Redbull Marketing Communications Essay Example for Free

Redbull Marketing Communications Essay Redbull Marketing Communications Digital Campaigns Clarisonic launched a campaign in October 2010, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in which the company promised to donate 1$ for every new like they received on their facebook fan page. Clarisonic used Facebook advertising, email blasts, twitter, youtube and even their own blog â€Å"Sonic Chatter† to spread the word about their new ‘like’ campaign. Clarisonic objectives included adding a thriving social media section to Clarisonic’s traditional cause marketing for nonprofit. Furthermore, Clarisonic wanted to increase awareness of their brand and products, as well as increase awareness of their Facebook page. Another objective, which was the most direct objective, was to raise money for â€Å"Look Good†¦Feel Better. † Attaching their name to this cause also allowed them to increase sales for their specialized products like Pink Clarisonic, which also benefits the â€Å"Look Good†¦Feel Better† charity. Clarisonic also aimed at marketing beyond their typical target audience of women in their late 20s-50s. Some limitations that were faced was that it was only a two month project and although it attracted a lot of views, interactions, and new Facebook fans, they would have to constantly engage the new fans that were outside their target market, who may not be interested in their actual products being sold. Partnering with â€Å"Look Good†¦Feel Better† was a perfect fit for this campaign because both companies focused on transmitting a message of empowerment. Redbull: On October 14, 2012 the world witnessed a breathtaking experiment; Red Bull Stratos. It took viewers to the edge of space and it was all organized by a private organization, Red Bull. The Red Bull Stratos mission was a record breaking event, one which saw Felix Baumgartner free fall from more than 23 miles above the earth, breaking a free falling world record while becoming the biggest digital live event on record. It reignited a yearning for the extreme, and created a distinct association with what was Extreme and Redbull. The objectives of Redbull marketers was to reach a lot of people, to excite them, give them something to talk about and look forward to and then to directly relate this â€Å"coolness† to drinking their product. They wanted to break world records, not only in the actual freefalling aspect but the hype around the event. This hype could then be translated hopefully in an increase of brand awareness and in turn, an in crease in sales for Redbull. Clarisonic: Clarisonic targeted current consumers of their product by advertising about the campaign on their blog, which users of their product read, as well as non users by making the campaign goal not just relevant for women or those that are in their 20s, 30s. The campaign therefore targeted a much broader audience, those that frequent charity events and support a good cause, not simply women in the beauty care sector. By making their campaign about much more than a physical beauty care product but something that benefits the greater cause, they were able to target men and women of all ages who support cancer organizations and link this support of a good cause with their brand. Redbull: The audience that was targeted in the Redbull campaign was extreme sport enthusiasts as well as the entire world that would also be excited to watch a world record breaking event. The target audience was broad and expanded past extreme sport enthusiasts which most of Redbulls marketing targets. Clarisonic: Clarisonic campaign was extremely ethical as it raises awareness of a certain cancer fund, donates money to the fund, and through these actions is able to also increase awareness of their brand and better their image. Had most of this money not gone to a cancer organization, and just gone to supporting the brand, perhaps it would be less ethical. Redbull: One could argue that the risk involved in this campaign was too much to be considered an ethical campaign for Redbull. Yes, it attracted a lot of new consumers and created record-breaking brand awareness but it was at the risk of being at the cost of a human life, which is unethical. Clarisonic: They were extremely successful in one of their main objectives, which was to raise money for the Look Good†¦Feel Better cancer organization seeing as they raised $1 million dollars and increased awareness of this great organization. â€Å"Likes† as well as interaction on their Facebook page continued to grow even after the two month campaign and n 2010 alone, their selling of their â€Å"Hope† Mia skincare brush more than doubled compared the previous year. Clearly no one can know for sure if it was directly because of the â€Å"like† campaign but it is safe to say that the increased awareness did contribute to an increase in sales of Clarisonic products. The like campaigne increased Clarisonics fan page by 80 percent. Redbull: Without a doubt Redbull achieved its objectives of showi ng the world something that has never done before and reemphasizing their brand motto â€Å" Redbull gives you wings. This event had a huge brand impact on Redbull. Not only did this campaign beat records and was unprecedented scientifically, it was also beating records in a brand marketing perspective. 1,000,000 distinct user accounts were involved in the conversation regarding RedBull Stratos with a suggested audience of this content being up to 90,000,000. 2,000,000 new accounts were subscribed for Red Bull updates within a span of 15 days surrounding the event, these updates included all brand presences in the digital world. These represent engaged consumers that could possibly one day turn into paying consumers of RedBull. Most campaigns, much like Clarisonic are dominated mostly by likes or â€Å"neutral commentary† yet Red Bull Stratos had unmatched positivity and meaningful interaction from people around the world; more specifically 820,000 pieces of extremely positive content was created in regards to Redbull Stratos. 50,000 distinct links were shared about Red Bull Stratos. More than 8 million concurrent live streams of the Redbull Stratus jump on YouTube was had which was the largest in Youtube’s history. This kind of huge reach transcends RedBull Stratos and reaches Red Bull branding in almost ever single comment or interaction, which till this campaign and to this extent was unheard of. According to Vocus, sales of Redbull increased by 55% in the first few months following the campaign so already here we can see that not only did this boost brand awareness and image, it had a direct impact on offline consumer behavior. Clarisonic was always tied to cancer awareness funds in the past, their product line, Pink Clarisonic previously donated some proceeds to the Feel good, look better fund so this new â€Å"like† campaign wasn’t a trigger of some outside market force, it was more an expansion of what was already underway internally in their brand image and concept of empowerment. Furthermore Breast Cancer awareness month was also somewhat of a trigger to tie their brand with this month awareness. Clarisonic competitors are low priced beauty products such as Olay Pro X which did not stray from their traditional marketing ways despite the success of Clarisonics like campaign. Personally, I would make this marketing communication campaign longer than two months, allowing the attention that Clarisonic was receiving to be exploited further. I would also allow fans that mentioned Clarisonic on twitter to receive small samples of new products Clarisonic has, thereby engaging target consumers with the actual product at hand. Timing of this campaign was definetly in Clarisonics Favor. Breast cancer awareness month is a time where many want to donate themselves to the cause and this like campaign allowed them to do so effortlessly and without their own money, simply their participation in a brand they may not have been aware of. Connecting themselves with Breast Cancer Awareness month also lends greatly to a better image for Clarisonic. Twitter did not participate greatly in this campaign other than to advertise for the campaign on facebook. Salespeople were not utilized in this champagne either which also could have further helped promote their products as well as their like digital campaign. Redbull: Redbull was always tagged with an idea of extreme sports, they sponsored athletes, had their own extreme sport web episodes, and could be found at most sporting events. Therefore, the fact that this was the company that decided to do something so extreme and create so much digital hype around this event was definetly no surprise considering past records of RedBull. It was not triggered by stunts pulled by their competitors. The Redbull Stratos was able to reach millions more than their usual marketing antics. I would not recommend a thing to the Redbull Stratos campaign, I think everything they did digitally to boost this campaign was genius. The message was simple; Redbull gives you wings and with a record-breaking free fall, they proved this. Millions will always associate the feeling of â€Å"cool† and â€Å"extreme† with drinking RedBull, and that in my opinion, can only be done by indirect selling of their drinks. No commercial or online campaign could create such brand association by simply telling consumers how cool their drink is.

