European motivation Essay Example

European motivation Essay There Is also a free online version of the book at: http:// . NM. Halfpennyworth. Mom/zlnnapeopleshlstory. HTML. Students are encouraged to obtain their own copy since other chapters will be assigned throughout the course of the year. PART II: Answer the questions at the end of this handout to the first three chapters of Howard Zinc. The answers should be informative, detailed, and completed by the first day. PART Ill: Anyone reading history should understand from the start that there is no such thing as impartial history Howard Zinc, Declarations of Independence Write a one page paper describing whether or to you agree with the above statement. Make sure you use evidence to support your argument. You can give examples from your summer readings and/or any previous knowledge of history you may have. Upon completion of Howard Zions A Peoples History of the United States consider be administered in the first week of school). A. How did the interactions between Europeans and indigenous peoples, African slaves, and indentured servants shape colonial society in North America prior to 1750? How does Howard Zions A Peoples History paint a different portrait than what is normally taught? Explain. B. Analyze the extent to which religious freedom existed in the North American colonies prior to 1700. C. Although Northerners and Southerners later came to think of themselves as having separate civilizations, the Northern and Southern colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries were in fact more similar than different. Assess this statement. D. Evaluate the extent to which trans-Atlantic interactions from 1600-1763 contributed to maintaining continuity as well as fostering change in labor systems in the British We will write a custom essay sample on European motivation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on European motivation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on European motivation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer North American colonies. When reading the chapters following the concept from below- CODES- this will enable you to actively read and grasp a stronger concept regarding the text. C Count and Number a Sequence or Chronology Many times in history textbooks, you will find concepts or ideas in a sequence or chronological order. A way to remember this is to simply write numbers where there is a sequence of events. When you go back to review the material, you can simply look and find the numbers you have written to review the chorological order. After you eve the chronological time-frame down, you can concentrate on the key details and other concepts. 0= Circle Important Vocabulary, Names Places Also in history textbooks, there are many vocabulary terms, names of people to know and places to remember. An easy way to annotate this concept is to circle these items. Clearly, one should look up vocabulary terms, research the person was and how they were significant and the significance of the places as well, but in an initial annotation of the textbook, this is a good way to identify these items first. D= Decide and Underline Key Details Many students develop techniques of underlining key details to identify the information they need to remember. This can be a very helpful technique, but one should limit the amount of underlining that is done. Too much underlining is worse than none, since it defeats the purpose, which is to clearly mark those items in a book or secondary reading that you think are important to remember. E= Emphasize the Most Important Ideas Identifying the most important ideas and points are also what history is about. In reading, you need to know what the big picture ideas and concepts are as well as, he main ideas within the chapter. Once you have identified the most important ideas, you can then back up this with key details. S= Summarize In Your Own Words truly shows your understanding. When you summarize articles or portions of chapter in your textbook, you are synthesizing information, and demonstrating your understanding of the material. This can be done on an open space or area in the article, or if you are summarizing the text, you can summarize in a section of your notebook. Wherever you have your summaries, this is the last step in the annotated process.

Romanticism and the Scarlet Letter essays

Romanticism and the Scarlet Letter essays Romanticism is categorized as a preference for simplicity and naturalness, a love of plain feelings and truth to common place reality, especially as found in natural scenes. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an anti-transcendentalist and believed in the dark side of man, hence his dark romantic novel The Scarlet Letter. This allegorical novel depends heavily on symbol and character. The novel is chock full of symbolic dimension of images, characters, and descriptions. The Scarlet Letter defines the American Romanticist movement while using symbolic characters and places that give the book seemingly two different stories. The first story denotes the story going on in the book, including the characters. The other story has symbols that speak on morals, religious doctrine, and public mindset. Furthermore the novel can be defined as a romantic novel by analyzing the characters Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale for their overall purpose to the story and the symbolism. An important concept of romanticism includes a close connection to the earth and natural scenes. A large occurrence of this comes in the first chapter of the book. The chapter mentions a rose bush outside of the prison. The novel then goes on to outline the rosebush as a beautiful thing that rises out of a bad place. The rosebush symbolizes a beauty that can not be taken away, the human spirit, like that of Hawthorne himself and also of Hester. In addition the prison represents Puritan society, with all of its strict social and moral rules of conduct, and the rose bush symbolizes the individual, standing defiantly on their own, lively and strong, in spite of the society as a whole, against them. Hawthornes use of the rosebush implies that there may be an indestructible human impulse that can survive in people despite social order and natural rights. Another romantic nature symbol is the forest, which symbolizes both safe and evil aspects. An instance of the ...

Neurosis essays

Neurosis essays Neurosis, (or psychoneurosis), are mental disorders that cause frequent feeling of anxiety, depression, or other general feeling of distress that are not normal to the circumstances of life. This can affect any and all areas of life, whether being everyday activities to relationships. Generally though, the conditions arent severe enough to completely remove the neurotic from a normal life. Those suffering usually dont lose sense with reality as is a symptom of the much more dire psychosis. During the mid 19th century the term neurosis was keyed to characterize disorders that were neurological in origin. However, some twenty-five to thirty years later, the prefix psycho was added when it was discovered that the symptoms were mental and emotional as well. Psychoanalytic tradition suggests that psychoneurosis is caused by intrapsychic conflicts, which are conflicts between drives, impulses, and or motives that are stored in different components of the mind. Sigmund Frued theorized that the postulated existence of some unconscious part of the mind amidst its other functions, suppresses certain thoughts memories, or feelings that are unacceptable to the conscious mind. These repressed items are generally sexual are aggressive desires or thoughts or painful emotions or feelings. They cause anxiety when these things try to enter the conscious mind. The mind then responds to the upcoming feeling by attempting to push them back into their suppressed state. The mind uses defense mechanisms such as repression, denial or reaction formation. Neurosis begins when these defense mechanisms fail and forbidden impulses begin to appear in the conscious mind once again. Some believe that neurosis is a learned response to stress that can be unlearned. This would mean that the neurotic arent sick necessarily, but have certain maladaptive habits based on self-conditioning and possibly observation of others...

