Christian and Islamic Art Essay Example for Free

Christian and Islamic Art Essay Christian and Islamic Art The difference between Islamic art and Christian art is that Christian art is of human objects and forms while Islamic art portrays the meaning and reflection of things. Unlike Christian art, people do not appear on Islamic art. Unlike Christian art, Islam art does not include pictures and statues of Prophets and Gods. Christian art however, brings religious forms and images to life. It represents spiritual beliefs through illustrated scenes from the life of Jesus. It gives us images of biblical episodes and even carries on stories and images of those now deceased. The Catacombs (Christian burials) represents the final resting place for Christians. It represents ultimate love, sacrifice and triumph. When I first entered into the Catacombs of Rome, I remember walking down into the catacomb and feeling bit nervous as I was surrounded by darkness. It was dark, humid, smelly and yet, so beautiful! There were religious carvings on the inside that almost looked like chalk drawings. The clearest memory I have is visiting the section where the martyrs were buried and putting myself in their position. Would I have been so brave? In Islam, calligraphy is a major Islamic art form. Writing, books, geometry and patterns are most important. In Islam art, geography reflects the language of the world and most importantly, it reflects their spiritualism. A circle for example has no end and represents infinity. It represents never ending love. For Islam, the circle is a reminder that Allah is infinite. My Muslim brother-in-law, born in Lebanon, doesn’t take pictures and explained to that in his culture, taking pictures of living forms is forbidden. They can take pictures of objects, but not of pets or humans. Of course, in my culture we save pictures for memory keepsakes. After 7 years of marriage, he agreed to take a family picture with my sister and their three sons. It was a huge sacrifice in his part but this also explains how art, religion and culture have an influence on each other.

Analysis of Indias Automotive Industry

Analysis of Indias Automotive Industry INDIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY The automotive industry is one of the largest industries worldwide and in India as well. The automotive sector is a vital sector for any developed economy. It drives upstream industries like steel, iron, aluminum, rubber, plastics, glass and electronics, and downstream industries like advertising and marketing, transport and insurance. The automotive industry can be divided into five sectors:- Passenger Cars. Multi- Utility Vehicles (MUVs). Two- and Three- Vehicles. Commercial Vehicles Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) / Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (MHCVs). Tractors. We will be looking at the Passenger car industry in India. Despite a head start, the passenger car industry in India has not quite matched up to the performance of its counterparts in other parts of the world. The primary reason has been the all-pervasive regulatory atmosphere prevailing till the opening up of the industry in the mid-1990s. The various layers of legislative Acts sheltered the industry from external competition for a long time. Moreover, the industry was considered low-priority as cars were thought of as unaffordable luxury. HISTORY OF INDIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY Initially, in the post-liberalization period, the automotive sector, especially the passenger car segment, saw a boom, derived primarily from economic vibrancy, changes in Government policies, increase in purchasing power, improvement in life styles, and availability of car finance. The passenger car industry was finally deregulated in 1993. However, the automobile industry, which contributed substantially to the industrial growth in FY1996 failed to maintain the same momentum between FY1997 and FY1999. The overall slowdown in the economy and the resultant slowdown in industrial production, political uncertainty and inadequate infrastructure development were some of the factors responsible for the slowdown experienced. In FY2000, the sector experienced a turnaround and witnessed the launch of many new models. Two things that stunted growth of this industry in the past have been low demand and lack of vision on the part of the original equipment manufacturers (QEMs). However, the demand picked up after the liberalization of the regulatory environment, and global QEMs- who enjoy scale economies both in terms of manufacturing and research and development (RD) entered the Indian market. This has resulted in a big shift in the way business is conducted by suppliers, assemblers and marketers. PASSENGER CAR INDUSTRY IN INDIA: HIGHLIGHTS Passenger car sales are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% over the period FY2004-2007. The six broad segments in the car market today are- Mini, Compact, Midrange, Executive, Premium and Luxury. In the medium term, growth in the Indian passenger car industry is expected to be led largely by the Compact and Mid-range Segments. The critical success factor has changed from price to price value. In terms of engine capacity, the Indian passenger car market is moving towards cars of highest capacity. With the launch of new models from FY2000 onwards, the market for MUVs has been redefined in India, especially at the upper end. Currently, the higher-end MUVs, commonly known as Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), occupy a niche in the urban market. With the success of SUVs, the line of distinction between passenger cars and MUVs in the Indian market is getting increasingly blurred. Domestic car manufacturers are now venturing into areas such as car financing, leasing, and fleet management, and used-car reconditioning /sales, to complement their mainstay-business of selling new cars. During April August 2006, the passenger car sales in India at 332159 units, marked a growth of 5.3%over the previous year. The growth in the domestic sales of passenger cars was led by strong growth in volumes reported by compact and mid size segments. While the share of mini and executive segments declined in the period under study, the share of other segments increased. For instance, the share of compact segment in the domestic car sales increased from 59.7% in April August 2005 to 64.9% in April August 2006, mid size segment from 20.5% to 22%, and the share of Premium segment was stagnant at 0.7% in the same period. New variants launches, easy availability of finance at relatively lower interest rate and price discounts offered by the players have played an important role in driving the sales growth in the domestic passenger car industry. KEY DEMAND DRIVERS Traditionally, disposable income was perceived as the key factor driving passenger car demand. But over time, other factors that are known to have an impact on demand have emerged. These include the need for greater mobility, non- availability of public transport services, availability of cheap finance, development of the used-car market, introduction of new technologically superior models, increasing levels of urbanization and changing consumer profiles. The credit for growing the Indian Compact Segment, and in fact, the Indian Passenger car industry goes partly to the Korean manufacturers (HMIL and the erstwhile Daewoo) and the Indian player Tata Motors. The HMIL Santro was launched in September1998 and created a sensation on account of its aggressive pricing at Rs.2, 99,000. The Santro became successful as HMIL had got the price -value equation just right. While Daewoos Matiz picked up only seven months after its launch, the Santro was selling more than 3000units a month only 2 months after its launch. HMIL had infact, planned its entry into the Indian market with the 1495cc Accent but later opted in favour of the smaller car. At the time the Santro was launched, both the options available in the segment- Fiat Uno and the Zen-had been around in the Indian Market for quite some time and lacked novelty. Santro was not only cheaper but also incorporated a multi-point fuel injection (MPFI) system that offered superior fuel economy to Zens carburetor system. The Matiz was launched in November 1998. Its 800cc engine immediately encouraged comparisons with Maruti 800. The initial launch price of Matiz at Rs. 3, 55,000 was significantly higher than the Santros Rs, 2, 99,000. Given that the Matiz was smaller than the Zen and the Santro, the initial impact was not so strong. In May 1999, Daewoo launched stripped-down variants. The launch of the cheaper versions saw the sales of Matiz reaching almost 2000 units in May 1999 and recording an average monthly sale of 3123units in FY2000. However, the financial crisis faced by the parent, Daewoo Motor Corporation affected the performance of the Indian subsidiary (that was reporting net loss and had significant borrowings). Subsequently, the Indian subsidiary halted production. MUL now has 4 cars in the Compact Segment: the Swift, the Zen, the Alto and the Wagon R. In terms of market share, Zen steadily lost share in FY2000 to its competitors. Despite this, there is no denying that the Zen is one of the bigger success stories in the Indian car market. With 3 models, MUL is the market leader in the Compact segment. The Alto arrived in India when there was little room for man oeuvre in a crowded compact segment. It was launched in 2 versions, the LX and the VX. The base version is priced competitively with the