Health Promotion and Education for HIV

Health Promotion and Education for HIV Introduction The prevalence of HIV infections has increased rapidly in recent years in the UK. In 2006, it was estimated that a total of 73,000 people were infected with HIV, with a further new 6,393 cases reported in 2007 (Health Protection Agency 2007). The epidemiology of HIV infection has changed over the years. In the mid-1980s, the three groups of people considered to be at the highest risk of HIV infection were men who have sex with men, injection drug users and those who have received blood products (e.g. through blood transfusions). However, since 1999, the majority of new infections have been reported among heterosexuals (Health Protection Agency 2007). The prognosis for HIV-infected individuals has improved over the past ten years. Although there is currently no vaccine and no cure for HIV, HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) has proven highly effective in delaying the onset of AIDS and lengthening the lifespan of infected individuals (Rutland et al. 2007).The increased preval ence of HIV infections in the UK means that healthcare professionals in all settings are more likely to care for patients with HIV than in past years. A number of studies have been conducted worldwide to examine healthcare professionals’ knowledge and/or attitudes to HIV in countries including the UK (Tierney 1995; Laraqui et al. 2002; Pisal et al. 2007). Findings showed that healthcare workers are frequently fearful, negative, ill-informed and discriminatory towards HIV-positive patients. Furthermore, fears regarding perceived risks when caring for parents with HIV may hamper quality of patient care (Pisal et al. 2007). As a result, HIV-positive patients may experience stigma and dehumanisation, together with feelings of isolation and guilt. There is an unmet need for effective education programmes to increase healthcare professionals’ knowledge about HIV, modes of transmission and precautions that should be taken when caring for HIV-positive patients. Studies have shown that education programmes to increase levels of knowledge among nurses significantly reduced fears about interacting with HIV-positive patients (Pis al et al. 2007). This paper discusses the development of an educational leaflet aimed at healthcare professionals, analyses the methodology used and evaluates the leaflet and the process of development. Leaflet development When devising health promotion and education programmes, the three main components which must be considered are planning, implementation and evaluation and it may be helpful to use a health promotion model in this process (Whitehead 2003). The Ewles and Simnett model (1992) proposes five different ways of considering health promotion which include a medical approach, behaviour change approach, educational change approach, client-centred approach and social change approach. Our health education approach best fit the educational and behavioural change approaches. By educating the target group of individuals, the knowledge they gain will empower them to make informed decisions and will act as an important influencer on their behaviour (Aghamolaei et al. 2005). In their model, Ewles and Simnett identified 9 stages which were used in the planning of the health education initiative discussed in this paper and which include: Identification of the target group Identification of the needs of the target group Establishment of the goals of education Formulation of specific objectives Identification of resources Planning of content and method Planning of methods of evaluation Implementation of education Evaluation of effectiveness. Planning The target group for this health education strategy was healthcare support workers who may come into contact with clients infected with HIV or AIDS. As discussed, there is a clear need for education programmes for healthcare professionals who may have contact with HIV-positive clients. The main goals of this strategy were to increase levels of knowledge about HIV with a view to reducing fears and stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals, and alleviate any existing misconceptions surrounding the spread of the HIV virus in clinical practice. The approach taken in this strategy was to develop an educational information leaflet. Previous research has demonstrated that leaflets that promote knowledge of HIV are effective in reducing fear and anxiety among healthcare workers, while also increasing overall knowledge of the disease (Pisal et al. 2007). Leaflets have been shown to provide a number of benefits. For example, they can be used to re-enforce information delivered verbally and c an deliver a greater volume of information that via verbal communication alone (Secker 1997). Furthermore, leaflets may be retained for future reference and can be shared with others. However, there is evidence to suggest that health promotion leaflets needs to be carefully designed, since not all leaflets communicate their messages effectively to their target audience (Shire Hall Communications 1992). Methodology Sources of information Information on the HIV was sourced by searching the Pubmed electronic database and Department of Health websites. Up-to-date, high-quality publications were selected where possible. The Health Protection Agency websites was also search for recent UK-specific epidemiology data. Information relating to the design of the leaflet was gathered from both Pubmed and Google searches. All information sourced was read carefully, findings were accurately summarised and key points were highlighted. Leaflet design The design of educational leaflets should assist the reader’s understanding of the content