Juvenille ofenders in criminal court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenille ofenders in criminal court - Essay Example This bias towards punishment and not rehabilitation is expressed by McCollum (as quoted in Redding 92) in support of the Federal law. The changes mean to satisfy concerns, increase juvenile justice efficiency and curb growth in juvenile offending. National transfer efforts make 2 percent of juvenile delinquency cases caused by judge’s willingness to transfer, large numbers of offenders and less treatment options in the juvenile system. J.S. Attorney General Janet Reno (as quoted in Redding 93) asserts that behind this response is unexplained delinquency characterized by sharp increment in violent index crimes. The transfer consequences for juveniles stated in Kent v. United States 1966 are longer prison sentences, loss of juvenile protective and rehabilitative possibilities, potential abuse in adult prisons and loss of rights associated with felony convictions. Other sanctions include loss of voting and firearm rights; ineligibility for military service; felony record and declaration of felony status on employment; negative influence on future criminal processing, prosecutions and sentencing; and exposure t o capital punishment. As the US Department of Justice 1999 stated (Redding 121), effects of transferring juvenile offenders have not been clear with studies showing short term actual increase in recidivism and society reintegration problems. Transfer policies must be enacted to ensure a smooth transition and justice be served in a fair manner. Purposes of transfer such as deterrence and community protection have not been achieved as formal criminal processing, conviction and sentencing seem to have little merit and many adverse consequences. Transfers don’t seem to promote community protection and decrease juvenile offender reformation (Redding 95). This means that a new approach in reference to the transfer of the juveniles must be evaluated to ensure protection of the community is enhanced by the judicial system. Penology policies to counter this

Internet for Business Assignment Personal Statement

Internet for Business Assignment - Personal Statement Example And this event has been my chance. Having had Thortons' chocolates every day of my life here in UK, I am excelled at the chocolate tasting quiz and almost guessed all the chocolates presented to us. We spend the whole Saturday morning touring the locality and taking pictures of the lush gardens and other sceneries. During the afternoon, we attended a series of interactive workshops which includes sampling the dessert gallery collection which features some of my favorites from Thorntons. The highlight of the day was the opportunity given to the guests to create their own chocolate sculptures. I personally enjoyed this part of the weekend as I was able to experiment. However, the sculpture didn't turn out the way I want it to be. The presenters also educated us about the origins of the chocolate, how cocoa beans are transformed into chocolate bars as well as the process of making some Thorntons masterpieces. Our Saturday ended with a three course private dinner as we are serenaded by classical music which dates back from the time of Mozart and Beethoven. The last day of our Chocolate Lovers Weekend commenced with a sumptuous breakfast. I am surprised as one of the hotel staff brought free chocolates into our room together with fruits to be dipped in the chocolate fountain. I have always believed in you... Subject: Thornton's Chocolate Lovers Weekend at Hilton Tewkesbury Dear Sir Mike, I have always believed in your commitment in maintaining the leadership of Thorntons in the confectionery industry. The launch of Thorntons Chocolate Weekend at Hilton Tewkesbury which you envision to add more customer value proves to be correct having experienced the fun myself last week. The activities designed for this event highlights truly highlights the company's quest in making Thorntons a part of the consumers' daily life. Acquainting our customers on how they can make their own chocolate sculptures and fountains at home gives them the chance to delight their guests and loved ones using our products. Also, the incorporation of leisure, good music, and sumptuous meals further stress and link Thorntons chocolates with relaxation and indulgence. With all these good points however, I believe that the event can still be improved by designing different activities according to each guest's preferences. Having a different set of activities per weekend will not only customize experience but will enable the company to know more about the inclination of its customers. Having a weekend for teens will also be possible noting the fact that teens' spending on confectionery is increasing rapidly. I believe that with the number of people joining the event, the Chocolate Lovers Weekend will have an impact on internet business trends especially because the primary publicity used is online advertisement. Thorntons should continue informing customers about these events through websites that they visit. Sincerely, Your Name

