Media Influences on Social Norms and Health free essay sample

Messages the Public learn In today’s culture, the media influences many aspects of daily life. For the purpose of this research the media will encompass television, newspaper, magazines, and internet and the messages learned from these outlets relating to illness. In addition, investigating how people in power authoritative the messages portrayed on the media outlets and the agenda behind the messages. The people or organizations that influence the media have a big impact on the way we learn or feel about illness. Human beings can come to accept most anything that is repeated on the news, published in magazines, and said by people of influence. People in power will include, for the purpose of this argument, those with credentials, self-help â€Å"experts†, and funding agencies for specific illnesses. The media and people in power control what the public learns about illness. Moreover, publicizing illness when there is a finical gain or what socio-economic group suffers from the disorder or illness. We will write a custom essay sample on Media Influences on Social Norms and Health or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to Brumberg (2000), anorexia nervosa was a relatively unheard of disease until the 1980s. Today it is so commonplace that women will see a friend who has lost weight or looks skinny and refer to her as â€Å"looking anorexic. † If this disease was only labeled as anorexia around thirty years ago how did it explode into mainstream culture so quickly? There are a number of different arguments to pose: elite women from Ivy League universities took interest in the topic, the three most popular women’s’ magazines published many stories about the disease, and people of social status died from this disease (Brumberg 2000). Different diverse newspapers became intrigued and jumped on the anorexia bandwagon, even including pictures of gauntly women on the covers claiming outrageously high numbers of women that now have this disease (Brumberg, 2000). It is also important to note that nearly all of the anorexia sufferers were white and came from rich families (Brumberg 2000). These girls coming from wealthy families obviously had the money to pay for treatment and doctors. It is possible that their families ran in circles with doctors, scientists, and people that have social status to make powerful decisions. These decisions generated media attention leading to the general public being flooded with movies, documentaries, and news broadcasts (Brumberg 2000). If these affected by this new disease of anorexia were poor and underprivileged arguably the public would not have learned about anorexia and it might possibly not exist today. Like anorexia, the disease of fibromyalgia did not exist as a labeled disorder until the mid seventies (Barker 1999). Remarkably now six million Americans are diagnosed a syndrome which did not exist thirty years ago. Self-help literature and the internet is one of the biggest facilitators in generating information to the public as well as funded organizations (Barker 1999). According to Barker (1999) fibromyalgia is characterized by many different symptoms and it can present itself differently for every case. Interesting enough during interviews Barker performed with twenty-five women only one woman had not read self-help books, but she relied on information from her support group leader to learn about her syndrome (Barker 1999). Debatably, these women may have never learned they had a syndrome, lived their lives without media messages, and possibly saving money, time, and heartache dealing with this new diagnosis. By looking at the new diseases of fibromyalgia and anorexia it is clear that the media and people of influence taught the general public about these illnesses and facilitated there widespread exposure, but how does the media choose what messages to deliver and what messages to keep away from the general public. Clearly, anorexia was a disease of wealthy, attractive girls which could make a good story, generating money for the news outlets, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, fibromyalgia could generate the same type of financial gain for doctors and medical companies, but are these the only motivators for the media and powerful people. According to Armstrong, Carpenter, and Hojnacki (2004) who constructed a study about whose deaths matter in America with attention to the mass media and the same motivators were congruent with the results they found. Consistent with powerful people controlling messages in the media, Armstrong et. al (2004) discovered that celebrities and members of Congress become involved with different diseases promoting attention and consequently leading to these promoted diseases appearing on national media outlets. For example, when Karen Carpenter died of anorexia it brought many celebrities together to publicize anorexia teaching the public the importance of treatment for anorexia (Brumberg 2000). The media claims that the diseases they cover are those that affect the general population but ironically the people that dictate what these general population diseases are, consist of the influential people and those with credentials (Armstrong et. al 2004). During Armstrong et. al (2004) study they also discovered that the media is more likely to cover diseases that affect white people than black people, even if a disease is killing many more blacks than whites. Mass media focuses more on the color of someone’s skin and social status than the mortality rate of a certain disease or illness. This absurdity can also be seen not only with what the media covers, but with what they choose not to cover. From the 1960s to 1980s black men in Harlem had a lower rate of survival than men in Bangladesh (McCord and Freeman 1990) and this was not publicized or put on any major media outlet. If white men had a lower survival rate it would have been all over the major news headlines because of their socio-economic status and control towards the media. The unequal coverage of media attention because of issues of power, race, and money in turn condition the general public’s perception about illness. Even people that are educated and intelligent many times cannot control being manipulated by the media to go along with messages they are delivering. What’s more is if the doctors, celebrities, and powerful funding companies are not endorsing an illness, therefore the media does not cover it, the general public will not ever hear about it. Surely, if anorexia suffers would have been black women with low socio-economic status the top women’s magazines in the country would not have published stories, news broadcasts would have been non-existent, and quite possibly anorexia would only be known to few and not a mainstream disease. Diseases that affect minority groups draw far less media attention and Armstrong et. al (2004) theorizes that it stems from predominantly white broadcasters and media executives. Furthermore, speculating that media workers would rather focus on illness that affects their particular social class and group (Armstrong et. al 2004). This theory continues to support the argument that the people in power are working through the media to control the messages the public learn about illness and disease. Organized advocates, research scientists, and politically active organizations also have a high investment in messages the media relays to the public. Advocates call great attention to their cause threw drawing on media attention and aligning themselves with politicians that support their cause in accordance with the policy goals of the politician (Armstrong et. al 2004). It is a win for all involved; the politicians get the media coverage they want for their agenda, again sending messages about illness in a political format. People in power and the media have an enormous function in controlling what messages the public learns about illness. There are many different reasons they want to control the messages humans take in through various types of media outlets. Facilitating their own social group, money, and political gain are just a few addressed in this argument. The mass media, controlled by powerful people decide what illness they want the public to learn about and often times it has more to do with race and status than how many people are actually suffering or even dying from a disease.

