Outline the key theoretical claims of restorative justice and critically evaluate its advantages and disadvantages as applied to contemporary punishment practices in the UK.

Abstract Restorative justice describes various processes designed to correct the harm that the criminal inflicts on it’s victims and communities (Braithwaite,1999). It requires all parties; victims, offenders and communities, to establish ways of repairing the harm of crime and prevent it from happening again (Strickland, 2004, Cornwell, 2009). Although such practices may be seen as a more equitable and humane form of justice, it has been criticised for extending the criminal justice system (net-widening) (Garland, 2001) and for it’s propensity to ‘privatise’ the justice estate, by its use of informal and less accountable forms of, what Foucault refers to as ‘governmentality’ (Foucault, 1975, Pavlich, 2013). However, research shows that restorative justice has been successful in reducing reoffending rates and more significantly, giving a voice to the victims of crime, previously ignored by the prevailing criminal justice system. Introduction Restorative justice describes various processes designed to correct the harm that the criminal inflicts on it’s victims and communities (Braithwaite,1999). It requires all parties; victims, offenders and communities, to establish ways of repairing the harm of crime and prevent it from happening again (Strickland, 2004, Cornwell, 2009). This paper will explore the conceptual underpinnings of the restorative approach that will examine it’s development within the theoretical and practical framework of contemporary punishment practices. It will argue that those who advocate restorative justice claim that traditional ways of responding to harm tend to neglect the needs of victims and communities (Braithwaite, 1999). Van Ness & Strong (2010) contend that the prevailing policies and practices of the criminal justice system focus entirely on the offender as law breaker, that only address legal guilt and punishment (Stohr et al,2012). Further, over the last three decades, within the context of the rise of neo-liberal populism, that has seen decline of the rehabilitative ideal, restorative justice practices have the potential to mitigate the worst excesses of punitive punishments (Garland, 2001). However, the theoretical underpinnings of restorative justice, as this paper will show, has been attacked in various ways, due, in part, to its propensity to either be seen as undermining the impartiality of the criminal justice system, or as yet another form of what Foucault (1975) describes as ‘governmentality’. From this perspective, restorative justice is seen as an informal process that results in a net-widening of state control (Garland, 2001, Pavlich, 2013). This, in turn, has generated a significant ideological debate over the future of criminal justice (Johnstone & Van Ness, 2007). Proponents of restorative justice, however, argue that within the prevailing punitive regime, the increase in custodial sentences has generated a penal crisis that may be mitigated by the use of restorative approaches (Cavadino & Dignan, 2006). Restorative justice may therefore be seen as a significant and pragmatic means of lowering the rate of recidivism and bringing about a more humane and equitable justice (Sim, 2008, Cornwell, 2009). The Demise of the Rehabilitative Ideal Since the eighteenth century, idea’s surrounding state punishment have led to a mixture of approaches that prevail today (Stohr et al, 2012). Clarkson, 2005, suggests that these theories in turn have generated continual discourse surrounding the moral justifications for punishment, which are; retributivism, deterrence, rehabilitation and incapacitation. Sim (2009), citing Foucault, argues that although the prevailing literature on the history of the criminal justice system has placed an emphasis on the shifts and discontinuities in the apparatus of punishment, such as the move from retributive punishment toward a more progressive rehabilitative approach, since the mid 1970s punishment has been underpinned and legitimated by a political and populist hostility to offenders (ibid, Garland 2001, Cornwell, 2009). Garland (2001) argues that the last three decades has seen a shift away from the assumptions and ideologies that shaped crime control for most of the twentieth century. To day’s practices of policing and penal sanctions, Garland argues, pursue new objectives in a move away from the penal welfarism (rehabilitation) that shaped the 1890s?1970s approach of policy makers, academics and practitioners. Cornwell (2009) argues that although the rehabilitative model of punishment was seen as a progressive approach in the middle years of the last century, when it was widely accepted that the provision of ‘treatment and training’ would change the patterns of offending behaviour, the ideology failed to work out in practice (Garland, 2001). In turn, there became a disenchantment with the rehabilitative approach, and the ‘Nothing Works’ scenario became an accepted belief, given the reality of prison custody (Martinson, 1974). Muncie (2005) claims that the 1970s neo-liberal shift in political ideology saw the rehabilitative welfare model based on meeting individual needs, regress back towards a ‘justice model’ (retributi ve), that is more concerned with the offence than the offender. From the 1990s, Muncie argues, ‘justice’ has moved away from due process and rights to an authoritarian form of crime control. The Prison Crisis Cornwell (2009) claims that the effect of the ‘justice model’ on the prison population cannot be overstated (Sim, 2008). In England and Wales in 1990 the average daily prison population stood at around 46,000, by 1998 this figure increased to over 65,000, by 2009 the number rose to 82,586 (ibid). Further, the findings in the 2007 Commission on Prison’s suggest that a ‘crisis’ now defines the UK penal system (The Howard League, 2007). Despite a 42,000 decline in reported crime since 1995, the Commission argue, the prison population has soared to a high of 84,000 in 2008, more than doubling since 1992. Cornwell (2009) claims that at present the costs of keeping an offender in prison stands at around ?40,000 per year, where the estimated cost of building new prisons to accommodate the rise of the prison population will take huge resources of public money. Prison has therefore become the defining tool of the punishment process, where the United Kingdom (U K) now imprisons more of its population than any other country in Western Europe (ibid: p.6). A History of Restorative Justice In response to the prison crisis, experimentation in the 1990s began to see various forms of restorative justice models in order to mitigate retributive punishment and as a means of re-introducing a greater emphasis on the rehabilitation ideal (Muncie, 2005). The arguments for restorative forms of justice, Cornwell (2009) claims, are not just about cost and sustainability on national resources, but more significantly, the notion of the type of unjust society the United Kingdom (UK) is likely to become unless this surge in punitive sanctions is not abated (ibid, Sim, 2009). Cornwell (2009) suggests that the main strength of the restorative justice model is that it is ‘practitioner led’, deriving from the practical experience of correctional officials and academics who have a comprehensive understanding of the penal system. From a ‘Nothing Works’ (Martinson, 1974) to a ‘What Works’ experience, the emphasis of restorative justice has been to identi fy a more humane, equitable and practical means of justice that goes beyond the needs of the offender (rehabilitative goal) toward addressing the victims and their communities (Cornwell, 2009). Restorative Justice ? Theory and Practice Howard Zehr (2002), envisioned restorative justice as addressing the victim’s needs or harm that holds offenders accountable to put right the harm that involves the victims, offenders and their communities (Zehr, 2002). The first focus is on holding the offender accountable for harm, the second is the requirement that in order to reintegrate into society, offenders must do something significant to repair the harm. Third, there should be a process through which victims, offenders and communities have a legitimate stake in the outcomes of justice (Cornwell, 2009.p:45). In this way, Zehr (2002) redefines or redirects the harm of crime away from its definition of a violation of the state, toward a violation of one person by another. At the same time, the focus of establishing blame or guilt shifts toward a focus on problem solving and obligations. As a result, communities and not the state become the central facilitators in repairing and restoring harm (ibid). Although restorative justice has received wide recognition across many western countries together with the endorsement of the Council of Europe in 1999, progress toward the implementation of restorative justice principles into mainstream criminal justice practices is slow (Cornwell, 2009). Further, restorative justice, both in theory and practice continues to generate a substantial and contentious debate (Morris, 2002). Restorative Justice ? A Critique Acorn (2005) argues that ‘justice’ has traditionally symbolised the scales of impartiality on the one hand, and the sword of power, on the other. Justice is thereby possible when a neutral judge calculates a fair balance of accounts to make decisions that are backed by state power. Restorative justice, by its practice of informal dispute resolutions, can be seen as a call to a return of a ‘privatised’ form of justice (ibid, Strang & Braithwaite, 2002). This criticism is qualified by the propensity of restorative justice advocates (Braithwaite, 1989) that critique punitive justice responses and thereby view the power of the state as harmful. This in turn, at least theoretically, erodes state power and state created crime categories, thereby threatening to create a ‘privatised’ justice process (Strang & Braithwaite, 2002). Within this process, Strang & Braithwaite (2002) argue, restorative justice cannot be seen to ‘legitimately’ deal with crimes. Acorn (2004) suggests that unlike the prevailing criminal justice system, the desire to punish (retribution) is replaced by a version of justice that is centred on specifically nuanced concepts of harm, obligation, need, re-integration and forgiveness. Such values guide Family Group Conferences, Community Mediation, Victim-Offender Commissions and various forms of tribunals (Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)) (MacLaughlin et al, 2003). Family Group Conferences is a prominent practice in restorative justice, that includes community members (paid or unpaid) to ‘hear’ disputes and help parties to resolve conflicts. However, rather than a diversion from the criminal justice system, such conferences involve offenders already convicted (Acorn, 2004). Garland (2001) views this arrangement a form of ‘net-widening’, where informal justice becomes part of the social landscape that encompasses a widening and ever expanding form of crime control (ibid) . Although restorative justice advocates argue that informal justice creates domains of freedom that empower victims, offenders and communities, opponents claim that restorative justice represents another pernicious way in which community mediation expands state