Looking for Alaska – Miles’ Eulogy

Looking For Alaska Book Report – Eulogy Hello everyone. I would like to thank you all for coming to honor our friend, Alaska Young. I am Miles Halter, known to most as Pudge. I transferred to Culver Creek Boarding School from Florida to ‘seek a Great Perhaps’, to leave behind the insignificant things I was doing, to seek something that was perhaps greater. I collect people’s dying words and â€Å"I go to seek a Great Perhaps†, were the last words of Francois Rabelais, but unlike him, I did not want to wait to die to start seeking it. This school has given me very many of my firsts: first friend, first dose of mischief and the first and last girl. Alaska was the most enigmatic and mysterious person I have ever met. Every element of her being fascinated me, from her smell of cigarettes, vanilla and sweat, her creativity when planning pranks on our headmaster, her surprising ability to succeed in pre–calculus, and her obsession with strawberry wine, which we had to drink in secrecy. The first time I had a real conversation with her she told me the last words of Simon Bolivar, which I had never heard before â€Å"Damn it, how will I ever get out of this labyrinth! When I asked her what the labyrinth was, she told me that that was the mystery. Is the labyrinth living or dying? Are we all trying to escape the world, or the end of it? This quote completely juxtaposes my Great Perhaps, I looked to seek and she looked to escape. After she died I found a note in one of her books in her ‘life long library†™, a collection of books that she had bought from garage sales that she had been accumulating ever since she was young. She had written that the only way out of the labyrinth was straight and fast. Alaska taught me to live in the moment and not to plan ahead. She said â€Å"Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia, you spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining the future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present. † (John Green, Looking For Alaska) I know people have whispered among themselves wondering whether Alaska’s death was a suicide or a pure accident. I have been wondering the same. People who do not know Alaska may see her death as selfish, seeing the people close to her terribly heart broken. I have to clear her name. When Alaska was 8 years old, she watched her mother having a seizure and pass away. Alaska was frozen in fear and did not call 911 and she never forgave herself. The day Alaska died, was the anniversary of her mother’s birthday. Alaska had been drinking and I remember her waking up in the middle of the night cursing and crying, telling us that we had to distract our headmaster so she could drive to her mother’s grave. She crashed into a truck on her way without any attempt to turn the car. I realize now the labyrinth was not life or death, it was suffering, doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering? Alaska chose straight and fast, whether it was on purpose or not. I knew Alaska for one hundred and thirty – six days, but I do not think anyone truly knew her. Her death threw me into the realization that I have always been trapped in a labyrinth of suffering. Before I got to this point, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend it did not exist, but to build a small, self – sufficient world in the back corner of the endless maze to pretend that I was not lost, but home. I hated Alaska and I hated everything for a while after she was gone. I hated myself for being a coward and not stopping her from leaving that night. It all just felt so terribly unfair, all of it, the inarguable injustice of loving someone who might have loved you back, but can not due to deadness. I loved Alaska because she showed me both my labyrinth and my Great Perhaps – she had proved to me that it was worth it to leave my minor life for grander maybes, and now she is gone and with her my faith in perhaps. Alaska is still teaching me a lesson; the only way out of the labyrinth is to forgive. I wish Alaska had realized this too before it had to end this way. Her mother forgave her; just as I am sure Alaska forgives all of us now. You see â€Å"we are all going, nothing can last, not even the earth itself. (John Green, Looking For Alaska) The Buddha said that suffering was caused by desire, and that the cessation of desire meant the cessation of suffering. So when you stopped wishing things would not fall apart, you would stop suffering when they did. So Alaska, I have some last words for you, Thomas Edison’s, â€Å"It’s very beautiful over there. † I do not know where there is, but I believe it is somewhere and I hope it is beautiful. After all of this I will learn no more last words because I know so many, but I will never know hers.

The values and ideologys that a Head Teacher should have

A leader is considered to be a individual who knows about the people being led and managed, pass oning values and precedences and patterning good pattern. Effective leaders adopt a strategic attack and lead by illustration. Most significantly they know that people are their cardinal resources and without them, there would be no organisation to take and managed ( Kydd, 2003 ) . An effectual headteacher should hold some basic features that distinguish him from the other staff of the school. As Smith ( 1993 ) implies, â€Å" an effectual headteacher has a vision and a mission for the school. He inspires committedness to the school ‘s mission and so gives way and aim to its work. He coordinates the work of the school by apportioning functions and deputing duties, promoting staff engagement in professional development programmes and makes usage of the accomplishments instructors get in these programmes † . He recognizes the work that is done by others ( particularly instructors ) and gives feedback and support whenever he considers necessary. He can therefore foster an apprehension of the school vision and set up the school clime. Ubben and Hughes ( 1992 ) stated that principals could make a school clime that improves the productiveness of both staff and pupils and that the leading manner of the principal can further or curtail teacher effectivity. Decidedly, a positive school clime can heighten staff public presentation, advance higher morale, and better pupil accomplishment ( Freiberg, 1998 ) . It may be considered as the one of the most of import constituents of the school reform. A positive school clime promotes higher academic accomplishment, helps pupils recognize and make their maximal potencies and by and large lend to the betterment and effectivity of the school. If principals are extremely skilled, they can develop feelings of trust, unfastened communications, collegiality, and advance effectual feedback. In the complex environment of schools, all headteachers need to understand instructors ‘ perceptual experiences of their behaviours. They must cognize and understand how to supply the foundation for making an atmosphere conducive to alter. They must besides be able to go witting of the demands of their instructors, authorise them to portion the vision, and enable them to make an effectual school clime. A skilled headteacher is the 1 that has sensitiveness towards personal jobs of the others. He is able to understand peoples ‘ demands, harmonizing to their background and their emotional issues ( Smith, 1993 ) . He is non merely a typical, professional headteacher, but besides a human with feelings and rules. Besides, by demoing involvement towards instructors ‘ and students ‘ jobs, he can cut down the employees ‘ negative attitudes in their school working environment and do both instructors and students feel valuable. In a school ‘s environment, good communicating and coaction between the instructors, is of great importance. Collegiality is strongly related with the mutuality of the instructors in the school. The good relationships among them are indispensable and critical, because, as Barth ( 1990 ) argues â€Å" relationships between them are the sine qua non that allow, stimulate, and sustain all other efforts at school betterment † . Andrew Hargreaves ( Bennett et al. , 1992, p.81 ) argues that: â€Å" Collegiality forms a important board of policies to reconstitute schools from without and to reform them from withinaˆÂ ¦ School betterment, course of study reform, instructor development, and leading development are all seen as being dependent, to some extent, on the edifice of positive collegial relationships for their success † . Sing the impacts of a positive clime in a collaborative school environment, we can non dissent with the above statement. It is true that when the interpersonal and professional dealingss of the school staff, and specifically instructors ‘ dealingss are good, so the communicating within the school flourishes. In instances where instructors develop friendly dealingss, discoursing non merely school ‘s affairs, so the communicating between them is improved, given that they interact non merely as co-workers but as friends excessively. From my small experience in schools, I have to state that in school environments, where instructors were really pass oning, their public presentation was much better comparing with those whose dealingss were non every bit collegial as they should hold been. After all as Willi Unsoeld, ( Johnson and Johnson, 1994, p.8:7 ) a celebrated mountain climber, one time said to a group of mountain climbers, â€Å" Pull togetheraˆÂ ¦ in the mountains you must depend on each other for endurance † . Teaching is strongly related with mountain mounting. Like mountain climbers, instructors should hold assurance to the abilities of their co-workers, back up the attempts that are made by the others, acknowledge their part and eventually believe that their competencies are being utilised and valued by the other instructors. It is doubtless acceptable and understood that the headteacher ‘s function in the procedure of bettering communicating in school is significant. He is considered to be the cardinal figure in enabling the development of human dealingss, particularly between instructors, developing to work within the school as a whole. Colin Riches ( Bush and West- Burnham, 1994, p.261 ) points out that â€Å" Effective direction has to get down from a full apprehension of the inside informations of how the communicating procedure impacts on every direction activity † . Because of the headteacher ‘s influence, it is of import that he or she communicate efficaciously with the others. However, in order for good communicating to be achieved, communicating channels should be unfastened both ways. By this I mean that the principal should be accessible to everyone in the school. Coursen and Thomas ( Smith and Piele, 1991, p. ) write that â€Å" it is of import for people to experience you are available and welcome personal contact with them † . Roger Major ( Smith and Piele, 1991, p. ) argues that â€Å" principals can utilize sincere congratulations whenever possible to make a more constructive ambiance in schools † . Indeed, acknowledging the work that instructors do in the school, can better the relationships between them, since the instructors will experience valued and appreciated. Even the negative feedback will non act upon school ‘s positive clime, if it is done in the right manner, like in a personal treatment and non in public. In reexamining the literature, we find that dialogue accomplishments are besides indispensable for an effectual headteacher who wants to cultivate good communicating and better the conditions in the school. Riches ( Bush and West- Burnham, 1994, p.260 ) defines dialogue as â€Å" a manner of accommodating involvements and cut downing struggle in state of affairss where people have to interact with one another but where no side is powerful plenty to enforce its will † . The headteacher should be able to snuff out all the struggles that may happen between the staff, and reconstruct the concerted clime in school ; therefore, it is so of import for the principal to avoid favoritism, be just, nonsubjective and diplomatic. From all written above, the function of the headteacher in the development of a positive, communicative and collaborative clime in schools is incontestible and undisputed. All these accomplishments are gathered in the definition of the headteachers ‘ function, given by Southworth ( Bush and Middlewood, 1997, p.40 ) who writes that: â€Å" The caputs take an active involvement in the instructors ‘ work and lives ; they attend to instructors ‘ person and corporate demands and involvements ; they set up ways in which staff can portion and speak about their work in the schoolrooms ( e.g. demoing assemblies, staff meetings, informal visits by the caput to instructors in their schoolrooms after school ) † . Acting in this manner, most of the headteachers seek to set up and keep an organisational civilization that facilitate openness, sharing and communicating in their schools.

