International Marketing - 3 discussion questions Essay

International Marketing - 3 discussion questions - Essay Example One of the differences between domestic marketing and international marketing is that domestic marketing is considered to be easier than international marketing because a company doing local marketing already understands the local/country customs and norms. The focus then is effective marketing. On the other hand international marketing is usually more difficult because literal translation can often turn off prospects. Other differences include the uncertainty of different foreign business environments that are not in domestic marketing. This is because there is a difference in infrastructure, technology, competitive dynamics, legal and governmental restrictions, customer preferences, culture and many additional uncontrollable variables. Organizations should be more concerned about international marketing because their international image should be of more importance to them. Another reason for emphasizing on international marketing is the fact that if an organization has a good international image then automatically its domestic image becomes of a competitive organization that will excel in the future. There are different conditions that have led to the development of global markets. The first condition is the limitation that each and every country cannot produce all the goods and products of their need. Even if they do have the capability then the required quantity is not met. Another important reason is the quality of a product. For example a country might be able to produce a good but another country is making it of a better quality so they will prefer to buy it rather than producing it themselves. There is an increased interest shown by US Organizations in the global markets, the major reason being to boost up the profits. Other reasons are to maintain a high image of the organization domestically, to exploit the international markets where customers want quality products that are

Role of Conflict and Power Essay Example for Free

Role of Conflict and Power Essay The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel about power, justice, and both internal and external conflict. The feelings of jealousy and selfishness are continually shown by at least two of the main characters throughout the story. This is also a story of cultural power brought on by the influences of the Taliban within the Afghan society. Power is a constant theme throughout the novel and ties closely with the conflict in the characters. Amir, is the central character and is shaped both in character and intellect by power. He is privileged and wealthy, but also steeped in jealousy and cowardice. He is selfish and guilty of abhorrent behaviors. The one positive strength Amir has is his friendship with Hassan. Considered best friends this is a friendship that is generally one-sided with Hassan showing the loyalty and trust. There is an ongoing conflict for this friendship because Amir shares paternal heritage with Hassan. Hassan was born into servitude and thus Baba, the boys’ father, cannot lay claim to Hassan’s heritage. The Afghan traditions and culture pose a conflict for Baba regarding Hassan. Hassan for his part is loyal, forgiving, and an all-around pleasant person to be with. The two boys are drawn to each other naturally. Hassan is the family servant and never wavers in his loyalty to the family even with the knowledge that he should be considered part of it. At the same time, Baba struggles with his own morals and the rigid Afghani traditions. He is proud and determined but also emotionally detached from Amir. Amir feels the detachment deeply and constantly strives to receive Baba’s affection. There are several characters that tie into the overall story. Ali is Hassan’s surrogate father and also servant to Baba. Assef is the antagonist for the story along with two other boys; Kamel and Wali. Assef is a bully and an abuser. Ultimately he sexually abuses Hassan and Sohrab, Hassan’s son. Assef feels no sorrow or remorse for his actions and  continues to bully people. In the second half of the novel, Farid, Amir’s driver and friend proves to be a valuable and trustworthy friend eventually helping to search for Sohrab. Sharif, is Amir’s uncle by marriage and also proves to be an asset in bringing Sohrab to the United States. There are many more second class characters within the story that have minor roles to the significance of the story. Communication, or the lack thereof, plays