Presidential Succession Essays - , Term Papers

Presidential Succession Presidential Succession, is a term that describes the arrangements under which presidential authority in the United States may be transferred other than by means of the quadrennial presidential ELECTION. Specifically, it embraces those procedures that apply to cases involving the death, resignation, removal, or inability of a PRESIDENT or VICE PRESIDENT, and the death or failure to qualify of a president-elect or vice president-elect. These procedures are defined in three parts of the U. S. CONSTITUTION--Article II, Section 1, Clause 6; the 20th Amendment; and the 25th Amendment--and in the presidential-succession law passed by Congress in 1947. The importance of a system of presidential succession has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout American history, but especially in the 20th century. Between 1901 and 1974, five vice presidents became president as a result of four presidential deaths and one resignation. In the 19th century four other vice presidents became president after a president's death. Between 1841 and 1975, more than one third of the presidents either died in office, resigned, or became disabled. Of the elected vice presidents, seven have died in office and two have resigned. Altogether, the second office has been vacant for more than 37 years. Present System Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution, as supplemented by Section 1 of the 25th Amendment, provides that the vice president becomes president in the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the president. When any of these contingencies occurs, the vice president takes the presidential oath and serves as president for the rest of the term. Section 2 of the 25th Amendment prescribes a procedure for filling a vice-presidential vacancy. The president nominates a vice president, who must be confirmed by a majority vote of each House of CONGRESS. Sections 3 and 4 of the 25th Amendment deal with a case in which some condition or circumstance, such as a physical or mental inability, prevents the president from discharging his powers and duties. These sections make clear that in a case of inability, the vice president simply discharges the powers and duties of president until the president recovers from the inability. Section 3 allows the president to declare the beginning and ending of his own inability. Section 4, covering the case in which the president is unable to make or communicate a decision of inability, authorizes the vice president and a majority of the cabinet "or of such other body as Congress may by law provide" to declare the existence of such an inability. When an inability is declared under Section 4, the president is prevented from resuming his powers and duties for a period of four days from the time he declares the end of such an inability. If during the four-day period the vice president and cabinet should dispute the president's declaration of recovery, the Congress must then decide the issue. It has a maximum of 21 days to do so, and a two-thirds vote of each house is required to prevent the president from resuming his powers and duties. During the period Congress has to decide, the vice president continues to act as president. Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 also authorizes Congress to establish a line of succession to the presidency in the event of simultaneous vacancies in the offices of president and vice president. Pursuant to this provision, Congress adopted a law in 1947 that places the following persons in the line of succession after the vice president: first the Speaker of the House, then the president pro tempore of the Senate, and then the members of the cabinet in the order in which their departments were created. The 20th Amendment provides for other contingencies. In the event of the death of a president-elect, it provides that the vice president-elect shall become president for the full term. If a president-elect fails to qualify--for example, by falling short of residency or age requirements--then the vice president-elect acts as president until the president qualifies. The amendment further authorizes Congress to provide for the death or failure to qualify of both the president-elect and vice president-elect, which Congress has done in the succession law of 1947. Presidential Inability Before the adoption of the 25th Amendment in 1967, the cornerstone of the U. S. presidential succession system was found in Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, which provides: "In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may

Comparación entre la visa K-3 y green card

Comparacià ³n entre la visa K-3 y green card Si eres un ciudadano americano y ests casado con un extranjero que se encuentra fuera de EEUU puedes reclamarlo con una K-3 o con una tarjeta de residencia,  ¿quà © es mejor? Si te has casado y no sabes cul es el camino ms rpido y conveniente para que tu esposo/a venga a los Estados Unidos a vivir contigo como residente permanente legal lee esta comparativa antes de decidir quà © hacer. Elementos comunes a la K-3 y a la solicitud de la tarjeta de residencia para un esposo mediante el formulario I-130 En ambos casos tà º, el ciudadano americano, tienes que enviar la solicitud al Servicio de Ciudadanà ­a e Inmigracià ³n (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Si la aprueba, contactar directamente con el consulado correspondiente.El consulado citar a tu esposo/a para una entrevista y ser el oficial consular el que decida si aprueba la solicitud de visa K-3 o de la tarjeta de residencia, segà ºn la peticià ³n que tà º le presentaste al USCIS. Quà © pasa si solicitas una K-3 para tu cà ³nyuge La K-3 una visa que permite al esposo/a de un ciudadano americano entrar en Estados Unidos. Una vez aquà ­ deber realizar un ajuste de estatus para conseguir la greencard.  