control, while claiming to do precisely the opposite (Acorn, 2004, Garland, 2001, Pavlich, 2013). Restorative justice proponents are clear in their critique of the criminal justice system that is seen to not represent victims or their communities, where state officials, such as the police, lawyers and judges, are impartial, and thereby have no direct understanding of those affected by criminal offenses (Pavlich, 2013). Here, Pavlich refers to Foucault’s concept of ‘governmentality’, where the state subtly arranges the background settings to produce subjects who think and act in ways that do not require direct coercion, in what Foucault terms the ‘conduct of conduct’ (Pavlich, 2013, Foucault, 1975). In this way, Foucault argues, self governed subjects are produced when they buy into the logic and formulated identities of a given governmentality (Foucault, 1975). Garland and Sparks (2000) claim that restorative justice, as a form of govermentality has, in part, come about by the increased attention, over the last twenty-five years, toward the rights of the ‘victim’. Here, Garland (2001) argues that the last two decades has seen the rise of a distinctly populist current in penal politics that no longer relies on the evidence of the experts and professional elites. Whereas a few decades ago public opinion functioned as an occasional restraint on policy initiatives, it now operates as a privileged source. Within this context, Garland argues, victims have attained an unprecedented array of ‘rights’ within the criminal justice system, ranging from; ‘the right to make victim impact statements’, the right to be consulted in prosecutions, sentencing and parole together with notifications of offenders post release movements and the right to receive compensation. Further, the right to receive service provision ent ails the use of Victim Support agencies who help people address their feelings and offer practical help and assistance, mitigating the negative impact of crime (Reeves and Mulley, 2000). Wright (2000) suggests that while such developments may be seen as a triumph for victim support movements, these reforms do not fundamentally alter the structural position of victims. This, Wright explains, is because the punitive structural system remains intact whereby the victim’s interests will necessarily remain secondary to the wider public interest, represented by the crown (Wright, 2000). It can be argued that while critics may be seen as correct in their perception of restorative justice as a form of governmentality or net-widening by the state, the attack may be seen as premature, given the early stages of its development (Cornwell, 2009). Cornwell argues that critics have not given restorative justice enough time to develop and potentially emerge as a stand alone resolution to the problem of crime and its repercussions for the victims, offenders and their communities (ibid). Restorative justice programmes are still at an embryonic stage, where they are attracting critique, mainly due to their attachment to the Criminal Justice System (Cornwell, 2009, Morris, 2002, Ministry of Justice, 2012). Cornwell (2009) also addresses the argument that the restorative approach places too much emphasis on the status it affords to the victims of crime. In reality, Cornwell suggests, that status is very much based on political rhetoric rather than actual reform. The publication of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 that anticipated an advance in restorative and reparative measures into the criminal justice system, in reality bought in a much more punitive provision. Restorative measures under the Act are initiated on the basis of a ‘mix and match’ arrangement for ‘custody plus minus’. Here, (Garrielides, 2003) points out that restorative justice has therefore become somewhat removed from its underlying theory (Garrielides, 2003). Put simply, the restorative approach has been cherry picked to support other punitive initiatives, leaving its central tenets at the margins of the criminal justice system (Cornwell, 2009). Restorative Justice – Does it Work? Since the 1990s a number of restorative justice trial schemes began to take place, in order to measure success in terms of re-offending and victim satisfaction. According to a Ministry of Justice Report (Shapland et al, 2008), measuring the success of restorative justice against criminal justice control groups, it was found that offenders who took part in restorative justice schemes committed statistically significantly fewer offences (in terms of reconvictions) in the subsequent two years than offenders in the control group. Further, although restorative justice has been generally reported to be more successful within youth justice, this research showed no demographic differences, for example; in age, ethnicity, gender or offence type. The report also showed that eighty-five percent of victims were happy with the process (ibid). These results are reflected in various case studies. Published by the Restorative Justice Council (2013) the following gives an example of the positive impa ct that restorative justice can have on the victim, the offender and communities: Arrested in February last year, Jason Reed was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to more than fifty other burglaries. During the criminal justice process, Jason expressed his wish to start afresh and make amends, so he was referred to the post-conviction restorative justice unit. After a full assessment to ensure his case was suitable for restorative justice measures, three conferences took place between Jason and five of his victims. The victims had different motivations for taking part and they were able to express their upset and anger directly to the offender. Jason agreed to pay back an agreed amount of compensation and the victims showed some acceptance and forgiveness (Restorative Justice Council, 2013). Conclusion Overall, this paper has argued that restorative justice may be seen as an attempt to address the disillusion within the criminal justice system in the 1970s that had conceded that ‘Nothing Works’. The demise of the rehabilitative ideal (Garland, 2001), against the backdrop of political shifts toward a neo-liberal ideology, bought about a more punitive, retributive stance toward punishment and offending (Sim, 2008). As a result, the rise in prison populations has bought about a penal crisis. In response, new initiatives in restorative justice began to develop, emerging as a more equitable, humane form of punishment (Cornwell, 2009). The advantages of the restorative approach cannot be overstated, as this paper shows, rather than the state focusing on the offender (as is the case with the prevailing criminal justice system), restorative justice seeks to address the needs of the victim and community participation (Zehr, 2002). In practical terms, there appears to be some su ccess in terms of re-offending and victim satisfaction (Ministry of Justice, 2008). Despite the criticisms (Garland, 2001), it can be argued that restorative justice demonstrates an opportunity and potential to mitigate the worst excesses of the criminal justice system and bring about a more equitable and humane approach (Cornwell, 2009). Word count: 2654 Bibliography Acorn, A (2004) Compulsory Compassion: A Critique of Restorative Justice. Vol 14, No.6 (June 2004) pp. 446-448. University of British Columbia Press Bottoms, A, Gelsthorpe, S Rex, S (2013) Community Penalties: Change & Challenges. London: Wilan Publishing Cavadino, M & Dignan, J (2006) Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach. London: Sage Publications Clarkson, M (2005) Understanding Criminal Law. London: Sweet & Maxwell Cornwell, D (2009) The Penal Crisis and the Clapham Omnibus: Questions and Answers in Restorative Justice. Hampshire: Waterside Press Dupont-Morales, M, Hooper, M, Schmidt, J (2000) Handbook of Criminal Justice Administration. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc. Garland, D (2001) Culture of Control: Crime & Social Order in Contemporary Society. Oxon: Oxford University Press Garland, D & Sparks, R (2000) Criminology & Social Theory. Oxford: Clarendon Garrielides, T (2003) Restorative Justice Theory and Practice: Mind the Gap! Available[online]from: http://www.euforum.org/readingroom/Newsletter/Vol04Issue03.pdf The Howard League for Prison Reform (2007) Do Better, Do Less: The report of the Commission on English Prisons Today. The Howard League. Available [online] from: http://www.howardleague.org/fileadmin/howard_league/user/online_publications/Do_Better_Do_Less_res.pdf Accessed on 26th February 2014-02-27 Johnstone, G (2011) Restorative Justice: Ideas, Values, Debates: Second Edition. Oxon: Wilan Publishing Marshall, T (1996) The Evolution of Restorative Justice in Britain. European Journal on Criminal Police and Research (4) 21-43 McLaughlin, E, Fergusson, R, Hughes, G, Westmaland, L (2003) Restorative Justice: Critical Issues. London: The Open University Ministry of Justice (2012) Restorative Justice Action Plan for the Criminal Justice System. November 2012 Available [online] from: http://www.restorative_justice_action_plan.pdf Morris, A (2002) Critiquing the Critics: A Brief Response to Critics of Restorative Justice. British Journal of Criminology (2002) 42 (3): 596-615 Muncie, J (2005) The Globalization of Crime Control: the Case of Youth and Juvenile Justice: Neo-Liberalism, Policy Convergence & International Conventions. Theoretical Criminology 9 (1) pp: 35-64 Raynor, P, Robinson, G (2009) Rehabilitation, Crime and Justice. London: Palgrave Macmillan Restorative Justice Council (2013) Case Studies Available [online] from: http:www.restorativejustice.org.uk/?p=resources&keyword=178 Accessed on: 27th February 2014 Reeves, H & Mulley,K (2000) The New Status of Victims in the UK: Threats and Opportunities, cit in: Crawford, A and Goodey, J (eds) Integrating a Victim Perspective Within Criminal Justice Debates. Aldershot: Ashgate Press Robinson, G & Crow, I (2009) Offender Rehabilitation: Theory, Research & Practice. London: Sage Publications Shapland, J, Atkinson, A, Atkinson, H, Dignan, J, Edwards, L, Hibbert, J, Howes, M, Johnstone, J, Robinson, G and Sorsby, A (2008) Does Restorative Justice Effect Reconviction. The fourth report from the evaluation of three schemes. Ministry of Justice 2008. Available [online] from: http://www.restorativejustice.org.uk/resource/ministry_of_justice_evaluation_does_restorative_justice_affect_reconviction_the_fourth_report_from_the_evaluation_of_three_schemes/ Accessed on 26th February 2014 Sim, J (2009) Punishment and Prisons: Power and the Carceral State.London: Sage Publications Limited Stohr, M, Walsh, A, Hemmens, C (2012) Corrections, a text/reader, Second Edition. London: Sage Publications. Strickland, R.A (2004) Studies in Crime & Punishment. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc Sumner, C (2008) The Blackwell Companion to Criminology. London: John Wiley & Sons Wright, M (2000) Restorative justice and Mediation. Paper presented at the conference â€Å"Probation Methods in Criminal Policy: Current State and Perspectives† at Popowo, Poland, 20-21 October. Available [online] from: http://www.restorativejustice.org/10fulltext/wrightmartin2000restorative/view Accessed on: 28th February 2014 Zehr, H (2002) Little Book of Restorative Justice. New Zealand: The Little Books of Justice and Peace Building