Latent Semantic Indexing What Marketers Need To Know

Latent Semantic Indexing What Marketers Need To Know Whats the first thing you think of when you hear latent semantic indexing? The  answer is probably, uh, what? Its  okay if thats the case. Fortunately, its a simple concept to get a grip of (scary-sounding technical language aside). In fact, youre probably familiar with the concept, even if youve never heard of the term. So, what is  LSI, exactly? In simple terms, it describes the algorithmic process search engines use to identify related words. Understanding how it works is essential to conducting smart keyword research and crafting an effective SEO strategy. The more you get it right, the easier it is to  create content  that  ranks higher for long tail keywords  and drives more traffic to your content. Assuming your  content is good, that could even mean more revenue for your business. Interested in learning more? Then get ready.  Were about to go full-nerd here. How To Improve Your Keyword Research With Latent Semantic Indexing What Is Latent Semantic Indexing? Let's start with the technical explanation first. According to SEMPO, latent semantic indexing "uses word associations to help search engines know more accurately what a page is about." It's essentially an algorithmic principle built into search engines to  process synonyms and understand topical relationships between words. LSI is built into search engines to process synonyms topical relationships between words.That's about as much as we marketers need to know. We could go more in-depth. However, we don't want anyone to feel like this: Why Is LSI Necessary? Say you're talking to a friend about marketing. You start discussing how content calendars work. Throughout the discussion, you also use the term editorial calendar interchangeably. Since you're intelligent human beings, you can understand that when someone says "content calendar," they might also mean "editorial calendar." If one of you had  mentioned , you might understand that's a content calendar solution. The same would apply if someone said they use a "printable calendar template." You know those are all semantically related terms, connected to the same topic. Search engines aren't humans. They can't naturally process language like you and your friend in the example above. Search engines aren’t humans. They can’t naturally process language like humans can.That's where latent semantic indexing comes in. It's what helps them attempt to interpret relationships approximately the same way real people would.  By connecting  related terms and interpreting the search intent behind them, search engines can offer up results that more closely match what people are looking for (even if the search terms they use aren't exactly the same  keywords used on the  web page). What Are LSI Keywords? These are the actual terms and phrases that are semantically related to one another. This means words that refer to the same topic (or drill deeper within a topic). For example, "Tesla Motors" is semantically related to "electric cars," since the company makes electric vehicles. LSI keywords are  actual terms and phrases that are semantically related to one another.It may be easiest to think of LSI keywords  as secondary keyword phrases that relate to your primary keyword. For example, let's say you're writing a piece of content about electric cars. "Electric cars" might be your primary keyword. Then, you might reference different models of electric vehicles (like the Tesla Model S, the Chevy Spark, and so on). Recommended Reading: How To Make An SEO Strategy That Will Improve Your #1-3 Results By 248% Benefits Of LSI-Driven Keyword Research This is where LSI starts to matter for you, the intrepid content marketer. Incorporating LSI keywords can  help your content rank for a wider variety of search terms. This means more visibility in search results, and more traffic back to your blog or website. They can also help you create content that more thoroughly satisfies what searchers are looking for. It's important to remember that LSI keywords aren't just limited to synonyms for your primary keyword. For example, a post targeting "classic Chevy motors" might also rank for "classic Chevrolet engines" because Chevy and Chevrolet are the same, as are motors and engines).  If you were to include sections for engines from specific Chevy models, you might rank for those terms as well.   Not using LSI keywords? You're missing out on ranking higher and getting more traffic.5 Ways To  Find LSI Keywords You need to know how to find LSI keywords before you can use them. Fortunately, this isn't difficult. You can even use a lot of the keyword research tools you're probably already familiar with. 1. Use The LSI Keyword Generator One quick tactic is to use a tool called the LSI Keyword Generator. Just type in a keyword or topic, and it'll instantly generate a list of related terms. Best of all, it's completely free. 2. Look At Related Searches In Google This tactic is great because  it leverages actual search terms. These are also terms Google can clearly see are related. Just try searching a given keyword, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. You now have eight different LSI variations to inspire your keyword research. 3. Use The Google Keyword Planner 1. Access the Keyword Planner and select the first option shown below. 2. Once you've entered a handful of keyword terms, you'll see more related keyword groupings under the Ad Group Ideas tab. 3. Clicking into any of these keyword groupings will show you related keywords. 4. Use The New-And-Improved Ubersuggest Try using Ubersuggest. This classic keyword tool (which pulls in Google autocomplete data) recently received an overhaul. It's now better than ever, and this nifty video will show you how it works. 5. Use the SERPs Keyword Database Formerly known as Keywordini, this free keyword tool is useful for finding keywords related to a given topic and fast. Just enter a keyword, click the button, and you're on your way in seconds. Here's an easy way to supercharge your #keyword #researchRecommended Reading: An SEO Driven Approach To Content Marketing: The Complete Guide How to Select The Right LSI Terms Once you've generated a list of possible phrases, it's time to narrow down best options you'll use. The goal is to find terms that are most directly related and have a decent amount of search volume. It’s important that the LSI terms you use align with the search intent of your primary keyword.Step 1: Understand the Searcher Intent Behind Keywords It's important that the LSI terms you use align with  the search intent of your primary keyword. This requires developing an understanding of what people are looking for when they search the keywords you're targeting. You don't want to guess at this. You want to know, as best you can, what your audience needs from your content. This will give you a good idea of what your own content needs to address the topic. Step 2:  Narrow Your Options Through Process Of Elimination Start by weeding out terms that obviously don't fit. These are terms that aren't quite directly related to the topic of your post. Ideal LSI keywords should essentially fit underneath your primary keyword. They need to help further explain your topic in deeper detail.  They should not be distinctly different topics. For example, if you were writing a post about "Chevy engine maintenance," you wouldn't want to load your post with pictures of "classic Chevy cars".  In this case, keywords that go deeper into the specifics of Chevy engine maintenance would make better choices. In this case, you'd eliminate anything that isn't directly related to some facet of working on Chevrolet engines. Ideal LSI keywords should essentially fit underneath your primary keyword.Step 3: Choose The Best Options From What's Left Next, copy and paste what's left into  the keyword tool of your choice.  Pick terms that have a decent amount of search volume (but not more than your primary keyword).  If you uncover keywords that get searched more than your main topic, that may be a sign you should be targeting that term instead. It's also important to make sure your selected LSI keywords directly fit your topic. Free Template: Keep your keywords organized using this free LSI keyword organization template. Since it's a public Google Sheet you can make a copy of it for your own use. Recommended Reading: How To Write Headlines That Drive Traffics, Shares, And Search Results How To Implement LSI Keywords  Into Your Content Once you've selected your LSI keywords, it's time to determine where they'll go in your post. Start by  identifying your blog post topic and a good primary keyword to focus on. Then, identify other keywords that relate to sub-points beneath that topic. For example, if you were writing a post about the different styles of restaurants (this is really generic, we know, but it's just an example), your main keyword might be something like, "styles of restaurants." Then, each LSI keyword might be a specific style of restaurant. For another example, "pepperoni pizza" and "cheese pizza" are related terms (both are different types of pizza). If a web page were all about pizza, and pizza was the primary keyword, then specific types of pizza could be used as LSI terms. Then, the page could have a sub-section for each type of pizza. Your post might then look something like this: Headline: 10 Styles Of Restaurants You Need To Try Now [Insert Body Text Here] [First Subheading: Italian Restaurants] [Insert Body Text Here] [Second Subheading: Buffets] [Insert More Body Text Here] [Third Subheading: Fast-Food Restaurants] This isn't a great example, but you should get the point. LSI keywords aren’t just important for search engines. #blogging #SEOLSI Keywords Help Google And People Understand Your Content LSI keywords aren't just important for search engines. Readers want to be able to skim and see that your post covers deeper details about the topic they're searching. This makes incorporating LSI terms  particularly effective when included in subheadings, where they're easy for readers to pick out, and are given greater weight to search engines. Pro Tip:  When you're writing your blog post outline, try including LSI keywords to label your subheadings. Ultimately, the goal is to create a post that targets a complete (yet focused) topic, rather than just dumping a keyword essay onto a page and hoping it will rank.  This approach works best if your secondary keywords relate to specific details about your main topic. 3 Keyword Targeting Pitfalls To Avoid Do you know which traps to avoid when picking #LSI #keywords?There are some traps to avoid when picking LSI keywords to target in your content. Here's how to dodge them and swing  your way to victory. Recommended Reading: How To Boost Traffic With 27 Important SEO Tips You Need To Know (+ Free Checklist) Avoid Blending Unrelated Topics Let's say your main keyword is "car maintenance". However, you also notice "motorcycle maintenance" also gets a lot of search volume. You then decide to write a post titled something like, "10 Awesome Car Motorcycle Maintenance Tips." Something like this might work. However,  it's more likely that searchers looking for "car maintenance" and "motorcycle maintenance" are really only looking for one or the other. In this case, you'd better serve your readers by writing one post on each topic. Then, you'd have two super-focused posts on your blog that nail the specific needs of each audience. Pro Tip: It's best to choose LSI keywords that drill down into one topic. Not two keywords that address two different topics. Avoid Diluting Your Keyword Targeting It's important to remember your content should only target one primary keyword. For example, if you're writing a blog post about "easy car maintenance," you probably don't need to add a section about "the history of cars." Even if both terms get a high search traffic, the history of automobiles isn't directly related to car maintenance. It'd be better to focus on keywords related to the different car maintenance tasks your post would cover, like: engine maintenance, tire maintenance, and so forth (note: this is a strictly hypothetical example). The key takeaway here is to make sure your posts stay focused in on one topic (and that you choose LSI keywords that drill deeper into that one topic). Make sure your blog posts stay focused in on one topic.Avoid  Keyword Stuffing Use LSI keywords judiciously. This means incorporating those terms tastefully to make  your content more complete.  Avoid shoehorning terminology into your content  merely for the sake of it. If there isn't an editorial purpose for incorporating a section around a given term, then leave it out. Recommended Reading: The Simple 10-Step Guide To Better Search Engine Ranking For Writers Have Questions About Latent Semantic Indexing? By now, you should understand what LSI means. You also know how it impacts best practices for keyword research.  However, this is a complex topic. We're sure you probably have some questions, and if so, we want to hear them. Drop us a line below and help us get the conversation started.

How has gender inequality been explained (Answer with reference to a Essay

How has gender inequality been explained (Answer with reference to a range of theories and approaches) Critically assess the at - Essay Example It is from the conflict school that feminism emerged. Feminist movements seek to address the â€Å"oppression† of women. Actually, there are also articulations that describe an interaction among class, race, and gender but, unfortunately, this is not covered by this write-up. Moreover, there are ecofeminists that are radical as well as environmental but this is also not covered by this report. II. Perspective on Gender Inequality: Theories and Approaches Macionis and Plummer (2008, pp. 615-616) pointed out that functionalist perspectives on sociology describe gender inequality as fulfilling a function of set of functions in society. They cited, for instance, that a leading functionalist sociologist, Talcott Parsons, pointed out that â€Å"the family operates most efficiently with a clear-cut division of labour in which the females act in expressive roles, providing care and security to children and offering them emotional support† (Macionis and Plummer 2008, p. 615). Fo r Parsons, male on the other hand perform instrumental roles or those related to breadwinning in the family (Macionis and Plummer 2008, p. 615). John Bowlby, another functionalist sociologist emphasized the role of the mother is in the primary socialization of the children (Macionis and Plummer 2008, p. 615). Macionis and Plummer (2008, p. ... According to Macionis and Plummer (2008, p. 617), radical feminists vary in perspectives but â€Å"most agree that it involves the appropriation of women’s bodies and sexuality in some form†. For instance, the usual conceptions of beauty and sexuality are supposedly impositions on women by men at the latter create or construct a particular notion of what is feminine and impose it on society. Beasley (1999, p. 51-64) pointed out that there are several types of feminism: liberal, radical, Marxist/socialist, and socialist feminism. According to Beasley, liberal feminism is the more popular form of feminism (p. 51). Beasley (1999, p. 51) described that this form of feminism is the â€Å"moderate† or the â€Å"mainstream† form of feminism. In the liberal feminism, the explanation for gender inequality is described in terms of unequal rights or â€Å"artificial barriers† to women’s participation in the political or decision-making process. In the l iberal feminist thought, there is an emphasis on mainstreaming or putting the feminist agenda for equal rights on the legal, political and institutional fronts (Beasley 1999, p. 51). According to Beasley (1999, p. 51), the position of liberal feminists is that women should â€Å"compete in the public marketplace† (Beasley 1999, p. 51). For liberal feminists, equality of women with men in the public arena is the core of the liberal feminist agenda (Beasley 1999, p. 52). The liberal feminists hold that men and women are the same and, thus, have equal rights (Beasley 1999, p. 52). Liberal feminists emphasized on reform rather than change via a revolution (Beasley 1999, p. 52). In Beasley’s words (1999, p. 52), liberal feminists â€Å"want what

Literature review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature review - Research Paper Example 119). In light with this, Cauffman suggested that effective prevention efforts should be put in place in a bid to meet the mental health needs for at-risk female offenders. Cauffman advocated for community-based treatment programs that would improve individual outcomes. However, although such a program would be effective towards this effect, a more comprehensive approach needs to be deliberated upon. In fact, it is true to argue that a community based program can be a good accompaniment of prerelease programs. Prerelease programs help incarcerated persons realize that it is their mistakes that have lead to their incarceration. Therefore, through these programs, they get advice on how to abstain from crime. When they get out of prison, community based programs enhances good behavior and highlights on various ways through which they can coexist with other members of the community without committing crimes. In their article, Barbara, et al (2010) noted that studies have documented that incarcerated persons have high rates of psychological disorders. In fact, they contended that nearly 70% of female offenders are affected by depression. In this regard, it is apparent that there therefore an obvious necessity to have a variety of treatment programs. However, according to Barbara, et al (2010), available treatment options do not seem to favor female offenders with physical and psychological problems. This can be argued to be correct because, for example, while cognitive behavioral therapy is used with male offenders, it is incomplete on the side of female offenders who have multidimensional issues ranging from emotional to relational factors. Rationale for effective behavioral modification programs for female offenders Studies have documented that women tend to generally show positive responses to most intervention methods that have been specifically designed to decrease some negative feelings such as guilt with the intention of increasing their levels of self esteem . One of such methods is group counseling. This can be used to address issues such as gender-specific addiction, family relations, and self esteem among many others. Group counseling seems to be effective for female offenders because females are intrinsically motivated to connect with others. Many female offenders have a sense of disconnection, marginalization, isolation, something that lead to hopelessness (Gaines & Miller, 2011). In this regard, group counseling in the prison setting would help female offenders to share different experiences that can help in motivating them. Valerie, et al (2009) in their article noted that many cases of delinquency have histories of exposure to violence, abuse, and neglect. Valerie, et al (2009) also acknowledged that over 60% of girls in the juvenile justice system have at one time been victims of several forms of abuse. In addition, they also noted that a study carried out in the California juvenile justice system found that 92% of female offen ders had unfortunately been victim to some form of not only emotional abuse, but also in some cases, they were also victims of physical and/ or sexual abuse. Therefore, with such deliberations, group counseling would offer emotional support in the effort to manage stress. Delinquency behavior acquired as a result of exposure to such issues would be challenged in group sessions whereby each member of the group expresses their