within (Secker 1997). The leaflet title was chosen carefully so as to be appealing and encourage readers to want to read the entire leaflet. A design theme was chosen which was applied consistently throughout each of the pages. Black and red text was used against a yellow background which demonstrated good readability and made the leaflet stand out on the shelf among a group of other leaflets. The choice of colours was designed to reflect a ‘danger/hazard’ theme which was intended to motivate the reader. While it could be argued that the association of red with danger may actually re-enforce existing negative beliefs about HIV, we believe that our choice of a strong and positive leaflet title negates this possibility. The Times New Roman font in a 12 point size was used for the main text. Research suggests that this is one of the best fonts for educational materials, and that a 12 point font size is the minimum size for readers without visual impairment (Secker 1997). Although it is acknowledged that using a font size as large as this limits the amount of text that can be accommodated, a shortcoming of many educational leaflets is that they contain text which is too small to read comfortably (Albert and Chadwick 1992). The images used in the leaflet were relevant to the content. Research has shown that the use of illustrations is an important factor to consider in leaflet design and that illustrations should always be informative and relative to the content of the leaflet, otherwise they will detract from the information being conveyed (Rohret and Ferguson 1990; Albert and Chadwick 1992). By using ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions of similar images, we aimed to convey some of the feelings that HIV-positive clients may experience in healthcare settings and how a change in the behaviour and attitude of healthcare workers can have a positive impact on the client’s experience as well as improving the interaction between the client and care provider. Another important factor which must be considered when using images, pictures and other illustrative materials is their source and whether there are copyright issues associated with their use. Unfortunately, we did not consider the legal implications associated with our choice of illustration, which subsequently prevented the leaflet from being distributed to the target audience. A folded one third A4 size leaflet, printed on yellow paper with a gloss finish was chosen. This is a popular choice of size for educational leaflets and provides good portability, being small enough to put in a bag. The use of folding negates the need for staples which add to cost. [Client: you didn’t mention anything about leaflet size, stock of paper or finish so I’ve added in what I have found from my own experience of designing educational materials, although I’m not sure of the exact stock of paper that would be the best for a leaflet of this description and no papers discuss this] Language According to Bennett and Heller (2006), â€Å"Speaking the language of the audience is crucial in attempting to appeal to them and change their understanding of any issue†. The language in this leaflet used simple terminology that is easily understood and is jargon free, two factors which have been shown to be of importance in educational materials (Ewles and Simnett 2003). Personal and colloquial terms were used which were designed to engage the reader and encourage critical thinking and reflection of their own clinical practice. The use of personal pronouns has previously been shown to be effective in making the reader feel that the leaflet is addressing them directly, thereby making it more appealing (Glasper and Burge 1992; Albert and Chadwick 1992). The use of long words was limited and sentences were generally short and succinct, with each attempting to explain a single idea (Manning 1981). Evidence has shown that this facilitates the integration and storage of information into memory. This is an important factor since the cognitive load theory proposes that redundant forms of information may require longer processing and may prevent the reader from learning (Doak et al. 1996). Research has also demonstrated that the more long words and long sentences used, the more difficult the leaflet will be for the reader to understand (Pastore and Berg 1987; Bernier and Yasko 1991). Simplicity in both choice of language and sentence structure is also of value if the leaflet were to be translated into other languages or into Braille. While this leaflet was only designed for target groups within the UK, it could also be translated successfully if required. Readability may be assessed more accurately by performing a readability test to determine the reading age of any written material. These tests typically relate the number of long words and sentences to the reading age necessary to understand the materials. Evidence shows that the reading age of the majority of adults in many developed countries is 10-14 years (Vahabi and Ferris 1995). Although we did not employ a readability test when developing this leaflet, it is an activity that would have been helpful to confirm the readability of the material we had developed and would be particularly valuable when developing patient educational materials where reading age would be of greater importance. Content and organisation of information It is important that educational materials are accurate and up to date (Secker 1997). As previously discussed, the most recent information was selected for inclusion in our leaflet. Summarised information was discussed for suitability and then reviewed for accuracy by several members of the team as a quality control exercise. The content of this leaflet is