Behavioral Contract

I have always loved to watch movies and television shows but I guess it was an addiction already for the past couple of months. I can say that I am very much hooked in watching the television for the past seven months. I love the thrill, happiness, suspense I feel whenever I watch something on television. Whenever I am at home, my whole day would be spent in front of the television. I sometimes skip meals just to watch my favourite movie or a certain talk show.Sometimes I even do not take a bath just to keep track of what I am watching. I love watching those shows that exposes the current fashion, recent social issues, and television magazines, shows that tells Hollywood celebrities’ lives and most of all, movies like suspense thriller, horror, love stories and fairy tales. For me it is the source of my enjoyment, I sometimes forget to study and read books.I think too much watching the television causes great effects in my being. We cannot deny the fact that the youth are grea t imitators and that is one of our natures. We really follow and imitate what we see and observed from other people especially when we realize that these people involved manifests excitement in doing such acts and we see these people as beautiful and attractive as they could be; we tend to idolize and mimic it.Present television’s advertisements, commercials, shows and movies already content acts and scenes that indicates discrimination if one has an unacceptable look physically and intellectually as perceived by the society, as what is being showcased in the standards of the society; that to be beautiful is to have a white complexion, tall, slender, witty and sexually appealing which have great impact to the minds of the younger generations.These kinds of entertainments will create curiosity and puzzlements to our young minds that will push us to try it by ourselves. This does not concern only the advertisements but also talk shows and movies. They tackle and expose about se x and relationship, love affairs that sometimes we are so caught up with these ideas, which we tend to forget our other responsibilities. I think being bored triggers my addiction to television.I want something to entertain me so that I do not get too alone. Sometimes I get bored just studying and doing other things, but when it comes to television, I really can’t feel ennui at all. I really feel entertain by the television. I should control my being hooked on television and might as well eliminate it. I should discipline myself and have self control. Within 2 weeks I should minimize my television viewing and by the end of month I must have eliminated this behaviour already.If I spend too much of my time in front of the television then I will ask my mother to deduct my allowance by 50%, I will not be able to go on a night out during Fridays, I will not be allowed to wake up late during weekends, lastly I will not be able to go out with my friends during week ends. If I will n ot comply with the contract then my punishment for myself will be destroy all my shoes and sandals and I will come to school on slippers for one day. While if I will be able to follow all the terms in the contract and comply with it then I my reward will be, spending the whole weekend in my favourite beach resort and hotel. Behavioral Contract I have always loved to watch movies and television shows but I guess it was an addiction already for the past couple of months. I can say that I am very much hooked in watching the television for the past seven months. I love the thrill, happiness, suspense I feel whenever I watch something on television. Whenever I am at home, my whole day would be spent in front of the television. I sometimes skip meals just to watch my favourite movie or a certain talk show.Sometimes I even do not take a bath just to keep track of what I am watching. I love watching those shows that exposes the current fashion, recent social issues, and television magazines, shows that tells Hollywood celebrities’ lives and most of all, movies like suspense thriller, horror, love stories and fairy tales. For me it is the source of my enjoyment, I sometimes forget to study and read books.I think too much watching the television causes great effects in my being. We cannot deny the fact that the youth are grea t imitators and that is one of our natures. We really follow and imitate what we see and observed from other people especially when we realize that these people involved manifests excitement in doing such acts and we see these people as beautiful and attractive as they could be; we tend to idolize and mimic it.Present television’s advertisements, commercials, shows and movies already content acts and scenes that indicates discrimination if one has an unacceptable look physically and intellectually as perceived by the society, as what is being showcased in the standards of the society; that to be beautiful is to have a white complexion, tall, slender, witty and sexually appealing which have great impact to the minds of the younger generations.These kinds of entertainments will create curiosity and puzzlements to our young minds that will push us to try it by ourselves. This does not concern only the advertisements but also talk shows and movies. They tackle and expose about se x and relationship, love affairs that sometimes we are so caught up with these ideas, which we tend to forget our other responsibilities. I think being bored triggers my addiction to television.I want something to entertain me so that I do not get too alone. Sometimes I get bored just studying and doing other things, but when it comes to television, I really can’t feel ennui at all. I really feel entertain by the television. I should control my being hooked on television and might as well eliminate it. I should discipline myself and have self control. Within 2 weeks I should minimize my television viewing and by the end of month I must have eliminated this behaviour already.If I spend too much of my time in front of the television then I will ask my mother to deduct my allowance by 50%, I will not be able to go on a night out during Fridays, I will not be allowed to wake up late during weekends, lastly I will not be able to go out with my friends during week ends. If I will n ot comply with the contract then my punishment for myself will be destroy all my shoes and sandals and I will come to school on slippers for one day. While if I will be able to follow all the terms in the contract and comply with it then I my reward will be, spending the whole weekend in my favourite beach resort and hotel.

Sun to electricity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sun to electricity - Research Paper Example Most of other energies used are usually run by fossil fuels, which are non-renewable, and, therefore, their supply is limited because they cannot be easily replaced. The suns energy is in abundant, and the various technologies can harness its power, which can be stored to be used at other times or immediately. The sun can, therefore, produce more electricity than any other form of energy production and the only equipment needed is that for harnessing and storing electricity. As a result, countries need to come up with efficient methods of harvesting the sun on a larger scale that has been previously. The report is going to focus on the harvesting of the suns energy and the consequent conversion of solar energy into electricity. It uses photovoltaic cells, which are embedded in the solar panel. The solar panel is made of silicon, which has various impurities added to it. Panels are either monocrystalline or polycrystalline. The resultant mixture of silicon with impurities creates a medium that converts the sun’s energy into electricity. The suns energy as compared to other reforms of energy like geothermal and nuclear energy stands out as one of the cleanest forms of energy. As a result, it does not have adverse effects on the environment. The equipment used in generating the power is not complicated, and any person can use them quite easily. Converting the sun’s energy (solar energy) into electricity follows various processes. Different photovoltaic cells are used in panels to receive the sun’s rays and convert the harvested solar energy into electricity with photovoltaic cells (Oxlade, 2008). The collected electrical energy is stored in batteries, which are later used either during the day or at night. Other technologies like collecting the suns energy using thermos electric effect have come into play where they use parabolic discs. Thermal electric devices use heat from the sun. The suns energy

CAN CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AS A MARKETING STRATEGY CAN LEAD Essay

CAN CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AS A MARKETING STRATEGY CAN LEAD AIRLINES COMPANY IN UK TO SUCCESS - Essay Example As per Federal Aviation â€Å"the basic concepts and ideology that make CRM successful with aviation air crews have also proven successful with other related career fields. Several commercial aviation firms, as well as international aviation safety agencies, began expanding CRM into air traffic control, aircraft design, and aircraft maintenance in the 1990s specifically, the aircraft maintenance section of this training expansion gained traction as Maintenance Resource Management† (2000). The deeper the affiliation the airline holds with these customers, the more opportunities there will be for advertising supplementary harvest and services. However, with the appearance of e-business and the innovative economy, the challenges of building physically powerful consumer interaction have become even bigger (Jiang , 2007). Airlines strive to expand market share and maintain productivity recently to meet challenges of aggressive environment, they ought to handle their customer relationships to maximize customer reliability and income (Boland, 2002). Burgoon stated that â€Å"Pilots and flight attendants need to understand the basic psychology of group dynamics and the positive effect that pre-flight briefings can have between groups. Many pilots and flight attendants may have never worked together before and yet both of these groups tend to remain isolated before, during, and after a flight. Some captains are better with an introduction and a briefing than others. But overall, there tends to be a "chill in the air" during pre-flight routines. The importance of an introduction and briefing cannot be overstated; a simple handshake or congenial gesture may be all that is required to build trust and camaraderie† (Burgoon, 1991). Necessitate to magnetize, gain, influence, and preserve customers is still of crucial anxiety to most businesses. Several studies manuscript that the middling company

I am a nurse nursing students learn the art and science of nursing Article

I am a nurse nursing students learn the art and science of nursing - Article Example The meaning of experience came through in five themes that were threads throughout the responses from the students (Idczak, 2007). The first was fear of interacting with patients in which nursing students talked about how they felt about their first interactions with patients. Those feelings included fear, anxiety, nervousness, and lack of confidence. They did not have the confidence in how they might respond to feel comfortable. They found that they were afraid to ask RN's on the floor and so they were dealing with these feelings alone. Developing confidence was a second issue in which nursing students felt insecure, however, most of them felt that if they performed skills well that their level of confidence improved rapidly and that this confidence then helped with their interactions with patients. Becoming aware of oneself was felt to be something that was needed in order to interact well with patients. These nursing students felt that they developed self awareness through : "reflecting on their thought, reflecting on an interaction with a patient, comparing their thoughts to the actions of another nurse, and seeing inner role conflict" (Idczak, 2007 pg. 69). Nursing students must connect their new found knowledge of the science of nursing with their need for the art of nursing and their ability to interact with patients.