Legal Issues of Zoom Car Company

Legal Issues of Zoom Car Company This paper discusses whether Zoom Car Company’s conduct of selling a car with faulty dashboard compass to Daniel Boone constituted a tort as presented in the hypothetical case? This question is significant because Zoom Car Company can only be held liable for Daniel Boone’s loss if its action significantly contributed to Daniel Boone’s physical harm. Zoom Car Company committed an unintentional tort by selling a car with faulty dashboard compass to Daniel Boone.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Legal Issues of Zoom Car Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Under torts law, Zoom Car Company should assume liability for any accident that occurs as a result of faults in its cars. Even though Corrigan Rulers Compasses and Slide Rules, Inc. also committed a tort by selling a faulty dashboard compass to Zoom Car Company, it is the responsibility of Zoom Car Company to ensure that all dashboard compasses are in good condition before installing then in their cars. It is clear from the facts provided in the hypothetical case that Daniel Boone, the plaintiff suffered physical injury. It is also clear from the facts in the case that the plaintiff got lost while driving at night and drove into a high crime area mainly due to the faulty dashboard compass installed in his car. The main reason why the plaintiff opted to buy a car from Zoom Car Company was the fact that its cars had dashboard compasses and would thus assist him in finding his direction whenever he is lost. Daniel Boone’s loss was largely caused by the fact that his dashboard compass was faulty. It is as a result of this that Daniel Boone found himself in a high crime area and ended up with physical injury. Had his dashboard compass been in good working condition, Daniel Boone would not have faced such a misfortune and would have also not incurred any medical cost. Under torts law, the defendant is liable for the plai ntiff’s misfortune as it would have been avoided if his car was installed with proper dashboard compass. The defendant unintentionally caused loss to the plaintiff and should thus take responsibility for his medical costs. While it is clear that the plaintiff suffered injury and incurred medical expenses, it is not clear whether the dashboard compass installed in his car was faulty at the time he bought this car from Zoom Car Company. There is a possibility that the plaintiff would have tempered with the dashboard compass. Besides, customers are always given the opportunity to confirm that goods are in good working condition before purchasing them. How come the plaintiff did not detect the faultiness of dashboard compass at the time he was purchasing this car? Is the defendant’s conduct outrageous to have caused the plaintiff his misfortune? Remember Zoom Car Company only installs dashboard compasses.Advertising Looking for essay on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company responsible for manufacturing dashboard compasses is Corrigan Rulers Compasses and Slide Rules, Inc. If the dashboard compasses was not properly installed then, the defendant would be liable. The plaintiff should be clear on whether the dashboard compass was faulty or not properly installed before placing any liability on the defendant. Under civil law, defendant is not directly linked to the plaintiff’s misfortune and, therefore, is not liable to his medical costs. If I was the charge presiding over this case, my ruling would be based on a critical analysis of the facts presented above. First, it is clear from these facts that both the plaintiff and the defendant contributed to the loss suffered by the plaintiff. Under comparative negligence rule, the defendant is only liable for the loss suffered by the plaintiff if he/she had the highest percentage of contribution to the loss. In this ca se, the defendant contributed to the plaintiff’s loss by selling a car with faulty dashboard compass to the plaintiff. The plaintiff contributed to the loss through his negligence as he did not bother to confirm whether the compass was faulty during the purchase of the vehicle and by driving at night when he is not sure of his direction. Apart from comparative negligence, vicarious liability ruling is also applicable in this case. Under vicarious liability, the defendant is liable for harm caused to the plaintiff as a result of a legally binding relationship between them. While this ruling is most applicable when dealing with employee-employer relationship, in this case the car will assume the position of the employee and Zoom Car Company, the employer. It is due to the fault in the car that the plaintiff suffered damage. Since the car was bought from Zoom Car Company, the company should assume any liability arising from faults in the car. Besides, the plaintiff entrusted his future safety to the defendant when he bought a car with dashboard compass assuming that he will never lose his direction. The defendant is thus liable to his loss under torts law as its car failed to fulfill this responsibility. From this analysis, I can conclusively rule that the defendant is liable for loss suffered by the plaintiff. First, the defendant greatly contributed to loss through its negligence. The company ought to verify its devices before installing them to ensure that they are in good working condition. If this was done the damage suffered by the plaintiff would have been avoided. Second, as the company responsible for installing dashboard compasses in their cars, the plaintiff should assume any vicarious liability resulting from faultiness of this device. Zoom Car Company should thus assume liability for Daniel Boone’s medical costs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Legal Issues of Zoom Car Company specifically for you for only $1 6.05 $11/page Learn More

Origins of the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame

Origins of the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame The Mesoamerican Ball Game is the oldest known sport in the Americas  and originated in southern Mexico approximately 3,700 years ago. For many pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Aztec, it was a ritual, political and social activity that involved the whole community. The ball game took place in specific I-shaped buildings, recognizable in many archaeological sites, called ballcourts. There are an estimated 1,300 known ballcourts in Mesoamerica. Origins of the Mesoamerican Ball Game The earliest evidence of the practice of the ball game comes to us from ceramic figurines of ballplayers recovered from El Opeà ±o, Michoacan state in western Mexico about 1700 BC. Fourteen rubber balls were found at the shrine of El Manatà ­ in Veracruz, deposited over a long period beginning about 1600 BC. The oldest example of a ballcourt discovered to date was built about 1400 BC, at the site of Paso de la Amada, an important Formative site in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico; and the first consistent imagery, including ball-playing costumes and paraphernalia, is known from the San Lorenzo Horizon of the Olmec civilization, ca 1400-1000 BC. Archaeologists agree that the origin of the ball game is linked with the origin of ranked society. The ball court at Paso de la Amada was constructed near the chiefs house and, later on, the famous colossal heads were carved depicting leaders wearing ballgame helmets. Even if the locational