International Dimensions of Business Essay Example

International Dimensions of Business Paper For the final task of this unit, I will be critically appraising the advantages and disadvantages of the growth and influence of a MNC (multi-national company) of my choice. With this, I will be examining the strategic reasons for expansion whilst examining the impact it would have/has on a developing host country in terms of factors such as consumers choice, employment rates, individuals/citizens, other businesses (competition), etc. Finally, I will also be assessing the impact it has on developed host countries and the impact it would have on their governments. The business I have decided to choose is Ryan Air because as I have been working on it throughout this unit, I believe I will find it easier to relate certain to topics and theories to it. Strategic Reasons why RyanAir Expanded For the first part of this task, I will be giving strategic reasons why RyanAir decided to expand internationally. First and foremost, most basic reason why RyanAir must have wanted to expand internationally is because that is the concept of what flight services are, going from one country to another consistently and safely and as this is RyanAirs service there was basically no other choice but to expand. However. Below are some other basic strategic reasons as to why they may have decided to expand. Geographic Diversion (RyanAir) Geographic diversion is a situation where businesses purposefully aim to spread their risks by moving into overseas markers and could very well have been a factor in RyanAirs decision to act as a international company. We will write a custom essay sample on International Dimensions of Business specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on International Dimensions of Business specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on International Dimensions of Business specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Geographic decisions is used in particular cases where a business has saturated their home market just like RyanAir seem have done with the UK and so therefore use large markets overseas in which they would be able to build a competitive market. So for example, if RyanAirs sales and number of passengers started to fall in the UK, the success being enjoyed in other countries would banish the risk being held to RyanAir as a company. Pursing a Global Logic (RyanAir) The second strategic reason why RyanAir may have decided to expand is to pursue a global logic this meaning to identify a condition in the market that requires a company to adopt a global strategy. This means that because of the nature of the market, that expanding is the only sensible thing to do and that definitely applies to RyanAir because air flights are a global service and so by expanding across Europe RyanAir were able to spread their costs over millions of more customers. The Temptations of Overseas Markets (RyanAir) Despite the UK having quite a large and very well structured market, the temptations of larger markets such as Germany and Russia may have been what tempted RyanAir to expand across European waters and even though these countries may not be as economically advanced as the UK nor is the average wage as high, RyanAirs low fares are likely to stop this being a problem. To increase Profits (RyanAir) Moving abroad to make best use of existing resources is probably one of the best decisions a business today can make because for example, a company that spends a great deal of money on research and development will find that they can actually spread the cost over a much larger output by selling in a wider market which would eventually lead to higher profits which is one of the main aims of any business and most definitely appeals to RyanAir. Advantages of Becoming a MNC There are many advantages to come from being a one-country business into a multi-nation corporation, for this part of the task I will now be explaining in great detail some of the advantages that benefited or that will benefit RyanAir in the future from becoming an MNC. Below is a table of some = of the advantages that come from being an MNC related to RyanAir. By becoming an MNC, RyanAir have given themselves the opportunity to benefit from them the growing world market for goods and services. This is part of the process of globalisation which is the rapid growth of similar goods services produced and distributed by MNEs on a world scale and despite RyanAir only being a European company, their flights and air service still has a big part to play and this and so the company would definitely benefit. Another benefit that would come from being an MNC to RyanAir is that they are giving themselves a higher chance of the basic risks and uncertainties of the free trade cycle that they face from within their own economy. This is because the more they spread their influence of other nations through their service just like they have done on the UK, they are then able to spread their risks along the way. One of the biggest benefits is that operating abroad provides RyanAir with the perfect opportunity to respond to the increased foreign competition that is continuously rising and protect their own European market share. When other foreign multi-national companies (airlines) begin to compete in a particular MNE market that RyanAir is involved in, this gives them the incentive to expand into new markets. Being an MNC also allows RyanAir to overcome tariff walls from within the United Kingdom. Of course, being an MNC gives RyanAir a wider range of customers to target and choose from as they give nearly everyone around Europe the options of using their service as opposed to just restricting themselves to the UK which gives them a higher chance of obtaining a larger customer base year after year. Above are just some of the advantages and benefits that RyanAir would have been able to enjoy from operating as a multi-national co-operation that would have given the company itself a greater chance of success and more international recognition. How RyanAir becoming an MNC affects less developed/developing Countries I will now be discussing how RyanAir becoming a multi-national company would affect less developed countries or developing countries in which they operate and what impact it would create on them. Because RyanAir only operate in Europe, it would be very difficult to say how they affect less developed countries (3rd world countries) because near to none of these exist in Europe however I can say what impact they would have on developing countries (2nd world countries) because many of these exist in Eastern Europe, countries such as Bosnia, Serbia, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, etc and RyanAir operate in all of them. The elements in which I will be discussing how RyanAir affect these nations will be broken down into factors such as customer choice, employment, competition and the environment. Consumer Choice/Individuals No matter the state of the economy or government, having a wide choice available is always a benefit to the citizens of that nation, but possible particularly more so for people in developing countries than in higher developed countries. Nearly all of Western Europe is filled more economically developed