quite specific and should be applicable for the foreseeable future, unless a vaccine or cure for HIV/AIDS is developed or there are changes to universal precautions. Nonetheless, it may have been worth including a publication date on the leaflet to enable the reader to quickly see how old the leaflet is and if a more up-to-date version may be available. The organisation of text within the leaflet is a very important factor influencing whether the material makes sense to the reader (Secker 1997). Studies have shown that educational information should be presented in a way that reflects the priorities of the reader (Bernier and Yasko 1991). Therefore, paragraphs of text were arranged so that the most important and relevant facts were discussed first. This arrangement has been shown to facilitate the assimilation of information and re-enforce learning (Manning 1981). Sequential lists of bullet points were used to present the text included in the leaflet. These have also been shown to enhance assimilation, when compared with blocks of bulk information delivered in a narrative form (Manning 1981). Key points within the text were emphasised in bold type since the use of colour has shown to be ineffective (Kitching 1990) and a number of colours were already employed in the design theme. The text in the leaflet was justified which is not in line with the recommendation of unjustified, left-aligned text using indentations for ease of readability (Kitching 1990). [Client: you don’t mention whether headings were used in the leaflet. Sentence case headings in bold type placed against the left-hand margin with plenty of space around are effective in standing out from the main text and will assist the reader in quickly locating the information they require within the leaflet (Dixon and Park, 1990) Reference: Dixon, E. Park, R. 1990, ‘Do patients understand written health information?’, Nursing Outlook, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 278-81.] Evidence has shown that leaflets should convey only essential information and contain references to further reading in a separate section (Vahabi and Ferris 1995). In our leaflet, the name of the first author and the year were included in the text as citations for source references. For a more continuous flow, it may have been better to replace the author name with a superscript number which relates to the full reference which would be included in a reference list at the end of the leaflet. Since this leaflet is aimed at healthcare professionals who aim to use research-based evidence to inform best practice, it would be particularly important to include the sources of the reference materials to encourage further reading; however, due to space constraints, we were not able to include this reference list in our leaflet. Implementation The leaflet has not been distributed to the intended target group due to legal implications surrounding the images used. The original implementation plan included: (1) distribution of the leaflet after infection control study days held within the hospital, or at study sessions focussing on HIV/AIDS as a method of re-enforcing the verbal information already delivered; (2) inclusion of the leaflet as part of the induction package for relevant new members of staff; and (3) inclusion of leaflets on stands already located in hospital common rooms or other venues. Evaluation As discussed above, since the leaflet has not been distributed to the target audience, it has not been possible to evaluate the success of our approach. We planned to pilot our leaflet to a selected group of healthcare support workers and gain feedback both verbally and via the use of a questionnaire designed to address the quality of content, readability and use of language within the leaflet. Gaining preliminary feedback on the leaflet may have helped us to address any issues identified prior to implementation. The specific limitations identified in our leaflet have already been discussed within the relevant sections of this paper. However, when reflecting on our approach to producing this leaflet, we were able to identify a number of other areas where we feel that the process could be improved in the future: (1) experimenting with other colours may make the leaflet aesthetically more appealing; (2) including the address of the charity listed, instead of just the website, would enable those individuals without internet facilities to also access this valuable resource more easily; (3) when searching for published literature on knowledge and attitudes of healthcare professionals to HIV, although many studies were identified, there were few recent studies conducted within the UK. For this reason, it may have been worth considering designing a preliminary questionnaire to gather the attitudes and beliefs of the healthcare workers within our particular setting to ensure that we were designing a leaflet which addressed their specific needs; and (4) we believe that the use of an interactive tool, such as a quiz, would further engage the target audience, serving to re-enforce and challenge what they have learnt from the leaflet. Conclusions Our leaflet met the majority of published criteria for well-designed educational material, in terms of content, language and design. The leaflet contained up-to-date, accurate information which was relevant to the target audience. The overall look and feel of the leaflet was appealing and uncrowded with good readability, while the use of relevant images helped to convey the important messages contained within the leaflet. The major limitation of our methodology was the use of images with surrounding legal implications which prevented the leaflet from being distributed. This made is impossible