How Is Black Magic a Silent Killer

Abstract Introduction The word’ magic’ is very old, oldest of the oldest, it has been in existence from the time immemorial. WHAT IS MAGIC? Black Magic is an ancient science that uses the five elements or the visible/invisible chemistry, physics, biology, electronics & ether (universal spirit) to hurt or heal people. The core of all black magic lies within the spirit world or the world of the dead. Details Potency and Influence: The magic is based on natural and supernatural forces, which exist along with other four basic forces and these are numbered as fifth and sixth energy. The scientific basic forces are gravity, weak and strong, electromagnetism, the nuclear power, weak and strong. Fifth is natural command and sixth is supernatural force. Human being has a strong composition of both desires in him or her, good and bad, either to help or to harm others. This magic influence is in the genes of every person and this potency is called Positive Energy and Negative Energy. Some have more percentage of positive energy in them, which urges them not only to help self but also others in all spheres and in all possible ways as they can possibly exercise. The people with more positive energy even go out of the way to help others. There are other types of persons who gain pleasure in causing mental injury or otherwise to other persons, places or things due to jealousy or their basic nature. These are certain people who have high proportion of negative energy in their specific genes. They feel pleasure to harm others by using black magic either to gain something in exchange or to get enjoyment out of it. This practice has been common even long before Christianity. The people in ancient days used to blame devil for every offensive or annoying act, it was just because the genuine procedure had been a mystery during that period. *2. 2. Black Magic*: A mystic art: Black Magic is a mystic art of rituals or using one’s evil supernatural powers to influence or control events, sorcery or witchcraft. It is a sort of hypnotism, though its methods are different. It is exercised to affect malevolent powers deliberately to cause damage to other persons, places or things, directly or indirectly by its misuse. This term is also used with ‘K’ such as magick, and the people popularly use this term as ‘Black Magick’ or ‘Dark Magick’ and when it is used for giving benefit to a person it is called White Magic or White Magick. White Magic and Black Magic (or Dark Magic) are the requisites used in place of Positive Energy and Negative energy, which can both benefit a common man, place or thing temporarily or can cause damage to any of them. Stronger the will power of a man, lesser the effect of Black Magic, stronger the stars of a person astrologically, negligible force of black magic effect. Similarly if the place or thing is more pious or holy, little the evil effect of the black magic. Does the Black Magic really work? The magic or black magic does exist, no question of modern people rejecting it. It is the energy that exists in every person, depending on one’s thinking and nature of soul, pious or evil. This energy can be increased to a great extent either in giving benefits to a particular person or harming any other person, place or thing. A term taboo is also used for this. It was a custom among the Polynesians, who prohibited the use of certain persons, places or things. It normally forbids the use of physical connections with a particular person or woman. They generally accepted opposite term for the black magic or dark magic and that is white magic. Sorcery is a branch of basic magic that can influence certain desired events, objects, people and the places by its mystical supernatural powers to a great extent. Such Magical power affects have dual functions, they can heal as well as harm, and they can benefit as well as damage any person, place or thing. But more affectivity is related to negative power. How does this kill? Voodoo Witchcraft comes from the African continent & is extremely lethal. In the last few years it has spread into other parts of the world & is being mixed with other forms of Black magic to harm and kill people. The clothes, hair, nails and picture are used to make a doll that resembles the victim; the heart area of the doll is kept open for the final ritual. A ritual is performed and a heart is pulled out from a live animal’s body while it is vibrating and placed into the heart area of the doll, at this point the doll is infused with life connecting the doll with the victim with an invisible psychic chord. Once the doll and the victim are connected, 2-3 inch needles are pushed in the doll at specific acupuncture points to break the energy system of the victim. As the pins are pushed into the doll the victim feels as if a needle is being pierced into his body. The victim can be sitting thousands of miles away and will experience the attacks instantaneously. If the victim was made to eat or drink food and/or water that consists of â€Å"Masaan† (Ash of the Dead) infused with negatively charged energy by the black magician, the effects are life threatening and gives unlimited control over the victims Mind & Body. The prime focus of the black magician is to destroy the immune system of their victim. In case of a man: head & temple area, thumbs & big toes are targeted to break the immune system. In case of women, private parts are attacked to terrorize & harm the victim. The individual can be killed using this technique in as little as 28 days (one Moon cycle). If the individual is physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually strong it becomes very difficult for the attacker to kill the victim within a specific time period and the attacks can continue for years until the victim or the black magician dies. As the attacks continue the victim is torn down on multiple levels; gets bed ridden and eventually dies of no apparent medical reason. The doctor's cannot help him because the symptoms misguide the doctors into giving the individual stronger treatments with every passing day and one day the body gives-up. What kind of harm can be done to someone using black magic or what kind of harm is inflicted on innocent people using the services of these Black Magicians? Here are some of the basic harms that is inflicted upon people using black magic, Initial stages of possible Black Magic or Spirit Activity Your sleep is disturbed ? Fatigue and lack of energy to live day-to-day life ? You have Fear ? Disinterest in life ? Hopelessness ? You are irritated for no reason ? You get angry for no reason ? Severe Depression ? Dryness of mouth at night ? increased thirst ? Obesity in some cases ? Sudden Chills and Goose Bumps ? Tightness around body parts ? You start forgetting things in the spur of th e moment and experience memory loss ? Your access to the dream world is blocked: No remembrance of dreams when you wake up ? Your professional career suffers ? Irrational behaviour of people towards you. ? Blockages in the inflow of money There is a whole lot that can be inflicted upon people using black magic and the spirit world and it all depends upon the power of the black magicians. ? You dream of dead bodies and horrible looking people who want to kill you in your dream ? You dream of snakes & dirty places ? Waking up suddenly in fear with shortness of breath ? Dreaming of falling from Heights ? Dreaming of Snakes, Scorpions & Spiders You see black dots or smoke flying all over ? The stomach bloats like a pregnant women's belly and the area right above the navel tightens up & when touched feels like a golf ball is in there ? Tightness and heaviness specially in shoulders and chest ? Extreme hunger in case entities have taken charge of your body ? Constant headache ? Your complexion darkens ? A Dark or Grey smoke is seen in front of the eyes when awake. ? Itching, burning and stinging pains in differe nt parts of the body ? In case serious black magic is being done to kill you, You will notice that Crows will cross your path from left to right while travelling or they would crossover from left to right, flying right above you, at times they would have a piece of flesh or some other solid matter in their beaks. ? Cancer of blood or other body parts ? Shrinking and malfunctioning of kidneys ? Excessive alcohol consumption resulting in liver damage ? Substance Abuse ? Heart Attacks resulting in sudden death ? Medicines do not work baffling the medical practioner: resulting in doctors using stronger treatments ? Suicidal attempts or thoughts of self destruction If someone has initiated black magic against you, you will feel the effects of it and in case â€Å"ash of the dead† has been fed to you, you will become a helpless puppet at the hands of the black magician. A Voodoo doll under your bed is for you death! If you find a camel bone hidden in your court yard—this is for the downfall of your whole family. *2. 3. *Precautions: Here are some precautions that you can take from becoming a victim: Do not eat or drink any item from anyone unless the person shares that food item with you. Sweets/Desserts that are filled with â€Å"Ash of the Dead† and charged with negative mantra are used to create an opening in your auric shield and that opening is used as a channel to control your body & mind. Black Magic is done using your picture, clothes, hair, nails, blood, saliva, & skin tissue. Women get affected with black magic more easily than men, in women the effects can be observed on the surface while in men it works as an undercurrent and is not visible. Black magic can also be done by touching your body or looking straight into your eyes. Anything that carries an aura can be charged with negative energies to create an opening in the auric field of the victim. Examples: Clothing, jewelry, piece of paper, stuffed animals or stuffed dolls etc. Black magic can also be done using your name and your mother's names hence do not give sensitive information to everyone. At present many forms of black magic are being used all over the world, the problem is rising at a horrifying rate and the governments are not interested in looking into the problem and making laws to punish the Black Magicians. In the past few years hushed up research has been done at the Stony Brook Medical College, New York. USA and they have concluded that Voodoo witchcraft can kill people. According to a news report in †THE TIMES† 90% of Vietnam is dominated by the practice of black magic; Parts of Asia including India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are the areas where the science of black magic is spreading like wild fire. In the west: America, Mexico & parts of South America, England, Eastern Europe & Africa are some of the areas where Black Magic & Voodoo witchcraft is on the rise. Conclusion: References:

What is digital television?

