Legalization of Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legalization of Marijuana - Essay Example This is applicable to marijuana too. It is often shunned as an intoxicating drug that people often abuse. However, there is an overshadowed side to this drug, which gives reason for its legalization as a medical substance. If people recognized marijuana for its numerous beneficial uses for patients of glaucoma, cancer, aids, and multiple sclerosis, they would realize that these provide substantial ground for the legalization of marijuana. One use of marijuana, which greatly justifies its use as a medical substance, is its use for glaucoma patients (Klein, pp. 19-27). Glaucoma is a disease in which the patient experiences elevated ‘intraocular’ pressure in the eye, which often causes nerve damage, which slowly blinds the patient. Marijuana contains an active ingredient, THC, which helps reduce this pressure. This does not mean that marijuana cures the disease, but it helps delay the onset of the worst of its symptoms, which include vision impairment and blindness (Jacob, pp. 75-120). Experts often criticize this use of marijuana, saying that it is not worth the risk of using such an intoxicating and psychoactive substance for glaucoma patients when it does not even cure their condition. ... 1-3). The University of California has published several findings about this use for marijuana, which effectively alleviates the extreme pain that these diseases cause a task, which other painkillers are often ineffective at doing (Doheny, pp. 22-30). This is especially relevant for patients suffering from the final stages of cancer, where cure is not possible, and their pain is at its worst. The only thing that anyone can do for the dying patient at this point is to ease his or her suffering. Given marijuana’s effectiveness in alleviating such pain, the authorities should consider legalizing such a medical use of the substance. The argument of the side effects of marijuana, such as addictiveness or intoxication is irrelevant in this case, since the patient would not be any worse off due to such side effects, given their condition. For other cases, such as patients in pain due to AIDS, spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, the patients are often helpless in pain and thu s if marijuana helps alleviate their pain, this greatly outweighs the negative side effects it might have on them (Jacob, pp. 75-120). These reasons provide further ground for the legalization of marijuana despite it negative characteristics. Another use that justifies the use of marijuana is a slightly less favored one. It springs from a side effect which marijuana has, which is that it increases the appetite of the person who smokes it (Farrow, Rees & Worrington-Roberts, pp. 79:218). This characteristic is, however, a useful find for people suffering from HIV. These patients suffer from extreme weight loss due to their condition, a symptom known as ‘wasting’. This includes a loss of appetite, which is followed by the deterioration of the

Discussing the Law Cases in the United States Assignment

Discussing the Law Cases in the United States - Assignment Example Officer D’onofrio took a single picture of the defendant without the accompaniment of Mr Glover, the alleged buyer. He only relied on the description given to him by Mr Glover. This is another hitch; what if there is another person who resembles the defendant and maybe is the one who sold the alleged heroin to Glover It is hard for the officer to prove that the picture he took was actually of the person Glover described. Glover admits that he had neither met the defendant nor had he seen him before, this also makes his positive identification of the defendant challengeable in a court of appeal. In short, the procedure the officer used to obtain evidence of the case is improper according to the US federal constitution. The defendant lawyer can argue that the evidence given is inadmissible since it is derived by Glover pretence to lure his client to commit a crime. The US criminal penal code states that; .."Whenever evidence is objected to as inadmissible because it was discovered as a result of or otherwise derived from compelled testimony or evidence, the burden shall be upon the person offering the challenged evidence to establish a source independent of the compelled testimony or evidence"( Sec. 54-47a). Since the court relied on evidence given by Mr.  Ã‚   It should be noted that the defence lawyer has all the right to apply for rejection of any information or evidence given under the U.S Federal criminal penal code. The federal court can upon motion by the defence lawyer at any time dismiss any information and order the defendant discharged. (Sec.54-56 ).