Globalization Localization Product

Globalization Localization Product 1. The paradoxes of globalization vs. localisation and profitability vs. responsibility In todays continuously changing world, globalization is what every business, organization, and nation should seek and welcome as a positive change. However, many people are unaware of the main focus and meaning of globalization, especially in comparison to localization. A large number of people believe that globalization is just another common word used to refer to changes and differences that cannot be explained. Therefore, many different activities or changes are improperly labelled to be a part of or caused by globalization. Localization is the process of adapting a product or service to a particular language, culture, and desired local preferences. Ideally, a product or service is developed so that localization is relatively easy to achieve for example, by creating technical illustrations for manuals in which the text can easily be changed to another language. The process of first enabling a product to be localized and then localizing it for different national audiences is sometimes known as globalization. In localizing a product, in addition to language translation, such details as time zones, money, national holidays, local color sensitivities, product or service names, gender roles, and geographic examples must all be considered. A successfully localized service or product is one that appears to have been developed within the local culture. Globalization is also a term that refers to the process of global integration of the economies of nations by allowing the unrestricted flow of goods, services, investments and currencies between countries. The process of globalization has both positive and negative impacts on life at the individual and nationals levels. Globalization and localization are almost opposite concepts but can coexist. Globalization can briefly be defined as ‘something that affects and changes the traditional arrangements. It is a term that directly implies change and therefore is a continuous process over a long period of time as compared to quickly changing into a wanted or desirable end business system. Globalization, focusing on a narrower scale, refers to sequences that occur in ones mind or behaviour that lead to processes that evolve as people or organizations pursue their daily tasks in a hopeful attempt to accomplish their specific goals. Both globalization and localization have many costs and benefits, although not always considered when making decisions that significantly affect a group or countrys outcome. Two main benefits of globalization include it being a good way for a company to make more money and also initiate more openness between countries on the economic level. Moreover, other positive aspects of globalization include the increase in productivity and improvement in standards of living. On the other hand, the benefits of localization are more beneficial to a single state/country because it involves and allows a country to have its own specific national style of economic practices that reflect upon the countrys distinctiveness. The costs of globalization mainly comprise of giving up a countrys distinction of its politics, culture, economy where as costs of localization involve less trade and international investment. Although many people view a decrease in a countrys involvement with trade and investment as a benefit, in the long run it is a cost because it denies the country the ability to communicate with other countries and to increase its technology and status (by importing and learning about other countries products). An increase in trade would also allow a country to advertise its products and abilities and export items to different countries with high odds of making a profit. Another cost of localization is its evolution from the pressures that lead organizations to narrow their horizons and participate in dissimilar forms of behaviour not always accepted and approved by globally integrated countries. The costs of globalization are not weighed as heavily as those costs of localization because time wi ll override many of the unavoidable problems. Therefore, globalization cannot be stopped and as the political and cultural changes occur, organizations with strong economic performances will survive, succeed and replace those less productive. From an economic point of view, globalization focuses on the expansion of production and trade whereas localization focuses on more narrow and specific activities of consumers and producers. These two dynamics operate in all human activity from cultural and social to economic and political activities. From the social and cultural aspect, globalization attempts to extend its ideas and practices beyond its original and present setting whereas localization discourages new ideas, norms and practices. In addition, these two sets of dynamics are linked in a way that it seems every change in globalization causes a change in localization and vice versa. Todays world affairs and processes are greatly affected by the tensions between the different aspects and characteristics of globalization versus localization. In my opinion, the benefits of globalization discussed in this paper are far more important than its costs or the costs and benefits of localization. Although, localization and globalization will continue co-existing, globalization will continue to increasingly dominate over time because most countries are generally leading to and becoming more accepting of the idea of globalization. The benefits gained by globalization are the most important to peoples lives because it aides in the learning process of people expanding their horizons and understanding the benefits to countries, organizations, and groups working together. Although losing some part of ones national identity can be a disadvantage at times, the advantages of being able to work together and help each other in a globally integrated world are much more. It is widely known that for a business to be successful it needs to provide a good or service that is desired by the public and also to obtain a profit in providing said well or service. Now while these are the most important components to a successful business, they are not the only ones. The social responsibilities of a business include the following: environmental protection and preservation, employee safety and morale, product safety for the consumer. The financial manager must keep these three social responsibilities in mind when making any and all decisions. The purpose organizations should serve has been a puzzle for strategists over years. There are two perspectives from which this paradox could be viewed: shareholder value—profitability oriented and stakeholder value—focused on responsibility. According to the shareholder value perspective, each company is established to serve the purposes of their owners. In other words, an organization should focus on increase of its stock value through the implementation of profitable business strategies. Even though it might be in the interests of