countries such as Spain, Portugal, England, France, etc. however having a wider choice available (in this case of flights) would definitely be more valuable to those living in Eastern Europe and I will now explain why. Many things can be determined in different countries by the state of their economies and whether they belong to the first, second or third world category these factors include things such as standard of living and average wage. When there is a wider choice of options available regardless of the field of product or service, more often than not this results in lower pricing because all the businesses try to compete and gain the largest customer base and the largest market share so prices fall considerable in order for this to be achieved. Along with this, people living in Eastern Europe live in developing countries such as Bosnia and Serbia (2nd world countries) and so the average wage of the population would be considerably lower than that of those living in Eastern Europe and so because of this an increase in customer choice which is what RyanAir would bring in terms of flights would increase the likelihood of prices of flights falling because it is increased competition and so this would be more valuable to those with lower average wages Eastern Europeans especially with a business like RyanAir who already offer cheap flights naturally. So to summarise, RyanAir operating in developing countries such as these would definitely be hugely beneficial to the people because not only do they get a wider choice to choose from, but this would also result in lower flights for them which is great all round and could not have been achieved had RyanAir never became an MNC. Employment Employment is another factor that would definitely be affected by RyanAir operating in developing European countries and in a very positive way. One of the factors that possibly block developing countries from reaching their full potential is unemployment levels. Put very simply, RyanAir operating in countries like these would not only benefit RyanAir but also the countries themselves because with their introduction and existence across parts of the countries, then this opens up a whole new range of jobs which can only be taken by citizens of those countries without harming the position of anyone elses jobs. So in conclusion, RyanAir working in developing countries in no doubt benefits them in terms of employment simply because without threatening the jobs of those already working, it opens up positions for those who arent which brings down employment levels with that country(s). Other Businesses/Competition In terms of the developing countries as a whole, RyanAirs operations definitely do much to improve their economy and economies of scales in terms of flights, however their work in these countries would probably bring some worry to the existing airlines in these countries. A business that operates in a monopoly market has a much greater chance of success because as they are the only business that provides that certain product/service, then they have no risk of losing customers or a change in demand however as competition increases and similar businesses in the same field begin to enter that market, than a business moves further and further away from the monopoly market they crave to be involved in. For example, Poland is a developing European nation and one of the countries in which RyanAir carries out its operations so for a polish airline such as LOT which has been one of Polands leading airlines for many years, this brings much negative news and disadvantages because now they have the added pressure/threat of holding off Europes leading low fare airline to retain their strong customer base. However, in turn this may cause them to act in a more efficient and productive manner in order to ensure that all customers are tempted to remain with them and if this is the effect that RyanAir will cause on developing countries airlines than that it is extremely positive for those countries and their economies however very negative for already existing airlines within that country. However, in turn I believe that this is more valuable to developing countries as opposed to already developed countries because the sign of a strong economy/country is healthy business competition which would help any country in terms of development so the existence of RyanAir within Eastern European developing nations can definitely help contribute towards this. The Environment As organisations enter other countries they may have a significant effect on the environment. Some multi-nationals have been heavily criticised for the social cost of their activities. A particular criticism that has come from MNCs entering is that multi-nationals employ double standards in their activities/operations which is a big concern to RyanAir because it could potentially damage the good image it has build for itself across Europe over the years. A concern is that MNCs may transfer or pass some of their manufacturing operations to economies that do not have such strict environmental rules and standards and so see it as an opportunity to effectively export pollution (in the case of RyanAir) from richer countries onto poorer countries, e. . Germany to Macedonia. This would be an idea used to possibly avoid the complications and protests that would come from polluting richer countries as this is where it would be much more noticed by environmentalists and so if RyanAir were to be caught being involved activities such as these. It would not only completely tarnish their image as a friendly airline but it would also completely destroy the trust built up by passengers, especially those in the environments which have been affected. Assessing the Impact on Developed Host Countries (RyanAir) Just like I did so whilst explaining the impact that RyanAir has on less developed/developing countries, I will now do the same but instead explain the impact it has on already highly developed countries. RyanAir limits its operations to all of Europe and because of this they work in many developed countries (1st World countries) mainly coming from Western Europe such as England, Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Italy and of course their parent country The Republic of Ireland and so I will now discuss how the existence of RyanAir working in these parent countries affects them. Employment Unemployment is a situation that arises everyone despite and will always exist, in some countries more so than others but nevertheless it will also be a global problem. As I described earlier, the existence of RyanAir in developing countries is probably more important and valuable to them than it is to developed countries in terms of employment because even though RyanAir operating in both creates jobs in both sets of countries, fuller employment in developing countries would contribute to them developing quicker which of course is more of a priority to them then already developed countries. However, after completing some secondary research I found that most of the higher unemployment levels throughout Europe come from the more developed countries and so in the sense of helping to banish this problem, RyanAir would definitely contribute maybe not much but their need for workers would be high.