deluxe version of the Maruti800, while the higher-end version competes with the based versions of the Zen and the Wagon R. The 1061cc Wagon R is available in four manual transmission variants (LX, LXi, VX and VXi) and one automatic transmission variant (AX). Since its introduction in February 2000, Wagon R has been selling in the 1500-3000units per month range as against 5000-8000units per month range for the Santro. The presence of the already well-established Matiz and the Santro meant that the novelty factor did not work too well for Wagon R. However 2005 has been a revolutionary year for Maruti since its new Launch Swift has been a huge success in the market and the most demanded car as well. The other cars in the compact segment to have made an immediate dent in the market with their launch are the Palio of Fiat India and the improved version Indica V2 of Tata Motors. Indica was the third largest selling car in FY2002 in this segment, after Santro and Zen. On the other hand, Palio was launched at the time when the passenger car industry was witnessing a slump but the model cut across the barriers and was able to create a market for itself. However, the success of this model was short-lived and the sales declined thereafter. Nevertheless, launches of new variants (such as the diesel version) helped sales recover marginally. The size of the compact segment has increased as a result of the high growth rate attained by the models in this segment. The changing price-value equation, coupled with the declining interest rates and easy availability of finance, has prompted consumers to move towards the compact car segment from the mini segment. The high rate of growth achieved by the compact segment has attracted the attention of other players also; including GM. GM has entered the compact segment with the launch of its Opel Corsa Sail in May2003. FUTURE OF CAR MARKET IN INDIA The Indian automotive market offers tremendous opportunities due to a strong GDP growth, increased urbanisation, an expanding middle class, an upward migration of disposable incomes and availability of easy financing options. The Indian automotive industry is dominated by two-wheelers, while cars account for about 10.7 percent of the total industry. The potential for growth is enormous. The Indian Governments Automotive Mission Plan 2006-2016 states that the Indian passenger car market is expected to reach 3 million by 2015, making India as one of the top 10 car markets in the world. India is also expected to remain as the second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, the largest tractor and three-wheeler manufacturer and the fourth-largest truck manufacturer in the world by 20151. The main considerations driving customer preference are mainly reliability and economy. GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT STILL LIKELY IN THE FUTURE Post-liberalization, the government has made specific attempts to reduce barriers and controls, such as allowing 100 percent foreign direct investment in the automotive sector and reducing customs tariffs on automotive components. The government has also set an ambitious target of increasing the revenue turnover derived from the automotive sector from about 5 to 10 percent of the GDP by 2016. The emphasis in the future is expected to be on exports of small cars, multi-utility vehicles, two-wheelers and components. With regard to emission norms for passenger cars, the government has proposed the implementation of Euro-IV emission norms from 2010 onwards, which is likely to lead to an increase in car prices. According to Avik Chattopadhyay Deputy General Manager, Marketing, of Maruti the Indian government is expected to continue the process of reforms even in the future. The Indian passenger car industry is dominated by the small car segment, and more specifically the compact car segment, both in terms of growth rates as well as contribution to total passenger car sales. Due to the fact that India is a low-income market, the dominance of small cars is expected to continue even in the future. Tata Motors, a leading Indian OEM, has plans of launching a small car at USD 2,326 in 20083. This is expected to convert a lot of two-wheeler prospects into passenger car customers. This is also expected to lead to other OEMs launching similar products/reducing prices and the creation of a new segment (below even the mini-car segment). Rural customers are also expected to be likely target segments for this car. The four-wheeler market (including commercial vehicles) is dominated by Asian OEMs, with American OEMs occupying only about three percent of the market. Hence, resurgence from the American OEMs seems likely in the future. Recently, the American OEMs have a lso announced their plans for capacity expansions however, the main difficulty is their lack of expertise for making fuel-efficient, small cars. General Motors (GM), in order to circumvent this, has recently announced the launch of a Daewoo small car (known as the Spark) in India in 2007. The used-car market is also expected to grow in the future, especially considering the fact that the ratio of used-car sales to new-car sales is about 1:1 in India this is less than the global ratio of 2:1. The major OEMs, including Maruti, Hyundai, GM, etc., have already decided to enter this market as used car dealers. Increased market share for fuels other than petrol is expected in the passenger car segment, especially considering the rising prices for petrol. Diesel is expected to capture about 35 percent of the market share in 2010, the current share being 30 percent. Maruti and Hyundai, two major gasoline players, have announced their plans to enter the diesel market as well. LPG as a fuel is also gaining popularity as it is cheaper than petrol and requires less maintenance and conversion costs as compared to CNG. Research work on bio diesel as a fuel for the future is also underway. The Indian manufacturing may go through periods of overcapacity as the vehicle capacity estimations are about three million passenger cars in the next five years. A recent trend observed is the sharing of manufacturing facilities for example, a deal between Maruti and Nissan, wherein the former is expected to produce cars on its assembly lines labeling them as Nissan. The use of Aluminum in automotives is expected to increase especially since this helps in boosting fuel economy, performance and safety, while reducing emissions. The use of electronics in manufacturing is also expected to increase. INDIA: THE SOON TO BE SMALL-CAR HUB Small cars constitute about 78 percent of the domestic demand, making India the third-largest producer of small cars after Japan and Brazil. Therefore, the government has decided to launch a programme to make India a small car hub in the future a recent reduction in excise duties from 24 percent to 16 percent exclusively for small cars being an initiative in this direction. The major players not present in this segment have also drawn up plans for entering this segment in the near future. Players with expertise in small car, such as Maruti and Hyundai, have formulated plans for ramping up production capacities. It is likely that with the small car volume increase (both due to domestic volumes and exports) in the next decade, domestic players, such as Tata Motors, would become strong global players. COMMERCIAL VEHICLES TO CONTINUE STRONG GROWTH This segment has shown strong growth over the last 5 years (at CAGR of over 20 percent), and the growth is likely to continue in the future as well as this is mainly dependent on economic progress and road-network availability, both of which are growing at a fast pace in the country. According to the National Highway authority estimations, the growth of highways is expected to proceed at a CAGR of about 6 percent during 2006-2015, in contrast to a growth of about 1.2 percent during 1951-1995. The future is also expected to witness more product sophistication with increasing power to weight solutions especially for the truck segment. Multinationals have already made an entry in the segment with MAN, Daimler Chrysler and Volvo already present in the market. INDIA FIRMS VENTURING ABROAD Manufacturing occupies about 60 percent of the total direct overseas investments by Indian companies in various sectors. The Indian automotive companies, including both Indian OEMs and well as component manufacturers, have been investing mainly in the domains of forging and casting, particularly in European countries. So far, the industry has witnessed 16 acquisitions (five in 2005). The collapsing auto ancillary industry in these regions makes the deal extremely affordable for Indian companies, providing them market access and brand enhancement opportunities in a new region. Indian companies are also investing in emerging Asian economies such as China to establish a new sourcing base in the region. Global automotive players: sourcing parts outsourcing RD base to India The auto component exports sector is expected to show a strong growth with an estimated CAGR of 34 percent by 2014. All the leading OEMs in the world are already sourcing components from India, mainly in steering systems, casting products and electrical, such as motors and wiring, harnesses. The Indian automobile industry has four major segments commercial vehicles (CVs), passenger vehicles, three wheelers, and two wheelers. The market share for each of these segments of the Indian automobile industry, for the year 2003-04. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) , the Indian passenger vehicle market has three categories passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), and utility vehicles (UVs). The passenger car market is further divided into various segments based on the length of the car (Refer to Exhibit II for a detailed description of the lengthwise classification of passenger cars. The Indian automobile industry was a highly protected slow-growth industry with very few players till the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991. Low manufacturing costs, availability of skilled labor, an organized component industry, and the capability to supply in large volumes attracted global auto majors to set up their operations in India after the ope ning up of the sector. For example, Fiat and DaimlerChrysler started outsourcing their component requirements to India. 100 percent Indian subsidiaries of global players, like Delphi Automotive Systems and Visteon, exported components to other parts of the world. Macroeconomic factors like government regulations, low interest rates, and availability of retail finance played an important role in the rapid development of the automobile industry in India during the late nineties (Refer to Exhibit III for an understanding of the impact of the Union Budget on the Indian automobile industry over the years).. The leading Indian manufacturers are aggressively aspiring to become Tier-I suppliers the OEM: aftermarket ratio in exports has changed from 35:65 in the last decade to 75:25 at present. According to a Government of India estimate, there are 400 large firms in the organized sector and about 10,000 firms in the unorganized sector. The entry of more foreign companies in the sector is expected to lead to greater regulation, pruning of the spurious market and the unorganized players ceasing to be stand-alone companies, and entering into either contract manufacturing or becoming ancillary units. India is also showing an increasing prowess in automo tive design and development. Global MNCs, such as GM, Ford, Delphi, Visteon, etc., have already set up their RD centers in India. The main advantage of these centers is the low development costs it takes 1/5th of the costs to develop or engineer products in India as compared to global rates. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The present study of the marketing strategy of the Maruti Suzuki (Pvt.) Limited revolves around the following broad objectives: To study the evolution and growth of the Maruti Suzuki (Pvt.) Limited in the context of the automobile revolution in India; To study the growth strategy of the Maruti Suzuki (Pvt.) Limited and the marketing methods followed by it in this regard. To study the small car revolution in India and the contribution of the Maruti Suzuki (Pvt.) Limited to it. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY RESEARCH DESIGN DATA SOURCES. Determining the sample size and the period of the required research. Designing the research tools. Defining the objectives of the research work. PRIMARY DATA Questionnaire. Survey. Personal Interview Discussion SECONDAY DATA Newspapers Journals Magazines QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN Questions chosen are open ended as well as close ended; and objectives behind choosing such question is availability of data SAMPLE DESIGN Sample unit: DD Motors Wazirpur, Mayapuri, Okhla, Competent Motors Moti Nagar Extent: 8 Weeks Sample Size: 59 MARUTI SUZUKI Very often, there is an analogy drawn between the state of the great Indian roads and the pace of economic development in the country. Needless to say, its not a very pleasing comparison. So the average Indian customer who rides the roads of India is naturally extremely cautious when it comes to investing in a vehicle. Only those rough and tough enough to survive the potholes and nightmarish surfaces can pass muster. In such a scenario, a foreign company launching a car in the Indian market was bound to be looked upon with skepticism and suspicion, more so, if it had South Korean origins. South Korean companies were perceived not to be quality oriented. The failure of Korean companies like Lucky Gold star (later to be re-launched as LG, which is another marketing success) and the bad word of mouth for Daewoo led to this perception. MARKET PRESENCE In the late 1990s, car manufacturers like Ford, General Motors, and Fiat were faring miserably in the Indian market. Maruti had a market share of a whopping 79 per cent in the passenger car segment. Daewoo and Telco were creating hype over the impending launches of their cars Matiz and Indica, respectively. In such a scenario, the top management of Hyundai Motor India Ltd, which has South Korean origins, had a tough decision to make. It was a big gamble to go ahead with the launch of the small car -Santro. The Hyundai management stuck to a simple strategy launch a quality product in the most promising segment. With the latest technology and price it aggressively. In the pre-launch period in late 1997, the company commissioned market research project to understand the, Indian consumer psyche and specify a benchmark for the pricing policy. The results of this survey and the actions taken thereafter had a bearing upon the success of the product later on. The Indian consumers showed an immense dislike to the shape of Santro. One consumer even likened it to a funeral hearse. A second important result was that Hyundai is an unknown brand with almost zero brand equity amongst Indian consumers. The company immediately undertook the initiative of reshaping and customizing the car for the Indian customer. The tall rear end was reduced and made more aesthetically appealing. The Santro was all set for the Indian launch. MARUTI-MARKETING GENIUS Here came the most important aspect of the launch the marketing strategy. This was a factor that could make or mar the success of the Santro. Hyundai tied up with the advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi, who hit upon a novel strategy. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was roped in to be the brand ambassador. A three-pronged strategy was designed to attract the consumer: Educate Indian Consumers about Hyundai Create hype and expectations about the Santro Explain the virtues of the Santro The TV Press Campaign broke in June 1998. The initial TV spots and the press campaign showed Shah Rukh Khan being approached by a Hyundai official to advertise the Santro. Shah Rukh was not convinced about Hyundai and he was shown to ask all questions a normal Indian consumer is expected to ask. What is Hyundai? Why should I advertise for the Santro? Will it match customer service expectations? What about dealer networks? How can an international car meet the requirements of Indian roads? As the campaign went through all of these questions, the Hyundai official answered Shah Rukh Khan. By the time the car was actually launched, Shah Rukh Khan proclaims, he is convinced. He declares that he is now ready to advertise the Santro since he is certain that the Santro is the car for India. This high profile campaign backed by some very innovative media buying, which went for maximum coverage with the minimum budget, broke all grounds in terms of creating consumer expectations and hype in t he market. Along with the Advertising Campaign, the Sales Team worked burning midnight oil in creating the dealer network across the length and breadth of the country. The wide dealer network would prove to be invaluable in ensuring that the Santro would be available to anyone who wants to buy it. An important pre-requisite for the dealer network was a fully functional workshop area with imported international standard equipment and engineers trained in Hyundais parent training centre in South Korea and localized training provided in the Chennai Plant. RANGE OF PRODUCT SERVICES The race for Indias small-car market has begun. But only those among the big four who get all their strategies right will win this unforgiving contest. The prize: not just the largest automobile segment, but also survival in this market. Theyre lined up for the last lap. With Market India becoming a minefield for the worlds largest auto-makers, the Formula I have become brighter than the red lights that have stopped them in their tracks so faronly the small car will enable endurance. Bumper-to-bumper, therefore, the combatants are accelerating towards the small-car segment. Amounting to 60 per cent of the Rs 14,500-crore automobiles market, and hitherto monopolized by the Rs 8,454-crore Maruti Udyog with its Maruti 800 and Zen, its the final frontier between survival and extinction. So far, accustomed as they are to the priorities of the customer in the developed markets, the global auto-makers have taken many wrong turns in India. Only now, after many knocks, crashes, and repair job s, are they back on track, heading towards their destination. But neither the road nor the end-point of their journey is wide enough for all of them. At a projected 6-lakh unit by 2000, demand for cars is still 25 per cent less than the number of F-150 pick-up trucks sold by the $153.62-billion Ford Motor Co. in 1997. But the importance of India on the world auto map is strategic. With an estimated total capacity of 58 million units a year, the global auto industry is racing far a head of the demand of 45 million units. Markets in North America, Europe, and Japanwhich account for 74 per cent of the demandhave become saturated. Global car-manufacturers will need to plant their feet in a low-cost, young, stable market to sell their products to create a global