Rocky Essay -- Personal Narrative

Rocky If you were to see Rocky for the first time and you were anything like most people, you would be overcome by a feeling of repugnancy and disgust. This is because he is a homeless person. His real name is Jack but people call him â€Å"Rocky† because of his 6’2† body and his somewhat larger than normal muscles. He doesn’t have the body of any average man. The combination of his light green eyes, his long brown beard, and his long mocha hair falling down from his winter hat, which he wears in every season, reminds me of a depiction of Jesus. But that’s just pure physical appearance. Most of the time, the hair around the rim of his mouth is covered by whatever food he just ate. Sometimes it’s white rice, sometimes it’s powder like that from a donut, but most of the time it’s just a mess and I can’t tell what it is. He’s a homeless clown, for lack of a better word. He likes to make people laugh, and often jokes around. As he smiles he displays a naked mouth. His two front teeth are missing and most of the others sit rotting away. He mumbles words almost to the point where it’s incohe...

Differences in Competencies Between Nurses Prepared at the Associate’s Degree Level Versus the Baccalaureate Degree Level Essay

Differences In Competencies between Nurses Prepared at the Associates Degree Level Versus The Baccalaureate Degree Level in Nursing It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between the associates degree nurse and the baccalaureate degree nurse. After all both levels of learning require passing the exact same exam in order to practice. However, there are some differences of learning between them. Two important differences are the educational curriculum and the quality of care given to patients. The associates degree nursing curriculum (AAS) is a two year program that prepares the nurse to apply technical and clinical skills upon graduation. The baccalaureate degree nursing (BSN) curriculum is a four year program that builds upon the technical and clinical skills of the AAS. Heights of learning is raised by incorporating psychosocial, ethical, legal, evidence based nursing into their curriculum. The first BSN program started out at the beginning of the twentieth century. Annie Goodrich, director of the first privately operated baccalaureate program at Yale University, believed that certain concepts in nursing should be built on the foundation of technical and clinical skills (Creasia and Friberg. 2011) Goodrich believed that the BSN field of study should address psychosocial and public health issues (Creasia and Reid. 2011). Todays BSN programs takes the AAS nurse out of the closed minded dome of just applying technical and clinical skills and into the world of other plateaus and horizons of nursing. This greater arc of nursing consists of addressing ALL pertinent needs that influences the health of individuals, families and communities. BSN nurses learn about legal, ethical, psychological, social and economic issues that pertains to health and health care. Upon receiving my AAS degree in nursing after a challenging two and one half years, I told myself that I needed a break from studying. After all I had completed the â€Å" hardest† part of nursing ; applying clinical skills. In my mind, I had climbed one of the highest mountains of learning, I did not quite get to the top, but its view was  in sight and I would get there some day. There were not any incentives that encouraged me to move forward because all the registered nurses in the hospital where I worked wore the same identical identification cards . Everyone had their name and the words staff nurse written. Another reason that discouraged me from pushing forth is that there was only a two thousand dollar yearly raise when you got the BSN. Many studies were done showing that the outcomes of the quality of care given by nurses that have BSN degrees and nurses with AAS degrees. Two of these studies stand out. One such study is the finding that baccalaureate degree nurses provided better outcomes in health care facilities. According to a study done in 1999 by Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Lake and Chaney, the mortality rate of hospital patients decreased when there was a patient ratio of four patients to one nurse, and when there was a sixty percent staffing of BSN nurses. Another important study is a study done by Estabrooks, Midodzi, Cummings, Ricker and Giovanetti in March 2005, it was found that hospitals with a higher ratio of baccalaureate degrees resulted in a lower thirty day mortality rate of patient (Estabrooks, Midodzi, Cummings, Ricker and Giovanetti. 2005) Nursing is a field of study that mandates that the whole person and all parts of the whole person be taken into consideration so that the nurse could give effective care to individuals. Nurses that hold AAS degrees in nursing have an incomplete â€Å" un-whole â€Å" education. This incompleteness shortens their nursing insight into the outerr stratospheres of nursing. A while back, I remember applying for a position as a Nurse-Family Partnership Nurse. I was confident that I would get the job, because I had solid years of experience. The position entailed doing home visits to first time mothers and teaching them how to take care of their infants. The position also entailed connecting these first time mothers with support services like food stamps and living skills specialists that would empower them. There was a measurable positive difference in the quality of these first time mothers and their infants with the guidance and direction of the BSN nurse ( A Career You  Can Feel Passionate About. Retrieved from www.nursefamily partnership.org). Needless to say, I did not get the position, because I did not have a BSN Degree. This was a wake up call for me. Today with all the solid evidence based studies on the better nursing outcomes with a higher staffing of baccalaureate degree nurses, health care facilities especially hospitals are resorting to hiring only the nurses that have their BSN degrees. Therefore it is imperative that AAS nurses continue on with their nursing education to deliver a better quality of care to individuals and to be more viable for positions that require the leadership of a baccalaureate nurse. References  A Career You Can Feel Good Passionate About. (n.d.) Retrieved from www.NURSEFAMILYPARTNERSHIP.ORG. Aiken, L.H., Clarke, S.P., Sloane, D.M., Lake, E.T., & Cheney, T. (2008, May). Effects of Hospital Care environment on patient mortality and nurse outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration, 38(5). 223-229. Creasia, L.J., & Friberg.E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations : The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice. St. Louis, MO. Elsevier Mosby. Eastbrooks, C.A., MIdodzi, W.K., Cummings, G.C. Ricker, K.L. & Giovanetti, P. (2005, March/April). The Impact of Hospital Nursing Characteristics on 30-day Mortality. Journal of Nursing Administration. 4 (718),958-968.