Describing Your Development of a Competency Model (Business Mangement) Essay

Describing Your Development of a Competency Model (Business Mangement) - Essay Example 2. Criterion Sample: Choosing a sample of Human Resource Managers for the purpose of collecting data. These managers should be amongst the superior employees from whom points could be taken related to the sort of behaviour and skills as well as character that leads to the success of one’s jobs and company as well. 3. Gathering Data and analyzing it: Collecting information about the conduct that would lead to a success in Human Resource related jobs with the help of which propositions could be made as to what are the abilities of exceptional Human Resource Managers and how these exceptional skills, when combined together, produce the preferred outcomes. 4. Substantiation: Confirming and validating the results of data gathering and analysis. Validation should be done upon the data to check the authenticity of the cause-and-effect relationships. Pilot testing of the results should be done before applying it on the whole organization. Through this study, it was found that the most difficult aspect of this model would be the lack of resources at the time of implementation, disregard of stakeholders and lack of support from the top management (LaRocca, n.d.). Also, it was found that there are a couple of barriers which would result in the failure of a competency model. Projects are nearly always successful if they are done in a proper manner, step by step, especially when all the modules of the project are integrated together. Doing a project at once results in missing out on important but small things. This would eventually result in unidentified factors during implementation. The implementation of initial stages may workout smoothly, but there would be many unanswered questions at the later and imperative stages resulting in an overall delay in the implementation of the model, over-budgeting and wastage of resources and

Management Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Theories - Assignment Example The both are geared towards improving the productivity of organizations as well as their effectiveness which is quite evident in the scientific theory as it tries to follow all the simplistic and universal set rules in order to realize higher productivity in the organizations and make everything run smoothly. A similar spirit is seen in the humanistic theory as it stresses on situational suitability and coming up with principles that assure them of their success without having to rely on the universal ones (Robbins, 2006). All this is geared towards achieving success in the management of these organizations as well as their effectiveness.Both theories try to make an improvement on the relationship between managers and their workers as seen with the scientific theory through emphasis of working with togetherness between the workers and managers. On the same note, the humanistic theory also insists on managers understanding organizational situations before figuring out the best way to work with and through other people as they co-ordinate activities. As all these are done for the better of the managers and the workers, it is meant to improve the relationship between them and make the work environment comfortable.Both the scientific and humanistic theory have diversified views on how to improve management and create efficiency in the organizations and be sure that their goals are achieved. Though they have common goals of improving management and efficiency in organizations.

The worlds scariest virus of all viruses Research Paper

The worlds scariest virus of all viruses - Research Paper Example Viruses are the smallest existing microorganisms which may be made up of either DNA or RNA as their means of storing genetic information. They only survive and replicate inside host cells like those of humans and even animals. This paper is aimed at examining the list of top viruses that have proven deadly in the world today and even in the recent years. It also explains in brief the predisposing factors that favor the survival of these viruses, their effects in human bodies and the general effect of them in the world. Some of the viruses discussed, in order of their deadliness, include the Human Immune-deficiency virus, Ebola virus and the Rotavirus. This listing method may vary from one state to another, depending on epidemiology and environmental conditions of the state. The impact of these viruses on the working economy of the world is also analyzed, given the increasing trend in occurrences of viral diseases. Introduction What would one say or think is the world’s number one killer of human beings today? Would they think its war, automobile accidents, or maybe even cancers? If one were to assume those answers, then that would be completely wrong. This paper the will try to prove that the deadliest things to mankind are viruses. In this paper, the author will list the top three killers of all times, specifically the number one deadly virus known to us as HIV. This paper will go into deep detail of the number one virus and its effects on the human being’s body. ... The virus is introduced into the human body through various ways, including sexual intercourse, blood transfusion and congenital transmission from mother to child (WHO, 2013). Once the virus has established itself, it survives and thrives killing the mentioned cells, damaging the infected person’s immunity and leaving them more at risk of acquiring infections. Once the virus has destroyed one’s immune system, the person is left vulnerable to secondary infections and other opportunistic diseases. The majority of people infected with HIV develop AIDS at later stages of the virus progression. Once a patient has AIDS, tumors, and a number of infections, which are controlled by the CD4+ T helper cells, begin to manifest. Predisposing Factors There are various predisposing factors for the virus to establish itself in the body and cause a disease. Those at risk of contracting the disease are drug users who use needles to inject themselves, those who have multiple sex partners, and practice unprotected sex. Infants who are born to mothers who are infected by the disease are also at risk of contracting the virus. Once infected, the virus can last for even ten years before the clinical signs appear. This makes it more dangerous as one can continue transmitting the virus to others unknowingly. The clinical presentation of the resultant disease varies, depending on the person’s nutritional status and their immunity, from one person to another. The clinical signs include fever, fatigue, diarrhea, muscle pains, rashes and sores in the body, and headaches among others. To show the presence of the virus in the body, antibodies against the virus, which are produced in case the virus invade the body, are detected

Questions asked from the managers Essay Example for Free

Questions asked from the managers Essay The following questions are those asked from the managers of the IT corporations. Each and everyone of them were also asked to give a brief company profile before the questions about blogging were asked. Company Profile 1. Name of Company: 2. Year Company Started: 3. Brief History of Company 4. Nature of Company’s work 5. Number of company employees: 6. Target market of the company: Questions on Corporate Blog 1. What does the company offer? a. Services – (what services and for whom? ) b. Products – (what products and for whom? ) 2. Since when did your company start engaging in corporate blog? 3. How much does your company spend for the operation of your corporate blog? 4. What was the effect of corporate blog to your corporation 5. Is blogging effective in making your customers understand more about your company? 6. Does blogging make understanding your services easier? 7. Communication with Customers a. Did you receive more client feedback when you engaged in corporate blog? b. Are your customers more informed about your products when you engaged in corporate blog? 8. Communication with Employees a. How many of your employees engage in blogging? b. What are your rules regarding employees blogging? 9. Did you integrate your missions, visions, and goals into corporate blogging? 10. Did you consider the risks involved when your corporation or company started adopting corporate blog? If yes, why does your company still continue engaging in corporate blog? 11. Are the solutions which your company pursued, effective in reducing the risks of corporate blog? If not, what other solutions do you think should be done? 12. What have been the advantages of corporate blog for your company? 13. What have been the perceived disadvantages of corporate blog for your company? 14. What were the problems faced in engaging corporate blog? 15. Is corporate blogging better than written media into bringing your services closer to the customers? 4. 3 Analyzing obtained data The data obtained from the interviews have been tabulated and themes and trends from such qualitative data would then be identified, and analyses would then be formulated. The data obtained from the questionnaires will be analyzed using the Likert scale. The primary tool used to examine Likert Scale is by the use of graphical analysis. Since the frequency distribution can visually be seen in the graph, it is easier to explain the results. The trend represents certain patterns that match with the frequency distribution. The Likert scale is a unidimensional scaling method. Unidimensional concepts are generally easier to understand. Its either something has more of it or less (Trochim 2006, http://www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/scalgen. php ). Since the aim of the research is to identify whether the receptiveness of corporate blog to employees, executives and the corporation as a whole is better or worse, then a unidimensional scaling would be a good measurement for the research. 4. 4 Other Resources Secondary resources are also critically used in this project, which mainly include news, journal articles and books. Internet and Email will be as the communication and research tools for this project. The collected data will be coded and analyzed under the theoretical framework and prior reviewed literature. According to Coffey and Atkinson (1996), coding is the process of condensing the bulk of data sets into analyzable units. Coding and analyzing data based theoretical concepts has the important role of enabling rigours review on our data. Therefore, the collected data will be coded and analysed under the theoretical framework and prior reviewed literature. 5 Discussion 5. 1 Research expectation and risk The author will discuss the outputs from the case study, interviews and questionnaires. Each case study will be discussed here in full detail. Blog contents from the corporate blogs of each company will be evaluated and discussed. The research study is able to seek: why did the company considered blogging? What are the advantages and disadvantages from setting up a corporate blog? The expectation data obtained from the questionnaires will also be presented and discussed. Results obtained through the Likert scale will be interpreted. Results are also related to previous researches and theoretical issues discussed in the introduction and literature review. The author will give a brief introduction to the uses of blogs, corporate blogs, its advantages and limitations, and the issues surrounding corporate blogs, which includes privacy or information leakage of the corporation because of the freedom, entailed in corporate blogging. To which we can now generate our prediction of corporate blogging with the analysis of its strategic management implementation (rules and regulations), the perception of employees and employers, and our own analysis as to how corporate blogging can elevate the communication process among a business organization. The author expects challenging the blogging system as an entity of information and as a communication medium to delimit its disadvantages and provide better means of communication for the business sector. Assuming that results are as predicted, we can now generalize the discussion. Note, however, that different companies have different cultures and strategies in corporate blogging; thus different results would be yield, and themes would have to be established in order for data to be qualitatively analyzed. Having the prediction of the future of corporate blogging may be a challenging step but I think it is feasible in this case since we can generate information regarding how the corporate blogging system can improve and be able to overcome the challenges of advanced technology. 5. 2 The limitations of the study On major limitation of the study is that only IT companies are to be considered in data gathering. It is possible that other companies may have a different culture and perception on corporate blogging. Future research may focus on determining the perceptions of companies other than IT and compare its results with the results obtained from this study. Also, the study only analyzed the perceptions of bloggers on corporate blogging. Studies on the perception of nonbloggers (or those who have blogs but do not post regularly) may be carried out to give a more generalized rate of acceptance of blogging as a new kind of innovation. There is also a restraint in Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory. It may be the most widely used theory in both individual and organizational IT adoption researches but none of the five predictors (relative advantage, compatibility with existing values and practices, simplicity and ease of use, trialability and observable results) made Jeyaraj et al. ’s (2006) list of best predictors for the aggregate IT adoption construct. Another limitation of this research is that blogging can result in legal problems because of the lack of blogging management. The integrity rules for protection and management are expected to established immediately.