Emotional intelligence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Emotional intelligence - Research Paper Example With emotional intelligence, good rapport is created in the workplace and hence a guaranteed performance increase which is an indication of success in management (Groves & Vance, 2009). Emotional sensitivity is all about knowing the right thing to right depending on the situation without worsening it already. Literacy enables an understanding of the different techniques a manager can use to be able to communicate with employees. A combination of the two skills; emotional sensitivity and literacy are therefore necessary if a manager is to have an effective team of employees and be able to manage them effectively (Emmerling & Boyatzis, 2012). The dangers with the lack of the two skills above in a manager will most likely cause ineffective communication with the employees and this will definitely harm the patients who will be on the receiving end by the employees who are angry and dissatisfied and hence distracted in their duties. The nursing employees are required to be emotionally in line and pay full concentration when attending to patients and this can be determined by the manager (Codier, Muneno, Franey & Matsuura,

Berkshire Hathaway Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Berkshire Hathaway Inc - Essay Example Buffett claims that the prices of gas have to increase in order for the company to have the ability to pay its debts. He does not end the interview without mentioning that he made a big mistake by purchasing BNSF because the energy future was facing bankruptcy simply because of their unpaid loans that were maturing. However, Buffett always has plans to reduce prices of gas in the future, such as seen when he agrees to a purchase price, which is the first solar plant, which will be offering the cheapest electricity in the U.S. Therefore, NV energy agrees to give just $0.0387/KWh for solar electricity that is from the 100 MW play a solar 2 projects which are being in U.S by the thin film company first solar. In addition to that, the NV energy power price is now entitled to be as low as possible.Buffett usually emphasizes on investing in companies, which will be more profitable for several decades, this is seen through the Suncor Company, which is profitable in all environments as when oil profits are lower, the initial downstream profits of the company tend to help in compensating their upstream losses. Rail freight and truck freight is almost the same, but the only difference depends on the commodity being transported, maximum speeds, loading and also stopping patterns like braking (Lei, n.d.). However, in most cases, rail freight is normally more energy efficient than the truck because of the low rolling resistance of the steel wheel that moves on a steel rail.

Classical cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Classical cultures - Essay Example The essay analyses these texts to find out how the issues of men-women relationship and their roles in society have been discussed by the ancient Greek historians and writers in their works. The Greek play Lysistrata written by Asistophanes is one of the few survived Greek plays. It tells the tale of a woman who decided to carry on extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian war. The play has been written in a comical style and impressively depicts the status of men and women and their relationship in the Greek society. The play focuses upon the war between Athens and Sparta and the quest of a woman to stop the war. The play shows that the men used to enjoy all the powers and authorities in the Greek society but they took the state towards the state of war because most of them lack wisdom, common sense and peaceful nature. The Greek women however have been portrayed with her love for peace and love. The play shows the women generally have a weak place in the Greek society however, their just desires, unity and courage made them stronger and influential in the society. The position of women in Greek society and the perception of men about them and their relationship are clearly depicted in the dialogues spoken by the main character Lysistrata . She arranged a meeting for the women of the community but when they failed to reach within time she was disappointed that the women are burdened by men with lots of responsibilities that that their freedom is badly affected. She said with her neighbour Calonice. My heart's on fire, Calonice—I'm so angry At married women, at us, because, Although men say we're devious characters (Asistophanes , line10-11) The play shows that the men in Greek society commonly view women as a source of sexual relations. They limit them to their domestic lives and home routines and never bothered to give them any active role in the society. But the women still worked to teach lesson of peace to the men. The men were not only attract ed to the wisdom of the women words but they also feel attractive towards their message due to their beautiful body. The play shows the power of sexuality, beauty and strong thoughts that enabled women to play important role in the society during the war time. Another important text that tells about men and women relationship and their role in the Greek society is the ancient Greek tragedy The Bacchae written by Euripides. It is the story of a young Greek god compelling others to accept and worship him as God. The play talks about the dominating role of men in the Greek society. The men are depicted having the power to take command over the women. The King Dionysus gathered cult of female worshipers and drive them to sing and dance in his praise. He also prepared them to fight against the men however when the King Pentheus was returned to his city he strictly dead with the madness of the fighting women and jailed many of the women. The play shows that the women were widely used by m en as a mean of gaining different type of benefits and favours. They are oppressed to act in certain manner and the men having power influence their acts towards certain direction. The play shows weak position of women in the society having lack of authority and decision making power to direct their lives and actions. The play starts with the dialogues of the Dionysus depicting his proud and

Marketing Strategies of Newspapers Essay Example for Free

Marketing Strategies of Newspapers Essay The newspaper market, like other markets have become competitive to the extent that survival requires a lot of creativity and innovation in the way the business is conducted. This is the situation in which the three major newspapers on the Zambian market, i.e the Post, the Times of Zambia, and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers find themselves. Currently, the Post newspaper is the market leader with a market share of eighty percent (80%), the Times of Zambia newspaper and the Zambia Daily Mail, together with the rest of the other newspapers share the remaining twenty percent (20%). For this study, the focus is on three newspapers, The Post which is a privately owned newspaper and the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail which are stated owned newspapers. The difference in performance amongst these three newspapers has also been reflected in the differences in the readership of the three (3) newspapers which is indicated below. Source: Synovate Research Center 2005 For any of these papers to gain competitive advantage and long term profitability, there is need to come up with a proper business approach. One such approach is a proper understanding and management of the common business parameters like the quality of the product, the pricing of the product, the distribution of the product, and the promotion of the product. A newspaper firm can then formulate appropriate differentiation strategies based on the above parameters which are commonly known as the four ‘Ps’ of the marketing mix (Kotler, 2003:15). The discrepancies in the market share prompted the researcher to look at the business management aspect of the three newspapers, i.e.how they were applying and using the four ‘Ps’ of the marketing mix. The aim was to determine how the three newspapers were utilizing the elements of the marketing mix in order to gain competitive advantage on the Zambian market. Essentially, this is a comparative study which looks into how the three newspapers were utilizing the marketing mix to increase their market shares. The study was expected to reveal the differences in the usage of the marketing mix and show whether this had a significant impact on the market shares of the three papers. This is not withstanding the fact that the performance of an entity is dependent on the various functional areas of business management. However, in this particular case, what was being put to test was the functional area of marketing, and in this case the application of the elements of the marketing mix. The liberalization of the Zambian economy in 1991 saw the emergence of various entities on the Zambian market. This included the print media. The Post newspaper is one such paper that emerged as a private owned newspaper. Prior to 1991, there were mainly two dominant papers, i.e. the Times of Zambia, and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers. For this study, the focus was on one private newspaper, i.e the Post newspaper, and the state owned newspapers, i.e. The Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers. Currently, on the Zambian market, the Post newspaper is the market leader with a market share of eighty (80%) percent by far surpassing the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail which fall into the remaining twenty (20%) percent. This poses the question of why should a newly born newspaper, i.e the Post Newspaper, out match the old newspapers like the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers. Obviously, the market share has to do with the acceptability of the paper. And from a business management point of view, this acceptability is dependent on the paper’s marketing strategies which are based on the marketing mix. Hence the reason for the research in this area. The history of each of the above stated newspapers is as follows: †¢The Times of Zambia newspaper The Times of Zambia is a national daily newspaper published in Zambia. During the colonial period this newspaper was known as The Northern News. It was founded in 1944 as a twice-weekly newspaper aimed at a European readership, owned first by Roy Welensky and then by the South African newspaper chain Argus. Argus then sold the paper to Lonhro, under which it was renamed the Times of Zambia on 1 July 1965. Lonhro had just bought out Heinrich Brewery which had briefly operated a daily, The Zambia Times and weekly Zambia News. Criticism of the government under the editorship of Dunston Kamana in the early 1970s and the change of the government to a one party state led to the purchase of Times of Zambia by the United National Independence Party (UNIP) government who then appointed its own editor, Vernon Mwaanga, in 1972. When the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) came to power in November 1991, it went to court claiming UNIP had illegally taken over the newspapers. The courts found in favour of the MMD, and ruled that the papers ownership be transferred to the Zambian Government. The Times of Zambia is now owned by the Zambian Government. After the independence of Zambia in 1964, the print media was run by the private sector with Times of Zambia then been published by Lonrho and the name Daily then Central African Mail was run by Scott and Astor. In 1969 it was purchased by the ruling United National Party (UNIP) (Banda, 2004). In 1983, the newspaper industries along with most other industries were nationalized as part of government’s humanism. The two newspapers were then turned into government companies and heavily subsidized by the government. In 1990, there was the introduction of multiparty government and an open, market –driven economy. Privately owned newspapers were reintroduced and according to the National Archives (2003) 137 publications, both newspapers and magazines, were registered between 1991 and 2002. Most of the registered newspapers were either aborted or died soon after the first few issues. The cover price of the newspapers has remained the same in Zambia at K3000.00 with new newspapers coming in and offering a lower price and then failing to survive all together. The other sources of income for newspapers are through the advertising which has grown with newspapers getting more and more expensive. This case research is intended at studying the various marketing strategies used by newspaper companies in Zambia and how they can increase competiveness. My aim is to find out the current marketing strategies of the major newspapers in Zambia, namely The Post, Daily Mail, Times of Zambia, The Guardian and The Mirror. The purpose of the study is to understand the current marketing strategies and come up with recommendations to increase competitiveness in this sector. 1.2 Background to the study After the introduction of the multi-party system and the subsequent liberalization of the economy, in Zambia, in 1991, the country saw the emergence of various types of privately owned newspapers in addition to the two regular newspapers, i.e The Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail. In all, the mid 1990s, there were several privately owned newspapers in addition to the two regular state owned newspapers stated above. What transpired is that some private newspapers came and went, whilst the two state owned newspapers have failed to be competitive and increase their market shares, but they have survived through Government subsidies. However, one privately owned newspaper, the Post Newspaper, has continued to grow its market share and today it is the market leader in its relevant market. The question of interest to the researcher is to determine the type and effectiveness of the marketing strategies that the Newspapers are using to increase their market share in the relevant markets. 1.3 Research Problem  Since the Liberalization of Zambia’s economy in 1991, several private newspapers have emerged to join the already existing state owned ones. However, most of the privately owned newspapers have collapsed, and the two state owned ones are failing to increase their market, but are surviving on Government subsidies. But one private newspaper, the Post, has continued to thrive to become the market leader. There is still very little competition in this industry with only a few as newspapers surviving and one major newspaper The Post is getting 80% of the market share (Banda 2004). Given this background, the researcher wants to determine the type of marketing strategies newspapers use, and the extent to which these marketing strategies are effective. Consequently, this will help the managements of the newspapers to improve their marketing strategies so as to provide quality services to their customers, and thereby increase their market share and competitivene ss.

