The Hygiene Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Hygiene Hypothesis - Essay Example Accordingly, it is important to note that the immune system develops from repeated attempts to keep off disease from the low level of pathogens found in a normal environment; as such, when the germs invade the body in life threatening amounts, the immune system successfully wards them off. The need for this exposure in developed nations some decades back saw to larger families than today. This is because parents believed that the elder child would expose the younger one(s) to pathogens, hence harden their immunity (Ascherio &Munge, 2007). It has also been observed that children who are taken to baby care institutions are less susceptible to allergies and immune diseases. The research has indicated that, children who had earlier been exposed to measles or hepatitis A are also quite resistant to allergies. Autoimmune diseases are those that the body should be able to naturally protect itself from, as per the hygiene hypothesis. Such include acute lymphoblastic leukemia affecting young people in the developed world. This is a region where young children are less likely to be exposed, and thereby develop the needed immunity. Unconfirmed evidence also links the hypothesis indirectly to autism, suggesting that an immune disease causes it (Lang, et al. 2010). However, extensive research shows that the hypothesis is of more significance to allergies than to immune diseases (Christensen, 2010). Some of the common allergens, i.e. substances that cause allergic attacks, include pollen, dust, hay, household chemicals, synthetic material, pet fur, some foods and some food preservatives. When these come into contact with the body of the allergic person, his/ her system activates the white blood cells in response to the foreign negative stimulus. (These cells normally help us to fight disease-causing microorganisms). Once released,

Factors Influencing Individual Behaviour in an Organization

Factors Influencing Individual Behaviour in an Organization Q. (a) how do individual differences and environmental factors influence human behavior in an organization? Justify your answer with examples. (b) A manufacturing company making automotive parts finds that workers working on the assembly line have poor attendance, leave for home early and are generally unproductive. They are fully unionized and resist any attempts by management to discipline them. If you are the HR Manager of such a company, what would you do? Discuss with reference to theories of motivation, leadership, participative management and quality circles. Organizational Behaviour: Is a field of study which explores the impact that individuals, groups and structures have on behaviour within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving organizations effectiveness. Importance of Organization behaviour: OB is going to explain the cause-and effect relationship to modify behaviour for organizational needs. Here no two human beings will behave in an identical manner. OB seeds to explore certain consistencies in behaviour, in order to promote a rational understanding of behaviour and some degree of predictability. Approaches in Organizational Behaviour: Factors Influencing Human Behavior In order to address human factors in workplace safety settings, peoples capabilities and limitations must first be understood. The modern working environment is very different to the settings that humans have evolved to deal with. The following human characteristics that can lead to difficulties interacting with the working environment. Attention -The modern workplace can overload human attention with enormous amounts of information, far in excess of that encountered in the natural world. The way in which we learn information can help reduce demands on our attention, but can sometimes create further problems Perception -In order to interact safely with the world, we must correctly perceive it and the dangers it holds. Work environments often challenge human perception systems and information can be misinterpreted. Memory -Our capacity for remembering things and the methods we impose upon ourselves to access information often put undue pressure on us. Increasing knowledge about a subject or process allows us to retain more information relating to it. Logical reasoning -Failures in reasoning and decision making can have severe implications for complex systems such as chemical plants, and for tasks like maintenance and planning. Environmental, organizational and job factors, in brief, influence the behavior at work in a way which can affect health and safety. A simple way to view human factors is to think about three aspects: the individual, the job and the organization and their impact on peoples health and safety-related behavior. Following figures shows that all three are interlinked and have mutual influence The typical examples of immediate causes and contributing factors for human failures are given below: Individual factors low skill and competence level tired staff bored or disheartened staff individual medical problems Job factors illogical design of equipment and instruments constant disturbances and interruptions missing or unclear instructions poorly maintained equipment high workload noisy and unpleasant working conditions Organisation and management factors poor work planning, leading to high work pressure lack of safety systems and barriers inadequate responses to previous incident management based on one-way communications deficient