origins are not clear, archaeologists believe that the ball game represented a form of social display- whoever had the resources to organize it gained social prestige. According to Spanish historical records and indigenous codexes, we know that the Maya and Aztecs used the ball game to solve hereditary issues, wars, to foretell the future and to make important ritual and political decisions. Where the Game Was Played The ball game was played in specific open constructions called ball courts. These usually were laid out in the form of a capital I, consisting of two parallel structures that delimited a central court. These lateral structures had sloping walls and benches, where the ball bounced, and some had stone rings suspended from the top. Ball courts were usually surrounded by other buildings and facilities, most of which probably were of perishable materials; however, masonry constructions usually involved surrounding low walls, small shrines, and platforms from which people observed the game. Almost all main Mesoamerican cities had at least one ball court. Interestingly, no ball court has yet been identified at Teotihuacan, the major metropolis of Central Mexico. An image of a ball game is visible on the murals of Tepantitla, one of Teotihuacans residential compounds, but no ball court. The Terminal Classic Maya city of Chichen Itz has the largest ball court; and El Tajin, a center that flourished between the Late Classic and the Epiclassic on the Gulf Coast, had as many as 17 ball courts. How the Game Was Played Evidence suggests that a wide variety of types of games, all played with a rubber ball, existed in ancient Mesoamerica, but the most widespread was the hip game. This was played by two opposing teams, with a variable number of players. The aim of the game was to put the ball into the opponents end zone without using hands or feet: only hips could touch the ball. The game was scored using different point systems; but we have no direct accounts, either indigenous or European, that precisely describe the techniques or rules of the game. Ball games were violent and dangerous and players wore protective gear, usually made of leather, such as helmets, knee pads, arm and chest protectors and gloves. Archaeologists call the special protection constructed for the hips yokes, for their resemblance to animal yokes. A further violent aspect of the ball game involved human sacrifices, which were often an integral part of the activity. Among the Aztec, decapitation was a frequent end for the losing team. It has also been suggested that the game was a way to resolve conflicts among polities without resorting to real warfare. The Classic Maya origin story told in the Popol Vuh describes the ballgame as a contest between humans and underworld deities, with the ballcourt representing a portal to the underworld. However, ball games were also the occasion for communal events such as feasting, celebration, and gambling. The Players The entire community was differently involved in a ball game: Ballplayers: The players themselves were probably men of noble origins or aspirations. The winners gained both wealth and social prestige.Sponsors: Ball court construction, as well as game organization, required some form of sponsorship. Affirmed leaders, or people who wanted to be leaders, considered ball game sponsorship an opportunity to emerge or reaffirm their power.Ritual Specialists: Ritual specialists often performed religious ceremonies before and after the game.Audience: All sorts of people participated as spectators to the event: local commoners and people coming from other towns, nobles, sport supporters, food sellers and other vendors.Gamblers: Gambling was an integral component of ball games. Bettors were both nobles and commoners, and sources tell us that the Aztec had very strict regulations about bet payments and debts. A modern version of the Mesoamerican ballgame, called ulama, is still played in Sinaloa, Northwest Mexico. The game is played with a rubber ball hit only with the hips and resemble a net-less volleyball. Updated by K. Kris Hirst Sources Blomster JP. 2012. Early evidence of the ballgame in Oaxaca, Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. Diehl RA. 2009. Death Gods, Smiling Faces Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Inc: FAMSI. (accessed in November 2010)and Colossal Heads: Archaeology of the Mexican Gulf Lowlands. Hill WD, and Clark JE. 2001. Sports, Gambling, and Government: Americas First Social Compact? American Anthropologist 103(2):331-345. Hosler D, Burkett SL, and Tarkanian MJ. 1999. Prehistoric Polymers: Rubber Processing in Ancient Mesoamerica. Science 284(5422):1988-1991. Leyenaar TJJ. 1992. Ulama, the survival of the Mesoamerican ballgame Ullamaliztli. Kiva 58(2):115-153. Paulinyi Z. 2014. The butterfly bird god and his myth at Teotihuacan. Ancient Mesoamerica 25(01):29-48. Taladoire E. 2003. Could we speak of the Super Bowl at Flushing Meadows?: La pelota . Ancient Mesoamerica 14(02):319-342.mixteca, a third pre-Hispanic ballgame, and its possible architectural context

National Cholesterol Education Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

National Cholesterol Education Program - Essay Example Additional factors include age, a family history of heart disease, and being male. The risk of heart disease is the main reason why cholesterol level alertness is required. Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD), is defined as any disorder, which impairs the normal functioning of the heart (Gandelman, 2006). Such disorders include arrhythmias, heart attack (myocardial infarction), and the various kinds of cardiomyopathy and angina. According to Barrett (2006), heart attack is ranked one among the most common causes of death in the United States and stroke is a close third. Epidemiological surveys demonstrated that there is a continuous correlation between CHD risk and serum total cholesterol levels over a broad range of cholesterol values (Grundy et al., 2004). High-risk and very high-risk people are individuals who have over 20% chance of heart attack within ten years (Barrett, 2006). The 2004 ATP III guideline regarding the said individuals state that drug therapy should be definite at 130 mg/dL (milligram per deciliter) cholesterol levels and it should be optional between 100 to 129 mg/dL levels (Barrett, 2006). This was a major change from the 2001 recommendation. Now, the goal for LDL-lowering therapy for all high-risk patients is a LDL-C level of less than 100 mg/dL (Grundy et al., 2004). According ... The ATP reports identified low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as the main target of cholesterol-lowering therapy since "Many prospective studies have shown that the high serum concentrations of LDL-C is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD)" (Grundy et al., 2004). Cholesterol-lowering therapy involves statins and some clinical trials that tested the efficiency and effectiveness of these drugs are as follows. In a Heart Protection Study (HPS) conducted in the United Kingdom involving 20 536 adults, aged 40 to 80 years and at high risk for a CVD event, the patients were randomly allocated to 40 mg simvastatin or placebo daily (Grundy et al., 2004). The results demonstrated that in patients treated with simvastatin, all-cause mortality was significantly reduced by 13%. Moreover, "Major vascular events were reduced by 24%, coronary death rate by 18%, nonfatal myocardial infarction + coronary death by 27%, nonfatal or fatal stroke by 25%, and cardiovascular revascularization by 24%" (Grundy et al., 2004). On the other hand, the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) examined the efficacy of pravastatin treatment in older people with or at high risk of developing CVD and stroke. A total of 5804 subjects aged 70 to 82 years, with history of vascular disease or CVD risk factors, were randomly assigned pravastatin or placebo treatment. The follow-up averaged 3.2 years. Results showed that baseline total cholesterol ranged from 150 mg/dL to 350 mg/dL and prasvatatin reduced LDL-C levels by 34%. Major coronary events such as nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death fell by 19% whereas CHD mortality fell by 24%. The authors of PROSPER concluded that statin therapy can be extended to