Enterprise Architecture Proposal Essay Example for Free

Enterprise Architecture Proposal Essay Submitted December 4, 2011 Description The organization I have selected is the company I work for, CMH Systems. The core functions of this business are Therapy, Counseling, Placement, and Job skills to name a few. This is a Mental Health Organization that compiles and disburses many services, including Doctors, Prescriptions, Hospitalization, and Housing of Mentally or emotionally challenged individuals. Protecting client information is essential. The integrity of such information is critical. We are currently in an affiliation with other CMH agencies and service providers across the state. I chose this agency because it is evolving so fast. IT is involved in every aspect of this organization and keeping abreast of changes are a challenge. Just over three years ago, we went from paper records to electronic. This alone was challenging enough, and then we implemented electronic record keeping software. Though this was well thought out and planned we continue to experience growth that is hard to keep up with. With an 80% business as usual attitude, the change is difficult. Getting input from other departments and or providers was essential. The problem arises when the stakeholders request changes on a daily basis. The information gleaned from the stakeholders up front was not what they expected. Their input was not specific enough to allow for advancement. Although the stakeholders were involved with the implementation of the new system, we struggle with staff that resists changes. operating model in terms of business process integration. CMH has a couple of operating models. First, there is the core agency, with several outlaying units. Within the core units, there is high integration. Everything except the daily activities are centrally controlled. The data is managed centrally. Tthis would be the coordination model. With our affiliates where the units are their management, data is kept locally, and records and data are transmitted to central for submission to state, would be the Replication model. operating model in terms of business process standardization. With both models, I mentioned the data and record keeping are standardized. On the core units, they enter data into the system using standardized software and data entry forms. The affiliate model runs the same standardized record keeping software and their data is kept on their servers and transmitted to us on a monthly basis. the chosen operating model in terms of business process integration. In comparison to the Happy Health organization, CMH has made strides in the areas of process integration. Although our affiliate has its own CEO and IT staff, we are the parent company. We have the same electronic record keeping software and it works in unison with theirs. We often share placement facilities and placement of clients with them. Compare the selected organization to the sample organizations using the chosen operating model in terms of business process standardization. In terms of process standardization, we are using the same methods of providing services and data collection. They have their own Doctors, therapists, and outreach workers on staff. The data collected there for the services, are input into their own system and the information is extracted each month and sent to us for import into our own systems. We then process the information and create the necessary claims for submission to the state. Describe the chosen operating model in terms of the financial benefits available to the organization as a result of the selection. In terms of the affiliation, the business model would be replication. Although as the primary provider and their affiliation with us we would like to have a more in depth model like coordination. †¢Explain your rationale for the selected operating model. With the coordination model we would have additional control over the record keeping, services provided and the ability to obtain needed information in a more timely manner. IT would also be able to work together, in a unified manner. In essence, this model would provide a much better way of record keeping and the ability to access the data and provide necessary claims to the state. The way we are currently conducting business is that we are completely different entities, and we have no direct recourse over what goes on there. The reason for the change in design is vital to the way we conduct business now and has a definite impact on the future. I propose the agencies come together in one coordinated model.