Strategic Significance And Management Of Dell Inc Business Essay

Strategic Significance And Management Of Dell Inc Business Essay Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. The term strategic management underlines the importance of managers with regard to strategy. The strategic management role is different in nature from other aspects of management. It is concerned with complexity arising out of ambiguous and non-routine situations with organization wide rather than operation-specific implications (Thomas .L. Wheelen, 2010). This study based on the strategic management of Dell Inc. Dell has experienced its tremendous growth by empowering people through innovative products and services. Throughout this period dell has optimized its business model to raise its standards of excellence. Dells core values, mission, vision has facilitates the company to achieve this glorious goals. The purpose of this report to underpin an outlook for strategic significance and the management of dell computers by evaluating internal and external environments of Dells position in a comparative landscape. The report further undergoes the analysis; a recommended strategy has been outlined which will guided eventually to Dells strategic success. The final part of this study stating recommended the strategy and its implementation with a model including conclusion for the overall sustainability of the company. Company Profile Dell at a Glance Dell is an American multinational computer Technology Corporation founded in 1984 by Michael Dell. According to the statistics published under the global PC market share, it was placed to the 3rd position under the worldwide PC shipments. The company employees more than 82,700 people worldwide (www.scribd.com, 2012). Dell grew during the 1980s and 1990s to become a brand, thus Company employee Direct Business Model to expand the core business worldwide. Dells operational regions include mainly America, Europe Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. The company maintains a consistent focus on offering the best value to the customer. As a trusted technology innovator with diversified, comprehensive IT portfolio, Dell committed to serve its best to the customers and employee. For nearly three decades, Dell has been on an incredible journey, experiencing positive growth on a global scale. Empowering its people customers, business partners and team members who keep the company moving throu gh the rapidly evolving world of technology. Dell Key towards Strategic Planning Vision of the Company Its the way we do business. Its the way we interact with the community. Its the way we interpret the world around us-our customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring, our vision-Dell Vision-will be our guiding force The vision statement is able to put forward one of the most important principles behind the operations of Dell. The industry that Dell operates in is one of the most dynamic and ever changing one in the international market. Fluctuations of technology and consumer demands mean that change is the only constant. This is why the lack of prediction leads to the vision statement which focuses on the interpretation of strategy through consumer needs, technology trends and international business climate. Mission statement Dells mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world by delivering the best customer experience in markets they serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations in following areas. Highest quality, leading technology, Competitive pricing, individual and company accountability, best-in-class service and support, flexible customization capability and superior corporate citizenship. Dell Organizational Structure Dells governing body consisting with Executive Leadership team and the Board of Directors. The company is leading by the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Currently Michael S. Dell holding the two positions of chairman and the CEO (Dell, 2012). Dell is following two types of organizational structure which include Executive Leadership Team in senior management and Board of directors for oversight and supervision of the overall affairs of the company. They functions under the so call Executive Leadership Team. Supporting the Board of Directors functioning seven committee charters: Audit Committee Charter  , Compensation Committee Charter, Finance Committee,  Governance and Nominating Committee, Corporate Governance Principles,  Board of Directors Nomination Process,  Communicating With the Board of Directors.   Dells Executive Leadership team provides the guidance and focus in terms of seeking to help their customers more efficiently. They decide the companys operations and implements strategy and policy created by the Board of Directors (Dell, 2012).The other officers functions under the supervision of Board of Directors. The hierarchical organization structure is in Appendix:2. Organizational Characteristics Capabilities and Resources The heart of the Dells business strategy is its customer focus direct business model. In order to serve their customers in more efficient ways Dell developed its core competency by making its customers as the centric core value of its business and deployed the resources and capabilities. This has given the significant increment for Dells strategy to enhance and empowered more competencies such as manufacturing process, human capital management and supply chain management. In order to hit the comparative market in right manner Dell has to improve its products based on modern technologies and consistently Dell has to improve its supply chain and manufacturing process which compliment the efficiencies created by supply chain. Dell had recruit, train and retain compatible workforce which could contribute for company future growth. The healthy environment endorses honesty and accountability as a long term perspective which can logically approach and enhances the core competencies in the c omplicated infrastructure. By delivering values and servicing them effectively Dell became more efficient in terms of recognizing, acquiring and retaining customers by fulfilling their needs. The core competencies which I discussed above enable Dell to perform efficiently and manage its profitability in a mature industry environment see Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Further Dell was able to leverage its core competencies by utilizing its internal resources and capabilities to enhance its key success factors. See appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In addition Dells infrastructure, global presence along with capabilities and human capital will leads Dell further to achieve potential growth and differentiated strategic dimension. Dells technological efficiency is capable of supporting expansion to new markets. Such strategies like growing sales and delivering value to the customers in an innovative process will support to the Dells global manufacturing facilities. Dells differentiation stems from process  innovation.  