Nursing Pressure Sore

What are pressure sores? Pressure sores are areas of injured skin and tissue. They are usually caused by sitting or lying in one position for too long. This puts pressure on certain areas of the body. The pressure can reduce the blood supply to the skin and the tissues under the skin. When a change in position doesn't occur often enough and the blood supply gets too low, a sore may form. Pressure sores are also called bedsores, pressure ulcers and decubitus ulcers. What are the symptoms of a pressure sore? There are 4 stages of pressure sores. Symptoms at each stage include the following: Stage 1.The affected skin looks red and may feel warm to the touch. The area may also burn, hurt or itch. In people who have dark skin, the pressure sore may have a blue or purple tint. Stage 2. The affected skin is more damaged in a stage 2 pressure sore, which can result in an open sore that looks like an abrasion or a blister. The skin around the wound may discolored. The area is very painful. St age 3. These types of pressure sores usually have a crater-like appearance due to increased damage to the tissue below the skin's surface. This makes the wound deeper. Stage 4.This is most serious type of pressure sore. The skin and tissue is severely damaged, causing a large wound. Infection can occur at this stage. Muscles, bones, tendons and joints can be affected by stage 4 pressure sores. Who gets pressure sores? Anyone who sits or lies in one position for a long time might get pressure sores. You are more likely to get pressure sores if you are paralyzed, use a wheelchair or spend most of your time in bed. However, even people who are able to walk can develop pressure sores when they must stay in bed because of an illness or an injury.Some chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hardening of the arteries, make it hard for pressure sores to heal because of poor blood circulation. Peripheral vascular disease,MI, Stroke,Multiple trauma,Musculoskeletal disorders/fractures/contractu res,Gibleed , Spinal cord injury (e. g. , decreased sensory perception, muscle spasms),Neurological disorders (e. g. , Guillain-Barre', multiple sclerosis),Unstable and/or chronic medical conditions (e. g. , diabetes, renal disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure),History of previous ressure ulcer,Preterm neonates, Dementia, Recent surgical patient. Where on the body can you get pressure sores? Pressure sores usually develop over bony parts of the body that don't have much fat to pad them. Pressure sores are most common on the heels and on the hips. Other areas at risk for pressure sores include the base of the spine (tail bone), the shoulder blades, the backs and sides of the knees, and the back of the head. How are pressure sores treated? There are several things you can do to help pressure sores heal: * Relieving the pressure that caused the sore * Treating the sore itself Improving nutrition and other conditions to help the sore heal What can be done to reduce pressure on the sore? Don't lie on pressure sores. Use foam pads or pillows to take pressure off the sore. Special mattresses, mattress covers, foam wedges or seat cushions can help support you in bed or in a chair to reduce or relieve pressure. Try to avoid resting directly on your hip bone when you're lying on your side. Use pillows under one side so that your weight rests on the fleshy part of your buttock instead of on your hip bone. Also, use pillows to keep your knees and ankles apart.When lying on your back, place a pillow under your lower calves to lift your ankles slightly off the bed. When lying in bed, change your position at least every 2 hours. When sitting in a chair or wheelchair, sit upright and straight. An upright, straight position will allow you to move more easily and help prevent new sores. You should change positions every 15 minutes when sitting in a chair or wheelchair. If you cannot move by yourself, have your caregiver help you shift your position. How should the pressure sore be kept clean? In order to heal, pressure sores must be kept clean and free of dead tissue.Stage 1 sores can be cleaned with mild soap and water. You can clean stage 3 sores by rinsing the area with a salt and water solution. The saltwater removes extra fluid and loose material. Your doctor or nurse can show you how to clean your pressure sore. Pressure sores should be kept covered with a bandage or dressing. Sometimes gauze is used. The gauze is kept moist and must be changed at least once a day. Newer kinds of dressings include a see-through film and a hydrocolloid dressing. A hydrocolloid dressing is a bandage made of a gel that molds to the pressure sore and helps promote healing and skin growth.These dressings can stay on for several days at a time. Dead tissue (which may look like a scab) in the sore can interfere with healing and lead to infection. There are many ways to remove dead tissue from the pressure sore. Rinsing the sore e very time you change the bandage is helpful. Special dressings that help your body dissolve the dead tissue can also be used. They are left in place for several days. Another way to remove dead tissue is to put wet gauze bandages on the sore and allow them to dry. The dead tissue sticks to the gauze and is removed when the gauze is pulled off.For more severe pressure sores, dead tissue must be removed surgically. Removing dead tissue and cleaning the sore can hurt. Your doctor can suggest a pain reliever for you to take 30 to 60 minutes before your dressing is changed to help reduce pain. Why is good nutrition important for healing sores? Good nutrition is important because it helps your body heal the sore. If you don't get enough calories, protein and other nutrients (especially vitamin C and zinc, which can help heal wounds like pressure sores), your body won't be able to heal, no matter how well you care for the pressure sore.Your doctor, nurse or a dietitian can give you advice about a healthy diet. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have lost or gained weight recently. What if the sore gets infected? Pressure sores that become infected heal more slowly and can spread a dangerous infection to the rest of your body. If you notice any of the signs of infection listed below, call your doctor right away. Signs of an infected pressure sore include the following: * Thick yellow or green pus * A bad smell from the sore * Redness or warmth around the sore * Swelling around the sore * Tenderness around the soreSigns that the infection may have spread include the following: * Fever * Chills * Mental confusion or difficulty concentrating * Rapid heartbeat * Weakness How are infected pressure sores treated? The treatment of an infected pressure sore depends on how bad the infection is. If only the sore itself is infected, an antibiotic ointment can be put on the sore. When bone or deeper tissue is infected, antibiotics are often required. They can be given intravenous ly (through a needle put in a vein) or orally (by mouth). How can I tell if the sore is getting better? As a pressure sore heals, it slowly gets smaller.Less fluid drains from it. New, healthy tissue starts growing at the bottom of the sore. This new tissue is light red or pink and looks lumpy and shiny. It may take 2 to 4 weeks of treatment before you see these signs of healing. How can pressure sores be prevented? The most important step to prevent pressure sores is to avoid prolonged pressure on one part of your body, especially the pressure points mentioned previously. It's also important to keep your skin healthy. Keep your skin clean and dry. Use a mild soap and warm (not hot) water. Apply moisturizers so your skin doesn't get too dry.If you must spend a lot of time in bed or in a wheelchair, check your whole body every day for spots, color changes or other signs of sores. Pay special attention to the pressure points where sores are most likely to occur. If you smoke, you shou ld quit. People who smoke are more likely to develop pressure sores. Exercise can help improve blood flow, strengthen your muscles and improve your overall health. Talk to your doctor if physical activity is hard for you. He or she can suggest exercises that can work for you, or refer you to physical therapist that can help. Pressure Sore PreventionRelieving pressure: Position must be changed on a regular basis, at least every two hours, and in the very frail at least every hour. Good Diet: A good and balanced diet contributes to healing, as well as avoiding severe nutritional and weight loss Skin Care: Keep the skin clean. Moisture should be minimized. Skin care products should be used that moisturize the skin but do not make it wet or soggy. Use continence aids if a person is unable to control their bladder or bowels. Pads, diapers, convenes or catheterizing. Inspect the skin to see if any redness or breaks in the skin are developing.Use products to relieve and treat pressure sore s; airbeds, foam bed, bed and chair protectors, chair products, continence aids can all contribute to avoiding of bed sores. Clean skin with warm water and minimal friction. Apply lotion often. ————————————————- Avoid direct pressure to bony areas such as ankles and hips. Use pillows and padded protectors to support arms, legs and vulnerable areas. Change the position of a bed-bound person every two hours. Handle and move carefully to avoid skin tears and scrapes.Change the position of a chair-bound person hourly. Discourage the bed-bound or chair-bound person from sitting with the head elevated more than 30 degrees, except for short periods of time. Check and change bed linens as often as necessary Use continence management products if necessary to reduce exposure to moisture. Padded supports, such as doughnut cushions may, themselves, become a source of pressure. Do not massage bony areas of the body. Do not massage pressure sores. Do not use remedies such as iodine, peroxide and cornstarch that may further irritate the skin.Pressure sores (bedsores, decubitus ulcers, pressure ulcers) are areas of skin damage resulting from a lack of blood flow due to pressure. †¢ Sores often result from pressure but may also result from pulling on the skin or friction, particularly over bony areas. †¢ The diagnosis is usually based on a physical examination. †¢ Treatment includes cleansing, removal of pressure from the affected area, special dressings, and, sometimes, surgery. Pressure sores can occur in people of any age who are bedbound, chairbound, or unable to reposition themselves. They are more common among older people.They tend to occur over bony projections where pressure on skin can be concentrated, such as over the hip bones, tailbone, heels, ankles, and elbows. They occur where there is pressure on the skin from a bed, wheelchair, cast, splint, or other hard object . Pressure sores lengthen the time spent in hospitals or nursing homes and increase the cost of care. Pressure sores can be life threatening if they are untreated or if underlying health conditions prevent them from healing. Causes Causes that contribute to the development of pressure sores include: †¢ Pressure Traction †¢ Friction †¢ Moisture †¢ Inadequate nutrition Pressure on skin, especially when over bony areas, reduces or cuts off blood flow to the skin. If blood flow is cut off for more than 1 or 2 hours, the skin dies, beginning with its outer layer (epidermis). The dead skin breaks down and forms an open sore (ulcer). Most people do not develop pressure sores because they constantly shift position without thinking, even when they are asleep. However, some people cannot move normally and are therefore at greater risk of developing pressure sores.They include people who are paralyzed, comatose, very weak, sedated, or restrained . Paralyzed and comatose people are at particular risk because they also may be unable to