Digital television offers a superior format by broadcasting sharper pictures and clearer sound. Also, digital television is versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes. Furthermore, with digital television, there is an efficient use of the spectrum for a variety of essential services such as police departments, emergency services, delivery companies, etc. This is because digital signals free up bandwidth and provide space. Jerome Adda and Marco Ottaviani write that, â€Å"Digital compression technology allows roughly six times as many channels to be broadcast with the same amount of spectrum used by one analogue channel.† (169)Digital television is a new advanced technology which is used to send and receive broadcast signals (both picture and sound). Digital television supports the following services: subscription TV programming, computer software distribution, data transmissions, teletext, interactive services and audio signals. Digital television is superior to analo g television because it is more accurate, versatile and compatible with other electronic media such as computers, satellites, mobile phones, etc. Digital television has certain technical specifications which set it apart.Joel Brinkley writes that these qualities of digital television have made it very popular and attractive. These are as follows: progressive scanning, square pixels, enhanced frame rates, added lines per frame, different aspect ratios, different aspect ratios, and clearer sound. Progressive scanning is a better technical format than interlaced scanning. The former allows for smooth sequence of video frames. With this, progressive scanning which is used in digital television allows for compatibility between digital television and computers.With square pixels, digital television has 1920 pixels per line and a total of 1080 lines per frame. This gives pictures on digital television a sharper resolution. With the enhanced frame rates digital television allows more frames per second. As a result motion portrayed on digital television is more realistic- the more frames per second, the more realistic motion will be. The aspect ratio for digital television is 16:9. This aspect ratio of digital television gives larger pictures and makes viewing more natural. Digital television produces clear sound because it uses five channels of discrete compact disc quality audio.Apart from the aforementioned, digital television presents a number of advantages which hitherto were unavailable with analog television. With digital television there is a wider choice of programs available for the audience to choose from. Digital television presents a large number of channels and this does not affect the quality of any the programs on the channels. Furthermore, on digital television, the audience is able to engage in other activities such as electronic shopping, betting, etc. Digital television is also a channel for reaching the audience with information services because th e medium is not restrictive.With digital television, the audience is able to browse the Internet. Also, digital television also provides telephone services and is compatible with computers and mobile phones. The technology of digital television is very compatible with many other digital devices. This ability makes it possible to achieve a high level of interactivity on digital television. Viewers are able to vote on digital television using remote controls, as well as achieve two way communication with the mother station for various purposes.In terms of income generation, digital television offers an efficient way of monitoring subscriptions and ensures that only people who pay receive the service. In this way digital television is very useful to manager so broadcast stations. From this time on, there has been steady growth in digital television. Toward this end, there has been a deadline set to ensure a transition from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting in the United State s. Other developed countries of the world have also set dates for this transition. Origin of digital television.Although digital television is often perceived as a recent phenomenon, the journey to where it is now began a long time ago. According to Alexander B. Magoun the first digital television system originated between 1956 and1961. It was started by Richard Webb, an ex RCA engineer, who was working on contracts for encrypted video communication contracts required by the military and National Security Agency in the United States of America. Magoun writes that Richard Webb was able to obtain digital signals when he â€Å"converted the analog brightness data from a monochrome video signal into a binary bitstream.†This binary bitstream was encrypted by the digital computers used by the US Military at the time. Webb based his work on the knowledge and experience of other engineers from other companies. Webb found the modulation technique of Frank DeJager (an engineer from Phi llips) very useful. Originally this modulation technique was used in sound recordings. Using the modulation technique, Webb and his team in Colorado encoded the relative brightness of each pixel (they did not encode the absolute brightness). In doing this, they saved significant bandwidth and created a single channel for data transmission.Thus digital television came into being. The first digital television station was established in the White house when President Dwight Eisenhower was in office. This system remained in place in the white house till 1979. What is Analog Television? Analog television encodes pictures using varying single voltage and radio frequencies. Analog television receives and displays broadcast signals that are transmitted using the radio waves. Alexander B. Magoun notes that in analog television, the video component is transmitted using amplitude modulation (AM) while the audio component is transmitted using frequency modulation (FM).Analog television is ineff icient because it is subject to interference. When this interference happens, the pictures become grainy and picture quality is greatly diminished. The quality of analog signals is dependent on the distance between the receiver and the transmitting station. On analog television, the broadcast signal continues to weaken as distance increase from the broadcast station to the receiver. When this happens, the pictures which appear on the analog television become ghosty with grains (it appears to be snowy). This is often referred to as a snowy, fuzzy or ghosted picture.However, digital television is able to overcome this shortcoming which plagues analog television. With digital television, distance does not matter. No matter how far the broadcast station is from the receiver, the picture quality does not diminish. As long as the digital signal is still being received, the picture quality remains the same. Digital television does not suffer from ghosting or noise that arises from weak sig nals. The converter boxes which are used by digital tuners receive numeric information from the antenna. This eliminates the possibility of interference in digital signals.Analog television signals are transmitted using and interlaced format. In this interlaced format, the odd number lines are transmitted first before the even number lines. Each of these sets of lines are referred to as fields. These two fields make up one picture frame, i. e. the video image. In a sense, analog television is restrictive. On the other hand digital television provides an opportunity for datacasting which enhances interactivity. In this modern age there is need to establish a two way relationship with the audience and this is what digital television ensures.The era of delayed feedback is no longer the case. Audience reaction can be measured with ease. However, it is important to state that analog television has been used before the advent of digital television. Although the former has its shortcomings it has served many uses in society to date. In the early days, according to American television standards, there the analog television was operated at 30Hz frames per second. This was in contrast to the 24 frames per second in the early days of motion pictures. However, with the introduction of color television there was a slight adjustment to 29. 97Hz frames per second.

Nursing Home Carez Advocacy, Inc Marketing Plan

MM522 Marketing Plan Of Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc. Sherry Y Montique December 11, 2011 Marketing Management 1. 0 Executive Summary Where would you want to live if you needed daily assistance? In your home, of course. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy aims to be a guiding factor in transitioning you or your loved one into that new home. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have become an indelible part of our health care landscape. These facilities provide 24 hour inpatient nursing and supportive care to residents whose disability or condition necessitate the availability of nursing care on an extended basis. It is estimated that over 40% of Americans will use one of these entities at some point in their lives. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc is committed to helping people live better. Simply put our goal is getting the community the help it needs to care for the people they love. The nucleus is to educate the elderly population who are in transition from one phase of their lives to another. Through specialized training and experience, of the two personnel the operation of NHCA is to assist the unwilling aging and disable population with the unwanted transition of being admitted into a nursing home or assisted living community. Because this of life altering process can be deemed traumatic because of the unfamiliarity, many of the residents are confused and unhappy with the impending experience that lies ahead. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy will be there to walk the resident and families through this process with as less stress as possible as they adjust to their new home with as much pride and knowledge possible. As the services of NHCA are uncharted there will be critical issues to overcome however; to ensure that the business is successful Nursing Home CareZ will create an aggressive market strategy to include direct marketing, networking, and creating community relationships to continually garner referral sources. Staying on top of the ever changing needs of the aging population and following the Medicare and Medicaid regulations will keep Nursing Home CareZ aligned with the target market. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy’s marketing mix will comprise the approaches of pricing, product, promotion and distribution. The 1st years start up cost to include the integrated marketing communication budget is $13,320. 00. Market research showed the need for this service because of the continual growth of the aging population and the inability of family members being able to take care of their loved ones at home. With this reality, long term care facilities will continue to be the place required to provide the care to our seniors and persons with disabilities or short term medical care. The marketing plan will assist NHCA in the following areas to gauge performance: * Revenue and Expenses monthly * Customer satisfaction * Success of community involvement and relationship building Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc. will position itself as the premier first line of contact to long term care transition. The positioning will ensure leveraging to gain a competitive edge in the industry with knowledge, integrity and a passion to help others. NHCA, expects to become profitable by the end of the 1st year, and has projection of $240. 000 in gross revenue for year two. 2. 0 Situation Analysis: Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Inc. time line for inception is immediate, with a targeted goal of 6 months to 1 year. Issues facing the successful creation of this company would be the lack of education and knowledge of long term care and regulations, laws, rights and processes of Medicare and Medicaid. The community partners could contribute to the critical issues if social worker and community case managers and such failed to refer potential consumers to the company for services. However, the management skills, experience and vast knowledge base of NHCA, Inc. will provide a solid base for the target market to have a successful transaction into any long term care facility. 2. 