Dove Case

Describe the evolution of the dove brand? The origins of the Dove brand lay in the U. S. In 1957 the first dove product was launched that was called the beauty bar. This product claimed that it was different than soap and that it would not dry out your skin. The advertising campaign for this launch was created by the Ogilvy and Mather advertising agency. The main message of this advertisement was that Dove soap does not dry out your skin because it contained a quarter of cleansing cream. The message that Dove does not dry out your skin was expressed in billboards, television and print. As time passed by minor changes were made to the slogan. For example, the term cleansing cream was replaced with the term moisturizing cream. The Dove beauty bar was endorsed by dermatologists and physicians for the treatment of dry skin in the 1980s. In the year 2000 Dove was approached to become a Masterbrand. This meant that Dove would lend its name to Unilever entries in the personal care categories. Next to the beauty bar category there would also be other categories where Dove would have an active name. For example, deodorants, hair care products, body lotions, facial cleansers and hair styling products. Now that Dove became a Masterbrand it was no longer sufficient to communicate functional benefits. Just because now there were different categories and functionality has a different meaning throughout the different categories. It was important that Dove would stand for a point of view. Having this in mind, research led to â€Å"The campaign for Real Beauty†. The ideas for this campaign started in the year 2002. There was a search for an alternative view of the goal of personal care. The findings of the research of this campaign showed that only 2% of the respondents worldwide described themselves as beautiful. Following this research the first exploratory advertising executions were initiated. In these advertisements ordinary people were used in supermodel contexts. This was called the Tick-Box campaign. In 2005 the next series of Dove ads were known internally as the Firming campaign. Firming campaign because a cream was promoted that would firm the skin. The goal was to change the way how beauty is viewed by society by provoking discussions and debates about â€Å"real beauty†. However this campaign was rather risky because they did not knew whether consumers would be inspired to buy a brand that focuses on real beauty and that does not promise to make you more attractive. The risk for Dove was that it would be perceived as an ordinary brand and would not stand out among the other brands for beauty products. In 2006 Dove ran an ad in the broadcast of the Superbowl football game. The next stage in the Real Beauty campaign of Dove was developing a film concerning self-esteem. Unilever defined a mission statement for â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty†. Namely, â€Å"Dove's mission is to make more women feel beautiful every day by broadening the narrow definition of beauty and inspiring them to take great care of themselves†. Later that year, Dove announced a contest where consumers were aspired to come up with their own ads for Dove Cream Oil Body Wash. This was a new product that would be launched in early 2007. Dove came a long way and was now seen as a brand of great value. Dove had grown a lot and was identified as one of ten brands with the greatest percentage gain with regards to brand health and business value for in the previous three years. How do you asses Unilever's branding strategy (i. e. reducing the number of brands and building masterbrands)? When looking at Unilever's branding strategy the focus lies on building masterbrands. This is a good strategy because the number of brands is reduced. Hence the focus lies on one larger brand instead of several smaller brands. This is good because it makes the decision making process a lot easier for the consumer. On the other hand it is also easier for Unilever because it now can put its energy on one larger brand. This means that the developments around the brand can be more specific. Meaning that you could create brand awareness more easily because there are less choice alternatives available for the consumer. Secondly, because of the masterbrand different products belong to one brand. This means that consumers can buy different products from one brand. The brand is no longer specific for one product category. Therefore if a consumer is loyal to a brand it will also buy more products that belong to that brand and will not go to competitors. For example, if the consumer knows that Dove offers a good quality moisturizing cream the consumer is more likely to perceive other products of Dove as good quality. Furthermore, if Unilever would not pursue the branding strategy of masterbrands it would lead to competition among the several smaller brands. You could say that each brand of Unilever would operate as a separate business, meaning that it would compete with its fellow brands as well as with brands of other firms. The previous would only lead to a division of Unilever which is not good for brand development. Instead the brands should work together because they all are a part of Unilever. Finally, the branding strategy of Unilever also provides possibilities of growth for the brand. By reducing the number of brands which are for example not profitable enough. The focus lies on the masterbrands and this reduction in costs can be used for the more promising masterbrands and therefore lead to growth by expanding product lines and so on.