move or feel pain (pain normally motivates people to move or to ask to be moved). Traction also reduces blood flow to the skin. Traction occurs when the skin is stretched by being wedged against something or when it sticks to something, often bed linens. When the skin is stretched, the effect is much like pressure. Friction can lead to or worsen pressure sores. Repeated friction may wear away the top layers of skin.Such skin friction may occur if people are pulled repeatedly across a bed. Moisture can increase skin friction and weaken or damage the protective outer layer of skin if the skin is exposed to it a long time. For example, the skin may be in prolonged contact with perspiration, urine, or feces. Inadequate nutrition increases the risk of developing pressure sores and slows the healing process of sores that do develop. Malnourished people may not have enough body fat to pad the skin and bones or to keep the blood vessels from being squeezed shut.Also, skin repair is impaired in people whose diets are deficient in protein, vitamin C, or zinc. Did You Know†¦? †¢ Inadequate nutrition increases the chances of developing pressure sores and slows the healing of sores that do develop. †¢ Repositioning people who cannot move themselves at least every 1 to 2 hours can help prevent pressure sores. Symptoms For most people, pressure sores cause some pain and itching. However, in people whose senses are dulled, even severe sores may be painless. Pressure sores are categorized into four stages according to the severity of damage: †¢ Stage I: Redness and inflammation Stage II: Some shallow skin loss, including abrasions, blisters or both †¢ Stage III: Full-thickness skin loss down to the layer of fat. †¢ Stage IV: Full-thickness skin loss with exposure of underlying muscle, tendon, or bone Pressure sores do not always progress from mild to severe s tages. Sometimes the first noticeable sign is a late-stage sore. If pressure sores become infected, they may have an unpleasant odor. Pus may be visible in or around the sore. The area around the pressure sore may become red or feel warm, and pain may worsen if the infection spreads to the surrounding skin (causing cellulitis).Infection delays healing of shallow sores and can be life threatening in deeper sores. Infection can even penetrate the bone (osteomyelitis), requiring weeks of treatment with antibiotics. In the most severe cases, infection can spread into the bloodstream (sepsis), causing fever or shaking chills. Spotlight on Aging Aging itself does not cause pressure sores. But it causes changes in tissues that make pressure sores more likely to develop. As people age, the outer layers of the skin thin. Many older people have less fat and muscle, which helps absorb pressure.The number of blood vessels decreases and blood vessels rupture more easily. All wounds, including pr essure sores, heal more slowly. Certain conditions make pressure sores more likely to develop: †¢ Being unable to move normally because of a disorder such as stroke †¢ Having to stay in bed for a long time, for example, because of surgery †¢ Being excessively sleepy (such people are less likely to change position or ask someone to reposition them) †¢ Losing sensation because of nerve damage (such people do not feel discomfort or pain, which would prompt them to change ositions) †¢ Becoming less responsive to what is happening in and around them, including their own discomfort or pain, because of a disorder such as dementia Diagnosis Doctors can usually diagnose pressure sores by doing a physical examination. A doctor or nurse usually measures the size and depth of a sore to determine its stage and plan treatment. If the damage is severe, radionuclide bone scanning or gadolinium-enhanced MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may be done to check whether infection has spread from the sore to bone—a disorder called osteomyelitis.To diagnose osteomyelitis, doctors may need to take a small sample (biopsy) of bone to see if bacteria grow from it (culture). Prevention Prevention is the best strategy for dealing with pressure sores. In most cases, pressure sores can be prevented by meticulous attention from all caregivers, including nurses, nurses' aides, and family members. Close daily inspection of a bedridden or chairbound person's skin can detect early redness or discoloration. Any sign of redness or discoloration at pressure areas is a signal that the person needs to be repositioned and kept from lying or sitting on the discolored area until it returns to normal.Because shifting position is necessary to keep the blood flowing to the skin, oversedation should be avoided and activity encouraged. People who cannot move themselves should be repositioned every 2 hours if they are in bed and every hour if they are in a chair—more often if possible. The skin must be kept clean and dry because moisture increases the risk of developing pressure sores. Dry skin is less likely to stick to fabrics and cause friction or traction. For people confined to bed, sheets should be changed frequently to make sure they are clean and dry.Applying noncaking body powder to skin in areas where two parts of the body press against each other (such as the buttocks and groin) can help keep the skin in these areas dry. Bony projections (such as heels and elbows) can be protected with soft materials, such as foam wedges and heel protectors. Donut-shaped devices and sheepskins should be avoided as they only shift pressure or friction from one vulnerable site to another. Special beds, mattresses, and seat cushions can be used to reduce pressure in people who are wheelchair-bound or bedridden.These products can reduce pressure and offer extra relief. A doctor or nurse can recommend the most appropriate mattress surface or seat cushion. It is important to remember that none of these devices eliminate pressure completely or are a substitute for frequent repositioning. Treatment Treating a pressure sore is much more difficult than preventing one. The main goals of treatment are to relieve pressure on the sores, keep them clean and free of infection, and provide adequate nutrition. Adequate nutrition is important in helping pressure sores heal and in preventing new sores from forming.A well-balanced, high-protein diet is recommended as well as a daily high-potency vitamin and mineral supplement. Supplemental vitamin C and zinc may help with healing as well. Electrical stimulation, heat therapy, massage therapy, and hyperbaric O2 therapy have not proven helpful. In the earliest stage, pressure sores usually heal by themselves once pressure is removed. When the skin is broken, a doctor or nurse considers the location and condition of the pressure sore when recommending a dressing. Film (see-through) dressings help protect ea rly-stage pressure sores and allow them to heal more quickly.Hydrocolloid (oxygen- and moisture-retaining) patches protect, keep the skin appropriately moist, and provide a healthy environment for deep sores. Other types of dressings may be used for deeper sores, those that ooze a lot of fluids, and those that are infected. If the sore appears infected or oozes, rinsing with saline and dabbing gently with a gauze pad are helpful. A doctor may need to remove (debride) dead tissue with a scalpel or a chemical solution. Removal of dead tissue is usually painless, because pain is not felt in dead tissue. Some pain may be felt because healthy tissue is nearby.Health care practitioners may flood (irrigate) the sore, particularly its deep crevices, with a sterile solution to help clean away hidden debris. Sometimes a bed that circulates air (an air-fluidized bed) is used in hospitals and nursing homes. This special bed helps reduce or redistribute pressure on the body. ——â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Deep pressure sores are difficult to treat. Sometimes they require skin and muscle flaps, in which healthy, thicker tissue with a good blood supply is surgically repositioned to cover the damaged area.This type of surgery is not always successful, however, especially for frail older people who are malnourished. Often, when infections develop deep within a sore, antibiotics are given. When bones beneath a sore become infected, the bone infection (osteomyelitis) is extremely difficult to cure and may spread through the bloodstream, requiring many weeks of treatment with an antibiotic (see Bone and Joint Infections: Osteomyelitis). ————————————————- The terms decubitus ulcer and pressure sore often are used interchangeably in the medical community.Decubitus, from the Latin decumbere, means â€Å"to lie down. † Decubitus ulcer, therefore, does not adequately describe ulceration that occurs in other positions, such as prolonged sitting (eg, the commonly encountered ischial tuberosity ulcer). Because the common denominator of all such ulcerations is pressure, pressure sore is the better term to describe this condition. Pressure is exerted on the skin, soft tissue, muscle, and bone by the weight of an individual against a surface beneath.These pressures are often in excess of capillary filling pressure, approximately 32 mm Hg. In patients with normal sensitivity, mobility, and mental faculty, pressure sores do not occur. Feedback, conscious and unconscious, from the areas of compression leads inIndividuals who are unable to avoid long periods of uninterrupted pressure over bony prominences—a group of patients that typically includes elderly individuals, persons who are neurologically impaired, and patients who are acutely hospitalizedà ¢â‚¬â€are at increased risk for the development of necrosis and ulceration.These individuals cannot protect themselves from the pressure exerted on their body unless they consciously change position or have assistance in doing so. Even the most conscientious patient with an extensive support group and unlimited financial resources may develop ulceration resulting from a brief lapse in avoidance of the ill effects of pressure. [2, 3] dividuals to change body position. These changes shift the pressure prior to any irreversible tissue damage. The inciting event for a pressure sore is compression of the tissues by an external force, such as a mattress, wheelchair pad, or bed rail.Other traumatic forces that may be present include shear forces and friction. These forces cause microcirculatory occlusion as pressures rise above capillary filling pressure, resulting in ischemia. Ischemia leads to inflammation and tissue anoxia. Tissue anoxia leads to cell death, necrosis, and ulceration. à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Irreversible changes may occur after as little as 2 hours of uninterrupted preSpecialized support surfaces are available for bedding and wheelchairs, which can maintain tissues at pressures below 30 mm Hgssure. urning and repositioning the patient remain the cornerstones of prevention and treatment. The wound and surrounding skin must be kept clean and free A new international guideline with regard to the prevention of pressure ulcers was released in 2009. [11] A collaboration between the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, the guideline covers the latest evidence-based recommendations for all patients in all healthcare settings.Clinical practice recommendations in regard to prevention will include: * Current definitions and classification of pressure ulcers; * Risk assessment, including the role of nutrit ion; * Skin inspection and skin care; * Positioning and repositioning patients; * Evidence for use of various support surfaces (air-fluidized beds; alternating air mattresses and cushions; foam-, gel-, or fluid-filled mattresses; overlays for operating tables; turning beds; and other aids for pressure redistribution); * Protective devices used for pressure ulcer prevention; and * Education and training for healthcare providers.