The company is very successful in leveraging and harnessing the value  of its suppliers and partners  technology innovation.  This allows Dell to minimize RD spending and improve the cost structure, a strategy that is rarely matched by competitors.  The company is  also gaining  knowledge in the  retail industry  by  partnering with major  retailers such as  Costco.  This is vital  for the success  of any strategic initiative aiming for a retail presence in global  emerging markets such as China and  India. Dells financials indicate a stellar operational performance evident by above the average inventory, assets  and receivables turnovers.  The company was  able to achieve a  high financial  performance at the operational level by utilizing its state of the art IT infrastructure, supply chain and inventory  management systems.  Further, the  companys stock  represents an  at tractive investment due to the companys utilization of  assets and focus on capital return.  This is evident when comparing Dells high return on investment, asses and invested capital (ROE, ROA and ROIC) to the industry  and market (Appendix  F).  Profitability  ratios indicate  that Dell  is experiencing average profit margins.  This is  contributed to  hyper competition  in the  PC industry; competitors are running on thinner margins in order to gain market share. The capital structure that Dell adopts focuses on financing growth and operations from retained earnings, the company doesnt  pay dividends or acquire debt.  The companys financial  policy in this regard emulates an IT start-up company, even though its a mature company in a mature industry.  Its highly  unlikely that Dell  will continue this  policy in the near  future as investors press  for dividends  and the stock price falls, as  is happening already.  Further, acquir ing debt might be necessary to finance growth and establishing retail presence into global emerging markets. This will not have a negative effect on Dell since it possesses the necessary financial leverage. Business segmentations of Dell Dells business segmentation focuses with the customer. It attempt to fulfill customer needs which is at the heart of Dell. During the past years Dell has signified and recognized its customer-centric business. Dell believes that they operate its global Consumer business by serving customers with faster innovation and greater responsiveness, and enables them to better understand and address their challenges. Dells global business segments are given in the Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Dell Business Strategy Dell is a customer-centric company which its marketing strategy is quite simple and basic in nature. The main emphasis is on the low-cost-strategy by selling the products at lower prices by following a direct business model which removes the middlemen. Dell is superior to manufacture its products with the time and cost and offer high level of customer service by meeting the customers expectations. This so call direct business model has five features which is explain in appendix.. Dell Product Development Strategy The product development strategy of Dells focus with developing its products based on technologies which include superior features and capabilities at competitive prices. Dell employees its unique approach in terms of design and development its products architecting innovative system designs and integrating new technologies to its products. Therefore by implementing this customer-centric approach, Dell delivers new and relevant products and services to the market quickly and efficiently (Dell, 2012). The company continuing to expands its business through delivering products faster and serving the customers in particular way. Key strategic issues Dell is facing multiple strategic issues which may impede on the companys top positioning the computer hardware market. This section addresses the four key strategic issues that Dell should address in order to maintain its prominent market position. First, Dell faces slow growth for its primary product: the personal computer (PC) in saturated U.S. market. The majority of U.S. corporate and education PCs will be replacement units affected by a technological upgrade cycle within the next two years. Therefore, as Dell attempts to maintain its dominant position, the company should focus on product customization and superior relationships with suppliers. This strategy enabled Dells past success but had  become diluted over the last five years. The company should continue to improve itself in these areas in order to remain the top computer hardware differentiator. Second, the erosion of Dells brand value continues due to the perception of declining customer service. Although the company prides itself on superior customer service, recent surveys suggest that Dells results recently declined in this business segment. Dells executives are aware that quality customer service is a key element of the companys success and are reportedly working towards improvements. Third, Dells inability to serve all market needs due to the current strategy of limited vendors in its supply chain. Dell brings few products to market and leverages technology created  by other companies effectively and efficiently. Dell also remains committed to chip supplier, Intel. Although this enables Dell to offer PCs at high value to consumers, it also limits the companys ability to supply diverse customers. The company should consider enabling itself to offer more customized products by increasing relationships with more diverse suppliers Strategic Management Analysis