Raymond’s Run Essay

Raymond's Run Essay This is a story by the writer Toni Cade Bambara who describes the events that take place in the life of a skinny girl named Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, a little African-American girl with a squeaky voice that has passion to run. However the tale begins describing the members of her family, the author writes more about Hazel and her brother Raymond. Raymond is not quite right; apparently he suffers a metal disease. He’s bigger and older than Hazel, but a lot of people call him Hazel's little brother because he needs to be looking after. Squeaky† often takes strolls down Broadway so she can practice her breathing exercises while she keeps an eye on her brother all the time. She makes Raymond walk on the inside because he always makes fantasies so he starts thinking he's a circus performer and that the curb is a tightrope strung high in the air. Hazel is known as Mercury because she is the swiftest thing in the neighborhood, only her father can beat her to Amsterdam Avenue with Hazel having a two hydrant head start and him running with his hands in his pockets and whistling. Hazel is loyal to her brother, always ready to protect him. She’s a person, who doesn't tolerate standing and listening talks from somebody else, she likes to get right over things quickly. She doesn’t like much a girl named Gretchen and her friends Mary Louise Williams from Baltimore and Rosie because Gretchen’s a potential rival for the fifty-yard dash. She believes she’s tough, not a strawberry or someone who enjoys dancing on her toes, she likes to run and this passion had made her to win many trophies, ribbons and it’s because of her velocity. Every time just before she takes off in a race, she feels like she is in a dream, the kind you have when you've fever and feel hot and weightless. She usually dreams she flies over a sandy beach in the early morning sun, touching the leaves of the trees. She also perceives the smell of apples just like in the country when she used to think she was a choo-choo train. Near the end Hazel competes against Gretchen P. Lewis at the May Day races, she wins and Gretchen comes in second. This result makes her realize that she is not the only working person who tries hard to get things done, so she started to look her rival in a very different way with a big smile of respect between them. So there she was, thinking about all the prices she’s have got and that she could retire by the time, it occurred to her that she could train her brother to become a champion as the tradition of the family is. Other characters: * Her family: The mother, father and George. * Cynthia Procter * Mr. Pearson (Jack the Beanstalk)