A consecuencia de ello hay que dedicar unos seis meses a esta tramitacià ³n. Quà © pasa si solicitas una tarjeta de residencia Si en la entrevista el oficial consular aprueba la peticià ³n, entonces tu cà ³nyuge recibir una visa de inmigrante para entrar en Estados Unidos. Cuando llega a la frontera y le sellan el pasaporte se convierte en residente permanente legal. Y en unos meses recibir por correo ordinario la tarjeta de residencia. (pero residente es desde el momento en que entra a Estados Unidos).  ¿Cul es la ventaja y desventaja de la K-3 sobre la peticià ³n del permiso de residencia? Hubo un tiempo en el que las K-3 se tramitaban de una manera ms rpida y por eso habà ­a quien las preferà ­a para acortar el tiempo en el que los esposos permanecà ­an separados. Sin embargo,  hoy en dà ­a esto ya no es asà ­. El tiempo de demora de las tarjetas de residencia para los esposos de los ciudadanos que se encuentran en otro paà ­s varà ­a entre los seis meses y el aà ±o, en la mayorà ­a de los casos. Depende en gran medida de la oficina del USCIS que tramite la peticià ³n y del consulado en el que tiene lugar la entrevista. Otra desventaja de la K-3 que puede afectar a algunas parejas es que la entrevista consular ha de realizarse en el paà ­s en el que se celebrà ³ la boda (excepto si es Estados Unidos, en cuyo caso tendr lugar en el consulado del paà ­s en el que viva el novio extranjero). Por ejemplo, si una pareja donde la novia es de Estados Unidos y el novio de Colombia deciden casarse en Parà ­s durante un viaje romntico, tienen que saber que la entrevista para el visado no va a tener lugar en ningà ºn consulado colombiano, sino en uno francà ©s. Asà ­ que habrà ­a que viajar a otro paà ­s, con el consiguiente gasto.  ¿Cul es la ventaja de pedir directamente la tarjeta de residencia? Que el cà ³nyuge extranjero se convierte en residente nada ms pisar suelo de los Estados Unidos y ser procesado por un oficial de Inmigracià ³n en la aduana. No es necesario realizar un ajuste de estatus. Y como el tiempo de tramitacià ³n se ha reducido y se asemeja al de las visas K-3, realmente la opcià ³n ms ventajosa en la mayorà ­a de los casos es la de reclamar una tarjeta de residencia para el cà ³nyuge extranjero. A tener en cuenta Tanto en los casos de visas K-3 como de peticiones de tarjetas de residencia, la greencard ser condicional por dos aà ±os si los esposos llevan menos de dos aà ±os casados. Toma este test de respuestas mà ºltiples sobre la tarjeta de residencia.  ¡Te ayudar a evitar cometer errores! Documentos para realizar las peticiones En ambos casos necesitas rellenar la planilla (forma) I-130. Una vez que es aprobada por el USCIS (te lo notificar con un documento conocido como I-797), si deseas seguir el camino de la visa K-3 debers rellenar el formulario I-129F, incluir una copia del I-797 y enviarlo a la oficina de Dallas del USCIS.

Political and Economic Integration Processes in The Gulf Cooperation Essay

Political and Economic Integration Processes in The Gulf Cooperation Council - Essay Example The GCC Organizational structure looks like the EU structure with a Supreme Council made up of members from all countries in the GCC. From first appearances one might see a top down structure in the design. However, the top is shared by heads of the member states (based on the monarchic or emirate government). This makes the top divisional in its structure. The actual executive of the council is not by rank and size but rather rotated in alphabetical order of the member's names. Yet, despite the inherited leadership, it is somewhat democratic in its implementation: meetings of the supreme council are only valid if attended by at least two-thirds of the members. Under the Supreme Council there are several organizations designed as functional structure but arranged as matrix rather than a top down structure. Firstly, there is a Consultative Commission, formed of equal amounts of members from each state - its purpose is to study matters assigned by the Supreme Council. Along with that - there is the Commission for the Settlement of Disputes. Again, under the Supreme Council but is designed to allow for contingency factors and only used as needed. A Ministerial Council formed from the Ministers of Foreign Affairs - the head over this segment is the current head of the supreme council. This organization is in charge of policies, recommendations, and oversees other existing actions in all fields of specialty. Any ministerial subcommittee must first resolve and then refer the rulings to the Ministerial Council, who in turn, along with their recommendations on the rulings give to the Supreme Council for final approval. These rulings and recommendations must also be voted by two-thirds of the members to be counted as official. The Ministerial Council meets... This essay aims to identify long-term perspectives of the Gulf Cooperation Council as an integral regional union and also define development trends of its members countries. The GCC Organizational structure looks like the EU structure with a Supreme Council made up of members from all countries in the GCC. Globalization can be defined as a global networking that has welded together previously disparate and isolated communities on this planet into mutual dependence and unity of ‘one world. The opposite would be a more skeptic and Marxist indicated definition, like perspective that globalization is what the Third World have for centuries called colonization. One might even interpret globalism as a less offensive term for imperialism, not well received by developing countries with aspirations of their own international successes. Globalization is typically defined as a shift from localized human societies (including financial, political and religious systems) to linking distant communities of people and levels of industry, expanding them across regions and continents. Globalization can reduce the deficiencies of third world countries with technological advances and with equal allocation of resources. The completion of the Free Trade Agreement, started so long ago, would be a stronger indication of liberalization in the GCC. The willingness to team up with the European Union, a non-US entity, might just be a considered strategy to strengthen their unwillingness to embrace globalization.