Hospitality Industry PESTEL Analysis

Hospitality Industry PESTEL Analysis The process of conducting research on the business environment within which the organization operates and on the organization itself, in order to formulate and implementation of strategy for future business operations can be mentioned as Strategic analysis of hospitality organization. To do the assessment can use number of tools to process of strategic analysis, including PEST (sometimes PESTLE) for analyze external environment and, SWOT analysis use for the internal environmental scanning, and Michael Porters five forces model use to assists to understand the competitive forces, the attractiveness and current position in the industry. An effective way to know the past, present and future potentials regarding the industry development is analyzing the industry background as the part of strategic analysis. The External analysis can assess the factors affecting the industry to be existed including political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental which have great impacts to run the business and use PESTLE analysis. In any industry which it is domestic or international, whether relating to products or services, the rules of competition are personified in five competitive forces of entry of new competitors, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and rivalry among the existing competitors. According to Porter, one of the crucial determinants of firm profitability is industrial attractiveness. In this assignment, a strategic analysis of the Galadhari hotel which is in hospitality industry has been done through the combination of both theoretical and practical facts regarding this property including organizational background and industry background of this hospitality sector in Sri Lanka, an assessment of the forces affecting the external environment (the use of PESTLE analysis) and an assessment of the attractiveness of this industry (the use of Porters 5 forces) regarding the future strategic action to grab more hospitality market share. Background of the industry and about Organization By concerning about the Sri Lankan market of tourism there can be seen growth in the tourist market. All this euphoria gives rise to the doubt about whether Sri Lanka Tourism is well on the way to recovery and growth or not. For the last seven months that ended July this year (2010), arrivals are up almost 50% year-on-year (YOY) (341,991), with income also keeping pace at 69% growth (Quarter 2; US$ 244.5 million). The hotel and travel Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) index has been increased by almost 200% for 2009. Today tourism is running on everyones minds, and it is difficult to open a local newspaper without seeing at least one written article on tourism. The reason for the dramatic improvement in Sri Lankas tourism data is the victory of war in May 2009. This would be a remarkable result when compared with other regional tourism destinations. Another reason for this improvement was the leader of the terrorist has killed and there is reason for cautious optimism that the social situation in Sri Lanka can improve rapidly. We can hope the company can take advantage of the peace dividend by increasing the number of destinations the airline serves. Hotel Galadhari is one of the leading five star luxury hotels in the Sri Lanka. The story of the Galadari Hotel, Colombo which opened its doors in 1984, is a splendid tale of continual improvement of product and highest standard of quality in hospitality over the past 25 years. The vision beliefs of the hotel is firmly grounded in extending a true personalized service to all our guests, laced with an unforgettable luxury hotel experience with the finest traditions of international hotel-keeping. The Galadari Hotel, Colombo, meticulous about maintaining the privacy of its guests has drawn in many an elite personality from around the world such as heads of government, prime ministers of leading nations, royalty, well known sports music personalities over the past two and half decades. Situated in Colombo city with many a historical building within walking distance and a panoramic view of the magnificent Indian ocean, the Galadari Hotel offers a rich blend ofÂÂ  service and quality in five star luxury living with 450 room super luxury hotel in Sri Lanka that overlooks the Indian Ocean and is adjacent to the Presidential Secretariat, Banks and the World Trade Center, with easy access to the shopping areas in Colombo. In hotel they are so many facilities are available, coffee shop lobby bar, chines restaurant, Scheherazade Arabic restaurant, pastry shop and garden terrace, karaoke, pub and also have health club and pool, body care and massage therapy ,bed-and-breakfast hospitality properties are available to accommodate the guests and the basic requirements of their comfortable stay. Hospitality sector is a great source of income generation for the new investors.For instance, annual turnover (in2008) was Rs. 164 (million), operating profit (in2008) was Rs.13.65(million), growth in turnover (in 2009) was 25 percent, number of rooms is 450 rooms, average occupancy rate was 80 percent and growth in local hospitality sector is 15 percent. Now, it is easy to understand that how much revenue earning Galadhari hotel in its sector of hospitality. Mission of Hotel Galadari We are exceptional operators of contemporary 4 and 5 star hotels and create value in every encounter with our owners, guests and associates. Vision Exceptional and personalized service, exceeding expectations, and inspiring a connection to our brand in the experiences we provide. Values Exceptional Service Company understand that the value can be created with every encounter and this is reflected in its superior standard of service. Integrity honest and straightforward in our interactions with hotel owners, guests, colleagues and the communities in which hotel operate Respect Hotel Galadari respect the objectives of our stakeholders, the values of its guests, and the cultural difference in the locations that it operate. Teamwork and Passion We bring our individual expertise, creativity and passion for industry as a Hotel Galadari team member. Continuous Improvement Hotel is innovative and utilizes best practices to continually improve its management techniques, and the quality of products and services. Strengths and Weakness Strengths Visitors from Western Europe also prefer to stay in hotels in the southern coastal belt where the main attraction is the beaches. So Location of the Hotel Galadhari is strength to the organization to enhance their businesses. There has also been a downturn in the arrival of Indians, who prefer Colombo hotels. Colombo city hotels have been able to maintain higher occupancy levels than hotels on the southern coastal belt because of more business travelers, and special visitors such as those coming for conferences. Hence Galadhari also have more business opportunities in the Colombo city. Since then the leisure sector has under-performed hugely, and Galadhari hotel has more facilities to spend the day more leisurely. Well expertise work group has Galadhari to give satisfied service to their customers Weaknesses The location of the hotel is in the high security zone in Colombo which is Located in Galle Face Green promenade and with views over the Indian Ocean, this property offers a high level of service and security. Hence it could get difficulties to the tourists. Situated right next to the World Trade Center and the Presidents Residence, the hotel enjoys the most secure part of the city. The distance to hotel between airport is very far and gets more time to re ach hotel. It could cause to the business conferences which are held in the hotel. The main purpose of the established of Galadari Hotel is to attract the overseas seminars conferences to the Sri Lanka. Because of the distance to Airport and hotel is too far and get more time to reach to the destination. And also the traffic on the roads is mainly impact to the time it takes to come to the hotel. Because of these reasons the main purpose has not been achieved. Galadhari has only few room facilities and they have enough land to build new hotel rooms in their own land. Hotels Galadhari has high gearing, high costs to maintain staff, and for refurbishment. Factors affecting the external environment in hospitality In strategic planning, external analysis of hospitality industry has been done with the use of PESTLE analysis and Porters 5 (five) forces in defining the strategy, making decisions on allocating resources to pursue the strategy. Source: http://www.sltda.lk/sites/default/files/Statistics_book.pdf (Access: 15th September 2010) Source: http://www.sltda.lk/sites/default/files/Statistics_book.pdf (Access: 15th September 2010) PESTLE Analysis (P)olitical Factors In Sri Lanka it is socialist republic, state. The government is a mixture of the parliamentary and presidential system. Head of the state is president and current President is Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksha and he is the chief of armed forces and head of government. When the companies formulate and implement the strategies the political arena has a huge impact upon the regulation of businesses, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. We have to concern about how stable is the political environment, influence of polices, laws that regulate or tax your business, What is the governments position on marketing ethics, governments policy on the economy, government view on culture and religion, government involvement in trading agreements. State has main responsibility to facilitate to the tourists and funding to the tourism products development projects and do promotions to attract the tourists to the country. On the other hand government has to encourage local and foreign investors to invest their money to develop tourism products and liberate taxes. To growth of the tourism infrastructure facilities are directly affect. So government has the main responsibility to develop and maintain infrastructure. Educated workforce in international standard is also important to give good and satisfactory service to the customers. Because of that government has make rules and regulations to standardize. A change in government party is directly impact to the any industry in the country because their policies it will effect to run the business. When the government strict their security policies it highly impact to the Galadhari hotel. Because tourist who are coming to the hotel. It leads to waste time and may be getting bad image among the tourists. The Tourism Act No 38 of 2005 came into effect in October 2007. With the flow of the new Tourism act, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board Act No 10 of 1966, which was in effect for the past 41 years, was replaced. In terms of the requirements contained in the new act, the Tourism Development Fund was officially constituted, with 2 main sources remitting finances to the fund. By way of 1/3 of the Airport Tax collections and 1% of the Turnover of all Sri Lanka Tourist Board registered establishments. The Act provided for the setting up of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, thereby replacing the Sri Lanka Tourist Board. (E)conomic factors In Sri Lanka it has open economy and the Gross Domestic Pproduct grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% in the country. In Sri Lanka service sector is strong in the economy and it indicate 58%, fro agriculture its 12.8% and from industry 29.2%. Almost everyone talks about Sri Lanka tourism being the engine of growth and expects it to play a pivotal role in the economy and it has improved in 6% in this year. Tourism give benefits to the economy as well as it are the cost to the economy. Tourism process also involves economic costs, including the direct costs incurred by tourism businesses, government costs for infrastructure to better serve tourists, congestion and related costs borne by individuals in the community. Economic impacts are also become crucial factors in marketing and management decisions which are directly effecting. Communities therefore need to understand the relative importance of tourism to their region, state or community. Tourism provides great opportunities for regional development particularly for regional areas undergoing structural change. Being a labor intensive industry, with the right motivation tourism can deliver great employment and training opportunities particularly for young people who like to be professionals in this field. (S)ocial Factor Sri Lanka being a multi-religious, multi-ethnic country with a population of 22 million pluss Lankan culture is a rich blend of the interaction of diverse cultural patterns both indigenous and derived from, trade, religions which are