Nigerian And British Negotiating Styles

Nigerian And British Negotiating Styles It can be argued that cases of successful negotiators in businesses have always kept their vision of success straight. These people are advocated to full understand what they want along with a complete understanding of the negotiation process. The successful people do not only have an understanding of their preferred negotiating style but also fully understand the preferred negotiating style of their counterpart. Hence, this allows the manger to excel in achieving their goals. Recently, few of the academics have undervalued the stance of adopting appropriate negotiation styles. However, on the other hand it can be argued that an approach that works superb for the counterparts style of negotiation has the capability of creating deadlock having a different negotiation style. Prudent people have been advocated the ones who carefully distinguishes and understands these differences and adopt a negotiating style that is best suited according the situation. This briefing paper has highlighted the challenges in terms of varying negotiating styles that can be faced by The Body Shop. These include cultural barriers, communication barriers from the perspective of Hofstede model or time orientation, space orientation, nonverbal communication, power distance and uncertainty avoidance. The next section has briefed about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that the company can face by setting their operations in Nigeria. Finally, the conclusions have focused on the precautionary measures that need to be taken by the manger of The Body Shop Company while carrying successful operations in Nigeria. 2 Terms of Reference This report is written as a part of management consultancy report for The Body Shop company. This report is a short briefing paper that will inform The Body Shop with the ways that can be adopted by the company to set up business operations in Nigeria. This report will provide a brief on the ways and styles of negotiation that can be adopted by The Body Shop. The Body Shop is the worlds second largest cosmetic franchise in the world. The company runs about 2400 shops in a total of 61 countries. The headquarters of The Body Shop is based in West Sussex England. The company has now decided to open their operations in Nigeria. This report is being compiled by ABC consultants, who specialize in providing cultural specific information to help their clients set up their businesses in new environment. The company excels in providing high quality service in facilitating the client help combating their cultural related issues. This particular report is a brief for The Body Shop Company on the ways company should solve their upcoming cultural related problems in opening their business in Nigeria. The Body Shop has asked for the tips and information from the ABC consultants, on the differences in negotiating styles that prevail both in England and Nigeria. This will provide The Body Shop with some idea on what to expect from the business environment when executing operations in Nigeria. 3 Overview of the Situation In considering the cultural differences in both the Nigeria and Europe, it is important to expand on the cultural dimensions presented by Hosftede, Hall, Kluckholn, Strodtbeck and Carbaugh (Orientation, 2008). It is worth mentioning that there exist no right approach to negotiation but rather there are good and bad approaches (LeBaron, 2008). For The Body Shop, to expand their business in a developing country such as Nigeria, will be expected to be exposed to a number of challenges. The challenges that the company can encounter includes: 3.1 Negotiation The literature suggests that managers and officials in Nigeria have very limited exposure to other cultures and hence like to perform their activities the way they want to perform (Katz, 2008). Specifically in Nigeria the culture is such that there exist contingency bargaining (Katz, 2008). The people of Nigeria adopt the cooperative style of negotiation but generally people may avoid compromises unless it is important (Katz, 2008). The preferred approach generally adopted by people is not win/win (Adair, 2001) The habit of Nigerians is that they will try to draw more outcomes out of the entire deal, without having regards for being fair to the other party (Adair, 2001) The Body Shop has to keep in mind that Nigerians have the capability to trick other party into inferior terms and conditions (Katz, 2008). Most importantly, in any situation of conflict the Nigerians are not very prone to compromise situation (Masayuki and M., 1993). Nigerians normally believe in sharing information as a means to develop trust but on the other hand side the other party must beware of the frauds that are a common practice (Graham et al., 1994). Normally the pact with which these negotiations take place is quite slow (Katz, 2008). The act of building relationships with Nigerians, bargaining and decision making takes much longer than expected (Katz, 2008). It is advisable for The Body Shop to be patient and control emotions about this delay because it is a part of their culture (Katz, 2008). It is worthwhile for the Body shop to keep in mind that the Nigerians prefer a polychromic work style (LeBaron, 2008). They normally take up on a number of things at the same time (LeBaron, 2008). At the time of negotiation, the Nigerians keep jumping back and forth on different topics rather than addressing one at a time (LeBaron, 2008). Whereas, the Europeans follow a monochromic style and consider one thing at a time (LeBaron, 2008). This may confuse the personnel of Body Shop. When it comes to bargaining, the Nigerians love haggling and feel offended if not welcomed (LeBaron, 2008). The Body Shop have to keep in mind that they facts can be revisited to their advantage, provided if Nigerians reciprocate on agreed areas (LeBaron, 2008). 