shareholders to treat stakeholders well, there is no moral obligation to do so. On the other hand, stakeholder value proponents argue that a company purpose should be seen as an agreement among shareholders, employees, banks, customers, suppliers, governments and community and an entity should orient on the interests and values of its stakeholders. Stakeholders value perspective assumes that an organization should serve the interests of all parties that can be influenced by its activities or are somehow involved into the company operations. Even though all stakeholders are interested in the company profitability, there are also other business areas on which stakeholders place high value such as quality is demanded by customers; job security, occupational safety, good working conditions are required by employees; prompt payments, shared risk taking, secure demand are preferred by suppliers. Therefore, maximizing shareholders value to the detriment of the other stakeholders interests would be unjust. That is the emphasis that major shareholders place on stock pric e appreciation and dividends must be balanced against the legitimate demands of other parties. The choice of the major company purpose—the reason for which an organization exists is the essential one because it defines what will be the company mission i.e. the business philosophy that should guide strategic choices i.e. who should ensure that the strategies pursued are in accordance with the mission. If the company purpose is clearly specified, it will give direction to the strategy process and influence the strategy content. Moreover, the values share by an organizations members may have an impact on strategic choices and thus the company mission. 2. Grupo Elektra analysis For analyzing the performance of Grupo Elektra one of the helpful techniques is to scan the internal and external environment of the company with application of the SWOT analysis at different stages of its development in a chronological order. Environmental factors internal to the company can be classified as strengths (S) and weaknesses (W), and those external to the firm are opportunities (O) and threats (T). The following is the SWOT analysis for Grupo Elektra. Internal environmental factors: STRENGTHS Grupo Elektra was the first Mexican manufacturer of TV sets that allowed introducing a new product at the market. Ricardo Salinas, Elektras new CEO, employed a group of talented and competent professional managers. As a result the company had a competitive advantage in future business development based on the excellent management team that allowed achieving quality levels with greater efficiency, while other competitors was based on the trial and error approach. The company profits were properly divided: for distribution to employees, for commercial reinvestment and the product/service development. This rational division of profits allowed further continuous development of the company accompanied with employees motivated to put much effort into there work. In 1995, the company had extended its service range (domestic wire transfer, extended warranty program, photo products and processing services, as well as saving accounts) that strengthened its position at the market. The distribution network was increased to more than 500 stores all over Mexico that made Elektras products more available to customers. With four different chains (Elektra, Bodega de Remates, Salinas y Rocha and The One) Grupo Elektra covered 87% of the Mexican population it means that the company was monopolistic. The business plan for the international expansion is made by Filiberto Jimenez in order to attack the main competitor La Curacao. The plan successfully worked and in 2001 La Curacao went bankrupt that allowed Elektra redouble companys position at the Latin America market. Elektra offered 20% lower prices than it closest competitor La Curacao that gave a possibility to deserve the customers loyalty. The major factor in Elektras success was the partnership with TV Azteca. The channel did not advertise any of Elektras competitors that allow company to create unique image and to be very effective with advertising efforts. Elektra had a huge media budget of $27 million per year and it was the largest advertiser in Mexico, in terms of airtime. The strategy followed by Elektra requires careful analyses before any merger or acquisition is made and any acquisition should result in the additional value to the whole company. The strong side of the Grupo Elektra management is a well prepared and experienced management team and motivating techniques applied to employees, people are allowed with freedom to express themselves. WEAKNESSES In the management of the company there is only one person, Alvaro Rodriguez, who makes final decisions. This limited decision power may lead to difficulties in further management of Elektra. The company has a problem with the production of cloth for the clothing chain The One. The production capacity was not enough, so there were the shortage of stock level, colors and sizes of cloths. The company is not concentrated on one kind of business, there are many business directions and not all of them are enough qualified. In El Salvador and the Dominican Republic the existed Elektras business model didnt work. The main source of companys income is financial services, such as credits. The Elektra tries to attract more and more people to live on a credit and to pay quite high interest rates. External environmental factors: OPPORTUNITIES Offering Elektras services internationally provided the opportunities to compete at the worldwide market. In year 2001 Grupo Elektra was already a well recognized in many countries. THREATS Evaluation of management and suggested solutions As SWOT analyses demonstrates strengths prevail over weaknesses in Elektra case that explains continuous prosperity and success of the company in the market. However, certain weaknesses still present and are better to be eliminated. First of all, the management is performed by a group of well prepared managers while the final decision is always made only by one person, while others are not informed what principles and criteria are followed in making decisions. It is a risky strategy since biases the success of the company toward the decision of Alvaro. Moreover, it will be rather difficult in the future to replace Alvaro Rodriguez with anyone who will be equally active, smart and so well informed about the business of the company. More people should participate in the decision making process in order to avoid subjectivity and provide necessary support to the next CEO if something happens to Alvaro Rodriguez. From one side, the Elektra system perpetuates such type of culture where lower-income groups owe their lives or earnings to a central figure in this case Elektra owner Ricardo Salinas Pliego. For example, Elektra employs 4,000 â€Å"investigators† so every potential credit client can be visited at home before a credit sale is approved. From another point of view, the Elektra gives the chance of purchasing new things immediately and it makes peoples life better.