Buddhism 69%, Islam 15%, hinduism 8%, Christianity 8%. The cultural patterns of Sri Lanka today show the lasting impact of a diverse range of cultures.. The overall culture is largely the result of the impact of the introduction of Buddhism, more than 2,300 years ago and Hinduism the second most prevalent religion in Sri Lanka. This does not erase the heavy influence of Hinduism, together with the lesser impact of Islam, and Christianity. By concerning about the education background the literacy rate of 92%, and 83% of the total population having had secondary education in the country. Sri Lanka has one of the most literate populations amongst developing countries. Tourists appreciate the hospitality of Sri Lankan People. When the hotel Galadhari provide the services like cabare dancing, supplying prostitutes are not suitable to the Sri Lankan culture. The bad effects of the tourism can said that tourism has affected the values of our people, particularly our youth. It is true that some tourists engage in anti social acts. Some of the tourists are drug addicts or perverts and corrupt our youth and they spread incurable diseases such as aids. But we should keep in mind that all the tourists are not black sheep. (T)echnological Factors Technological factors are also important fact which effect to the hotel industry in many ways which are comprises the utilization of the latest inventions and technologies facilitate the business activities which are digital telephone facilities, broadband Internet connection, Wi-Fi technology, multimedia projector, LCD screens, online reservation systems, property management software and online information exchange program (Point of Sale) etc. Now a days technology is rapidly changing in the world day by day. As the five star hotel Galadhari should doubt to the new technology in the market. It will help the organization to have competitive advantages. Technology can used to reservation, online services like online booking, do the promotions. The rapid development of technology is affecting the businesses in Sri Lanka and all over the world. Changes in the technology have changed the way businesses operate i.e. Internet booking for tickets and holidays. Faster changing development in technology creates a need to react quickly for different businesses in order they want to maintain the competitive environment by providing the same innovative services, which their competitors are offering. Distribution of products by the use of technologies. (L)egal Factor When concerning about the legal factors include tourism act, discrimination law, consumer law, employment law and health and safety. These factors can affect how a hotel operates, its costs, and the demand for its products in tourist industry. The Tourism Act No 38 of 2005 came into consequence in October 2007. With the flow of the new Tourism act, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board Act No 10 of 1966, which was in achieve for the past more than forty years, was replaced. In conditions of the supplies controlled in the new act, the Tourism Development Fund was legally constituted, with two main sources remitting funds to the fund. By way of 1/3 of the Airport Tax collections and 1% of the earnings of all Sri Lanka Tourist Board registered establishments. Attracting and promotion is handled by the Tourism Promotion Bureau. Tourism HRD functions and the Hotels School operations are undertaken by the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism Hotel Management. The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau was also restructured as a statutory body like other Institutions to be managed by an independent Board of Management (E)nvironmental Factor Hotel Galadhari is situated in the Colombo and in Colombo it hasnt proper drainage disposal system and the hotel dispose its drainage to the sea. Because of that so many environmental issues occurred around that. When we promote tourism there are thousands and thousands of tourists unleashed annually in the country, without proper planning, there is bound to be serious environmental and sustainability issues. Such large-scale and fast track growth has to be carefully planned and managed within specific tourism zones to prevent environmental and cultural degradation. Individual hotel developments will not suffice. Such well-planned, large-scale tourist resorts can be designed to encompass sound sustainable environmental practices (e.g., common self-contained sewage disposal facilities with recycling of water, solar lighting for resort public areas, no-build green belts within resorts, etc). Such organized and well-managed, large-scale developments contained in several designated zones will help mitigate most of the possible negative fallout of the socio-cultural and environmental aspects. Building and subsequent maintenance should be under strict environmentally-sustainable guidelines. Hotel industry directly affect to the environmental pollution in the country. As the five stars category hotel, Galadhari has the responsibility to protect our environment and also developments in the country and have to think about the pollution Assessing the Attractiveness of the Hotel in the Industry Threat of new entity According to tourism act the new entrant has to abide by this regulation to establish a hotel as well as charges for the services. In the business arena, the number of competitors increases when any business organization makes good profit and has a good potentiality for future. According to current situation, entry barriers are high and exit barriers are low, few new firms can enter into the industry and poorly performing firms can easily exit. After the war Sri Lankan government has opened the market to new investors to invest their money to build new hotels as the hotel industry is now booming in the country. In that situation so many hotels are building in the north area and customers willing to go in those areas. New entities are use new technology and specialist knowledge to develop their business and it may be affect growth of the business of Galadhari hotel. There are factors related with the threats of new entrants in the hotel industry in Sri Lanka which are as follows- Easy credit facilities for new entrepreneurs in hospitality industry and Legal supports from the government for local entrepreneurs Infrastructure development Policies for foreign investors to establish world-class organization including tax exemptions, ownership, duty, tax law and remittance, National Tourism Policy and Vision to boost up the tourism and hospitality industry, Fewer numbers of competitors in the current marketplace. (Only 5 five-star hotels in Sri Lanka). Higher profit margin Threat of substitute products As the hotel industry specifically targets on accommodation, entertainment and fooding facilities, the substitutes of these facilities may include other food industries (fast food and restaurants), entertainment (bar, discos, clubs etc.) and for accommodation facilities sharing with private establishment (visiting friends and relatives) and others related with accommodation facilities. Every customer looks for high perceive value in their owned products. Substitute products are goods and services from outside a given industry that perform similar or the same function as a product that the industry produces. In this context, many organizations focus on their competitors rather than substitute products and the market share declines concurrently, therefore the market strategies should be flexible to cope with such threats. In the hospitality industry, the substitutes may include various types of guest houses, inns, motels, private-owned guest houses, condominiums, small boutique hotels, bread-and-breakfast hotels and apartment hotels which might be the threats for a specific star-category hotel like Galadhari. In this current marketplace, there are many substitutes of the star-category hotels in Colombo for accommodation Jaj -Samudra, Gall face Hotel, Hilton, Mount Lavinia,.; for food KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, BFC, Pizza Corner, Dominos Pizza etc.; for entertainment night Clubs, many more which might distract the customers rather than the hospitality industry to have the products and services of a hotel. Competitive Rivalry among existing players In the conventional financial mock-up, contest between rival companies drives profits to zero and is not ideal and companies are not simple inactive price takers. Rather, companies struggle for a competitive benefit over their rivals. The strength of rivalry among firms varies across industries, and tactical analysts are paying attention in these differences. In this current competitive period, the tough contest among business organizations increases when number of competitors are in the same marketplace based on their products categories, target markets, types of services, financial affordability, volume of the organization, profitability and potentiality of the market trends for long term business. In this case, price discount, special offers, lower profit margin and turn down in the market share are generally occurring between competitors. In Colombo, the rivalry among competitors is really high as this hospitality is a booming sector in Sri Lanka and only few competitors in the five-star category hotels in Sri Lanka to serve the customers. Moreover, the customers are trying to defend each other through products variation, service quality improvement, defining new target markets, exploring new products innovation and development and providing exclusive facilities to the guests. The competitive rivalry is happening in hospitality industry in the Sri Lanka and it is also affect to the hotel like Galadhari. When the company implements their strategies they should have Varity in their products and services. Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers can play one of the main roles in developing or declining the reflection of an organization .When the suppliers are more, the bargaining power of them generally goes down whereas fewer suppliers can demand more benefits from the organization. Suppliers are those firms or individuals that provide contribution into the creation of an industrys production on time. It could be in forms of resources and raw materials, services, employment, direct products and others obligatory stuff by the organization. Now a day most of the services have out source in the companies. In the hotel industry, the suppliers are involved in various departments including rooms, food and beverages, IT, guest and travel bookings, security assurance, property management, transport, ensuring business facilities etc. The suppliers in case of hotel of Galadhari is including travel agents and tour operators for guest reservations as well as corporate clients, educational institutions for manpower supply, IT firms for property management software and IT solutions, local importers for international food and beverages supply, security agents for safety and security, local rent-a-car for special arrangement etc. Bargaining power of customers One of the main parties is customer in every organization. Customers mean consumers or intermediaries those who buy the production of an organization to have or resell it to someone else in the market. If there are various products and huge competition, customer bargaining power rises up and vice versa. The bargaining power of customers depends on some factors like requirements of the customers, time and convenience to the desired destinations and thus, they can easily toggle into another product. By considering the hotel industry in Sri Lanka, the bargaining power of customers are very high and they have enough options to toggle into another hotels by comparing in terms of costs, quality of service, product categories and special offers provided particularly for group bookings and long-term stay. Sometimes Galadhari hotel has rack rate of the hotel facilities. In the pick seasons like December, the bargaining power of the customers becomes lower and lower. When in the tourism season the hotel has unbearable customers and their bargaining power also very high in this season. 7.0 Conclusion The process of conducting research on the business environment within which the organization operates and on the organization itself, in order to formulate and implementation of strategy for future business operations can be mentioned as Strategic analysis of hospitality organization. To do the assessment can use number of tools to process of strategic analysis, including PEST (sometimes PESTLE) for analyze external environment and, SWOT analysis use for the internal environmental scanning, and Michael Porters five forces model use to assists to understand the competitive forces, the attractiveness and current position in the industry.