3.2 Time Orientations There are two different orientations to time that exist in the world. These are the monochromic and polychromic cultures (Kirkman et al., 2006) 3.2.1 Negotiators from Polychronic culture It should be kept in mind that Nigerians have no fixed timings for meetings (Reisinger and Crotts, 2010) They take more breaks in work (Soares et al., 2007) Are normally comfortable with high level of information Normally overlap talks Consider the start time of anything as flexible and not take lateness 3.2.2 Negotiators from Monochronic cultures The culture in Europe follow specific timings for beginning and ending the task (Taras et al., 2010a) They prefer scheduled breaks (Taras et al., 2010b) Consider one thing at a time (Williams and Zinkin, 2008) They rely on specific and detailed authentic communication Like talking in sequence Consider lateness as devaluing 3.3 Space Orientations These space orientations also vary across different cultures (LeBaron, 2008). This refers to the physical distance that is considered comfortable according to a specific culture (Arrindell, 2003, Baskerville, 2003). The personal space that is preferred in Europe is much more than that in developing countries like Nigeria. This space will also consider the aspect of eye contact. In Europe the eye contact is taken for its reliability whereas in Nigeria it may be seen considered as disrespectful (Eckhardt, 2003, Ford et al., 2003, Peterson, 2003). There are many differences in spatial preferences based on age, gender, generation and class which needs to be taken into account (Lederach, 1995). Therefore, space needs to be considered as a variable in negotiation (Lederach, 1995). 3.4 Nonverbal Communication It can be one of the problems that The Body Shop needs to take into consideration. It can be argued that in intercultural studies, some cultures uses silence as one of the ways to negotiate, whereas some use none at all (Nancy, 1997). Nigerians may consider hugging as a trusting relationship whereas Europeans find it too intimate (Sharma, 2003). 3.5 Power distance Hofstede uses power distance to explain the degree of acceptance of unequal power among people (Tavakoli et al., 2003) Generally, in Nigeria the power distance among people is quite much, where some are considered superior to others due to factors such as social status, age, race, gender and education. Whereas, in Europe the power distance is less and advocates equality among individuals (Williamson, 2002). Generally, Nigerians have hierarchical structures, clear authority figures and consider their right to use their power (Yoo and Donthu, 2002) Whereas, in Europe there are flat organizational structures, shared authority and consider their right to use power only in some circumstances (Yoo and Donthu, 2002) 3.6 Uncertainty Avoidance It related to the national culture that relates to uncertainty and the degree of adapting to change (Ford et al., 2003) It can be argued that Nigeria does not welcome uncertainty and ambiguity. Nigerians normally place high value to risk avoidance and depend on following formal rules and procedures (Ford et al., 2003) It is normally not a common thing to trust a non family member in Nigerian culture (Ford et al., 2003) On the other hand side, the Europeans have high tolerance for risk. They value risk taking, solving problems and have flat organizational structures (Ford et al., 2003) 3.7 Masculinity-Femininity It refers to the extent to which a culture values boldness (Cronje, 2011) It also refers to the role of men and women in organizations (Cronje, 2011) The Europeans are more assertive and task-oriented as opposed to Nigerians. There are rigid gender roles in Nigerian culture as opposed to that in Europe (Cronje, 2011) 3.8 Communication Nigerian follows direct and straight forward communication when it comes to friends and business (Migliore, 2011). They can easily say no in case they do not like something in particular. In early stages of business they may seem non-committed and communicate indirectly. In situations of silence shows anger or displeasure. Nigerians also value eye contact (Migliore, 2011). 