Effects of Civil War on Women

There are several changes that the Civil War brought to civilian society and some of these are the following: First of all, the United States of America have been brought back together, which also means that the States from the Southern portions were not given the permission to break away or become independent (Effects.. , 2006). Second, the Southern areas were â€Å"placed under military rule and divided into military districts† (Effects.., 2006). This also caused these areas to â€Å"apply for readmission to the Union† (Effects.. , 2006). Third, the national or Federal government has proven itself to the civilians that its power may not at all be surpassed by the States (Effects.. , 2006). Fourth, the Civil War resulted in the liberation of slaves (Effects.. , 2006). Fifth, the Civil War established plans for the country’s â€Å"Reconstruction† (Effects.. , 2006).The â€Å"Reconstruction† was the government’s plan to deal with the following direct effects of the civil war: 1) the freedom of slaves resulted in problems with regard to housing, clothing, food, and employment; 2) the economic ruin led to having no money, closed banks, low supply of commodities, destruction of railroads and bridges, and devastation of plantation and crops; and 3) the defeat of the confederacy led to the South’s not having any government (Effects.. , 2006). Last but not least, industrialism was established because during the war, production increased, as well as, several new technologies were added (Effects.., 2006).The aforementioned became possible because of the following: 1) the freedom of slaves; 2) the economic ruin in the South; and c) the defeat of the confederacy (Effects.. , 2006). Effects of Civil War on Women During the Civil War, women were given the opportunity to assume roles that people believed only men can carry out, for instance, â€Å"as nurses, government clerks, factory workers, family farmers, factory workers, some even disguised as a man to serve in the military service, etc. † (Encarta, 2007). This was the beginning of the triumph of gender equality since this upheld the gender roles (Encarta, 2007).