Digital technology and Education Research Proposal

Digital technology and Education - Research Proposal Example At the same time, the institutions of higher education learning have been challenged to respond to the needs of globalization, as well as the knowledge economy in order to prepare the competencies and skills of the 21st century which require changes in teaching practices and curriculum. This has created demand for competence and more transparent performance and accountability in research and teaching. Nevertheless, some policy makers perceive digital technology as an effective tool that will help in managing most of the changes and will act as a transformative tool in both teaching and learning. The 20th century has witnessed massive globalization of education. For instance, the total high education enrolment worldwide stood at 100 million in 2000s. This was 200 times higher than the enrolment at the beginning of 20th century. The number is estimated to reach 125 million by 2020. This globalization is normally characterized by huge diversification of the student enrolment since even the student from low economic backgrounds can work as part time students. Internationally, there has been massive enrolment of students especially in UK, US, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. The students normally demand flexibility in teaching and learning processes. The traditional school leavers demand more flexibility in their formal education, hence the name â€Å"digital native† grown and matured with the digital technologies and are still surrounded and immersed in digital technologies in their daily activities. Therefore, the current research will investigate the effects of digit al technology on today’s business. Today’s students have not changed just incrementally from the traditional ones but have changed in slang and styles when compared to the previous generations. There has been a big discontinuity that has fundamentally changed things until it is absolutely impossible to go back. This discontinuity

Reducing Bullying in the Nursing Environment

Reducing Bullying in the Nursing Environment Introduction Bullying is any repeated and systemic behaviour that expects to victimise, humiliate, undermine or threaten towards others, which can impact on physical and psychological well-being. Bullying has been considered as unaccepted workplace behaviour that affects occupational health and safety, and should not be tolerate in any form (Ref). This paper will provide an analytical discussion of the relevant literature of bulling in nursing environment. Rationale regards to the need of changing management plan will be outlined. The plan will utilise Lewins three steps of change theory as a guide to modify the specific phase of change. In addition, it will address the strategies for evaluating the plan outcomes. Finally, this paper will conclude insightfully highlighting main concerns about decreasing bullying behaviour in nursing environment. Literature review Workplace bullying exists in every professional. Particularly, bullying in healthcare environment has been internationally recognised and researched. 70% of US registered nurses who participant in a survey reported being bullied at work. 87% of Turkish nurses stated being bullied in another nursing survey (Ref-Barbara S. Broome). In addition, UK health care reported that recent evidence showed 85% of nurses have been involved in bullying or witnessed a bullying (Ref-Malcolm A. Lewis) and (Ref-Sharon J. Stagg) found 40% of participants never reported bullying in their study. (Ref-A typology of bullying behaviours) state that due to lack of descriptive standard to identify bullying behaviours, which leads to less of effective interventions for reducing bullying behaviours. In addition, the absence of identification of bullying behaviours, bullying acts may be commonly interpreted as office policies or personality differences. The consequences of bullying acts are seriously impact on many aspects, which include nurses, organizations and patients. According to (Ref-Michelle Cleary), the current working environment in health care setting is oriented to maintain safe practices at the meantime also to achieve effectiveness outcomes in day-to-day patients care management. Therefore, under this pressure, it is more likely to create a blaming environment. Nurses who work in a climate of bullying may lead to job dissatisfaction, which, in a way that nurses may resist come to work or call sick leave to avoid facing bullies, and present low productivity in the wards. The bulling acts may impact on both physical and psychological wellbeing, which the frequent outcomes for bullying are headaches, stress, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbance, excessive worry, impaired social skills, depression, fatigue, loss of concentration, helplessness, psychosomatic complaints, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Ref-Michelle C leary). In addition, the bullied employees from (Ref-LARS JOHAN HAUGE)s study express that they feel more role ambiguity and conflicts in the working environment, therefore, they have less social contact and communicate with colleagues that leads to poor job control and poor management. (Ref-Terri Townsend) states that up to 70% of bullied nurses leave the job, 60% of new RNs quit their first job in 6 months and a third of new graduate nurses think they choose the wrong career. (Ref-Terri Townsend) also introduce a term survivor syndrome, which means bullied nurses would either to quit the job to find another healthier work environment or adapt to the bullying behaviours as part of the culture and become a bully or bystander. When the nurses leave this professional as a result of bullying, the organization has to spend more money for recruitment and re-orientation for new nurses to replace the position. Furthermore, resulting from frequent nursing staff turnover the customer satisf action will decrease and patients may not get continuous care which may impact on patients safety issues (Ref-Michelle Cleary). (Ref- John S. Murray) expresses that the most common reason of nurses may bully others is the need of being in control of everything in the work environment. (Ref- Barbara S. Broome) also states these bullies are narcissistic. Their personality characterized as controlling and manipulative, which means that they like to dominate in interpersonal relationships. These people are self-centred that indicates low empathy, and they normally do not feel guilt over the time by bullying others. Another point of view from (Ref- Workplace bullying