an important part to the story. Baba lacks emotional communication with both Amir and Hassan. For Amir, Baba displays his love with gifts and monetary gains. This leads Amir to feel privileged and entitled. He is a selfish child with no real emotional connection to his father. Amir displays jealousy to anyone receiving Baba’s affection no matter how small the significance. This jealousy is directed at Hassan because Amir is taught to believe that servants are beneath him. Hassan for his part, is a good natured child, he forgives easily and comes across almost as naive. Amir behaves terribly toward Hassan, using passive-aggressive tactics to goad Hassan, which never really works to Amir’s benefit. It becomes apparent that although Amir considers Hassan to be his best friend, Amir struggles with the communication necessary to show his affection. When Hassan is raped, it is because Amir betrays him. It isn’t until well after the rape that a grown Amir can effectively communicate his guilt regarding his role in the rape. This guilt eventually leads Amir to search for Hassan’s son. Communication plays another significant role that closely ties culture and relationships. Afghani culture seems to have a specific role for males; emotions are not shown although there is a deep value on morals. The fact that culture plays such an important part is evident within the relationship between Baba and Hassan. Baba cannot publicly announce that Hassan is his son but he can do small favors and give gifts. He can also treat Hassan as a part of the family with deference to direct heritage; son versus nephew. Communication and culture directly affect the issues of power and conflict within the story and the dialogue between the characters. The greatest source of conflict is caused by the fact that Hassan is Baba’s son. Amir is aware of this fact and reacts negatively. Amir is both jealous and cruel to Hassan, yet he also considers Hassan to be his most important friend. The friendship is generally one-sided with Hassan consistently showing his trust and loyalty to Amir even after the next major conflict occurs, Hassan’s rape.  Hassan’s rape is brought on by Amir’s actions. He wants to be the best kite runner and tries to prove himself during a competition with Hassan at his side. Assef shows his true character within this portion of the novel by sexually abusing Hassan. Amir fails to intervene in the rape of Hassan and subsequently struggles with guilt. Amir attempts to atone for his actions throughout the rest of the book. Part of the conflict for Amir is within himself. He allows and unspeakable act to happen to his best friend, then he feels tremendous guilt about not helping him. This guilt ultimately affects Amir’s character and changes the way he sees things. Assef, Hassan’s rapist, shows the magnitude of his power from the beginning towards both boys but eventually directs his power on Hassan. The primary reason for this is because of the culture and way of life and also Hassan’s status within the community. Conflict ultimately leads to displays of power throughout the book. Power is a cornerstone of the events to the story. It is shown in many differing ways from authority and control to and a means to an end. Assef uses his power to prove his social status. He is demeaning, mean, and a bully to those he considers beneath him. The rape is an effect of Assef’s definition of power. The other real source of power comes from the Taliban regime. The Taliban show power over others because they own it and others do not. Power is exclusive to the Taliban because of control and this allows the Taliban to reign over everyone. Baba feels this power and shows his deference to it by following the rules of the culture. These rules eventually lead to the conflict in the story. Power and control can pave the way for a person to either be held under or to allow them to regain control over themselves. When Amir finally discloses his guilt in the final portion of the book, he shows his own power. Amir is able to gain self-worth through his actions to help Sohrab and thus begins to forgive himself for his role in Hassan’s tragedy. Self-disclosure has a purpose in life and Amir uses it perfectly. He is able to confront his own issues while at the same time offer assistance to another. This is a novel that is worth reading. It gives a unique perspective on Afghani culture that a person wouldn’t normally see. There is culture of rigid rules, family dynamics and secrets, as well as how society rules over people.

