Stress Management in the RN Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stress Management in the RN Role - Essay Example According to Taylor and Barling (2004), career stress or simply burnout is a threat to the well-being of health workers. Career strain has been defined by Farrington (1997) as bleeding oneself for the benefit of others. Symptoms of burnout are evident on these individuals' emotional, cognitive and physical facets (Taylor & Barling, 2004). These symptoms described by Farrington (1997) include: lower level of energy, pessimism, feelings of helplessness, depersonalization, lowered self-esteem and even cynicism. Mental health nursing has been closely connected in dealing with burnout and stress on the nursing field (Taylor & Barling, 2004). Rees & Smith, in their 1991 article, has provided a documentation of the stress order of National Health Service professionals in the United Kingdom. It shows that community mental health nurses (CMHN) occupied the top place alongside speech therapist followed by general nurses and mental health nurses who are ward-based both in the third position. Another survey by Nolan (1995) on mental health nurses used the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in measuring caseness. Caseness is a name pertaining to the probability of acquiring a psychiatric disorder. The GHQ created by David Goldberg is available in 4 different versions with varying number of items-12, 28, 30, and 60 item Likert-type (with 4 choices) scale. Since the GHQ is a screening measure to identify trivial psychiatric problems, the questionnaire items aim to know the general health of the respondents over the recent weeks. It can be used with the general public but mostly used with health care professionals. Higher scores in the questionnaire imply psychological distress of the individual (General Health Questionnaire, n.d.). The GHQ was also used by Brown et al (1994) and Fagin et al (1995) to measure the psychological distress of health workers. Results indicated that CMHN have the highest psychological distress among the nursing sample. Ward nurses were also seen to have high levels of depersonalization. This was backed up with the researchers by the explanation that ward nurses have lower levels of empathy towards their patients. Stress in psychiatric nurses has been identified with their interaction to mentally ill patients (Melchior et al 1996). Different sources of stress include the patients tended to by the nurses, the co-nurses and doctors they are working with, the facilities in the hospital and the work itself (Taylor & Barling, 2004). Specifically, the researchers cited examples of stressful activities by CMHN nurses. Usually, they are stressed when in contact with the nerve-racking conditions of the work place-long waiting lines of patients, suicidal patients who can be very emotionally stressful, violent patients and hazardous work areas in different communities (Taylor & Barling, 2004). Some of these conditions were also true for ward-based nurses. The literature has wide accounts of different nursing fields as having specific types of stressors (Farrington 1995; Leiter & Harvie 1996; Mcleod 1997; Wheeler 1998a). Stress indicators in general have been identified in the literature. These include dealing with different types of patients (Haynes, LaCroix, & Lippin, 1987), doing the same work over and over again (Haynes et al., 1987; Karasek, 1979), the educational attainment of the individual needed in the job