supply-base for cars and components. The first wave of manufacturers simply failed to make a splash in India. They were revving up for a growth that never happened. Their entry reasoning: since India had been a small-car market for years, it was only a matter of time before it enlarged to ac commodate bigger, luxury cars. That the logic was flawed has now become evident. India is still a small-car market for anyone who wants both revenues and profits. Not surprisingly, Ford (which launched the 1,300-cc petrol and the 1,800-cc diesel Escort in 1996), the $178.17-billion General Motors (which entered with the 1,600-cc Opel Astra in 1996), and the $72-billion Daewoo Groups Rs 963.37-crore Daewoo Motors (which launched the 1,498-cc Cello in 1995) are limping at the starting-block. None of the 3 has managed to chalk up sales of more than 18,000 units a year. Even Maruti Udyoga joint venture between the $12.12-billion Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan and the Government of Indiahas been unable to grow the luxury segment. At 18,000 units in 1997-98, its 1,300-cc Esteem luxury cars sales fell by 28 per cent. Explains B.V.R. Subbu, 43, Director (Sales Marketing), Hyundai Motor India: Traditional mid-car buyers are turning to small cars; they are waiting for new technologies. Within 8 months of the 1,468-cc Citys launch in January, 1998, the $48.87-billion Honda Motor has sold 4,180 cars in the Indian market, which is more than the combine d sales (3,317 units) of the Astra and the Escort. But despite Hondas initial success, the luxury-car segment has platitude, and there seems to be room for just one player. In the past 3 years, the segment has shrunk in value, dashing car-makers hopes of rebuilding their futures in India. Naturally, the only safe haven that remains is the small-car segment, which is 2.45 lakh units in size. And the only segment expected to grow at 15 per cent a year for the next 5 years. The new millennium cannot but belong to the small car. However, economics of upstream manufacture will only ensure survival. Sophisticated downstream skills are essential to make inroads into the tough Maruti Udyog territory. COMPANY POLICIES BUILDING STRATIGES But strategies, like cars, must feed on volumes. And how much is the sub-compact segment likely to yield in 1998-99? Maruti Udyog expects the sales of the Zen to cross the 1-lakh-unit mark. Assuming that at least a third of the small-car owning populationthis includes customers who have been using the Maruti 800, say, for at least 3 yearsgraduates to a sub-compact, which means a market for at least another 1 lakh car. Even if the 2-lakh mark is not breached in the next 5 months, 1999-2000 will be the Year of the Upgrade, the economy permitting. This is why the second wave is focused on the small segmentfrom the mini to the sub-compact to the small car. On that relatively stable bandwagon is perched the goliath, Maruti Udyog, 2 newcomersthe $28-billion Hyundai Motor of South Korea and the Rs 7,450.34-crore Telcoand one revitalized company, Daewoo Motors. By drawing on their intrinsic strengths, each is evolving a unique strategy to overtake competition. BT test-drives the strategic re sponses of the second wave and assesses their chances of survival. In less than two decades, India has ascended the ladder of global competitiveness and improved its business environment for investors through a consistent focus on economic reforms. Even more creditable is the fact that this growth comes on the back of an ever-strengthening social infrastructure supported by vibrant democracy. India today is the hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. Wealth creators and world-beaters are visible in sectors after sector. Indias economy has more than doubled in real terms since reform began in 1991. Consumer demand, increasing three to five times faster than the economy, reflects the aspirations of a vibrant, growing and young middle class; India is home to 20 per cent of the worlds population under the age of 24. With more than 200 television channels offering a window to the world, Indians are perhaps the most rapidly evolving consumers across the globe. Successful economic reforms, favorable media disposition and an overall positive economic scenario h ave placed a spotlight on the country. Indian companies are making overseas acquisitions, capital markets are booming, FIIs are pumping money in, FOREX reserves are a record high and the political economy has gained credibility in the global investor community and world media. Innovative products, innovative processes, innovative manufacturing methods are enticing foreign investors and multinationals to India. What is `India for the world? It is a millennia-old civilization. It is also the worlds premier IT services provider. The worlds back office a global R D hub. Emerging small-car hub. Repository, arguably, of the worlds largest number of engineers, doctors, accountants, and so on. To bring it all down to a single idea India is ready with vario

Importance of Reflective Practice in Counselling

Importance of Reflective Practice in Counselling Reflective practice refers to the capability to reflect on our everyday actions and frameworks, as well as concepts on personal experience as part of a process of life-long learning (Schon, 1983). According to this definition, Bolton (2010) termed this as developmental insight, where the emphasis is placed on the learning from our own experience rather than knowledge gained from lectures or tutorials. On a personal note, I think what is significant about reflection during the course of our practice in this subject is that I am not just looking back on events and actions that has happened to us in the past, but also I am conscious of my emotions, experiences, actions, and behavioural reactions, and thus the utilization of these factors to add on to my existing knowledge database. As such, it is to draw out new and perhaps better knowledge, and in the long run, I hope to have a higher level of understanding. These would be achievable via the few factors that would be discussed in the e ssay, such as questioning and reflecting on my own moral and ethical values and comparing it with the Ethics Code in situations where I am required to act extremely. On another note, by reflecting on my personality profile, I check and reflect if my ideals and passion are congruent with the test that measured my psychological preference and my criterions on decision making. By reflecting on these frameworks, I hope to shed some light on my self-awareness and hopefully gain some new insights so that ultimately, I can improve as a better human being. The Ethics Code The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, in another light denoted as the Ethics Code, consists of several clause and terms which serves as a guideline as how a psychologist should behave when conflicting scenarios arise, which could possibly happen on a daily basis. The Ethics Code, however, applies only to psychologists and their work-related activities that are part of their nature of job scope. These usually include an array of activities such as counselling, teaching, supervision, social intervention, as well as conducting assessments through the development of assessment instruments. On the other hand, the violation of the Ethics Code itself does not instantly determine whether a psychologist has violated a law and is liable for legal actions in court. When considering a professional behaviour to be conducted, psychologists must not only consider the Ethics Code, but also to put into consideration applicable laws and the relevant board regulations. Psychologi sts must ensure that the ethical standards are met if the Ethics Code establishes a more stringent standard of conduct that is mandatory by law. Greenberg and Shuman (1998) elucidate that although not always the case, during practice, the law would usually be compliant with the Ethics Code. If, at any point in time, the Ethics Code happens to be with conflict with the requirements of law, I feel that psychologists are supposed to remain committed to the Ethics Code and exercise caution to resolve any conflict while not violating any civil laws. Since the work of a psychologist is to develop a reliable and valid construct of information which are backed by research, and are applied with the intention of broadening our vision and knowledge on behaviour, which essentially creates an opportunity to improve conditions of interaction between society and the individual, the Ethics Code is thought to be able to provide a common set of values in which it is envisioned to offer the general pr inciples as well as rules of decision making to ensure that most of the possible situations encountered by a psychologist can be referred to and resolved. However, Corey, Corey and Callanan (1998) argues that while it holds true that the Ethics Code provides guidelines for ethical conducts, it was not intended to be able to provide specific guidance or solutions to each and every situations that could arise. Though I feel that the Ethics Code is very thorough in its descriptions as it covers a wide scope of possible situations, it is still nonetheless not fool-proof as in specific field such as forensic psychology, where there is a fine line between ethical practice and legal laws. This was backed up by Day and White (2008), who mentioned that ethical dilemmas would arise and explain that especially in the field of forensic psychology, it is not uncommon that practitioners are drawn into legal