in nursing), they believe the educational system foster a belief that the dominate group (normally are senior staffs) is superior and the oppressed group (normally are new staffs) is inferior, therefore, the inferior has to obtain the demand from the superior. (Ref- John S. Murray) also points out that the organization may connive the bullying behaviours in some cases, due to the bullies are senior managers or staffs. The bullies are protected instead of the victims, which has prompted the bullying behaviours existing in the healthcare environment. Many studies have suggested that the organization has to establish zero tolerance policy and legislation to reduce bullying behaviours in healthcare settings (Ref-John S. Murray, Barbara S. Broome, Workplace bullying in nursing). (Ref- Barbara S. Broome) suggest that education will help nurses to recognize the bullies and bullying behaviours and provide strategies to eliminate bullying, meanwhile, they state that education on bullying should not only be provided in work environment but also be implemented in universities and continuing education program that empower new graduates to identify bullying behaviours. In addition, Hutchinson (2009) states the current approaches to bullying are remedial, corrective, regulatory and restorative. Remedial and corrective strategies are focus on individual aspect, to provide counselling to the victim, to mediate between perpetrator and target, and to educate and modify the perpetrators behaviours. Regulatory and restorative strategies are focus on organizational aspect, to provide prohibitive statements about bullying and to make the perpetrator to make amends (Hutchinson 2009). These strategies are more focus on punishing and blaming the perpetrator which has shown ineffectiveness on reduction of bullying. Hutchinson (2009) proposes another strategy named shared responsibility: a restorative approach to bullying, which will not focus on criticising the perpetrator but make the bullying behaviours at the centre. Ref recommend that two parties and their supporters need to come together to discuss the bullying situation, share the concern, share the solution of what can do to repair the harm and what can be done to prevent bullying behaviours in the future. It is important to learn forgiveness and create a non-blaming and non-judgemental working environment (Hutchinson 2009). Rationale for plan The reason to prompt the change management plan is several complaints from anonymous staffs that they feel being bullied by verbal humiliated, given more workload or hidden information from other staffs, which they have expressed their experience like: My preceptor rolled her eyes and looked at me like I was stupid every time I asked her a question. I finally stopped asking. Doesnt she realize Ive only been a nurse for 3 weeks? (Ref- Terri Townsend) Our new manager didn’t like me from the start. Within a month, she was assigning me more and more extra tasks until I couldn’t get them all done. When I tried to talk to her about my workload, she said I should be able to handle it because I was the one with the master’s degree. Later she fired me, stating I didn’t meet our department’s expectations, even though I had several complimentary letters from patients and other managers. (Ref- Terri Townsend) In addition, in those complaints, some have mentioned that they dont feel comfortable to work with certain people, thus, they called sick leave, which has alerted the management that the level of care has been decreased due to patients dissatisfaction and shortage of nursing staffs in the ward that cannot provide effective nursing care. The nursing co-ordinator from the ward has stated that she has to call more agency nurses to replace the regular staffs, whereas, this ward has almost reached the agency budget. If nurse has resigned from the facility as a result of bullying, this may cause financial burden to the organization. The organization has to pay for recruitment, training sections and orientation for new nurses, which leads approximately $15,000 directly extra cost per nurse (Ref- Reiter). Therefore, the rationale for the change management plan would be decrease the incident of bullying, increase bedside nurses retention and increase job satisfaction, which may indirect to improve customer satisfaction as a result of increased level nursing care, decrease financial burden to the facility and build up a better reputation for this facility in the industry. Change Management Plan The change management plan will be guided by Lewins change management model, which includes three phrases: unfreeze, change and refreeze. Unfreeze Identification of what has to be changed needs to be determining in this phrase (Ref- Mind Tools). As the anonymous complaints have come to my attention, these complaints will be considered as feedbacks regarding bullying behaviours in this organization. An initial survey will be conducted throughout the facility to address staffs awareness of bullying and if they willing to make a change in the work environment. A second anonymous survey will also be conducted to gather personal experiences and attitudes from bedside nurses about work related bullying and how they deal with the bullying behaviours. The surveys allow the management to understand the current perception and interaction of bullying within this organization and also motivate staff to be involved in this changing process. Another key to change is to make the organization to implement the plan, which means we have to motivate the organization to accept the idea of change is necessary for the facility and support the change (Ref- Mind Tools). The feedback from the staffs has indicated that the bullying behaviours have affected the nurses performance in daily nursing care. Bullying has decreased the nursing staffs productivity, which leads the quality of care has decreased. Customer satisfaction has decreased as a result form patients cannot receive adequate level of care, in a way that the organizations reputation would damaged. In addition, the nursing coordinator and the human resource manager expressed that high turnover rate in nursing staff, which has directly made the organization cost extra money for each replacement of nursing position. Therefore, in order to maintain reputation, quality of care and reduce financial burden, the organization has to make a change management plan. Change The transition from unfreeze to change will not happen quickly as staffs and the organization has to take time to adapt and accept the new ways of working. In this phrase, people may have questions about the process, such as what is coming and who will be benefit. Clear explanations and honest approach will help dispel rumours (Ref- Mind Tools). As the nursing coordinator and I will explain the coming events , which will include developing zero tolerance policy and legislation, providing education sessions to address workplace bullying and establishing pathway to report bullying behaviours. Staffs may be afraid of being punished because of bullying. Therefore, shared responsibility: a restorative approach to bullying from Hutchinson (2009) would be a useful theory to learn. It is also important to inform employees that the plan aims at the behaviours, not to criticise or punish people. The outcome of the change management plan would be create a non blaming nursing culture in this fac ility, which the nursing staffs will have a nice working