Advertising and promotion strategy Essay Example for Free

Advertising and promotion strategy Essay Since the inception of the company’s first outlet in Cleveland, Mississippi in the year 1987, Back Yard Burgers depended mostly on the word of mouth publicity to spread awareness and promote its home cooked burgers. New outlets that opened in the subsequent years expanded not only the company’s consumer base and revenue but also stressed the need for aggressive marketing strategy to sustain the increased cost of operations. Back Yard Burgers started advertising on the television in the year 1993. The initial advertising campaigns were titled â€Å"the great burger wars† that took a punch at the competitors. In June 1994 the company launched a series of campaigns that featured Dennis R. Phillipi, a popular comedian in Memphis who soon became famous as Dennis the â€Å"Back Yard Burgers Guy†. The commercials projected the burgers as bigger, tastier, and healthier than those offered by the competitors due to its grilled cooking method that melted most of the fat. The advertising campaigns were effective in increasing sales and raising the revenue by 10 to 15%. Launch of new products and subsequent commercials on the television featuring Dennis Phillipi was an effective strategy. The company used the audio of these commercials in radio advertising that was cheaper. In addition the company also used direct mail advertising. The company collects 1% of taxable sales from each franchisee and company-operated restaurants that goes to the national advertising fund. 50% of this fund is utilized for marketing promos through various channels like radio, television, and print media. The rest 50% is used for market research, new product testing, and development, improvising on the operational front. The company’s marketing director monitors product launch and new restaurant opening promotions and marketing managers with a well-trained staff. The management works in collaboration with the franchisees towards advertising and promotion of its restaurants. The advertising fee earned by the company increased from $314,000 in July 1, 2006 period to $318,000 in June 30, 2007 period. The $4000 increase over the earlier period is accounted to the 1% of sales that goes to the national advertising fund as per company policies. The company also recorded an increase in the advertising expense from $668,000 in the July 1, 2006 to $814,000 in June 30, 2007 that attributes to approximately 5% of the net restaurant sales on advertising in the past year. (see annexure for the comparative income statements). The company has been stressing on the advertising and promotion strategy but it has not been very effective. There are some important points that can be highlighted in this respect. †¢ The company has not been able to create brand loyalty and brand awareness in spite of good quality products and effective marketing strategy. This could be attributed to low brand visibility. This can be remedied with aggressive market campaigns that aim at the younger generation since this is the biggest consumer segment for the fast food industry. Strategies that aim for deeper market penetration, fun logo that people can relate to enjoyable food and moments are essential for brand positioning. â€Å"Fun logo† is a concept that the consumers can equate with good times. The simple logo of McDonald’s is easily identifiable and children and youngsters can spot it from a distance – this is one of the best examples of effective brand positioning. †¢ The other concept that the Back Yard Burgers can adopt is the use of bright color-coding for their outlets and the signboards. A bright color scheme attracts the younger generation and gives it an inviting look. The uniformity in look and feel of the franchisee restaurants and the other company-operated restaurant is essential to make an easily identifiable picture in the consumer minds. †¢ In running a successful brand promotion campaign the essential point is to identify the consumer segment. Who are the consumers and the target focus group for this chain of restaurants? The children and adolescents who form a major chunk of the consumer group typically favour the fast food industry. The working people segment is another segment that will stop by for fast and filling food in their office hours. Fast service food is ideal meal for this segment. Campaigns attracting these two segments will create brand awareness and spell higher revenues for the company. †¢ Last but not the least the quality of food and service efficiency is the crux of the fast food industry. A good and satisfying meal will have the consumers returning for more. The satisfied and happy customer will not only promote brand loyalty but will have high recommendations regarding the food and service to their friends and families. This is the greatest form of publicity that a fast food outlet can expect.