What Theological Or Ethical Principles Religion Essay

What Theological Or Ethical Principles Religion Essay As palliative care is specialized comfort care for people who are approaching the end of their lives, it is related to many ethical issues and concerns. Its framework is based on the moral values and principles of the professionals involved, patients concerned, their families and society as a whole. Palliative care is a very sensitive issue and it is important that it is administered in an appropriate manner. The main objective is to achieve the best possible quality of life, both for the person, and for their family. As such, palliative care is more than the provision of medical relief from pain and other distressing symptoms. It encompasses the psychological, social, emotional and spiritual aspects of end of life care. The palliative care philosophy affirms life and regards dying as a normal process. It neither aims to hasten nor postpone death. It endeavours to provide a team-based support system for the person, enabling them to live as fulfilled a life as possible for the time remaining; and to help their family cope during their loved ones illness and prepare for their bereavement. Care can be provided at home, in a hospital, an aged care facility or a palliative care unit. Above all, palliative care respects the dignity of the person who is dying, carefully honouring their story, wishes and needs. A discussion about palliative care doesnt necessarily mean that death is imminent, in fact, its far better to start thinking and talking about your palliative care options before you need them. Palliative care is sometimes required for a person whose death is very near a matter of hours or days while others will need care over a longer period of time, sometimes years. In this case their care needs will tend to be less intensive and more episodic. The need for palliative care does not depend on any particular medical diagnosis, but the combination of many factors assessed through the judgement of the person, their family, the palliative care team and other medical professionals, including the persons GP. Families and carers may also receive assistance from palliative care services in order to help them cope with emotional and social problems; wounded healers also need healing. To palliate is to cover with a cloak of care; to offer protection and provide relief in the last chapter of life. A palliative approach is a type of palliative care and recognizes that death is inevitable for all of us. For me writing, I am reminded of a comment Professor John Swinton made in response to a question at the recent CAPS conference: Wherever we are in life, there is a storm coming preparedness becomes about the solidity of our foundations. End of life questions of quality, planning and dignity are ethically and theologically grounded in solidifying our foundation. Clements (1990) wrote of this, explaining that as the person moving through life finds their roles stripped from them, and if they have no spiritual foundation, they may be found naked at the core. Residential Aged Care Facilities are often the place where people spend the final chapter of their life; people come into care because they are no longer able to look after themselves and most will have chronic illness alongside ageing. The focus of care in aged care facilities is to help people live well with their illness and frailty during their time spent there. This focus on living well is the essence of the palliative approach to care. Our goal is always to assess and treat pain and other symptoms thoroughly, in familiar surroundings and in the company of the persons loved ones. Theres a Japanese proverb of which I am particularly fond, A sunset can be just as beautiful as a sunrise. In my work Ive seen many beautiful sunsets in peoples lives. Sadly, Ive also witnessed some that arent so beautiful. With forward planning they may have been different. The sudden onset of illness has a way of turning our lives, and the lives of our family and friends, upside down at any age. Suddenly decisions can be very difficult to make; thats why planning ahead is important. If we know what a persons choices and wishes are, were able to respect them if something should happen and theyre unable to tell us themselves. Medical treatment to manage symptoms goes alongside comfort care and could include surgery or medications. The focus of a palliative approach is on living. That is why staff will want to set goals and to plan for how the person wants to live the rest of their life. The end-of-life stage is an extraordinarily profound and emotional time; and a person does not have to be religious to have spiritual considerations. Spirituality is about how we make meaning in our lives and feel connected to other things, people, communities and nature. Spiritual questions, beliefs and rituals are often central to people when they are in the final chapter of their lives. Ensuring that staff are informed about each residents unique spiritual considerations will allow them to be properly respected and addressed. Helping the person to tell their story can help them find meaning, affirmation and reassurance. To effectively palliate would mean that: family and staff communicate openly and with compassion with the person in care and with each other; that pain control and comfort is achieved as far as possible; that the resident has every opportunity to communicate with those who are important to them; and that their physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs are addressed and as far as possible met. One size cloak of care does not fit all (Hudson, 2012). When these elements are neglected the cloak becomes an empty cover up, leaving the resident exposed rather than protected. When the cloak does not fit it is uncomfortable to wear (Hudson 2012) but the vulnerable population of people in their fourth age may wear it anyway for fear of seeming ungrateful. An appropriate cloak of care must have a spiritual lining, and provide opportunities to reveal hidden hurt; forgive, reconcile; and find peace in loss through tasks of self-reflection and self-transcendence. Spiritual and pa storal care in this context aims for wholeness and spiritual growth. Palliative care should not palliate death itself denying the stark reality of death and dying with false platitudes and consolation can mask existential pain and real needs and further, make these taboo. From a Christian theology, death is recognized as inevitable and necessary. Ageing is an inescapable process that in part defines human existence and experience. From the moment we are born we age. Ageing only ends when we die. Experience of human life tells us that ageing and death are linked. The curse of Adam in Genesis 3 introduces this finitude to our lives. Our role as pastoral carers is one of empowerment, relationship and human presence. Care of people who are suffering means providing real spiritual care, where a closeness or intimacy is developed between the person who is suffering and the carer. This is often quite alien for health professionals, who, through the culture of residential aged care accreditation, are subscript to activity theory and a doing role that emphasizes action rather than being with (MacKinlay, 2006). This involves not a sense of competence, but a sense of humility in the awareness of our own inability to fix anything, beyond being with that person at their point of need. The vulnerability of being present to ageing and death constitutes a simple and costly demand to stay. Not to understand or explain just to stay; Or else to expire in terrible wilderness, lonely silence (Caldwell 1960). In MacKinlays (2006) observation that care of people who are suffering means to walk the journey of suffering with them, to be present with them and authentic in caring (p. 167) I am reminded of Jesus telling his disciples to watch and pray (Matthew 26:36-46)  to bear witness. We cannot cure the scriptural worst enemy of the fatal sting but we CAN care sincerely respecting that the cloak is not ours to fashion and that the chapter will always have an end (Hudson, 2012). Jesus, in becoming human and by his death and resurrection, defeats death and gives resurrection hope of a body free from ageing, decline and frailty, providing hope to all people, especially those in the fourth age. Terminal illnesses do not inhibit people the way they used to; a person burdened with such an illness can live a long and reasonably well life. Consequently terminal disease is tangled