environment and prompt them to stay in the profession. The organization will be benefit from the retention of nursing staffs, which reduces costs as a result from nursing turnover. Empowering the involvement is also important for the changing process. In-services sessions will be held to provide an opportunity for employers and employees to have a face-to-face discussion of identification of bullying and how to deal with bullying, which allow both parties being participate in the process, promote understanding between each party and promote the transition to adapt to the workplace culture smoothly (Ref- Mind Tools). In addition, to establish a pathway of reporting bullying will help the management immediately react to any bulling behaviour that can develop new experiences and attitudes toward dealing with bullying. Refreeze In this phrase, the change has adapted to the nursing culture in this facility and we need to develop ways to maintain the effectiveness of change within the facility. For instant, encouraging the nurses unite managers to take the leadership and support their nursing staffs in each ward, frequently collecting feedback from staffs regarding on bullying experiences and running workshops or simulations to keep staffs knowledge about bullying is up to date. Strategies The aim of auditing is to promote and share best practices in order to provide effective care in daily basis. Developing an auditing is not to criticise poor practices, but by analysing the poor practices will help nurses know and realize what goes wrong and what cloud do better in patients care, in a sense that this will prevent the same incident happen again (Ref- Cummins). Therefore, using auditing is the way to assess the outcomes of the change plan. The short term outcomes of audit may show high rate of bullying, the reason would be the nursing staffs are more able to identify the bullying acts in the work environment. However, we would expect that the incident rate would not go up in the long term period. Feedback from nursing staffs will hopefully provide positive responses regarding to bullying, which can motivate the organization to utilize further education on bullying to improve nursing environment. Survey can also be conducted to collect the objective data, which indicate that how nursers feel the change management plan affects their daily performances. Conclusion Bullying is a widespread issue in workplace, in order to make a change management plan that it has to base on evidence support. When innovate a new management, creating the motivation is the first step has to be contemplated, which means the organization accepts the change and the staffs are willing to involve into the new plan. Open and honest approach needs to use to deliver the change as the effective communication can dispel any question or rumour from staffs. Initial supports from the stockholder will empower people to be involved. The consolidation of the change in the current culture involves ongoing support, monitoring and education programs, which increasing the chance of the change becomes norm. References Reiter, M., Young, A., Adamson, C. (2008). Decrease new graduate nurse orientation costs by using HESI exit exam scores. Journal of Nursing Administration, 37(10), 459-463. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_94.htm Cummins, F. (2006). Using auditing to enhance and improve practice. Nursing Residential Care, 8(1), 37-39.

Disney: An organisational culture Essay

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the corporate culture of Disney. Within the discussion, a number of topics will be addressed that include: formal statements prevalent in the organization and their impact to the organization, a description of the environment and the statement it makes relative to the organization, the types of language or sayings used in the organization, the type of role modeling, training and teaching that is emphasized, rewards used to motivate employees, stories and legends that are familiar to employees and customers, outcome measures used by leaders within the organization, how leaders respond to critical incidents or crisis, workflow and organizational structure, an evaluation of organization systems and procedures and the types of organizational goals and associated criteria used for the selection of employees. Disney philosophy The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using their portfolio of brands to differentiate their content, services and consumer products, they seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world (Disney.com). This mission statement originated from the original business philosophy of Walt Disney which was: (a) quality will out! (b) give the people everything you can give them; (c) keep the place as clean as you can keep it; (d) keep it friendly; (e) make it a fun place to be (Johnson, 1991). According to Rick Johnson in his article A Strategy for Service (1991), Walt Disney was committed to the single goal of creating happiness for customers whom Walt called guests. He knew that if guests were happy, they would return. Disney also understood that one bad guest experience or disappointment would conversely keep that guest from returning. The focus of Disney corporate culture is guest driven service. In order to ensure there is no deviation from the goal, Disney has created a corporate culture in which the employees or â€Å"cast members† live while at work. It is the Disney way of life which places service to guests above all else. Disney’s legendary customer service is so renowned that today, companies from all areas of business engage in Disney training to improve their customer service. Another key element of Disney culture is to foster creativity and to sustain innovation (Lynch 2001). Disney knew that when employees were encouraged to â€Å"think out of the box† and that their ideas were respected, they would consistently deliver. Disney was known for seeking input from all levels within the organization because he believed good ideas could come from anywhere. The Disney environment Disney opened his first theme park in 1955. His goal was to provide a good show through themed entertainment. Disney essentially transformed his legendary animated movies into reality. The entire park became a stage filled with props and actors. When guests entered Disneyland, they were no longer the audience; they became part of the show. In order for this to be successful, Disney understood he had to control the environment so to speak so that the experience was replicated. He believed that by controlling the environment, the reactions of the guests within the environment could be predicted (Johnson 1991). Disney also understood he had to control the response of his employees to the guests. Being a director and movie-maker, Disney’s view was that it would not be unlike controlling the action in a play or movie in which the cast members have a script and an expected set of actions. Disney took this philosophy a step further by making every employee a cast member. Cast members have a script and a set of standards that are acted out every time they go to work at a Disney location. It is easy to understand why Disney was so successful in consistently delivering the Disney experience. Disneyspeak corporate language Disney created an entire corporate culture by transforming his movie productions into real life experiences for people. One of the ways in which Disney was able to