co-ordination and responsibilities poor management of health and safety Poor health and safety culture. It is concluded that the performance of human is being strongly influenced by organizational, regulatory, cultural and environmental factors affecting the workplace. For example, organizational processes constitute the breeding grounds for many predictable human errors, including inadequate communication facilities, ambiguous procedures, unsatisfactory scheduling, insufficient resources, and unrealistic budgeting in fact, all processes that the organization can control. What is Perception? How we view and interpret the events and situations in the world about us. FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTION: Perception is influenced by mainly three sets of factors: i) Factors in the perceiver (perceiver variables); ii) Factors in the target (subject characteristics); iii) Factors in the situation (situational variables). Factors in the perceiver include following issues: Self-concept of the perceiver; Attitudes of the perceiver; Motives of the perceiver; Interests of the perceiver; Experience of the perceiver; Expectations of the perceiver. Factors in the target include following issues: Physical appearance; Verbal and Nonverbal Communication; Status; Occupations; Personal characteristics; Novelty of the target; Motion of the target; Sounds of the target; Size of the target; Background of the target; Factors in the situation include following issues: Social context; Organisational role; Work setting; Location of event; Â  Time. Collectively, these three sets of factors determine our perceptions about others. (b) A manufacturing company making automotive parts finds that workers working on the assembly line have poor attendance, leave for home early and are generally unproductive. They are fully unionized and resist any attempts by management to discipline them. If you are the HR Manager of such a company, what would you do? Discuss with reference to theories of motivation, leadership, participative management and quality circles. Motivation: Motivation: The process that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of efforts towards attaining a goal. Needs + Droves + Incentives Types of motives: Primary motives: Some motives are un learned physiologically based such motives are termed as physiological, biological, un learned or primary motives. Ex: Hunger, Thirst, Sleep, Sex, Avoidance of Pain, Maternal Concern General Motives: Number of motives, which can neither, be classified as primary, or secondary that can be referred to as general motives. Motive must be unlearned but not physiologically oriented. Ex: Curiosity, Manipulations, Activity Motives, Affection motives, Love, Concern, Feelings. Secondary Motives: Quite a few important human motives fall in this category. The important motives of Power, achievement, and affiliation are all secondary motives. Leadership: Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group towards, the attainment of pre-determined goals. Traditional Theories of Leadership: Trait Theories Differentiate leaders from non-leaders by focusing on personal qualities and characteristics Extraversion has strongest relation to leadership Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience also strongly related to leadership Agreeableness and Emotional Stability are not correlated with leadership. Behavioral Theories Behaviors can be taught traits cannot Leaders are trained not born Maslows Need Hierarchy Selfactualization Needs Self-esteem Needs Social Needs or Belonging and love and affection needs Security Needs Physiological Need or Basic Needs According to Maslow, certain concepts are relevant for understanding the needs. They are pre-potency, deprivation, domination, gratification and activation. Pre-potency is the strength associated with the needs. Physiological needs have greater pre-potency. Deprivation is the perception of an obstacle for satisfaction of a need. Thus, deprived need has high pre-potency. Domination is attaching importance to a need. A deprived need dominates the individual. In order to reduce dissonance associated with the deprivation, individuals try to gratify by undertaking some action. Therefore, gratification is the satisfaction of the need. Gratified need does not dominate. At the end, activation of need determine motivation. Need satisfaction activates the needs from one level to next higher levels. Maslow believes that these repeat as a cycle until the highest level need is satisfied. Based on the concept Maslow identified five categories of needs and their role in motivating individuals. They are described below: 1) Physiological Needs: Basic and primary needs required for human existence are physiological needs. They relate to biological and are required for preservation of basic human life. These needs are Identified to the human organ in the body. They are finite needs. They must be satisfied repeatedly until human beings die. They are not associated with money alone. They are hunger, thirst, sleep, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs. The proposition relating to the basic needs is that they are primary motivators to any individual and once they are satisfied, they no longer motivate. The next level need becomes important for satisfaction until the basic need is dormant. Provision of adequate monetary rewards to satisfy these needs motivate employees in organisations. 