Analysing The Concept Of Karma

Analysing The Concept Of Karma The Hindu and Buddhist religions both believe in karma. In the Hindu religion karma influences how you are born in your next life. You can be born in lower life forms such as an animal, plant, or insect. You could even be born into a lower caste system. It works the opposite way as well and can cause you to be reborn in a higher form even as a demigod or superhuman. Buddhists have a different take on karma. The Buddha rejected the notion of a soul but accepted some notion of rebirth. Buddha says that even though there is no soul the personalities of a being could recombine and continue from one life time to another. He uses the example of a flame going from one candle to another or the wind on blades of grass. To understand karma first it needs to be defined. Karma can be described as a form of cause and effect. The dictionary defines karma as sum of person’s actions in one of his successive states of existence, viewed as deciding his fate for the next. In Sanskrit karma is d efined as volitional action that is undertaken deliberately or knowingly. This also fits together as self-determination and a strong will power to abstain from inactivity. Karma also separates human beings from other creatures in the world. Karma is a notion that constantly proves the Newton theory of every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. Every time we do something we create a cause and in time will produce its corresponding reaction. It is the personality of the human that causes either negative or positive karma. Karma could be caused by both the physical and mental aspects of the body regardless of if it brings achievement now or in the future. Karma cannot be affected by the natural reflexes of the body. â€Å"A person is responsible for his or her own karma†(Karma and Reincarnation, 2010). In other words it is up to a person to give themselves good karma and move to a higher form in the next life or their doing for bad karma and devolving to a lower form. There are three types of karma savtik karma, rajasik karma, tamasik karma. Savtik karma is without attachment, selfless and for the benefit of others. Rajasik karma is selfish where ones focus is on ones gains to oneself. Tamasik karma is undertaken without regard to consequences and is supremely selfish and savage. The ancient yogis have assigned three categories to karma. These are sanchita, prarabdha, and kriyamana. The first category, sanchita, is the sum total of past karma yet to be resolved. Prarabdha, the second category, is the portion of sanchita being experienced in the present life. The third category, kriyamana, is the karma you are currently creating. It is important to understand that past negative karma can be altered into a smoother, easier state through the loving, heart-chakra nature, through dharma and sadhana. If you live religiously well you will create positive karma for the future and soften negative karma of the past.

Group-Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group-Work - Essay Example After the experiment was over, members of Group A and Group B were asked to reflect upon their experiences and share them with the rest of the class. On one hand, members of Group A said that factors that helped them win the contest included friendship among the group members, assignment of roles and responsibilities to one another with mutual consensus, mutual respect and harmony among the group members, and good use of time because of lack of conflicts. On the other hand, members of Group B said that factors that obstructed their way to success included but were not limited to lack of understanding of the group members, interpersonal conflicts because of differences of views and opinions, and the waste of time because of assignment of roles to incompetent group members. Members of Group B were further asked to suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of their group since they had had a bad experience working as a group. They said that it is very important for the group members to take some time at the start to understand one another's strengths and weaknesses in general and those related to the task assigned in particular. This might not apparently seem a very good idea since it is a little time-consuming and exposes the weaknesses of the group members along with their strengths, but it saves a lot of time and energy in the long-run that is otherwise wasted when the weaknesses show up at the eleventh hour. The process can be as simple as conducting a meeting on day one.