American Association of Advertising Agencies Essay

American Association of Advertising Agencies - Essay Example Primarily, the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) blends the promotional tools of marketing so that they are able to perform in harmony with each other. Promotion is one of the ‘Ps’ in marketing mix and the tools when blended together, work optimally rather than in isolation. The integration is further augmented, beyond just communication when other levels of integration e.g. Data integration, internal and external integration and Vertical and Horizontal Integration is achieved. Horizontal Integration means that all the business functions of an organization are working in harmony with each other. For example, distribution, production, sales and finance departments should be conscious of the messages they deliver to the clients and must work in cohesion to achieve objectives of the business. Whereas, different departments like advertising and sales can fuse through data integration through marketing information system. On the other hand, Vertical Integra tion refers to the fact that communication and marketing aims must augment the higher organizational aims and objectives. Internal and External Integration are also very important components of Integrated Marketing Concept. Internal Integrations requires that all the employees of an organization are kept informed regarding strategic and tactical changes being implemented in the company. Moreover, they must be kept involved in the new developments from which the organization is undergoing, the new standards being set by the management and strategic partnership being envisaged. On the other hand, External Integration refers to a scheme in which all the external partners and stakeholders of the organization e.g. Public Relation agencies and Advertising blend seamlessly to provide a workable solution to the problems of the company. A lot of effort is required for Integrated Marketing Communications to deliver its desired benefits however, it can create a competitive advantage for the co mpany compared to an organization which uses traditional techniques for promotion and advertising. Through Integrated Marketing Communication, a company is able to develop a meaningful relationship with its customers through helping them through various stages of purchasing process. Thus, through Integrated Marketing Communication, an organization is able to retain its customers for life which gives it an edge over other companies. The organizations which utilize IMC concept are much more likely to yield profitability than the organizations which use traditional methods of communication. In fact, a unified message delivered by an organization is much more effective than a host of disjointed messages. A crystal clear and consolidated message is well received among the potential customers than myriad of commercials messages delivered every day. Integrated Marketing Communication can boosts sales of a company by disseminating a message which helps increase customers’ awareness a nd eases their choices. Company’s strategy to deliver timely information and special offers at the right time assists the customers in purchasing process. Finally, Integrated Marketing saves a lot of expenditure for the organizations as it reduces the need of duplication. Photography and graphics can be shared by various departments e.g. sales and advertising. This also reduces the time and workload on different section of the company as a single agency is responsible for all the communication needs. Ans4. An efficient channel of communication has to be selected by the communicator in order to get the desired results. In marketing practices, usually two types of communication channels are employed; personal and non-personal. Personal communication cha

Psychological Interventions in Patients with Cancer

Psychological Interventions in Patients with Cancer Introduction Patients with cancer may experience comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression, and symptoms including fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Anxiety and depression are both very common and it has been estimated that 16–25% of newly diagnosed cancer patients experience either depression or depressed mood (DSM-IV criteria) (Sellick 1999). Studies in women with breast cancer have shown that up to 30% develop psychological morbidity (either anxiety or depressive disorder) within one year of diagnosis (Bleiker 2000; Maguire 2000). Cancer-related symptoms are also very common. As many as 70–80% of all cancer patients receiving chemotherapy experience nausea and vomiting (Lindley et al. 1989; Morrow 1992) and 78% of patients are estimated to be affected by fatigue (Ashbury et al. 1998), in particular those with advanced cancer and those receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment (Ahlberg et al. 2003; Jacobsen et al. 2007), where symptoms may persist even after treatment has finished (Servaes et al. 2002). The use of psychological interventions can be beneficial in the management of cancer-related conditions and symptoms and may result in improved quality of life and better long-term outcomes (Devine and Westlakes 1995). Psychological interventions may be classified into four groups (which also include broader psychosocial interventions) as described below (Fawzy et al.1995; Greer 2002; Edwards et al. 2004): Cognitive behavioural interventions involve the identification and correction of those thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be involved in the development and/or maintenance of cancer-related symptoms or conditions (Jacobsen 1998). Individual psychotherapy interventions involve one-to-one interaction between patient and therapist, aimed at reducing feelings of distress and increasing the patient’s morale, self-esteem and ability to cope (Fawzy et al. 1995) Educational interventions provide patients with information about cancer, ways of coping with the disease and what resources are available to help them, with the aim of reducing commonly experienced feelings such as inadequacy, confusion, helplessness and loss of control (Fawzy et al. 1995). Group interventions may be either patient led or led by healthcare professionals and serve to provide social support for cancer patients (Leszcz and Goodwin 1998). One intervention within this category, supportive-expressive group therapy, involves building bonds, expressing emotions, improving the relationship between patient and healthcare professional and improving coping skills (Edwards et al. 2004). It is also important to consider the effectiveness of other interventions, such as the use of complementary therapies, which may be used alongside psychological interventions to achieve a greater improvement in cancer-related conditions and symptoms than those obtained using psychological interventions alone. This paper reports the process and findings of a literature review performed to identify and evaluate published literature on psychological interventions in patients with cancer, and other interventions that may also be effective in achieving improved psychological outcomes, together with a discussion of how the evidence gathered may guide informed decision-making on best clinical practice. Data sources and search strategy Electronic searches were performed on the Medline, CINAHL and PsychINFO databases for English language articles published between 1998 and 2008. Search terms included cancer AND intervention OR cancer AND therapy plus education OR patient education OR educational OR cognitive behavioural OR cognitive OR psychotherapy OR psychological OR supportive-expressive OR supportive OR group psychotherapy. For each trial, the quality of both the trial itself and the report in the published literature were