proceedings. Furthermore, it was brought up by Herlihy and Corey (1997) that although it m ay be consistent with the Ethics Code to breach client confidentiality in situations such as when a client is seen as a threat to self or others, there are many occasions when the ethically responsible course of action is less clear. As such, I feel that while the Ethics Code offers a valid guideline on actions to be conducted in various situations, psychologists should still take into considerations which are the correct and just actions to take and certainly to exercise caution in the behaviours to be taken as a wrong decision could damage a person’s life or damage their reputation. Field trip to Institute of Mental Health The grey area of applicability of ethics in mental health settings is an intriguing issue, especially with personal experience, i.e., field trip to the Institute of Mental Health. While many consider the correct course of action to be in a particular way, health practitioners and their set of code and values may present itself differently. I realized that there exist difficult and conflicting cases that may arise when dealing with people with mental disorders. For example, the ethical standard of conduct would be to inform the clients the truth of their conditions, and avoid actions that are likely to harm clients. However, the very act of informing the clients of their conditions is likely to invoke a response, which in return would most likely aggravate their emotional suffering. An array of misconceptions was cleared when the nurses at the Institute of Mental Health provided a clear explanation of the evolution of treatment of patients changed from the past to the present. One exa mple brought up by the nurse was the usage of straitjacket. A straitjacket is a garment which resembles a jacket, but with long sleeves and is generally used to restrain individuals who would possibly harm themselves, damage furniture, or injure surrounding staffs. Before the development of psychiatric medications, doctors did not know how to properly treat mental disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. A variety of treatments that was deemed to be cruel by current standards were thus attempted by the doctors, and the straitjacket was one of the treatments used. However, as research allows the development of drugs to suppress the effects of the mental disorders, such treatments were stopped and disallowed to be continued to be carried out to the clients. It was very fortunate to hear from the nurse at the institute that the straitjacket is no longer in usage as it was deemed to be inhumane, and I personally think so as well. Since the drugs are now capable of suppressing the effects of mental disorders, the approach of institutionalizing the clients has been reviewed. Townsend (1976) posits that clients who are institutionalized gets convinced that they are mentally ill, and as they integrate themselves with the institutional life, it would reduce the client’s ability to live outside if they were to get deinstitutionalized. Personally, I feel that dealing with individuals who are affected by mental disorders is a tricky issue, as there are many possible ways to approach the situation. One example would be making the decision as to whether an individual should be institutionalized or not. However, as far as I would suggest, I think that it should be advocated that the criterion of institutionalizing the clients be more strict, for example, admitting only the extreme cases of mental disorders where the clients are not able to sustain normal daily life, as the said effect would cause them to rely on the institution and progressively unable to l ive by themselves, even if symptoms of mental disorders were to subside and doctors claim that they can be discharged from the institution. Awareness Program Autism disorder was the focal point of the awareness program for my group, and there are several pointers in which I am ashamed that I personally have committed. Firstly, it has been found that the lack of awareness in autism disorders has been a very concerning issue, especially in Singapore. Sigman, Mundy, Sherman and Ungerer (1986) explains that many people correctly identified some of the key characteristics of autism, including difficulty communicating, difficulty making friends, love of routine, as well as obsessive behaviours. However, some other common characteristics which I realized upon research, was that individuals who are affected by autism require the need for clear and unambiguous instructions and are susceptible to being disturbed by noise and touch; these points were less well known and could develop misconceptions if the other party was not aware; these were the points in which I was unaware of and would negligibly scrutinize them if I had to repeat my words multip le times and yet they would not understand what I would have said. Upon raising my own awareness of the particular disorder and through some reflection, I felt that many individuals with autism act differently when compared to our typical population. Whether at school, at work or in social settings, people with autism are often taken at face value and thus misunderstood. Individuals with autism may not respond when spoken to or may avoid eye contact from the people asking the question. They could possibly behave in unusual manners in which most people do not understand. Some behaviours are so out of the norm that they were misinterpreted as poor discipline. However, people in society tend to arrive at this opinion solely based on just a brief observation, rather than putting in effort to try to look for further signs to comprehend the nature of those actions taken by these individuals affected with autism, and as such, they often suffer discrimination, intolerance and isolation. For many, that means a lifetime of exclusion from everyday society. We, as individuals, should not be doing this, but rather, embrace the difference and aid them into being comfortable with their surroundings so that they can cope with their everyday lives. Just a simple act of observing them would go a long way in creating a society in which such individuals affected by autism disorder can coexist with us. Nonetheless, the completion for the autism awareness program did not come as an easy task, as it was difficult to acquire access to the relevant institutes of interest. For example, my group was not able to gain access and direct first-hand experience of understanding how individuals with autism would behave in schools, where they are required to interact with their surroundings, and more importantly, their peers. However, this setback did not deter my group from obtaining information. Pathlight school, a school for individuals with autism, however, did release some interactive info rmation such as articles and newspaper cut-outs with regards to the related field, and were cooperative in allowing us to gain as much knowledge as possible despite our lack of first-hand experience. As such, the only methods we were able to procure information was through the information released by the management of Pathlight, as well as the many questions that were relayed through e-mails so that we can gain accurate knowledge regarding autism disorders, and shed some light to others who are not as aware of such a disorder. Nonetheless, I feel that even with the information amassed through research; it is still insufficient to properly account for the wide array of characteristics that are exclusive to individuals with autism. Personality Profile Individuals who go through personal development includes going through events that improve our self-awareness, and it allows us to cultivate our talents and potential, and as such, enrich our quality of life which ultimately contributes to the realization of our passion and aspirations. Based on the MBTI, Davies (2008) proposed that it is an assessment tool used to measure psychological preferences in how individuals perceive the world and make decisions, my personality profile is INTJ. Lawrence and Martin (2001) suggested that the MBTI is a reliable and valid instrument to measure our personality. They mentioned that the test is capable of being retested and are good across age and ethnic groups, and they pointed out that the instrument is set out to measure what the test is supposed to test originally. Based on the MBTI assessment by Myers (1998), it is conceived that INTJs see things from a top-down approach, and are capable of relating new information to overall patterns. They al so find themselves readily synthesizing abstract and complicated theoretical matters, and such mind-sets would lead the INTJs them to value knowledge, as well as expect competence of themselves and others. Personally, I would agree to these points as my ideals of work reside in the fact that if all of the group members are competent, we would be able to complete the work beforehand and leave time and room for improvements to be made before any actual submission is due. This is especially important as having gone through numerous group works, my belief is that the more the content is reviewed, the more insightful it gets as we gain mastery and command in the particular context of research. I feel that in aspects of productive work, even if it is a group project, I prefer to work independently and thereafter team members come together to share their points to strengthen the validity and reliability of the entire project; though I favour the notion of working independently, I would not differ from group norms and