Case study of sleep disorder and sleep apnea

Case study of sleep disorder and sleep apnea Sleep disorder is one of the most vital problem face by many people in life. Mostly face by older generations and adults. Sleeping is controlled by hypothalamus which is one of the part of a human brain system. Body temperature in some way controls the activities of ones body, playing a role like a switch for on/off. Higher temperature brings alertness while lower temperature causes sleep. Sleep disorder comes in many different forms like Bruxism, Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), Cataplexy Rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD), insomnia, sleep apnea, night terrors, nightmares and somnambulism. Interfering with normal sleeping habits frequently and continuously can be listed as sleep disorder. Sleep disorder are capable of influencing emotional, physical and mental health of a human being. Moreover, sleeping disorder not only causes trouble to the victim but the person staying in the same house at them. Polysomnography is one of the a test commonly use to test for sleep disor ders. Before the 20th century, sleeping problems are face by many people and theres no cure and research about it but till this century, due to the rapidly increasing knowledge of mankind, many research have been brought up just to find solutions for all diseases. In the UK, most of the research are mainly focus on sleep apnea but not others as a proof that they are lagging on knowledge of sleep medicine and possibility of treatment in other sleeping disorders. There are some general principles of treatment that could be find worldwide but mostly in US. Treatments for sleeping disorders can generally be grouped into four different categories that are behavioural/ psychotherapeutic treatments, rehabilitation, medications and other somatic treatments. Treatments such as this does not provides a 100% success and not suitable for all sleeping disorders. History of different people and medical reports of everyone is so greatly different so it is best to say that specific treatment are given to specific patients diagnosis. Disorders such as narcolepsy are best treated pharmacologically. Chronic sleep disorder influenced 70% of children development and psychologically while sleep-phase disruption affects adolescents who could not attend regular school schedules. Effective treatment will begin with careful diagnosis and modifications in sleeping hygiene may reduced the problem. It si said that special equipments are used for several disorders( obst ructive apnea). Research also shows that some sleep disorders are also found to be compromise glucose metabolism. Sleeping is absolutely the essential thing for a normal and healthy lifestyle, according to the United States, roughly about 40 million suffer from long term sleep disorder while nearly 20 million experience mild/ occasional sleep problems. Sleeping disorder suddenly became an important issue because many more people are facing it and body needs sleep to survive because study shown that sleep is essential for immune system and maintaining the ability to fight against diseases and sickness. Learning, growing, functions of brains also comes from the amount of rest absorb because it is said that sleeping helps regenerate and repair cells. Sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is one of the most well-known sleep disorder face by many and said to be one of the most dangerous disorder to be faced compare to others. Another name for sleep apnea is call sleeping breathing disorder. This disorder is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a persons breathing is influenced by some activities during sleep. Untreated sleep apnea patients will normally face stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep almost hundreds of time. Facing this disorders means that the brain and body are not getting enough oxygen. There are actually two different kind of sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) and Central sleep apnea. OSA is more common of the two forms of apnea and normal the causes is a blockage of the airway usually the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep while Central sleep apnea is unlike OSA where theres no blockage but the brain fails to signal the muscle to breath which will due to instant instability in the respiratory con trol centre. After having modern research from scientist, sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age even children, the causes of having sleep apnea are gender(mostly male) , being overweight, older after the age of forty, having a large neck size, large tonsils, family history and some other problems. Having untreated sleep apnea could cause quite severe effects like high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, depression and worsening of ADHD. Having poor performances in activities in many different places could be one of the sign of facing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be explained in terms like breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. This disorder often occurs to 5 to 30 times or more per hour. Normally, normal breathing starts again with a loud snort or choking sound which can be easily detect by family members sleeping around them. Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed while doctor usually cant detect this symptoms so soon. Obstructive sleep apnea is very common with overweight people and happens randomly too, when a person who has sleep apnea tries to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage will produces a loud snoring. Some research found out that Central sleep apnea happens less but random while it mostly occur on people that have certain medical conditions or is using certain medicines. Regardless of type, an individual who has sleep apnea will rarely be aware of themselves having difficuly breathing during sleep and even upon awakening. This problems mostly are being recognized as a problem by other wi tnessing the individual. Some treatments can be found to treat Obstructive sleep apnea which involve the lifestyle changes, such as avoiding drinking alcohol or muscle relaxants, weight lost and quitting smoking. Sleeping at a 30-degree elevation of the upper body or higher can be use as a recliner that helps prevent the gravitational collapse of airway while sleeping on a side as opposed to the sleeping on the back theory are also recommended as treatment for sleep apnea because the gravitational component is smaller for lateral position while some people are benefiting through various kinds of oral appliances to keep the airway open. Theres a treatment called Continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) while other surgical procedures to remove/tighten tissue while widen the airway. Snoring does not actually mean a person is having sleep apnea but mostly overweight people who snores loudly and hardly during sleeping could actually mean sleep apnea. In US, researches revealed that people with OSA has tissue lo ss in brain regions that store memory(hippocampus) which somehow linking OSA to memory loss. Scientists discovered that people that has OSA mammillary bodies are 20 percent smaller than normal people mostly on the left region of the body which is because of repeated drops of oxygen that lead to brain injury. In pure central sleep apnea or known as Cheyne-Stokes respiration, the brains respiratory control centres are imbalanced during sleep while the blood levels of carbon dioxide is higher compare to normal people sleeping and the level of oxygen is lower. The sleeper will stop breathing and then starts breathing again. No effort made to breath, no chest movement and no struggling. In central sleep apnea, the basic neurological controls for breathing rate cant functions and fail to provide signal to inhale. Some people are facing the combination of both type of sleep apnea. Combinations of obstructive sleep apnea and central apnea by loss of central respiratory drive during sleep in OSA. The presence of central sleep apnea without an obstructive component is a common result of abuse by owing to the characteristic respiratory depression that are mainly cause by large doses of narcotics. Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be determine by having a sleep test which is called polysomnography which is usally done to diagnose sleep apnea. Actually there a two kinds of polysomnography, an overnight polysomnography test that involves monitoring brain waves, muscle tension, eye movement, respiration, oxygen level in the blood and having audio monitoring. The second kind of polysomnography test is called a home monitoring test. A sleep Technologist sticks you up with all the electrodes and instructs you on how to record your sleep with a computerized polysomnography that user can take it home and return the computerized polysomnography in the morning. These test are painless test that are covered by insurance. Sleep apnea can be treated in many ways but for severe apnea, there is a Bi-level (Bi-PAP) machine that is different in that it blows air at different pressures. Thats when a person inhales, the pressure is higher while exhaling the pressure is lower. Your own doctor will measure the pressure and a home healthcare company will set the apparatus hence providing training user to use and maintenance it. Tracheostomy is the only treatment available until early 1980s. Its a surgical procedure where a small hole is cut in the neck and a tube with a valve is inserted into the specific hole. During the day, the valve is closed so that the patient can speak while the valve is open at night to avoid obstructions. This treatment is now the last resort for sleep apnea for you must be extremely sick to require this. Uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP) is the treatment available today which means plastic surgery of the pharynx(the pharynx is the joint opening of the gullet and windpipe). This surgery is usually done for patients that cannot tolerate with nasal CPAP. This surgery has help around 50% people and still others do not. Laser Assisted Uvuloplasty(LAUP) is a surgical procedure that remove the uvula and surrounding tissue that open the airway behind the palate. This procedure is said to be used to relieve snoring while somehow successfully treating sleep apnea, before doing this surgical treatment, make sure you have a doctor that has experience doing this procedure with extreme knowledge about sleep apnea. The latest treatment for sleep apnea will be called somnoplasty, getting approvable from US Food and Drug Administration, this treatment uses radio waves to shrink tissue in air passages and almost eliminating all snoring problems. This special and safe procedure is called radiofrequenc y volumetric tissue reduction of the palate. This radiofrequency treatment involves piercing the tongue, throat or soft palate with a electrode needle(special needle specific for this treatment) that is connected to a radio frequency generator. The inner tissue is then heated to about 158 to 176 degrees and takes approximately nearly half an hour. The inner tissues are shrinking while the outer tissue such as taste buds are left intact. Several treatments may be required. This treatment should only be carry out after doing a lot of research and getting the advantages and disadvantages of each different treatment, because some might