The Health and Mental Effects of Cannabis essays

The Health and Mental Effects of Cannabis essays Controversy has been revolving around cannabis for decades, but the plant itself has been in existence for centuries. The plant as a whole has many different uses from medicinal, to recreational, to industrial. Cannabis uses stretch from treating glaucoma patients all the way to making durable clothing. Marijuana, as it is also known, has been in use as far back as ancient times for its psychoactive effects as well as for its great healing properties, and continues to be used to the present day. Many myths and unknowns still exist around this plant despite many years of extensive testing, especially regarding the health and mental aspects of the plants usage. According to research, smoking cannabis is healthier than smoking tobacco, and the mental affects are relatively harmless and temporary. On the health side of the spectrum, marijuana has constantly been compared against tobacco. Approximately twenty years ago the United States Government did extensive research on the two plants in comparison to one another. However, those studies blatantly favored tobacco in the way that they were conducted in order to dampen the consumption of cannabis. Due to the efforts of various federal agencies to discourage the use of marijuana in the 1970s the government, in a fit of reefer madness, conducted several biased studies designed to return results that would equate marijuana smoking with tobacco smoking, or worse (Dudley 1999). For example, the Berkeley carcinogenic tar studies of the late 1970s concluded that marijuana is one-and-a-half times as carcinogenic as tobacco (Dudley 1999). This finding was based solely on the tar content of the leaves of cannabis plants compared to that of tobacco plants, and also didnt take into consideration the fact that tobacco is grown with carcinogenic radioactive fertilizers to hasten its harvest. In addition, it was ...