assessed. Literature review Main results Well-designed, single or multicentre, randomised controlled trials involving large study samples were selected for inclusion, together with systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Only UK published literature was originally planned for inclusion; however, due to the limited number of high quality, well-designed studies identified, searches were performed again to identify suitable non-UK articles. Summary of studies selected Cognitive behavioural interventions One randomised controlled trial and one systematic review were identified from the UK-published articles found during the electronic searches. The randomised controlled study by Moynihan et al. investigated the use of adjuvant psychological therapy in 73 men with newly diagnosed, non-suicidal men with testicular cancer (Moynihan et al. 1998). This is a cognitive behavioural treatment programme designed specifically for patients with cancer. The therapist was a mental health nurse with experience of caring for testicular patients and who was trained in adjuvant psychological therapy techniques. Outcome measures included validated self-completed questionnaires such as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the mental adjustment to cancer scale and the psychosocial adjustment to illness scale. The treatment group showed a minimal reduction in anxiety after 2 months and when adjustment for histology, stage of disease and type of treatment was made, the observed effect was not signifi cant. No between group differences in depression scores were observed after 2 months. After 1 year, control patients actually achieved better anxiety and depression scores than those in the treatment group. This study therefore concluded that there was no benefit from the use of adjuvant psychological therapy in men with testicular cancer. The systematic review performed by Richardson et al. evaluated the use of hypnosis for nausea and vomiting in patients with various types of cancer (Richardson et al. 2006). Study participants were children in 5 of the 6 randomised controlled studies selected. Meta-analyses demonstrated a large effect size of hypnosis compared with standard treatment, and this effect was at least as large as that achieved with cognitive-behavioural therapy. Limitations of this review were that the sample sizes of the studies included were small, and some of the studies were poorly described in the published literature. As the majority of the studies were conducted in children, further research is needed in adults to confirm these findings. A number of non-UK published studies evaluating the use of cognitive-behavioural training in patients with cancer were also identified. A randomised controlled study conducted by Korstjens et al. investigated the effects of physical plus cognitive-behavioural training compared with physical training alone on quality of life in 147 patients with various cancers who had completed treatment (Korstjens et al. 2008). Quality of life was measured using the RAND-36. After 12 weeks, there were no differences between groups in quality of life. It can therefore be concluded that adding cognitive-behavioural training had no added benefit on cancer survivors’ quality of life compared with physical training alone. Individual psychotherapeutic interventions Fenlon et al. conducted a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effect of relaxation training in reducing the incidence of hot flushes 150 women with primary breast cancer (Fenlon et al. 2008). Study participants in the treatment group received a single relaxation training session in conjunction with the use of practice tapes. Outcome measures included a patient diary and validated measures of anxiety and quality of life. After 1 month, the incidence and severity of hot flushes were significantly reduced (p Educational interventions A randomised controlled trial by Ream et al. evaluated an educational support intervention (i.e. investigator-designed information pack) for fatigue in 103 chemotherapy-naà ¯ve cancer patients. Additional psychological support was also provided by nurses. After 3 months, the intervention group reported significantly less fatigue, lower levels of anxiety, depression and distress, and better adaptive coping (all p Jones et al. carried out a randomised trial to investigate whether different types of educational information could increase interaction between the patient and others, thereby improving emotional support and psychological well-being (Jones et al. 2006). A total of 325 patients with breast or prostate cancer who were about to begin radiotherapy participated in the study. Patients were given either a general information booklet on cancer or else a booklet containing personalised information. Outcome measures included the use of Likert scales to score answers to questions on anxiety and depression (non-validated) and Helgeson’s social support questionnaire. Results showed no differences between groups in anxiety or depression scores but patients who received personalised information reported that they were more likely to show their booklet to others and believe it helped in discussions. These findings suggest that this type of intervention may have the potential to improve emoti onal well-being by increasing the levels of support patients receive from others. A systematic review conducted by Smith et al. evaluated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction as supportive therapy (Smith et al. 2005). This is a highly-structured psycho-educational, skill-based therapy that combines mindfulness meditation with hatha yoga. Two randomised controlled and four uncontrolled trials were selected which used self-reported outcome measures for mood, stress, anxiety and quality of life. Study findings showed improvements in mood and sleep quality and reductions in stress in patients following the use of this intervention. However, the studies included in this review largely involved small sample sizes and may therefore be underpowered. Furthermore, the quality of the written study manuscripts was variable; for example, some contained limited descriptions of the randomisation process and a lack of methods on sampling and participant recruitment. While these results are encouraging and suggest that mindfulness-based stress reduction may be e ffective as a self-administered intervention for cancer patients, further research conducted through well-designed, randomised controlled trials is needed to confirm these preliminary findings. Group psychological interventions A non-UK published study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of hospital psychosocial support groups on emotional distress and quality of life in 108 women with breast cancer (Schou et al. 2007). Outcome measures involved the use of the validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the EORTC quality of life questionnaire. After 12 months, the prevalence of anxiety was significantly lower among group participants than in non-participants (19% vs 34%; p=0.04). These findings suggest that psychosocial support appears to have a long-term benefit on anxiety although the effects of this intervention on depression and quality of life were inconclusive in this study. Another non-UK published randomised controlled trial has been conducted to investigate the effect of supportive-expressive group therapy compared with educational materials on distress in 125 women with metastatic breast cancer (Classen et al. 2001). Participants were offered either one year of weekly group therapy plus educational materials or educational materials only. Outcome measures included the Profile of Mood States (POMS) to assess mood disturbance and Impact of Event Scale (IES) to assess change over time in trauma symptoms. Patients