Wgirl Wboy

CASE STUDY ON WBOY AND WGIRL CALENDARS Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particularparticipant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. A formof qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks intensely at an individual or smallparticipant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in thatspecific context. Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a universal,generalizable truth,nor do they typically look for cause-effect relationships; instead, emphasis is placed onexploration and description. CASE ANALYSIS INVOLVES THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIES: ? Situation Analysis ? External Environment-Opportunities and Threats ? Internal Environment- Strengths and Weakness ? Key Marketing Issues ? Statement of Objectives ? Generation and Evaluation of Alternatives ? Recommendations ? Implementation Plan Situation Analysis: Luke Atkins, from Richard Ivey school of Business at The University of Western Ontario-a personinterested in raising fund for charity purpose, planned to launch Wgirl and Wboy calendars whichwould feature both male and female students of Western Ontario. Atkins previously had experiencein using calendars for fund raising purpose. He used pictures of his rugby team for it. Now he isconcentrating for charities like Breast Cancer Society (women) and Jesse ’ s Journey Foundation (men)for patients with neuromuscular disease. The university also provides free calendars for studentswho can use them throughout their academic career. Other than that there are potential buyers forLondon Fire fighters who also provide free copies which student use them for exam notifications,assignment reminders. Luke Atkins targets local business-primary focus on the students on campus. He has potential threatsfrom the competitors as well as the cost they provide for sale of each calendar, So Atkins mustprovide a calendar of such quality and price that would satisfy the needs of students on campus. Forthis he has to analyse the environment for marketing as well as the cost for production of eachcalendars, promotion through ads and Internet, 12 models for each calendar type, their salary basedon sales, and all other cost for post production works etc. Atkins has two formats in mind forpublishing this calendar. 6 page model and 28 page model both of varying cost, the latter one he isnot sure of producing it. He is short of time to accomplish this project; he has to approach thecharity first and had to frame a marketing strategic plan for generating funds to achieve his goal. External Environment: [pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic]Opportunities: The experience that Luke Atkins has in the field of Calendar Marketing will be of high value forpromoting his new business plan. So he can get his previous customers and also he can generatenew set of potential customers with his experience. The fund raising activity is meant for charity well being, so there will be a huge set of customers whoare light hearted and willing to help the needy. This can bring enormous scope and opportunity forhis new product. By concentrating on students community Atkins can generate customers who were in link with thosestudents too (like relatives and friends) and the marketing circle widens and create moreopportunity. Atkins should find his workforces who were interested to serve the charity and get the maximumamount of work from them. This will be highly useful since there is no need for huge investment foremployer ’ selection. The profits can be shared as commission which will be very low whilecomparing salary or incentives. Advertisement on calendars regarding the charity and other useful information ’ s will attract thecustomers. Threats: Very short amount of time is only remaining to complete this new project plan. So each and everydecision must be accurate and quick to meet the requirements. The manpower that Atkins has is not sufficient. To perceive the complete benefit he should reactquickly and improve the workforce limit to a high number. Atkins faces a serious threat from the Western University free publication of calendars to students,and also from its competitors London Fire fighters and others who were issuing different varieties of calendars in an attractive price. Sexy and attractive models should be utilized only for charity and their pictures should emphasizethat. If it is a little vulgar to what expected then the whole project is in threat. Internal Environment: Strengths: Atkins experience in calendar marketing will be a great strength for him in facing difficult situationduring the process of his new calendar. The reason for fund raising is for charity purpose. So he can market his product more efficiently thanany other since there is a soft corner for everyone to help the needy. Since he is targeting the students, he get expose to huge customer group which will be useful tolaunch his new calendar effectively. [pic] [pic][pic]Selling his product $3 less than his competitor will be a great strength to meet his all requirements. Marketing through Student sales representative and advertising through student union and radiostation and internet will be of great importance and strengths for his products. Since students themselves turn out to be a model, there will be a direct customer relationship development which will influence the students and anticipate them to buy his product. A separate photographer to enhance the quality of te product will be an additional strength. Advertisement on calendars can be helpful to increase profit as well as customers. Weakness: Lack of time to accomplish Atkins project efficiently. Cost of production will vary according to different format which may influence in reduction of profit. Compensation for models will increase the cost of production. Return on investment is still not clear before product promotion. Feasibility of the project and different strategy for marketing are yet to be finalized. The profit generated should be more in order to help the charity as well as to compensate theproduction and wages expenses. The location of marketing is very competitive since there are many competitors who are wellestablished. Work force is not ready yet, and Atkins has to find them quickly. Production cost for promoting the product through student union and internet seem to be costly. Photographer charge and the time he takes for preparing designs turns out to be a serious matter of concern. Confusion in designing two different formats of calendars and their cost is also a major problem. The start up cost is also not very clear. Key Marketing Issues: The selection of models and start up production cost should be finalized for initializing the newbusiness plan. Potential customers should be identified for targeting the market. Cost of eachcalendar and its quantity in production must be beneficiary to the management. Since the cost of single calendar is rated for $12, and 1000 copies of 16 page format calendar rated $2500, the cost of production matters that Atkins should produce each calendar with high quality ( both for black andwhite or colour) in order meet the expectation and goodwill. The promotional events planned forlaunching this new calendar must be effective and there must be no compromise of cost allocatingfor that. Photographer should be hired more in numbers in order to get positive benefits in qualityas well as variety in the model selection for the calendar to be attractive. The manufacturer ’ s [pic]