1 Market Summary In this century, the rate of growth of the elderly population (persons 65 years old and over has greatly exceeded the growth rate of the population of the century as a whole (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). The elderly increased by a factor of 11, from 3 million in 1900 to 33 million in 1994 (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). In the comparison, the total population, as well as the population less than 65 years old, tripled (U. S. Census Bureau,). Under the Census Bureau’s middle series projections, the number of persons 65 years old and over would more than double by the middle of the next century to 80 million (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). According to the U. S. Census Bureau, it reported the aging population of persons 65 years and older, numbered 39. 6 million in 2009. They represented 12. 9% of the U. S. population, about one in every eight Americans. By 2030, there will be about 72. 1 million older persons, more than twice their number in 2000. People 65+ growth will report as 19% of the population by 2030. (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011 and Administration on Aging, 2011) Today’s census reports that the total US population in 2010 was 308, 745,538 up 9. 7% from 2000. Of that number 13. % are persons 65 years and older. This is makes up for more than 50% of the adult population. The Census Bureau projections seem to be heading in the right direction. (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011) Shirley Chisholm once said, â€Å"Service is the rent we pay for the time we live on this earthâ€Å". (Women’s History, 2011) Changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid may force older adults to ma ke unforeseen changes in their lifestyle in order to remain independent. Long term care is an option that most dread due to the lack of affordable and accessible placement options available to them. Today, almost 80% of Americans are living beyond the age 65. Forty percent of Americans age 65 or older will require Long Term Care before death (McMahon, 2009). With this impending implosion in growth of baby boomers, nursing homes and assisted living will continue to be the option for ongoing care of our elderly. As families are forced to place their loved ones into nursing homes and assistant living facilities, there is so much to take in and they will need to have a full understanding of their options in this transition. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc. ill be there to assist those residents and family members with understanding the woes of the transition into their new life and hold their hand through the process. 2. 2 SWOT Analysis Strengths: * 20 years in the health care industry with 10 years of strong middle management experience * 5 years in the long term care industry as a Business Office Manager * Vast knowledge of what is needed for successful transition/admission and s tay at nursing homes * Strategic alliance with hospital case managers, social workers and community agencies and lawyers * In house Notary Public Strong knowledge base of existing governmental regulations as they relate to long term care Weaknesses: * Company has no brand recognition * Owner has very limited experience as a full time advocate in this field * Low to no financial capital; limited startup funds * Owner is not a licensed social or case worker * In home startup business * No establish network connections for community resources Opportunities: * Expand business to cover larger geographical area * Possible growth potential to bring on employees based on need and experience * Find location and create building space to accommodate larger client base * Potential growth through use of social media and client referrals * Potential contract/ referral source with existing long term care facilities to act on their behalf Threats: Recessionary economy means the potential clients may not be willing to spend * Target market financial resources may hinder their ability to seek the services of the company * Competitive market of existing adult and aging services may prevail because of brand name * Governmental rules and regulations may change and the need for advocacy may diminish * Nursing homes and assisted living organizations may employ staff to provide the same services 2. 3 Competition The Department of Health and Human Services under the guidance of the Security of Health and Human Services, created Medicare and Medicaid programs with grant funding to assist families of all ages to live and survive on a dignified level. With our aging population, the need to focus on their care came to the forefront, so Medicaid State programs were created to pay for home health services including skilled nursing care, home health care, personal care, chore services, and durable medical equipment. (Center for Medicare & Medicaid 2011) The target market can qualify for Medicaid in order to receive the following services through the referral source of Aging and Adult agencies. Depending on the needs of an individual, the target market may receive help with personal needs such as bathing, dressing, cooking, and cleaning from a home health agency while at home with family members. Because of certain insurance guidelines, licensed healthcare workers can only give these skilled nursing services and other medical services. Skilled nursing care ncludes services and care that can only be performed safely and correctly by a licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), or physical therapist. Most seniors and families are unfamiliar with these types of services and do not have a clue how to obtain them. That is where organizations such as those listed below come into play. Aging and Adult Services, located in Norristown, Pa offers their services to the residents of Montgomery County Pennsylvania, is one of the compe ting agencies that Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc. (NHCA) has to contend with. AAS offers many different services to the senior market such as care management, family caregiver support program, domiciliary care, nursing home transition, and protective services to their clients. 2 services that AAS provide which are direct threats or competitive to the existence of NHCA are the Information and Referral (I&R), and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, and Pre-Admission Assessment services collectively. These services assist the community with the pre-knowledge base of the potential admission into nursing homes or assisted living facilities. The Information and Referral service attempts to link consumers with appropriate resources. I & R are available to the consumer by calling or visiting any of their agency’s five offices. (MCAAS. montcopa. org 2011). The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and the Pre-Admission Assessment services offer the consumer assessments to determine whether they are appropriate for placement into long-term care facilities and at what level. With these services Aging and Adult can then refer the consumer or their loved ones or families to nursing facilities in their geographical areas. They then can provide them with a list of items that will assist them with this new change in their life style or transition. (mcaas 2011) COSA is the other agency that will be a threat to NHCA as it provides very similar services of Aging and Adult but, to the consumer or residents of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Their mission/goal is to provide or enable senior citizens to maintain their independence and dignity, while living on their own with community resources available to them. (COSA 2011) COSA receives federal and state funding because they serve as Area Agency on Aging. COSA is slight different from Aging and Adult services because their main goal is helping the senior population to remain in their home as long as possible, even when they are eligible for nursing home care. They are encouraging the families of the senior to help provide the care that is needed in a home based as opposed to in a long-term care facility. COSA is an informational resource service for person of any age needing assistance on benefits and services available to the older person. COSA 2011) With each of these two organizations services they offer many community based services for seniors and their families, but with Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Inc. , it will provide the personal one on one care that the resident and family need to make the transition into the nursing home or assist living. Nowhere in the market research was it uncovered that this type of service is offered or provided with Aging and Adult or COSA. Now, is there a possibility that there is a potential for th is service to one day be added, yes. However, the target market is plentiful enough to allow for this. The population of the aging adults continues to grow which will allow for the need of referral resources, which the aging and adult program will continue, just as NHCA can expand and grow with the population. With researching potential competition to this new company, it was found that The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in association with Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) sponsored the Nursing Home Transition Demonstration Program which is designed to provide transition options to nursing home residents who wish to move back into the community. The grant funded service was given to 12 states in 1998 with Pennsylvania being one of the state’s fortunate to participate. (ASPE. HHS. gov 2011) This type of service is not considered a threat to the organization however, it is very similar but works on the back end of residents that are living in nursing homes or assist living. These are great resources to return into the community to continue to live happy and productive lives. 2. 4 Product (Service) Offering Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc. s an independent company that will be there to assist those in need of understanding the process of being admitted into a long-term care facility. This process is considered life altering and many people are confused and unhappy about what is about to happen to themselves or their loved one. Services being offered are designed to help alleviate the stress of dealing with the pressures of this change. The service will assist families and the target market while transitioning and adjust ing into a new phase of life. There are many questions and situations that come with moving into long term care nursing and often the families and residents are not prepared and need someone to hold their hands during this process. Families of newly admitted residents into nursing homes, find themselves unknowledgeable of what to expect and thus unprepared to place their loved one in the home. Because of this they make decisions that could backfire and cause damages or add additional stress of the move. Some families have a power of attorney, some are guardians and some are just the family and they are not sure what they can and cannot do for their loved one. Through extensive research it was determined; there is a need for this service. Experience and working practice of the potential owner of NHCA revealed the need was great and something was missing from the target markets’ transition process into the long term care facility. Intervention was required to assist the consumer so the business solution was created. As the Business Office Manager of a nursing home, the target market and families come into the facility with questions as to the appropriate way of handling the admission process according to the guidelines and rights set by Medicare and Medicaid. The major concern often that residents and families have is related to the financial aspect of being admitted into the long-term care facility and how to handle the legal process. Nursing home admission personnel and the social workers of the hospital are often unknowledgeable of this aspect and cannot provide the correct answers. When the medical need for a person to transition into a nursing home or assisted living has been determined, the referral process beings by searching for an appropriate facility based on the need of the resident. One factor that comes up in the search is the cost of the facility and most importantly, who will pay for this stay? This question can easily be answered with throwing out numbers or by saying; â€Å"you will not have to pay for a thing, your health insurance will cover it†. Well, the truth