in an ethics web concerning limited health resources, contributing to funding and community tensions. These tensions intrinsically present ethical issue in the equity of service provision. Stemming from this is the sensitive nature of transitioning to palliative care, and further to end-of-life care. End of life can be defined as that part of life where a person is living with, and impaired by, an eventually fatal condition, even if the prognosis is ambiguous, or unknown. The World Health Organisation defines palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of individuals and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and management of pain and other needs, physical, psychological and spiritual. There is further tension surrounding communication and generational knowledge. As with Jefferys Mrs Davis there can be enormous gaps in generational perspective which may compromise informed decisions. The onus for decision making in a palliative care team lies with the resident themselves so, ethically, whose responsibility is it to be sure that a decision is well-informed? And further, who can be unbiased in providing information so as not to manipulate a decision? Contradictory beliefs, conflicting principles, and competing duties between the parties involved in end-of-life care can tear the cloak. Beauchamps primary principles of health care include: non-maleficence, confidentiality, autonomy, truth telling, informed consent, and justice. Empathy underpins each of the principles above, and in this lies the difficulty. We cannot understand (Okon, 2006 cited by Hudson 2012), we cannot try the cloak on for size but sometimes just looking as though you could understand (Saunders, 1987 cited by Hudson, 2012) makes a world of difference and goes some way to thwart loneliness. In end-of-life care, our presence as pastoral carers is strengthened in enabling spiritual growth through the sharing of connectedness and ritual. A palliative approach is built on an understanding of the uniqueness of individuals life histories and personalities, and implies commitment to an individuals developmental tasks of ageing and coming to peace. To be able to reach such goals as personal satisfaction, the individual must have means of expressing themselves. Our role in the care of older people is to support and enable each individuals sense of meaning and self-expression; to affirm each individual as a person of great value, and loved by God. Aged care is a delicate balancing act in that functional decline, infirmities and diseases are often inherent in ageing. Because of the nature of chronic illness in the fourth age, a caring response in the face of incurable illness is respect, and commitment to personal autonomy and integrity. That is, our role in promoting overall comfort and wellbeing through positively reinforcing and enabling those with such prognoses, to live to their best quality of life. The goal of palliative care is to provide comfort and care when cure is no longer possible. This paradigm shift entails a shift in the definition of autonomy. People at the end stage of life are not playing by the same rules as you or I who would oblige patient autonomy and nod to expert medical opinion. Health professionals in this context need to be enablers not decision makers. Gradual functional decline and loss of control in autonomy are inevitable with age. Loss of control is painful and scary. Perhaps this kind of persona is paralleled only in infancy leaving our elders feeling a sense of childhood being forced upon them (Jeffery, 2001). Unfortunately admission to aged care often does not help these older adults to feel less like children. The danger and ethical dilemma here is the assumption of impaired autonomy; in that decisions are made and autonomy declared lost even when this is unnecessary, because it is a simpler, easier course of action we know what is good for you (Jeffery, 2001). The basis of this kind of paternalism is beneficence its motivation is to act in a persons best interest so that no one gets harmed; making harm or burden the reason for intervention. Some loss of autonomy is inevitable in later life and steps have to be taken to act in the incompetent persons best interest, sometimes with their wishes recorded in living wills or advance care plans. Often autonomy presupposes someone, who acts in accordance with such a pre-conceived plan, and who is rational and independent; but autonomy may be better understood in terms of identity and self expression of values (Jeffery, 2001). A written advance care plan is about ensuring peace of mind. Effective advance care planning can avoid an unwanted transfer to a hospital. But even such counteractions as advance care planning can be problematic as these are based on todays situation and forecasted futures i.e. these cannot take into account tomorrows medical breakthrough. This being the case, there arise new ethical dilemmas e.g. do we have a right as people acting in someones best interests to tweak what they have proclaimed to want for themselves? Would they have wanted what they said they wanted were they deciding now? When autonomy is understood as a property of action or a capacity of persons (Reich, 1995); impaired autonomy, becomes a hopelessly limiting self fulfilling prophecy in that it diminishes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the opportunities of those who lack certain abilities or capacities (Caplan, 1992). Autonomy needs to be seen as a way of valuing the human person, respecting them and recognizing their right to make decisions as the master of themselves. Personhood is not compromised or incapacitated by end stage life we are who we remember one another to be an essential aspect of being human is to care and be cared for; interdependence is a non-accidental feature of the human condition. Being human, we are bearers of the image of God (Gen 1:26). This image demonstrates our capacity for relationship with God, and with the rest of humanity (Green, 197). This capacity for relationship does not diminish as we age. If autonomy is taken as valuing ones uniqueness and the capacity to give gifts, it is a search for meaning in life authenticity. That is: as Jeffery writes; authentic choice is the autonomy of action that requires meaningful choices to be offered and identified with which equates to ones values and essentially what they stand for. If this is how we understand autonomy then this sheds new light on impaired autonomy. In effect we lose the ability to stand for what we stand for. In this case, autonomy becomes less about incompetence and more about advocacy in helping the person to reconnect their essential values to their choices and allowing them to give meaning to their life. By honouring this form of authentic control rather than a control via acquiescent consent or accept it or leave it culture we enable fulfillment and empowerment of the persons dignity. Being a resident in a nursing home may conjure conceptions of a twisted and limited self, and is destructive of autonomy. This is partly because the environment is thick with congruity and thin with community (Jeffery 2001); and partly because decision making is made nearly obsolete. The desire to control is moderated by the self-realization of the possibility of not being able to process all the relevant information: as the person psychologically shrinks, so too does their autonomy and self faith. Further, someone faced with a life shock can find their autonomy impaired in that they find themselves in a dramatically different world where previous life plans have no meaning and even stable values disappear (Jeffery 2001). In such settings autonomy becomes about the ability to make meaningful choices. An older person may not be able to carry out what they decide, but they are able to recognize commitments and to be themselves (Jeffery, 2001). As partners in end-of-life care, aged care staff must take into account such ethical dilemmas as autonomy and intergenerational tension in the way physical care is given; by focusing on presence, meaningful experience, journeying together, listening, connecting, creating openings, and engaging in reciprocal sharing.  Affirmative relationships support residents, enabling them to respond to their spiritual needs. Barriers to appropriate palliative care include lack of time, personal, cultural or institutional factors, and professional educational needs.  By addressing these, we may make an important contribution to the improvement of patient care towards the end of life.