Strategic Analysis is the process of conducting research on the business environment within an organization which operates and on the organization itself. This provides the foundation for the strategic management by providing an insight into the forces behind the intense competition, by developing a sustaining competitive advantage based on organization core competency (JOSEPH, 2012). The Strategic analysis is a one step in strategic management .The steps involved in strategic management is given in Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Strategic analysis used following key analytical methods to underpin strategic management. SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, Porters five forces analysis and Value chain analysis (CIMA, 2007). Internal Analysis of Dell Dell enjoys in terms of low cost with superior product performance by its distinctive competencies. They are the core benefits which are practicing by Dell through its direct business model. Dell designs its products according to wishes of the target which allow the company to enjoy superior customer value and brand loyalty, which enhances company ability to coordinate its various functions to produce exciting products. Dell arrive its competitive advantage from three dimensions which is given in Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Value chain analysis of Dell Before making a strategic decision, it is essential to understand how activities within the organization create value for customers. The main aim of value-chain is to categorize the generically value adding service of an organization. The theoretical study of value chain is given in Appendix.. Dell Value Chain Analysis Primary Activities. Support Activities Inbound Logistics Dell relies mostly on its highly reliable supplier, where Dell streamlines its operation and relies on its computer monitor supplier to ship directly to the customer. As long as its supplier retains its leadership position, Dell would collaborate with it to achieve mutual success. Operations Every Dell system is built to order. Therefore Customers get exactly what they want.  Dell uses knowledge gained from direct customer contact before and after the sale to provide award-winning reliability and tailored customer service.   Outbound Logistics When Dell introduced its direct business model which sells its products directly to consumers and communicating with them and serving them directly. Dell, on the other hand, sells, especially in two areas, seeing sales trends and learning about unmet customer needs.  The company also relies on customers knowledge of what they want to purchase and when they want to complete the transaction to drive the direct business model. Dell leverages this source of customer knowledge by making it as easy as possible for a customer to place a customized order electronically.   Marketing and Sales Dells direct to customer model solve the problem for additional capital for marketing and sales. By selling directly to consumer it eliminated retailers along the way. One advantage of this kind of system is that the firm is continuously in contact with its customers and they are benefiting in two areas concerning sales and marketing, seeing sales trends and learning about unmet costumer demands. Service Dell spent dollars training well-educated business segment managers provide state-of-the art advice to customers. The company also initiated a collaborative customer-solution teams that collaborate with customers to fulfill any unmet customer needs. Because of the nature of work of Dells employees they are continually being inspired to stay abreast of technology threats and opportunities that may alter the competitive landscape in the future. Procurement It is on this activity that Dell is weak because Dell do not enjoy protected by trademark or patent or copyright  technology. The technology being used in the industry is shared by all industry players. Technology Development Technology is an important source of competitive advantage and here one strength of Dell for the firm enjoys better access to technology. Dell introduces the latest relevant technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving indirect distribution channels. Human Resource Management (HRM) Dells mission statement is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. Dell employees, direct salespeople, help-desk operators, engineers, and the like all have to be knowledgeable and customer focused to ensure Dells continued competitiveness. Firm Infrastructure Dell revolutionized the traditional value chain of computer manufacturing industry by introducing the direct to customer model. Dell also employed a global business consultancy, to help it develop a set of metrics to judge business-unit performance. By doing so, daily decision making were more efficient. The chief financial objective that steered managerial evaluation at Dell was return on invested capital (ROIC). Which leads to no inventory build-up, Dell turns over inventory every six days on average, keeping related costs low. External Analysis of Dell PEST Analysis: Dells environment consists of uncontrollable forces that directly or indirectly influence an organizations ability to achieve a desired result. In the words of Kotler and Armstrong marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing managements ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers (Kotler Armstrong, 2003). These influences create both opportunities and threats for a company in a comparative market segment. Dell PESTEL Analysis factors Analysis Political The political environment of the business has pivotal effects on the performance of the business in the quest of achieving its strategic goals. The political instability started after the 9/11 has affected the market conditions all over the world. Most of the computer manufacturers belong to US and the country government is taking huge efforts to facilitate the business. This offers exciting opportunities across the world to manufacturer like Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo etc. In order to capitalize the growing needs of the market the government of US has strengthen its ties with China in order to exploit the comparative advantage of the country in the form of low labor and technological cost Economic High