Crisis Situation Management in Hospitality Sector

Crisis Situation Management in Hospitality Sector Introduction The tourist destinations and the tourists have always been target of terrorist activities. Even though, it is broadly recognized that it not a question of what if terrorists attract but instead, how, when and how well-prepared these tourists destination are, what the frameworks of the crisis management that is suggested by different published literature offered by tourism authorities in the improvement and accomplishment of a method targeting the mitigation and prevention of these attacks (Anderson and Shah, 2004). This essay will explain the principles of risk and crisis management that plays an active responsibility in crisis management of the tourists destination hit by the 9-11 terrorist attack and how the stakeholders address the threat of terrorism. There have been scenarios where the tourism industry in a country or more has experienced the dramatic downturn of the demand of their services (Bamford and Xystouri, 2005). The government and policy makers are bound with the dilemma of how they should react to the said crisis without any research into the related efficiency of diverse responses. The downfall of the demand of the tourism industry after the 9-11 attack in the United States is a dramatic crisis in the industry. The general equilibrium model is used in analyzing the impacts of the 9-11 attack as brought by the possible and policy in how the industry response to the crisis. Definition of Crisis management The primary effect of the crisis to any firm and industry is its image, reputation and capability to function. In order to prevent the upheaval, many people need to be conscious of the responsibilities and roles in time of crisis. Moreover, the staff and employees should be aware of the issues that would possibly hit them. Inevitably every crisis receives the attention of the media and as a result draws the interest of the public, specifically from possible tourists (Barton, 2003). Therefore, financial outcomes, reputation and corporate image may be critically weakened by crises. Firms that is poorly prepared as well as their destinations where client safety is confronted by risk losing clients. Crisis management is supervising a crisis that may have great impact to the profitability of the business. The foundation of crisis management depends on the searching, plowing and collecting of the achievement that could possibly get from a crisis. The basis structure of a crisis operation m anagement is to identify the occurring crisis to take the proper action and to make that public action. An efficient crisis management strategy permits a company to decrease the possible risk to its status showed by the disaster or crisis situation. This is important since the unsatisfactory managed crisis that results to bad publicity can influence the consumersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ perspective of a firm in duration of time. Importance of Managing Crisis in the Tourism (and Hospitality) Industry The crisis in the hospitality and tourism industry should be managed with a specific care for different reasons: most of the companies in the said industry depend on discretionary spending of their consumers (Bitner et al, 1990). This implies that the hospitality and tourism firms are very receptive to animosity since the acquisition of the service or product is not essentially valuable to the clients and they can easily let go of. The marketing of the services and products tourism solely depends on the awareness of the consumers know about their purpose and the level of risk that they are eager to tolerate. Thus, any aspect that shares to a raise in the recognized risk in utilizing a tourism service and product will have a negative effect the buying behavior of the consumers. This outcome also implements to broad industry crises. The involvement of tourism and hospitality industry is both developing and industrialized countries are so great recessions in the stage of the industry practices as their concern. The consequences expand beyond the directly associated activities with the tourism and hospitality industry, particularly hotels, airlines and catering, to segments that provide intermediary or final products that are bought by employees and companies in the said industry, so that all segments of the economy are influenced to a lesser or greater extent (Booth, 1993). The main reaction of the tourism and travel-related companies to important recession in the industry is to negotiate with the government to execute a range of rules to counteract the recession. The policymakers are facing with the hard decision of what, is any, ways to take, specifically since the execution of many policy measures is expensive and the related efficiency of another different measures. The government is challenged, especially, b y three problems that are important to any downfall in tourism and hospitality practice. The first matter of whether the crisis is adequately great to value offsetting measures. The relevant fact includes the scale that reduces in the profit of the tourism and hospitality industry, the recession have resulted to impact across the other segment of the economy and the impacts on the welfare of the industry. The second matter is the period of the crisis. If turmoil in the economy is perceived to last longer or even permanently, the company should focus their attention on lessening the modification costs as the economy advances to the new balance. If a crisis is just short-term in nature, the issue should be shield the economy of is the unfavorable impacts of the crisis (Brewton, 1987). The third matter is the issues of the policies option for implementation. In this circumstance, the companies should examine the related advantages of substitute policies consideration and responses that are integration of rates of relief and policies that is most cost-effective in increasing income and minimizing the expenditures. The option of the responses to the policies, preferably, is according to the previous estimation of the dispersion and magnitude of the effect of the crisis and the effect of substitute measures across different segment of the economy. The estimated economic effect of the changes in the demand for the hospitality industry has, conventionally, been assuming employing input-output model. This model is well-created means of taking responsibility of the inter-sector effects of diverse types of exogenous distress to the economy. (Booth, 1993) On the other hand, the input-output model depends on the number of pre-suppositions, like a fixed costs and salaries that may not be proper for the conditions of particular economies. Theories and Methods Employed in Managing Crisis In the situations of the crisis, usually progress in cycles of pre-catastrophe, catastrophe and post-catastrophe. The firm begins from a usual situation and ultimately going back to it. It is the occurrences between these levels of familiarity that are of goals of this study. There are different standards that have been developed in the field of crisis management, with most frameworks of best practice are from experiences. For this industry a particular model was customized (Buchholtz, 2003). The main subject in crisis management is the advance preparation: there are some key decisions that should be arrived at before the crisis itself. These are the training for crisis managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  prevention planning and quick response, in order to achieve effective crisis management, it should be performed proactively with the goal to protect and defend the interests of the firm. In spirit, crisis management is part of the strategic methods planning from a firm. In order for a firm to be prepared to act against a crisis, the management requires to get ready ahead in advance (Chong and Nyaw, 2002). The most common issues to a company are: fire, labor accidents, wreckages, economic crisis and external forces. The firms are classified in each crisis situation based on its rigorousness and responded consequently. For example, if there is an unfortunate loss of life during the crisis, then this is regarded as the basic consequence and is managed by the whole team. In the same way, a technical problem that is confronted on a regular basis may not need the similar mobilization (Chong, 2004). The tourism and hospitality industry has assumed a proactive method to their media management by presenting excellent relationship between the local and national media by regular, friendly and direct communication. There are press conferences, as well as special publications like newsletters and magazines that are utilized to operate together with the media. Th ere are direct communications that are important in crisis situations when the firm and the media cooperate to guarantee the truthfulness of any reports. Most firms seek the help of some consultancy firms that help with crisis management, which are two of the most valuable and important services they provide. Firms should be ready for facing crisis that are possibly harmful to their reputation. In simpler words, the firm, the employees and the management should train according to the development program of crisis management: brainstorming, media training, planning, audits and simulation (Clark and Varma, 1999). The whole organization from the top management down to the employees should use these skills and tools. Modeling Travel and Tourism in the Wider Economy The impacts of the 9-11 attack in New York and the related effects to the different policies on the tourism and hospitality industry can be analyzed on the U.S. economy. The government accepts all income taxes and invests it on the tourist and hospitality industry (COOMBS, 2006). The flows in the tourism and hospitality is based on the demand of the private households, both resident and domestic travels, some are for business purposes, purchasing products for tourism and travel use. For each flow in the industry, the model for the trips in the tourism and hospitality industry includes the tourism, travel and air travel. The limits in the functions of demand in the industry are transformed to reproduce the impact of the 9-11 attack on the demands in the industry, with the less attractive air travel. The model is structured so that policy on products and services is The model is formulated so that government expenditure on goods and services is exogenous, and government expenditure on travel and tourism trips is changed exogenously to simulate the effects of September 11. The government adjusts its budget through lump-sum transfers to private households. Net foreign savings are fixed, so that the changes that are modeled do not affect international capital flows. World market prices are assumed to be determined exogenously (Anderson and Shah, 2004). These conditions are known as the government, macroeconomic and external closures. The constancy of the dollar and the GDP of the economy is the typical measure of the economic practices. The net impact of the industry budget is the net change like in the local, state and federal, tax profits without the extra expenses during the 9-11 attack (Barton, 2003). There is an adjustment in the labor and capital constant dollar factor. More particularly, it is the constant value of dollar that moves from their employment, either into another segment or to become employed or unemployed or, in the case of the underutilized capital. It does not gauge the adjustment costs of re-tooling, re-training and expense on unemployment benefits, but it is a manifestation of the related size of these modifications costs. The relative factor modification is the same measure as the provided rate of all employment factors rather than the constancy of dollars. The Procedures of Crisis management Generally, the use of resources and time strategies for crisis management should have the development of a project plan provided by the firm, the high skilled employees and well-equipped projects, well-trained and well-educated employees, as well as efficient allocation of budget. Moreover, to these methods, the implementation of crisis management will most possibly provide increase to different problems and challenges. It is then fundamental that the firm recognizes these issues and get ready for their countermeasures in order to avoid worst impacts. Recognizing Possible Problems This strategy will aid the firm to classify possible problems in relation to quality systems should be used in crisis management (Bamford and Xystouri, 2005). One objective of developing other advance actions is to attend to the future challenges. The fast recognition of problems before the project is applied is advantageous not only because it avoids worst business impacts from occurring, but this also guarantees the length of the crisis management project. If the firm can last the probable problems of crisis management, the allotted resources for it implementation will be saved. The training in crisis management is one of the main elements that the firm should put in mind in order to classify the potential challenges. Basically, there are two types of crisis management training that will be very functional including statistical problem-saving and training. The training comprises of training on technical issues, participative methods, brainstorming or nominal collecting techniques that can be implemented in the crisis management. Potential Management Pitfalls The execution of crisis management is very useful for business development. On the other hand, the process of the implementation is not easy. Moreover, the important resources is needed to have the project materialize, a number of problems can have an impact to the success of the success of crisis management. One of the probable effects of the implementation of crisis management is the notion that such management does not generally lead to 100% success (Coombs, 2006). Moreover, it does not really follow an orderly and linear process, causing the firm to go through stressful and chaotic procedure. The crisis management can be perceived as a trial and errors practice that requires the constancy of changes and improvement. In most situations, the application of the crisis management is only focused on the professionals instead of the employees who will employ it. In this scenario, it is essential to take note that crisis management should get their personnel to get involved in the company, basically because they will be the ones who will be operating towards the success of the crisis management (Elliot et al, 2005). Another problem to focus is that crisis management does not usually need transformation in management compensation. The company should also consider the transition of its investment in crisis management. Therefore, unless the firm does something to encourage it employees and team players, they will not give the concept of quality seriously. Finally, the implementation of crisis management seems to apply technical and mechanical method. This makes the crisis management to people and emotion. Risk Management The firm should be free to enter the idea of challenges and risk that always exist in crisis management (Elsubbaugh et al, 2004). Therefore, it is necessary for the firm to motivate its people to improve on the other options that will counteract the problems. In order to take action to these identified problems in crisis management, the firm would have to adjust their crisis management methods (Evans and Elphick, 2005). One crisis management techniques that can be implemented is the monitoring system of employment. Through the created monitoring systems, possible causes or problems can be easily identified. It is essential that the members of the work force can actively participate in this crisis management practices. In this effort, there is an important regularity. There should be a definite monitoring schedule that should be followed closely. Another procedure of the crisis management is the feedback system implementation (Fall, 2004). In this procedure, the team will be designated per unit of the company. It is the task of the leaders to take notice of the enhancements of the quality systems. The feedback system then permits the quick resolution of quality issues even when observing scheduled procedures. Conclusions Crisis management and preparedness is critically important for all tourism and hospitality industry organizations to prevent bad reputation and damage to their business. The achievement in transacting with the crisis event depends within efficient pre-crisis planning. The study recommended that the tourism and hospitality industry have been provided great deliberation to possible crisis and how to do business with them. They have implemented the common crisis action team structure to one that provides the needs of the industry that enables accurate and speedy reaction and action to upcoming situations as well as permitting for the human factor of taking care with victims (Coombs, 2006). The tourism and hospitality industry has classified good practice from their methods of crisis management that could be implemented by other firms: Crisis preparation is the main factor, brainstorming of the types of crisis and improves action plans for each type. Classify the criteria of the crisis i f its major or a minor. Recognize the team of the crisis management and promote the possible stakeholders that the firm will be having business with. Finally, show good business relationships with the important reporters and media. The cost-effectiveness has various types of response to the policy in the crisis management in the tourism and hospitality industry that is very efficient in decreasing the worst impact of the 9-11 crises. On the other hand, the related success of the different policy considerably differs. The outcomes from the discussed model of crisis management in this model is directly related to the assistance towards the tourism and hospitality industry in the form of subsidy which the most effective instrument for facing the challenges of the crisis. These subsidies are for air travel, specifically it is the less effective manner of saving jobs and retaining the profit in the provision to the industry itself. This would have the benefit of offering the tourism industry with more benefit to decrease the ticket costs, therefore motivating the action against the crisis. The crisis management would specifically save jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry, so that the method of assistance for both company and government could be focused on. Even though, these actions are related to the impact of the 9-11 attack, it is possible that they can be simplified to other forms of crisis in the tourism and hospitality industry. Therefore, for an instance, the hotel business were adversely affected by any specific occurrences, it is probably that a policy of direct management of crisis in the hotel business be most successful when it comes to responses. The related efficiencies of different forms of crisis management policies to various forms of crisis in different countries could be done using a modeling technique.