2) Safety Needs: Individuals seek protection from natural environment, biological danger, economic deprivation and emotional threat from other beings and animals. For this purpose, he wishes security for himself. The protection may be in the form of seeking a shelter and forming into primary groups to combat threat from the natural beings. The motivational proposition are that the safety needs dominate as soon as physiological needs are satisfied, and after individual seeks to satisfy fairly the security needs they do not motivate him. In order to motivate employees, organisations provide fringe benefits, health and accident insurance, housing loans, etc. 3) Social Needs: Basically individual is a social being. He cannot live in isolation and silence. Thus, he intends to establish relationship with other human beings and some times wish to rear animals. Social needs emerge from the basic urge of individuals to associate, belong with others, make friendship, make companionship, desire to be accepted by others and seek affection. These needs are secondary in nature. The propositions relating to social needs are that these needs are satisfied by symbolic behaviour and through physic and psychic contact with others in the society. They are substantially infinite and exist until the end of human life. Organisations should provide scope for formation of informal groups, encourage working in teams, and provide scope for interpersonal communication, interpersonal relationships and interpersonal understanding to motivate employees. 4) Esteem Needs: Maslow believes that people seek growth. They have natural desire to be identified and respected by others. This instinct is called as esteem. Esteem needs are associated with self-esteem and esteem from others. The need for power, self respect, autonomy, self confidence, achievement, recognition of competence, knowledge, desire to have freedom, status and secure attention of others, appreciation are some of the esteem needs individual wishes to satisfy. Maslow identified them, as higher order needs. The nature of esteem needs is that they are dormant until basic, security and social needs are fairly satisfied. Satisfaction of esteem needs produce a feeling of self-confidence, strength, capability and adequacy in the individuals. 5) Self-actualization Needs: Self-actualization is transformation of perception and dream into reality. Individuals have inner potential to do something different from others. Realising the full inner potential, one wishes to become what he is capable of becoming. Attaining to the level of fulfilment of selfactualization needs is a difficult task as individuals are not clear about their inner potentials until an opportunity is perceived. Moreover these needs change with a change in human life. The intensity of self-actualization changes over life cycle, vary from person to person and environment. The following propositions are made about the motivation of individuals based on the Maslow hierarchy of needs. i) Five needs are classified into lower order needs and higher order needs. While physiological, safety and security needs are lower order needs, esteem and self actualization needs are higher order needs. ii) Lower order needs are satisfied externally and higher needs are satisfied internally. iii) Individuals start satisfying lower order needs first and proceed to satisfy higher order needs later. iv) No need is fully satisfied during the life period of individuals. A need substantially satisfied no longer motivates. v) A need when substantially satisfied produces satisfaction and it becomes dormant. Immediately the next level need becomes active. So Individual is continuously motivated to satisfy unsatisfied needs. So, motivation is a continuous process. vi) Satisfaction of lower order needs does not produce contentment. In fact, they produce discontentment to satisfy other needs. vii) Not all individuals have the same priority to satisfy the needs. Priorities differ from country to country and from situation to situation. viii) Individuals are aggressive in the satisfaction of basic needs and unconsciousness demands the satisfaction. However, they use social consciousness in the satisfaction of other needs. Maslows need hierarchy theory of motivation was considered logical and simple to understand human motivation. The theory has received attention of practicing managers as they feel that identification of needs of employees provides an insight to motivate them. This theory suggested that giving same reward more than individuals desire will have diminishing marginal utility. This has specific significance to the practicing manager. Leadership Human Behavior As a leader, you need to interact with your followers, peers, seniors, and others; whose support you need in order to accomplish your goals. To gain their support, you must be able to understand and motivate them. To understand and motivate people, you must know human nature. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature. Human needs are an important part of human nature. Values, beliefs, and customs differ from country to country and even within group to group, but in general, all people have a few basic needs. As a leader you must understand these needs because they can be powerful motivators. Characteristics of self-actualizing people: Have better perceptions of reality and are comfortable with it. Accept themselves and their own natures. Lack of artificiality. They focus on problems outside themselves and are concerned with basic issues and eternal questions. They like privacy and tend to be detached. Rely on their own development and continued growth.