The Leadership Of King Fahd Leadership Essay

The Leadership Of King Fahd Leadership Essay There are different types of leadership styles of which there are three main ones. There is the laissez faire where the leader spends little time supervising or paying much attention to what the people he is leading are doing. The second one is the autocratic leadership where the leader dictates when to and allows little or no room for other peoples views. The leader only wants his way done. This has fallen out of popularity in many countries although a few leaders in some countries are still practicing it. The third foam of leadership style is the participative leadership style where it is the middle ground of the laissez and the autocratic types of leadership styles. In this case, the leader allows the people to give their views but is at the same time in control and puts his/her stand where need be. This is the type of leadership most countries have adopted. Other types of leadership might come out as we move on. King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz was the king of Saudi Arabia from the 13th of June the year 1982 to the 1st of August the year 2005 although he stopped performing his full duties in November 1995 after suffering from a stroke. He was born on the 16th of March in the year 1921 and died on the 1st of August 2005. His parents were Amir Abdul Aziz who was the father and Hessa Bint Ahmed Alsudairy as the mother. He was the tent child out of the 45 children born by the 22 wives. King Fahd was also the custodian of the two holy mosques. King Fahd is known for having improved the living standards of the Saudis. He brought a lot of improvement in education especially to the girl child. He was a man who believed in balancing all aspects of life i.e. spiritual, physical, mental, and psychological. He served as a prince and a king to the Saudis (http://www.kingfahdbinabdulaziz.com/). His management theory and concepts King Fahds type of leadership can probably be categorized as the participative leadership. He ensured that Saudi Arabias infrastructure was improved, brought about more industries, made his state to be more modern, brought fairness to the ones who were being treated unfairly, defended the weak and feeble against the ones who were mighty and ruthless and much more. King Fahd was known to be generous for he provided aid and assistance where needed (Northouse, 2009). As a leader, he ensured that he put the interests of the people he led first. Saudis are Muslims and so he fully demonstrated that Islam is a religion that can be practiced all the time and by anybody as long as they wished to join Islam. He would listen to the people and establish what their problems, weaknesses; difficulties, wants and needs were (Winkler, 2009). It was not all easy in his leadership period. Putting up national educational system was a very demanding mission. Most pest people were hardly literate except for the religious scholars. To make this mission complete, he combined the vision he had that all the children would be able to access a good education and the determination he had to make that work although he was not highly experienced at the time. Saudi Arabias revenue grew and so this made it easier for him as there was no limitation of finances. He presented good leadership qualities as some leaders used the increment of finances to enrich their selves or even mismanaged the finances putting the country at a disadvantage later. Though some people, especially those who were nomadic and those who practiced agriculture were reluctant at first, they later came to accept education and thus Saudi Arabia has greatly developed (http://www.ameinfo.com/king_fahd_bin_abdul_aziz_al_saud/). King Fahd is also remembered for his great contribution to health matters. He brought free health services to the Saudis. This service was given to those inside and outside the kingdom. This was quite an achievement and a good show of leadership skills as most countries did not offer this service free. This contributed many losses of lives especially to those who were not able to access this service. Hospitals were expanded and more built in order to cater for the growing number of the Saudis. Apart from expanding and building more hospitals, he ensured that the medical practitioners were adequate in order to facilitate the free medical services. The hospitals and health centers were also equipped which was overseen by the health ministry. Some leaders provided free medical services for citizens in a country but fail to provide enough health facilities like hospitals, health centers, medical practitioners, medical equipment etc. making the free service end not being free as intended. This was a great achievement on King Fahds part. King Fahd provided social services that were made to cater for the imbalances raise the living standards among the Saudis and cater for any other deficiency in the population. He provided social activities that enabled the citizens to rely on themselves. This would ease the load on the government to take care of all its citizens. He made the citizens realize that they could cater for their daily needs by practicing agriculture using irrigation, do art for those who were talented in that area etc. instead of waiting for the government to employ each and every individual. Saudi Arabia, there are 173 benevolent societies. 20 of these societies belong to women of which the king highly supported. The kings government supported these societies by ensuring that they were given subsidies. The societies helped the less fortunate, physically and mentally challenged, the widows etc. the king also introduced a compulsory medical scheme which catered for the medical and retirement of the employees. This scheme was known as the General Organization for Social Insurance. The General Presidency for Youth Welfare has been active in the growth of sport in the kingdom. It was and is still responsible for the building and maintenance of sport arenas, youth hostels, sport medical hospitals, sport clubs, an international stadium etc. he greatly supported the involvement of youth in sports and was even a member of the Olympic movement themselves. This showed his love for the growth of the young people unlike other leaders who only exploited the young people and never gave them their dues. This greatly discouraged and killed the young people morale and talent. These young people either ended up in drugs, theft and burglary or hopeless. Most people see as if the Muslim woman is less regarded or looked down upon but this is not so. The Koran allows the woman to inherit or own property before and after marriage. In 1960, the government introduced a programme for the education of girls and by the mid 1970s; half of the girls in Saudi Arabia were going to school. When King Fahd was on the throne, his government highly encouraged more girls to go to school which enabled them to be competitive with their peer boys. Under his reign, the woman has been encouraged to take careers that were previously dominated by men like medicine, teaching, engineering, piloting, broadcasting, etc. This was a great achievement as most countries were experiencing such challenges. The King also played a major role in the development of Saudis economy. Saudi Arabia is well known for its rich oil reserves. It holds 25% of the oil reserves in the world. The kings government attempted to control the oil market in order to make sure the producer and the consumer of the oil were balanced and there was no one oppressing the other. The improvement of agriculture has greatly improved Saudis economy. The cultivation areas almost doubled during King Fahds reign. The citizens were highly encouraged to do more cultivation although Saudi is quite a dry land. The government offered and still offers interest free loans, financial help to farming projects and other foams of assistance just to help the farmers and make farming much easier. Agriculture played and still plays a great role in the Saudis economy (Bush, 2003). Saudi Arabia does not have a lot of water sources like many countries as it is located in the Middle East which is a dry area. King Fahd ensured that the water supply was kept constant by having water desalination, dams and reservoirs put up, and even recycling of sewage to make pure and clean water. This water was also used for irrigation of which many countries which experienced frequent rainy seasons were unable to do and therefore experienced drought when rain failed to pour as expected in a certain season. His weaknesses King Fahd was not entirely perfect. He had his weaknesses as a leader and as a person. Due to his strict belief in Islam, no single Christian church or Jewish synagogue was allowed on the Saudi soil. The Saudis were expected to follow the Muslim way of life both at home and abroad. This was not fair as it denied the citizens the freedom of worship. The Abdul Aziz kingdom was only restricted to the northern and eastern parts of Arabia (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Fahd.html). Though he was hard-working, he would sometimes suddenly take caravans and go for a luxurious holiday for weeks or even keep important people both locally and abroad waiting for hours because he had stayed up too late the previous night. He did not learn enough English in his lifetime so he had to use an interpreter to communicate in international meetings or where Arabic was not known by everyone. Conclusion King Fahd was a good leader that other leaders should emulate. He greatly contributed to the current Saudi Arabia status. He tried to fulfill most of the promises he made bring Saudi up in competition with the rest of the world. Despite his weaknesses, he was a great leader. He possesses a challenge to other countries that are advantaged in regard to rainfall due to the countrys agricultural development.