Film & Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film & Society - Essay Example The producer of the biography of Kane's life recognizes the fact that a human being is not necessarily the sum of his activities and property, while asking his reporters the real meaning of Charles Foster Kane. In an effort to find the real Charles Foster Kane - a composite of a number of historical personalities such as the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst; the aerospace and movie mogul Howard Hughes; and the Chicago utilities magnate Samuel Insull - the film helps the viewer discover that there is something deeper that drives the life and achievements of a person. This depth of insight may be called the meaning of life, the interpretation of life, or an individual's motivating force to do what he does and to live the way he lives. Charles Foster Kane died following a successful business life with the word "Rosebud" on his lips. This word apparently had nothing to do whatsoever with the kind of persona possessed by Kane. Was it the name he had decided on for a new business venture, given that wealth and power were Kane's predominant interests as revealed by his biography In any case, Kane's story unfolds in a series of flashbacks, each one providing insight into an attribute of Kane previously hidden from the viewer. The life story of Kane is told by a succession of people that were connected with him. Each of these people saw a separate side of the man, and none of them could see him whole. Thus, all people in relation to Kane saw him differently, and each one's viewpoint was imbued with prejudices, making the recollections rather vague and unreliable. The man himself never gets to tell his own story. How close would his story be to the reminiscences of his associates We cannot tell, and all that we are left with is our own interpretation. If money is our preoccupation, perhaps we will define Kane's life as a money-making enterprise, just as a person dealing with aggression in the home is most likely to view the Thematic Apperception cards with an eye for violence. Kane's life had changed irrevocably from a materialistic standpoint. He was a rich man who knew how to remain prosperous through his business undertakings. Yet, viewers of the film have noticed that riches did not necessarily bring unconditional happiness in the man's life. Rather, he seemed to have felt vulnerable and alone, and on his deathbed he remembered the simple snow globe and the Rosebud, which was the sled he used in his youth. Kane appears to feel nostalgic about his childhood as death knocks at his door. Was he trying to recall certain values that he had failed to live by due to his ever increasing occupation with the guarding of wealth Once again, the interpretation depends on the viewer. It will be not considered wrong to assert here that Kane was remembering his childhood and the Rosebud at the end of his life because death marks a return to a state of being we were closer to at the time we were children. Would it also be correct to state that the meaning of life is r eally to remember that state of being and live as intimately attached to it as possible, so that death takes us to a world that feels better than this one and we are not taken by surprise right at the end of this life term Literature on near death experience has often mentioned the dark tunnel experience, whereby a person

Global View of Modern History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Global View of Modern History - Essay Example The transatlantic slave trade is a well-documented event that represents the rise of European economic power. It occurred between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries in West Africa. Commercial interest drew Europeans to West Africa as trade networks expanded to and within the region. Europeans tapped the commercial value of slave trade which led to a huge migration of West African slaves across the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean basin (Bentley  and Ziegler, 559). The labour these slaves provided played a vital role in the enhancement of European agriculture, technology, and trade thereby allowing it an advantage over other civilizations (Pomeranz, 266). The Industrial Revolution was an important event that characterizes Europe’s step towards greater sophistication and technological advantage, which was critical in driving European power. Before the revolution, Europe’s backwardness lied in agriculture, means of production, land management, and inefficient use of fuelwood (Pomeranz, 32). The Industrial Revolution provided Europe with a technological lead over the rest of the world which was possible through Europe’s interaction with other civilizations. Further, it allowed the European society to transform into an industrial society characterized by mass production, paving the way for capitalism (Bentley  and Ziegler, 659). World War I is another significant event in world history, also known as the Great War, which represents a European conflict of large scale. World War I mainly involved European powers and their colonies, including the Allies and the Associated Powers and the Central Powers. The conflict which erupted as an Austro-Serbian dispute grew to involve Europe’s powerful empires. Again, the World War I represents the rise of European power because, with the defeat of the Central Powers, the European Colonialists were able to exercise power that created current conflicts such as the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Business Ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business Ethics - Term Paper Example However, the objective towards attaining significant development in the code of conducts gives rise to several challenges regarding an effective practice of business ethics within the organizational framework (DeGeorge 9). Thesis Statement This essay intends to evaluate the case of Electrocorp, a computer component manufacturing company allied with the automobile industry identifying moral issues in relation to the case at hand. Explanation to the Case at Hand Electrocorp is an US based electronic products manufacturing company that serves with computer components for automobiles. According to the case it has been observed that the organization is facing a continuous decline in terms of its profits due to an increasing rate for costs incurred during the production due to increasing rate of raw materials, labor payrolls as well as expensive process of disposal facilities. Moreover, the environmental regulations that the plant maintains also requires higher amount of investments in its various safety procedures. In order to mitigate these consequences, the organization intends to relocate its manufacturing units in developing nations with the advantages of lower wage rates and availability of cheaper raw materials along with minimized cost for maintenance and flexible legal implications. Hence, the organization has been concentrating on Mexico, Philippines and South Africa as the most prospective regions to support the organizational objectives (Musalo, â€Å"The Case of the Plant Location†). In the context of the case analysis, it can be considered that the organization might have to face certain dilemmas in yielding greater profitability through augmented production capacity but reduced production cost, relocating its firm in developing countries serving with the advantages of low labor costs, cheaper raw materials and comparatively flexible legal barriers. For instance, according to the case scenario, the decision of relocating its manufacturing plants to other country can be profitable for Electrocorp to earn a greater profit margin, where the decision might give rise to various ethical issues in terms of job loss of the US laborers along with exploitation of resources served by the developing nation, i.e. the intended location to set-up the new plant. Theoretical Explanation Utilitarianism and the Principle of Utility The theory of Utilitarianism can be considered as an ethical normative theory. It is one of the well-known as well as widespread forms of consequentialism, where a range of moral theories that state the suitability or unsuitability of few described actions, are studied. The philosophy behind the theory of utilitarianism states that it is a moral worth of a specific action that can be determined by its resulting consequences (National University of Ireland Galway, â€Å"Business Ethic: Utilitarianism†). According to Mill’s theory of principles of utility, combined with the theory of Utilitarianism, sta tes that actions which tend to augment happiness and positive thinking amid individuals are good; whereas, the acts which impose pain and suffering to individuals owing to the influences of naturalistic fallacy shall be considered as bad (Mill 81). Deontology or Dignity of Persons Principle Dignity of

Implanting a CHIP in every U.S. citizen Assignment

Implanting a CHIP in every U.S. citizen - Assignment Example There are several reasons why people consent to microchip implantation. First, it allows fast and efficient access to a person’s medical records in case of emergency (Merrill, 2009; Merill, 2007). It is highly efficient since a person will always carry the device within his body wherever he may go. Second, it could also serve as a means of identity verification (Merrill, 2007; Murray, 2004). Murray (2004) said aside from medical institutions, that the company has been working in convincing banks, credit card companies and security agencies that use of their product is highly beneficial in this aspect. Tracking would be another reason (Murray, 2004; Fuller, 2002). Kidnapping is a serious crime that is rampant today. A microchip implanted to a person can be used to track down his or her location. The microchip implant could also serve as another form of security measure. Additional security was the reason why Mexico implanted the microchip to 160 officials said Murray (2004). Th is served as another of their passes in entering and leaving classified government establishments. Further, the potential of the chip being glucose monitor is also being examined. This would be highly beneficial to diabetic patients who always monitor the level of their blood sugar. In 2007 however, the American Medical Association found several risks of microchip implantation said Merrill (2007). The first of these is that the chip migrates under the skin. Then it also disturbs the signal transmitted by electromagnetic and electrosurgical devices and defibrillators, he added. Further, the microchip might negatively react with certain pharmaceuticals. Aside from these medical issues, there are also privacy and social issues. Since tracking could be possible with the use of the device, a person could feel that his privacy is being invaded and that his moves are being watched. Instead of adding security, the microchip would then cause additional worry to its carrier. It can serve as a tracking device for law-enforcers. But the same device could also be used by criminals to hunt down their prey. If the microchip can be used for efficiency in security, then it can also be used to efficiently breach it. Just as intelligence and skills can be used for further advancement, it can also be utilized to violate laws and conduct criminal acts. There has been a fear that RFID would one day be recognized as a national ID for the Americans. It is just like a chain reaction, when more and more people use the product, then the closer it would get to being a national ID. With passage of bills in some states that ban the mandatory implantation of the said device, this worry has been somehow eliminated. Since there are states that will not mandate its people to have the chip within them, a national ID using this method will no longer be possible. The United States as a country is a leader in the word community. What gets accepted in the U.S. would be considered for acceptance by other countries if not totally accepted. The country being a super-power is a trend-setter and a leader in technological advancement. Its influence to the global community could be easily seen in various aspects such as economics, medicine, the sciences and other fields. The main concern of its leaders would be the benefit of its citizens, but when they pass a national statute, they must also

The JIM CROW system of racial segregation was really an attmept by Essay

The JIM CROW system of racial segregation was really an attmept by White Southerners to replace slavery - Essay Example When a country oppresses its people, the tendency is for the people to rebel against the government. This has happened many times already in different parts of the world; take for example the rebellion of Mujahidin against the Russian invasion of 1970s. Once an occupation does not have the mandate of the populace, what happens next is for the society to impose its interest against the power holder. This is the dynamics in most democratic societies. What happens when a society imposes values which should be imposed on the people to begin with? The Jim Crow laws aimed to segregate the whites from the African Americans while preserving equality. It may sound so ironic, but the United States of America did its best to separate the essential public services of blacks to those of the whites. African Americans were not allowed to take the same public transportation, they could not use the same bathroom and most of all they could not go to the same schools. Even the military segregated the African Americans from the white soldiers (Cooper 97). This is a clear violation of the rights of African Americans for freedom and equality. There is no way that equality could be achieved by isolating some people from the rest of the society. Equality is something that could be achieved if everyone is treated without biased of the society. In the case of the Jim Crow laws, blacks were not treated like humans. It’s as if the African Americans were not capable of doing the things that white people could do. While the whites argued that this is a way to forward racial co-existence, the way Jim Crow system of laws is applied prove that it was just an attempt by White Southerners to replace slavery. The facilities given to the blacks were either sub-par or non-working. Public services for blacks such as educational facilities are not as good as the

Managing and Leading change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing and Leading change - Essay Example Changes in an organization may lead to development of new rules and methods of working. In order to implement change within an organization, managers may be required to impart training so that employees can easily adapt with the factors of the external environment. Managing change is highly systematic process and requires specific on behalf of the management and the employees (Jones, 2010). Business environment is highly fast paced and for long term survival it becomes necessary that organizations adhere to changes. Technology is one of the strongest aspects that have induced changes in the way organizations operate. Technological innovations have caused organizations to utilize resource in new and innovate ways (Pettigrew, Woodman and Cameron, 2001). Adapting to technological changes increases efficiency as well as provides scope for the management to operate in new ways. Organizations are also required to change when the requirements of customers change (Fernandez and Rainey, 2006). Evolution induces changes in the needs of consumers. Changes in consumer needs create demand for new products and services. Organizations are required to perceive such developments and change so as to be able to meet the newly created demand (Tsoukas and Chia, 2002). The current case study aims to understand the issues which Capitol Academy is faced with in respect of change management. In order to increase operational efficiency and earn more revenue, Capitol Academy had adopted certain changes. However, due to lack of planning and inadequate resource allocation, the company’s operations were turned upside down causing a number of management issues. The organization was also observed to concentrate more upon the development of its professional programs, ignoring other departments where change management was not implemented properly. The mismanagement has also