Diabetes in African American Population in South Carolina

Diabetes in African American Population in South Carolina Abstract Diabetes is a serious disease, which often leads to complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and amputations. High blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels are frequent. Diabetes has an immense impact on public health and medical care. In South Carolina medical costs rise with increased duration of the disease, and lifespan is shortened by 5-10 years in most patients. In 2011, diabetes affected 25.8 million people in the United States with 7 million undiagnosed cases (CDC, 2011). In terms of racial and ethnic disparity, the outlook becomes more dismal, as racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected and are more likely to have complications than their White counterparts, especially when they are unable to access the health care system for management and care (Lavery, et.al., 1999). Approximately 450,000 South Carolinians are affected by diabetes, many of who were still undiagnosed in 2010. One of every five patients in a South Carolina hospital has diabetes, and one in every ten visits to a South Carolina emergency room is diabetes related. The total charges for diabetes and diabetes-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits were over $4.2 billion in 2010. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in South Carolina, directly or indirectly claiming more than 3,000 lives each year, and the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans, claiming about 1,200 African American lives each year. Most diabetes deaths occur in persons over age 60. Minorities, predominantly African Americans, experienced a substantially higher death rate and more years of potential life lost than Whites. The racial disparity in mortality has widened over the past 10 years. The racial disparity is narrowing in diabetes prevalence, primarily, because the prevalence in the White population is increasing. Suitable Agency and Funding The SC DHEC Division of Diabetes Prevention and Control has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Diabetes Translation since 1994. In addition, in July 1994, the South Carolina Legislature established the Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina (DSC), with a Diabetes Center of Excellence at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and a governing Board, and three active councils. DSC works closely with DHEC’s Diabetes Division via its Board of Directors and Surveillance and Outreach Councils, committees, and task forces. A Ten Year Strategic Plan was implemented by DSC in 1998 and evaluated in 2009, and the results are reported in the SC Medical Journal (Myers, 2011). Results from successive Burden of Diabetes in South Carolina reports have been used to monitor progress of the strategic plan. The South Carolina Division of Diabetes Prevention and Control is housed and managed within the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (DHEC) Bureau of Community Health and Chronic Disease Prevention. Through partnerships and related community and statewide interventions, the SC Diabetes Division overarching goals and objectives are to: Prevent complications, disabilities, and burden associated with diabetes; and Eliminate health disparities; The division plans to accomplish this through: uniformed diabetes guidelines of care endorsed in the state; diabetes guidelines of care incorporated into clinical outcomes; and Increasing the percent of people living with diabetes receiving standards of care. The division’s target populations are the disparate populations within our state, which include African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos as well as the elderly. The top issue is to ensure that all people with diabetes receive the recommended diabetes standards of care from their healthcare providers to support self-management, particularly in rural health settings as well as to increase resources for improved diabetes management in South Carolina. Since a primary mission of the division has been to ensure a coordinated approach to diabetes prevention and control efforts, the division has established linkages and collaborated with key agencies and organizations across the state to access to evidence-based information and expertise to ensure we are doing all we can to reduce the burden of diabetes in our state. The DHEC Diabetes Division partnered with the REACH US: SEA-CEED Program (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) and the Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina (DSC) to develop a state-wide diabetes advisory council, which worked together to develop state-wide guidelines for diabetes care and are currently working together to produce the next state-wide diabetes strategic plan. The Diabetes Division is designing a multi-year plan tailored for the characteristics of South Carolina Federally Qualified Health Centers. The goal of this initiative is to sustain health systems that support good chronic care management for people living with chronic diseases, through the institutionalization of quality improvement (QI) in clinics across the state. By reaching this goal, the Diabetes Division and key partners uphold the philosophy that creating an environmental change in the health care system that makes the delivery of high quality chronic disease care the â€Å"easy choice† for health care providers. This change in the environment will be reflected in chronic disease indicators. Improvements in such indicators will result in a reduction in complications, burden, and disability of diabetes and other chronic diseases. By way of expanding and widening linkages, the division will continue to collaborate with other internal and external programs and agencies such as. DHEC’s Bureau of Community Health and Chronic Disease Prevention, regional public health offices, and Office of Minority Health. Conclusion Approximately 2,500-3,000 South Carolinians die from diabetes every year, including deaths from diabetes as the underlying cause and deaths where diabetes was a contributing cause. Diabetes-related mortality has decreased by 28% in the overall population, and by 40% in African American females in 10 years. The majority (82%) of deaths from diabetes occurred among people aged 60 and older. Race-sex specific mortality tracked closely with the patterns of diabetes-related risk factors and morbidity. Minorities, predominantly African Americans, experienced a substantially higher death rate, and greater years of potential life lost, approximately three times that of the White population. Culturally appropriate, innovative communication and education programs are needed to reduce the tremendous burden in this population. Meanwhile, increasing awareness, access to care, and diabetes management are critical for people with diabetes. Increasing resources for diabetes control in South Carolina , particularly rural health settings, and targeting high-risk populations are objectives of the Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina and the DHEC Division of Diabetes Prevention Strategic Plan. References American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. (2012). Diabetes Care, 35 (Suppl. 1), S11-S63. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2011). REACH U.S. Risk Factor Survey, Year 3 Data Report for Medical University of South Carolina, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Myers, P., Heidri, K., Bowen, S., Jenkins, C., Gaffney, T., Massing, M., Lackland, D. (2010). An Evaluation of the First Ten Years of the Diabetes Imitative of South Carolina. The Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association, 106(2), 84-88.