A parent’s dilemma

Parenting is never an easy task. How the children are being raised is always the parents’ prerogative. Parental child rearing styles are key components to assessing emotional attachments, respect, and other domains of parent-child interaction. The belief system, societal norms, and culture are basic ingredients in understanding parental personality and psychopathology.The drama of leaving the young ones behind while daddy and mommy go to work has always been quite difficult for the parents. Therefore relationship between parents and children breakdown to a state more often channeled through professional agencies such as babysitters and other childcare to look after them while at work. Moreover it is still parent’s responsibility to ensure that children behave in a way acceptable to societal norms and community.Considering that disruptive behaviors of children are always followed by criticisms concerning parental irresponsibility, it has always been a headache when some values of the babysitter were being incorporated and taught to the children.Parents tried to compensate absence making calls every now and then to check the kids. But the relationship and the values that children gather is more on witnessing the adult that they are spending a majority of their time in a day.My mother used to call me three times a day. If she is busy she forgot and I got no calls to expect. It is lonely when parents are not at home. This is true especially when I get sick and is left under the care of a babysitter. When I have a slight fever and I want a hug and have someone beside me, the babysitter depending on their race, can be cold at times. I may have my medicines but I still can sense I don’t know what is lacking. Affection and love is really not there, just not there.The need to support high cost maintenance of rearing children and coping up basic needs like education and food has given rise to mothers definitely working to help sustain finances. The c ommon practice of family work balance still refers to women as continually responsible for most of the work associated with child rearing. The behavior of children continues to project experience from other changes made within family context.From my experience, some babysitters tend to be warm and nice in front of my parents and start to change course of mood the moment the car is already off the driveway.They become distant and grouchy in my every request. Food sometimes is a problem. I don’t like how they prepare my meals. I noticed that I was becoming uncaring and disrespectful too even with my parents. The attitude puzzled them. The idea seems to go around like this: what you see is what you portray.Pay off for both parents working are the quantity and nature of family social capital. This is evidenced by home environments. This relatively means that the number of hours parents spend working impacts family strength and relationships.Mothers spending more time with childre n create stronger home environments. The consequence of changing context of parental employment affects the kind of parenting the children benefits and receives. It also shows significant effect on the quality of care giving experience they are receiving.When dad was promoted and he got a nicer pay than the previous month, mom decided to shit from full time work to part time work. I was very happy then and I really value her presence and was really thankful she is the one caring for me most of the time.When Dad had another promotion, the house was already filled with luxury items and my things and my bed are really nice. I have my allowance and I can buy items whenever mother decides for a short trip to the supermarket on mornings for groceries.

Facquier Gas Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Facquier Gas Company - Case Study Example These specifications are designed to accommodate the gas flow which should start flowing in September. Thus, in this case there are two variables for consideration and require the company to act fast so that it completes the installation of the pipes before September. Additionally, due to the increase in demand, the thickness of the pipe, which determines the volume of gas passing per unit time, has to be increased as well. There are two problems with reference to the case of Facquier Gas Company. Firstly, in order to reflect the desired changes that will lead the company to acquiring more sales and supply to more customers, the company, through Mr. Murphy is burdened with the task of accommodating major lead times. This means that the supply of the required products will foreseeably experience some delays related to the fact that Facquier Gas Company’s orders would not be fitted in the schedules of suppliers. Additionally, from Mr. Murphy’s understanding, the company has formerly used different specifications for the pipes such as 3/8 inch while the current design uses 3/7 inch thickness. The length of the pipe in former specifications has been 35-45 feet in length. Eventually, the consideration of order the products within a short schedule is also faced with a constraint of lead time. This is the case with the wrapper and coal tar as one company supplying the coal tar s located at Phila delphia while he one to supply the wrappers is located in Atlanta. a. To adapt the new design specifications as they are in order to meet the current demand and at the same time offset the time wastage the 3/8-inch pipes contribute for attracting regular standards’ inspections (Cowen, 2014). b. The company should consider acquiring the products with the new specifications but consider choosing a different logistics channel offering quicker delivery packages. Although the quicker delivery will increase costs, it will ensure that

Admission essay - applying for Masters Degree in MLIS

Admission - applying for Masters Degree in MLIS - Essay Example I have attended Maine Media workshop and workshop on film editing and have become proficient in specialized editing packages like Final Cut Pro. I would now like to expand my knowledge and pursue MLIS. There are many reasons that have greatly encouraged me to pursue higher academic qualification especially in the field which facilitates information research. While I was studying, I had supported myself by working as researcher for lecturers and Speakers. The information research fascinated me a great deal. Later, working as film editor for several documentary projects, I was able to travel to the far off places. The museums and artifacts greatly fascinated me. I was awestruck by Code of Hammurabi in Louvre, Paris and equally dumbfounded by priceless artifacts and medieval books like Guttenberg Bible which showed me myriad aspects of knowledge and its methods of propagation. I was hugely impressed. I realized that through the times, various means of spreading knowledge and information was invented. Each method became the symbol of advancement that represented the changing face of the methodologies of disseminating knowledge in the changing times. The increasing use of knowledge made huge impact on the lives of the people, facilitating interchange of information while at the same time, using it as one of the most powerful tool to influence paradigms of socio-political relationship across the globe. Indeed, the changing face of communication becomes the major platform to disseminate information. Most importantly, I realized that I want to become a link that can facilitate in disseminating information and provide people with myriad format to gain knowledge. Computers and internet has redefined communication and brought in digital age where information is easy to retrieve. Fascinated by such development, applying my experience and passion for music, I would like to become a music librarian. MLIS would help me to become information professional who would

Differentiation and Learning Styles Dissertation

Differentiation and Learning Styles - Dissertation Example Learners exhibit differences in their potentials that educators should focus on and to which new educators should be introduced. This is because some teachers find it challenging to deal with the differences. Many bases also exist for the differences. Some students are more brilliant than others are and some have more challenges in the learning process. Social backgrounds and language differences also form bases for differences. While identifying differences may be easy when dealing with small groups of students, large groups offer challenge but teachers can often organize students into smaller groups to facilitate personalized teacher-learner interaction and understanding of individual students (Wu 2013, 125- 133). The need for teacher training on differentiation also emerges from contradictions that result from differentiation attempts. Results from an empirical study show that policies, number of students, duration of lessons, inappropriate differentiation, and students’ di fferentiation initiatives without teachers’ attentions are significant factors to differentiation outcomes and teachers’ training on the factors is important (Rontou 2012, p. 146, 147). In addition to training educators, the educators’ approach to managing their classes has significant effects on differentiation and associated effects. An understanding of students’ background and their potentials and using this to motivate and empower students has demonstrated effectiveness in influencing learning processes.