still be cooperative towards team members. This was supported by Baron and Baron-Tieger (1995), where they elucidated that INTJs prefer to work independently, and have no particular problems in meeting group requirements as teamwork is not an issue. In another aspect, I value accuracy in my work and ensure that most, if not all of my curiosity in the area I am researching in is satisfied, and, because of my values I find myself inclined to field such as science and research, particularly in fields of forensic psychology. Through the test in which also supports my ideals of inclination to abstract matters and challenges, I feel that forensic psychology is a very interesting path in psychology as it presents abstract ideas and challenges in actual situations and it is my passion, as well as satisfaction to be able to decipher the true meaning and rationale behind human behaviour. Another technique in which I find useful in promoting my self-awareness is th e Johari window. Based on what I understand, the concept of reducing the blind spot by being inquisitive about myself would help in promoting self-awareness, because by understanding how others perceive my in another aspect which I was not able to see, I would be able to reflect on my actions and determine whether adjustments to my behaviour are required. Similarly, Joseph (1969) clarifies that in order to become self-aware and develop as a person, we should know more about ourselves and be informed about what others know about us as well. To conclude, reflection and practice can be considered a subset of the many concepts and values we can pick up along the way of gaining insight on skills that are useful and applicable in our field of study. Through various lessons and facilitation, i.e. the Ethics Code, I was able to build up knowledge with regards to identifying, accessing, as well as making evaluations of information and its applicability to actual practice. Furthermore, the development of skills in professional and personal reflection was significant, as seen I feel that I have gained the capability to identify approaches for the development of appropriate outcomes and predict the indicators of success. Furthermore, by reflecting on the various concepts brought up in the essay, as well as through the course of subject, I feel that I have gained some new knowledge about myself; for example through the concept of Johari window, I realized that to be better self-aware, I needed to be inquisitive about myself, and th is is one of the crucial part of what I think helps in my personal development. References Bolton, G. (2010). Reflective Practice, Writing and Professional Development (3rd ed.). California: SAGE Publications. Corey, G., Corey, M., Callanan, G. (1998). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (5th ed.). California, CA: Brooks/Cole. Davies, S. J. (2008). Psychometric testing: what is Myers Briggs? The Foundation Years, 4(2), 81-82. Day, A., White, J. (2008). Ethical practice from the perspective of the forensic psychologist:Commentary on the uses and value of the Australian Psychological Society (2007) Code of Ethics. Australian Psychologist, 43(3), 186-193. Greenberg, S. A., Shuman, D. W. (1997). Irreconcilable conflict between therapeutic and forensic roles. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 50-57. Herlihy, B., Corey, G. (1997). Boundary issues in counselling: Multiple roles and responsiblities. Alexandria: American Counselling Association. Joseph, L. (1969). Of Human Interaction. Palo Alto, CA: National Press. Lawrence, G., Martin, C. R. (2001). Building People, Building Programs: A Practitioners Guide for Introducing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to Individuals and Organizations. United States of America: Center for Application of Psychological Type. Myers, I. B. (1998). Introduction to type: A guide to understanding your results on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Schà ¶n, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner, How Professionals Think In Action. United States of America: Basic Books. Sigman, M., Mundy, P., Sherman, T., Ungerer, J. (1986). Social interactions of autistic, mentally retarded and normal children and their caregivers. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 27(5), 647-656. Tieger, P. D., Barron-Tieger, B. (1995). Do what you are: discover the perfect career for you through the secrets of personality type (2nd ed.). Boston: Brown. Townsend, J. M. (1976). Self-concept and the institutionalization of mental patients: An overview and Critique. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 17, 263-271.

September Eleventh Essays -- Art Tragedy Terrorism Terrorists Papers

September Eleventh I see the three bodies in his painting as people falling from the 110th floor of the South Tower. I see the broken debris and splintered wood as pieces of steel and glass collapsing to the ground, taking firefighters and innocent people with it. By Jennifer Karey In 1986, John Boak created a painting that depicts the horrible event that took place in Cripple Creek, Colorado in the early morning hours of June 5, 1904. An explosion destroyed the Independence train depot in a matter of seconds, killing thirteen men and injuring twenty others. In Boak's work, that horrific moment is captured as if looking up at the patchy night sky as the debris and people seem to fall down to earth. While Boak's intention may have been to portray this event accurately and capture it in time, this intended message is lost in the aftermath of September eleventh. The image no longer represents the image of a small town explosion almost a millennium ago, but rather rekindles recent memories of the events that shook the country only one month ago. While 2001 has proven to be a year of fear, anger, uncertainty and terrible destruction, the years between 1893 and 1904 were equally chaotic for the small mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado. Tensions began to grow between mining companies and workers over their long hours and low wages. In response, John Calderwood, a former coal miner, established the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) in 1894. Calderwood and five hundred men formed a union in February of that same year. Their demands were simple: three dollars' pay for an eight-hour day. The conflict went on with neither side willing to compromise. Non-union workers and union workers competed for jobs as companies refused t... ...p://www.boakart.com> Boak, John. "Re: Harry Orchard blows up the Independence Colorado Train Depot." Email to Jennifer Karey. 14 Oct. 2001. Jameson, Elizabeth. All That Glitters. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1998. Jenkins, Sally. "Manhattan Cleaning Up the Day After Attacks." The Washington Post (2001). 12 September 2001 < http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/articles/A18284-2001Sep12.html> Langdon, Emma F., The Cripple Creek Strike: A History of Industrial Wars in Colorado. New York: Arno Press, 1969. Powell, Michael. "New York: A City Turned Upside Down." The Washington Post (2001). 12 September 2001 < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14164-2001Sep11.html> Sedivy, David. Mr. Sedivy's Highlands Ranch History. 11 October 2001. Highlands Ranch High School. 12 October 2001 < http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/co_hist.html>

Students and Teachers :: Education School Papers

Students and Teachers Teachers and their students. When a person hears these words they think of a classroom and usually nothing more. The classroom, though, is only part of a student and their teacher. One might question, do they talk to each other outside of class? Do the students even like their teacher? Do their feelings about their teacher interfere with their willingness to learn? In response to the last question†¦YES! In my study of Mrs. M and Mr. B’s second hour English 10 class I noticed that there is a direct connection between students feelings of their teacher and their opinion of class. The site that I chose to observe was Capac Jr./Sr. High School located in Capac, Michigan. Honorable D.J. Walker developed the Capac school system in 1857, only 78 days after the town itself was founded. Until the year 1907, there were no 12th grade graduations in Capac. The current high school was built in the year 1931. In 1977 there were 24 rooms and a new gymnasium were added to the high school. In 1997 there was another wing added. This school includes five grades total (8-12), with 692 enrolled in Fall 2001. Capac High has four â€Å"wings†. These separate the classes and departments so that the science, English and math classes are in the same area. The wings are divided into 100s, 200s, 300s and 400s. Three of these sections are connected by one long corridor and the 400s wing is connected to the building by the 300 wing. The 400 classrooms are mainly for the junior high students so that they have a feeling of separation from the higher grades. The eighth g raders spend some of their time during the day in the main part of the school, but no other grades enter the eighth grade wing for classes. The specific class that I observed was Mrs. M and Mr. B’s classroom, room 112. This classroom is not large. It is, similar to the other classes in the school building, just the right size. The student’s desks face east, while the teachers’ desks face south. On the main wall (the east wall) is the dry-erase board. Every day the board has class assignments written on it, so the students know what to expect.