is, that is not totally correct. This is where the expertise of Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc. ill come into play. Explaining this process in detail and walking the client through the steps is a part of the benefits of the company. There is more to transitioning into a long-term care facility, then health insurance. The consumer has to have an assessment done to determine if the resident was appropriately placed and for how long. Once this happens then the resident can be made a ware of the financial responsibility. There may be internal personnel that can assist residents and families with this information, but they can only intercede to such level, because it becomes a conflict of interest. Nursing homes can only assist to a point without affecting the rights of the resident. With NHCA, the resident will have the personal care of someone being there to help gather all of the necessary items, to make the stay at home successful. This would not be limited to, use of a notary public a minimal or no cost. Direction and assistance on completing Power of Attorney request. Help with completing the Medical Assistance Long Term Care grants and gathering of the documents needed to ensure eligibility of the grant. Residents often require a guardian over their person and medical needs and NHCA can assist with locating attorneys to assist with this process. Some of the target market have homes or apartments in the community and they are assessed as appropriate to return to the community after a short stay in the home and they are unsure of how to handle the payment of household bills while in the nursing facility, NHCA services can explain the most helpful way of approaching this obstacle by contacting those vendors and arranging the most appropriate solutions. Listed below are some examples of the services Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Inc. will provide, to the target market: * Medicaid long term care grant application completion assistance * Notary public * Financial Management assistance * Power Attorney guidance * Guardianship Process assistance * Hands on assistance with documentation gathering * Notification to community vendors of residents’ inability to pay * Assistance with selling of home in the community and placement of personal possessions * Personal banking assistance Assistance with setting up transportation for personal needs outside of nursing facility * Referral source for family services to cope with the stress of loved ones being in the home * Attend resident medical care conferences with the family to provide additional support * Referral source to personal care aides while in nursing facility * Home Modification assistance (designed for return back home to community) * Question filtering (provide answers to all qu estions or direct to local answers) When doing the market search development, it was discovered that this need was not totally being met. Two examples were: Rosemarie has a sister who recently entered into a nursing facility and the sister has a trust fund that determines her to be a private pay resident for about one year. Towards the end of the year, Rosemarie will need to complete a Medicaid application for her sister and she truly was confused as to what was needed and the steps to follow in completing the application. She requires assistance to complete the application and she had many questions. The nursing facility was only able to assist to a certain degree, but Rosemarie still needs help. This is where Nursing Home CareZ Advocate Inc. could assist Rosemarie to help her sister to continue to receive the care she receives and deserves while in her nursing home. Another, example is Virginia. Virginia has been admitted into a nursing home with her medical insurance as her primary payer source. The consumer was given the information that her insurance will cover the stay in the nursing home for the entire time. The resident found out that the information was false. The health insurance decided to stop paying in the middle of the stay. The consumers’ personal finance was not as those of Rosemarie’s sister. Virginia did not have the money and thus she needed to apply for a Medical Assistance grant for the nursing home. She also did not understand her responsibility and was not comfortable with the staff of the nursing home to provide her with the correct information for her benefit. Again, this would be a great opportunity for her to utilize NHCA, an outside neural party, to walk her through this process while providing her comfort in knowing she is secure in making her decisions. 2. 5 Keys to Success For Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Inc. to be successful, the company must continue to stay on top of the ever changing needs of the aging population. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid regulations are very important to the viability of long-term care services and NHCA must be able to provide services that align with the rights of said target market. This being said means, having a vast knowledge of the regulations and the rights of the consumer once in the nursing facility. The main selling point is being available to answer any and all road blocks that the target market may encounter. Having the resources and referral knowledge is a critical piece to the success of the business. The competition provides a huge referral base to the target market, so NHCA will need to keep the networking window open to expand the knowledge offering. Another factor NHCA will need to be success is to maintain a high level of ethics, trust and moral character while working for and with the target market. The aging population came from a time when your work ethics and your loyalty meant something. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Inc. ill be based with the desire to help the target market of the aging population and make the transition and stay in the long term care facility as comfortable as possible and stress free as possible. Communication will be another key factor to success. 2. 6 Critical Issues Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Inc. as a service based company will need to do the following items to get the word out and advertise its’ benefit to the potential target market, the aging population. The marketing strategy will begin by utilizing the internet by creating a web page describing the company’s service ability. It will also utilize networking with nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and continuum care facilities, local hospital social workers and community case workers, community event planning, in-services’, visits to senior centers and adult day centers, and by creating relationships with the community areas on aging referral agencies. 3. 0 Marketing Strategy The key to the marketing strategy is to focus on meeting the needs of the elderly persons, persons requiring inpatient long term care needs and the families who love them. The children would like what is best for their parents and loved ones along with peace of mind, and relief from guilt while assisting them with the transition into long term care nursing. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc can provide this service to them and more while ensuring their loved one maintains their existing quality of life, dignity, respect and pride. NHCA is able to address the questions and concerns of the market segments because, of the compassion it possesses and the vast knowledge foundation of long term care services. . 1 Mission Statement Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc is committed to helping people live better. Simply put our goal is getting the community the help it needs to care for the people they love. The nucleus is to educate the elderly population who are in transition from one phase of their lives to another. Founded in 2011, NHCA’s vision is to provide assistance, guidance and knowledge to the desires of long term care bound individuals. Nursing Ho me CareZ strives to challenge the perceptions of long term care. The NHCA team passionately pursues excellence, and accountability in providing future residents and families the tools necessary for a happy, healthy and productive life in the nursing facility. With the goal of arming the clients with the knowledge required to promote independence and self-esteem, the Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy team will help people live better lives, one life at a time. Values are fundamental to every organization’s success. It is with this in mind that Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc will effectively demonstrate the core values of respect, integrity, pride, compassion, responsiveness and dignity. These principles will guide the actions and foundation of its existence. We strive for a nurturing atmosphere that encourages this organization as it ensures these values are touched by all in the community it serves. 3. 2 Marketing Objectives * Build Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc Name Recognition in the community and among referral sources. * Become #1 choice among referral source with assisting families in transitioning into assisted living or skilled nursing services * Focus on relationship marketing techniques Develop/implement marketing ideas to increase professional referrals * Inform target audience (those needing immediate in-patient nursing care) about features and benefits of our product and its competitive advantage, leading to a 10 percent increase in sales in one year. * Develop campaign/program to build the Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy brand consisting of (but not limited to) special events and relationship-building tactics. * Increase a steady stream in marketing pre sence * Maintain positive and strong growth each quarter (based on hospital and assisted living census) 3. 3 Financial Objectives * Raise adequate funding for start-up Begin development implementation for the on-going funding needs of years two and three * To acquire 60 to 70 clients/potential residents within the first six months of start-up * Increase the profit margin by 1% per quarter (based on hospital census) through effective marketing relationship with community based organizations To fund the start up cost Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy has secured a low interest loan for $20,000 and pulled personal finances of $10,000. One of the largest items that NHCA will acquire in the start of the start-up budget is a computerized medical records system to track the client base. The other start-up needs are minimal in cost and can be managed. The cost for each client to receive services from NHCA will range $250. 00 for minimal services to $1000. 00 for full service. A successful first year would bring in $120. 000in revenue. In order for NHCA to meet the goal of the first six months target of $60,000, the client base will need to be at least 60 residents at $1,000. 00 per case. However, the business would be on track for its goals if the six month mark would come in at $45,000. That would allow for 10 clients at $750. 00 per case. If the business begins on this track, the target goal of 1% in the 3rd and 4th quarter will be met. 3. 3 Target Markets The overall populations we wish to serve are older people (65 and older), in need of daily assistance, who value community and the contributions of their peers. According to the US Census Bureau the 2010 census poll reported persons 65 years and older to be 1,959,307. (US Census 2011) â€Å"The percentage of the population over 75 is growing rapidly, thanks to better nutrition, preventative health care, and living conditions in our country over the course of the last century, not to mention the Baby Boomers. At the same time, the increasing kinds of career opportunities for women, and the growing cost of health care, have contributed to a nursing shortage which threatens the quality of professionally-provided elder care. † (Bplans – 2011) â€Å"Almost half the workforce today is female, meaning that most workers male and female have no one at home to provide care to older ailing or infirm relatives. † (Bplans 2011 – â€Å"Moen and Yu 2000†) As families are forced to place their loved ones into nursing homes and assistant living facilities, they will need to have a full understanding of their options in this transition. The Census analysis of the 20 mile-radius of the business base area indicates a large concentration of individuals over 65 years of age (38. 