who received weekly therapy showed a significantly greater decline in traumatic stress symptoms than those in the control group but no between group differences in mood disturbance were observed. It can be concluded that supportive-expressive group therapy may offer some benefit in reducing distress in women with metastatic breast cancer. Complementary/alternative interventions Wilkinson et al. conducted a multicentre randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in 288 patients with cancer diagnosed with clinical anxiety and/or depression (Wilkinson et al. 2007). Patients were randomised to receive either a course of aromatherapy massage plus usual supportive care or supportive care only. Outcome measures included the validated State Subscale of the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. At 6 weeks post-randomisation, patients who received aromatherapy massage showed a significant improvement in clinical anxiety and/or depression compared with those receiving standard care only (p=0.001) but this effect was not sustained at 10 weeks post-randomisation (p=0.10) Patients receiving the aromatherapy intervention also recorded a greater improvement in self-reported anxiety at both 6 and 10 weeks than those in the control group (p=0.04). These results suggest that although aromatherapy massage may not confer long-term benefits to patients with cancer, short-term benefitsmmay be seen. Strengths and weaknesses of this literature review As previously stated, one of the major limitations of this review was that the original searches only included UK-published articles. As a lack of good quality published research was identified, further searches were conducted to identify suitable non-UK articles to include in the review. Although a number of studies were selected that recruited participants with various types of cancer, several studies involved patients with only breast cancer and only one study was conducted in men only. It may therefore be argued that the scope of this review was too narrow. One of the systematic reviews which were included (Richardson et al. 2007) involved small studies which were sometimes poorly designed or poorly written up. The findings of this systematic review should therefore be treated with caution until supported with data from randomised controlled trials. The strengths of this review are that well-designed randomised controlled trials were included, with sample sizes large enough for adequate power. The reports of these trials were generally good quality and comprehensively written with a logical flow. The aims and/or objectives were clearly stated, and descriptions of study design, participant recruitment and selection, and the randomisation process were included. Many of the outcome measures used were validated instruments, a description of all measures was included and appropriate statistical analyses were used to analyse the data. Implications for clinical practice Previous research and systematic reviews have reported conflicting findings on whether psychological interventions for patients with cancer are beneficial or not (Greer 2002; Edwards et al. 2004). The current review also presents conflicting data on the benefits of psychological interventions in cancer patients. Two of the studies selected presented evidence that cognitive behavioural interventions provide no added benefit to cancer patients. Interestingly, a systematic review concluded that hypnosis may be beneficial but many of the studies were conducted in children so whether these findings are also observed in adults requires further investigation. Individual psychotherapeutic interventions such as relaxation training may be beneficial for breast cancer patients in reducing distress although no improvement in anxiety or quality of life was observed. The effectiveness of these types of interventions in men and in patients with other types of cancer requires further research. Educational interventions and group psychological interventions produced the best outcomes of all the psychological interventions evaluated. In particular, the use of educational booklets and information packs, either used alone or in conjunction with psychological support, may result in improvements in psychological and emotional well-being in patients with cancer. Again, further research is needed to determine whether these types of interventions are beneficial in patients with all types of cancer. Psychosocial support groups and supportive-expressive group therapy have both been shown to be beneficial in women with breast cancer, particularly in reducing anxiety and distress. Further evidence is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these interventions in men. Complementary and/or alternative treatments such as aromatherapy may play a role as adjuvant therapies and can be beneficial in the short-term management of anxiety and depression in cancer patients. Conclusions This review has provided evidence that certain psychological interventions such as educational and group interventions may provide some benefit to cancer patients in the management of cancer-related conditions and symptoms including anxiety, depression, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Both short- and long-term improvements in quality of life and emotional well-being may be achievable using these interventions but further research is needed to provide the evidence to guide best practice. Psychological and psychiatric support services are currently unable to meet demand from oncology services and the oncology nurse is ideally placed to play a key role in the provision of psychological care and support for cancer patients, either directly or as part of a multidisciplinary team. For example, educational interventions such as information leaflets can be developed and provided to patients by the oncology nurse, who would also able to lead group therapy sessions. It is essential that the nurse has sufficient knowledge of the most appropriate psychological intervention to use for patients and the skill and expertise to implement this effectively to ensure a successful outcome. Bibliography Ahlberg, K., Ekman, T., Gaston-Johannson, F., Mock, V. 2003, ’Assessment and management of cancer-related fatigue in adults’, Lancet, vol. 362, pp. 640–50. Ashbury, F.D., Findlay, H., Reynolds, B., McKerracher, K. A., ‘A Canadian survey of cancer patients’ experiences: are their needs being met? Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 298–306. Bleiker, E. M., Pouwer, F., van der Ploeg, H. M., Leer, J. W., Ader, H. J. 2000, ‘Psychological distress 2 years after diagnosis of breast cancer: frequency and prediction’, Patient Education and Counselling, vol. 40, pp. 209–17. Classen, C., Butler, L. D., Koopman, C., Miller, E., DiMiceli, Giese-Davis, J., Fobair, P., Carlson, R. W., Kraemer, H. 