A Comparison of Chuang Tzu's Ideas of Life and Death with those of Essay

A Comparison of Chuang Tzu's Ideas of Life and Death with those of Socrates - Essay Example You-Sheng revisited the Chuang Tzu’s argument that through the inaction of heaven, which is purity and that of the earth, which is space, things are brought to existence and are transformed mysteriously (You-Sheng, 2005, p. 14). He went further to explain that it is through this inaction that the living things have the mercy to grow and develop. One is born by chance, but once alive, death is imminent. Therefore, the essay is a comparison of Chuang Tzu ideas of life and death with those of Socrates. Chuang Tzu Ideas of Life and Death Watson examined Chuang Tzu’s basic writings to outline his ideas about life and death. He argues that during old age, the mind comes closer to death and probably nothing could restore the life to light (Watson, 1996, p. 32). Significantly, this comes as an automatic consequence of aging; therefore no one should be afraid of death. As a result, the people are in constant struggle and worry during their life, because they have to toil for the ir daily bread, and think that at one time, the life would be terminated (Watson, 1996, p. 32). Life and death, according to Tzu are fated and bound to happen (Watson, 1996, p. 76). In this regard, he equates their relationship to the succession between dark and down, through compulsion. As the dark nears its end, a new dawn succeeds it, meaning that as life nears its end, death dawns (Watson, 1996, p. 76). ... 77). In essence, he attributes death to a means of change, and since everything is constantly changing, no one has the capability of preventing the change from changing. Therefore, we should accept the facts related to change, and welcome it when it reaches, and there would not be anything to fear about death. Moreover, according to his conviction, in the beginning and end, early death, old age, and at all levels of human development, he/she should be delightful (Watson, 1996, p. 77). Apparently, the belief makes us believe that life that life and death are equal, not any important than the other (You-Sheng, 2005, p. 37). As well, the argument suggests that the people should be aware that at one moment, perhaps after birth, he/she is bound to die, through whichever means. Therefore, he attributed death to an automatic exit from the known world to unknown world, where only Tao has good knowledge about (You-Sheng, 2005, p. 39). Drawing from the Masters’ agreement, he argues that this is something that one should believe (Watson, 1996, p. 80). This is justified from his acknowledgement that non-being is actually someone’s head, life is someone’s back and death is someone’s rump. In another controversial question, he wanted to know whether life and death are all one body (Watson, 1996, p. 80). In reality, there is a common belief that once a person is dead, the aspects of life cease to manifest on the body. The body becomes helpless, lifeless and useless to perform any function. Therefore, life and death, despite being very far apart from one another, are simply one. For instance, life results to death and they can never manifest together, each does distinctively. He also put

Accounting Ethics Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting Ethics Case - Essay Example In this case, the company’s expenses had been reported in the balance sheet as an asset. The error in turn made the company look more profitable by reducing the expenses in the income statement and increasing the assets in the balance sheets. As a result, they approached the former CFO of the company, Scott D. Sullivan, who instructed them to cover up the mistake. Fearful of losing their jobs, the two followed the instructions. The issue presented in the case of Troy Normand is one of the many ethical issues affecting employees and companies today. Other includes Ethical decision-making, governance, corporate culture, and corporate social responsibility. Employees acting on behalf of the company have an ethical duty to act in the best interest of stakeholders including being transparent. Employees finding themselves in Normand’s situation can take a number of alternative courses of actions and trade-offs. The best course of action is to act in the best interest of stakeholders by refusing to cover up the mistake and instead insist on making corrections. Increase pressure from top management is usually an indication of fraud in the company. If this does not work, an employee can resolve to whistleblowing at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), whose official name was the â€Å"Public Company Accounting Reform and Investment Protection Act of 2002†. It provides protection for whistleblowers (Spedding, pp. 289). It also imposes criminal penalties for actions taken against whistleblowers. This act recognizes that these people require protection as their careers when reporting suspected illegal activities in a company (Brenkert, pp. 600). Ethical issues are crucial to the success of any company also affects stakeholders. Major stakeholders who can be negatively affected by actions taken by employees as seen in the case of WorldCom include investors and

The needs of future generations are being met by current policies of Essay - 1

The needs of future generations are being met by current policies of sustainable development. To what extent do you agree with this statement - Essay Example s individuals have become increasingly aware of fragile environment and the need to promote utility of the individual not met them as well is generated at the same time. As a function of seeking to answer the degree and extent to which current policies is development are assisting future generations the following analysis will consider three case study involving pollution, global warming, precise as a function of seeking to answer this broader overarching question. It is the further hope of this particular author that such a level of discussion and analysis will be beneficial with regards to representing the reality in which the current world exists is further utility and sustainability of the plan as well as the individuals that call it home currently those that will one day live upon. Further, even though a global level of understanding relates to this specific topic, a level of analysis will be provided on Singapore; allowing for a more individualized and focused analysis. Firstly, with respect to the issue of recycling, it can be noted that current policies of sustainable development encourage recycling as a means of ensuring that the same level of resources will be available future generations as are currently available. Great progress has been made with respect to encouraging recycling and in some cases incentivizing; actually paying firms and/or individuals to dispose of their waists in a responsible manner so that this process will gain a degree of traction and, reinforce behavior that is exhibited elsewhere throughout society. However, there is a fundamental drawback with respect to the way in which recycling programs are being throughout the developed world. One of the most prominent of these has to do with the fact that recycling programs are not mandatory. Accordingly, those individuals that the recycling is either a hassle or useless towards improving their own lives will not integrated with an continue to dispose of garbage and other waste and an