Walmart - International Logistics and Supply Chain Management Assignment

Walmart - International Logistics and Supply Chain Management - Assignment Example The chain store is renowned for its efficient supply chain management and control practices, which have enabled it to perform beyond the reach of its competitors in the consumer goods industry (Kallrath & Maindl, 2006). In particular, the company has employed state-of-the-art technologies in most of its operations to help improve service delivery. For instance, starting with bar coding to hasten its supply chain operations, Wal-Mart was among the first companies to follow up bar coding with RFID programs. Although the initial rollout of its RFID tagging programmes flopped, the current rollout, which started in 2010 is expected to be successful (Ingram et al., 2010). In fact, the latest rollout of Wal-Mart’s RFID program really excited its suppliers and vendors with the prospects of better and more efficient operations and increased profits. This paper explores Wal-Mart’s in-house fleet advantages and disadvantages, evaluates its state-of-the-art technologies and cross-d ocking operations. The Benefits of Cross-Docking to Wal-Mart In general terms, cross docking involves turning the demands from a company’s retail stores into purchase orders, which are then forwarded to manufacturers or suppliers (Kumar et al., 2009). The manufacturers then notify the stores about their capacity to produce and deliver the ordered goods in a timely manner. Once produced within the stipulated period, the goods are sent to a staging area where they are packed according to the procurement orders from different stores (Kumar et al., 2009). The goods are then delivered directly to the customers. The pre-requisites of docking are rather basic and easily monitored. The fundamentals pre-requisite are strong building foundations that support the entire cross docking process. The second pre-requisite is dedicated and experienced drivers who recognise and believe in prioritizing customer service above other things. Once employed, the drivers are filtered and assigned dut ies according to their capabilities. Further, the drivers’ reliability and competence to follow the laid down standards should be assessed. Wal-Mart also ensures that its drivers are committed to the standards set in the Private Fleet Driver Handbook. The drivers’ progress is then constantly monitored by the company so that the company is assured of the competence and reliability of its drivers. Fleet coordinators are also important in Wal-Mart’s cross docking operations as they inform drivers on expected time of arrival, departure and delivery of goods, which are quite precise according to Wal-Mart’s standards. Several changes had to be implemented in Wal-Mart’s managerial control if their cross-docking programmes were to be successful. Prior to the adoption of cross-docking, the company’s pricing, promotion and merchandising decision were centralised (Mentzer, 2001). However, with the implementation of cross-docking, focus was shifted to t he â€Å"demand chain† instead of the common supply chain. That is, instead of allowing retailers to push goods into the company’s shelves; customers did more of the pulling, according to their demands, tastes and preference (Kumar et al., 2009). Cross-Docking Saves Companies Time and Money Savings on time and money are the two most obvious and far-reaching benefits that Wal-Mart enjoys from using cross-docking. First, the company has the capacity not only to receive goods immediately but also the

The Relationship Between Smoking and SelfEsteem Essay

The Relationship Between Smoking and SelfEsteem - Essay Example In "Relationship Between Self-esteem and Smoking Behavior Among Japanese Early Adolescents (1999)," the authors define self esteem as "an evaluative term that reflects a persons perceptions about his or her personal characteristics and abilities" (p.1). In keeping with this definition, it is appropriate to discuss the ways that "self perception" is most unstable and negative during adolescence. Because this is the case, many studies focus specifically on self-esteem and its influence on one's decision to smoke during adolescence. Because studies have adequately demonstrated that long term smoke use often starts in the teen years, it is appropriate to focus on adolescent smokers and on why they were initially drawn to the habit, even with the understanding of its health risks and taboo-like nature. Although my own research will seek to demonstrate the connection between low self-esteem and smoking in college students rather than adolescents, it still remains relevant to explore the re asons why individuals initially take up smoking. Typically, these are many of the same reasons that these same individuals continue to smoke, and so this research will remain relevant through these same individuals' college years, giving way to my own research, which seeks to prove this connection among college students. So, given these reasons, this paper specifically explores smoking and self-esteem in adolescence in terms of the correlation between low self-esteem and initially starting to smoke. In their article, authors' Kawabata, Cross, Nishioka, and Shimai (1999) echo this idea when, after conducting in depth studies about self esteem and smoking, they report that, "One of the most important findings from this study is that self-esteem may be a factor associated with the initiation of smoking among early adolescents of both genders" (p.4) Many studies have proven that low self-esteem is linked to several risk taking behaviors. Perhaps this is because, as authors Luhtanen and Crocker (2005) state, "Low self-esteem is associated with negative emotions which may lead to behaviors that offer an escape from self awareness" (p.1). Like alcohol, drugs, and other types of addictions, smoking often offers adolescents an escape from the pressures that life inevitably brings during the difficult teenage years. Clearly, when an adolescent is dealing with issues such as self image, depression, stress, and low self worth, he or she is going to have less of a problem entertaining the idea of something that might be hazardous to their health. At this point, he or she is worried about issues that seem larger than the dangers of smoking and addiction. Specifically, if the smoking offers them some kind of solace from the world they are fighting with, of course they will be inclined to take the immediate escape. They are not thinking of long term consequences, but rather of the temporary feeling of relief that the cigarette can offer them. Of course, this type of thinking can become dangerous because there is no concern with potential dangers and/or consequences. It is simply immediate gratification that is sought. The idea is that perhaps if an adolescent was taught to value him or herself more, and led to have higher self worth, then this dangerous