The Security Professional and their role in Emergency, Disaster and Essay

The Security Professional and their role in Emergency, Disaster and Contingency Planning - Essay Example It also explains the measures and techniques that the security professional use to handle different emergencies or disasters. An emergency refers to an unforeseen combination of circumstances whose resulting states of nature require immediate attention and actions. An emergency may be serious to the extent that if no immediate attention is provided, it can result to crucial and fatal situations. A contingency, on the other hand, refers to an event that has the possibility of either occurring or not occurring in the future as predicted. A disaster can occur if people live near hazardous areas like unstable slopes where landslides are most likely to happen active volcanoes or close to rivers that are likely to burst and flood any minute. Introduction Security professionals are a group of low voltage contractors, individuals, or firms that specialize in the installation of security systems (Fischer, 2008). These systems are installed either at homes, offices, business premises, military camps, or even sport centers and clubs. Security professional also engage in maintenance and servicing of the security systems installed at any given destination. The different types of security systems include fire alarms, burglar alarms, 24 hour emergency service, access control, internet and cellular monitoring, closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance systems, 24 hour UL monitoring system, home theatres and outdoor intrusion detectors. Security professionals ensure that they provide the necessary security system for all destinations. For example, in providing for home security, there are different systems that can be provided and they include fire alarm notification and detection, medical emergency notification, intrusion detection and carbon monoxide detection (Fischer, 2008). The installation of home security is vital for any home because it provides 24 hour security to an individual’s loved ones especially when one is absent. This is because it aids in watching o ver one’s valuable possessions while absent from the house at any given time of day. This kind of protection is necessary since it reduces chances of burglary and intrusion. To aid in home security, also available are both wireless and hard wired systems that have a battery backup which keeps the homes protected even if power goes off. Security camera systems and video surveillance have gained popularity in protecting business areas like banks and other retail stores. Security cameras and videos have aided in improving security of these facilities because they tend to attract huge numbers of people that frequent their premises on a daily account. Security professionals have also had an upper hand in improving security in travel depots like air strips, shipping and port security, and the road transport security. Air port security is of utmost importance because a lot of people travel by plane. Security professionals seek to ensure that no passengers board the plane with prohib ited items that could cause a plane hijack or a staged bomb. This is done by ensuring that items like knives, pen knives, fire arms, scissors, box cutters, inflammable objects and other sharp objects are confiscated upon discovery at the checking points (Fischer, 2008). In road transport mainly operated by the buses, action plans are

Distributed Power System Network with Renewable Sources Assignment

Distributed Power System Network with Renewable Sources - Assignment Example In the past years, the increase in the petroleum prices, coupled with tendency of fossil fuel reserves and their dangerous effects that cannot be avoided and the lack of political stability in the sources of energy regions have led to the renewable energy systems study (Air-X, 2008). In this case, electrical energy is outputted by the systems of renewable energy systems like fuel cells and photovoltaic panels in direct current form. As a result, regardless of the fact that the electrical energy produced by the wind turbines is directly proportional to the wind velocity making it alternative current (AC) , undergoes conversion back to dc energy by the converters found internally in the small-scale turbines of the wind that are utilized in structures like buildings (Cete, 2010). This network is then injected with Direct Current energy. Thus, the DC energy outputted through the wind turbines, fuel cells and photovoltaic panels. The DC energy produced cannot be used readily by the consum ers without having been converted to AC energy. This is given the fact that the consumer uses electricity in AC form. The conversion from DC to AC has a few challenges like the improvising of DC to AC converter. There are also disadvantages related to this conversion are; energy loss, partial energy degradation, harmonics production, cost and dimension increase (Siemens, 2009). Electrical energy transmission from the place of produce to the consumer, pose the predicament of losing energy. To avoid this predicament, we need to avoid the use of the DC to AC conversion to produce the AC energy. Thus in this study, a Mat lab © simulation software will be made for hybrid system of Direct Current system and thereafter, it will be applied, in the process of production of DC energy through RHESs and in this manner the DC loads like freezer or refrigerator, 44 compact florescent lamps, fans, TV circulation pump, and vacuum cleaner consume the DC energy in a way that it is not converted int o the form of AC (Colorado, 2010). This is will be presented in this paper project as we get to discuss the simulation of the renewable energy. It is for this reason that the unit distribution of the DC energy ought to be established for the fuelling of the hybrid energy cell system of photovoltaic wind. INTRODUCTION It is indisputable; technologies in the energy have a main function in the development based on the economic and small scale level, which varies from domestic, society to region, nation and international. Conventional fossil fuel sources like coal, oil, natural gas are becoming rare as the time goes by. Additionally, by the using the sources of fossil fuel, it is predictable that they pollute the nature in the end process, resulting to the global warming through the formation of the greenhouse outcome thus the world is turned into a night mare that is not desirable for anyone to live in. Thus, sources of renewable and alternative energy got significance that has greater priority over the history of the mankind. (Air-X, 2008). There has been an increase in the study of renewable and the new kinds of energy due to the current sources of energy output that make a quick entry into the tendency of exhaustation that the raw material prices rise significantly, as their effects affect the human health and environment in a negative way. The some challenges faced in the use of these kinds have increased the