accomplish this feat was by expressing his expectations through the development of a unique corporate language referred to as â€Å"Disneyspeak† (Edginton, 1998) that set the stage and expectations for his vision. In the world of Disney, people were no longer customers, they became guests. Disney teams were charged with the study of â€Å"guestology† (Johnson 1991) which was to develop programs and actions that would consistently exceed guest expectations. Employees became cast members who are literally cast in a role for daily performance (Edginton, 1998) designed to create â€Å"magic moments† for the guests. All of this conveys the message that guests are at the center of all actions and interactions. Cast members understand that attention to detail is critical and that their role is to â€Å"sell the vision† to every guest. Disney empowers cast members with the service theme of â€Å"creating happiness† and provides extensive training, communication and support systems to ensure cast members can make the best decision with every guest encounter (Johnson 1991). Role modeling, training and teaching It seems that Walt Disney is established upon the training, teaching and role modeling among their employees to have good customer service. Everyone who has ever been to a Walt Disney theme park is often warmly welcomed by greetings from such role models handed down through the years to children and adults alike of characteristics like those of Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck. These three characters are the main role models of how the rest of the staff should be trained and taught to handle their guests at the Disney Park it appears. This example is not to say that their reputable service is necessarily grounded in stone rather it is ever evolving based upon the premise of their well-known hospitality. The whole concept of their welcoming practices seem to revolve around what their guests would expect and is developed through this whole company as a result of the efforts pertaining to their Public Relations. Employee rewards and recognition Some of the incentives and rewards that the managers and staff receive are warm and generous letters from their visitors and guests as evidenced by the following statements. â€Å"Staff members at Disney receive plenty of training, support, and recognition from their leaders and they don’t stay around long if they don’t buy into the Disney culture† (Amusement Business, Vol. 115 Issue 49, p3, 2p). â€Å"A great deal of passion goes into training and that results in happier employees†, so it seems that the rewards and status symbols that are used to motivate the employees of Disney is a culture and tradition of understanding and compassion that are handed down from employee to employee based on the Disney model throughout the years. In addition to the compassion and understanding, there is much room for growth and promotion as an incentive for those who work hard and do well. Weiss, one of the head managers at Walt Disney walks through the park among the buying public guests to make sure that everything is going smoothly. Additionally, he strives to make himself as accessible to his employees at Disney as possible which helps to promote the communication among the employees that they are working in a compassionate and understanding environment. His style of management functions as incentives and rewards which motivate the Disney staff. Disney legends The Walt Disney collections, Walt’s masterworks, and Walt’s thought are among the stories, legends, and myths familiar to employees and customers. The story of Pinocchio was heartwarming of a unique friendship. The artwork picture of Pinocchio underlined Walt’s belief of designing his animated characters to look real as if they were made of flesh and blood. The animation of â€Å"Bambi† was an interesting picture which took over Pinocchio. Bambi, a deer, was an animated character with an anatomy. The animation of Bambi was an improvement in quality of artwork in all his pictures. Bambi’s mother who was killed off-screen is remembered as one of the most powerful moments of any Disney film. The Golden Age of Animation (1937 – 1942) also called the â€Å"creative explosion† marks the most creative periods in the history of Disney Studios on animation motion pictures. The release of â€Å"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs† and â€Å"Bambi† films during this five year period remain the most memorable periods in history and a lasting tribute to the remarkable career of Walter Elias Disney. In a study by the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, children who watch animated films produced by Disney Studios are exposed to a greater incidence of mental illness than they may have experienced if they had watched similar films on TV (Lawson, and Fonts. 2004). Organizational activities, processes and outcome measures In its efforts to uphold excellence, and integrity in all its professional relationships, Walt Disney undertakes the following business activities described below. The Disney Studio Entertainment is the foundation on which the Walt Disney Company was built. The Studio Entertainment is known for its rich legacy of quality creative content and exceptional storytelling. At the heart of the Studio Entertainment are the renowned animated features and live-action motion pictures. The Studio Entertainment distributes its pictures under Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment. The Disney name has now become associated with quality entertainment for the whole family. The Disney Parks and Resorts has become one of the most popular amusement parks known to tourists in recent times. It is the home of the Disney’s beloved characters-Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, Cinderella and the whole lot. Among the Parks and Resorts are Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland in Orlando, Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Disneyland Resort in Paris. In all, there are 10 theme Parks on three continents with the 11th Park in Hong Kong to be opened in September 2005. In addition, 35 resort hotels and two luxury cruise ships is part of entertainment offerings in Hong Kong. The Disney theme parks and resorts celebrate Disneyland 50th Anniversary, an 18 month celebration which is scheduled to begin May 5, 2005. The Disney Consumer Products began merchandising in 1929 with the appearance of Mickey Mouse on the cover of a children’s writing tablet. Among its products are apparel, toys, home dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor, and books to interactive games, foods and beverages, electronics and fine art. DisneyStore.com and Disney catalog are the direct marketing tools used by Walt Disney Company. Disney Media Networks include the television, radio, cable, and the internet landscape. ABC entertainment, ABC Daytime, ABC News, and ABC sports appear on the television media. For the cable network are Disney channel, ABC Family, and Toon Disney. And for the radio media are Radio Disney and ABC News Radio. A fund with the American Red Cross has been set up by the Walt Disney Company with an initial donation of one million dollars and having its employees as contributors. The first quarter of 2005 financial results for the Walt Disney Company will be announced live beginning Monday January 31, 2005 at 4:30pm (E ST) through February 7, 2005 at 4:00pm (PST). Disney leadership reaction to critical incidents and crisis