Motherly Love Essays -- essays research papers

Motherly Love   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the three stories we read by Flannery O’Connor; â€Å"The Comforts of Home†, â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†, and â€Å"The Enduring Chill†, the major relationship portrayed was between mothers and their hypersensitive sons. While all of the major characters, the sons, were noticeably similar, the lesser characters of the mothers were also very alike in many ways. Many of their views, gestures and outward qualities paralleled throughout the stories. After rereading all of the stories again I came to the realization that the mothers O’Connor wrote in her stories were variations of the same person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the qualities that jump out first is that all three mothers are incredibly proud of their sons, even if they have no reason to be. Julian’s mother loves to tell people how her â€Å"son finished college last year. He wants to write but he’s selling typewriters until he gets started† (10). She does not care that he has not truly written anything, but that he has graduated college and that he is trying to get his life on track. She is constantly reminding him that â€Å"Rome wasn’t built in a day† (11), and she truly believes this about her son; that eventually he will go places with his writing. Mrs. Fox, Asbury’s mother, while not particularly glad that he is a writer, is proud that he is an artist and has every faith that her son â€Å"might be writing a long book† (90). While not as vocal about how she is proud of her son, she is happy that he is doing what he wants; writing. Thomas’ mother was often found boasting about her son to Star Drake. In the two’s first meeting, Thomas’ mother tells Star that â€Å"Thomas writes history†¦ He’s the president of the local Historical Society this year† (123). This statement alone proves that she is impressed by what her son does and what he has become in his life, otherwise I doubt his mother would have mentioned it. A lot of the pride these mothers have in their son’s may be due to the fact that, except in the case of Asbury, they are only children to single mothers. Since they are all portrayed as older women, of course they will have pride in what their sons do, since they have little in their lives to boast about. Yet, it seems to me that these mothers feel their sons can do no wrong in life, which may be a cause of why their sons tend to walk all over them. &nb... ...l are single and assumed to be widowed. O’Connor uses the blue eyes to further connect these background characters who have more in common then what initially meets the eye.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the three stories by Flannery O’Connor that we read for class, the mothers played more important roles then initially thought. They help to shape the story and their sons. Each of them has their own individual qualities, but is very similar to the others. They are all proud of their sons and their achievements, even though these boys feel that they are lacking in one-way or another, are very innocent in all that they do and think, and have many similar outward qualities. These factors put together lead me to believe that O’Connor had the same person in mind when writing each of these stories. Maybe she used different aspects of the same person, but it would be hard for me to believe that more then one person was in mind when writing these stories. The same innocent, heart-driven, blue-eyed mother was depicted in all three stories, just in slightly different situations. In summary, O’Connor had the same person in mind when writing about the mother in all three of these stories.

Entrepreneur Essay -- Entrepreneurial Theories

The analytical framework above reveals the personality attributes that make an individual become an entrepreneur and the attributes are illustrated from conception to the end process. It is made up of a combination of entrepreneurial theories that allude to the psychological traits of an individual. A variety of entrepreneurial theories will be used to explain the framework. Conception of the personality attribute of an entrepreneur is the will to establish a kingdom, followed by the need for achievement, then internal locus of control closely followed by non-conformist and finally the culmination of all the personality attributes lead to an entrepreneur. According to Goss (2005), Joseph Schumpeter suggested that one of the psychological traits of an entrepreneur is the ‘will to establish a private kingdom’. This is not only a personality attribute but it is a form of entrepreneurial motivation that can be found in entrepreneurs and individuals who might become entrepreneurs. In the framework above, it is highlighted as the first stage of one of many personality traits attributed to entrepreneurs. Goss (2005) argued that Schumpeter’s entrepreneurial motivation with regards to the will to establish a private kingdom’ is focused on an individual gaining and losing social status i.e. the motive is one gains power which protects one from the feelings of shame. Goss (2005) views Schumpeter’s three entrepreneurial motives from a sociological prism and not a psychological one. After much examination of Schumpeter’s writings, Goss (2005) arrived at the conclusion that social interaction and emotions are key variables in entrepreneurial actions. Also, Barnes (2000) views the motives from a sociological prism and argues otherwise that ... ...personal resources. Kets De Vries (1977) argues that entrepreneurs are ‘anxious individuals, who are non-conformist, poorly organised and not a stranger to self-destructive behaviour’. The attribute of non-conformist can be applied to Victoria yet the characteristics of poor organisation or self-destructive behaviour cannot be applied to Victoria as she does not portray these personalities. Although Victoria reveals she has an inner direction with self-reliance, she does not neglect interpersonal relations with her family, work colleagues and clients. Overall, the dream to establish a private kingdom, a high need for achievement, internal locus of control and non-conformist behaviour all contribute towards the personality attributes of an entrepreneur. In conclusion, entrepreneurs need to possess a high need for achievement and a high internal locus of control.