have side effects. In summary of sleep apnea, the causes of sleep apnea maybe family historical backgrounds but it might be also connected to the body weight of each individual. Make sure to take care of own body after over the age of forty and having large tonsils or tongue might causes sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is one of the most dangerous sleeping disorder that can actually kills the patient instantly because this sleeping disorder interrupts a person during their sleep and the patient wouldnt even know what happen after they get awaken due to lack of oxygen. Sleep apnea prevents breathing from happening and causes lower level of oxygen to be transported to all part of body. There are two kinds of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when blockage of airway occur while central sleep apnea happens when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breath to intake and exhale oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of the body. Sleep apnea prevents natur al sleeping hence causing high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, depression and many more. Sleep apnea cannot be left untreated because if a human stops breathing, high chance that the person might just die. There are a few variety of treatments for sleep apnea including continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP), variable positive airway pressure(VPAP), automatic positive airway pressure(APAP), Bi-level(Bi-PAP)machine, TRACHEOSTOMY, UVULOPALATOPHARYNGOPLASTY(UPPP), MANDIBULAR MYOTOMY, LASER ASSISTED UVULOPLASTY(LAUP) and RADIO FREQUENCY(RF) PRODECURE OR SOMNOPLASTY. All these treatment are mainly focusing on removal of uvula, cutting bone in anterior portion of mandible or having a small hole to let air diffuse in. CASE STUDY: SLEEP APNEA Sleep apnea is a common but potentially dangerous sleep disorder which can be characterized by repeated pauses in your breathing while asleep. These pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur thirty or more times per hour. Apneic events usually stop with a loud snort, snore or choking sound which can often momentarily wake you up which will then cause regular breathing to resume. From the research of Emily Cashman, BS, RRT, the clinical training manager at ResMed in Poway, Calif, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are common disorders that often coexist. In fact, they are equally prevalent within the U.S. adult population.  OSA can affect anyone, including children. However, the population typically associated with the disorder includes overweight adults who snore heavily. Sleep apnea is more common in men, and 50% of type 2 diabetic men also have OSA. There are many treatments for sleep apnea. Any practitioner can identify OSA symptoms. Patients are then r eferred to a sleep specialist, and an overnight polysomnography is conducted in a sleep laboratory or the patients home. The standard treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The air pressure functions like a splint for the upper airway to prevent apneas from occurring and keep the airway from collapsing. This permits normal breathing to continue during sleep, normal sleep patterns to emerge, sleep to become restorative, and the patient to feel better. The impact is often immediate and dramatic. The success of treatment is measured by the reduction of respiratory disturbance to normal levels, the elimination of symptoms such as fatigue and depression, and improvement in the patients subjective feeling of well-being. Effective treatment will eliminate snoring and apnea events and has demonstrated decreases in blood pressure and post-prandial glucose levels within 30 days. OSA is often overlooked and misdiagnosed. Complaints of fatigue and sleepiness are attributed to lifestyle, stress, other medical conditions (such as diabetes), or side effects from medications. Sleep apnea should be investigated when patients present classic symptoms. Theres a 61-year-old man called J.B who is a busy physician and has had type 2 diabetes for 11 years. He suffers from gastroesophageal reflux disease daily and has moderate depression. For 11 years, he has maintained a weight of 210-220 lb (BMI of 31 kg/m2), and he does not have hypertension or hypercholesterolemia. J.B. has no other known diabetes complications. He uses a low-carbohydrate meal plan and a bicycle exercise program. However, he snores and reports being excessively sleepy all the time. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is also the most common form of diabetes. J.B. has no family history of diabetes or sleep apnea. During the past year, he has not been able to get his plasma glucose levels to < 200 mg/dl. His haemoglobin A1c  ( A1C) has been 7.5% (lab norm) on the past two visits. The patient denies polyuria or nocturia. He is in bed for ∠¼ 8 hours per night. His wife does not complain about his nighttime snoring, but she describes herself as a heavy sleeper.The bed partner is often the first to complain of sleep apnea. In this case, J.B.s wife is not bothered. However, fellow physicians who travel with J.B. on medical mission trips joke and complain about his snoring and gasping. J.B. now requests a private room for these trips to avoid the complaints. He did not share this information with his diabetes care team. J.B. is excessively sleepy, yet he sleeps ∠¼ 8 hours nightly. Colleagues and family who sleep in adjacent rooms have told him that he snores and gasps throughout the night. Published research demonstrates that 50% of men with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea. These factors are sufficient to suspect sleep apnea and inquire further. J.B.s fatigue and sleepiness finally led him to