The Business leaders at Walt Disney pay attention to the world around them almost as much as they mange their organization. In doing so, DisneyHand a worldwide outreach of The Walt Disney Company brings the magic of Disney to those affected by incidents beyond their control. Along with cast-members (called Disney VoluntEARS), outreach helps in the areas of compassion, partnering with organizations that serve children, families, or others facing crises. In fiscal year 2004, DisneyHand donated more than $165 million in cash. Disney VoluntEARS also contributed more than 450,000 hours to help that in need (Business Wire 2001). In September 2001, DisneyHand committed to contributing 5 Million Dollars to the DisneyHAND Survivor Relief Fund. (Business Wire 2001) These donations went to providing assistance to victims and their Families of the New York and Washington D.C. 9/11 attacks. In doing so, Disney and DisneyHand display a culture of empathy and solidifies its corporate culture of ethical practices, and giving to the community. DisneyHand also creates the perception of an organization interested in more then just making money. The Disney staff embraces a philosophy that when they react to the incidents that happens around them, they can help in the best way with their own contributions. Workflow and organizational structure Workflow can be defined as the process used by an organization to manage operational task. McShane and Von Glinow define â€Å"Organizational structure as the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, work flow, and formal power that directs organizational activities† (McShane & VonGlinow, 2003, p. 506). The workflow and structure of an organization helps to define week or strong organizations. Disney’s main strength comes from its organizational structure and workflow of managing the process of creativity and innovation. In doing so, they foster a culture that ensure controlled risk taking. Walt Disney has a structured methodology in its workflow and organizational structure. To ensure all employees and the organization follow this physiology, Disney uses the following five phased model: 1. Define the Culture – For the Organization and In every venture taken a. If a new theme ride is proposed, does the attraction fit within the Disney Culture 2. Align the ideas – To the Organizational Mission Statement and Strategic Direction a. Does a new movie or show parallel Disney’s Vision, Mission, and or Strategic Plan 3. Design the Process – Where ideas flow easily from conception to deployment a. Disney has open lines of communication between all employees from the CEO to a part time worker 4. Refine the Product of Service – Continually improve the idea a. Disney is always asking their customer what they can do to enhance their products. Then they add these enhancements to meet customer expectations. 5. Create Fail Safes – Embrace the concept of successful failures a. At Disney there are no bad ideas, and ideas that are not successes in the market place are opportunities to learn what the customer wants Organizational systems and procedures The Walt Disney Company incorporates Business Standards and Ethics training into its system to provide education and training for domestic and international employees. Disney wants to insure that all of its employees act ethically and legally, and remain in compliance with the company’s Standards of Business Conduct. Disney works towards keeping its communication open among its staff. Disney believes that open communication creates better teamwork and a healthy environment. According to Risk Management Society Publishing Inc. (1993), â€Å"Walt Disney has one of the most sophisticated risk management programs in the US. Disney has a separate loss control, safety, environmental health and industrial hygiene departments. All Walt Disney facilities worldwide are equipped to handle these functions in one form or another.† Walt Disney still holds true to its core mission that it started with, and that is providing quality entertainment for everyone around the world. In a quote from the Vice President and Principal Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, Sklar (2003) states â€Å"From the beginning, starting with Walt Disney, we have had five things that make me proud to be part of this Company: high-quality products, optimism for the future, great storytelling, an emphasis on family entertainment and great talent, passion and dedication from our Cast Members.† Disney’s values are their driving force that makes them retain the trust of the public and their shareholders. Those values are innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism and decency. Employee selection and replacement Walt Disney is committed to treating their employees and cast members with fairness, dignity, and respect. Disney provides equal opportunity for everyone without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, or any of the other basis that are prohibited by state or federal law. Disney strives to help their employees develop and advance based on their abilities. They want to be able to attract and maintain an employee work force that is reflective of their guests, business partners, shareholders, and communities where they do business. They also want open opportunity so that everyone is advantaged based on their potential and never disadvantaged because they are part of a certain group or class. Disney strives to maintain an organization that is diverse and professional. Conclusion Walt Disney is a company that stands behind its name and its employees. Disney devoted his life to creating magic moments for his guests through the highest level of customer service. Walt Disney is devoted to environmental causes through conservation, action, and education. They are also committed to the highest standards of business excellence. The Disney Corporation is made up of six components, which help them remain consistent in the business standards that they have set for themselves. The six components of their business are their Business Standards and Ethics guidelines, corporate governance, community, environment, international labor standards, and safety.    References Business Wire Sept 18, 2001 p0018: BURBANK, California. Disney Online retrieved January 25, 2005 from http://corporate.disney.go.com. Edginton, D. (April 1998). The magic of management. Des Moines Business Record, 94,15, 10-12. Retrieved January 25, 2005 from EBSCO Database University of Phoenix Apollo Library. Lawson, A. & Fonts, G. (2004). Mental Illness in Disney Animated Films. Retrieved January 29, 2005, from EBSCO database University of Phoenix Apollo Library. Johnson, R. (September/October 1991). A strategy for service – Disney style. The Journal of Business Strategy, 13,5, 38-44. Retrieved January 26, 2005 from EBSCO database University of Phoenix Apollo Library. Lynch, L. (2001). Sustaining innovation Walt Disney instilled how. T &D, 55,6, 44-50. Retrieved January 26, 2005 from EBSCO database University of Phoenix Apollo Library. O’brien, T. (December 2003). Weiss sees employees as Disney’s Magic Makers. Amusement Business, 00032344, 12/8/2003, Vol. 115, Issue 49. Risk Management Society Publishing Inc. (1993). Risk Management, April (1993). 40, 31. Retrieved January 29, 2005, from InfoTrack One File University of Phoenix,Apollo Library. Sklar, M. (2003). Retrieved from The Walt Disney Company website on January 29, 2005, from http://corporate.disney.go.com.