Benefits of Using Microsoft Excel Essay examples -- essays papers

Benefits of Using Microsoft Excel Since the beginning of the American school system; educators have tried to improve their teaching techniques in order, to be more effective in the classroom. With the recent technological advances we have benefited from in the past couple of decades; the educational system has greatly improved. For the last ten to fifteen years, the school system has successfully phased in the curriculum frequent computer usage in the classrooms, in order to improve the students ability to adapt to the growing use of computers in the work force. Teachers have based a lot of their assignments to the use of computers; nowadays it would be a rarity not to find a least one computer lab in a school building. The Microsoft Corporation’s software has been the leading operating system used in the work place, school and in home arena for most of the computer era. Microsoft has developed an array of different kinds of software that have been extremely helpful to computer users over the years. They have developed a word processing software in Microsoft Word, a webpage designer in Microsoft FrontPage, and data processing unit in Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel 2003 is a spreadsheet program that gives you support for XML and new features that make it easier to analyze and share information; these enhancements to statistical functions allow you to analyze information much more effectively. Microsoft Excel can be a very efficient teaching instrument when teaching mathematics, science, along with many other valuable uses for instructors, in a classroom environment. Microsoft Excel can be very effectively when teaching science at any level. Almost in all level of science; whether it is elementary school or at the col... ...login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&an=ED473021. Oosterhof, A. (2000, April). Automating E‑Mail to Students. Retrieved April 6, 2005, from EBSCOhost database: http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&an=EJ613262. Stephens, L. J. (2003, July/August). Microsoft Excel as a Supplement to Intermediate Algebra. Retrieved April 6, 2005, from EBSCOhost database: http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=qeh&an=BEDI03119544. Summerville, J., Morrow, J., & Howell, D. (2002). Using Excel in the Classroom. Retrieved April 6, 2005, from EBSCOhost database: http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&an=ED464613. Warner, B. C., & Meehan, A. M. (2001, September). Microsoft Excel as a Tool for Teaching Basic Statistics. Retrieved April 6, 2005, from EBSCOhost database: http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=qeh&an=BEDI01029542.