Module 4 TD-MGT 411 Workers Compensation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Module 4 TD-MGT 411 Workers Compensation - Essay Example Secondly, it proofing whether Scott was sick is another problem. Trying to investigate such may kill his moral at work and make him feel that the organization does not trust him. Thus investigating it may compromise his ability to deliver effectively. Again, the organization may incur great losses if he decides to file a compensation of whatever nature because he has a history of filing numerous compensations. Additionally, before being hired, he must have gone through an interview and the organization must have been satisfied that he will deliver and so firing him is another difficult option because there is no tangible evidence of gross misconduct. One cannot tell whether Scott is still the same or has changed for the better. Now with the new information concerning Scotts history I will constitute an independent investigating team to find out first whether the claims are true. Sometimes managers rely on rumors that are usually malicious and end up making outrageous decisions. When established that it is true; the independent team through their maneuvers will then investigate whether he has been sick and whether he has filed any compensation claim. From there, Scott himself will be given an opportunity to respond to the findings of the investigation and take an evidence-based

Optimization of Macromolecular Crowded Culture Dissertation

Optimization of Macromolecular Crowded Culture - Dissertation Example These cells handle the synthesis of the extracellular matrix as well as collagen. The cells will redifferentiate into two states namely, the activated state and the less active state. The resultant less active cell plays a role in the metabolism of the tissues and its maintenance. Despite the cells own ability to replicate, therapies on the cell have grown to produce various substitutes not only for the skin.Also, for the lungs, and blood vessels through an extracellular matrix of their tissue.There was interference with the structure when initial attempts were made to use seeded scaffold cells on collagen. That was due to the remodeling of the tissue, and its functioning. These limitations greatly contributed to the establishment of a mechanism for cell recreation that is independent of the structure. These methods are either self-assembly or scaffold-free tissue engineering. The previous uses a cell to cell contact to come up with a contiguous cell sheet fabrication. Also, ECM is e ndogenously produced through this process. Â  There are various clinical and preclinical methods that have already been commercialized especially due to extremely long duration needed for cultures of ex vivo (Dityatev, 2010). As a result, there have been many trials made to achieve tissue-engineering of varied tissues, cartilage, bones, liver and other organs. Among these, some of the most successful constructs of tissue engineering include bladder, airway, and the artificial skin. The process of having completely functional constructs is however faced with the challenge of increasing complexity in the nature of tissues. Â  The proposal uses a new approach called macromolecular crowding to create similar issues as the products of ECM.