tariffs on IT products makes Dell difficult to enter other markets apart from USA .since most of the population of the world is young and adaptive to change in technology, dell aimed to manufacture its products which are more user friendly and can be afforded by young professionals, because purchasing power of working population saw an increase over the past few decades. Since the economy saw a change due to the meltdown and recession, dell also had to modify some of its policies to cope up with the changing scenario. The change in the US economy also effected Dell with it bring change in its core policies of inventory and credit management of receivables and inventory conversion days to decrease its operating cycle and thus reduce cost. Social The values across the continents are changing with the passage of time, and now a global culture is arising meaning the presence of universal segment having the same values, likes and dislikes and other norms across the world. This offers exciting opportunities to various organizations including computer manufacturer in the form of standardized product development offers across the world with no adaptation. This translates into various economies, and low fixed costs, meaning change in attitude towards foreign brand. Technological Technological changes are happening at a very fast rate due to which Dell is able to provide advanced technology  products to the  customers. As a result of  technological changes Dell has also increased their product line. It is adapting to the technological changes as he old technology is becoming obsolete. One of the most important effects of technological changes that have led to the increase of the demand of Dell computers is their Direct Business Model. They have excellent ecommerce capabilities, which can be seen with the success of the dell. The recent technological changes can be seen in their recent products like New Power Edge Servers, New Enterprise Computing Portfolio, Innovation Aids Recovery, Ultra-Thin Laptop, Adamo, which will be in the market very soon. Dell could exploit the network-internet, extranet to reach the corners of the world. Five Forces Analysis The Porters five Forces model is a simple and powerful strategy analysis tool that helps managers to know where the control lies in a company situation. It helps in understanding the strengths of the company in the market against the competitors, suppliers, and buyers. According to Porter the nature of competitiveness in a given industry can be viewed as composite of five forces, rivalry among competitive firms, potential entry of new competitors, potential development of substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers and bargaining power of consumers (David, 2005). The relationship of Porters five forces model for Dell have been depicted. In the following the study explore the five elements that constitute Porters five forces one by one and evaluate their impact on Dell in particular and personal computer industry in general. Rivalry Amongst Existing Competitors The personal computer industry from the beginning is inclined toward consolidation, as the market type can rightly be cited as oligopoly. The industry contains players like Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Sony etc. The competition in the market is based on price and competitive advantage. Threat of New Entrants Every player tries its utmost to beat and outperform competitors by producing the latest technology and then price them competitively. This probably the reason that new firms find it very hard to enter the market and the existing competitors trying their level best to either maintain their market. Bargaining Power of Buyer: In the personal computer industry the bargaining power of the buyer is very high due to the fact that there is very less amount of brand loyalty in the market because most of the manufacturer produced identical products. In additional to absence of brand loyalty, the switching cost is very low in the industry because most of the systems are based on the Intel processor. Moreover, customer also feels comfortable with backward integration and building their own system through selecting the individual components manufactured by different producers. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Traditionally the bargaining power of suppliers is also very high in the computer market. This is due to the fact that there are very few suppliers who supply the major components of the computer. For example the major suppliers of microprocessor are Intel and AMD. They are almost having the monopoly over the market. Moreover the organization will bear significant switching if the decided to change the component part suppliers. Substitute products Usually the availability of substitute does affect the sales and profitability of the computer and its various components to huge extent. Traditionally the threat of substitutes is very high for Dell. The computer industry has traditionally experienced similar products produced by the different manufacturer with a very little distinction between a computers produced by one manufacture with that of other. The competition between the rivals can be rightly cited as oligopoly because almost all the major producer manufactures identical products. The Industry Life Cycle: The computer industry as a whole has entered the maturity stage of product life cycle (Norman, 2010). Some of the weak competitors have disband their production while others (HP and Compaq) have consolidated their business due to decreasing margins with the passage of time and economic crunch that have started after the insolvency of Lehman Brothers. Most of the competitors are trying their level best to differentiate their offerings from the competitors in order to reduced value for their consumers, while other are trying to produce aesthetic design, ease of use, superior product performance. As depicted in Figure 1 the customer now Requires solution and convenience as compared to technology and performance. In order to stay competitive in the market all the players should continuously innovate their offerings according to the latest trends of the market . http://www.nngroup.com/reports/FigsFromIC/2-3.jpg Figure 1: Customer Preferences: adopted from http://www.nngroup.com/reports/life_cycle_of_tech.html.