Rage Against Machine Three Rebels Essay

The protagonists of the novels Emma by Jane Austen, My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain all share a rebellious streak that both serves them well and causes them trouble in their respective novels. However, these protagonists didn’t operate with a wild disregard to the rules of their society and times. Rather, all three characters are constrained in the end by the mores of Victorian England, Orthodox Jewish society and 19th century Southern values respectively. Exploring such aspects of Emma, My Name is Asher Lev, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as theme, historical context, and psychological traits, it will be shown that despite Emma Woodhouse’s disdain for the institution of marriage, Asher Lev’s living in the two seemingly opposite worlds of art and Jewish society, and Huckelberry Finn’s lack of respect for social refinement and rules, the three protagonists did not entirely succeed in their goals of living lives that went against the grain of their societies. Emma Woodhouse was described in the pages of Emma as a â€Å"†¦ handsome, clever, and rich†¦ † (Austen, p. 1, 1816) young woman who was the apple of her doting father’s eye and the mistress of Hartfield, their family estate. Taking credit for the union of her former governess and a Mr. Weston, Emma decided to further hone her â€Å"matchmaking† skills by setting up her friend Harriet Smith with various men of higher social status. This interest in Harriet Smith’s marriage prospects directly contradicts Emma’s own quest to remain single in a society that offered women only bleak alternatives to marriage. Despite Emma’s twin resolves to remain single and find Harriet a suitable mate, Emma eventually caved into the demands that were made on women of high social status when she gets engaged and realized that Harriet marrying a farmer named Robert Martin would forever alter their relationship. Asher Lev, the protagonist of My Name is Asher Lev, had loved to draw ever since he was small. His father, an important figure in the Ladover community, tried to discourage his son from getting too serious about his art while his mother implored Asher to draw pictures that were â€Å"pretty†, an assault to her son’s melancholy artistic temperment. Despite reading in an art book that an artist should be free of religion, country, etc, Asher decides that he will try to balance being a devout Jew with being a passionate artist. Under the guidance of Jacob Kahn, a non-practicing Jewish artist, Asher’s art and his knowledge flourishes as he explores the use of crucifixes in his work. Asher is uneasy about showing the crucifixion pictures in a show, but he goes through with it, being true to his calling as an artist. The crucifixes ultimately prove to be Asher Lev’s undoing as he is shunned by his parents and the Ladover community in general. Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is an adolescent boy who enjoys looking for trouble with his friend Tom Sawyer way more than trying to become a civilized boy at the hands of the widow and Miss Watson. After running away from his drunkard father, he decides to travel with Jim, who left Miss Watson’s house after he found out that Miss Watson was thinking of selling him. Even though Huckleberry Fin grows attached to Jim, he harbors doubts throughout the story about hiding a runaway slave. He even thinks about turning Jim in before deciding that having a conscience just wasn’t worth the mental agony of losing his friend. In the end, the protagonist’s rebellious act of helping a slave escape his captors prove to be for nothing as Miss Watson, his former master, decides to set him free. All three novels have themes that somehow relate back to rebellion or freedom. In Emma, the protagonist told her friend Harriet Smith that she never intended on getting married, a bold pronouncement in Victorian England. Her reasons are simple: â€Å"Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want; I believe few married women are half as much mistress of their husband’s house as I am of Hartfield†¦ † (Austen, p. 74, 1816) What Emma was saying was that her social status allowed her the freedom to chart her own course throughout life, an option given to few women at the time. Another way that Emma tried to rebel against the social customs of Victorian England was to find her friend Harriet a mate of high social status. Since Harriet’s bloodline was unknown, most people would have scoffed at a pairing of Harriet with a man like Mr. Elton or Frank Churchill. Mr. Knightley echoes this sentiment when talking to Mrs. Weston: â€Å"Hartfield will only put her out of conceit with all the other places she belongs to. She will grow just refined enough to be uncomfortable with those among whom birth and circumstances have placed her home. † (Austen, p. 31,1816) Freedom is the overarching theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. At the beginning and end of the novel, the protagonist yearns to be free from the rules and civilization of 19th century polite Southern society. For a boy that seemed to be hemmed in by clean clothes and spelling lessons, floating on a raft must have seemed like heaven: â€Å"Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. † (Twain, p. 134, 1985) The novel even ends with Huckleberry Finn promising to run away looking for more adventures, claiming that he â€Å"been there before† (Twain, p. 296, 1985) with the civilized life. One of the themes of My Name is Asher Lev is the protagonist’s struggle between life as a devout Jew and life as an artist dedicated to his craft. This battle is evident on the first page as Asher Lev introduces himself to a reader that is already familiar with his work. In this passage, Asher tears himself apart yet defends himself at the same time, showing uncertainty years later with his decision to show the crucifixes: I am an observant Jew. Yes, of course, observant Jews do not paint crucifixions. As a matter of fact, observant Jews do not paint at all-in the way that I am painting†¦ I am a traitor, an apostate, a self-hater, an inflicter of shame upon my family†¦ Well, I am none of those things. And yet, in all honesty, I confess that my accusers are not altogether wrong; I am indeed, in some way, all of those things. (Potok, p. 1, 1972) It was established earlier that Emma rebelled against Victorian society by resolving to stay single and fix up her friend Harriet with a man above her social status. As the novel ended with Emma’s engagement to Mr. Knightley and Harriet’s engagement to Robert Martin, Emma realized that rebellion wasn’t quite her cup of tea, deciding to let her friendship with Harriet fall to that of social goodwill: â€Å"The intimacy between