refer him self to a sleep lab in August 2005. Because he is a physician, he felt certain he had sleep apnea by the time he contacted his friend, the medical director of the sleep lab. The vast majority of patients are referred to a sleep lab or sleep specialist by their physician for further evaluation of symptoms. It is common for patients to complete a Berlin Questionnaire, a simple validated 10-item questionnaire certified by the American College of Physicians. Questions focus on BMI, snoring, sleepiness, and blood pressure. J.B.s results for the Berlin Questionnaire indicated a borderline acceptable BMI, severe snoring, severe daytime sleepiness, and an acceptable blood pressure. These results indicate a high risk in two categories of the Berlin Questionnaire, suggesting a strong likelihood of sleep apnea. J.B. underwent a sleep study and, because of the severity of his sleep apnea, a split night protocol was initiated. This means that the first portion of the sleep study (diagnostic) was so severe that the patient was placed on CPAP therapy for the second portion of the night (titration). An apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 51 was reported during the diagnostic portion of the study, indicating severe obstructive sleep apnea. Although some patients are able to reduce their AHI to normal levels with weight loss, few patients are able to maintain this type of weight loss. CPAP therapy is the gold standard sleep apnea treatment. CPAP therapy ranges from 4 to 20 cm H20 pressure. J.B. required a pressure of 8 cm H20. The pressure needed to resolve 95% of apneic events throughout the night determines this therapeutic pressure. J.B. went home with a prescription for CPAP, and a local home care dealer delivered his therapy that day. He has slept with CPAP every night since. He reports feeling great, and his family members have noticed a huge difference in his enthusiasm and energy. From the research, it is known that CPAP treatment can improve insulin responsiveness without a significant change in obesity. This occurred in J.B.s case. Although his weight and diet have not changed, his glucose levels have improved dramatically and are now consistently < 150 mg/dl. His A1C was 6.5% 9 months after initiating CPAP therapy, and his medications have been reduced. It is a great news for him and his family. SUMMARY In fact, people that have diabetes will probably suffered from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is very common in diabetic populations but typically goes undiagnosed. Sleep deprivation from any cause increases blood glucose, blood pressure, and triglycerides, causes higher evening cortisol levels, reduces serum leptin secretion, and increases inflammatory cytokines. Patients with chronic snoring and untreated sleep apnea have a higher risk of both stroke and cardiovascular disease. Although most of these patients do have a higher BMI as well as low activity levels and hypertension, it is also possible for patients with normal BMIs and without hypertension to present with snoring and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be associated with recent weight gain. Tiredness can cause people to eat for stimulation and skip exercise. Over time, these habits result in obesity, which can worsen sleep apnea, leading to a progression in severity of both conditions.Treating sleep deprivation rapidly reverses thes e metabolic abnormalities. The reasons for this are complex but seem to include increased sympathetic nervous system activity and adrenal cortisol and catecholamine output. Well, sleep apnea can cause hypertension, nevertheless hypertension is not required for suspicion of sleep apnea. Besides that, treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy can improve glycemic control and blood pressure. Berlin Questionnaire can also easily conducts an assessment for sleep apnea.

The Big Day :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Big Day â€Å"Heekin quit fucking staring at the clouds you might be playing this weekend,† screamed Coach Bernardi. All week I waited, sweating every night just wondering if Saturday would be the day I would start my first college football game. Every night I thought what I would do if I was to start, was I ready for this? I would be a little chihuahua amongst a pack of wolves on the field. But all week I had trained to the point that all the sweat in my shirt could have been rung out to make a full cup of water. My Saturday morning started just as every other football players did 10:00a.m wake up, then a short walk over to the dome for walkthroughs. Then to The Place for my usual breakfast the hungry man special: three eggs, two pieces of bacon, two patties of sausage, a portion of hash browns that was the size of my hand stretched out, and my choice of three pancakes or French toast. After that huge meal I couldn’t resist just going back to the dorms and finding a great resting place in my bed. For some reason every person in the damn dorms insisted in walking into my room and waking me up so I was not the most cheerful person when the alarm clock went off three hours later. â€Å"Trevor get you ass out of bed your late for team meal, said Bobby. No I can’t be I set my alarm for 2p.m. Yea but you have hit the snooze button five times so that means its about 2:20 right now and meal started five minutes ago.† That was a great way to get this all started walking late into team meal I could just imagine what the coaches were going to say to me when I got there. As I walk in to the dining hall I find Coach Bernardi sitting in a chair. â€Å"Damn Heekin where the hell have you been I thought you were going to be a no show! Were you afraid that you might have to play today?