to evaluate the success of our approach which was very disappointing. Nonetheless, developing this leaflet has provided valuable experience which can be applied when designing similar health promotion and education programmes in the future. Bibliography Aghamolei, T., Eftekhar, H., Mohammed, K., Nahjavani, M., Shojaeizadeh, D., Ghofranipour, F., Safa, O. 2005, ‘Effects of a health education program on behaviour, HbA1c and health-related quality of life in diabetic patients’, Acta Medica Iranica, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 89-94. Albert, T. Chadwick, S. 1992, ‘How readable are practice leaflets?’, British Medical Journal, vol. 305, pp. 1266-8. Bennett and Heller 2006, Design studies: theory and research in graphic design, Princeton Architectural Press, New York. Bernier, M. J. Yasko, J. 1991,‘Designing and evaluating printed education materials: model and instrument development’, Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 18, pp. 253-63. Doak, C. C,, Doak L. G., Root, J. H. 1996, Teaching patients with low literacy skills, 2nd ed, Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Philadelphia. Ewles and Simnett 1992, Promoting Health: a practical guide. 2nd ed, Scutari Press, London. Ewles and Simnett 2003, Promoting Health: a practical guide. 5th ed, Scutari Press, London. Ezedinachi, E., Ross, M. W., Meremiku, M., Essien, E. J., Edem, C. B., Ekure, E., Ita, O. 2002,â€Å"The impact of an intervention to change health workers’ HIV/AIDS attitudes and knowledge in Nigeria: a controlled trial’, Public Health, vol. 116, pp. 106-12 Glasper, A. Burge, D. 1992, ‘Developing family information leaflets’, Nursing Standard, vol. 6, no. 25, pp. 24-7. Health Protection Agency 2007, Testing Times: HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the United Kingdom, 2007. Retrieved 31st July 2008 from: http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1203084355941 Kitching, J. B. 1990, ‘Patient information leaflets – the state of the art’, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, vol. 83, pp. 298-300. Pisal, H., Sutar, S., Sastry, J., Kapadia-Kundu, N., Joshi, A., Joshi, M., Leslie, J., Scotti, L., Bharucha, K., Suryavanshi, N., Phadke, M., Bollinger, R., Shankar, A.V. 2007, ‘Nurses health education program in India increases HIV knowledge and reduces fear’, Journal of the Association of Nurses and AIDS Care, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 32-43. Laraqui, C. H., Tripodi, D., Rahhali, A., Bichara, M., Laraqui, S., Curtes, J. P., Verger, C., Zahraoui, M. 2002,’Knowledge, practice, and behaviour of healthcare workers confronted to AIDS and the occupational risk of HIV transmission in Morocco, Medecine et Maladies Infectieuses, vol. 32, pp. 307-14. Manning, D. 1981, ‘Writing readable health messages’, Public Health Reports, vol. 96, no. 5, pp. 464-5. Pastore, P. Berg, B. 1987, ‘The evaluation of patient education materials: focus on readability’, Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 216-9. Rohret, L. Ferguson, K. J. 1990, ‘Effective use of patient education illustrations’, Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 15, pp. 73-5. Rutland, E., Foley, E., O’Mahony, C., Miller, M., Maw, R., Kell, P., Rowen, D. 2007, ‘How normalised is HIV care in the UK? A survey of current practice and opinion’, Sexually Transmitted Infections, vol. 83, pp. 151-4. Secker, J. 1997, ‘Assessing the quality of patient education leaflets’, Coronary Health Care, vol. 1, pp. 37-41. Shire Hall Communications 1992, Consumer leaflets – a write off?, Shire Hall Communications, London. Tibdewel, S. S. Wadhva, S. K. 2001, ‘HIV/AIDS awareness among hospital employees’, Indian Journal of Medical Science, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 69-72. Vahabi, M. Ferris, L. 1995, ‘Improving written patient education materials: a review of the evidence’, Health Education Journal, vol. 54, pp. 99-106. Whitehead, D. 2003, ‘Evaluating health promotion: a model for nursing practice’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 490-8.

God created Essay

The dawn breaks and the sun peers over the horizon. Another day has come and its new oppotunities seize my imagination. In the beginning, there was only darkness. It is the same darkness that clouds the hearts and minds of men. It sows seeds of fear to paralyze great men into inaction. Thoughts of impending failure and the unsatisfactory results of the past stunts progress and innovation. The valiant and the just stay their hands in the face of tyranny. The wise pass no verdict or judgement to protect the weak and the oppressed. Opportunities to promote the common good are missed and nothing changes. The darkness prevails as time claims the old and weary. But then, God created light and vanquished the darkness. And with the darkness, the fear that plagued man faded into nothingness. Regardless of the possibility failure and despair, man pursued success and happiness. Even in the face of death or humiliation, men fought for what was right and what was just. The cycle of monotony and subsistence was broken as the opportunities, great and small, were seized by the wise and the brave. The world changed and life evolved. The Lord called this light the sun. It is the light that breaks the darkness of the night to usher in the dawn of a new day. It heralds in the infinite possibilites that one can do today. Its daily cycle promises to illuminate the dead night of yesterday and to offer even greater opportunities tomorrow. It is this promise of opportunities that seizes my imagination. It wakes me up in the morning and drives me to live everyday to the full. It is these inevitable infinite opportunities that help me decide what the world will be.