Economic progress in Russia in the years 1981-1982 Essay Example for Free

Economic progress in Russia in the years 1981-1982 Essay Despite frequent changes in policy, Russian and Soviet governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in securing sustained economic progress in the years 1881-1982’. Assess the validity of this statement. Between 1981 and 1982, Russia underwent huge changes, particularly the in economy. Russian history is well known for its frequent changes in policy as the country faced revolutions, changes in regime, changes in leadership and not to mention its involvement in various conflicts. As a result, Russia’s economic policy was subject to major change apart from three key areas, industry, agriculture and the tertiary sector. These three areas of the economy remained a constant in its ever changing climate; however, many historians still argue that Russia’s economy was unsuccessful and poorly managed despite its frequent change in policy. Thus begs the question, ‘To what extent is this true?’ The Tsarist regime, for many Russians, was a period of economic instability as agriculture was seen as a secondary concern. Growth rate was not structured and growth rate fell considerably between the late 1890’s and 1905.[1] Meanwhile, other economies expanded leaving Russia struggling to catch up and some historians see agriculture as a reason for Russia’s economic decline. For example, Carol. S. Leonard argued that Russia’s grain production per capita GDP was lagged far behind that of America in 1913.[2] This argument shows how agriculture in Tsarist Russia wasn’t dealt with effectively and as a result, the economy suffered. On the other hand, some historians have pointed out that agriculture in Russia during the late Tsarist years were not so destructive. One argument maintains that actually, Russia’s agriculture grew and developed quite substantially pre- revolution. For example; from 1890 to 1913, cereal production per capita increased by 35%[3]. Although this evidence is hard to ignore, it is also difficult to turn a blind eye to the contrasting evidence which suggests that agriculture suffered under the late Tsarist regime and consequently, affected the economy as a whole. For example: â€Å"There was very little investment in agriculture in Imperial Russia and this lead to small yields and economic volatility when prices rose and fell†¦lack of investment in agriculture frequently caused grain prices to rise which caused famines†[4] Overall, although agriculture grew slightly during the Tsarist regime, ultimately it suffered greatly as did the Russian people. Looking at agriculture alone, Russia’s economy looked bleak however; industry had slightly more success during this time so perhaps the economy was not so bad after all. S J Lee puts forward a simple statement: â€Å"The periods of most rapid growth were in the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917) as a result of the economic reforms of Sergei Witte (1892-1903)†[5]. This is easy to see, when one considers that in 1914, Russia produced 35 million tons of coal, ranking Russia fifth amongst the main producers.[6] Building on Lee’s argument, there seems to be a lot of evidence pointing to Sergei Witte as the main reason for Russia’s industrial boom. Upon taking office, Witte raised massive amounts of capital by securing a loan from France and raising taxes and tariffs and interest rates.[7] However, it is the development of Russian railways which Witte is perhaps most remembered for. Under his guidance the railway network grew from around thirty one thousand km to around fifty three km worth of track.[8] With Witte at the helm, Russia’s industry continued to develop with growth rates comparing well next to those of the United States and Germany. Witte has often been credited with modernizing Russia to such a great extent that its industrial boom continued long after he left his post as Finance Minister in 1903. For example, in 1913, Russia’s steel production stood at 4.9 million metric tons next to France’s 4.7 million, with coal and iron not far behind.[9] On the other hand, Witte’s industrialization policies were not always so successful. For example, between 1890 and 1899, Russia’s industrial growth stood at 8.0% whereas between 1900-06, it reduced to 1.4%[10]. His aims of modernizing came with a heavy cost and it was consumers who had to pay the price. Taxes were raised but only for the lower classes, indeed the wealthier classes were spared from taxation although their money was needed for private capital. Tariffs also caused problems as, although they protected Russian industry, they added to the cost of living.[11] Whatsmore, although some historians have credited Witte’s decision to seek loans from foreign investors, some remain critical. This is because the interest added to the loans had to be paid in a secure medium meaning, in order to pay off their debts, Russia was forced to export grain regularly, including during the famine of 1891.[12] Overall, although Witte made huge strides in modernizing the Russian economy, he was not entirely faultless. Industry picked up, but there were still issues and it was the common man who had to pay. The economy still suffered, although, arguably, not as much as it would have done without Witte. However, the tertiary sector also contributed to the economy. Although some historians critique Russia’s dependence of Western investors, these ties had corresponding benefits in the shape of trade. [13] Business also boomed within Russia with eight large banks emerging in 1899 which owned more than half the total bank capital. This provided free access for foreign capital, controlling important branches of the Russian economy, including the fuel and metallurgical industries. [14] Moreover, according to Robert Service, domestic industrialists and banks were thriving too.[15] This argument can be supported by the growth in towns and cities between 1897 and 1914. For example; the population in St Petersburg grew from 1’300 thousand (1987) to 2’100 thousand (1914)[16]. This shows that the economic growth had a positive impact on society and the country was doing well under the Tsarist regime. However, although to the naked eye Russia seemed to be doing well, their growth wasn’t so great. Compared to the other Great powers of the period, Russia was lagging far behind. Between 1894 and 1913, Austria-Hungary had a 79% increase in national income whereas Russia was lagging far behind with only a 50% increase[17]. This clearly demonstrates that Russia’s overall situation was not so great and actually, Russian people did suffer. When Lenin came to power in 1917, he brought with him a change in regime and economic policy including the introduction of war communism. War communism aimed to socialize the economy through state involvement. Rural areas were subjected to grain requisition which was forcibly removed by the military.[18] This inevitably was unpopular and caused much suffering and peasants who stored their crops were often wrongfully prosecuted. It was not just agriculture which suffered. Factories were nationalized by November 1920 and were geared towards war production.[19] Additionally, private trade was banned and rationing was introduced on consumer goods including food and clothing. War communism was, effectively a self destructive policy. Grain requisitioning meant more than three million people died of starvation by late 1922.[20] Moreover, money lost its value and people got by through a system of barter. Inflation shot up and multiplied 1917 costs by four million in 1922. Additionally, in comparison to the growth in city population during the Tsarist regime, people fled the cities. For example; in December 1920 the population in Petrograd fell by 57.5%[21] Lenin knew that it was time for a change. War communism caused more harm then good so Lenin came up with an alternative, the ‘New Economic Policy’ (NEP). Peasants were allowed to sell grain for profit and they paid tax on what they produced rather than giving it up[22]. Things also changed industrially and in the tertiary sector. Businessmen could own small or medium sized businesses however large firms were still state owned.