Alfred Nobel Essay example -- essays research papers

Alfred Nobel Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden on October 21, 1833.(Encarta) His father Immanuel Nobel was an engineer and inventor who built bridges and buildings in Stockholm. In connection with his construction work Immanuel Nobel also experimented with different techniques of blasting rock. Alfred's mother, Andrietta Ahlsell came from a wealthy family. Due to misfortunes in the construction work caused by the loss of some barges of building material, Immanuel Nobel was forced into bankruptcy the same year Alfred Nobel was born. In 1837, Immanuel Nobel left Stockholm and his family to start a new career in Finland and in Russia. To support the family, Andrietta Nobel started a grocery store which provided a modest income. Meanwhile Immanuel Nobel was successful in his new enterprise in St. Petersburg, Russia. He started a mechanical workshop which provided equipment for the Russian army and he also convinced the Tsar and his generals that naval mines could be used to block enemy naval ships from threatening the city. The naval mines designed by Immanuel Nobel were simple devices consisting of submerged wooden casks filled with gun powder. Anchored below the surface of the Gulf of Finland they effectively deterred the British Royal Navy from moving into firing range of St. Petersburg during the Crimean war (1853-1856). Immanuel Nobel was also a pioneer in arms manufacture and in designing steam engines. Successful in his industrial and business ventures, Immanuel Nobel was able, in 1842, to bring his family to St. Petersburg. There, his sons were given a first class education by private teachers. The training included natural sciences, languages and literature. By the age of 17, Alfred Nobel was fluent in Swedish, Russian, French, English and German. His primary interests were in English literature and poetry as well as in chemistry and physics. Alfred's father, who wanted his sons to join his enterprise as engineers, disliked Alfred's interest in poetry and found his son rather introverted. In order to widen Alfred's horizons his father sent him abroad for further training in chemical engineering. During a two year period, Alfred Nobel visited Sweden, Germany, France and the United States.(Schuck p. 113) In Paris, the city he came to like best, he worked in the private laboratory of Professor T.J. Pelouze, a famous chemist. There he met the y... ...e Bjà ¶rkborn Manor became his Swedish home. Alfred Nobel died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896. When his will was opened it came as a surprise that his fortune was to be used for Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. The executors of his will were two young engineers, Ragnar Sohlman and Rudolf Lilljequist. They set about forming the Nobel Foundation as an organization to take care of the financial assets left by Nobel for this purpose and to coordinate the work of the Prize-Awarding Institutions. This was not without its difficulties since the will was contested by relatives and questioned by authorities in various countries. But as we all know, the legacy of Alfred Nobel lives on today. The prizes named after him are still the most coveted prizes for the recipients in their respective fields. Everyone will remember Alfred Nobel as a daring pioneer who knew no limits. Many of the new advanced scientific discoveries made in the last century were surely helped out by the work of Nobel. His Nobel prizes reward people of science and enable them to keep churning out new ways of accomplishing new feats that have never been attempted before

Principles of Business Communication

Every customer is entitled to the best quality product and service.   We, at Stovall Home Products, realize this and constantly strive to uphold product excellence and innovation. It was therefore   with considerable concern that we recently learned about your unfortunate experience in connection with the   use of our flagship brand, White-n-Brite Liquid Bleach.As you may have read from reputable consumer product rating publications which have given the brand the thumbs-up, it is our common practice to carry out   rigorous testing, quality control measures, and regular updating of directions to guide consumer usage and care.We thank you for bringing the matter directly to our attention. After careful assessment by our Laundry Products Laboratory, we find that the item you had requested Stovall Home Products to refund was made of material not compatible with either dry or liquid bleaches. Moreover, we have publicly stated, and indicated in the label directions on White-n-Brite Liquid Bleach, that this product is not to be used as a local spot remover.Nonetheless, we understand the aggravation the incident may have caused you.   If you so wish, you can send your personal item, postage-free, to Stovall Home Products and we’ll see what we can do about it.Stovall Home Products definitely does not compromise its integrity, regardless of whether it concerns the flagship brand or new product innovations. As a token of goodwill, we are enclosing introductory single-use packets of White-n-Brite Bleach: Delicates suited for your lingerie and hosiery, as well as in-store coupons of our new Air Fare Home Air Freshener aromas, entitling the bearer to $1 off for every purchase of any three new aromas that include Sea Air, Autumn Spice, Fresh Pine and Spring Flowers.Allow us to do as much as we can for you, as our valued customer.   