4 Analysis of Situation 4.1SWOTof Body Shop The Body Shop has a team of management that has specific expertise on areas such as negotiations. They need to keep in mind the negotiation styles and techniques that are followed by the Nigerian businessmen. The company has the capability to attract the customers due to their high quality body care products. It has an edge over its rivals based on its uniqueness that can be depicted from making products from natural content of the environment (Huang and Xu, 2009). One of its weaknesses is that the image it tries to portray does not parallel reality. The company claims for having natural products but they are seldom fresh. Other negative for them is that there will be hostility by the locals because the people generally dont want outsiders to operate in their country. The company will have to bear the cultural barriers; including language and gestures etc. the Nigerians welcome bribes in many cases, hence making it confusing and difficult for The Body shop to understand what is required by the other party (Hartman and Beck-Dudley, 1999). Greatest opportunity for The Body Shop will be to enter new market and attract new customers. That will allow the company to increase their customer base. The business will also make new contacts and understand the culture properly, making it easy for Body Shop to enter into any other new market having the same culture (Awe, 2000, Kintish, 2002). The major threats that will be posed to The Body Shop will be the local cosmetic providers that already have been serving in the market for decades. The local people living in Nigeria will find it confusing and difficult to make the initial switch due their lack of knowledge on how it is different from any local cosmetic provider. 5 PESTEL Analysis of Body Shop in Both Countries A PESTEL analysis of Body shop in both countries has also been conducted. Body Shop has a number of political issues which would be important for the company (Awe, 2000). In Nigeria, the company would have to deal to deal with uncertainty and political turmoil, as the government is not stable. In UK, the negotiators would be faced with different issues, such as the spending cuts and government bureaucracy. The economic factors which would be considered by the negotiators in Nigeria would involve the aspects of changing currency markets and economic hardship due to the global economic crisis. Similar factors would also be visible in UK. The social factors influencing negotiators in Nigeria would be related to the working conditions of the human force. They would have to ensure that the local culture of male dominance does not come into play, as Body Shop would want to portray a positive international image from the operation. A number of technological factors would also influence the Body Shop operations (Li et al., 2010, Huang and Xu, 2009), which would include online shopping and the availability of a online managed supply chain in Nigeria. The technological factors would also influence the working conditions of the workforce, which would be a key negotiating tactic. Environmental issues such as the making sure of good environmental policy for any future operation, and government regulations governing these must also be taken into consideration. Finally, legal issues are also important for the negotiating for Body Shop (Awe, 2000, Kintish, 2002). All new operations must fulfill international and local legal requirements, and this is carefully considered when starting a new operation and negotiating working conditions with local representatives. 6 Solutions and Recommendations It has been concluded that it is completely difficult to track the starting points that are used by the negotiators belonging from different national settings. The reason for this is that cultures are constantly changing with changing times. From another perspective, it can be argued that cross-cultural negotiation literature is based on the organizational areas and hence it cannot be applied to the area of intractable conflicts. It can also be concluded that The Body Shop will have acquire the know how about the way things are done in different situations in Nigeria. It should be kept in mind by the company that setting operations in Nigeria would mean changing their ways of dealing with businesses. The managers of The Body Shop need to be more vigilant on communication as a means of bridging the cultural gap. It is recommended that Body Shop must study the Nigerian culture carefully so that they can make business deal successful. It is also recommended that before entering in Niger ian market, some research must be carried out to measure the worth of the target market that the company intends to cater to. The space orientation, time orientation must be taken into account while conducting the business dealings with the locals. Since, The Body Shop is a multinational, in order for it to keep up with its reputation, the manager responsible for its operations in Nigeria needs to set the timescales and deadlines well in advance, keeping in mind the laidback attitude of Nigeria. The people of Nigeria are usually use to be being pushed for work, therefore it needs to be kept in mind by the expatriate of Body Shop to keep motivating their workforce every now and then to make their business successful in Nigeria. Moreover, the manager for Body Shop needs to keep motivating team work because it is the most common way of achieving task in Nigeria.