Bullying-Literary Review

The literary review looks at different aspects related to the research topic. The first part of the chapter looks at defining and identifying key aspects of bullying. It looks at the general occurrence of bullying and the researches that indicate the extent of bullying in the different parts of the world. The section then dwells on the different types of bullying and how it can affect the individuals involved.One of the key aspects of bullying in the modern world, cyber bullying is also treated in this section. The different characteristics and elements involved in bullying are treated to understand the phenomenon of bullying.The section then looks at the different theories that could explain the bullying behaviour. An important section of this section is the role of teachers in overall bullying scenario. It also discusses the different intervention methods currently used. The second section of chapter deals with the second aspect of bullying, namely, empathy. It looks at the definit ion and historical evolution of empathy. It also looks at the aspects related to the definition and how it is differentiated from other similar terms often used. The section also looks into the use of empathy in related fields of healthcare.The section specifically looks that researches done on the relationship between bullying and empathy as well. The section finally looks at empathy in relation to teachers. Bullying Defining bullying Smith, P. K. et al (2000) defines bullying as a form of antisocial behaviour that is found in schools, neighbourhoods and homes. Olweus, D. (1986, 1993) defines being bullied or victimized as the following: â€Å"A person is bullied when he or she is exposed repeatedly and over time to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons†. Olweus adds the negative and harmful factor of bullying to the definition.Richter, N. (2005) defines bullying in the following way: â€Å"A bully is a person who hurts or browbeats those who are weaker. Browbeat means to intimidate with harsh, stern looks and talk†. American Medical Association defines bullying as a negative behaviour that involves a pattern of repeated aggression against the victim, deliberate intent to harm or disturb despite apparent distress of the victim and a real or perceived imbalance of power with the more powerful individual or group attacking a physically or psychologically vulnerable victim.Richter and AMA add the factor of imbalance of power to the definition of bullying. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines bullying as psychiatric disorder that is characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behaviour in which either the basic rights of the victim is violated. The phenomenon of bullying is characterised by three major aspects: (1) An aggressive behaviour or intentional behaviour to bring harm (2) It is carried out repeatedly and over time, (3) the inter-personal relationship is characterized by an imbalan ce of power.Often bullying is found to happen without any apparent provocation. Hence bullying can be considered as a form of abuse. This is mainly at a peer level and can be termed as a peer abuse. The Prevalence of Bullying Bullying among the children is found to typically occur at school or during their way to the school. As children do not have an option of changing the environment by not being in the school, most of them are unable to avoid bullying.A study conducted by US Department of Education and Justice in 1999 indicated that almost 1 million students (4%) who are aged between 12 and 18 years reported fear of being attacked or harmed in the school vicinity. About 5% reported that they avoided one or more places in the school wile 13% reported that they were targets of language of hate. The National Threat Assessment Center found that more than two thirds of the attackers involved in 37 shootings did the attack for taking revenge for incidents in their lives when they felt persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked or injured by others.It was found that exposure to bullying at school played a major role in motivating most of the perpetrators to take up violence. (AMA, 2002) Studies conducted by Olweus in Norway and Sweden with 150,000 students who are from grades one to nine indicated that 15% of the students reported of being involved in bully or victim problems several times within a three to five month period. About 9 percentage of the students reported that they had been bullied by their peers several times and about 7 percentage of the students indicated that they bullied others.About 2 percentage of students reported that they were bullied as well as they bullied other students. Studies in Europe and United States have indicated higher level of bullying among the children and the youth. In a study that involved 6,500 students who are