How Research Has Changed Nursing At The Bedside Nursing Essay

How Research Has Changed Nursing At The Bedside Nursing Essay Research is crucial in defining the best practices of the nursing profession. It provides a means of ascertaining efficient medical practices and further advancing the existing body of knowledge regarding nursing. This paper therefore seeks to find out how research has revolutionized conventional nursing. The emerging technological changes and adjustments in health care policies have greatly changed the health care environment. This have prompted the nursing profession to re-invent itself to enable it provide satisfactory health care to patients in this new scenario. As part of the changes, nurses contemporarily have a more defined and professional role to play in the health care field. The role of ordinary nurse practitioners has further been widened to prescribe drugs and treat common illnesses, a role previously left only to doctors. Apart from looking after patients under doctors supervision, clinical nurse specialists now make diagnosis on patients and prescribe medication for p atients. How Research has Changed Nursing at the Bedside Nursing research constitutes a systematic inquiry designed to develop, refine and broaden knowledge in the nursing field. The nursing profession is undergoing tremendous changes and experiencing new challenges. To counter these social and technological challenges, the profession must employ patient oriented practices based on reliable findings from research. Research is normally used to assess the impact of nursing care on health of patients and effectiveness of nursing procedures (Gibbs Lowton, 2012). Significance of Research in Nursing Research in this field includes all the aspects of health care that are vital to nursing. These range from disease to injury prevention, promotion of healthy lifestyles and patient support. The changing legal, technological, educational and professional environments are also important areas for research in nursing. All nurses should therefore be involved in the research process though their roles may vary depending on educational and professional qualifications. The knowledge gained though research is crucial in implementing evidence-based nursing practice (Gibbs Lowton, 2012). Research has always been used to guide the nursing practice and nurses efforts to improve patients wellbeing. Positive findings are then adopted into patient while increasing efforts to eliminate sources of patient discomfort. To fit these findings into the clinical setup, the procedure involved their critical analysis and evaluation. By incorporating research findings into clinical practice and evaluating the progress achieved, the gap between researches and actual nursing practice has been effectively reduced (Curie, 2007). Higgins et al., (2010) suggest that clinical research is vital in finding new treatments and improving patient care. Research in nursing has improved amongst others the early diagnosis of patients, providing proper prescription and developing effective processes of looking after patients. Consultant nurses are at the forefront of research since they interact with patients at more personal levels and thus better understand their needs. An example of recent research involved finding ways of reducing accidental falls by hospitalized elderly patients at North Shore University Hospital (North Shore University, 2012). The use of low beds in the acute care setting resulted in elimination of vest restraints and received positive feedback from staff members, ailing patients, and their families. However, consultant research nurses need a thorough understanding of the research process and an in-depth knowledge of the specialty under investigation. Teamwork is also crucial in research investigations to achieve the intended purpose. Each member of the research team has unique skills and expertise to hasten the process. Participants first-hand knowledge further gives researchers better insight into important issues to address that may otherwise be overlooked by clinical officers. Duties of a research nurse include preparing trial protocols and documents for the research. They must also submit study proposals to the relevant legal authorities and coordinate the research to its (Gibbs Lowton, 2012). Accordingly, nurses must play the key role of patient advocacy during research studies to ensure their safety and protection. The patients must further willingly consent to participate in such research. This requires that participating patients be given full information regarding any potential benefits and risks they may be exposed to. It is therefore, crucial for nurses to have excellent communication and other interpersonal skills. Research nurses further need organizational skills in information technology to effectively manage the research process in the new millennium. A solid foundation based on years of experience in nursing is vital to this role. A comprehensive understanding of the specialty of research area and extensive knowledge of the research process and research-related legislation are also crucial. Collaboration with other researchers and members of the multidisciplinary team is crucial for successful research (Gibbs Lowton, 2012). How Research has Revolutionized Nursing The conventional role of the bedside nurse has changed over time due to adoption of technology and changes in the educational curriculum of nurses. Although the traditional role of nurses still guides nurse practitioners, more efficient ways of caring for patients have also emerged. The rapid changes in the health care environment means that nurses cannot only rely on school acquired knowledge but must constantly modernize their practices. According to Young (2012) the changing burden of disease requires a shift from acute care in hospitals to supporting people with long term conditions in the community. This can be facilitated through research to develop more efficient mechanisms of caring for terminally ill patients. Consultant nurses are at the forefront of revolutionizing nursing from the conventional bedside caring role. They are involved in establishing more reliable ways of caring for patients. They are also clinical leaders who can ensure that all quality initiatives are directed towards achieving the best outcomes for patients and to documenting and publishing patient, clinical and service-centered outcomes in ways that allow patients, families and members of the public to see how local healthcare providers perform. Clinical nurse specialists improve patient outcomes and are cost effective, so it is unwise to cut expenditures on health care research (Young, 2012). Darkins (2012) affirms that technological solutions have further modernized the nursing practice from the traditional perspective of bedside caring. Telehealth applications enable nurses hold face to face meetings with patients from remote locations. These applications also assist nurses to monitor patients from diverse localities. For instance, telehealth applications enable nurses to retrieve and transmit patients data in real time from their sick beds. Such technology has helped medical facilities with adequate nursing resources. The new technology has also reduced the need for home visits and 24 hour home based care. By adopting telehealth applications, nurses can extend their knowledge through easy information sharing (Darkins, 2012). The role of implementing recommendations from research is the responsibility of the individual nurse and requires restructuring of the entire health facility. Individual nurses should further be continuously striving to improve their practice to provoke significant change in the health care centre. For nursing practitioners to actually utilize evidence, the proposed solution must both be relevant and appropriate to solving the problem. Evidence Based Nursing Evidence based nursing uses evidence from research to make decisions concerning patient needs (Winters Echeverri, 2012). Based on existing resources and patient preferences, clinical officers are able to implement strategies that best address their patient interests. To gain the full benefits of evidence based nursing, nurses must adopt the most reliable sources of information including medical publications. It uses the premise that outcome on patients is highly dependent on the quality of information and how effectively it is used in decision-making. Evidence based practice seeks to replace the conventional bedside nursing practice. It uses controlled research trials to guide action from research results. It further raises accountability in nursing by identifying the best nursing practices. The major aim of evidence-based practice is to increase patients satisfaction and reduce instances of trial- error treatment. This is achieved through provision of high quality and cost-efficient nursing care. The focus is therefore shifted from common nursing habits and traditions to research oriented nursing. It eventually advances the quality of care provided by nurses (Winters Echeverri, 2012). It is imperative to note that nurses who participate in research projects promote research utilization and are more likely to apply research techniques in their daily practice. Furthermore, nurses who appreciate the significance of evidence-based nursing assume the role of mentoring their colleagues who are yet to realize the impact research inform ation in their duties. Conclusion Nurses are considered as key decision makers within the healthcare team. However, to make the right call, they need reliable and accurate first hand information concerning their patients. This is only possible from conducting accurate research regarding the problem area with clear set objectives (Curie, 2007). Patients provide the most accurate and reliable source of information in nursing research. By applying a holistic approach to patient care, nursing research has developed initiatives that are both effective and widely acceptable. Evidence based practice is a good example of the success of nursing research in patient care. The evidence-based practice decision-making model follows the path of searching, appraising and implementing effective strategies in patient care (Winters Echeverri, 2012). The health sector makes crucial advances daily that constantly expand the boundaries of conventional medicine. Nursing research implements these changes by developing new therapies for pat ients.