5%). This target area will include a cross over into two adjoining counties; Montgomery County and Delaware County. This is a combine population of the 1,388,853 county residents in Pennsylvania. Total population in Montgomery County in 2010 was 799,874. Demographics include 79. 0% Caucasian; 8. 7% African American, 6. 4% Asian, 4. 3% Hispanic or Latino and 2. 0 % of persons reported as other race or two or more races. 51. 5% of the population was female. 8. 5 were male. 26. 1% of the target market lives alone and 9. 95 living with others (family members). The age breakdown of seniors is 60-64(4. 0%), 65-74 (7. 4%), 75-84 (5. 5%), and 85 years and older (2. 0%) totaling 165,924 persons. (US Census 2011) Total population in Delaware County was 588,979 in 2010. The demographics include 14. 3% persons were 65 years and older. The age breakdown for seniors is 60-64 (5. 3%), 65-74 (6. 7%), 75-84 (5. 1%), and 85 years and older (2. 5%) totaling 109,394 persons. 52. 1% was female and 47. 9 were male. 72. 5% of the population was white; 19. % was African American; 4. 7% was Asian; 3. 0% was Hispanic or Latino and 2. 2% was persons of other races. Median household income in 2009 was $61,848 and home ownership was 72. 2%. Persons below poverty level reported at 9. 3%. Persons aged 25 years and older with graduate degrees reported 34. 4%. 27. 4% of the target market in Delaware County lives alone. (US Census 2011) Of the 275,318 potential target market needing the services of Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, has been reduced by 60% given the factors of persons healthy enough to care for themselves and having family member to care for them. The number becomes 96,361 persons 65 and older in both counties. This number may appear low but in actuality it is significantly high. These people will need nursing home care or already receive care base on their medical needs. The target market of 96,361 can become potential clients/customers in need of answers and solutions to the process of admittance into a long term facility. Of these potential clients who live in sub-counties which are within 12-16 miles of the home office, it is estimated about 35 %( 26,499. 28) will have the means $250 to $1000 ($68,333. 50 average Median income) to pay for the services. Based on the 2010 census data from US Census. com) The target market also refers to the influencer, the family member of the persons needing long term care services. An Adult child of the prospective resident, 35– 70 years of age, married with children, and lives nearby or in another city or state. He or she currently provides some assistance to the parent and their s earch for a long term care facility is prompted by an incident or recommended by healthcare professional. Their need is quick and they are usually on a schedule – most often come to us in a crisis mode. (phdmkt. om 2011) During the research process to zero in on the target market, it was discovered the market could be expanded to cover persons aged less than 65 years of age, because of the mounting need for nursing home services based on medical needs. Based on marketing conversations there are persons who live alone and are unable to care for themselves or require more than a home aid every so often to care for them. NHCA has the potential to expand the market base to include those persons. This market group could produce a quick turnaround by getting well faster and discharging home, thus allowing for new clients. Medical care needs will never cease and long term care needs will always be at a forefront therefore, Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy can easily develop a large client base and expand to more counties inside Pennsylvania within the next three to five years. 3. 5 Positioning Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc will position itself as the premier first line contact of long term care transition. This positioning will be achieved by leveraging NHCA’s competitive edge: existing industry experience and knowledge, integrity, community relationships, and a passion to help others. NHCA is a hands-on resource service that aims to assist the elderly population with transitioning into the long term care phase of their lives with ease and self respect. Dealing with health issues is worrisome as it is without having to enter into a nursing home or such, and not understanding all that is involved in the process. With the impending implosion in the growth of baby boomers, and unexpected medical needs, nursing homes and assisted living communities will continue to become an option of the future. With this being the case, the management team of NHCA will be able to use its vast industry knowledge, practice skills and personal passion for helping others to assist the clients gain the understanding required to help the transition into long term care become a difficult free and dignified occurrence. 3. 6Strategies The single most important objective of Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc is to position itself as the premier long care term advocacy informational provider, serving the elderly and medical needs targeted market even if they are not in the age bracket of the senior population. The marketing strategy of NHCA will focus on meeting the needs of the elderly persons, persons requiring inpatient long term care needs and the families who love them. The company will focus on creating customer awareness concerning what services are being offered, which will support in developing the customer base. The point that NHCA will seek to communicate to its target market is that it offers the best education and personal service to the elderly population who are in transition from one phase of their lives to another. Providing future residents and families of long term care the tools essential for a happy, healthy and productive life in the nursing facility is the primary goal. This message will be transpire through a variety of methods. The first will be the Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy Web site, which will provide a source of service information and offer the consumer the opportunity a free consultation to discuss their concerns. Time will be devoted into ensuring the site will provide as much information about the company, the owners, and its professionalism so the customer will come away with a since of comfort n knowing that they will be taken care of during this unexpected time in their lives. Other avenues of marketing methods will be local advertising. The target areas will be local nursing homes, community resource services, hospitals, senior center, and day programs and doctors offices. The goal is to leave brochures, business cards and leaflets with the social workers, office managers o r care workers of each entity. Information will also be sent out at the request of those who viewed the web site. The cost to produce the printed literature will be minimal as it will be on the need bases and much will be found on the web site. Another method will be the use of the social media. This is where the cost of advertising will be the least to non-existent. Social media sites of today have thousands of people on them and it will be a brilliant way of promoting the service and the company. Word of mouth will also be an excellent communicator. 3. 7 Marketing Mix Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc’s marketing mix is comprised of the following approaches to pricing, product, promotion, and place/distribution. Pricing – The pricing strategy used by NHCA is a mix between penetration and psychological pricing to capture a gain in the market share and once this is achieve the price will increase slightly. This will also be based on a sliding scale of financial qualification and the service needs of each client. When the idea was created it was determined that the focus was not on high profits, rather on serving the greater good and those who require assistance at living a more. It was mentioned that the cost for each client to receive services from NHCA will range $250. 0 for minimal services to $1000. 00 for full service. A successful first year will bring in $120,000. 00 in revenue. In order for NHCA to meet this target goal at the end of the first fiscal year, the client base will need to be at least 120 potential residents at $1,000. 00 per case. However, business would be on track to cover its expenses and still maintain a place in the market if at the end of the six month the rev enue is at $45,000. That would allow for 10 clients at $750. 00 per case per month. As the business grows, the revenue budget can increase to double in year two to $240,000. 0 which constitute additional 120 clients or more based on the service needs required. Place/Product – Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy, Inc will be a direct channel service provider. With the sensitivity of medical care and needs, which are private and personal in nature the market segment for NHCA, as consultant of services will be best suited at handling the distribution of service. Many of the clients will come through referral sources. The location of the company is a home office, set up to accommodate 2 desks, a conference table for 4 and seating for 3. The approach to potential clients will be hands on. After receiving the referral of a person requesting help or has concerns with transitioning into a long term care facility, they will be contacted via telephone to introduce the company, determine the need and set up a meeting. For those families that are unable to come to the office for a meeting, NHCA will go to them. Meeting the resident at the hospital or nursing home will never be an issue. Assuring the resident or family is extremely comfortable with the process is important. The outcome of success knows, the client has a full understanding of what happened to them or their loved one and the transition was smooth and done with dignity. Educating and empowering the client is a number one goal of NHCA and this will happen as the client is walked through the move. Once the client accepts the services of NHCA, the next step is answering all questions, assist with paperwork required for the admission process or with the Medical Assistance application based on financial need. A transition into a long term care facility can be nerve raking, confusing and full of anxiety for the strongest and healthiest person however, with that being said finances always becomes an issue. Past knowledge and statistics show that nursing homes or assistant living facilities have gained reputations for taking everything from their residents upon admission to their facilities. Educating and empowering the client on their rights and responsibilities is a number one goal of NHCA and this will happen as they are walked through the new phase of life. If the resident requires assistance with banking, guardianship or contacting community vendors, NHCA will be there to handle this for the resident or family member. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy will assist the resident or family until all matters have been conducted and the residents’ stay is secure and free of financial concerns. IMC Promotion â€Å"Your way home is through our caring hands†. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy will be dedicated to providing the highest level of quality service with compassion and commitment through exceptional standards for the aging population. It is the hope of NHCA, that the residents and families who seek assistance will receive thoughtful, quality care today and tomorrow. Integrated Marketing Communications Budget Quite a few advertising efforts will be used to promote the business. The marketing mix will consist of direct marketing, social media, the company’s web site and some advertising. Promoting the business will start with promoting myself as the owner and founder. Creating a bio to hand out to the local referral sources will begin the promotional stage of getting off the ground running. Exposing the business to Special Events, Open Houses, Healthcare Fairs, Senior Expos, etc, identify local groups, churches, senior groups, etc. nd build Nursing Home CareZ’ reputation as â€Å"source† for aging issues through seminars/lectures, and educate the local communities about senior living options. The promotional process will follow as: * Print advertising * Direct mail * Broadcast advertising on radio (or Internet sites or social media) Advertise by visiting the local hospitals, senior community centers, local churches, the area M edicaid public assistance offices and adult and aging organizations to introduce myself and hand out business cards, flyers or brochures. There is minimal cost in visiting with the exception of handing out business cards and brochures. Cost of purchasing 5000 business cards is $55. 