How Bronte Shows the Reader Janes Resilience in Jane Eyre Essay

How Bronte Shows the Reader Jane's Resilience in Jane Eyre The novel Jane Eyre is written by Charlotte Bronte and is set in the 1800’s. It describes how Jane rose up from her orphan status at the start of the story to a higher status with Mr Rochester. More importantly Jane finds happiness. During the 1800’s a woman’s status was low and to have a higher status would involve marrying into a rich family or already belonging to a wealthy family. The story shows how Jane copes with the ups and downs in her life, during her journey for happiness. The aim of this essay is to show how Bronte shows Jane’s resilience to events throughout the novel. Resilience is the ability to withstand suffering, to show strength. The essay will also include how successful Jane is as a heroine. Qualities that could be considered to make Jane a heroine are selflessness, courage and bravery. Throughout the essay will be references to six episodes that occur during the novel. Each of the episodes will show Jane’s resilience or her heroic qualities. At the start of the story Bronte presents Jane as a young girl who is being bullied by her cousin John Reed. When she stands up to him she is punished and no one believes that he is a part of the bullying. She is then sent to the â€Å"Red Room† by her aunt Mrs Reed. The â€Å"Red Room† is where her uncle died and has only been used for guests since. As well as being bullied by John, he expects Jane to respect him, for example: â€Å"say, what do you want Master Reed?† He acts superior to her. After being treated badly Jane still has the courage to say â€Å"wicked and cruel boy† to John and not give up and let him win. During her stay at the â€Å"Red Room† Jane believes she sees a ghost, she cries for help... ...rage and bravery. She doesn’t cave in and give up hope, she is resilient. All of the episodes throughout this essay show Jane’s resilience. I believe that the reason Bronte wrote Jane Eyre was to show that if you want something bad enough you will get it. Jane wanted happiness and respect from others; at the end of the novel she has achieved this. Jane was in many bad situations but she was determined so she got through them all. The novel is also about the status of women in the 1800’s. I think that Bronte was also trying to show that women have strength and that they deserved the same respect as men. The detail in the story and the point of view that Bronte gives us, encourages the reader to understand the sort of life led by women during the 1800’s and their low status in society. The reader would also admire Jane as she was such a strong individual.

Pressures Of Society :: essays research papers

Pressures of Society Our behavior usually is controlled and decided by us, but that is not always the case. As we saw in the play Marty's behavior was not always his own decision. The behavior of any person can be greatly manipulated by society. There are a few points in the play and in normal life that can prove this statement is true. Marty's actions were greatly influenced by the views of his family and friends. Marty was forced into many actions by the people around him. A person will consider what other tells them as much as what they believe in themselves. Marty was always a quiet man that didn't like going out, it was his family and friends that told him to do so. It was his decision, but it wasn't his choice. Marty did not want to go anywhere yet he did just because his friends and family told him so. It is not always easy to refuse such thing, Marty had to make a decision and decided he should go out. By analyzing the pros and cons he made a decision, basing it on knowledge and commonsense, after all going out is not a bad thing. But what if there is no decision? What if the person is forced to do something that he does not agree with? This can be blamed on the pressure of society as well, sometimes you do something that you know you don't want just because someone is forcing you. Marty showed such behavior many times throughout the play. It was not always a conscious decision every time that Marty did what he did, he based many of his decisions just on what his friends and family told him. It is this play that made me think, that our decisions and choices are based on what we think just as much as what others think. It is not always your choice and it is not always what you want that you do. For example I am writing this essay because someone told me so, and it is not my choice either to do it or not, I can decide if to do so but that doesn't leave with other options. Some actions people do are subconsciously inputted by society, that means that there was no specific someone that told you what to do, yet you still do it because society has set this standard. This type of action can be seen in anyone at every given day. It can range from the simpler things like dressing up, and looking good all