French Nuclear Testing :: essays research papers

In June, French President Jacques Chirac revealed that nuclear tests would be conducted in the Pacific at the Mururoa coral atoll. These tests, Chirac, stated, would consist of eight nuclear explosions in a tunnel 1,800 to 3,000 feet below Mururoa beginning in September up until May 96. Chirac declares that these tests are necessary for computer simulation in the future. France has been bombarded with criticism, not only from environmental activists, but also from political standpoints. Japan and Australia officially protested French experiments and have convinced other Asian and Pacific nations to agree. New Zealand and Chile have recalled their ambassadors from France and the Japanese are presently protesting outside of their French embassy. 56% of the citizens in France polled oppose the tests and 60% want Chirac to reconsider his position. Stung by the criticism, France may cancel one out of the eight scheduled nuclear tests. Even the renowned Jacques Cousteau has publicly asked Chirac to rescind the tests. Cousteau has even resigned from the government agency Council for the Rights of Future Generations, in protest. France, along with the United States and Great Britain, has not signed a treaty completely prohibiting the detonation of any nuclear device in the South Pacific. Many of the protesting nations located in the Pacific have signed and support this treaty . Also, France has not followed the initiative of most of the nations of the developed world in signing a 1971 treaty prohibiting "the emplacement of nuclear weapons ... on the ocean floor and in the subsoil thereof." Besides public and international disapproval, France may suffer other side effects because of the nuclear testing. The explosive power of the blast is just less than 20 kilotons (20,000 tons of TNT). The bomb on Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. New Japanese research shows that bomb radiation increases risk of long term cancer. Radiation causes ionization in the molecules of living cells. The ions formed can react with the atoms in the cell causing damage. Cells that are changed permanently may produce abnormal cells when they divide, perhaps become cancerous. Not only are there health risks, but the French economy just lost a contract to build 40 jets and French goods are being boycotted by a number of nations. Environmental agencies warn of the damage to the life and rock around the blast atoll. Defense Minister Charles Milton said, "Nuclear Tests should not be mixed up with the question of arms and industry contracts. French Nuclear Testing :: essays research papers In June, French President Jacques Chirac revealed that nuclear tests would be conducted in the Pacific at the Mururoa coral atoll. These tests, Chirac, stated, would consist of eight nuclear explosions in a tunnel 1,800 to 3,000 feet below Mururoa beginning in September up until May 96. Chirac declares that these tests are necessary for computer simulation in the future. France has been bombarded with criticism, not only from environmental activists, but also from political standpoints. Japan and Australia officially protested French experiments and have convinced other Asian and Pacific nations to agree. New Zealand and Chile have recalled their ambassadors from France and the Japanese are presently protesting outside of their French embassy. 56% of the citizens in France polled oppose the tests and 60% want Chirac to reconsider his position. Stung by the criticism, France may cancel one out of the eight scheduled nuclear tests. Even the renowned Jacques Cousteau has publicly asked Chirac to rescind the tests. Cousteau has even resigned from the government agency Council for the Rights of Future Generations, in protest. France, along with the United States and Great Britain, has not signed a treaty completely prohibiting the detonation of any nuclear device in the South Pacific. Many of the protesting nations located in the Pacific have signed and support this treaty . Also, France has not followed the initiative of most of the nations of the developed world in signing a 1971 treaty prohibiting "the emplacement of nuclear weapons ... on the ocean floor and in the subsoil thereof." Besides public and international disapproval, France may suffer other side effects because of the nuclear testing. The explosive power of the blast is just less than 20 kilotons (20,000 tons of TNT). The bomb on Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. New Japanese research shows that bomb radiation increases risk of long term cancer. Radiation causes ionization in the molecules of living cells. The ions formed can react with the atoms in the cell causing damage. Cells that are changed permanently may produce abnormal cells when they divide, perhaps become cancerous. Not only are there health risks, but the French economy just lost a contract to build 40 jets and French goods are being boycotted by a number of nations. Environmental agencies warn of the damage to the life and rock around the blast atoll. Defense Minister Charles Milton said, "Nuclear Tests should not be mixed up with the question of arms and industry contracts.