Howard Schultz Strategy with Starbucks

When Howard Schultz first experienced Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice he was immediately smitten by the operations and business culture, and actively pursued a job with them. At that time, Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice was an 11 year old coffee shop with six stores in Seattle specializing in high-quality coffee beans. Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice desired to bring fine coffee to their customers, so to that end, they imported quality coffee beans, roasted them to their own exacting specifications and sold the beans and high-end coffeemakers to their customers, so customers could make superb coffee at home.The only coffee brewed onsite was the sampling of a roast, in order for a customer to determine if they wanted to buy that flavor, and as part of the education of their customers base to appreciate, and presumable buy more, quality coffee over the common variety available at the grocery store. Schultz, after a company trip to Italy where he accidently discovered the espresso bars of Milan, came back home with an idea of how to transform the business. His excitement was not shared by the owners, and when little changed over the next two years, Schultz left Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice to start his own company Il Giornale.At Il Giornale he did what he wanted to do at Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice – create the energy, ambience and community of the Italian coffeehouses in Seattle. Within two years the owners of Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice wanted to sell their business and Schultz happily purchased and combined both businesses, calling them Starbucks Corporation (SBUX). Schutlz, now in possession of the original stores, the roasting plant and his coffeehouses, was ready to fully explore his strategy.His plan was to create a place where his customer could enjoy premium coffee and feel pampered and relaxed, making the stop at his coffeehouse a part of the customers’ day – a 3rd place where they could go – an â€Å"urban oasisà ¢â‚¬  (Rumelt, 2011) (the 1st and 2nd place are home and work). This would be a treasured place, just for themselves or to meet with friends. Of course this unique experience was envisioned to expand nationally and create exponential sales as Starbucks became the place to be!To realize this ideal, Schultz needed to attract the right employees and engage his staff to behave so that â€Å"customers (had) a very positive experience in its stores. † (Thompson & Shah, 2010) He did this by a variety of methods, sourced from the six guiding principles the employee team came up with. He was able to achieve the 4th principle –â€Å"develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time† – by having happy employees (1st principle), commitment to sourcing the best beans and standards to make the ‘perfect cup’ (3rd principle), and creating an emotional connection to his customers. Schultz firmly believed that Starbucks had to be a great place to w ork in order to provide the atmosphere and service that he envisioned. † (Brown, 2011) He realized that in order for his employees to be happy, he needed them to trust and feel they could communicate without retribution, and to feel valued. One of the ways he demonstrated their value to the company was to provide health care to even his part time baristas. Employees, now called ‘partners,’ were supported by extensive training in coffee knowledge, brewing, and how to â€Å"go out of their way †¦ to make sure customers were fully satisfied. (Thompson & Shah, 2010) Furthermore, they were rewarded by a recognition program which acknowledged excellence in brewing, customer service, leadership, savings, profits, and other activities that supported the company’s mission. Starbucks broadened their commitment to their staff by offering employee stock options to all employees, and later this would expand to include employee stock purchase programs. Schutzâ€⠄¢s plan created a new romance with coffee and the coffeehouse. His customers flocked to experience the ‘experience. Customers appreciated Starbucks dedication to fine coffee and the attention paid to them from the moment they walked into the store. Starbucks discovered that â€Å"the connections we make in communities create[d] a loyal following. † (starbucks. com) Customers spent afternoons at Starbucks. They brought their work to Starbucks. They dated at Starbucks. And they came back! Sometimes daily. Schultz’s strategy was a success. Starbucks became the number 1 retailer of specialty coffees. When Schultz took a break from everyday operations as CEO in 2000, Starbucks had grown to 3,501 stores.What a growth from a start of 11 stores and 100 employees in 1987. Two CEOs followed Schultz’s tenure and Jim Donald, the second one, put increasing the number of stores and store efficiencies as his