The Social Dynamics of the Weight Room Essay -- Personal Narrative Wei

The Social Dynamics of the Weight Room Missing Works Cited As I walk down the streets of Hollywood, I can’t help but notice all the billboards advertising numerous products. The symbols of these products are beautiful young people with rock hard, chizzled bodies. It is interesting to note what defines a female as beautiful and a male as beautiful. The females seem to look extremely thin with tight arms, stomachs and buttocks’. These models for â€Å"Levi’s† or â€Å"Banana Republic† don’t have all the curves, but look feminine in a rather boyish manner. When viewing males on these billboards, you will notice that they are often times cut, trim, and more curvy than the female. They commonly shave their bodies for companies like â€Å"J-Crew† and â€Å"Abercrombie and Fitch†. We can see that there may be a possibility of gender crossings (males looking more feminine and females looking more masculine). These images represent beauty and are seen as cultural icons of appearance in o ur culture. The media seems to determine and drive the social stigma of society. Looking for the effects of these icons in our culture, I decided that it would be beneficial to explore the source of the image building†¦a fitness gym. Weight lifting has many connotations for social interaction. The purpose of this ethnography is to discover possible explanations to lifting weights, how lifting weights personifies masculine and feminine gender roles, to understand the social interactions within the weight room, and to investigate how much the media plays into the development of the masculine and feminine image. The weight room is a culture in its own that represents the masculine and feminine image of our culture. When I first entered the â€Å"Muscle Madness ... ...is not heterosexual at all, but homosexual: not only is she ‘unnatural,’ but the female boldybuilder possesses the power to invert normal male sexuality. Since Bev Francis [female bodybuilder] looks and moves ‘like a man,’ homophobic patriarchal ideology whispers that men who find her attractive must be gay, and, further, that women who find her attractive must be lesbians. Bev’s muscles, dress, heavy facial features, and ‘unfemine’ body language evoke the stereotype of what a lesbian looks like: the butch, the lesbaian who is immediately recognizable as such, visibly different†¦.gay men are assumed to be wimps who worship ‘he-men,’ while lesbians are assumed to be women who are ‘he men’ or women who worship ‘he/she men’. †¦sexuality is surreptitiously linked with sex and gender in such a way as to support heterosexual and patriarchal ideologies. (Holmund, 150-51)

Obesity and Gastric Bypass Surgery Essay

In this paper I will discuss an article from the Seattle Press written by Associated Press Medical Writer Lindsay Tanner. I will discuss the statistical procedures used in the study and provide an analysis of the conclusions both the researchers and the reporter drew from the study results to consider the statistical significance of the data presented. The article explains the research of Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin of the department of surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and his colleagues relating to bariatric surgery its potential role in glycemic control in type two diabetics. Irkamuddin states that at 12 months, â€Å"the primary goal was considered successful if patients achieved the composite of the triple endpoint: HbA1c of less than 7. 0%, an LDL cholesterol level of less than 100 mg/dL, and systolic blood pressure of less than 130 mmHg at the 12-month visit† (2013, p. 2242). The study was conducted at four sites, including New York, Minnesota, and two hospitals in Taiwan and lasted 12 months. Patients with mild to moderate obesity and adult-onset diabetes mellitus were offered a free intensive intervention and recruited using mass media advertisements, practice-based databases and contact with professional groups, leading to an unblinded randomized group after screening 2648 candidates. Body mass index in participants ranged from 30. 0 to 39. 9, with a mean of 34. 6. The study participants had been diagnosed with diabetes for a mean of 9. 0 years. The intensive intervention included lifestyle modification with daily caloric intake counts, increased physical activity, daily weights and counseling sessions, and intensive medical management including close monitoring and treatment from doctors with medications for cholesterol, blood pressure, and glycemic control. Sixty of these participants were randomly selected to receive Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Two of the participants selected declined to have the surgery, and two others were randomly selected to undergo the procedure. These patients continued to receive the same intensive intervention during the entire 12 months. The frequency of sessions and monitoring decreased for both groups during the study period as planned, going from weekly to monthly over the course of the study. The author of the newspaper article summarizes the study’s results by stating, â€Å"The surgery group lost on average nearly 60 pounds and 75% lowered blood glucose levels to normal or near-normal levels. The non-surgery group lost on average 17 pounds and just 30% reached the blood-sugar goal. The surgery group also needed less medication after the operation† (Tanner, 2013, p. 2). The last portion of this statement is misleading as the study evaluates and considers only medications to manage blood glucose levels, dyslipidemia, and hypertension (Ikramuddin, 2013, p. 2245). The study reports, â€Å"Patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery experienced 50% more serious and 55% more nonserious adverse events than did those in the lifestyle-medical management group† (Ikramuddin et al. , 2013, p. 2248). It is important to consider the frequency and rate of adverse events, in addition to classification of such data. Researchers also state that the surgical group took 66% fewer medications than the nonsurgical group. The