Health Promotions and Disease Prevention Paper Essay

Elder Mistreatment Elder mistreatment is a widespread problem in our society that is often under-recognized by health care professionals. As a result of growing public outcry over the past 20 years, all states now have abuse laws that are specific to older adults; most states have mandated reporting by all health care professionals. The term â€Å"mistreatment† includes physical abuse and neglect, psychological abuse, financial exploitation and violation of rights. Poor health, physical or cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse and a history of domestic violence are some of the risk factors for elder mistreatment. Diagnosis of elder mistreatment depends on acquiring a detailed history from the patient and the caregiver. It also involves performing a comprehensive physical examination. Only through awareness, a healthy suspicion and the performing of certain procedures are physicians able to detect elder mistreatment. Once it is suspected, elder mistreatment should be reported to adult protective se rvices (HHS fact sheet, 2005). It is estimated that over 2 million older adults are mistreated each year in the United States. Elder mistreatment first gained attention as a medical and social problem about 20 years ago, when the term â€Å"granny battering† first appeared in a British medical journal. Since that time, elder mistreatment has become a matter of concern not only in the United States, but throughout the world. This heightened awareness has followed a growing awareness of child and spousal abuse. Nevertheless, because of differing definitions, poor detection and under-reporting, the extent of elder mistreatment is unknown. These same factors make the collection of data difficult and its accuracy questionable. Published studies estimate that the prevalence of elder mistreatment ranges from 1 to 5 percent (Healthy people, 2010). Most health care professionals are reluctant to address domestic violence. However, physicians are in an ideal position to detect and manage mistreatment, as they may be the only person outside the family/caregiver role who regularly sees the older adult. In addition, the  physician is the most likely person to order the testing, hospital admissions and support services that are sometimes needed to correct elder mistreatment. This paper will discuss the clinical, ethical and legal issues regarding elder mistreatment. The various forms of elder mistreatment are defined, including ways to identify patient and caregiver risk factors, and history and physical findings that suggest a diagnosis of elder mistreatment. Finally, a systematic approach to patient evaluation, documentation and reporting of suspected cases will be reviewed. Reasons elder abuse may be missed or not reported by health care professionals include unfavorable attitude toward older adults (ageism), little information in medical literature about elder mistreatment, reluctance to attribute signs of mistreatment (disbelief),isolation of victims (patient not seen often by physicians/health care providers), subtle presentation (i.e., poor hygiene or dehydration), reluctance/fear of confronting the offender, reluctance to report mistreatment that is only suspected, mistreated person requests that abuse not be reported (patient/physician privilege), lack of knowledge about proper reporting procedure, fear of jeopardizing relationship with hospital or nursing facility Types of elder abuse Physical Abuse- occurs when a person is touched in an inappropriate way, such as hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, and pushing. Physical abuse often leaves marks on the person’s body: bite marks, bruises, welts, and burn marks. Marks are often left on arms, wrists, face, neck, and abdomen area; Emotional/Psychological Abuse- occurs when a person is demeaning to another person. A person may treat the elder like a child or call them names. An elder may seem unusually depressed or may talk bad about themselves; Sexual abuse- among an elder occurs when sexual contact is made without consent. It also occurs when an elder is incapable of making such a decision, and is rape; Financial abuse- occurs when a person or persons take advantage of an elderly person financially. This includes stealing money, lying about how much the elder needs for certain care, or cashing the elder’s checks without permission; Neglect/Abandonment- occurs when the elder is not being properly cared for, such as not being fed, bathed, and properly medicated. This is also when the elder is being ignored. The care  giver refuses to give care to the individual (Physical abuse of the elderly, 2005). Elder Mistreatment: Definitions and Classifications In an effort to increase physicians’ awareness, facilitate accurate detection and promote further research, the American Medical Association published a position paper on elder mistreatment in 1987. This paper proposed a standard definition: â€Å"‘Abuse’ shall mean an act or omission which results in harm or threatened harm to the health or welfare of an elderly person. Abuse includes intentional infliction of physical or mental injury; sexual abuse; or withholding of necessary food, clothing, and medical care to meet the physical and mental needs of an elderly person by one having the care, custody or responsibility of an elderly person† (HHS fact sheet, 2005). Elder mistreatment may take many forms. Types of elder mistreatment are often classified as physical abuse and neglect, psychological abuse, financial exploitation and violation of rights. A major obstacle to prevention of and intervention for elder mistreatment is a lack of awareness on the part o f physicians and other health care professionals (LA4Seniors, 2005). Risk Factors and Prevention Cognitive impairment and the need for assistance with activities of daily living are important risk factors for elder mistreatment. Caregiver burnout and frustration can lead to elder mistreatment. Substance abuse by the caregiver or the patient, especially abuse of alcohol, significantly increases the risk of physical violence and neglect. Psychological and character pathology in the caregiver and patient are also major risk factors. Prevention of elder mistreatment is difficult and depends as much on the social support network as on the medical network. Preventing elder mistreatment involves identifying high-risk patients and caregivers, and attempting to address the underlying issues. Screening patients and caregivers before placement can be helpful, when it is feasible. Helping patients obtain county or state assistance can also help reduce some high-risk situations. Risk Factors for Elder Mistreatment Older age, lack of access to resources, low income, social isolation, minority status, low level of education, functional debility, substance  abuse by caregiver or by elderly person, psychological disorders and character pathology, previous history of family violence, caregiver burnout and frustration, and Cognitive impairment. History- Recognizing mistreatment is often difficult. The older adult may be unable to provide information because of cognitive impairment. The history is sometimes difficult to obtain from the victim, for fear of retaliation by the abuser. This retaliation can come in the form of physical punishment or threats of violence and abandonment. Older adults are often fearful of being placed in a nursing facility, and some may prefer to be abused in their own home rather than be moved to such a facility (LA4Seniors, 2005). The mistreated older adult often presents with somatic complaints. Physicians should ask older patients about rough handling, confinement and verbal or emotional abuse. Subtle or confusing complaints may actually be indicative of mistreatment. It is important to recognize that abuse and neglect are most often discovered during routine visits at the physician’s office or in the long term care facility. Generally, the patient should be interviewed without the caregiver(s) present. Cognitive impairment may limit the ability to obtain an accurate history. It is important to ask general questions about conditions in the home or nursing facility. The physician should try to obtain an accurate view of the patient’s daily life, including meals, medication, shopping and social outlets (HHS fact sheet, 2005). It is also important to ask the patient about the nature and quality of the relationship with the caregiver. It may be helpful to ask questions such as, â€Å"How do you and the caregiver get along?† and â€Å"Is the caregiver taking good care of you?† It is critical to assess the patient’s mental status for indicators of depression or alcohol and substance abuse. A discussion of the patientâ €™s financial situation may be appropriate. If issues of mistreatment are raised, the caregiver should be interviewed as well. The physician must be careful not to over interpret or to make suggestive comments, especially when the patient is cognitively impaired. Essential Features of the History in the Assessment of Mistreated Elders Medical problems/diagnoses, detailed description of home environment (adequacy of food, shelter, supplies), accurate description of events related to injury or trauma (instances of rough handling, confinement, verbal or emotional abuse), history of prior violence, description of prior injuries and events  surrounding them, description of berating, threats or emotional abuse, improper care of medical problems, untreated injuries, poor hygiene, prolonged period before presenting for medical attention, depression or other mental illness, extent of confusion or dementia, drug or alcohol abuse, quality/nature of relationships with caregivers. Physical Examination and Laboratory Tests The physical examination is often used as legal evidence of mistreatment. Laboratory and imaging studies should be performed to confirm any suspicious findings in the history and physical examination. The presence of dehydration and malnutrition can be established with simple laboratory tests such as a complete blood count and measurement of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, protein and albumin levels. Radiographic studies provide evidence of old and new fractures. Unfortunately, proving that a fracture was caused by abuse can be difficult (HHS fact sheet, 2005). Role of advance nurse and nursing intervention strategies- The nurses can play a vital role as a case finder, manager, advocate, educator, researcher and caregiver to physically abused elderly and family or caregiver in a given community. Inform the decision makers about the magnitude, trends and characteristics of violent deaths; and, evaluate and continue to improve by educating the patient and the care giver, and if is necessary reporting the abuser to the authorities. Nurses should involve the case managers and the social workers, document all the findings accurately and report the mistreatment case as soon as possible. Documentation Documentation of all findings may be entered as evidence in criminal trials or in guardianship hearings. Documentation must be complete, thorough and legible. Such circumstances dictate that there is a â€Å"chain of evidence.† This need mandates a careful collection of physical evidence, which is critical in cases of suspected sexual or physical abuse. Laboratory data and, when possible, photographs should be used for verification of written documentation. Management Management of elder mistreatment first involves discussing the situation with the patient, if feasible. The patient should be allowed to play a role  in the ultimate resolution, if he or she is able to do so. First, the competency of the patient should be determined. Local and state social services have different methods of addressing mistreatment. Social workers from hospitals, clinics or long term care facilities are valuable resources and should be able to assist with these services. Multidisciplinary teams can be very effective. These teams typically include geriatricians, social workers, case management nurses and representatives from legal, financial and adult protective services. Multidisciplinary teams are often more effective in problem-solving and provide a forum for discussion with participants involved in the older adult’s care. Senior advocacy volunteer groups are also helpful. A senior advocate can provide information to the abused person and enable access to resources from community programs and social services. Basic Features of the Physical Examination Head- Traumatic alopecia or other evidence of direct physical violence; poor oral hygiene; Skin- Hematomas, welts, bite marks, burns, decubitus ulcers; Musculoskeletal- fractures or signs of previous fractures; Neurological- cognitive impairment that is a risk factor for mistreatment and influences management decisions regarding competency; Genito rectal- poor hygiene, inguinal rash, impaction of feces; General- weight loss, dehydration, poor hygiene, unkempt appearance (LA4Seniors, 2005). Reporting All health care providers (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) and administrators are mandated by law to report suspected elder mistreatment. The laws differ from state to state; physicians should determine the specific requirements in their states. Any other person may also report suspected abuse and neglect. All reporters are immune from civil liability if they act in good faith and without malice. They are also protected from termination of employment. Health care providers can be found to be negligent if they fail to report the suspected mistreatment. Penalties can include fines, imprisonment or loss of licensure. Reports of suspected elder mistreatment should be given to the state or county division of adult protective services. In the absence of such services, the reporter should contact the county extension office or the state’s office of child and  family services. In addition, any Area Agency on Aging would be able to provide assistance in reporting suspected mistreatment. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (telephone: 800-799-SAFE) or the Older Women’s League (telephone: 800-825-3695) could also help. Contacting the police is always an option, especially in an urgent situation (HHS fact sheet, 2005). In the event that the older adult is a resident of a long term care facility, a separate mechanism often exists for investigating suspected mistreatment through the state agency that surveys these facilities. Identifying the appropriate avenue for investigation can be done through the available adult protective service agency or the state department of child and family services (Elder Abuse, 2005). Once suspected mistreatment has been reported, the responsible agency will assign a social worker to investigate the case. The social worker will provide an accurate description of the home or nursing-facility environment. After assessment, the social worker may provide insight into some possible solutions to the problem and information about available resources. Unlike cases of child abuse, if the older adult is competent to make decisions, he or she may refuse intervention. If the older adult is not competent to make decisions, a guardian can be appointed by the state. The guardian can then direct care as needed until the problem is satisfactorily resolved. Injury Prevention- In healthy people there is no precise data specific for elder abuse, but these are related data from that site. The target rate for physical assault by intimate partner is 3.3 physical assaults per 1,000, and the baseline is 4.4 physical assaults per 1,000. The target rate for annual rate of rape is 0.7 rapes or attempted rapes per 1,000 persons, and the base line is 0.8 rapes or attempted rapes per 1,000 (Health people, 2010). Objectives from Healthy People 2010 Reduce injuries, disabilities, and deaths due to injuries and violence, and educating the primary care givers about the signs and symptoms of abuse or mistreatment, and educating them about alternative coping mechanisms. Several themes become evident when examining reports on injury prevention and control, including acute care, treatment, and rehabilitation. First, injury comprises a group of complex problems involving many different sectors of society. No single force working alone can accomplish everything  needed to reduce the number of injuries. Improved outcomes require the combined efforts of many fields, including health, education, law, and safety sciences. Second, many of the factors that cause injuries are closely associated with violent and abusive behavior (Health people, 2010). Violence and Abuse Prevention Violence in the United States is pervasive and can change quality of life. Reports of children killing children in schools are shocking and cause parents to worry about the safety of their children at school, and if the problem is untreated the aggression later on will turn on the parents or older adults. Reports of gang violence make people fearful for their safety. Although suicide rates began decreasing in the mid-1990s, prior increases among youth aged 10 to 19 years and adults aged 65 years and older have raised concerns about the vulnerability of these population groups. Intimate partner violence and sexual assault threaten people in all walks of life (Elder Abuse, 2005). Violence claims the lives of many of the Nation’s young persons and threatens the health and well-being of many persons of all ages in the United States. On an average day in America, 53 people die from homicide, and a minimum of 18,000 persons survive interpersonal assaults, and as many as 3,000 persons attempt suicide (Elder Abuse, 2005). Elderly, females, and children continue to be targets of both physical and sexual assaults, which are frequently perpetrated by individuals they know. Examples of general issues that impede the public health response to progress in this area include the lack of comparable data sources, lack of standardized definitions and definitional issues, lack of resources to establish adequately consistent tracking systems, and lack of resources to fund promising prevention programs. Disparities Adults aged 65 years and older are at increased risk of death from fire because they are more vulnerable to smoke inhalation and burns and are less likely to recover. Sense impairment (such as blindness or hearing loss) may prevent older adults from noticing a fire, and mobility impairment may prevent them from escaping its consequences. Older adults also are less likely to have learned fire safety behavior and prevention information,  because they grew up at a time when little fire safety was taught in schools, and most current educational programs target children (Healthy people, 2010). Opportunities To reduce the number and severity of injuries, prevention activities must focus on the type of injury—drowning, fall, fire or burn, firearm, or motor vehicle. Understanding injuries allows for development and implementation of effective prevention interventions. Some interventions can reduce injuries from violence-related episodes. For instance, efforts to promote awareness in society can help reduce the risk of assault, intentional self-inflicted and elder neglect and abuse. Higher taxes on alcoholic beverages are associated with lower death rates for some categories of violent crime, including mistreatment, abuse, and rape (Healthy people, 2010). Healthy People Objectives This organization encourages the Individuals, groups, and other organizations to use this framework and integrate it into their current programs, events, publications, and meetings, schools, colleges, and civic organizations to undertake activities in order to further the health of all members of their community. It is a national initiative that aims to improve the health of all Americans and eliminate disparities in health. Reducing the prevalence and overall number of people who suffer from different variety of diseases, and increase concerns for the nation’s elderly, and to reduce the overall rate of elder abuse, prevent its associated health problems, and educating the care givers and enhancing their coping mechanisms and alternative modalities to deal with the related stress. Health care providers can encourage their patients to pursue healthier lifestyles and to participate in community-based programs. By following the national objectives, individuals and organizations c an build an agenda for community health improvement and can monitor results over time. Healthy People objectives have been specified by Congress as the measure for assessing the progress of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, and the Preventive Health and Health  Services Block Grant. Healthy People objectives have been used in performance measurement activities (Healthy people, 2010). Many objectives focus on interventions designed to reduce or eliminate illness, disability, and premature death among individuals and communities, and to educate the care giver regarding recognizing elder abuse, and prevention modalities; others focus on broader issues, such as improving access to quality health care, strengthening public health services, and improving the availability and dissemination of health-related information. Each objective has a target for specific improvements to be achieved by the year 2010. Together, these objectives reflect the depth of scientific knowledge as well as the breadth of diversity in the Nation’s communities. More importantly, they are designed to help the Nation achieve Healthy People 2010’s two overarching goals and realize the vision of healthy people living in healthy communities (Healthy people, 2010). Interim Progress toward Year 2000 Objectives Numerous objectives addressed injury prevention in Healthy People 2010. Twenty-six objectives were specific for unintentional injuries, and 19 objectives were specific for violence prevention. By the end of the decade, targets had been met for 11 objectives. Unintentional injury objectives showing achievement were unintentional injury hospitalizations, residential fire deaths, nonfatal head injuries, spinal cord injuries, nonfatal homicide poisonings, and pedestrian deaths. Violence prevention objectives that met their targets were, suicide, weapon carrying by adolescents, conflict resolution in schools, and child death review systems. REFERENCES Elder Abuse and Neglect Statistics (2005). In search of solutions. Retrieved on 8/20/05 from http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/eldabuse.html Healthy people 2010(2005). Retrieved on 8/20/05 from http://www.healthypeople.gov LA4Seniors (2005). A public service website for seniors and their families. Retrieved on 8/20/05 from www.la4seniors.com/elder abuse.htm National center on elder abuse (2005). Retrieved on 8/20/05 from http://www.elderabusecenter.org HHS fact sheet (2005). US department of health and human services. Retrieved on 8/20/05 from www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20000503b.html Physical abuse of the elderly (2005). Physical abuse of the elderly: signs, descriptions, and what you can do about it. Retrieved on 8/21/05 from http://de.essortment.com/physicalabusee_rfjb.htm