[23] The NEP basically gave the people of Russia freedom and Lenin hoped that it would boost economic growth as well. However, in 1924, Lenin died and Stalin came to power. Stalin also brought new ideas and his own ways of modernizing the economy. In November 1927, Stalin introduced his policies of industrialisation and collectivisation with the aim of modernising the economy. They were supported by a series of five year plans, the first (1928-32) aimed to improve living standards and the second (1933-37) and third (1938-41) aimed to highlight and thus, amend, Russia’s weaknesses[24]. Industrialisation was relatively successful as by the late 1930’s many workers conditions had improved and they had acquired better paid jobs and unemployment was almost non-existent. Accounts from the time support this view: â€Å"Good progress was made†¦4’500 new factories, plants, mines and power stations were commissioned, three times as many as the first Five-Year period’[25]. On the other hand, industrialisation was harsh and lateness for work often led to employees getting the sack. Many prisoners also paid the price by working on the grand engineering projects and working in appalling and dangerous conditions. For example; around 100’000 workers died building the Belmor Canal[26]. Collectivisation was ultimately unsuccessful and peasants were in a worse position than ever before. The concept of sharing farms and thus, sharing salary meant there wasn’t enough money to go around and crop production fell too. For example: â€Å"†¦Grain shortages, combined with continued forced procurements, led to rural famine†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [27] However, some people benefitted from collectivisation such as Bertha Malnick: â€Å"We have more than 600 hectares†¦our farmers have built 70 new houses for themselves during the last few years†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [28]. However, it is reasonable to conclude overall that collectivisation was unsuccessful given the various sources which provide figures of those who died or badly suffered during Stalin’s reign. Stalin died in 1953 and Khrushchev took over. Khrushchev focused on DeStalinisation, distancing the USSR as far away from Stalin as possible. Khrushchev was keen to adopt a different economic policy with the aim of building on the country’s previous economic growth and amending its weaknesses and one way he did this was by abandoning the five year plans and starting a new, seven year plan (1959-65) which aimed to take advantage of newly discovered mineral resources and fit in with industry[29]. Khrushchev pumped a lot of money into agriculture and overall 40% of investment was put into the neglected eastern regions of the USSR[30]. However, the seven year plan had similar flaws to the previous five year plans such as mistakes in resource distribution. Living standards got worse, the opposite to what Khrushchev had hoped to achieve. For example; only five in one thousand citizens owned a car and in 1963, the USSR was forced to import grain from the capitalist west to compensate shortages.[31] There were successes during this time such as the rise in foreign trade however this can’t compensate for the huge failures experienced during this time. Khrushchev made an honest attempt to improve the economy however his plans backfired and once again the country was left to clean up an economic mess. Eventually, Khrushchev was removed from power and in his place came Brezhnev who did little to change the economy. The era of Brezhnev has often been described as ‘a period of economic stagnation’ but some historians believe that this is not fair. Like Khrushchev, Brezhnev wanted to focus on improving agriculture and living standards in Russia. Historians Gwyneth Hughes and Simon Welfare support this view saying: â€Å"†¦After the terror of Stalin’s reign and the chaos of Khrushchev’s, the Soviet Union was in for a period of stability, and that meant everyone kept their job and their perks for life.†[32] Brezhnev allowed farmers to work on state own plots which motivated them to produce as much as possible in order to sell the surplus[33]. This, in theory, should have been beneficial and shows that Brezhnev was trying to improve the economy through new methods however, he was not so lucky. In 1975, the USSR suffered another poor harvest meaning Brezhnev had to increase foreign exports to keep everyone fed. This was just another disaster in Russia but Brezhnev did little to help. His aim to improve agriculture and living standards meant he neglected industry and production rates continued to rapidly fall[34]. However, arguably his biggest flaw was his inability to change the already ridged economy. Brezhnev had new ideas but couldn’t fight the system and by the end of his reign, Russia had made little improvement. Historian Dmitri Volkognov best sums up the Brezhnev period saying: â€Å"If Lenin and Stalin, and to some extent even Khrushchev, were able to enliven the moribund ideology of Communism, it was quite beyond Brezhnev†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [35]. In conclusion, between 1881 and 1982, Russia experienced much hardship especially surrounding the economy. After analyzing this one hundred year period it is hard to deny that the statement ‘Despite frequent changes in policy, Russian and Soviet governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in securing sustained economic progress in the years 1881-1992’. The economy under the Tsarist regime had its faults and during and after the 1917 revolution, it was widely believed that the country’s economic situation would improve. However, from Lenin to Stalin and Khrushchev to Brezhnev, it seemed that no leader was able to sustain a long-lasting and successful economic policy. The economy grew as quickly as it declined and it has taken many years to make any significant progress since. Therefore, this statement is valid. ________________ [1] Heinemann Advanced History: The Modernisation of Russia 1856-1985 [2] Agricultural Productivity Growth in Russia 1861-1913. From Inertia to Ferment by Carol. S. Leonard [3] The Penguin History of Modern Russia by Robert Service [4] www.historymadefun.co.uk/Tsarism [5] Overview from Russia and the USSR: Autocracy and Dictatorship (questions and answers in History) by Stephen. J. Lee [6] Stephen J Lee [7] http://www.slideshare.net/russeltarr/tsar-nicholas-ii-and-industry [8] The Industrialisation of Russia by M. Falkus [9] http://www.portalus.ru/modules/english_russia [10] M. Falkus [11] A2 History OCR: A Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 [12] A2 History OCR [13] S. J Lee [14] A History of the USSR [15] Penguin History of Modern Russia [16] M. Falkus [17] The Making of the Revolution, 1881-1905 [18] From Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991 by Evans and Jenkins [19] Evans and Jenkins [20] The Russian Revolutions 1914-1924 [21] Evans and Jenkins [22] The USSR, Germany and the USA between the wars [23] Russia and the USSR 1905-1941 [24] The USSR, Germany and Russia between the wars [25] A Soviet view of the second five year plan from History of the USSR by Y. Kukushkin [26] Stalin and the Soviet Economy [27] European History 1848-1945 by T.A Morris [28] Everyday Life in Russia by Bertha Malnick [29] AQA A2 History Triumph and Collapse: Russia and the USSR 1941-1991 by John Laver Sally Waller [30] Russia 1855- 1964 Flagship History by D. Murray and T. Morris [31] The Soviet Economy 1917-80 by S J Lee [32] Red Empire. The Forbidden History of the USSR by G. Hughes and S. Welfare [33] www.ibguides.com/history/notes.ccom [34] Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991 [35] The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire by D.Volkognov