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P., van den Borne, B, ‘Quality of life after self-management cancer rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial comparing physical and cognitive-behavioural training versus physical training’, Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 422–9. Leszcz, M. Goodwin, P. 1998, ‘The rationale and foundations of group psychotherapy for women with metastatic breast cancer’, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 245–69. Maguire, P. 2000, ‘Psychological aspects. In: ABC of Breast Diseases, Dixon, M. (eds), BMJ Books, London, pp. 85–9. Moynihan, C., Bliss, J. M., Davidson, J., Burchell, L., Horwich, A. 1998, ‘Evaluation of adjuvant psychological therapy in patients with testicular cancer’, British Medical Journal, vol. 316, pp. 429–35. Ream, E., Richardson, A., Alexander-Dann, C. 2006, ‘Supportive intervention for fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy: a randomised controlled trial’, Journal of Pain Symptom Management, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 148–61. Richardson, J., Smith, J. E., McCall, G., Richardson, A., Pilkington, K., Kirsch, I. 2007, ‘Hypnosis for nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy: a systematic review of the research evidence’, European Journal of Cancer Care, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 402–12. Schou, I., Ekeberg, O., Karesen, R., Sorensen, E. 2007, ‘Psychosocial intervention as a component of routine breast cancer care – who participates and does it help?’, Psycho-oncology, E-pub ahead of print. Sellick, S. Crooks, D. 1999, ‘Depression and cancer: an appraisal of the literature for prevalence, detection, and practice guideline development’, Psycho-oncology, vol, 8, pp. 315–33. Servaes, P., Verhagen, C., Bleijenberg, G. 2002, ‘Fatigue in cancer patients during and after treatment: prevalence, correlates and interventions’, European Journal of Cancer, vol. 38, pp. 27–43. Smith, J. F., Richardson, J., Hoffman, C., Pilkington, K. 2005, ‘Mindfulness-based stress reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: systematic review’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 315–27. Wilkinson, S. M., Love, S. B., Westcombe, A. M., Gambles, M. A., Burgess, C. C., Cargill, A., Young, T., Maher, E. J., Ramirez, A. J. 2007, ‘Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial’, Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 532–9. Table 1. Summary of main UK published studies selected

Explain What Aristotle Meant by the Final Cause. 25 Marks

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and empiricist, he believed in sense experience, as well as student to Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Aristotle understood that the world around us is transient, impermanent. He believed that everything can be explained with his four causes and in order for humanity to understand the world we needed to use them. The four causes are Aristotle’s way of explaining the existence of an object, with the ‘final cause’ being the most important aspect of his theory as it gave the best explanation of an object.The final cause is the theory that all objects have an ultimate purpose for their existence, an important part of what it is. The route to the final cause is as follows, the first cause is the material cause, it refers to the matter of an object, it’s substance and room for change, so the material cause of a chair would be plastic and metal. The next cause is the efficient cause, this is what caused it, the agent that brought it about, for a chair this would be the manufacturer.Then there is the formal cause, the characteristics of an object, therefore the formal cause of a chair would be curved plastic seat with metal legs. Finally Aristotle stated the final cause, the purpose of something, it’s ultimate reasoning, and the chair’s purpose would be to allow someone to sit on it. Aristotle suggested that humans had the greatest potential of all things as part of their telos is to understand the world, learning the form and purpose of everything in the world. In addition, Aristotle brings in the concept of actuality and potentiality into his argument.Aristotle believed everything has potential and when it reached it’s potential end becomes something different it reaches it’s actuality. This then applies to the concept of the final cause, if everything has a purpose and, in the case of animate objects, realises it’s purpose, it will inspire itself to rea ch it’s potential and fulfill it’s function. Therefore the final cause was not only meant as an explanation that everything had a purpose, but an aspiration to create the thought that everything needs to accomplish it’s purpose and reach it’s potential.Where humans are concerned the final cause questions the telos of humanity. If humanity has not yet understood and realised it’s true purpose then how is it going to reach it’s full potential, according the Bible, humanity’s purpose is to follow the teachings of God and reach goodness yet science teaches us our purpose is survival. With these conflicting views it shows that Aristotle’s final cause can lead to many interpretations. The philosopher also said that when the purpose of an object is fully realised then full perfection is reached and it has achieved goodness, it has reached eudamonia.This means that the final cause is the ultimate cause, the cause of causes. As he was a student of Plato his concepts tend to link well to Plato’s, and in this case the idea that the purpose of an object is to reach perfection ties in with Plato’s theory of Forms and the Form of the good, with both philosophers acknowledging that everything has potentiality. Plato’s theory of Forms stated that there were two worlds, the world of appearances in which we live, and the world of Forms, and it is in this world of Forms where the all perfect Forms and Form of the good resides.Plato believed the Form of good is the perfect Form, it is eternal and all Forms in the world of appearances aim to achieve perfection and the Form of good. Aristotle acknowledged that all things in our universe are always trying to achieve perfection but he disagreed in the sense that these forms, that Plato said resided in another world, were what we see around us and substance and matter are what forms are made of.This links to the meaning of the final Cause as both Aristotle an d Plato believe and agree that everything in the physical world is striving to achieve perfection and this is it’s purpose, an example of this is of how technology is constantly advancing, each product progressing to achieve it’s purpose in new ways. Aristotle also understood that everything physical is transient, therefore if something was to move then another thing must have caused it to move.With the final cause he tried to figure out for what purpose was the movement was caused, and what was the actual cause of movement, when does potential become actual. Because if everything has a purpose and function, then this purpose and function had to be thought out and caused by something else, and this is what led Aristotle to the theory of the Prime Mover, with it’s purpose being the creator of the universe.Therefore the final cause also means the existence of God, it was another concept Aristotle used to not only explain the key factors of an object, but the objec t’s cause. If everything has a purpose then it must have a cause, and with Aristotle creating the idea of a Prime Mover, disregarding the theory of infinite regression, the only logical explanation for the cause of the universe is a God. Aristotle claimed the Prime Mover is eternal, actual and perfect, and only God could fit these characteristics.The final cause also ‘proves’ the existence of God as within the Bible it states that God has given humanity a purpose, and through the final cause we realise this purpose it true and therefore there must be a God or Prime Mover who caused this purpose. In conclusion there are many possible things that Aristotle meant by the final cause. It could be an explanation for each object and why it was created by ‘God’, but it could just as easily be an inspirational concept for humanity, by making sure we achieved our purpose by doing good and reaching our potential.Although the world is currently dominated by scie nce and it is seen as the only acceptable explanation and justification for everything’s purpose, the final cause offers deeper insights into everything’s purpose, especially humanity’s. Therefore I believe what Aristotle mainly meant by the final cause was just simple the explanation that everything had a purpose and that if humanity realised it’s true purpose and interpreted it as they would, then we would reach Eudamonia and full goodness.