Thoroughly Modern Millie :: essays research papers

Thoroughly Modern Millie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thoroughly Modern Millie takes place in the year 1922 in New York. At this point in history all the women wanted equal rites and wanted to have fun. The main characters in this film are Millie Dillmount, Miss Dorothy Brown, Trevor Graydon, Jimmy Smith, and Muzzy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Millie Dillmount is a totally modern woman. She’s come to the cite from the country in search of a husband. She strives to become a successful business woman and to marry well and be rich. She has every intention of marrying her boss.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miss Dorothy Brown is an orphan new to the city from California. She’s very naive and has no friends or family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trevor Graydon is Millie’s new boss. He is a single business man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jimmy Smith is a man in the paper clip industry. He is madly in love with Millie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The major theme of this movie is that love doesn’t always have to include money and materialistic things. Also that not everything has to happen like they do in the movies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Millie Dillmount lives in a hotel and Miss Dorothy Brown from California moves in. They automatically become friends. The house mother, Ms. Meers, is a middle aged Chinese woman who runs an illegal work ran by kidnapped white female orphans. Miss Dorothy is a target because she doesn’t know a soul. Millie meets Jimmy Smith and he falls in love with her. She feels the same only she wants to marry her future boss whom she hasn’t met quite yet. She’s looking for love and money. When Millie finally gets a job her boss, Trevor Graydon, is a handsome, charming man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day for an outing Jimmy takes Miss Dorothy and Millie to his friend Muzzy`s house. Muzzy is a multi millionaire who becomes close friends with Dorothy and Millie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miss Dorothy meets Trevor Graydon and its love at first sight. Later that night Miss Dorothy is kidnapped by the Ms. Meers and taken to slave with the other white women. Jimmy, Millie, and Trevor figure out what’s going on and come up with a plan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jimmy dresses up as a woman and gets a hotel room at the hotel and he makes it quite clear that he is an orphan and all alone in the world. He gets kidnapped and Millie follows as he leads the way to the others. Their plan works and everyone gets set free and Millie realizes she loves Jimmy.

Nurse Role, Management of Obesity

The role of nurses in the management of Obesity The case study provided regarding diet and weight management has led me to explore the role of a nurse specifically during the management of obesity. The investigation aims to determine how a nurse can intervene and control obesity. The research generally looks at the role of the nurse in managing a patient that is clinically classed as obese. Obesity is calculated using BMI measurements (appendix 1). Limitations to this investigation from a personal perspective are that I haven’t yet practised as a nurse so I can’t use reflection on my own practise as a learning tool.Taking this into consideration I have sourced my information with the use of secondary research methods, thus meaning the summary and synthesis of existing research already available to me via published articles, books and other relevant resources. As you will see as you read on the value of knowledge and evidence to professional practise is critical. The mai n reason why you need to base your professional practice on the best available evidence is explained by Aveyard and Sharp (2009, p6), â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ t enables us to deliver the best possible patient/client care rather than out of date practice’’. Aveyard and Sharp (2009, p7) goes on to say that â€Å"evidence based practice is practice that is supported by clear reasoning, taking into account the patient or clients preferences using your own judgement†. This description is backed up by Sackett et al (1996, p71-72) who described EBP as, â€Å"the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patient/clients†.Gray (1997,p9) emphasized a focus on patient values describing EBP as , â€Å"an approach to decision making in which the clinician uses the best evidence available in consultation with the patient, to decide upon the option which suits the patient best. The NMC code of Condu ct (2008) foregrounds the importance of evidence based practice in professional development and requires that all nurses should be accomplished in practicing evidence based care.After reading various journal articles and books on EBP I have discovered that it is about integrating individual clinical expertise, for example your own proficiency and expertise, along with the best external evidence and also taking in mind the best interests for the patient. It is of high importance to use current best evidence, according to Greenhalgh and Donald (2000) without current best evidence, â€Å"practise risks becoming rapidly out of date, to the detriment of the patients†. Ultimately EBP is the formalization of the care process that the best clinicians have practiced for generations.The contribution of EBP to clinical practice is the delivery of high quality, cost effective and quality care (Aveyard and Sharp, 2009). Challenges surrounding EBP are a nurses experience, for example new n urses may be a little anxious of their new surroundings and unable to utilize all their newly learnt skills. According to Ferguson and Day (2007), â€Å"access to evidence in nursing practice is often challenging due to time constraints, difficulties in interpreting the disparate research reports on particular issues, or lack of up-to-date print-based resources or Internet connections on nursing units†.The main tool applied during my research process was Library Gateway which can be accessed via Shu space. Library Gateway enables you to access a large number of information resources and search tools. The main resource I used is Library Search, which can find results from books, full text journals and many other sources, and return them in one integrated list. The other Gateway tools include Subject Guides, help pages for referencing, the Video, Images and Audio guide and a list of subject databases.Textbooks provide good background information and offer an excellent starting point for more in-depth research, the information provided is not normally rapidly changing and it must be remembered that it may be out of date. Journal articles contain current information and research. They provide detailed reports of the methodology and results of laboratory research, case series reports, clinical trials, program evaluation, and other kinds of research studies. Journal articles focus on finding solutions to specific health care problems. The Internet is not always the best place to look for professional-level information.While it can be easily searched and you get a lot of what you find in full-text, the quality of the health care information found can be questionable. It is important to look at trusted authorities online, however the internet can be useful for looking into a patient’s perspective, for example a patient may explain their worries and experiences in an online chat forum which is always an interesting insight. The tables that follow details the databases used and the search criteria applied. Each database offers a different value of evidence. It is important to consider the following factors when looking t text documents regardless whether it a book, journal, article or online†¦.. Who wrote it, why it was written and when it was produced (SHU 2012). Once you have found a source that is deemed suitable it is then important to consider if the study was original, was the design of the study sensible, has systematic bias been avoided or minimised, was assessment ‘blind’, were preliminary statistical questions addressed (Greenhalgh, 2010). After summing up these points the methodological quality will have been accurately assessed and