strategy above customer service driving the business. â€Å"C omplaints surfaced that Starbucks felt more like a fast-food restaurant than a coffeehouse. † (New York Times ~ Business Day, 2012) This pursuit, along with the Great Recession, created havoc in Starbucks finances, driving stock price â€Å"from a high of $40 (5/1/2006) to $8 (11/17/2008). † (Living Economics) At that point, the Board usted Jim Donald and asked Schultz to come back as CEO and â€Å"lead a major restructuring and revitalization initiative. † (Thompson & Shah, 2010) Just like the first time he walked into Starbucks in 1981, Schultz wanted to be transported by the aromas and the ambience. He found the corporation he came back to missing those points. Making of breakfast sandwiches, added to compete with encroaching competitors, diffused the rich smell of coffee and distracted from the core product. Growth and appeasing Wall Street appeared to have become the product.His dream to â€Å"inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cu p and one neighborhood at a time† (starbucks. com) would need a brutal review of what wasn’t working and what needed to change. â€Å"Mr. Schultz faced a difficult task: He had to slow down the company to make stores feel more like hip neighborhood coffeehouses while also delivering the steady growth that investors have come to expect from Starbucks. † (New York Times ~ Business Day, 2012) Schultz â€Å"concluded that growth had become a ‘carcinogen’ and that the company needed a transformation in its culture and operating approach. (McKinsey Quarterly, 2011) He halted the aggressive store openings and closed 900 underperforming stores. This in turn caused layoffs of 1,500 store employees nationally and 1,700 globally, and 700 corporate employees. He refocused the company back to its passion of obtaining the finest beans and creating the best brew. He recommitted to respect and pay to all – from the small coffee growers to the employees. And to devote Starbucks and their employees to the ‘human connection’ – from the customers seeking a good drink and a respite to meaningful contributions to the neighborhood where the store was located.Keeping coffee at the core, Schultz explored other revenue streams in order to grow the business. They could â€Å"seed and introduce new products and new brands inside [the] stores† (McKinsey Quarterly, 2011) and then license them for sale with diverse retailers. For example Starbucks developed VIA, an instant coffee that was superior to the basic fare that was available. They â€Å"integrate[ed] VIA into the emotional connection [they] had with [their] customers in [Starbucks] stores†¦[doing] that for six to eight months and succeeded well beyond expectations. (McKinsey Quarterly, 2011) With that track record, grocery and drug stores lined up to add this exciting product to their store lineup. Starbucks has added many similar products to distribution â⠂¬â€œ Frappuccino, a flavored iced coffee in glass bottles, now available just about everywhere. Starbucks has licensed Unilever Corporation to manufacture and distribute seven different flavors of super-premium coffee ice cream. Starbucks coffee beans are sold in various retail establishments, whether by the bag or in pods, for single cup dispensers like Keurig.All these items keep Starbucks in control of their brand and have significantly contributed to Starbucks’ financial good health. The stock has clearly responded to Schultz’s revamped strategy by rebounding from the $8. 26 (11/17/2008) to $51. 17 (9/7/12). Today, Starbucks has slowed down from Donald’s ambition of 40,000 stores with a controlled growth of 17,000 stores in 55 countries. As the market, competition and economies change and adjust throughout the coming years, Starbucks can be expected to refine their strategic vision.If they want to continue to grow, Schultz and his successor will need to kee p the same core vision that Schultz first had in 1987 and then again in 2008: passion for the best and commitment to customer service. Bibliography (n. d. ). Retrieved September 2012, from Living Economics: http://livingeconomics. org/article. asp? docId=182 McKinsey Quarterly. (2011, March). Retrieved from McKinsey & Company: http://www. mckinseyquarterly. com/Starbucks_quest_for_healthy_growth_An_interview_with_Howard_Schultz_2777 New York Times ~ Business Day. (2012, January 26).Retrieved from New York Times: http://topics. nytimes. com/top/news/business/companies/starbucks_corporation/index. html Brown, H. (2011, March). External Environmental Analysis of Starbucks and the Coffee Industry. Rumelt, R. (2011). Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business. starbucks. com. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 2012, from http://www. starbucks. com/about-us/company-information/mission-statement Thompson, A. A. , & Shah, A. J. (2010). Starbucks' Strategy and I nternal Initiatives to Return to Profitable Growth.