Sop for Public Health

Being a compassionate person at heart, I was inclined towards social work since my school days. So naturally I was inclined to do some good when I was studying to be a dentist. So in the rather drab subject of Community Dentistry which most of students hated well I found some interest on Public Dental Health services, recordings for case studies, Indices and Epidemiology. There I learnt that the delivery of health services and primary care was very difficult in a vast and diverse country as India. Epidemiology and diagnosis of diseases like AIDS, tobacco cessation program, Dental lath education were interesting.I even made a project in my third year on oral manifestations of HIVE. The project was a hard copy of pictures and slides that explained the various routes of transmission of HIVE, difference between HIVE and AIDS, what are the early signs and symptoms of HIVE, and how to prevent spread of this infection, in a manner easily understandable by a layman. While many people have st arted using this and showed improvement, I constantly wonder about performing such techniques on a bigger scale – something that will make it possible.India and especially South Asia has a great population who are in influence of chewing Tobacco and Smoking. They have led to losses socially, economically, functionally, psychologically and of life in our society. During my training in dental school I came to realize that number of tobacco users are much more in my state. And they have to suffer a lot because of this habit from diseases like cancer at very early age. Already quality of health is poor and because of such habit people made it more worst.This inspired me to attend a special training workshop for tobacco cessation counseling by Tobacco Intervention Initiatives (T†). My extensive knowledge on pre-cancerous lesions proved to be extremely helpful at the time of implementation of the training at related campaigns. And I already used this knowledge during my inter nship to aware people about harmful effects of tobacco and helped them to quite their habit. It made me realize that we needed greater skills of Management and organization in our Society and this was a major hurdle in our Health Care system.

Louis Pojman Short Summary Essay

Louis Pojman argues for objectivism instead of relativism in morality even though we are attracted to the idea of relativism. Ethical relativism is made up of a diversity thesis and a dependency thesis. The diversity thesis is also known as cultural relativism and basically states that morality is different between different societies. The dependency thesis is similar to the diversity thesis, but states that morality depends on the context of the society. There are two views on the dependency thesis. In one view it is the application of the moral principles that depends on the situation, but in the other the principles (not how they are applied) actually depend on the situation. And even with the application of moral principles it is important to remember that they can change. Ethical relativism has two categories: subjectivism and conventionalism. Subjectivism is all about the individual, like it is everyone for themselves. This idea makes people like Hitler, Bundy, and members of t he KKK (just to name a few) justified in their actions. With conventionalism it is all about the society or culture, but then it becomes a question of how many individuals it takes to make a society. If there are enough Hitler-like people then they can form their own culture with its own morals and anything goes again. Both of these views of ethical relativism seem to be going in circles allowing all behavior as acceptable. Another issue with ethical relativism – whether it is subjective or conventional – is that a person has to determine what is their primary culture. Culture is made up of so many aspects like location, race, gender, religion, sexual status, etc. that a person could be making a moral decision that goes against one part of their culture but is acceptable with another part. Pojman outlines ethical relativism and then discusses moral objectivism as the correct idea. He argues that it only takes one moral principle for all people to show that relativism is false and objectivism is true. He states a variety of general ethical principles (ten, specifically, which may have a connection to the Ten Commandments or may just be a coincidence) that seem to be necessary to rid suffering, resolve conflict, and promote human flourishing. While reading Pojman’s statements on ethical relativism I asked myself where do we draw the line on deciding what is right and wrong. As a Christian it was difficult to read that some people believe in relativism and think that whatever they personally decide to be acceptable IS acceptable – or even that entire societies can do something  that goes against human nature. It was a relief to get to the end of the article where Pojman argues against relativism and makes a case for objectivism based on the fact that we do have a core morality.