providing no flaws or faults are found it can be deemed accurate and reliable information.Table 1. Databases used; Database| Details| SHU Library Search| SHU Library Search searches for academic journal and newspaper articles, books,videos, maps and much more from a single sea rch bar. It searches the SHU library catalogue, full text journals and other linked databases. It is limited to content subscribed to by SHU. | Internurse| Internurse is the online archive of peer reviewed nursing articles published by MA healthcare Ltd. It draws together articles from 13 high quality journals. | Table 2. Search Strategy;Database| Keywords| Rationale| Criteria| No. of results| Search terms used in Library Search and Internurse| Nurs* AND manag* AND obes*| The word nurse/nurses/nursing and manage/managing/management and obese/obesity| 2008 to 2012English languageNo country specified. Type of publication: Peer reviewed journals and books | 32| You can search as far back as 2004 using Inter-nurse. For the chosen subject area I decided to concentrate my research more specifically on more recent research as I found I was bombarded with information when I looked as far back as 2004.This has allowed me to look at more recent publications which I feel is highly important in a profession where health care routines are often being changed and improved. Once I had narrowed down the search I was able to pick journals, articles and books which I felt where most appropriate by reading the abstract to get a more in depth overview of what would be best for my topic. Obesity can lead to the onset of several complications, which with the intervention of nurses could be prevented, these complications are highlighted in appendix 2.Maggi Banning (2005) states that there is an ever increasing need for the evolvement of a nursing role as an obesity nurse specialist. She claims the nursing profession needs to step up and prepare for obesity management. The National Obesity Forum provides an ‘Obesity Care Pathway Toolkit’. It strengthens the need for the use of EBP by claiming weight management should ‘†¦. be based on best evidence, where ever possible’. It also states the following, â€Å"It is essential that services be developed in c onsultation with the users and people who will be delivering them, working together as a multi-disciplinary group.Training on weight management control, healthy eating and increasing physical activity to health professionals is necessary to ensure consistent, accurate and up to date messages are given to patients at all times. Currently, very few NHS weight management services are monitored or audited, this will be a must in the future and needs to be built in at the planning stage. The feedback will result in improved services to patients. † Changes in eating habits and activity levels are thought to lie at the heart of obesity (Wadden et al, 2002).As a nurse will get to see their patients everyday it is the ideal opportunity for them to advise patients on healthy eating and provide encouragement for increased levels of activity. Drummond (2002) identified that communication between the nurse and patient is important as some patients may be self conscious or body-conscious. F or example certain terms should be avoided such as ‘sport’ or ‘exercise’ which may have negative associations for patients, a higher level of activity and ‘avoiding sedentary pursuits should be emphasised’.Body weight is considered a sensitive issue for most people so it is vital that healthcare professionals handle the subject of weight loss with sensitivity. Crogan (2006) emphasized that it is important that nurses establish an open approach to communication when addressing issues relating to obesity. I feel a multi-component intervention would be the best way for nurses to manage obesity. It should include behaviour change strategies to increase peoples physical activity levels or to decrease inactivity levels, improve eating behaviour and the quality of the persons diet and aim to reduce energy intake.According to (Sheehan and Yin, 2006) nurses constitute a political force in health policy, because they are situated in a wide range of setti ngs. This is backed up by Bennett 2007 who states, ‘Nurses in the primary care setting are uniquely placed to support patients to make the necessary changes’. Nurses need to have an understanding of the patients multiple needs and to collaborate with other members of the health team to discuss personalized holistic care issues.Chrystalleni and Christiana (2010) have recognised that â€Å"the aetiology of obesity is multi-factorial, and dietary factors that relate or are responsible for the development of obesity are complex and still not understood†. As they define development of obesity to not be understood I feel this is a large limitation and therefore requires constant comparison of current techniques used in managing obesity along with any current evidence that has arisen through trustworthy practice research. In conclusion, the role of a nurse in managing an obese patient should involve discussing the weight issues and the severity on the patient’s h ealth.As supported by Green et al (2000) this will enable the nurse to gain insight into the magnitude of the problem and to negotiate realistic goals in terms of weight loss and to support and provide dietary advice which is acceptable for the individual. Nurses should consider each patient holistically and use appropriate language in order to encourage and not offend. As encouraged by the national obesity forum patient selection should be active rather than passive, with opportunistic screening rather than reliance exclusively on self-referral.The nurse should discuss ways in which a negative energy balance is achievable. References AVEYARD, Helen and SHARP, Pam (2009). A beginners guide to evidence based practice in health and social care,. Open University Press, McGraw-Hill. BENNET D (2007). Nurses at the cutting edge of obesity. Practise Nursing. 18,9,454-458. CHRYSTALLENI, Lazarou, CHRISTIANA, Kouta (2010). The role of nurses in the prevention and management of obesity. [onlin e]. 19 (10) 641-647. Journal from British Journal of Nursing last accessed 12th November 2012 at http://www. internurse. om CROGAN E (2006). A bio-behavioural approach to obesity. Practise nursing. 17, 9, 439-442. DRUMMOND S (2002). The management of obesity. Nursing Standard. 16(48), 47-52. GRAY J. A. M (1977). Evidence-based Healthcare. Churchill Livingstone, Newyork, USA. GREENHALGH, T & DONALD,A (2000). Evidence based health care work book: Understanding research for individual and group learning. London, BMJ Books. Last accessed 16th November 2012. GREENHALGH, Trisha (2010). How to read a paper: the basics of evidence based medicine. [online]. London, BMJ Books.Book from Library Gateway last accessed 12thNovember 2012 at: http://library. shu. ac. uk FERGUSON, Linda & RENE, Day (2007)Challenges for new nurses in evidence-based practice. [online]. Journal of Nursing Management. 15(1), 107-113. Last accessed 15th November at: http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com. lcproxy. shu. ac. uk/ doi/10. 1111/j. 1365-2934. 2006. 00638. x/full JOLLEY, Jeremy (2010). Introduction to evidence based practice for nurses. Harlow. Pearson Education. MAGGI, Banning. The management of obesity: the role of the specialist nurse. online]. 14 [3]140. Journal from British Journal of Nursing last accessed 12th November 2012 at http://www. internurse. com Nursing & Midwifery Council (2008). The code: standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. Nursing & Midwifery Council. London. SACKETT, D. L. , et al. (1996). Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. British Medical Journal, 312[7023],71-72. Sheffield Hallam University (2012). Evaluation: Why evaluate. [online] Last accessed November 2012 at http://infoskills. shu. ac. k/skills/evaluation. html SHEEHAN NC, YIN L (2006). Childhood obesity: nursing policy implications. J Pediatr Nurs 21(4): 308-10, Last accessed November 2012 at http://www. who. int World Health Organisation (2005). Obesity and Overwei ght: Factsheet. [online] Last accessed 12th November 2012 at http://www. who. int/en Appendix 1. (WHO 1995) BMI (kg/m2) Category of Obesity 18. 5–24. 9 Normal weight 25. 0–29. 9 Grade I obesity 30. 0–39. 9 Grade II obesity ;40. 0 Grade III obesity