Product Review of Do 2 Learn

Product Review of Do 2 Learn Visit Their Website In search of emotions cards to use as part of my social skills programs and the article I wrote on Emotional Literacy, I found Do2Learn.com, a great resource for emotions, but with a range of other offerings. Not everything on offer is of equal quality or value, but the unique quality of the free games and social skill songs make the whole site worth adding it to your favorites. In an effort to make a full offering of activities as well as their super interactive games, the publisher put up some kind of lame art and writing activities. They are overly simple, lack much specificity and replicate things that are free on other sites. The interactive games, on the other hand, are super for children with disabilities, especially students with poor skills and an interest in computers. They are also great for classrooms with Smart Boards or Promethean Boards, as these boards act as giant touch screens, and students with poor motor skills get a bit of gross motor activity in as well. A Mix of Free and Inexpensive Games and Resources The free computer games and songs come with some companion activities, which are generally sold as inexpensive digital files delivered to your email. Resources for Emotions I stumbled on the site in search of emotions cards. I have a set that was already in my classroom, but I wanted to find other resources to recommend to my readers. I stumbled on the feelings cards that  you can print on your color printer. It uses the faces of real models, faces that reflect diverse ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. And when I found the ​Feelings Game, another free resource, I was delighted. I have been using it with my class on the Smart Board in my classroom. My students take turns tapping the sad or angry person on the nose. It also has three levels, from matching the face to the emotion, moving on level 2, where you read a scenario, and choose how a person would feel, and finally reading a scenario and naming the emotion you see on the persons face. There is a second free activity is the Facial Expressions game, which allows children to manipulate facial simulations to mirror human facial expressions. In some ways they seem kind of creepy, but students on the autism spectrum love the computer, and it does help them isolate specific aspects of facial expressions, from the direction of the eyes to the shape of the mouth. A Cursory Survey of Disabilities and Disabilities Terms It seems that the creators of Do2Learn are attempting to create a comprehensive special education website, but the informational pages are cursory at best. The disabilities sections offer both definitions of the disabilities and an adjoining page that lists strategies. And List is the right word: the strategies are dense and dont provide the logic behind choosing specific interventions. They are not written with enough specificity to inform the novice, nor enough structure to help professional plan interventions. Worksheets and Activities for Students with Disabilities The Do 2 Learn team also attempt to provide a broad range of activities, activities for students from a range of ages, disabilities and challenges. I work in the same field, and know the challenges of creating attractive worksheets and materials to support the range of needs for children. They include fine motor activities like cutting, letter recognition and Math activities. I find the activities they create worthwhile, but with poor production values. By all means, feel free to use them, but they are not the reason for a trip to Do 2 Learn. Picture Cards Do2Learn has created their own pictures cards to be used for Picture Exchange. They seem pretty comprehensive, and may work as a suitable substitute for PECS, Boardmaker symbols or Pogo Symbols. They claim to have over 2,000 symbols, but without access to their picture making system, its hard to gauge the range and readability of the pictures. Still, Id check them out before purchasing one of the other two systems. Do 2 Learn: The Destination for the Feelings and Emotions Resources Put Do 2 Learn in your favorites, if you are doing social skills and emotional literacy activities. These are outstanding. The color and math Mahjong games will be fun for your students, as well. Put shortcuts on the computers your students use, especially for young students or students with emerging skills. They will enjoy them. The other activities that make it worth the trip are the social skill songs for safety. Not songs you will want on your IPod; still, paired with short videos they are catchy and will help young students with disabilities remember important steps to guarantee personal safety. By all means, make the trip. Check out Do2Learn and see if they have resources you can use. Visit Their Website

15 Familial Terms and Their Other Meanings

15 Familial Terms and Their Other Meanings 15 Familial Terms and Their Other Meanings 15 Familial Terms and Their Other Meanings By Mark Nichol The meanings of many terms that originally referred to familial relationships have been extended to have greater resonance of connotation. Here are some words for members of families and their senses beyond the literal ones. 1. Brother: a kinsman, a countryman or member of same ethnic group or nationality, a comrade, a fellow member, or a lay member of a religious order 2. Cousin: a counterpart, or someone related culturally or ethnically; also, a term of address from a monarch to a member of the nobility 3. Daughter: something that derives from something else, or a product of radioactive decay 4. Father: an originator, a source or prototype, a leading figure in an organization (such as a church) or a political jurisdiction (â€Å"city fathers,† â€Å"founding fathers†), a priest, an early Christian writer, or God; also, fatherland denotes one’s homeland 5. Forefather: a person who is not an ancestor but with whom one shares one’s general heritage 6. Grandfather: an older man, or an ancestor; as a verb, to allow to continue under a previous law, policy, or agreement (â€Å"grandfather clause†); also, a grandfather clock is a tall, floor-mounted clock 7. Kindred: closely aligned (â€Å"kindred spirit†) 8. Mother: an older woman, or one who heads a religious community or a similar group; the origin or source; a shortening of a