00 and the creating custom brochures cost is $800. 00. Advertise on several of the social media sites to utilize the word of mouth affect. Face Book, Twitter, Blogs, Linked In, Biznik and on Craig’s List. The social media has been prone to take the smallest post and spread it like wild fire. Even though many of these sites are young than the target market target, they can still reach the families of the target market and those you may work in the industry of which NHCA is catering to. Advertise by hosting or attending several community events that are geared towards healthcare services. * Participation in community projects * Fairs – Health Fairs or Job Fairs * Give-a-ways of pens or pencils, and post-it notes * Coupons at the bottom of the flyers giving a 20% discount within a 2 month time span * Trade Shows – local convention centers host shows which the target market or family members attend such as arts and crafts, flowers, cooking lessons and pet shows. The cost of attending the community events will be $3000. 00. Most community fairs for free to participate as many are awareness driven. The cost to purchase custom pens, pencils and post-it note pads to distribute are as follows: 2000 pens $365. 00, 500 pencils $227. 00, and 500 post-it notes $230. 00. The coupons does not generate an expense and the cost of trade show for 2 days at 7 hours each day averages $2000. 00 Advertise in The Times Herald daily newspaper weekly newspaper and on the web viewer ship: 1/4 page 6 columns x 5† inch ad for 2 months, then monthly for two additional months. Cost: $1100. 00. Advertise in The Delaware County Times daily newspaper, weekly: 25 words per week for 12 weeks. Cost: $900. 00. The company’s website will be utilized to advertise and promote the business by informing them of the services. The target market will have basic information designed to peak their interest enough to want to place a telephone call to inquire further. Building the web site with the initial start up cost: $120. 00 Found a web designer and web host in one for a minimal cost. Steps taken to launch the web site are: submitting the website to search engines like Google, Ask Jeeves, and Bing and to web directories. Putting the website address in the email address, on the flyers, brochures, and on the business cards is the next step. By registering the company’s website for more than one year, will keep the search engines from classifying the company as a spam organization. Collecting and analyzing the data will assist in further developing the marketing strategy. Becoming a member of the Social Medias such as Face Book, Twitter, You Tube help strengthen the community relationship with the social workers of the hospital, assist living communities, and the referral based resources. Using multimedia devices on the website will assist in further interaction with the target market. The design of the website will be user friendly as the target market may or may not have experience with computers. 3. 8 Marketing Research As stated previously in this plan, the growth rate of the elderly population persons 65 years old and over has greatly exceeded the previous census predictions, an as they are getting older they are requiring more medical care. (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). The elderly increased by a factor of 11, from 3 million in 1900 to 33 million in 1994 (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). Today, almost 80% of Americans are living beyond the age 65. Forty percent of Americans age 65 or older will require Long Term Care before death (McMahon, 2009). Families are unable to care for mom or dad, aunt or uncle so the nursing homes and assisted living will continue to be the option for ongoing care of the elderly. In trying to determine if this service business would be a worthwhile endeavor, the owner sat down to asked a few questions with an existing nursing home administrator, wound care nurse, community case worker and a marketing director. As a result of the questions asked such as; can you tell me when families are approached at the hospital for discharge planning as their loved one just fell and fracture their hip, what is the attitude or knowledge base of what happens to the elderly in the home? The response was; ‘the first thing that came to the family members mind was abuse or neglect, or that the home was going to rob their mother or father blind. This comment is common to many who do not have a full understanding of what happens as their loved one transition into long term care. Another most important question is how or who will pay for my loved one to stay in the nursing home? Will her rights be protected and how much say will I have in the care of my parent or loved one? The last comments that came up, was the guilt the families feels when having to decide place the mother or father into a long term care home. As families are forced to place their loved ones into nursing homes and assistant living facilities, there is so much for them to take in; they will need to have a full understanding of their options in this transition. Nursing Home CareZ Advocacy has the good fortune of being affiliated with existing nursing homes and has an excellent work history and knowledge base to have recognized the issues current residents of nursing homes were facing. As a Business Office Manager for the last 10 years, the owner has the leverage of understanding the ins and outs of admission processes of long term care and the steps taken to make for a smooth transition. In the final decision process in this impending situation, the owner of NHCA also talk with case managers, county assistance office employees and several local attorneys’ who handle the guardianship processes on behalf of nursing home. All agreed, with positive feedback, there was a problem. An outside liaison is needed to assist residents and their families with coming to terms with their new home. By offering the service, it is allowing a sense of empowerment and a sense of peace. Transitioning into a long term care facility for these residents, with a knowledge base of what lies ahead and knowing their new home will truly be their home will make it all worth it. References 1. Advanced Marketing: One Stop for Newspaper Advertising. (2011). Retrieved from https://www. le-services. com. 2. Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE). (2011). Help for People in Nursing Homes. Retrieved from http://www. carie. org/programs-services/advocacy-services/help-for-people-in-nursing-homes 3. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 2011). Nursing Homes Overview and Payments 4. Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging (COSA). (2011). Retrieved from http://www. co. delaware. pa. us/depts/cosa. html 5. Department of Health & Human Services: Administration on Aging. (2011). Aging Statistics. Retrieved from http://www. aoa. gov/aoaroot/aging_statistics/index. aspx 6. Eiken, S. & Heestand, A. (2003). Pennsylvania Transition to Home Program . Retrieved from http://aspe. hhs. gov/daltcp/reports/2003/PAtrans. htm 7. Green Leaf Health Care Assisted Living. (2011). Professional Healthcare Development Marketing Plan. Retrieved from http://www. phdmkt. com/images/sample%20marketing%20plan%2007. pdf accessed 8. Keller, K. & Kotler, P. (2009). Marketing Management. Pearson Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ 9. Lewis, J. (2011). About Women’s History: Shirley Chisholm Quotes. Retrieved from http://womenshistory. about. com/od/quotes/shirleychisholm. htm 10. Marketing Plan Objectives and Strategies. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. smallbusinessnotes. com/starting-a-business/marketing-plan-marketin

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International studiesGrowth Development of Nations - Essay Example It has also helped in transfer of technical know how, transfer of knowledge, export and import of goods and services, etc. But, as rightly stated by Rosenberg, globalization, which was meant to signify unity and integrity has no way proved to be successful instead resulted in cold war between countries for their share in the global market. Further, it is mentioned by Ellwood that gaps between rich and poor are widening and decision making power is concentrated in the hands of few developed and powerful nations (11). Rightly so, Rosenberg mentions in the article "Free Trade Fix" wherein the right to make decisions lie in the hands of IMF which is controlled by the United States and other European countries. The scenario of Puebla State in Mexico where the farmers cultivating corn have become the victims of globalization due to cheap corn being imported from US as part of free trade agreement between the two nations. The globalization has resulted in great opportunities like transfer of skills, employment, transfer of goods and services, etc. but it has all happened in pursuit of cheap labor in poor countries.

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HRM - Essay Example Most experts say that making proper job descriptions is a good starting point for companies like Crystal Waters Winery. The second phase revolves around effective retention, which involves adequate training where the employees are given room for personal growth and development. Training also has to follow a proper procedure otherwise training may become redundant and the company may not benefit from the training program (Fink, 1992). Crystal Water Winery has to understand that in order to remain competitive in the industry it will have to make a significant investment into its human capital. However, Jacques Terblanche has to ensure that investment is made in the right things. Introduction Crystal Waters Winery is expanding its operations and it wants to be able handle the additional workload that comes with this increase. To effectively manage all this, Crystal Waters Winery will have to hire more people in the HR, management, marketing and viticulture departments. However, they wil l have to go through various steps before actually hiring individuals. This process is known as Human Resource Planning. A human resource plan is a systematic process of matching the interests, skills and talents of individual community members with the long-term goals and economic opportunities in the community. The human resource plan brings out the long term strategic perspective of the organization and how it wishes to expand upon its repertoire within the relevant thick of things. It takes a keen look at the ways and means through which hiring mechanisms could be established and the numerous ways through which the organizational charter is manifested by the employees themselves. Among the various aspects that are covered by human resource planning the most important ones are: Determining the numbers to be employed at the new department/location Determining the functions of the current workforce Retention/promotion of current staff Removing any redundant functions / employees Fu ture outlook Human Resource Planning is important for every company when they want to be proactive and want to manage their human resources to take advantage of any opportunity in the future. The companies understand the organizational fluidity around skills held by the people. One of the major limitations of HRP is that it requires extensive information of the external labor market, data about current employees and how resources work in the organization. Crystal Waters Winery needs to understand the exact duties need that to be incorporated into the company’s operations and where it will get the human capital from. Through HRP Jacques Terblanche wants to find out how he can improve the performance of his company in the long run without drastically impacting profitability or sales. Demand planning is an integral starting point where the company must anticipate future demand for their product (Bertucci, 2006). Only if the demand is sustainable then it should start hiring new e mployees, if however the demand is declining then the management must focus on improvement and streamlining of the business processes. Job Analysis A good starting point for Jacques Terblanche would be to create an effective Job Analysis for all the positions for which he will be hiring. Job analysis is the study of competencies, and the emerging emphasis on considering other work-related about the work itself, the worker, the organization, and the