Impact of Social Networking Sites Essay Example for Free

Impact of Social Networking Sites Essay Decreased productivity: * Employees would get distracted when they have access to social networking sites. This will decrease their work efficiency, hence decreasing the productivity of the company. * Even if they are using the social networking sites for promotion or advertisements (job-related work), it is impossible to justify or make sure that every second they are on the social networking site, they are doing job-related work. If we cannot justify that, we cannot justify the salaries of the employees because they are paid to work, not to facebook. * It does not do the company any good in terms of their productivity if they allow their employees to access social networking sites in workplaces, as they would not be able to track what they employees are doing (whether they are doing job-related work or not). Hence, this is not cost-efficient and it is a waste of human resource as the salaries paid to the employees are not justified. * Company Security. The social media is on the World Wide Web and it is very easy for anyone and anybody from anywhere to simply hack in or simply cause a little trouble. Say, some private projects get accidentally exposed. Information can be easily gotten from the internet, and so unwanted information leaked can also be spread like wild fire. Employees will undoubtedly end up chatting with friends on the social media sites, and may accidentally leak out info when complaining to a friend, whom they did not know was from a possible competitor of the company, for example. Schools: Insignificant educational information on the social networking site: * Although some may argue that students can learn something new through the social networking sites, but the truth is the information we get on social networking sites are not significant in terms of educational purposes. What we normally see on these sites are probably latest updates that our friends post. Hence, there is no educational information on social networking sites. If we allow them in schools, we would be diverging our attention away from the main purpose of a school: which is to educate our next generation. * Furthermore, supposing social networking sites could be used for educational purposes and it would be as effective as our current education system, there will be no need for schools or even teachers. The students can have self-directed learning using the social networking sites at home. It will be a distraction to the students: * No matter how hard we can try to deny the fact, but the fact remains that social networking sites will just become a distraction to the students in schools where they are supposed to be educated. The students would probably be distracted and start updating their status on facebook or twitter etc. This decreases the student’s ability to listen to the teacher and eventually affect one’s learning which is not justifiable as more of the schools receive funds which comes from the government and eventually the taxpayers’ money. Hence, with needed justification from the government to the taxpayers, we cannot allow social networking sites in schools to prevent more distraction. Decreased face-to-face communication: * The students would lose valuable opportunities for direct face-to-face communication if social networking sites are allowed in schools. They would be able to communicate even behind the computers; however this is not beneficial to the student’s development as they might not be able to communicate efficiently to others when they go out to work in the society. Social networking sites are not effective for teaching and learning of the syllabus: * Social networking sites cannot meet the need of the some subjects, for example Mathematics where graphs need to be drawn and social networking sites would not be able to meet this need. * Also, exams cannot be done in social networking sites as the answers of every candidate needs to be protected, hence it does not make any sense to allow social networking sites in schools because it is not suitable for the syllabus. What they say:| What we say:| WORK: Social networking sites can be used for promotion of the company’s products. It is very efficient as the audience base is very large.| Yes we agree that it will be effective advertisement for the company if social networking sites can be used, however we cannot justify that every second that the employee spend on social networking sites, it would be for promotion purposes. This is precisely why we cannot allow them in the workplaces because it decreases work efficiency and productivity which is more significant to the company compared to advertisements. Another point is, it is easier, once uploaded to media websites, for people, to vandalise and find faults with , e.g. the video used for advertisements. Editions can be made and reposted (with simple hacking) and doom the company. To go through the trouble to specially ensure high security defeats the purpose of a wide spread and open internet online.| WORK: Save cost to advertise on social networking sites, because it is free and effective for small companies.| First, no company will not have a budget for advertisements. Second, even if they don’t have budget, they cannot justify that every second that the employee spend on the social networking sites will be for promotion. Hence, they might lose productivity while trying to save money on advertisements. Third, this kind of advertisement is not as effective as media advertising as people might just ignore the posts posted by the companies. (Compared to media advertising where impact on the consumers will be greater.)| WORK: Helps in efficiency and effectiveness, as speed is increased, internet gives ample information, easier to complete tasks online, and even if the person is not there in person, the same work could still be done, if not more effectively.| Half the time, as seen from results, we end up getting distracted by other news and information along the way while doing the job. At the end of the day, job is incomplete or a sloppy job as employee was distracted. Sure, employers could try to enforce certain restrictions on certain functions, or have a time limit, but it will then negate the advantages of using social media. | SCHOOL: Social networking sites could be used as convenient sources for students to discuss, brainstorm and do groupwork. Also, teachers could use them platforms for storing extra notes, and useful information, updates, and even extra notes about what to prepare for future lessons. This reduces time wastage on preparing and talking about things which can easily be read. If they need clarification but forgot to ask during class, you have SOCIAL MEDIA to the rescue! | Such benefits are common place and often discussed. But we managed before without such social media, without much difficulty, and it is not worth using social media with all the disadvantages that come with its use. Distractions, inattentiveness, the tendency for students to bicker nonsensically, e.t.c lead to excessive time wastage.In class, they have lesser tendency to waste time, as there is the presence of the teacher or even without the teacher, in person to person, they are more likely to think and try to brainstorm whatever ideas they get immediately, and can bounce off each other.if really such a need to share notes e.t.c., still social media is not the correct choice. File-sharing websites or simply creating an email update group would be far more efficient. |

Energy Drinks Market Essay Example for Free

Energy Drinks Market Essay Introduction The objectives of this report are to identify how the Energy Drink market is segmented according to demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioral variables. The Energy Drink industry which is dominated by Red Bull and V energy drinks is worth 151 million dollars and is growing by 47% per year. Energy drinks is the fastest growing category in the soft drink market. I have chosen three different companies in this report to analysis which segments they target, Powerade, Red Bull and Coca Cola. Red Bull is the market leader in energy drinks and Coca Cola which is very good at mass marketing has fallen behind and needs to adopt new and exciting marketing techniques to appeal to the younger demographic. I have also selected three different sub-brands to explain how the product is positioned. I have chosen Powerade Energy Edge, Red Bull Sugar Free and Coca Cola’s new carbonated green tea drink Enviga. Demographic Demographic segmentation consists of certain variables such as age, gender, income, ethnic background and family life cycle. Energy drinks are targeted to the 20-34 age brackets. Energy drinks target generation y and generation x by using modern labels and exciting ads with dance music, and extreme sports. The older generations such a baby boomer would be more inclined to stick with coffee for a quick pick me up. There is more emphasis on marketing to males but lately there has been an increased interest in marketing to females by producing low calorie, low sugar energy drinks. Income of the consumer is not an important characteristic because of the low price of energy drinks. Geographic Geographic segmentation describes segmenting markets by part of the world, region of the country, market density, market size or climate. Energy drinks practice geographic segmentation by advertising higher in more fast paced, high density urban areas rather than sleep country town. This has to do with the hectic lifestyles most people live that work in high density, big cities. Another contributing factor is the higher population. Also energy drinks would geographic segment a product in countries or regions with higher temperatures because energy drinks are best drunk cold so in colder climates people would tend to purchase a hot drink such as a coffee for a caffeine induced energy burst. Psychographic Psychographic segmentation refers to market segmentation on the basis of socioeconomic status, values, attitudes and lifestyle groupings. Social class does not matter when it comes to energy drinks because any one can purchase a can from the local shop or petrol station at a reasonably cheap price. People’s interest in energy drinks is sometimes affected by their lifestyle. For example people who work long hours, work hard, don’t sleep enough will be more inclined to purchase energy drinks because of the practicality and energy buzz afterwards. And now even energy drinks are targeting people who try to live a healthy lifestyle by promoting their products as low calorie, low sugar and claim they increase your metabolism. Behavioral variables Behavioral segmentation allows companies to group customers and buyers into segments according to the benefits they seek from the product. Occasion status is when customers can be grouped according to the occasion when they get the idea to purchase an energy drink. Energy drinks are often consumed before work and any other part of the day when an individual is feeling tired, but energy drink companies are now promoting the beverage as a good pre exercise drink for an increased physical performance. Benefits sought are an effective way of identifying buyers according to the benefits they seek from energy drinks. The main benefit segments for energy drinks are, taste, economic, health and the energy burst. Some people might prefer to purchase a product that claims to give more of an energy burst then another product, even if the taste is less desirable. Some products that are produced and marketed to have fewer calories and less sugar might be purchased instead of a product that is high in sugar even though it is more expensive. Red Bull/ Powerade/ Coca Cola Red Bull Red Bull targets generation y. High School and university students trying to cope with study. Also red bull mainly targets male with its original product, On the Red bull website there is two whole sections that specialize in extreme sports and motorsports. This shows that Red bull targets males in generation Y and also in generation X. Red Bull sponsor extreme sporting events such as air racing. Also Red Bull targets segments of the population that have little time and often need a refreshing drink that gives them energy. Red Bull also caters for the health conscience individual and females by producing a low sugar energy drink. This drink which is called Red Bull sugar free comes in a light blue can that would target the female population. Red Bull also target long distance driver, this can be seen when you walk into any petrol station by the size and amount of advertising. Powerade. Powerade have four different kinds of products, they have Powerade Energy Edge, which is designed for pre-sports, Powerade Isotonic which is best for during sports or any time during the day, Powerade Recovery which is formulated for after sports because of the protein contained in the beverage. Powerade also make a powder that can be made into a Powerade sports drink after water is added. This powder targets the money conscience individual that would rather make it in bulk to save. It also targets sporting clubs and larger groups who can make a big batch for a team or group of some sort. The logo on each of the three drinks also gives the customer hints to what it’s designed for. Powerade energy has a picture of a athlete about to race, Powerade isotonic has a picture of an athlete during a race and Powerade recovery has a picture of an athlete finishing his race. Powerade mainly target generation y and generation x. The company does not target a specific gender but markets to health conscience people and athletes. This is shown by their advertising and sponsoring of sporting associations, and clubs such as the AFL, The Wallabies, and The Perth Wildcats. Powerade also sponsor world class athletes. Powerade are different from other energy drinks because they do not market so much that the consumer will get a quick burst of energy through caffeine but more of a healthier, burst of energy through high carbohydrate drinks. This is more suited to athletes rather than your average tired person. Powerade also take a much more scientific approach compared to the other energy drinks on the market by claiming to have tested their products on athletes. Coca Cola. Coca Cola is spending a lot of money on marketing a couple new energy drinks to try and break into the massive industry of energy drinks which has long been dominated by Red Bull and V. Coca Cola has emphasized on targeting the young healthy demographic. The first of its products is Mother, an all natural juice based energy drink, which claims to contain a potent Amazonian berry , acai. Another new product by Coca Cola is Enviga, this carbonated green tea beverage claims to burn calories after drinking. Coca Cola have produced two drinks to market to two different segments of the population, Mother which has been marketed to young males and Enviga which is made to appeal to young women. Mother Energy drink is positioned to target young males, an example of this is the logo on the front of the can resembles a tattoo. Products/ Sub-brands Powerade Energy Edge Powerade energy edge is specially formulated to provide fast and effective hydration for pre-sports and they claim it has been scientifically proven. The products attribute which are ingredients that contain caffeine, electrolytes, and B-vitamins position the product to appeal to athletes. It is positioned to be used whenever a person need fast and effect hydration or more predominantly before sports. Its benefits claim to be enhanced physical performance. Powerade’s main competitor Gatorade does not produce a drink specifically designed for pre-sports because of the added caffeine. Red Bull Sugar Free Red Bull Sugar Free is positioned to target young adults and largely women because of the advertised low calorie low sugar attributes of the product. The can of the sugar free variety is different from the standard Red Bull as it comes in an aqua blue can, this would suggest that the product is positioned to be more attractive to females. The benefits of this product are claimed to be increased performance, reaction and speed; improves emotional status, increased metabolism and low calories. Coca Cola’s Enviga Coca Cola’s Enviga is a carbonated green tea beverage that claims to increase your metabolism and burn calories because of the presence of green tea and caffeine. The main attributes of this product are green tea and its low calories (five per can). They claim the amount of green tea in their can is higher than most other green tea drink and they list the benefits of green tea as rich in antioxidants, support cardio-vascular health, help your body fight free radicals and helps your body burn more calories. These attributes position this product to aim at young women who want to be healthy and even the health conscience male. The usage occasions for Enviga are anytime throughout the day but they recommend having three cans a day for maximum calorie burning. The drinks come in three flavours natural green tea, berry and pomegranate, and each can has bright colours on the front which further suggests the drink is positioned for women. Reference 1. Kotler, P. , S. Adam, L. Brown, and G Armstrong. 2006. Principles of Marketing. NSW: Pearson Education Australia. 2. Red Bull. 2008. http://www. redbull. com (accessed September 1, 2008). 3. Powerade. 2008. http://www. powerade. com. au (accessed September 1, 2008). 4. Enviga. 2008. http://www. enviga. com (accessed September 1, 2008). 5. Coca Cola. 2008. http://www. coca-cola. com (accessed September 1, 2008).