Archetypes In Siddhartha Essay -- essays research papers fc

In analyzing the novel Siddhartha, we find that Herman Hesse has incorporated many literary techniques to relay his message to the reader. By using various writing approaches to convey the theme of the novel, Hesse appeals to the readers' senses and aides them in grasping the novel. Included in these techniques are symbolism, metaphor, allusion, and archetypes. He compares many issues that Siddhartha faces to everyday objects and forces, making the novel easier to understand. Three of the main archetypes Hesse uses to get his point across are trees, rivers, and sleep. One of the more obvious symbols used in the novel is a tree. Cross-culturally, it is extremely common for trees to represent wisdom. In Hebrew literature, when Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, they are "awakened" and gain the insight of good and evil. In Norse mythology, the tree of Yggdrasil represents knowledge and life. In American literature, John Knowles' "A Separate Peace" uses a giant oak tree to symbolize Finny and Gene becoming men. Finally, in Siddhartha we see that trees (and more broadly, gardens) are present when Siddhartha discovers something about himself. On just the third page of the novel with Siddhartha contemplating in a fig garden, it becomes obvious that trees are being used as a representative of learning. This concept is repeated many times throughout the novel, some instances of usage mo...

Five Factor Model Personality Inventory

1. Use the Five Factor Model Personality Inventory to rate yourself on the Big Five personality dimensions. Describe each factor of your Big Five Personality Inventory. Which factor shows the greatest value in predicting your behavior? Why does it? Select one of your friends. Identify the qualities that make that person substantially different from you. In what ways are you basically similar? Which dominates, the differences or similarities? You must attach the Five Factor Model Personality Inventory together with your answers. Answer: The Big Five Personality is broad categories of personality traits.While there is a significant body of literature supporting this five-factor model of personality, researchers don't always agree on the exact labels for each dimension. The Big Five Personality Inventory includes agreeableness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Emotion stability and Openness to experience. Agreeableness means that the person is a good natured, co-operative, softhearted a nd trusting. Agreeableness also has an interpersonal component. Agreeable individuals tend toward conformity in groups, toward modesty, toward not being demanding, and toward being sympathetic.These individuals might be motivated toward helping others and toward prosocial behaviour in general. There may be a link between the motivational processes operating within individuals in regards to this trait, such that agreeable individuals strive for intiacy and solidarity in groups they belong to, which provides emotional rewards. People scoring low on agreeableness place self-interest above getting along with others. They are usually more cautious about other's agendas; they may feel that others are out to better their own self-interest.Extraversion is â€Å"the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self†. Extraverts tend to enjoy human interactions and to be enthusiastic, talkative, assertive, and gregariou s. They take pleasure in activities that involve large social gatherings, such as parties, community activities, public demonstrations, and business or political groups. Politics, teaching, sales, managing, brokering, and acting are fields that favor extraversion.An extraverted person is likely to enjoy time spent with people and find less reward in time spent alone. They tend to be energized when around other people, and they are more prone to boredom when they are by themselves. Conscientiousness means that someone who are dependable, responsible, achievement oriented and persistent. Conscientiousness is related to impulse control, but it should not be confused with the problems of impulse control found in neuroticism. People high on neurotic impulsiveness find it difficult to resist temptation or delay gratification.Individuals who are low on conscientious self-discipline are unable to motivate themselves to perform a task that they would like to accomplish. These are conceptuall y similar but empirically distinct. People who score high on the trait of conscientiousness tend to be more organized and less cluttered in their homes and offices. For example, their books tend to be neatly shelved in alphabetical order, or categorized by topic, rather than scattered around the room. A considerable amount of research indicates that conscientiousness is one of the best predictors of performance in the workplace.Emotion stability is a state of an individual that enables him or her to have appropriate feelings about common experiences and act in a rational manner. The characteristics of a person with emotional stability include relaxed, secure, unworried, confident, easy going and steady. People with this personality will not easily get disturbed , will not get stressed out easily whenever he/she are facing problem and would not worry about things. He/she will have a positive thinking and try to solve the problem with the easy way.On the other hand, those who score lo w in emotional stability means that he/she is emotional instability or sometimes call neuroticism. They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish the ability of a person scoring high on neuroticism to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress. Openness to experience is used to describe human personality.Openness involves active imagination, aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety, and intellectual curiosity. A great deal of psychometric research has demonstrated that these qualities are statistically correlated. Thus, openness can be viewed as a global personality trait consisting of a set of specific traits, habits, and tendencies that cluster together. Openness is associate d with tolerance of ambiguity (which means when something is not clear), a capacity to absorb information, being very focused and the ability to be aware of more feelings, thoughts and impulses simultaneously.The result is deeper more intense experiences. Open individuals are motivated to seek out the unfamiliar and to look for complexity. After rating myself by using the Five Factor Model Personality Inventory, the score that I get from all the five factor are extraversion=28, agreeableness=33, conscientiousness=26, emotional stability=27 and openness to experience=30. From the score that I get, agreeableness is the best factor to predict my behavior. Agreeableness, like what I mention above, is a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic toward others.Yes, I am not deny that I am a person like that. I am a compassionate person. I am cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic toward others. I choose to believe what my friend told me. I will never suspect about them. I also choose to be kind to my friend. I will try my best to help them as I can whenever they need me. I am also a softhearted person. Usually, I will forgive those who hurt me after they said sorry to me or maybe they not, but, I will also forgive them after sometime just like nothing happen before. Yet, I am also a person who conformity in group and toward modesty.No wonder what activity I joined, I am just the follower but not the incharge person. My friend, Lau Chen Ee also get his highest score in the agreeableness factor and lowest score in openness to experience factor. We know each other since Form 6, that mean we already be friend for about 4 years. In this 4 years time, I get to know him well. He is a friendly person. He is good to all his friend very well. He not the person that who have a finger in every pie. But, he will show his concern to you when he notice that you are having some problem.Besides that, he is also an optimistic per son. I still can remember that, I can always hear his laughing voice all around the school. He seem like does not have anything to fuss over. Exam problem- no, homework problem-no, relationship problem-no! All the qualities that I mention above about him are the quality that I am lack of. I am a person who like to have finger in every pie. I am not an attentive person. I am always think negatively and worried about this worried about that. That is what he are substantially different from me.But, we still have similarity. I will show concern to my friend when they are facing some problem like he does. I am friendly to all my friend like he does. I will take time out to others like he does. I am sympathize to others like he does. Moreover, I like to sing like he does. After doing this Five Factor Model Personality Inventory rating, I get to know all the five personality well and this will help me a lot in how to communicate and to get along with others. This inventory also let me to k now myself more deeply and so my friend.

Braveheart Movie Report

Braveheart is a film directed by Mel Gibson which loosely portrays the life of William Wallace, a national hero in Scotland. In real life, Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight who led the resistance against the English occupation of Scotland during significant periods of the Wars of Scottish Independence.While there are no accurate historical records that exist concerning the birth date and place of birth of Sir William Wallace, there are accounts of his exploits, one of the most memorable of these accounts is the mark of the beginning of this resistance movement for the independence of Scotland which was his killing of the son of the English governor of Dundee.The heroism of Sir William Wallace was such that it was the inspiration of historical novel The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie written by the 15th century minstrel Blind Harry which was also attributed as the cause for the legend which surrounds Sir William Wallace. The onscreen portrayal of Si r William Wallace by Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart, according to critics, â€Å"has been somehow stretched to the limits that the silver screen can provide.† (Roger Ebert 1995) The famous cry for â€Å"freedom† in the movie is not as historically accurate as it is portrayed because the concept of personal freedom wasn’t widely celebrated during the era of Sir William Wallace. Another inconsistency of the movie with regard to the portrayal of Sir William Wallace lies in the battlefield strategy employed; there are no historical accounts of the 14th century Scotsmen burning the battlefield.Most of the characters in the movie, Sir William Wallace included, have been â€Å"glorified† to be able to properly manipulate the sentiment of onscreen audiences. Much of the portrayals tend to show only the glorious and benevolent sides and don’t reflect an accurate recount of the historical truths concerning the charact