2002). Immediate effects of dry needling and acupuncture at distant points in chronic neck pain: results of a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover trial. Pain (03043959), 99(1/2), 83. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier. Ji-Eun, P., Myeong Soo, L., Jun-Yong, C., Bo-Young, K., & Sun-Mi, C. (2010). Adverse Events Associated with Acupuncture: A Prospective Survey. Journal Of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 16(9), 959-963. Retrieved by Academic Search Premier. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2012). Acupuncture: an introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction.htmNational Institutes of Health. (2013). neck pain. Retreived from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003025.htmRobertshawe, P. (2008). acupuncture and physiotherapy for neck tension. Journal Of The Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 14(3), 187. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier. Sun, M., Hsieh, C., Cheng, Y., Hung, H., Li, T., Yen, S., & Huang, I. (2010). The therapeutic effects of acupuncture on patients or individuals with chronic neck myofascial pain syndrome:: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. American Journal Of Chinese Medicine, 38(5), 849-859. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier. Vas, J., Perea-Milla, E., Mà ©ndez, C., Navarro, C., Leà ³n Rubio, J., Brioso, M., & Obrero, I. (2006). Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic uncomplicated neck pain: A randomised controlled study. Pain (03043959), 126(1-3), 245-255. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier. White, A. (2001). Adverse events following acupuncture: prospective survey of 32,000 consultations with doctors and physiotherapists. 10(1), 3-14 Retrieved from BMJ Research Articles Willich, S. N., Reinhold, T., Selim, D., Jena, S., Brinkhaus, B., & Witt, C. M. (2006). Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients or individuals with chronic neck pain.Pain (03043959), 125(1/2), 107-113. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Witt, C. M., Jena, S., Brinkhaus, B., Liecker, B., Wegscheider, K., & Willich, S. N. (2006). Acupuncture for patients or individuals with chronic neck pain. Pain (03043959), 125(1/2), 98-106. Retrived from Academic Search Premier. Source document

Ellis Island Immigration Essay

Family came, Haiti origin, along with 15 year old daughter for crises counseling and to file a petition. The daughter lived in United States since she was 5 years old. She also had siblings who are way older then she is, who were brought up back in Haiti. Parents complain that she is disobedient and they wanted to put her in jail. What they called disobedient is her refusing to take earrings off, because in their culture females are not allowed to use anything that might make them look attractive (at least that’s what they say). Parents are culture orientated and very traditional people. I talked to girl alone for long time, she felt misunderstood on so many levels. Nothing was wrong with her psychologically, and there was no need for psychiatric evaluation at all. She seemed very smart young female, who is also a typical teenager and her parents had hard time dealing with that. She want it make up, go to movies, and her parents didn’t like it. She skipped school from time to time, but nothing serious so there was no need to file petition for truancy. Both me, and psychologist I worked with had counseling with her parents. They kept telling us â€Å"other children were never like this,† so I tried to explain them that other children were raised in a different environment and off course they are going to act differently. I also told them I cannot file a petition because 15 year old has earrings on. It was a tough one, and we knew it would take time to change perspective of her parents. This is why Ellis Island immigration is so significant to me. Being labeled â€Å"insane† for something that is totally acceptable in own culture is pure injustice. Ellis Island is the place where everything started, and this occurs when people begun to be seen as the same but in fact, different. We all may have been equal, but have different values and beliefs and this has to be seen by everybody, especially professionals in such field. References Cohen, R. , & Swerdlik, M. (2005). Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction to Tests and Measurement (6th ed. ). , : The McGraw-Hill Companies. Ellis Island http://sydaby. eget. net/swe/ellis_island. htm Ellis Island www. history. com