A Management Report On L Oreal Marketing Essay

A Management Report On L Oreal Marketing Essay INTRODUCTION The Management report that I am presenting here reflects a complete analysis of LOreal With some very significant aspect of the companys profile including companys overview and history. Also a brief idea about its products, and their brands. No business in this planet is free from weaknesses, which actually comes within the organisation and threats that acts as the external factors as a result of the business environment where it operates. We all know that SWOT analysis is actually an important instrument or an ideal measuring parameter of any organisation to determine its present value in the competitive business environment. Moreover to plan a strategic move in order to deal with any incompetences of the business. Therefore it becomes utmost important for this report to spill the beans on the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organisation followed by the external growth opportunity, and their rivals which is a threat for the organisation. In short we have to apply SWOT analy sis in order to get a transparent and true picture of the LOreal. Which I have attempted to present in a form of an ideal Management Report, as much as possible.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4TW3szeY46Fr2SuHtv_VBjG8Osr6kaILjeNah8ps0bb6jm5ITgHgEdhsUJQmT9WMPGOom1lvY876eeV_OM_4qCgPZ4DX1O86zK0tUjsLiywxcZ5SjYxoo7vZ0FRNjsEMYZEBq8EOXK-U/s320/logo_l_oreal.jpg The business world today is far more dynamic than we can ever think of; hence it calls for the evaluation of all the factors of the business, be it internal or external, technical or social. All these important aspects of the business need to be evaluated at frequent intervals. Therefore the dynamic nature of the business and the requirement of this report have made it compulsory to critical analysis the decision making factors and strategic policies in the wake of the globalisation and redefined business paradigm. Nevertheless in response to the present culture the feedback of LOreal has been given an equal importance in this report. In order to determine and deal with the effectiveness of response, in terms of current business scenario. The scope of any improvement in the responses from LOreal are dealt with great care and understanding. And this area of the report forms the recommendation and suggestion part. In addition it winds-up with the conclusion of the entire Management Report as a whole. http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=334974t=dcat_id= LOREALS OVERVIEW HISTORY The name says it all; LOreal is the worlds renowned and biggest cosmetics and beauty Product Company. The company was founded by Eugene Schueller in year 1909. But now the company is controlled by the founders daughter Lilliane and in year 2009 LOreal has celebrated its 100 years of relentless service to the mass. Initially the company was registered as Societe Francaise de Teintures Inoffensives pourCheveus, in year 1909 in the days of it formation, but years later it was then named as LOreal. The company has four strong pillars of their entire business portfolio, namely Consumer Products, Luxury Products, Professional Products and Active Cosmetics. LOreal operates in some 130 countries with a complete range of 27 beauty products, in different segments of their business. To help LOreal achieve their goals and objective a dedicated strong team of 67,662 employees are engaged in the project of attaining the desired mission of LOreal. A century of expertise in the field of beauty care products is completely driven with innovation. That is reason why LOreal invests some 1/3 rd of their revenue is devoted to their RD department. LOreal holds a stake of 19.5 % in Sanofi/Synthelabo. Apart from this, a holding company Gesparal has 51% of LOreal share and the food giant from Switzerland Nestle hold the balance 49% of the Gesparal The success of LOreal stands on the strong foundation of 5 key area of expertise, Hair care, Hair colour, Skin care, Make-up and Fragrances. The revenue generated from LOreal is estimated to be more than 50% from outside of Europe. Acquiring other brands is one of the vital activities, in which LOreal is focusing to a great extent. LOreal has been a great platform for the young breeding talents through their global recruitment strategy. LOreal follows an equal opportunity program, therefore as a result of that its employee are from 110 nationalities, a classic example of cosmopolitan environment diversity Management. 97% of the LOreal factories are ISO approved. And LOreal operates 38 factories all over the world, manufacturing some 4.9 billions units in 2009. LOreal has the list following brands which includes Internal Analysis Strengths Unique vision The company was with a passion and a quest to transcending the border to make the world beautiful. The credit of outstanding success of the LOreal as a company goes without doubt to the vision of the concept of working as a team, which operates under the truly outstanding Director Lindsay Owen-Jones. Worlds prestigious Brand This French company has brought a revolution in the beauty product industry. A giant in manufacturing of some world class cosmetic for example Lancà ´me, Vichy and the brand for the mass like The body shop, Laboratories Garnier and Maybelline. The other brand includes Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Gemey Maybelline, Sanofi/Synthelabo Giorgio Armani Parfums, Soft Sheen-Carson, Galderma, and many more Strong RD Department The biggest asset or strength of the company is their relentless effort in RD department, which keeps a continuous effort toward finding new and innovative products in the field of beauty and cosmetics market. This contributes a great deal in the competitive market like beauty product industry, in not just making new customer but retaining old customer as well by offering a brand new product to their customer at frequent intervals at a global platform. Multiple product range LOreal has a strong product collection presence in the beauty product industry. Starting from hair care to skin care and from fragrances to styling products. The companys multiple product division like Consumer Products, Luxury Products, Professional Products and Active Cosmetics has made it unique in the global scenario. Dermatological Pharmaceuticals advancement The next great strength of the LOreal group is advance level of activity in the dermatological and Pharmaceuticals sectors, giving them a position of nano-technology patent holder in United States. Sound distribution channel Apart from this LOreal has a sound distribution channel and logistic department which helps a proper and smooth supply of its products, ensuring that the products are available to the maximum customers. The most expensive products and luxury items are distributed through duty-free shops and the department stores. And the hair care products are sold maximum from the hair salons. And the active cosmetics department sale their product via multiple beauty outlets and from pharmacies as well. Advance Advertisement strategy The strong advertisement strategy from LOreal puts the company miles ahead from its competitors. By understanding the requirement of the customer it succeeds it bringing to their customer the right product, through the deadly combination of marketing advertisement strategy. Weaknesses Organisational structure The company has grown enormously big, and there are various division and sub-division of the organisation, this has made the organisational sector a bit decentralised one, owing to its gigantic size. At times it becomes impossible to find out the exact division responsible for the pitfalls of the company. Low profit margin The company has got a numerous rivals, and to compete in the challenging market, the product pricing is considerably low compare to the other companies, and many times the profit does not meet the expectation of their own margin. To a great extent advertising and marketing of a high-end nature is highly a reason to a low return. Lack of control. The co-ordination and the control of LOreal is somewhat lacking due to its gigantic size. This is again observed as a negative point and as a setback. External Analysis Opportunities Infinite field The main fields of expertise of LOreal is the product of beauty care which truly provides an edge and a never ending opportunity to concentrate and keep developing and specialising in the various aspect of beauty care like hair colouring styling, skin care cosmetics and fragrances as well. Brand image The name of LOreal is more than enough for its consumers, because its been a leading brand in the fields of beauty for ages. The brand name itself gives LOreal a great opportunity to develop its business abundantly. Patent Rights Another great advantage is the chunk of their market share in this particular industry in which they operate. It gives them advantage to have the world class brands and various patent registered in their names. This gives them an edge over their rivals because the customer cannot get the same cosmetics in other brands. Threats Growing Competition The field of beauty product industry is vast; therefore everyday a new organisation is born. This raises the bar of growing competition for LOreal Economic turmoil The economics downturn is been witnessed very often in many countries for example USA, and Britain, this could possible be a great threat to the business opportunity and profit margin of LOreal. Many of the LOreal products are in the top line, which the basic customer will find it expensive especially in the times of credit crunch and recession. http://loreal.exteen.com/20080805/swot-analysis-l-oreal http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Loreal-Swot/149358 The impact of globalisation on LOreal Global expansion is at the heart of LOreal growth strategy. This French cosmetics and toiletries giant have experienced unmatched growth and success in the sector with an unparallel global expansion into new beauty-product markets. And these plans are executed under the sharp and judicious direction of Owen Jones, the chairman of the company. The business goes global because of its strategic vision, some 16 years back LOreal used to pocket 75% of the revenue from the sales of Europe, major from France, but by 2004, a total of 85% of its revenue generated, were outside France, we can cite this as a classic example of ideal globalisation. LOreal is a real global leader in every segment of its industry. Globalisation means inviting tougher rivalry with the international player at a global level. Therefore it has to be backed up with a mastermind global strategy that will give a cutting edge at a worldwide level, and a brand image of the organisation. But in order to internationalise, a business has to initiate lot of innovative and latest business tactics, at regular intervals for instance global entry strategy, proper marketing mix, standardisation, or adaptation of international policy and procedure etc. Let us analyse the global strategy that has put LOreal miles ahead of its rivals in the beauty industry. From the research and findings I have realize certain strategic decision making and policies formation of LOreal which can be said as the influence of globalisation. Acquisition strategy. To dream LOreal beyond the French borders is the milestone, as told to the fortune audience, and was considered to be his smartest move as CEO. As he told the Fortune audience, The defining moment for me was when I decided LOreal must become a world company and not just a French one. (Chairman LOreal) In the battle to reign global beauty market, LOreal has developed a winning formula, Consolidation which is considered as a lethal weapon to support their competitive strategy. The mastermind strategy of Owen Jones to buy local cosmetic brands, give it a facelift, and sell it in the international market has helped LOreal to gain a good market share in the beauty industry. Lets take a brief look at all the acquisition of LOreal. Maybelline LOreal makes a risky investment of $758 millions to acquire Maybelline in 1996, it head quarters were shifted to New York. The product line like nail polish and lipstick were given a complete transformation and launched with exciting new colours. The sales figure reflects a big rise in 2003, where 56% of total sales came from outside US. In Japan it become the hottest selling beauty products amongst teens, the products like curls mascara and volume express line were in growing popularity all over. Soft-Sheen- Carson A leader in hair care industry soft sheen was acquired by the giant LOreal in year 1998, and later on it went to acquire Carson product an ethnic manufacturer in hair and skin care. The mastermind Owen then merged two companies to form soft sheen- Carson in august 1998. The potential market of hair care product was targeted by LOreal. This was a global move to cover half of total African market, and currently LOreal control 41% of South African market. Kiehl Jones went further to buy Kiehl, a small cosmetics firm exactly going in contrast with the regular LOreal brand and products. Jones find it extremely interesting that the firm is doing exceptionally good. It main emphasis is on product quality, for the rest LOreal gives a bouncing life to the product by giving it a new look and proper product placement makes it well presentable in the international market at selected European stores. And these are done without ads or promotions. Shu Uemura To get a strong foot hold in Japan, LOreal went on further to takeover Shu Uemura as a part of strategic alliance with Japanese Shu Uemura, a cosmetic company rapidly stretching its presence in China and other Asian countries. The Body Shop LOreal gave a shocking surprise by gobbling up The Body shop in year 2005, such a small port folio. But it was strategic decision for going global and increasing its brand port folio when the company decided to go for a  £ 650m purchase of the ethical beauty retailer. This has a strong presence with 2550 outlets all over UK. Indeed a very smart move by the by acquiring this port folio, LOreal has built its ethical image in the market at a global level. And to book an image that the company is going natural and minimise its carbon footprints. Others Mininurse Yue-Sai are two small organisations that were respectively bought in 2003 2004 by LOreal as a strategy of global expansion, but now are performing excellent in the local cosmetic markets. Canan a specialist in hair care was a recent acquisition from Turkey in late 2007. In the recent past LOreal has been concentrating on higher end port folio. As a result to push its salon market, three more acquisition has been witnessed, Columbia Beauty Supply, Beauty Alliance and Malys. The purchase of YSL Beautà © is a step to give weight to its Luxury division. While to earn some brownie point on the dermatology market CollaGenex was acquired as well. Looking into the market latest trends for natural beauty remedy In a hunt to increase it footprints in natural and organic arena. Sanoflore was the next deal to freeze, which will give LOreal an additional brand in its Active Cosmetic Division. Therefore Sanoflore will join its group with Dermablend, La RochePosay, Ombrelle and SkinCeu ticals. But as the competition intensify, the company is looking ahead to have more acquisition in Asia market as well and make a strong presence in the world of beauty market by the instrument of this acquisition policy and growing as well in the port folio management. And in future it will continue to seek more acquisition targets in the emerging market. http://www.scf-online.com/english/24_e/international_24_e.htm http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ceo/articles/0,15114,372136-1,00.html Strong logistics efficiency In the run to support the global recognition and other manufacturing strategies, the company has to depend on the strong logistic effiency. The availablity of the product to the end user is extremely vital to any organisation, LOreal is no exception, and therefore ensuring the product available to the outlets for everlasting satisfaction of the customer is one of the major goal of LOreal. It an has got an extremely strong distribution channel and logistic department, maintained by centrex the centre of supply chain management. LOreal partner group is developed with the supplier and the for the smooth supply of raw-material, container or packaging , equipments, point of sale or promotional items LOreal depends on its suppliers for all its plants, factories and warehousing supplies. LOreal continuous try to maximise the performance the supply chain management in order to improve time limit, imroving responsiveness etc. Centrex monitors all procurement orders and deals with it. In order to assure that the required level of service is achieved logistic department and the supply chain management has received special attention to suport the compamys strategic vision. Strength of R D LOreal has one of the most strong Research and development team in the field of beauty product development. It attract some 3400 expertise in 30 different discipline from multiple nationalities to build a strong RD team. The company have invested 625 million dollars in just dermatological research and cosmetic department, in year 2009. A total of 18 research centers worldwide and 13 evaluation centres operates to achieve the long tern growth. Some 500 scientist worked day and night to discover 5000 formulas each year. LOreal has filed 647 patent in year 2009, and 35,000 patents are active worldwide. It has amlost 1000 active allaince with leading academic research institution LOreal invest 1/3rd of its budget to the advanced research projects which is 3% of it revenue generated goes to the Research and Development department. The company owns the product development centres at New York, Paris, Dubai, Rio-de-Janeiro and shanghai. Therefore LOreal exploiting its research department qui ckly capitalise on latest consumer trends worldwide. In short the RD department has contributed to a great extent in making this company where it is today, in terms of global recognition and acceptance. Branding strategy LOreal branding strategy has given a gaint leap in support of the globalisation, and has helped to spread the business not only in Europe but worldwide. The company has a global presence over 150 countries which is possible only because it hold a very good brand image. The company follows a powerful and efficient branding strategy, which makes it possible to generate a steady flow of revenue year after year. As a result of the global branding strategy the LOreal achieved the impossible dream of becoming the largest cosmetic in the world. Whilst the global economy was in a downturn mode still the company made successful sales both in Asia and Latin America. It would not be wrong to say that the company has succeeded reaching across the French boundaries due to it brand reputation. Global portfolio management. LOreal holds some of the best names of the prestigious brands portfolios for their varied range of beauty products under one roof. Some renowned names include Lancà ´me, Maybelline, The Body Shop, Vichy Laboratories, Matrix Ralph Lauren Fragrances and so on and so forth. LOreal is very careful with brand portfolio Management like the quantum of water mixing to the moisturising cream. With the world of brands under its roof the port- folio management team has to be extremely cautious and judicious to place each brand in the right segment so that it does not affect its other brand market. This is hitting the right audience with the right product. http://finance.mapsofworld.com/brand/value/loreal.html LOreal response With respect to various challenges posed by the global business environment, LOreal has always come up with a solution, to stay ahead in the international market. Let us analyse the effectiveness of LOreal responses with regards to national and international issues of the business world. Table showing the responses to the situation LOreal response Pros Cons 1. Acquire Shu Uemura To achieve a place in Asian industry, and a bigger sales graph Fails to cater the Japanese market 2. Purchasing of Nivea Mid-segments market is filled up. Expose to Biersdorf. 3. Generate opportunity in dermatological and cosmetic field More sale and new customer Risk of losing if there is no strong market for dermo-cosmetic area. 4 Introducing new products for gaining more mileage. Increase revenue by opening up a new market for all brands. Inviting rivalry and more competition. 5. Diversify into clothes and accessories Using similar technique to gain competitive advantg. High risk in the new field and global player to deal with. 6. Form a brand new line of LOreal cosmetic stores. Brand products to be easily available Loss of capital if the stores does not work out as per planned and fail to generate increased sales figure. 7. Keep a got stock of all the products to tackle supply issues. A happy customer, not loosing sales, and retaining customers. Stock loss due to expiry date. Additional holding and shipping cost. Recommendations and suggestion The recommendation for the LOreal is that they should design more products to suit the Japanese market, and even selling the same products to Americans as the American market are more in more requirement of the ethnic Asian touch trends, by giving the products a brand new look with its latest packaging tools to make it look more authentic. A large section of American market is untouched; LOreal should plan to consider tapping those markets as well launching a similar strategy as in the African expansion. So far the South American market is largely untapped. By taking a similar approach perhaps even designing products for South American ethnicities. Since diversity management is at the heart of LOreal it should take a plunge and diversify into clothing and accessories, with the wealth of rich experience similar to the beauty product industry. A step into dermo-cosmetics lines must be beneficial in towards the progress of the company because there is a massive demand for such product which is an alternative for plastic surgery. LOreals should take advantage of its research and develop related products which will lead them ahead of their rivals. Chain stores of LOreal must be there to generate more sales and to bring confidence to their customer when they see the LOreal store rather than buying the LOreals products from other retail outlet. This in actually an untapped niche for big chain of cosmetic stores, for the LOreal products, would be ideally to fill this gap for the niche market. CONCLUSION LOreal in spite of the growing competition has become a giant in its domain. It success rest on the four pillars of their entire business portfolio, namely Consumer Products, Luxury Products, Professional Products and Active Cosmetics. And the main reason of it success are strength of RD team, effective organization structure, strong distribution channels, Brand portfolio management, Acquisitions Branding strategy. LOreal has a number of rivals like Estee Lauder is the main threat. Proctor Gamble, Unilever and Revlon in hair care segment. Avon a hardcore competitors in Russia, and Nivea control the mid segment market. LOreal need to concentrate a bit more towards Men care items, and avoid too much rivalry.