Let us know if you need further informational details, such as those contained in our free booklets on caring for delicate fabr ics, air freshener or tough stain tips, or any help we can offer on our new products.Yours sincerely,  Carol Smith  Applying the Principles of Business Communications  to Writing Negative MessagesUsing the principles of business communications gleaned from the readings, I made a conscious effort to avoid phrases that may possibly strike the reader, in this case the customer, as rude, hostile, uncaring, condescending or arrogant (Locker, 2000, p. 67).It struck me that when the customer wrote Stovall Home Products to refund her for her stained jacket, she has somehow already made up her mind that it is the product which is defective, and not her misuse or oversight to check both her garment care tags and the White-n-Brite Liquid Bleach label directions. The likelihood that the customer may be resistant to views not supporting hers counts as one obstacle to be overcome (Locker, 2000, p. 68).   I, therefore, used an opening line with an area of agreement or a common ground I obv iously share with the reader (Locker, 2000, p. 68).To make my writing sound like friendly face-to-face discussion, I used words such as we, you, and   our for readability, as well as contractions in cases when it will come out more naturally than two short separate words (Burne, 2006, para. 27-29).   I likewise took into consideration â€Å"the seven Cs of business letter writing† which are: clear, concise, correct, courteous, conversational, convincing and complete (Burne, 2006, para. 4).I avoided stating the negative message outright at the start of   the letter, and I agree with one of the main readings on conveying negative information that when the reader’s ego is on the line, â€Å"opening with the negative message would violate the reader’s expectation and damage rapport† (â€Å"Writing Negative Messages,† 2002, para. 4). I likewise agree that â€Å"the more the negative information concerns the reader as a person, the greater the nee d for psychological preparation† (â€Å"Writing Negative Messages,† 2002, para. 4).I therefore   built up the brand and the long-held tradition of product testing and updating of directions. Soon afterwards, I   incorporated a brief buffer (â€Å"Writing Negative Messages,† 2002, para. 7) leading to the finding that negates the customer’s claim and which forms the key subject or specific concern.   I was especially careful to avoid negative transitions like however, but, and even though just before conveying the company’s findings that show that the customer’s demand was off-tangent, because such transitional words signal a turn for the worse (â€Å"Writing Negative Messages,† 2002, para. 8).I also avoided blaming the customer, who is the reader of the letter, for instigating the problem even if all signs point to it (â€Å"Writing Negative Messages,† 2002, para. 9). Instead of â€Å"spotlighting† the bad news, I po sitioned it strategically, and since â€Å"explicit refusals may be unnecessary and at times cruel† (Guffey, 2000, p. 290), I opted to imply or indirectly refer to the negative reply without seeming unclear about the company’s decision, which is not to grant the refund to the customer because the product was not used according to the stated directions.â€Å"Implication is often an effective way of transmitting an unpleasant idea, that is, the idea is not expressed, yet the receiver understands† (â€Å"Writing About the Unpleasant,† n.d.) based on the facts and explanations presented.   In stating the legitimate reasons for turning down the customer’s request, I have implied that negative reply and I did not dwell too much on the created problem anymore, proceeding, instead, to further cushioning the impact on the customer and offering a workable alternative.By including the line â€Å"we understand the aggravation the incident may have caused yo u,† I wanted to show empathy, or placing oneself in the customer’s shoes to understand how upset she may be and to understand how natural her reaction was to write the company and request for a refund.   On the other hand, I also took note of the fact that there is a â€Å"fine but clear line between being sympathetic about the customer’s problem, on the one side, and implying or taking responsibility for it, on the other† (Erdman & Hildebrandt, 1998, p. 157).It is in this light that I suggested to the customer to send over to Stovall Home Products the stained piece of clothing, and I phrased it to sound non-committal.   I tried to be mindful or â€Å"careful not to take responsibility in circumstances where it’s not appropriate† (Erdman & Hildebrandt, 1998, p. 158). I realize that saying no or refusing a customer’s undue request serves my organization’s welfare and needs (Locker, 2000, p. 214), preventing the setting of   a precedent for company liability (Erdman & Hildebrandt, 1998, p. 158).   I also tried to show that while the offered course of action may not be perfect,   it is â€Å"the best solution currently available† (Locker, 2000, p. 68).At this point, my overriding objective, alongside cushioning the impact of the negative reply to the request, has now turned to educating the reader and reselling the product in question, where a problem spot was encountered, or for new product innovations of the company (â€Å"Writing Negative Messages,† 2002, para. 24).   