most common adverse event in the surgical group that was not considered peri- or late post-operative was nutritional deficiencies, especially iron and vitamin B levels, requiring treatment with medications and supplements. Nutritional deficiencies are often long-term and require frequent monitoring and dose adjustment. Because of the time limitations of the study and the relatively small sample size, long-term cardiovascular and nutritional effects of bariatric surgery in the mild to moderately obese population for glycemic control remains to be determined. Both the study and the newspaper article assert that there is no conclusive evidence on long-term effects when bariatric surgery is used in conjunction with lifestyle and medical management for glycemic control on mild to moderately obese patients. Other serious adverse events documented and considered by the authors of the study included motor vehicle accidents and pancreatic cancer, both of which occurred in the medical management group, decreasing the difference between the medical management group and the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass group. Pregnancy was considered as well. The total number of serious adverse events was 15 for the medical management group and 22 for the surgical group. The study does not discuss or measure in any way the adherence of participants to the intensive intervention in either group. Patients’ adherence to recommended regimen including decreased caloric intake, recommended physical activity, and medication compliance is a variable that was not assessed by Ikramuddin and his colleagues during the study, limiting its scope. In general, the newspaper article correctly interprets the statistics and draws conclusions from this study appropriately. The surgical group tended to have less hypertension and elevated LDL cholesterol levels, but this data lacks statistical significance. Tanner stated in the newspaper article â€Å"those between-group differences could have been due to chance† (2013, p. ). The study states a confidence interval of 95%, which correlates with a 0. 05 significance level. Many of the values representing these measures were marginally different. Many other studies have reported effects on these values as individual variables. There are many other factors involved in cholesterol and blood pressure management that must be identified an d considered before drawing conclusions on such data. This study was very detailed and presented a large amount of data. Despite this, the overall conclusions of the newspaper article were accurate in relation to the data. The newspaper article summarized the conclusions of the researchers appropriately. The statistics representing HbA1c as part of the composite endpoint are reliant on weight loss and can be primarily attributed to this factor (Ikramuddin et al. , 2013, p. 2240). The newspaper article states, â€Å"The researchers say the diabetes changes were likely due to the weight loss but that hormonal changes affecting blood sugar may have contributed† (Tanner, 2013, p 2). This was determined by using regressive analyses of the available data. The study suggests that altered gastrointestinal hormone secretion as well as differences in individual medication use during the study may have attributed to the results, but acknowledges that the study lacks the data to determine this. By going to the source of news-reported statistical studies, the reader can evaluate the statistical significance of the data and determine if the data were presented accurately and if the conclusions drawn are reliable. Research and comprehension of data and statistical significance is essential to best evidence-based practice in the field of nursing and beyond.

Obstacles Teachers May Face Essay

The process of how an individual learns is based on the theories surrounding behaviorism, conditioning, modeling and self regulation. Students can be problematic if proper resolutions aren’t put in place when a dilemma arises. There is a great emphasis on the importance and relevance in motivating the students in the classroom. Without the knowledge of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and what drives students to learn, teachers may not know what inspires or how to encourage students to work to the best of their ability. Teachers must portray themselves in a professional manner at all times, whether they are dealing with students, parents or colleagues. Professionalism can be defined in several ways and some characteristics of a professional teacher include being committed to learners in a way that incorporates a code of ethics, have the ability to make routine and efficient decisions in a complex and ill-defined situation, conduct a critical self examination of one’s teachings, i. . reflective practice, and acquire the element of professional knowledge to constantly improve, develop and expand one’s methods of teaching to maximize learning environments (Eggan, P. & Kauchak, D. 2010. pp, 4 – 6). One obstacle a teacher may face is if he or she gets asked a question that they don’t know the answer to. Students look up to teachers and depend on them for the knowledge they require (Yero, J. L. , 2002. P173). Understanding each topic is simply not enough; a teacher needs to be able to represent topics in an understandable way that is appropriate to the age of the learner. For example, the solution to explaining how to multiply numbers is to firstly acquire the knowledge of content then illustrate how to multiply the numbers. This is referred to as pedagogical knowledge. Pedagogical knowledge requires the teacher to understand principles of instructional strategies and classroom management. Involving each student in the learning process in order to enhance productive learning comes with knowledge and experience. Instructional strategies that promote productive learning include: selecting topics that are important for students to learn, provide clear learning objectives and prepare learning activities respectively, design assessments that relate to the workload and maintain the instructional alignment