The Criminal Justice System Essay examples -- Restorative Justice, Me

The criminal justice system views any crime as a crime committed against the state and places much emphasis on retribution and paying back to the community, through time, fines or community work. Historically punishment has been a very public affair, which was once a key aspect of the punishment process, through the use of the stocks, dunking chair, pillory, and hangman’s noose, although in today’s society punishment has become a lot more private (Newburn, 2007). However it has been argued that although the debt against the state has been paid, the victim of the crime has been left with no legal input to seek adequate retribution from the offender, leaving the victim perhaps feeling unsatisfied with the criminal justice process. Furthermore can formal social control institutions such as the criminal justice system and the government provide the best aspect of producing conformity and law abiding behaviour? Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory is concerned with what effect formal institutions have on conformity in individuals and in particular, how law abiding behaviour is produced due to these institutions (Walklate, 2005). However Wilson (2007) argues that formal methods of social control such as the criminal justice system are merely there to control and segregate delinquents and offenders who have not had adequate socialisation, which is where social mores are learnt and when conformity is produced, and that an alternative form of social control such as restorative justice might produce more effective results. The concept of restorative justice was heavily shaped by the work of John Braithwaite (1989) who in turn was inspired by indigenous practices in New Zealand and Australia, whereby the significance of family value... ...apabilities to deal with this which is not the case so much nowadays as Tony Marshall (1999) argues. There are criticisms over procedures, loss of rights such as an independent and impartial forum as well as the principle of proportionality in sentencing. There is also an unrealistic expectation that restorative justice can produce major changes in deviant behaviour, as there is not enough evidence to support this claim (Cunneen, 2007). Levrant et al (1999) on the other hand suggests that restorative justice still remains unproven in its’ effectiveness to stop reoffending and argues that its appeal lies in its apparent morality and humanistic sentiments rather than its empirical effectiveness. He continues to argue that it allows people to feel better within themselves through having the moral high ground rather than focusing on providing justice to the offender.

The Bluest Eye: How Society Took Pecola’s Innocence Essay example -- T

The immoral acts of society raped Pecola Breedlove, took her innocence, and left her to go insane. The Random House Dictionary defines â€Å"rape† as â€Å"an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation.† The Random House definition perfectly describes what happens to Pecola over the course of the novel. From Pecola’s standpoint, society rapes her repeatedly, by their judgmental attitudes towards everything that she is; she is â€Å"ugly,† she is poor, she is black. In Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Morrison shines a critical light on society, illumining the immoral acts that it participates in, through the story of how a little girl is thrown by the wayside since she does not embody the societal ideal. Instead of one human antagonist for our protagonist, Pecola, we see most of society as the antagonist. The immoral acts of society destroy Pecola Breedlove from the inside out. One of the first immoral acts that society introduces to Pecola is lust – lust for â€Å"whiteness†, for beauty. She is taught from a young age that beauty is one of the standards that she will be held up to. In addition, society tells her that the key of being beautiful is being white, something Pecola never can be. One of the major quotes in the book shows just how powerful common belief can be. â€Å"†¦they stayed there because they believed they were ugly†¦ No one could have convinced them that they were not relentlessly and aggressively ugly,† [Emphasis added] (Pg. 28). Although, Morrison does not actually say that the Breedloves were physically ugly, she implies that society told them they were ugly, therefore they believed they were ugly. This belief came from society setting a standard that Pecola could never reach. Sadly, this poor little girl did n... ...nd Jane† lifestyle that Morrison introduces us into, we see a poor girl that is put down and society rapes. You may think Pecola was just one horribly unlucky child, that her problems are the cause of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, that is a naà ¯ve way of thinking; the evidence obviously shows that Pecola was tormented because society told everyone that she is an ugly â€Å"little black bitch†, that happened to be raped, making her even less human. Therefore, any negative event that happens to her, small or large, is something she is expected to have and she brought it on to herself. To me, the biggest argument that Morrison makes with her first novel is that society is the most powerful judge in our everyday life. If society deems use to be not worthy of its care or time, we should expect hell from it; and Pecola Breedlove is deemed not to be worthy.

The Impact of Midlife Crisis on the Family

The Impact of Mid Life Crisis on the Family By most definitions a â€Å"Midlife Crisis† is defined as an emotional state of doubt, self-reflection and anxiety that is normally associated with age and affects both men and women between the ages of 35 and 55. In his 1965 article â€Å"Death and the Midlife Crisis† for the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, psychologist Elliot Jaques coined the term â€Å"midlife crisis,† referring to a time when adults realize their own mortality and how much time they may have left in their lives.Researchers such as Levinson, Erikson, and many others shortly followed suit finding that there were significant changes for people to go through in midlife. Some of these changes, in addition to time perspective, include reevaluating life values and goals, thinking about one’s own death, and planning the second half of life.Not all researchers believe that people in midlife experience a crisis they believe that midlife is a normal period of transition in a person’s life cycle Mid life is considered to be a major life transition that provides individuals a time to reevaluate expectations and make age-appropriate adjustments to roles and resources. For many, this transition is very productive and leads to needed decisions and changes, and to a focus on the value of interpersonal and intimate relationships. It can also be an opportunity to move beyond previously accepted boundaries and societal constraints.Middle age is also a time in which adults take on new job responsibilities and therefore often feel a need to reassess where they are and make changes while they feel they still have time. This period of life can have positive and negative effects both on the individual and the family unit. If a person understands the process of midlife and can accept the biological and emotional changes; most will be able to navigate successfully through the transition with added confidence and a feeling of comf ort with their self concept and life choices.Whether positive or negative, a life transition causes a person to leave behind the familiar and forces them to adjust to new ways of living, at least temporarily. They can leave people feeling completely unprepared and they may be thrown into a personal crisis, feeling shocked, angry, sad, and withdrawn. It is when events during mid life present a crisis state that the family unit may be adversely affected. Change is inevitable in life. Both positive life transitions and negative ones can create stress for an individual or family.For many people change can feel overwhelming and can lead to symptoms or depression, anxiety, an identity crisis and heartache. Some of the negative feelings that may be felt involve dissatisfaction and may include searching for a new dream or goal, desiring new sexual relationships, needing to feel and stay young, feeling remorse for goals not achieved, placing special focus on physical appearance and resenting obligations to family or aging parents, and â€Å"empty nest syndrome. † The term empty nest syndrome refers to a time of adjustment for parents when their children leave home, especially when the last child leaves home.Understanding the emotional and intellectual stages that people pass through from childhood to retirement years as a member of a family is called the family life cycle. In each stage a person faces challenges in their family life that cause the development and gaining of new skills. The development of these skills helps an individual cope with the changes that every family goes through. The â€Å"launching stage† is the phase of the family life cycle that involves midlife. This is the newest and longest phase in the family life cycle, and for these reasons it is in many ways the most problematic of all phases.In the past, most families were occupied with raising their children for most of their active adult lives. Now, because of the low birth rate and the long life expectancy of adults, most parents launch their children almost 20 years before retirement and must then find other life activities. The difficulties of this transition can lead families to hold onto their children or can lead to parental feelings of emptiness and depression, although, especially for women, this has become increasingly a transition they welcome for the opportunity to explore new pursuits (Walsh, 391).It is also coincides, many times, with the adolescent phase adding extra stress not only on parents but teens as well. Parenting teenagers can be a rough time for the family and test relationship skills. It’s also a time for positive growth and creative exploration for the entire family. The launching phase is a particularly stressful time. It is marked by several aspects; the most significant is the entries and exits of family members. It is also a time when grandparents become ill and die and parents are left with the chore of finding meaningful, new activities.It is also a time when parents see their role change from that of parent to grandparent and also caregiver to their own parents who may have become dependent. The rapid rate of growth of older people (65 years and older, and especially of the oldest old, 85 or older) has created many challenges for family members. Many adult children face the dilemma of providing care for their older relatives, while at the same time, caring for their children. Family members are affected socially, emotionally and financially as they struggle with difficult decisions.While people generally think about changing relationships as losses, centered on separation, divorce or death, relationships can also be viewed as gains, such as new commitment and/or marriage, becoming a grandparent or even a great grandparent. Changing relationships can be high impact transitions, resulting in a change of routines, roles, responsibilities and assumptions Role change within the family can create new or increased interpersonal conflict.When one family member changes roles, other people are forced to make shifts in their own role expectations or behaviors. On the positive side it may be a period of financial freedom giving individuals and couples the opportunity to explore new areas of interest. The launching phase when seen as a normative transition may seem to bring one stage of life to an end and welcome a new stage with new opportunities and roles. On the other hand it may lead to disruption, a sense of emptiness, loss, depression, and general disintegration.Another reason why the launching phase of the family life cycle is especially stressful for parents may be that launching may be postponed for financial reasons or adult children may return home after a divorce. During this time the marital relationship may also need to be restructured when parenting responsibilities are no longer required (Walsh, 391). Men and women approach this time of life differently but the impact on t he family is the same. Strains in midlife marriages are common as children become adolescents and struggle to assert their separate identities.Concerns about offspring can easily crowd out time to attend to the needs of a spouse. Neglecting this relationship affects not only the parents, but children as well. Sometimes this neglect coupled with a divergence of interests and a shift in roles leads to divorce. Divorce breaks down the family structure, and has far reaching effects not only on the divorcing couple and their children but on the extended family, friends, and society as a whole. There is a grieving process that takes place when we are experiencing divorce. It is not unlike the grief we experience when someone dies.The grief includes but is not limited to the loss of a set of expectations; the definition of family; the state of marriage; extended family ties; the ex-spouse; rituals and traditions; the status of being married; financial security; a two parent household; are among the many losses we might endure. There is the feeling of being uprooted and displaced during the divorce process. During this period many of us confront our legal system which can and often does become quite adversarial. The tension of bickering over money, property, kids, custody etc. can escalate and lead to anger, more instability, and a sense of not being understood.Whether a midlife crisis or a midlife transition, men and women entering into this phase of the family life cycle face many obstacles and challenges that may be viewed positively or negatively and the impact on the family may be felt that way as well. If individual identities in earlier stages of life have been developed the more secure the individual will be about the changes that are not only going on with them but with other members of the family as well. Works Cited Walsh, Froma (2003). Normal Family Processes. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. BibliographyCarter B, McGoldrick M (2005). The Expanded Life Cy cle, 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Curro McCarthy N (1994). Health Promotion and the family. In CL Edelman, CL Mandle, eds. , Health Promotion Throughout the Lifespan, 3rd ed. , pp. 179-201. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby. Goldenberg H, Goldenberg I (2008). Family Therapy: An Overview. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. Newman BM, Newman PR (1998). Development Through Life, 7th ed. New York, NY: Brooks/Cole and Wadsworth. Walsh, Froma (2003). Normal Family Processes. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Body Comodification in Maria Full of Grace