How to Become a Bestselling Author on Amazon By ML Banner

How to Become a Bestselling Author on Amazon By ML Banner Becoming an Amazon Bestselling Author with a First Fiction Book: An Interview with ML Banner Last updated 07/06/2017.Writing is no easy thing. Most authors who end up making a living out of it actually say it’s one of the hardest professions. It takes a lot of time, dedication and energy.If on top of writing, you also have to do all the activities associated with publishing the book, it becomes more than just â€Å"hard†. 2014 was described by hybrid author Kristine Kathryn Rusch as the year when indies say â€Å"the end of the gold rush†. If you like roaming around on Kboards, you see more and more posts from authors â€Å"quitting† indie publishing.But now and again, you get to read about the latest awesome indie success story, and that always brings the optimism back. And who better than Hugh Howey to do that? When we read the guest post on his blog by ML Banner, bestselling author of Stone Age (his first book!), we thought we definitely had to interview him. So we did.He’s sharing his experience, insights, and creative marketing techniq ues with us. Through his creative marketing techniques, ML was able to become a bestselling author on Amazon  almost overnight - after working hard on his book, of course.For the lovers of the written word, we’ve transcribed most of the interview below. However, we strongly encourage you to switch the volume on and hit play, you’ll get so much more - like a very persistent fly constantly trying to interrupt Michael! Hi Michael, great to have you here. First, congratulations on getting your two first books out last year, and on hitting the ground running. You’ve had this idea for a book for a long time, right? What made you decide to â€Å"author publish† it in the first place?I have to say that the primer to this, probably, was Hugh Howey. I read about him in a Wall Street Journal article in 2013: about his Wool series (that I then read and loved) and what he had done to self-publish them. So that was always in the back of my mind, but to be honest at that time I didn’t really have the intention to write any fiction.Then I read an article one day about solar flares (I’ve always had a very keen interest in science), and what could happen if we had a similar solar storm today. So I just started doing research on it to find out that something like this actually happened once back in 1859, and that if it happened again today, it could be catastrophic. I thought: â€Å"ma n, this would make for a great book, I’m sure it must be on Amazon!† So I searched for it, and it wasn’t there†¦So I started rumbling, and thinking: â€Å"well if I had to write that book, here’s probably how I would approach it, with this plot, these characters, etc.† And I actually started writing the book, without my wife even knowing about it!And with that first book, you’ve actually become a bestselling author on Amazon in your category, so you’re the perfect example of the â€Å"indie publishing dream†. But you’ve also done a lot of pre-launch work for that, and a lot of things that I don’t see many authors out there doing. Do you think that’s because you have a tech/startup background?Sure, I know I approached it kind of differently. But first, once I knew I was going to self-publish, I really immersed myself in everything about self-publishing, reading book after book, articles, etc.Then, the fa ct that I have been a founder of several companies in the past (the last one is currently running: SmallBiz.com) and have worked a lot with technology has made me approach self-publishing from the same viewpoint. I used Google+ a lot, for example, as I’m a big believer in it, trying to forge connections with other writers.Also, I knew I had to approach the actual publishing bit as a publisher: â€Å"I have to be a publisher myself, so how can I really make this successful?†. I tried to come up with some creative ideas, the same way you’d do when starting a business: you try to do things differently to stand out in a competitive market.For example, I had a character in the book who was a scientist and I thought: it’d be really cool if he had this research institute. So I created a persona for him online: a G+ profile, a Twitter account, and a website for the CMER Institute. The key was really to think from my character’s standpoint and see what I wo uld do, in his place, to get the word out about this phenomenon that endangers the world.The beautiful thing about eBooks is the connectivity: you can embed hyperlinks. So I linked to this CMERI website where my character actually offered a reader magnet; a free ebook called â€Å"The Apocalypse Survival Guide†. And I actually got over 1,200 downloads of that book. Some people even seem to believe that the CMERI is real, as I got a couple of media inquiries!I think that’s definitely something more authors should do: explore the possibilities of eBooks to create something bigger than the story.I agree, I’ve seen only a rare few authors taking advantage of that. The thing you have to remember is that it’s so easy now to set up a web presence (for the author or for one of the characters). I have a GoDaddy unlimited account which costs around $200 a year so for the cost of a domain I can set up a professional-looking website in an hour or so, and embed your book in there. Also, if you can put some freebie stuff on your website, people usually love that. All this is really part of building a platform, which is one of the two most important things when you’re marketing your book.And you have actually set up your website around 6 months before the launch, if I’m not mistaken. But how do you get people interested in it when you don’t have the content yet? How did you manage doing pre-launch marketing?I did set up my author website probably 6 months before I launched, yes. But frankly, I had no one coming to it. You know, I see a lot of author websites out there and people seem to be confused about what their purpose is. My sole purpose with the website, right from the get go, was to acquire a mailing/subscriber list.Now, I don’t want to make it seem like I had all the answers, though, because I didn’t. It was trial and error. There’s a lot of things I did for the launch of my second book that I did n’t do for the first one. I set up the platform early on because I knew I was going to need that, but until I launched the first book, I think I only had 2 or 3 subscribers (probably friends)†¦Then, I set up the website for my scientist character, and a third website for the book series. I started building the platform from there because I knew it had to be there for when I launched. Also, at that time I wasn’t really worried about the launch, I was thinking: â€Å"get the book out and don’t worry too much about the marketing†. I’ve since changed my thinking on that with book two, where it was all about the launch.To me, a big part of getting a book launched is trying to get your reviews in line. Now, most reviews are just a condition of book sales (in my experience, you get one review every 50 to 100 sales or so). But what you can do is get the people ready for pre-reviews. That’s much easier when you already have a following, of cours e, but to get started I would go with Google+ and Goodreads communities. I set myself up early on on Goodreads: although it’s hard to do anything there until your book is launched, I immersed myself from a reader standpoint in different communities and once I had the book ready, I asked for people to do an advanced copy review. There are plenty of people out there, so if you’re writing a book that you think lots of people will want to buy and read, then surely you can entice a dozen people or so to review it.Amazon also does a cool thing with the pre-orders, which allows you to actually have a presence, a â€Å"product† even when your book is not necessarily ready. Just be careful not to miss the deadline, else you’ll be stuck in Amazon darkness for a year. You can set up the pre-order and then go to Goodreads and Google+ communities and tell everyone: â€Å"hey, I’ve got this book coming up, and I need some advance reviewers, who’s interes ted?†When launch time comes, the big thing to me is visibility. If you’re a brand new writer with no following, this means you’ll have to do something to get the Amazon algorithms to work for you. I think it’s best to launch at $.99, even if you’re just making 35%. You need to get on the â€Å"Hot New Releases† and there are things you can do to focus on that, as I explained in the Hugh Howey post.Another thing that worked well for me was doing giveaways (of other people’s books), just to build up my readership list within my genre. I like this idea of â€Å"giveaways†: not only is it something that you can do before your launch, it’s also a way to build relationships with other authors within your genre, who can then help you promote your books, right?Absolutely, I’m a big believer in the collaborating with other authors in your genre. It was in a Google+ community I think that another author told me to â€Å"befriend someone in my genre†.I took this idea to heart: there were a couple of authors I really liked so I wrote a review of one of their books on my blog and then contacted them directly. The important thing is to build a relationship. It might take some time but it’s worth it, because once you have this relationship you can ask them if they’d like to review your book, or tell their audience about it. And likewise, when they are the ones running a countdown or launching a book, you will tell your audience!One of my first relationships was with a UK author, and we ’re actually going to co-write a book within my Stone Age world now. That is a relationship that kind of grew from almost a year of corresponding back and forth and trying to help with each other’s marketing.This is actually something really unique and exciting in this world that we’re living in, the writers’ world. These people who are trying to sell their books in the same genre are not your competitors, they can be your best allies. On top of that, they already have developed their platform, they already have a readership (with their readers). So you just need to have them tell their readership about your book.I agree, and when doing that I think it’s especially important, even if you’re a starting author with not much to offer, to start by offering something, right?Oh definitely, I think it’s a mistake to approach immediately with â€Å"what can you do for me?†. The only exception to that is: â€Å"what has worked for you? †, that’s a different question that most are going to be very receptive to.Many authors, especially those that have done well, really want to share that with other authors. Look at bestselling author Hugh Howey, he’s a perfect example. And there are many like that, who are ready to welcome you, embrace you, and help you in your journey, especially if you’re willing to listen and learn. The best thing to do is to make their acquaintance, start with that first email.Of course, you need to build the relationship, but that’s like with anything else. On your first date, you’re not going to take the girl to meet your parents! That’s important to keep in mind: learn from the person, ask questions, don’t be a bother but actually try to help when you can.One thing that worked for me was to monitor their books. I’m kind of a data person so I’ve got spreadsheets with my book, my bestseller ranking, the number of sales, and Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢ve tracked many other books in my genre the same way, to get an idea of what’s going on and how much the bestseller ranks fluctuate. So when I see one pop up and hit #1, I’ll send an email to the newly bestselling author just to say: â€Å"Congratulations, that’s awesome! How did you do it, did you use a promo newsletter, or just had the magic Amazon-algorithms for you?† We’ve all got a lot to learn from each other.Hugh Howey was one of those that I was tracking, and when my book passed his in the ranking and went on to hit #1, I reached out to Hugh to say â€Å"hi† and let him know he had been a wonderful influence and the main reason why I decided to self-publish. I was rather surprised he responded back the next day, we corresponded a bit after that and the guest post on his blog was part of that.And that’s how we all found out about you! I’d have a more specific question now on exclusivity. What made you decide to go with KDP Select and be exclusive?Part of it was simplicity. I was still doing this as a very part-time activity, so I didn’t have the time and energy to explore the other platforms. It was also a business decision: I looked at the books in my genre that were bestsellers and hung a bit in there and found out quite a few of those were with Select.The other part was the Countdown. The little countdown clock is just a perfect psychological tool for readers. Plus, when you do the Countdown, Amazon exposes you to a portion of the market that you would otherwise not get. Not only does it bump up your book during the countdown period, it actually keeps it there for a bit after that, in my experience.Here’s the key thing, actually: once you can push your book to a place on Amazon where it’s visible, then there are other points of visibility that can connect you. Countdown helps you a lot with that first step. Then, when launching the second book, it was almost natural t o also have it in Select.What about Kindle Unlimited? And don’t you feel you’re â€Å"missing out† on other opportunities through other platforms?I think that Kindle Unlimited is quite interesting, even though it’s gotten a lot of bad press and is pretty much an untested thing. There are certainly some things about KU that aggravate me, personally, but I have to admit that the borrows have really propped up my books and maintained a visibility that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.Gaining visibility on the other platforms seems to be a very difficult thing. I’m actually surprised that BN, Apple or Kobo are not mimicking some things that Amazon does and that work so well for authors to get their works in front of readers. I think they’re handicapping themselves because of that.Of course, the market is changing every day, with new players constantly coming in, so it’s our job as independent authors to follow that and see which on es you can use in order to get our books out there.Well, thanks so much for your time and advice. I look forward to seeing more indie success-stories like yours!Follow @ML_Banner,  @RicardoFayet  and  @ReedsyHQ  on Twitter!Or, if you prefer red math signs to blue birds, we’re also on Google+: +MLBanner, and  +ReedsyWhat creative marketing techniques do you personally use in your quest to becoming a bestselling author? What’s your take on exclusivity and KDP Select? Do join the conversation, or ask Michael any question you want (even about what happened to the annoying fly after the interview) in the comments below!