her and Emma must sink; their friendship must change into a calmer sort of goodwill†¦ † (Austen, p. 435, 1816) At the start of the novel, Emma wanted to live her life according to her rules, but by the end became caught up in the social mores of Victorian England. Sharing the psychological trait of rebelliousness with Emma Woodhouse, Huckleberry Finn did everything he could to escape the stifling life of rules and convention, even traveling the length of the Mississippi River with a runaway slave. However, the protagonist almost gave in to social conventions several times when he seriously thought about turning Jim in to the authorities. Huckleberry Finn even wrote a letter to Miss Watson telling her of Jim’s whereabouts, feeling better afterward. However, as Huckleberry Finn thought of all the things that Jim had done for him, he tears up the letter, saying â€Å"All right, then, I’ll go to hell† (Twain, p. 223, 1985) The rebellious streak in Asher Lev started early. Even at a young age, Asher was willing to defend his gift, no matter the situation. For example, when Asher was called into the mashpia’s office for drawing a sinister picture of the Rebbe, Asher boldly stood up for his art to his disapproving father, something a polite Orthodox Jewish kid did not do in those times: â€Å"Foolishness is something that’s stupid†¦ Foolishness is something a person shouldn’t do. Foolishness is something that brings harm to the world. Foolishness is a waste of time. Please don’t call it foolishness any more, Papa. † (Potok, p. 129, 1972) Like Huckleberry Finn, Asher Lev knew how he wanted to live his life at a very young age. Also like Huck Finn, Asher was willing to thwart social conventions in order to communicate this. Despite the rebellious streaks of Emma Woodhouse, Huckleberry Finn, and Asher Lev, the time periods in which the three novels take place largely serve to mute the three protagonists’ individuality. In Emma, for example, women of her class were expected to be married. Those who didn’t were largely seen as pathetic beings on which to take pity. The character of Miss Bates was presented as a ridiculous character, seen as a clown-like figure by Emma and others, and seen as an object of sympathy such characters as Mr. Knightley. Even Harriet Smith saw Miss Bates as someone to be pitied. However, Emma, Harriet, and even Jane Fairfax, thought to be doomed to a governess position, escaped Miss Bates’ fate by marrying according to the social customs of Victorian England. Rebellious in her youth, Emma realizes the â€Å"error† of her ways and did her womanly duty. The vile tradition of slavery provided a subtle color to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Yes, the protagonist became close friends with a runaway slave. However, it was obvious that Huckleberry Finn was conflicted about this friendship. One example of this conflict occurred when the protagonist meets his friend Tom Sawyer , who was on his way to visit relatives. When Tom suggests that they steal Jim away from the Phelps’ farm, Huckleberry Finn is flabbergasted: â€Å"Well, I let go all holts, then, like I was shot. It was the most astonishing speech I had ever heard-and I’m bound to say Tom Sawyer fell, considerable, in my estimation. † (Twain, p. 235, 1985) In other words, it was ok for Jim to travel with Huck when they were in no danger of getting caught. Once caught, Jim was no longer Huck’s problem. He was even surprised that anyone would go to the trouble of breaking the law to help a slave escape. Huckleberry Finn wasn’t a bad person. He was just a victim of pre-Civil War America. Growing up an Orthodox Jew who was also a gifted artist in the mid 20th century was a unique situation for Asher Lev. Throughout My Name is Asher Lev, the protagonist had tried valiantly to combine being a devout Jew with being an even more devout artist. He observed the Jewish faith despite studying under a non-practicing Jewish artist and living in Europe for a while. At the end, something had to give in Asher’s struggle between Judaism and art, and it ended up being his place in the Ladover community. As Asher walked down the street after the Rebbe cast him out of the community, he contemplates his life thus far: â€Å"I was demonic and devine†¦ Asher Lev†¦ was the child of the Master of the Universe and the Other Side. Asher Lev paints good pictures and hurts people he loves. † (Potok, 367, 1972) From this passage, one can see how Asher Lev wondered whether the sacrifice was actually worth the love of his parents and his community. The protagonists of Emma, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and My Name is Asher Lev all sought to do things that were not really done in their times. Emma Woodhouse sought to raise the social status of her friend by marriage while remaining single herself in a time when both acts were looked down upon. Huckleberry Finn wanted to escape civilization while bringing along a runaway slave for company. Asher Lev wanted to combine the life of faith with the life of art in a time when no one would even think about the two concepts together. Ultimately, the times of the three rebel protagonists proved to be too much, dulling their mutinous acts.

Beowulf Assessment

In the epic, Beowulf, the main character faces many antagonists who have the exact opposite of the virtues of Anglo-Saxon culture. Beowulf, the protagonist, obviously possesses all the virtues important to Anglo-Saxons. The first antagonist that Beowulf faces is named Unferth. Unferth is not loyal in that killed his brother slyly and that he offers Beowulf a sword to fight Grendel that shows that he is too cowardly to fight the monster himself. Loyalty and bravery are two of the most important virtues present in Anglo-Saxon literature. Unferth is also demeaning and cruel to his guest Beowulf. In most Anglo-Saxon literature, hospitality towards guests is very important and expected. The next antagonist is Grendel. He is very ambiguous and very monstrous in appearance although exhibiting many human emotion and impulses. Grendel exhibits aggression, loneliness, and jealously. He is somewhat cowardly in that he attacks at night when men are asleep and he runs back to his lair after his encounter with Beowulf. Grendel’s mother has the same virtues as her son except she fights out of anger. She really has no cause for fighting. The dragon is very grotesque and preys on the town. He is very selfish which is not part of an Anglo-Saxon protagonist like Beowulf in that he attacks the town after having one piece of treasure stolen. All three monsters are portrayed as evil, aggressive villains especially since they battle against the hero, Beowulf. Unferth is a human example of a protagonist lacking loyalty and bravery.