vulgar term of, depending on the context, abuse or affection; an impressive or ultimate exemplar (â€Å"the mother of all battles†); also, motherland denotes one’s homeland; as a verb, to nurture 9. Nephew: a clergyman’s illegitimate son; etymologically related to nepotism (â€Å"favoritism shown to a relative†), from the notion that high-ranking church officials would introduce illegitimate sons as nephews to obtain sinecures for them 10. Niece: a clergyman’s illegitimate daughter 11. Parent: the origin or source; also, an entity that produces a subsidiary (â€Å"parent company†) 12. Sister: a comrade or a fellow member of an ethnic group or nationality, a female member of a church or a religious order, a nurse who is a member of a religious order, a sorority member, or a closely associated or similar entity (â€Å"sister city†); also, slang for a girl or woman; also, as a verb, construction jargon for placing a structural element next to another one 13. Son: a closely associated person (â€Å"native son†); also, used as a form of address from an older person to a young man or a boy 14. Stepchild: a neglected person or entity 15. Uncle: an older helper or adviser (the adjective avuncular is etymologically related); also, an idiom referring to surrender (â€Å"cry uncle†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for MoneyPeople versus PersonsCaptain vs. Master

Environmental Analysis for a Daycare Facility Research Proposal

Environmental Analysis for a Daycare Facility - Research Proposal Example These too should be accurately defined in order to acknowledge the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as potentials. In analyzing the external environmental analysis the PESTEL method will be applied. This means that political, economic, social, technological, and legal factors will be pointed out. The internal environmental factors will be studied through SWOTT, a method in which the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends are identified. External Environmental Analysis With all levels of government facing the need to introduce cuts in the budget, allocations for welfare and other services are in the process of being reduced. It must be noted though that this also happens to be shaped by contending perspectives on government spending from opposing political blocs. One of those that are badly affected by the political squabbles is the reduced budget meant for daycare facilities. The impending cost reduction measure is expected to result in the cl osure of several publicly run daycare facilities. If not, this would prompt stricter regulations for admittance. New York City provides one clear example of the said effect. According to a news report, â€Å"Mayor Bloomberg plans to eliminate 5,000 spots for after-schools programs and move an additional 10,500 similar slots for low-income children from local community programs to the Department of Youth and Community Development’s cheaper Out-of-School Time program† (Katz 2011). This is scenario that is basically taking place in many other cities in the country. Apparently, more children will be displaced, a situation that can be promptly addressed by the establishment of daycare facilities that are privately run and therefore, free from the current underlying politics of government fiscal policies. The current economic conditions have made it even more difficult even for middle-class families to allocate a particular amount of their monthly budget for child care. With incomes shrinking due to inflation, a growing number of parents have seen the need to both have a job. This naturally results in the necessity for child daycare facilities. However, the cost for sending a child to daycare has also increased significantly through the years, taking a big chunk of a family’s monthly budget. Five years ago, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies reported that the average annual fee for one infant ranges from $3,803 to $13,480 (Armour 2006). With recession occurring in 2008 and with the effects still felt even today, it is clear that the said range has increased several times. This only gives the idea that for a daycare facility business to work, it should present itself as a cheaper alternative to other similar private enterprise. As pointed out above, the weakened economy has prompted both parents to seek stable employment. As a consequence, children are left without parental care throughout the day while parents are out working. There is always the option of hiring babysitters but then, in most cases, the children are never given the necessary basic education by such individuals. Babysitter’s primary function is just watching over the children and preventing them from getting into accidents.

Fashion interview Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion interview - Research Paper Example The essay "Fashion interview" provides the interview in fashion. Interviewer: Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? What is your educational background? What are your general professional and non-professional interests? Nayla: My name is Nayla. I am from Bahrain and I am studying graphic design. I enjoy all areas of design. I like to draw and listen to music in my spare time. Interviewer: How did you get into fashion design? Nayla: It has always been an interest while growing up. I just finally decided it was time to pursue it. Interviewer: Did you want to become a fashion designer when you were young? Nayla: As I said earlier, it has always been an interest growing up. While in high school, I kept going back and forth not being able to decide what to major in and one of the choices was fashion design. Although it is not my major, I do enjoy it very much. Interviewer: What inspired you to get into fashion design? Nayla: The joy of wearing good clothes. Interviewer: Wha t do you enjoy most about designing clothes? Nayla: Fashion really is about who you are and how you want to be perceived. So designing something that helps a person achieve that and feel confident makes me happy. Interviewer: What is the most challenging part? Nayla: People’s taste. You never know how the public will react to a piece you design until you test the market. That is what makes me nervous and challenges me to create something likeable by a bigger audience. Interviewer: What do you think are the latest fashion trends?