Kfc strategic brand managemnt Essay

The fast food industry in Malaysia is saturated with players such as McDonalds, KFC, Wendy’s, Chili’s, Nandos and the like. The industry is relatively large in terms of the participating brands in fast food business. Fast food business is categorised according to the food served as well as their facilities and locations. There are restaurants selling specifically burgers, pizzas or only chicken, Mexican cuisine and many others. According the location, some restaurants are drive-ins whereas others provide in house catering as well as off premises catering.The market of the fast food business is stratified, but all in all inclusive of all groups of the society. As observed in many restaurants, they provide meals even for children, hence allowing all ages to enjoy their meals from the restaurants. Fast food business enjoys a high level of prominence in Malaysia as the trend of home cooking is currently on the fade, and the intertwinement of a busy life, promotes the fast foods as the reliable and available sources of food during breakfast, lunch and dinners. Moreover, the eating habits of Malaysians give a good breeding ground for the fast food industry to flourish as people are fond of food and eateries have become places where business deals are concluded as well as assignments completed, for instance Starbucks. As per this year, it is projected that the sales of this industry will jump up according with the increase of tourism as it is the proclaimed year of tourism; this will eventually see, the increment in revenues collected by the fast food restaurants as the tourists will add up to the current population in Malaysia. 1.2COMPANY OVERV IEW This study focuses on the brand of KFC or otherwise as known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is an international brand that hosts a large number of franchisees all over the world. KFC started in USA, and slowly infiltrated the rest of the world with its premier tasting chicken. In Malaysia, this brand started its operations in 1973; it has sustained a healthy growth over the years with many outlets being opened all around. With the introduction of ‘Meals on Wheels’, customers are able to be delivered food upon orders made through the internet or by the phone. The fast food business is very competitive as there is a stiff competition in securing market. The plenty number of fast food makes the competition even higher and harder, moreover,  it is not easy for newer businesses to penetrate especially if such a business does not do so with innovation. KFC has enjoyed recognition and surely it is a major brand. However with all the fame, KFC struggles with loyalty from customers. Customer loyalty is the tendency of customers having a strong purchase relationship with the business. Loyal customers are those who maintain purchases with the particular brand regardless of any changes. Customer loyalty can be expresses in two ways; either as a behaviour or the number of times that a customer comes back to purchase from the same brand. The increase of competition may be attributed as one of the causes that lead the decrease of loyalty. This is because the market is flooded with any options which a customer may be able to choose from. Moreover, innovative strategies and more value added service to purchases tend to decrease loyalty. The perception of service value is an important factor that builds or destroys loyalty. It has been an area where many brands have been concentrating on in order to keep in phase with the on-going competition. KFC has attempted to revise its menu and incorporate new stuff that will make its brand more adorable to customers. Initially, KFC has been centred on its 11 spiced recipe of chicken. The core product I KFC is its fried chicken; over time, the brand has added burgers, pokkits, rice and potatoes to its menu so as to improve the menu by diversifying what they offer. 1.3BRAND A brand is termed as an identification of a particular product or service that is specifically different from other product. The study of brand equity and its management produces loyalty from customers that is highly associated with satisfaction. Brand equity that takes a customer centered approach enables the easy creation and maintenance of loyalty. Brand equity, as explained by Keller consists of brand salience, performance, imagery, judgement, feeling and brand resonance. Keller portrayed the composition of brand equity in a form of a pyramid where brand salience forms the base and brand resonance is at the apex of the pyramid. 1.4SALIENCE This is at the base of the pyramid, and in fact it is the foundation of a brand. This depicts the extent that a customer considers your brand during purchase. It deals with the situation whether your brand is recognisable or  even well thought of by customers. for the success of any brand, there is a need of having a strong salience amongst customers, as this wil affect the chances of your brand being sold or even adored by customers. KFC fares reasonably well with salience, as its products carry much recognition as well as they is generally accepted by the market. This is evident by the fact the chicken meals served there as it is distinguished for only selling amazingly tasting chicken. Brand salience consists of brand awareness and brand associations. Brand awareness is defined as the extent to which a product is recognised and recalled. Brand associations are the connotations that surround the product. As explained above, salience forms the base of brand management that eventua lly leads to loyalty and satisfaction. If at all a company lacks or has minimal salience, it is highly likely that it shall face much challenges to sustain its existence. 1.5PERFORMANCE Performance is on the second tier of the brand equity pyramid. After the establishment of the brand identity in the salient base of the pyramid, next is the performance and imagery. To further mark a distinction of a product from another, there is a need to highlight or show how the product performs, albeit its functions or in what way does it satisfy the need and desires of customers. Brand performance highlights its relevancy, value and service of the product. In terms of KFC, the performance is at the capacity of a meals restaurant where each meal is value added to allow the customers to enjoy partaking their meals. However, in the performance of the service, many flaws are identified in KFC that may amount to the decline in loyalty. Apart from the rich flavours of the food as expected, the service given is usually below expectation. There are usually long queues in the outlets as well as the level of tideness and cleanliness is a debatable issue. These factors give a low percepti on of the service given, hence a potential obstacle to customer loyalty. 1.6IMAGERY This term encompasses the image and personality of a brand. The image of the brand is what the brand projects or portrays to the customers whereas brand personality reflect on the values and visions that a product embraces. Actually, brand imagery is all about the definition of a brand. This is important as it describes the features and peculiarities tat are unique to  the brand alone. KFC attempts to project itself as a restaurant where a family can always have reliable means. On top of that, it has identified itself to be selling halal food; of which it is an added advantage with regards with the high number of population in the country consuming only halal foods. More so, it has identified itself as children-friendly by providing kiddies meal as well as areas where kids can host their birthday parties. In general, I has established itself to be a casual dining area where individuals can enjoy their meals in a relaxed manner. 