Hope Floats Essay -- essays research papers

Hope Floats   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie I decided to watch is called Hope Floats. This is a great movie, and it not only should be about love, but it showed me about life. Do you think you can fix your life and get it back on the right track all on your own? All you have to do is just have to give hope a chance and believe that everything will get better someday. There is always a time in everyone’s life when something horrible happens. Sometimes it something that changes your very course of life in an instant. Then life becomes difficult and it seems all you can do is give up on everything. But it does not have to be like that at all. Your life is not over, you just hit a rough spot along the way, and things are bound to get better, because it is easier to bounce higher once you have fallen. Birdee Calvert, played by Sandra Bullock, was a beauty queen, known as â€Å"Ms. Popular†. She was also a cheerleader and even prom queen when she was in high school. She married her high school sweet heart, Bill Calvert. They then moved to Chicago straight after high school and lived the perfect life together†¦so it seemed. Then things began to seem different for her and things did not seem so perfect after all. The whole movie starts when she appears on a Reality TV show. She thinks she’s there for a free make over or something that he best friend dragged her into doing. She soon realizes that’s not why she’s there at all. On this TV show, Birdee’s best friend admits and tells her she’s having an affair with her husband. Birdee and her young daughter, Bernice, decide to pack up and leave Bill. They move out and travel back to Birdee’s home town of Smithville, Texas. There she much live with her mother. She was never very close with her mother growing up, but now she has to live with her, she wants to start a new bond together. When she gets to Smithville her life becomes even more complicated than it was to begin with and she never thought it could quite be like this. After much debate, Birdee finally is convinced to start a new life, which involves getting a new job. There is a problem though, she must deal with something from her past. Most of the people she went to high school with still live in Smithville. Normally this would not be a problem for anyone else, but when you think about that fact that her and her friends teased everyone, it was a big problem... ... in the town saw her on TV. getting her heartbroken. That would be so bad, I can’t imagine how that would feel, she was probably embarrassed that everyone knew about it. She showed an enormous amount of strength and courage to be able to pick herself up and dust herself off. I respect her for that and would like to think that if that would ever happen to me that I would have the strength and power to keep going and not give up just like her. I think this is a powerful message to women. It is telling us never give up and keep a positive attitude, because you can do want ever you set your mind to it. I learned lot from this movie, and one thing I remember is that the beginnings are sometimes scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts most. That is true for a lot of things just in everyday life. I believe that I learn a lot from this movie and I would suggest anyone to see it. Just remember, when your life goes off track, you have to remember never give up and throw in the towel. It will get better, you need to realize that your life will not go back exactly the same, but everything changes. I also learned that everything will be ok, just give it time and faith.

The Image of Nursing

The Image of Nursing Dawn Davis Texas A&M University-Texarkana The Image of Nursing Following is a discussion of the image of nursing and professional identity. Factors contributing to nursing image and the effects of nursing image are included. The Image of Nursing What is the professional identity, or the image of nursing? How does the public view this hardworking profession? Do they understand what a nurse does? Do they understand the thought processes involved in caring for patients. Do they understand the knowledge involved in critical thinking?Do they have any idea that we formulate plans of care and that we put together nursing diagnosis with treatment plans, nursing interventions, expected outcomes? Do they understand that we are their advocates? Do they understand that all care is channeled through nursing and that we are their main defense for patient safety? Are we professionals in the eyes of the public, and in our own eyes? For my own research on this paper, I randomly q uizzed ten people that I met in public, not people that knew me personally. I asked them what they thought of nurses, and asked them to give me some adjectives to describe nurses in general.Some of the positive responses that I received were; kind, caring, cool, they help the doctors, they take care of patients, outstanding, knew what they were doing, they saved my life, and excellent. I also received some negatives. One person told me that they knew one nurse that was totally uncaring, unprofessional, and mean. Another individual told me that many years ago her son, who passed away, was HIV positive and she felt that the nurses neglected him because of his diagnosis. I was appalled at the negative answers, and somewhat disappointed with the positives.While the positives that I received were all fantastic traits, not one person mentioned traits such as educated or professional. My very limited random research was completely in line with the findings in our text book, Professional Is sues in Nursing. So, it would seem that, in general, the public doesn’t completely understand the wide scope of nursing. They understand some of the basic functions of nursing. The few random individuals that I spoke with based their perceptions mainly on personal past experiences with nurses. Nursing Image What is Nursing Image?This is a concept that needs more clarification and study to increase nurse’s awareness