Reflective Essay on Smoking Cessation

Reflective Essay on Smoking Cessation This essay provides a reflective account of the delivery of an opportunistic smoking cessation intervention. In constructing this account, Gibbs (1988) model of reflection has been utilised, which incorporates the following components: description; feelings; evaluation; analysis; conclusion; and action plan. Description Whilst shadowing a practice nurse, I was provided with the opportunity to implement a brief smoking cessation intervention with a patient. The patients name will not be used, in respect of confidentiality (NMC Code, 2008; NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice, DH 2003), however, for the purpose of this reflection she will be referred to by the pseudonym Sarah. Sarah is a 65-year old female presenting with a number of health issues. She is an overweight smoker who has recently been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease characterised by the narrowing of the airways. COPD also refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the latter of which Sarah has been diagnosed with. It is emphysema that is Sarahs primary health problem at present. The health promotion strategy adopted was a brief intervention comprising motivational interviewing (Rollnick, Miller and Butler, 2007), which took place within the practice surgery as part of Sarahs consultation. Motivational Interviewing is a directive patient-centered style of counselling designed to help people resolve ambivalence about behavior change, such as smoking cessation. Alongside motivational interviewing, some specific props and teaching aids were utilised, including the provision of evidence-based information, the creation of a COPD self-management plan (British Lung Foundation, 2010), and details of helpful resources Sarah could utilise for further support. This included the Surrey NHS Stop Smoking Service (www.surreyquit.net), which offers free NHS support tailored to the individual (i.e. weekly clinic visits or telephone contact). Feelings I was initially quite anxious about this health promotion opportunity, as I was not confident in my ability to provide constructive support in the limited time we had. However, on initiating a conversation with Sarah, using open questions as recommended within motivational interviewing, the anxiety disappeared as I listened to Sarahs story. Active listening requires concentration, which in turn focused me on how I might be able to help Sarah. In establishing that Sarah was concerned for her grandchildren, who stayed with her quite frequently and were thus around second hand smoke, this provided an anchor to facilitate the development of Sarahs motivation to change. In turn, this anchor also provided me with a patient-centred method for relieving my fears, since I had found a way of engaging Sarah in the process. Interestingly, as Sarahs motivation grew, so did my own motivation to ensure that Sarah gained as much from this brief intervention as possible. With every question that I could answer, I gained in confidence and enjoyed my role as educator and learner within the collaborative partnership between myself and Sarah. In this sense, the collaborative approach that underlies motivational interviewing and much of healthcare practice today can benefit both the patient and healthcare provider. My overall feelings regarding the interaction with Sarah are one of fulfilment. I feel I positively contributed to this patients increased resolve to stop smoking for both herself and her family. Evaluation Motivational interviewing was selected as the most appropriate health promotion intervention for Sarah for a number of reasons. Firstly, evidence regarding behaviour change and, in particular, smoking cessation, shows that level of motivation is an important factor in devising the best health promotion method or teaching plan for a patient (Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross, 1993). This approach takes into consideration humanist learning theory and the principles of self-directed learning. According to Prochaska et al.s (1983) five stages of behaviour change, Sarah currently resides in stage 2 of the following stages: Stage 1 (pre-contemplation) is when the individual does not intend to change behaviour; Stage 2 (contemplation) is when an individual is considering change; Stage 3 (preparation) is serious resolve to embark on smoking cessation; Stage 4 (action stage) is the first few crucial weeks and months where an individual is actively taking positive actions towards smoking cessation; and Stage 5 (maintenance) is about 6-months to 5-years after the initiation of the smoking cessation decision, where behaviour change has been sustained. Being in the contemplation stage suggests that Sarah still has some unresolved ambivalence about change and thus needs help moving to stage 3, where she can start to prepare for smoking cessation. If I had started to help Sarah plan for smoking cessation before she was ready, this could have been detrimental in both the short- and long-term. For example, it has been shown that overcoming the hurdles associated with smoking cessation can increase an individuals self-efficacy (i.e. confidence) in their ability to succeed at their quit attempt, which in turn acts to reduce the likelihood of a relapse and increase the likelihood of long-term sustained smoking cessation (Schnoll et al., 2010). If Sarah was pushed towards a quit attempt before prepared, her risk of relapse would have been high; this would have ultimately reduced her self-confidence to try again. The transition from the contemplation stage to the preparation stage has been cited as being critically important to the outcome of quit attempts (Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross, 1993), as has the fact that healthcare professionals can be extremely influential at this stage Long et al., 1996). I considered motivational interviewing to be key to influencing Sarahs decisions regarding smoking cessation since it was designed specifically to help people resolve ambivalence about behavior change, which is the main characteristic of people in the contemplation stage of motivation. Motivational interviewing can achieve the resolve of ambivalence by avoiding confrontation and guiding people towards choosing to change their behavior themselves. I was aware that motivational interviewing would need to be accompanied by detailed education about smoke-related health issues and the likely course of COPD, together with possible complications and its association with increased morbidity and mortality. Sarah is an intelligent individual and keen to receive such information and reading material. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to answer all of her questions. In particular, I could not answer her questions regarding the pathophysiology of smoking. Unanswered questions can act as a barrier to progress, something which I do not wish to produce in a patient who requires such barriers removing. Fortunately, I was able to answer Sarahs questions whilst referring to an educational information leaflet. I do, however, feel that I would have been able to engage with Sarah more effectively if it had not been necessary for me to focus my attention on the leaflet before me. It became apparent throughout the consultation that although Sarah was most certainly considering quitting smoking, she possessed some traits that might hinder her efforts. In particular, Sarah appeared to have an external health locus of control. This means that she attributes control over her behaviour to external factors as opposed to internal factors. It is well documented within the literature that an internal locus of control is more productive to behaviour change and healthier lifestyle choices (Wallston and Wallston, 1978; Tones et al., 1992). Taking this into consideration, I was mindful to acknowledge Sarahs control over her choices. In one instance, I used her husband as an example since Sarah had informed me that her husband had quit smoking. I asked her how he managed to achieve this and in recognising her husbands role in his own smoking cessation, Sarah appeared to be adjusting her locus of control towards a more internal one. Nevertheless, Sarahs self-efficacy remained low throughout the consultation despite attempts to boost her confidence. It is believed that increased self-efficacy, which can be achieved via motivational interviewing, is an important factor involved in the success of smoking cessation (Brown et al., 2003; Karatay et al., 2010), thus I felt this was an important aspect to include in Sarahs self-management care plan to set herself an achievable goal each week that would gradually build her confidence. Analysis The Department of Health have been working with the NHS, patients, and healthcare professionals since 2005 to develop a strategy to improve the care and outcomes of people with COPD (DH, 2010). This strategy places a large focus on the prevention and treatment of smoking, as well as the importance of providing patients who have COPD with behavioural support and access to stop smoking services. The Department of Health (2009) have produced guidance on effective stop smoking services, offering three levels of behavioural intervention: brief interventions (level one); intensive one-to-one support and advice (level two); and group interventions (level three). In terms of level one, brief interventions, the National Institute of Clinical Excellent (NICE) have published guidelines and recommendations for smoking cessation (NICE, 2004). Furthermore, previous UK guidance has emphasised the importance of offering opportunistic, brief advice to encourage all smokers to quit and to signpost them to resources and treatments that might help them (West, 2005). They Department of Health guidance states that all smokers should be advised to quit and asked if they are interested in quitting; this is unless there are exceptional circumstances such as other medical conditions that might hinder smoking cessation. Those who are interested in quitting should then be offered a referral to an intensive, level two, support service such as NHS Stop Smoking Services. Sarah was referred to the Surrey service and informed of the success rates found for NHS Stop Smoking Services. There is evidence that such services are effective in the short-term (4-weeks) and the long-term (52-weeks); indeed, between 13-23% of successful short-term quitters remain abstinent at 52-weeks (NICE, 2007). Conclusion Approximately 900,000 people in England and Wales have been diagnosed with COPD (NICE, 2004) and it is the fifth most common cause of death in the UK, resulting in over 30,000 deaths annually (National Statistics, 2006). By 2020, it is estimated that COPD will be the third most common cause of mortality worldwide (Lopez et al., 2006). Smoking is the largest risk factor for developing COPD, with 20% of long-term smokers eventually developing clinically significant levels of the disease and 80% developing lung damage (Garcia-Aymerich et al., 2003). These statistics highlight the urgency of grasping opportunistic health promotion and utilising brief intervention skills to help deliver the DH strategy and improve the care and outcomes provided to people with COPD. Delivering brief opportunistic interventions for smoking cessation requires an approach that does not create defensiveness but develops a patient/provider partnership conductive of the patient making their own decisions, with support, as to their lifestyle. Motivational interviewing and consideration of individual patient characteristics and traits (i.e. locus of control, stage of readiness to change, etc.) provides a method of achieving this partnership within limited time and resources, as is often the case in busy healthcare environments. Learning the skills within motivational interviewing will add to a healthcare professionals repertoire of techniques for supporting patients through behaviour change, as I found in the case reflected upon within this essay. Action Plan The UKCC Code of Professional Conduct (1992) proposes that nurses should maintain and improve her professional knowledge and competence. In relation to my own knowledge and competence in opportunistic health promotion, I have recognised that I need to increase my skills for nurturing patient self-efficacy. Patient confidence is fundamental to successful behaviour change and although I feel satisfied with my approach to Sarah, it would have been useful to have possessed a larger repertoire of techniques for enhancing self-efficacy. I could also benefit from a greater understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms by which smoking causes COPD. Sarah was particularly interested in the physiological effects of smoking and whilst I could offer her basic information verbally, I needed to refer to information leaflets for more detailed insight, which disrupted the flow of conversation. I have started to explore these issues via a search of the literature on behaviour change and health promotion. As part of this search, I have come across the concept of implementation intention (Gollwitzer, 1999). The theory behind this concept is that in order for someone to implement a desired behaviour, it is necessary for them to devise a specific plan that will increase their intention to pursue that behaviour (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006). This is an interesting technique that could be integrated into motivational interviewing and health promotion via the self-management care plans currently provided. I intend to explore this further and to discuss it with a superior. Using Gibbs reflective model to structure this account has helped me to recognise my strongest skills and those that require further development. I will endeavour to take a proactive approach to utilising this greater insight into my professional abilities.