between the 4th grade and the 6th grade in South Carolina, about 23 percentage of the students reported of being b ullied several times during the three months and 9 percent reported of being victim of very frequent bullying, which was qualified as once a week or more.About one in five reported that they bully other students several times during the period of the study. A study conducted by Nansel with representation of about 15,600 students from 6th to 10th grades provided similar results. Seventeen percent of the students studied indicated that they bullied sometimes during the school term and 19 percent reported bullying others more often. Six percent of the full sample reported both bullying and having been bullied.Many studied have found that the rates of bullying decrease steadily through the elementary grades such as the study conducted by Melton, Nansel shows. A study conducted by Olweus on about 10,000 Norwegian studies indicated that the rates of victimisation were twice as high among the 4th grade students when compared to the 10th grade. Nansel found that about one quarter of the stu dents in the 6th grade reported being bullied during the current school term which was less than one tenth of the 10th graders. (AMA, 2002)

Critical Paper Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay

Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est is a forlorn poem of his experience in the First World War. Owen recounts his story as he and fellow infantrymen march ‘knock-kneed, coughing like hags’ across the wasteland that is the battle front(line 2). Most of the focus is on the exhaustion from battle, but changes attention when ‘hoots’ of gas-shells rain down on their position. Weariness quickly turns to ‘An ecstasy of fumbling’ (line 9) as the soldiers fit their gas masks, but one soldier is not fast enough. Owen then relates his first hand tale and demise of the footman chocking to death from mustard gas. The reader is forced to witness this horrid death and ask ourselves; ‘Dulce et descorum est,/Pro patria mori’ (line 27-28). Lines 1-8 are used to describe a scene of war-torn men on a forced march across a wasteland. Such phrases as, ‘old beggars’, and ‘coughing like hags’ gives the reader an idea of what condition that the infantrymen are in. Such phrases denote a negative image as to associate the infantrymen as vagrants in poor physical condition. With those who ‘lost their boots’ now find themselves ‘blood-shod,’ rather than being bare foot. The word shod is an old English term for shoeing a horse, again negative connotation of the infantrymen as sub-human beings. Lines 5 and 7 give depth to the state of despondency that general infantrymen are in. Owen chooses the phrase ‘Drunk with fatigue’ to show the depth of exhaustion the infantrymen are experiencing. To be drunk, as to be intoxicated with the absolute exhaustion; denoting fatigue as some drug that overwhelms the senses and coordination. They do not give credence to the reality they are in until a gas shell sends them into an ‘ecstasy of fumbling’ for a gas mask. Ecstasy’ is used not to give the connotation of delight and happiness, but rather the stark contrast of frenzy. Lines 9 and 11 end with ‘fumbling’ and ‘stumbling’, respectively, to give depth the infantrymen’s state of condition. Later, in lines 14 and 16, an association is draw between the engulfing gas and a man drowning. Owen depicts a ma n in a green sea drowning (line 14) to be later plunging at him (line 16); both giving the allusion between being engulfed in water or noxious gas. Again, in line 17, Owen asks the reader to ‘pace.. in some smothering dream’; a reoccurring theme of being deprived of air. The second stanza utilizes the most guttural connotation of such words as to describe the corpse. From the ‘gargling†¦froth-corrupted lungs’, to the ‘vile, incurable sores’, Owen wants to galvanize the true wickedness of war. The reader is told of how gas can ‘corrupt lungs’ and put ‘sores on innocent tongues’. This contrast is vital because it depicts how war can taint that which is most holy. In saying that the corpse’s face hung ‘like a devil’s sick of sin,’ gives yet another reference between evil and war, but it has another meaning. To imply the devil would be overwhelmed with such amount of evil implies that one cannot grasp the horrors of war. The poem then ends with a sort of thesis statement that to die for one’s country is neither right nor sweet. Dulce begins as a slow trudge of despondent soldiers, to a fanatic race for safety, then a slow, visceral portrayal of life being wrenched away from man, opposed to the titles suggestion for war hysteria and propaganda. But the main theme is not to just illustrate the dregs of war but to give the reader the truth of war. He makes the reader place themselves on the front line to look death and despair in the eye.