1.7JUDGEMENTS These refer to the some of the responses from customers towards the products. This covers judgements in terms of action as well as spoken word on the product. Furtherly, judgements of the brand acts as a feedback mechanism to the brand by showing whether the customers as the sole market for the product are by any chance impressed with the products. KFC has been able to gather positive comments over te quality of service and the items on the menu, but there has been a slump in the feedback that has been received. Customers judge it as being an innovative compared to the other restaurants. This has pushed KFC to revise its menu items and introduce some tangible changes to the products, for instance the introduction of Zinger burger Reloaded, and in a bid to diversify their menu items, the introduction of more fish based meals in the menu. 1.8FEELINGS Feelings towards the brand work hand in hand with the judgements over the brand. This is more likely the satisfaction meter of a product amidst its customers. It addresses the potential feelings that are harboured by the customers to the product and the service altogether. The issue is whether it makes the customers feel all the positive feelings and emotions towards it. KFC is positively thought of by many customers as the meal is quite special in a way. Together with the corporate social responsibility program it has embarked on; the one of building homes for the homeless, the society does not repel it as it is a positive act. In addition to that, the number of employment it creates, alone, allows people to develop a positive outlook to it. 1.9RESONANCE Brand resonance is at the topmost part of the pyramid. It reflects the  relationship between the product and the customer. It expresses the level of attachment that a customer has to the product. More so, it points out the level of engagement the product yields on a customer. Brand resonance is measured in terms of its activity and intensity. The depth and extent of this engagement between the product and the customer result as the product of the salience, performance as well as the judgement and feelings bore by the customers to the brand. KFC seeks to maintain a high level of attachment of customers. However, it should be noted that, loyalty has a foundation in keeping the customers satisfied. The approval of the customer, in terms of the feedback from the customers help in the building of better channels where loyalty is groomed. 10.0RECOMMENDATIONS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF SERVICE OFFERED. There is always room for improvement in terms of the services rendered by the company. The reluctance to improvements is costly. This is evident from the fact that retaining a customer is less costly compared to the conversion and recruiting new customers. With such knowledge, it is essential that operational activities are constantly under review as well as scrutinised for their performance. The review of feedback is necessary as it generally maps out the perception of the service by customers. Such improvements can be in the form of fast service provision as well as more levels of hygiene in the outlets. TRAINING OF STAFF in order to increase the responsive nature of the brand, there is a need to continuously train the staff of the company so that the product and services offered are distinguished from their high levels of credibility and performance; this is interpreted as good perception of the brand by the customers. KFC should implement the time to time checks and training to the employees to make sure the customers are attended to with utmost importance. BRAND MARKETING To improve on the loyalty of customers, it is suggested to reinforce the  marketing strategies undertaken by the company. Market strategies are based on the 4 Ps are Product, Price, Product and Promotion. An effective marketing mix will enable the brand to be positioned in an advantageous place. For the case of KFC, the brand manager may opt on placing more promotions and refining the product in order to better suit the wants of the customers. the marketing of the brand should aim at establishing satisfaction on the side of the customers so that loyalty can be promoted. INTRODUCTION OF DISCOUNT CARDS This suggestion directs to the introduction of cards or coupons that will offer discount upon purchase of the products. It may be a way of marketing, but it actually serves both purposes; marketing and loyalty in customers. These cards or coupon act like a link between the customers and the brand since the customers may view it as more economical sound to utilise the coupons or cards to purchase the same brand. In other sense, these cards give a sense of relation, making it fussy for customers to switch brands as they will consider this as the switching cost. FOCUS ON A REPEAT BUSINESS With the market competition set so high, it is crucial for a brand that seeks to maintain customer loyalty to gear the operational philosophy towards generating an atmosphere that encourage repeated purchases. The brand manager should focus every aspect of the brand to achieve this goal. This will help to maintain loyalty in customers as repeated transactions are highly encouraged. This can be in the form of giveaways, or free products when a certain number of purchases re made. For instance, KFC may offer free meal on the fifth visit to the restaurant. This helps in locking the customers in the restaurant. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT There is a need of assessment of the performance of the outlets in order to be able to raise the bar of standards higher, keeping in mind that satisfaction is key to customer loyalty. This assessment can be carried out by considering the comments of the customers s well as by assessing whether the key performance indicators are achieved in due time and thoroughly. In the scene of KFC, this is possible through the crosscheck and assessment of the outlets by putting a comments box where customers are free to leave comments with regards to the service they got. TEAMING UP WITH TRENDS The society at present is flooded with trends. This can be in the form of personalities, games or even movies. The teaming up with whatever is trending in the society puts the brand in a position where it hammers a competitive advantage over the market. For instance, McDonald’s is assured with loyalty from customers by the contract it as with te upcoming FIFA World Cup. KFC should follow suit with the sponsoring of a great event, and thus, it will also secure a great deal of allegiance from customers. CONCLUSION Customer loyalty is an advantage for a business because of two main things. First, loyalty asures increased revenues and sales and secondly, loyalty gives a prestigious feeling. Any flourishing business desires to be known by the population as well as attaining profits from the service rendered. KFC is a brand that is mature in the market hence, it has experienced times and times of revenues, however loyalty is slumping. The time is right for KFC to re-invent itself, not only on what meals they sell, but a wole change that will rejuvenate the business. This sort of changes aims to be innovative and strategic, and will target the operations of KFC as a brand. KFC should strive to have the competitiveness that is market wothy. References Garvin,D(1988),Managing quality: the strategic and competitive edge, Free Press, New York. Jacoby, J. & Chestnut, RW (1978), Brand Loyalty: Measurement and Management, John Wiley, New York. Loverlock, C. & Wirtz, J. (2004), Service Marketing, 5th edition, Pearson Education International, New York. Boulding, W. et al., (1993), â€Å"A dynamic process model of service quality: form expectations to behavioral intentions†, Journal of Marketing Research, Dyer, W., (2003) The Family: The Missing Variable in Organizational Research, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 27(4). Australian Oxford Dictionary, (2004), available at http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195517965.001.0001/m-en_au-msdict-00001-0051392 accessed on 12 April 2014 Huse, M. (2000) Boards of Directors in SMEs: A Review and Research Agenda, Entrepreneurship & Regional