Concert Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Concert Report - Essay Example Esber Recital Hall is a famous hall that provided superior sound quality and actually made the piano played by the performing group sound nice and complete whilst New Horizon Brass Ensemble played their piano. There were several performances during this particular night, which included Salve Venere, Salve Marte by John Stevens; sonatas such as Allegro Leggero, Aria ,and Allegro Moderato; there were also French sets, which included Apre un Reve by Gabriel, Improvisation by Francis, and Nuit d’Etoiles by Claude; and dances such as spooky, insouciant, impudent/ponderous, bluesy, con ritmo Latino, and slowly declamatory/fast (Range & Smith, 1999). Candidly, this night turned out to be a most memorable attendance at Esber Recital Hall, primarily because it took no lengths for me to be lost in the performances such as Salve Venere, Salve Marte by John Stevens, originally composed by Kate. From the performance, my favorite dance was bluesy dance, which was vigorously performed, and i t brought the whole house down. The Salve Venere, Salve Marte performance was starling one in the entire concert because this performance really embraced the key elements related to music (Range & Smith, 1999). ... In allegro, there were numerous dynamic changes, and in some moments that ignited the fresh moments of Haydn’s astonishment. Salve Venere, Salve Marte was composed in the Romantic era. The instruments heard comprise the trombone, bassoon, flute, oboe, which belong to the aero-phone family; and the violin, cello, viola, and double bass, which belong to the chordophones family of instruments. This piece has a general homophonic texture. The genre is a piece of music that is divided into two key movements: Andante con moto, and Allegro moderato. The Allegro moderato movement follows sonata-allegro form. There are two themes that were evident from this starling performance, as well as the movement is in triple meter in a small key. It starts at a soft dynamic level and progresses in a crescendo (Range & Smith, 1999). It is usually conjunct with a fine range that finally expands into a broad range. The softness of the opening creates a theatrical atmosphere full of emotions. This m ovement demonstrates a recapitulation — the summary of the themes because the major two themes reappear all through the piece. The other set of piece that made my day was Apre un Reve by Gabriel under Blue Band. Like in the first piece, the volume varied from mezzo forte to strong suit yet down to some moments of piano; however, in general the volume remained more constantly within the mezzo ranges. In addition, when there were variations in volume, pitch and tone were steady and appeared to fit satisfactorily as opposed to just being haphazard. There was much more of a principle in this work and the polyphonic scenery of the piece, a constant of the Baroque,

Investigating the Physiological Response of Anxiety Essay Example for Free

Investigating the Physiological Response of Anxiety Essay Investigating the physiological response of anxiety through general knowledge and math questionnaires, with a focus of inducing anxiety through music. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological effects associated with math anxiety, with a further aim to explore this in relation to tense music exposure. It was hypothesised that a maths questionnaire would produce a significantly higher anxiety response than a general knowledge questionnaire. It was also hypothesised that exposure to tense music would produce a significantly greater anxiety response than silence. Furthermore, it would be expected to observe a significant interaction between the music condition and question type. The results of a mixed subject’s factorial ANOVA revealed that participants’ heart rate was significantly higher when presented with the math questionnaire over the general knowledge questionnaire. The presence of tense music did not significantly influence the level of physiological arousal. The only conclusion drawn therefore is that math questions elicit greater physiological arousal than general knowledge questions. Anxiety, like fear, is an emotion. It is a normal and totally necessary biological survival mechanism which everybody experiences. It tells us that something is a threat to our survival and motivates us to confront or avoid that threat. (Simmons Daw, 1994). Fear can be distinguished from anxiety in that fear focuses on specific situations or objects and occurs in their proximity, whereas anxiety occurs in anticipation of such. The amount of anxiety we feel should be proportionate to the reality of the threat posed by the situation, however, sometimes this is not the case. It is important to realise that this biological response is in essence the same as that experienced by other animals. However, in humans who have the power of thought or conceptualisation, the ability to anticipate fear or anxiety itself becomes part of the cycle of anxiety and makes the problem more complex. (Simmons Daw, 1994) The concept of anxiety can be dated back as far as Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC). The basis of Aristotle’s philosophy was that for every trait: there is an excess, a deficiency and between the two, a mean the mean being the optimum or most desirable amount of the trait. For shame, he indicates that an excess of the trait would be shamelessness, the mean, modesty, and the deficiency being shyness. This can be related to anxiety in that someone who is shy can be said to be feeling too much anxiety whereas a shameless person therefore lacks a certain amount of anxiety. Aristotle’s aim was for one to be conscious of experiencing the optimum amount of anxiety given the situation or circumstance. (The Anxiety Support Network, Accessed 25/02/2012). Many people suffer from continual unrealistic, unfounded amounts of fear and anxiety. This is where anxiety and fear build up and exceed rational and beneficial levels, known as anxiety disorders. The most common anxiety disorder is that of simple phobias, estimated to affect one in ten (Barondes 1993; cited Wicken 2009). A more serious anxiety disorder is that of panic disorder. This can be characterized by the rapid onset of very apparent, overt physiological symptoms such as shortness of breath, irregularities in heartbeat and a variety of other autonomic symptoms. Somebody with a social anxiety disorder would be characterized by an excessive fear of being exposed to the scrutiny of other people, leading to avoidance of social situations. Furthermore, generalised anxiety disorder consumes one’s life with excessive anxiety and worry causing major disruption. (Carlson, 2010). Some people suffer from mathematics related anxiety. This has been characterized as an adverse emotional reaction to math or the prospect of doing math (Richardson Suinn, 1972; cited Micke et al 2011). Individuals with high maths anxiety tend to perform poorly when presented with mathematics stimuli (Cates Rhymer, 2003; cited Bai et al) One of the key cognitive mechanisms in math problem solving, and a significant area of research within the math cognition domain, is the utilization of the working memory system (Ashcraft Kirk, 2001; LeFevre, DeStafano, Coleman, Shanahan, 2005; cited Legg and Locker 2009). The anxiety response is controlled by the autonomic division of the peripheral nervous system. The autonomic division operates mainly beyond our control, mostly below consciousness and can be entirely automatic responses. The autonomic division comprises two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic system prepares us for action in the face of possible danger. This is commonly referred to and known as the ‘Fight-Flight’ reaction. Contrarily the parasympathetic system acts to redress the balance once the crisis has passed. (Simmons Daw, 1994). The way in which we are ‘prepared for action’ is by the release of neurotransmitters adrenaline and noradrenaline from the adrenal medulla (Wickens 2009). This leads to an increase in heart rate and breathing as well as increased blood flow to the skeletal muscles. The limbic system of the brain contains a number of structures that contribute to emotional behaviour, one of which being the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system and emotional behaviour. This has been demonstrated by the work Philip Bard (1930, cited Wickens 2009) where lesions to the hypothalamus of cats eliminated rage whereas lesions to the cerebral cortex tended to provoke such. Another structure of the limbic system, the amygdala, has been shown to be particularly important in regulating aggression and fear. This was demonstrated by Kluver and Bucy in the late 1930’s (cited Wickens 2009) where rhesus monkeys displayed dramatically reduced fear and aggression following lesions to the amygdala. Conversely, electrical stimulation of this structure in humans evoked fear and aggression. Another constituent of the limbic system is the hippocampus. Although mainly concerned with memory, it has been shown to be of interest in the study of anxiety. A neurobiological model known as the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) was proposed by Grey (1982, cited Hoffman Kim 2006). This system proposes to be the basis of aversive motivational functions. ‘It is sensitive to conditioned aversive and extreme novel stimuli and is activated in response to punishment and cues of frustrative non-reward’ (Hoffman Kim 2006). Its underlying neural circuits are believed to play an important role in anticipating and assessing threats. Contrary to the BIS, the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) ‘underlies appetitive motivational functions and governs behaviours that are intended to maximise rewards and minimize punishment’ (Fowles 1980, cited Hoffman Kim 2006) Research by Gray into the effects anxiolytic drugs would have on an animals behavioural response to punishment lead to a belief that the BIS represented an anxiety system. Further, trait anxiety may be a temperamental marker for the BIS, potentially allowing the assumption that trait anxiety reflects individual differences in the reactivity of the system. Trait anxiety has been defined as ‘an individuals predisposition to respond’ (Spielberger, 1966, cited Hoffman Kim). This predisposition can affect the anxiety response in a number of situations such as physical danger, social evaluation and ambiguous or daily routines. State anxiety however has been defined as a transitory emotion characterized by physiological arousal and consciously perceived feelings of apprehension, dread and tension (Spielberger, 1966). Two facets of state anxiety have been proposed: cognitive worry and autonomic emotional. In 1983, Spielberger developed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) as a unidimensional psychometric assessment of anxiety. Endler et al (1991) however took a multidimensional approach to assessing both state and trait anxiety with the development of the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales. It was proposed by Fowles in 1980 (cited Hoffman Kim) that electrodermal activity (EDA) and heart rate (HR) may be good physiological indicators of the BIS and the BAS. This was explored by Hoffman and Kim (2006). The prediction was that behavioural inhibition and trait anxiety would be associated with an increase in skin conductance level but not heart rate. From their results it was found that trait anxiety predicted skin conductance level, however behavioural inhibition did not. Neither of the two predicted heart rate reactivity. Therefore the conclusion was that skin conductance level is a better autonomic indicator of trait anxiety than heart rate. Music therapy is an alternative therapy that may improve patients’ health and well being (Guzzetta 1988; cited Nilsson 2009). The auditory perception of the music is located in the auditory centre in the temporal lobe, which sends signals to the thalamus, the mid brain, pons, amygdala, medulla and hypothalamus. The physiological effect of music is proposed to act via the hypothalamus and its regulation of adrenaline and other neuro-hormones (Myskaja Lindbaeck 2000; cited Nilsson 2009). Registrations through EEG have shown that music can decrease the bioelectrical activity in the brain from predominant beta waves to alpha and theta waves, which