Because I am also trying to change the customer’s brash judgment about the company’s flagship brand and attempting to correct this customer’s understanding of company policy, I deemed it best to let the reader â€Å"save face† by hinting that changed circumstances â€Å"call for new attitudes or action† (Locker, 2000, p. 68).I then closed on a positive note by offering a counterprop osal (â€Å"Writing About the Unpleasant,† n.d.) Maintaining goodwill is very important, especially in the light of the thrusts of a company like Stovall Home Products, which has relied for many decades on customers’ loyal support.At no part of the letter was an apology extended, because in so doing, it will serve, not just to trigger future company liability but highlight the company’s   â€Å"acknowledgment of the mistake or wrongdoing, acceptance of responsibility, expression of regret, and assurance that the offense will not be repeated†Ã‚   (Kellerman 2006). Except for accepting a measure of   responsibility in order to maintain positive relationship with the customer, and the expression of regret as a sign of empathy, none of these apply in connection with the Anne Thompson’s case.ReferencesErdman, K. & Hildebrandt, H. (1998). Stovall Home Products: Practicing prudence to avoidliability. Business Communication Quarterly, 61, 152-163.Guffe y, M. (2000). Business communication process & product. Ohio: South-Western CollegePublishing.Kellerman, B. (2006). When should a leader apologize and when not? Retrieved May 12, 2008,from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16579415Locker, K. (Ed.). (2000). Business and administrative communication. New York: McGraw-HillCompanies.Writing Negative Messages. (2002). Retrieved May 9, 2008, fromhttp://homepages.wmich.edu/~bowman/badnews.html

Precious Blood

Blood Diamond is a movie that was cast by Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly and was directed by Edward Zwick’s. The movie was set in Sierra Leone Civil War in South Africa. The role of Hounsou was a fisherman while DiCarpio was a white mercenary gun smuggler that sells guns to rebellions in exchange of money while Connelly was an American journalist that wants to expose the illegal and mistreating of the diamond miners in Africa. Connelly was the only cast in the movie that has no intent on diamonds. (Burr, 2006)The movie was all about the quest of DiCarpio and Hounsou to reveal the pink diamond which they believe that the pink diamond will change their lives. Hounsou was a fisherman who was taken away from his family so that he can work in the diamond field. While in prison, DiCarpio found out that Hounsou had an idea of the pink diamond. The major quest of Hounsou was to find his family but found out that his family was in the hands of the United Nation s.But the son of Hounsou was kidnapped by the diamond miner terrorist and was forced to become a child soldier. With this, the two men joined in finding the missing pink diamond because the said diamond will help Hounsou saves his family from the hands of the rebels while DiCarpio will find a second life. With the help of Connelly, the three will reveal the truth behind the issues surrounding the diamond industry in South Africa. (Burr, 2006)The story of Blood Diamond mirrors the reality of some country-the rebels using their resources in finding weapons that they can use against the government. Many countries are now experiencing this kind of problem and affect the performance of the government in serving its citizen. This is a positive side of the film because it tackles some of the major problems in countries, terrorism. The setting of the movie is perfect for the purpose, and message of the movie. It shows the lives of many African people and shows how sad are the lives of these Africans. The major casts of the movie play their role efficiently. Like Hounsou who played as a rebel kidnapped. As the quest begins in finding his son, the emotion as a father was seen on Hounsou.The movie Blood Diamond showed mistake in doing the film. First, is the scene were DiCarpio and Connelly share the wine and the rd cup they used appear and disappear with out explanation. Another movie mistakes is when the child soldiers were seen using a Game Boy Advance SP. The video game was released in the market on 2003 while the film was set in 1900s. Also, when Solomon was fishing in the morning, the sun rise over the sea which is contrast to reality that the sun rise over land.The CastsDiCarpio had a character that is flat and one dimensional only at the start of the movie. But as he entered to the real world of diamond industry in Sierra Leone, he became strong, and well rounded. At first, DiCarpio shows a virtue of a smuggler, a liar but as the movie goes; his brutal honesty re veals the illegal diamond business in Sierra Leone.   Hounsou shows was successful in making a character that is strong and is determined in regaining back his son from the diamond rebels. And sometimes, he induced anger, compassion and hopelessness.   Jennifer Connelly was a American journalist that seeks and wants to reveal the illegal diamond business in Sierra Leone. She cooperates with DiCarpio and Hounsou in her quest.The acting of the three major casts played their role in well. This is a good characteristic of the film because it shows the reality in South Africa.The film ends when Hounsou reveals to the people his experience in the diamond rebels and the illegal of the said business. The film was very interesting because it show to the audience what really happens in some part of the world. The producer of Blood Diamond would like to impart to the audience to become aware to this serious issue that will make a one step towards in minimizing these problems.Reference:Burr , T. (2006). Blood Diamond Movie Review [Electronic Version]. Retrieved May 25, 2007 from http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=9301.