of factors that affect public perception. â€Å"Understanding the moral values in today’s nursing practice will help nurses to work together with a common comprehension of their aims. This should also allow greater appreciation of the practice of nursing highlighting the equal importance of both fundamental basic nursing care and the advanced clinical roles† (Horton, Tschudin, & Forget, 2007) Nursing image also affects the decision to enter nursing as a profession, to remain in nursing, and to encourage others to become a nurse.A broad definiti on is â€Å"Nursing Image is a multidimensional, all-inclusive, paradoxical, dynamic, and complex concept. † (Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, & Mohammadi, 2012) To further define: * All-inclusive and paradoxical refers to both stereotypical and professional image. * Dynamic includes the changing view of nursing as a profession. * Complex, because many factors influence the formation of the image. Factors affecting Nursing Image Many factors combine to influence the image of nursing as a profession.Some of The factors include media, poor communication and visibility, clothing style, the nurses’ behaviors, gender issues, and professional organizations. (Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, & Mohammadi, 2012) * Media- Historically media has not painted a very professional image of nursing, although, recently this has improved to portray a more capable, independent, strong, intelligent individual. * Poor communication and invisibility- Nursing is an invisible profession and this is a major threat to nursing’s social status and perceived value.It is believed that since nursing is mostly female, that there is poor communication with media and reporters. Nurses also somewhat reluctant to share knowledge, experience, expertise, competence, and intelligence to change portrayal in the media. (Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, & Mohammadi, 2012) * Clothing style- Appearance is the first thing a person notices. A professional uniform that also defines them from other disciplines increases professionalism. * Nurses’ behaviors- Some believe that the nurse is not identified as professional individual, we refer to the physician as Dr. ___, and the nurse is known by the first name. Different levels of nursing education do the same job; this may devalue nursing as an intellectual profession. Nurses with negative image of nursing may also project that to others. â€Å"Self-image shapes behavior and performance in the workplace and affects how we think and act. † (Fletc her, 2007) * Gender issues- Generally nursing is viewed as a female dominated profession. Men are normally viewed as having positions of power. Women are thought of as caring, more emotional and less aggressive than men.This gender stereotype tends to limit the number of males recruited and retained in nursing. (Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, & Mohammadi, 2012) * Professional organizations-Globally, there are 14 million nurses. Nurses are the largest group of health professionals in the world. Unfortunately, there is limited unity. Involvement in professional organizations, and standing together on issues is important in changing nursing image and increasing professional identity. (Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, & Mohammadi, 2012) Effects of Nursing Image on NursingOne very important effect of public misunderstanding of the profession of nursing and the knowledge and skill required is a limited number of potential candidates for the future of nursing. Thirty years ago a significant number of young people would have chosen to be a nurse when they grow up, less than 5% of students responded so in a 2004 study. (Huston, Professional Issues in Nursing, 2010) Another important factor is that inaccurate nursing stereotypes may have a negative effect on the self-esteem f nursing as a whole. Both of these factors combined lead to increase in nursing shortage, short-staffing, heavy workload, job dissatisfaction, and burn-out. This can lead to current nurses leaving the profession. In general, nurses’ image of nursing tends to be better than that of the public. This is related to the fact that nurses are educated about the profession. I also asked several Registered Nurses to give adjectives to describe nursing.I received responses such as; educated, professional, critical thinkers, overworked, advocates, compassionate, unappreciated, caring, researchers, knowledgeable, multitasker, empathetic, thorough, supportive, educators, and leaders. Many changes need to be made to c hange the image of nursing in public view. Nurses must be heard in the media. Nurses must speak positively about their profession. The public needs to be educated about the profession of nursing. Nurses should act, perform, and dress like professionals. Nurses should actively encourage bright individuals to join the profession.Current nurses should positively socialize nursing students, and new nurses, acting as optimistic and confident mentors, sharing their expertise. Nurses should join and be active in professional organizations, to increase unity, and be active in the political processes. Imagine the strength and respect nursing would command if half of the nurses joined. In summary, the image of nursing needs to be changed for the better. Change starts with the profession itself. Every nurse should take accountability to make these positive changes through action, involvement, education, and behavior.Bibliography Fletcher, K. (2007). Image: changing how women nurses think about themselves. The Author, 207-215. Horton, K. , Tschudin, V. , & Forget, A. (2007). The Value of Nursing: A Literature Review. Sage Publication. Huston, C. J. (2010). Professional Issues in Nursing (second ed. ). (H. Surrena, Ed. ) Philadelphia, PA, USA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Rezaei-Adaryani, M. , Salsali, M. , & Mohammadi, E. (2012, December). Nursing Image: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis. Contemporary Nurse, 81-89.