Writer and director Joshua Marston’s film â€Å"Maria Full of Grace† chronicles the titular character’s foray into the drug trade. The young girl, in desperate circumstances, wagers that the money promised to her by her drug running employers against the plethora of possible unfortunate outcomes, and when she accepts the job, her body effectively becomes commodified. Maria, in the film, is reduced by her employers from a daughter, sister and expectant mother to little more than a human container, a clandestine vessel to facilitate the import of cocaine into the United States from Columbia. Maria Full of Grace† exposes the methods that drug cartels use to ensure that their shipments arrive to their destinations. The mules are made to swallow pellets of cocaine, and, upon arriving in the United States, excrete them to be sold. This method of delivery is fraught with danger. There is, of course, the possibility that the mules will be discovered by authorities on either side of the border, and smuggling such large quantities of narcotics carries hefty penalties that could see them locked up for life.Another, even more serious threat is that the pellets could, at any time, rupture inside of the mule’s body, which is tantamount to a death sentence. With these dangers being considered, it can be difficult to imagine how someone could allow themselves to be used in such a way, but, luckily, the film includes the necessary motivations. Maria is prompted to become a drug mule when she loses her job de-thorning roses. She had been keeping her struggling family afloat with this occupation, and was in desperate need of employment, especially considering she was pregnant.While all drug mules have various reasons for choosing to use their bodies to transport drugs, most of those reasons are to escape desperate circumstances. The mules are given the opportunity to feed their starving families, to find some solace from their impoverished lives. The mules hold no illusions about becoming rich, they are simply compelled by their lack of options to accept any job that pays well, even if it means risking anything.Drug mules are compelled by desperation into the horrific world of drug smuggling, but the cartels are motivated only by lust for greed and profit. This represents yet another risk that the mules must face. In â€Å"Maria full of Grace† when Lucy falls ill, the cartel members that contact her pay no mind to the fact that she is dying before their eyes. To the drug runners, Lucy has fulfilled her purpose by transporting the cocaine, and they thus have no reason to protect her life. When Lucy dies, she is disemboweled in the bathtub of a hotel room for the drugs she was carrying. nd her body is simply and unceremoniously dumped, this turn of events serves to showcase the fact that the cartels feel no empathy towards the people that they rely upon, for, to them, they are not people, but have been reduced to mere objects. â€Å"Maria Full of Grace† helps to showcase how globalization is allowing human beings to be reduced to commodities. The international trade in drugs makes many unscrupulous people a lot of money, and so, those people are willing to go to any lengths to ensure that the drug trade between nations continues.When border patrol agents, drug sniffing dogs and the coast guard shut down avenues of trade, the cartels turned to the idea of using people as the containers of their wares. This commodification of the human body dehumanizes the mules to such an extent that when they die serving their employers, their thanks is to be cut beyond recognition for their cargo and disposed of, as if they were trash to be thrown out. Joshua Marston’s film perfectly reveals the negative ways in which globalization has led to the commodification of the human body

Influences of the Afghani Culture Essay

Imagine living in a country which is completely different from Canada. The lifestyle of this country will be very different from what you are accustomed to. And the culture will be more different. There are many cultures around the world. Each culture has different beliefs and expectations. The lifestyles of people in these cultures are all influenced by the culture. Based on the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the Afghani culture imposes restrictions on the characters in the novel, consequently resulting in a negative impact on their lives. The Afghani culture inflicts restrictions on relationships, career choices, and household activities. Relationships are an aspect of the characters lives which is restricted by the Afghani Culture. In the Afghani culture, people believe that people should only marry within their own status: â€Å"People scoffed that [he] would never marry well- after all, he was not of royal blood† (Hosseini 16). Thus, due to the cultural influence, marriages between others of a different status are often forbidden. Royalty only weds royalty, poor only weds poor, and people in merchant families only wed people in other merchant families. Henceforth, a negative impact is imposed upon the characters, Baba and Rahim Khan, as they are not allowed to marry whoever they want. Even if marriage with a person of lower status occurred, the spouse â€Å"‘would have suffered, [the] family would have never accepted them an equal. You don’t order someone to polish your shoes one day, then call them ‘sister’ [or ‘brother’] the next’† (Hosseini 105). Furthermore, the relationship between the two castes, the Hazaras and the Pashtuns, are influenced by the Afghani culture, as the Hazaras are considered a lower caste by the Pashtuns: â€Å"[T]he reason Pashtuns had oppresse[d] the Hazaras, was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a† (Hosseini 9). The cultural belief of the Hazaras being an unworthy caste results in restrictions of relationships between the Hazaras and the Pashtuns. Many Hazaras are almost never able to have a positive relationship with Pashtuns, instead they â€Å"have often been persecuted for their distinctive ethnicity and religious beliefs† (â€Å"Hazara†). Therefore, negative consequences are imposed on the Hazaras as they are often faced with a high level of hatred and a low level of respect. In the novel, Ali and Hassan, father and son who are Hazaras, are frequently bullied and teased by many of the Pashtuns in the community. The career choices of the characters in the novel are limited due to the Afghani culture. In the Afghani culture, people believe that people will be more successful in the same career path as their family: â€Å"People were always doubting him. They told Baba that running a business wasn’t in his blood and [that] he should study law like his father† (Hosseini 16). Thus due to the cultural belief of following your family’s career path, people in this culture are often restricted from choosing a career of which they truly desire. If someone was to follow a specific career path which matched their interests but was completely different from the careers of their family, they will be often pressured into not following their dreams. Hence, a negative impact is imposed on people in these situations as they are not able to follow their dreams and do what they wish to do. Similarly, in the novel, Baba’s wishes to become a business man were discouraged and pinned down by his loved ones as it was not a similar career to rest of his family’s. Furthermore, due to the strong discrimination of Hazaras in the Afghani culture, Hazaras will always be servants and cooks: â€Å"What does he know, that illiterate Hazara? He’ll never be anything but a cook† (Hosseini 37). The discrimination in the Afghani culture restricts Hazaras from getting a job other than as a servant or a cook. They will be born into servant families and grow up to be servants and that is how it will always be. Following their dream career paths is restricted by the Afghani culture as they do not have a choice of what career they want. The negative impact, as a result of this cultural restriction, is that Hazaras are never going receive the opportunity of having a career other than a servant or cook. They are always going to be burdened with the fact that they are going to be servants and cooks and nothing else. In the novel, even though Hassan, who is a Hazara, had dreams of having a successful career, he has â€Å"accepted the fact that he’d grow old in that mud shack in the yard as a servant, the way his father had† (Hosseini 62), due to the cultural restrictions in the Afghani culture. Household activities are limited and very specific due to the Afghani culture. There are specific activities which are believed to be sins in the Afghani culture such as drinking because â€Å"Islam consider[s it] to be a terrible sin; those who dr[i]nk would answer for their sin on the day of Qiyamat; judgement day† (Hosseini, 17). The cultural belief of specific activities being sins restricts people from performing these activities. These activities do not only include drinking but other activities as well and therefore many activities are restricted. Therefore, a negative impact is imposed on the people of this culture as they are not able to do some activities, even though might want to. Even if someone was to go against the culture, they would have to do the activity in secrecy or face negative attitudes from everyone else. Additionally in the novel, Baba drank even though it was considered a cultural sin and he received many negative comments from the people surrounding him. Moreover, in the Afghani culture, there are specific guidelines on what food can be eaten and how it should be prepared; â€Å"Baba had hand-picked the sheep again this year†¦ The mullah recites the prayer†¦ The custom is to divide the meat in thirds†¦ The custom in to not let the sheep see the knife. Ali feeds the animal a cube of sugar – another custom to make death sweeter†¦ The mullah grabs it under its jaws and places the blade on its neck†¦ before he slices the throat in one expert motion† (Hosseini, 81). These guidelines restrict the people of this culture of eating specific food. All of their food must be a specific food prepared a specific way because â€Å"the common Islamic food prohibitions are respected in Afghanistan. For example meat is only eaten from animals that are slaughtered according to the Islamic law† (â€Å"Culture of Afghanistan†). Therefore they cannot eat all foods. They are negatively influenced by this cultural belief as they are not allowed to eat whatever they want. They must always make sure they are following the specific food prohibitions and therefore they are not able to try different foods. The Afghani culture imposes restrictions on relationships, career choices and household activities. Overall, many negative impacts of the characters in the novel, The Kite Runner, have occurred as a result of the restrictions placed upon them by the Afghani culture. Although the restrictive attributes of the Afghani culture has a negative impact on the people, it is those same attributes which make it unique from other cultures.