between the three, i. e. the connection between learning objectives, learning activities and assessments (Eggan, P. Kauchak, D. 2010. pp390 – 394). A teacher must have a positive and caring attitude, be organized, communicate effectively, respect and encourage rather than punish and constantly question and prompt incorrect answers to manage a productive classroom (Nelson, J. , Lott, L. & Glen, S. p20-27). Identifying clear standards of acceptable behavior i. e. rules, be supportive to each student and create a sense of equilibrium are all strategies to ensure a produ ctive and manageable classroom. The aim of all teachers is to promote as much learning as possible. Behaviorism focuses on the idea that learning is â€Å"influenced by stimuli from the environment† (Eggan, P. & Kauchak, D. 2010. p,164). For example, feeling nervous before an exam is a learned behavior due to previous experiences/knowledge of exams. This feeling is involuntary to the individual, and it is referred to as classical conditioning. Classical conditioning can be positive or negative, depending on which, it can have different effects on the learner. If the teacher uses positive reinforcement within the classroom the students will gradually associate learning to the teacher’s manner and thus feel safe within the classroom resulting in a productive learning environment. In contrast negative or non-reinforcement results in the cessation of a behavior and results in a classroom environment that is not productive. Children learn acceptable behaviors through observing adults, therefore teachers are role models, and it is important for a teacher to demonstrate respect, tolerance, and values to motivate learning (Call, N. Featherstone, S. 2004 p. 47). Cognitive modeling is essential to the learning process as teachers use this to perform a demonstration and verbalize the thinking behind the actions taken (Eggan, P. & Kauchak. D. , 2010. p. 182). An obstacle one may face is if some children are having trouble learning how to pass a netball to one another. Often, children instinctively bounce the ball, instead of passing it, as cla ssical conditioning has taught them to do so from a young age. The teacher must describe one’s thoughts of how to pass a netball, whilst performing the action, which in turn encourages students to verbalize their understandings in any situation, resulting in a productive learning environment. Modeling is the key concept of social cognitive theory. Cognitive, behavioral and emotional change in children is a result of observing models. Modeling affects people by learning new behaviors, facilitating existing behaviors, changing inhibitions and by arousing emotions (Eggan, P. & Kauchak, D. 2010. p. 183). These observations lead to learner expectations, which in turn are accomplished through self-regulation. Settings goals and monitoring that progress is an essential element of learning. The student observes another student passing the netball. He then models the observation, uses that experience to expand his knowledge thus takes responsibility and control of his learning. Teaching is constantly developing and changing, and the need for motivation is a necessary procedure to support and increase student learning and the teaching process. A common obstacle teacher’s face is how to motivate uninterested and unengaged students. Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need or expect their instructors to inspire, challenge and stimulate them. An unmotivated student is likely to choose work that is inappropriately easy, show a negative attitude, give up quickly and leave tasks unfinished. This can disrupt the students around him and cause interruptions in the learning environment (Nelson, J. Lott L. , & Glenn, S. 1997 p. 72). There are two broad forms of motivation; extrinsic – where some students will be motivated by the approval of others, for example, by getting a good grade, and intrinsic motivation, where the learner studies in order to understand the content presented to them because they like the challenge and want to perform (Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. 2010. p. 287). To encourage students to become self motivated and independent learners, teachers can give frequent, early, positive feedback. This supports the students beliefs’ that they can, and are doing well as viewed by the humanistic theory of motivation. The teacher can also help students find personal meaning and value in the material as viewed by cognitive and social cognitive theory of motivation, and create an atmosphere that is open and positive which help students feel that they are a valued member of the learning community which is based on the socioculural theory of motivation. In addition, a teacher can ensure opportunities for students’ success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult which is a view shared by behaviorist theories (Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. 2010. p. 289). It must be understood that individuals are motivated through a wide variety of needs. While teachers can’t make or teach students to be self-motivated, they can encourage and promote this highly desirable trait. To conclude, there are many solutions to the obstacles a teacher may face in a learning environment. A teacher should act and approach a classroom with a professional attitude and an academic manner by being knowledgeable and recognizing the importance for assessing oneself. Teachers must be aware of the influence they make on students’ learning and how to promote positive and engaging classroom environments in order to solve the dilemmas they may be presented with in regards to behaviors students display. Furthermore, teachers need to understand that the process of motivation stems from stimulation, which in turn is followed by an emotional reaction that leads to either a positive or negative behavioral response. By understanding the theories based on solutions to the problems a teacher may face in the classroom, they may have a better chance at expecting when a problem may arise, and resolve the situation immediately.