can have consequences for reduction of anxiety, tension and sleeplessness (Shawn 1999; cited Nilsson 2009). It is logical for one to assume that if music can have positive effects on physiology, then surely it can have negative effects too. The present study aimed to investigate the physiological effects associated with math anxiety, with a further aim to explore this in relation to tense music exposure. It was hypothesised that a maths questionnaire would produce a significantly higher anxiety response than a general knowledge questionnaire. It was also hypothesised that exposure to tense music would produce a significantly greater anxiety response than silence. Furthermore, it would be expected to observe a significant interaction between the music condition and question type. Method Design This study employed a 2 x 2 mixed subjects design. Question type was manipulated at 2 levels, being either math questions or general knowledge. All participants answered both questionnaires. Music was also manipulated at two levels. Participants were equally allocated between either the tense music condition or the control condition of silence. Participants’ heart rate was measured. Participants Sixteen undergraduate students from the University of Central Lancashire were used in the undertaking of this study. A method of opportunity sampling was employed during recruitment. No note of age or gender was made. Materials A twenty-six item math questionnaire (Appendix 1) and a twenty-six item general knowledge questionnaire (Appendix 2) were used as the foundation of the study. Each questionnaire was presented on a computer screen for thirty seconds, in which time the participants had to attempt as many questions as possible. The general knowledge questionnaire was presented first, followed by the math questions. A stopwatch was used to time the thirsty second period. For the tense music condition, computer speakers were used to play the thirty second tense music track. Each participant’s level of physiological arousal was monitored using a galvanic skin response-heart rate monitor, although this study only used the heart rate response element of the equipment. Procedure Participants who agreed to take part in the study were required to attend the School of Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire. Once there, they were individually taken to a lab room where they were asked to take a seat and read through a brief sheet in order to be aware of what was about to happen. The heart rate monitor which was connected to a laptop was then placed on the index finger of the participant. Once the participant was comfortable they were provided with a pen and plain sheet of paper and asked to remain calm for thirty seconds whilst a resting heart rate was recorded. After the thirty seconds had elapsed, the general knowledge questionnaire was presented and the participant had thirty seconds to answer as many questions as they could. They were notified at the end of the thirty second period. The math questionnaire was then presented following the same procedure as previous. For the eight participants who undertook the tense music condition, the procedure was the same, however, they were informed that once they began answering the questions, a 30 second music track would be played by the experimenter. The heart rate monitor recorded the heart rate (beats per minute) of each participant ten times per second. Upon completion of the study, participants were given a debrief sheet outlining the true aims of the experiment. Results The raw data collected consisted of the recorded heart rate response of each participant (Appendix 3). Heart rate was measured ten times per second for each of the thirty second periods – rest, general knowledge questionnaire and the math questionnaire. It was also noted whether the participant took part in the music or silence condition. The raw data was amended (Appendix 4) before being placed into SPSS statistical analysis software. This was done by calculating the mean average of the thirty second rest period and subtracting it from the calculated mean average of the thirty second period where the participant was answering questions. This was in order to discover the average heart rate increase. The full statistical output can be found in Appendix 5. The means and standard deviations of the average heart rate increase (BPM) for the general knowledge and math questions in relation to whether music was present or not were calculated using SPSS. Table 1: A table to show the means and standard deviations of the average heart rate increase (BPM) for the general knowledge and math questions in relation to whether music was present or not. It is clear from the results table above that there was very limited increase in the mean average heart rate between the music and silence conditions of both question types.. It can, however, be clearly observed that the mean heart rate increase for the maths questions is greater than that of the general knowledge questions. The standard deviations appear to show a moderate spread of scores. A Mixed-subjects factorial ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of question type [F (1,14) = 27.48, p .001, Eta2 = .66], with a higher average heart rate increase in the maths question over the general knowledge questions . There was a non-significant main effect of music [F (1,14) = .001, p = .972., Eta2 = .000]. The interaction between question type and music was non-significant [F (1,14) = .386, p = .545, Eta2 = .027]. Due to the lack of a significant interaction effect it was not necessary to conduct post-hoc tests. Discussion The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological effects associated with math anxiety, with a further aim to explore this in relation to tense music exposure. Sixteen participants had their heart rate continually monitored whilst answering a math questionnaire and a general knowledge questionnaire. Half of the participants undertook the questionnaires whilst being exposed to tension provoking music. The results of a mixed subjects factorial ANOVA revealed that participants heart rate was significantly higher when presented with the math questionnaire over the general knowledge questionnaire. The presence of tense music did not significantly influence the level of physiological arousal. The hypothesis that a maths questionnaire would produce significantly more anxiety than a general knowledge questionnaire was fully met during the course of this investigation. The hypothesis that exposure to tense music would produce significantly more anxiety than silence was not validated by the results of this study. Furthermore, the hypothesis that there would be a significant interaction between the music condition and question type was not substantiated by the results of this study. The significant result discovered in this study coincides relatively well with previous research into maths anxiety. Previous research has shown that individuals with high maths anxiety tend to perform poorly when presented with mathematics stimuli (Cates Rhymer, 2003; cited Bai et al). It is necessary to note however that the participants used within the present study were not subjected to prior assessment of math anxiety. Therefore, a distinction between a mathematical anxiety predisposition and poor performance cannot be made, taking into account also that scores from the mathematical questionnaire were not used at any point in this study. It should only be inferred from the results of this study that math questions elicit greater physiological arousal than general knowledge questions. This therefore, in part, relates well to Richardson Suinn’s 1972 characterization of math anxiety as an adverse emotional reaction to math or the prospect of doing math. It has been demonstrated by the work of Ashcraft et al in 2001 that the working memory system is a significant area of research within the math domain. The working memory system is of course directly relatable to the hippocampus. The Behavioural Inhibition System proposed by Gray has been shown to be directly related to the hippocampus and in turn, anxiety. Previous research into the effect music has on ones physiology has conclusively proven music can aid relaxation. This was clearly demonstrated by the work of Shawn (1999) where it was shown that music can decrease the bioelectrical activity in the brain from predominant beta waves to alpha and theta waves, having consequences of reducing anxiety, tension and sleeplessness. Research in this area, for obvious reasons, has directed its attention towards investigating the relaxing properties music can have. It was the intention of this study however to investigate the contrary. It may be necessary here to discuss the relationship between the biological mechanisms activated when listening to music, and those activated when one feels anxiety. Clear similarities can be observed between the two. It can be noted from the work of Myskaja Lindbaeck in 2000 that the physiological effect music has is proposed to act via the hypothalamus and its regulation of adrenaline and other neuro-hormones. This is distinctly similar to the action of the sympathetic system of the peripheral nervous system, in that, adrenaline amongst other neurotransmitters are released from the adrenal medulla. Music acts upon many of the same structures in the brain that have been found to have links with emotional regulation. The hypothalamus and amygdala being key examples. Within this study there were several methodological issues that have to be taken into consideration. First and foremost the method used to obtain data. This was done using only a heart rate monitor. It was demonstrated by Fowles in 1980 that skin conductance level is clearly a better indictor of anxiety. Therefore any further research into this area should use this method of data collection also. It may be wise to include a third level to the music variable in any further research. The third level should most definitely be a relaxing music condition in order to observe any oppositional results. Judging by previous research it would be expected that a significant reduction in math anxiety would be observed in participants who were exposed relaxing music. The tense music played to participants in the present study was administered at the same time the participant commenced attempting the questionnaire. This leads to difficulty in making a distinction between the tense music being the cause of increased physiological arousal, or whether it was the questionnaire alone as the cause. A possible solution to this could be to expose the participants to music prior to the undertaking of the questionnaire. In conclusion, it can be implied that anybody who suffers from anxiety in any form is likely to find soothing music a useful remedy, given the biological mechanisms involved. It can be inferred here therefore that a person who listens to genres of music such as heavy rock and metal, would most probably benefit from incorporating more harmonious music into their lives, however this theory was not upheld by the results of this. Further research in this area could focus on this. References Bai, H., Wang, L., Pan, W., Frey, M. (undated) Measuring Mathematics Anxiety: Psychometric Analysis of a Bidimensional Affective Scale. Journal of Instructional Psychology 36(3): 185 – 193 Carlson, N. R. (2010) Physiology of Behaviour. 10th edition. Pearson: Allyn Bacon den Boer J. A., Sitsen, J. M. (1994). Handbook of depression and anxiety. A biological approach. New York: Marcel Dekker Endler, N.S., Kocovki, N.L. (2001) State and trait anxiety revisited. Journal of anxiety disorders 15(3): 231-245 Legg, A. M., Locker, L. Jr. (2009). Math performance and its relationship to math anxiety and metacognition. North American Journal of Psychology 11 (3): 471-486 Micke, A. M., Mateo, J., Kozak, M. N., Foster, K., Beilock, S. L. (2011). Choke or thrive? The relationship between salivary cortisol and math performance depends on individual differences in working memory and math anxiety. American Psychological Association 11(4): 1000 – 1005 Nilsson, U. (2009) Music and Health; How to use music in surgical care. International Academy for Design and Health. 103 – 109 Simmons, M., Daw, P. (1994). Stress, Anxiety, Depression. A practical workbook. Oxon: Winslow Press Wickens, A. (2004) Introduction to Biopsychology. Pearson: Prentice Hall http://www.anxietysupportnetwork.com/articles/aristotle_anxiety.php Aristotle’s View of Anxiety. Accessed 25/02/2012