History and assessment of massage therapy

History and assessment of massage therapy Massage therapy is the manipulation of the soft tissue on the body by a practitioner through the movement of their hands and arms as well as advanced techniques. Massage has been used to help people relax as well as a way to help treat minor ailments as a complement to other medication or treatment. As A Whirlwind Tour through the entire History of Massage webpage states Massage is a universal instinct. From the day they descended from the trees, humans have known that it helps to rub a sore limb and that to touch is beneficial. So since then we have used and developed the skills and techniques through the years into the massage routines we see and use today. History of Massage; Throughout ancient history many different countries have been using massage and developing their skills as well as passing these down through the years. They have been borrowed, stolen and shared through different times as well as different places geographically around the world, many of the different types of massages resemble each other as techniques have been copied, borrowed and shared. Pre-historic people used to practise some forms of therapeutic touch or massage as there has been evidence to suggest that they used to massage their muscles and rub herbs and oils onto their bodies to help with healing or to protect as this has been found in caveman paintings and drawings showing the giving and receiving of massage. After then the next stage that has been recorded in history to show the major use of massage where the Chinese in around 3000BC in a book called Con Fou of the Tao-Tse. As mentioned in the eBook History of Massage, Therapies Rules in China for years, blind people where the main masseurs. According to A Whirlwind Tour Through the entire history of Massage Chinese writing dates from around 1400BC, near the start of the Shang dynasty, and it from around this time that we can reliably date massage. It was in China that the first exam in massage was sat about fifteen hundred years later as an addition to the occult studies schools. Around the same times as China the Egyptians also used massage and this has been depicted in tomb paintings of individuals being Kneaded by others. The Japaneses received their knowledge from China through the study of Buddhism and soon customised the techniques which became known as anma, which later became Japanese Shiatsu. According to The history of Massag e: Learn How Massage Dates Back over 5,000 Years Ago The primary goal of Shiatsu is to raise the energy level in the patient. In turn, this increased energy level regulates and fortifies the functioning of the organs and stimulates natural resistance to illnesses. The practitioners use a variety of techniques to pressure points on the body to balance the energies and work without needles or other equipment to do so. However, some sources believe India was practicing massage before the Egyptians and the Chinese while others believe they might have acquired it from China a little later so the dates of when India first started to use any forms of massage range from around 3000BC to between 1.800-500BC. Massage in India is referred to in ancient Hindu books such as Ayurveda (Art of Life) which was written around 1800BC. It describes how movements such as shampooing and rubbing were used to relieve tiredness, increase energy levels and improve general health. Francesca Gould in Body Massage for Holistic Therapists (2004). After this stage in history the next step in the time line is around 2000BC when the Greeks and Romans first started to use massage in the early foundations of their civilisations. The ancient Greeks used the knowledge from the Egyptians massage techniques, and it was given to the athletes, women and soldiers as described in History of Massage, Therapies Rules. The Greeks wrote many books on massage including some written by Homer, Aesculapius, Herodotus and Hippocrates who was the Father of Medicine. It was the Greeks who used to rub up the body towards the heart to help the venous and lymph in that direction, they also used this technique to move sickness towards the centre of the body to where is can be expelled with the waste materials. The Romans however used massage as more of an indulgence than as a medical therapy; it was saved for those who could pay for it. The Romans received massage from the Greeks and enjoyed bathing before a full body massage and it was said that even Julius Caesar was pinched every day. The Roman gladiators were vigorously massaged before fights to make sure their muscles where warmed up and supple. Galen was the main figure in Rome for massage but he was actually Greek, according to A Whirlwind Tour through the History of Massage he lived from 130AD to 201AD and he acquired his knowledge of anatomy and physiology through working with the gladiators. Massage then was used as an alternative for exercise to help relive their excessive eating and drinking. Massage was used throughout the different tribes in North America before the Europeans arrived, some tribes would massage/rub down their warriors before and after battle or rub ointments into ailing joints or muscles. Massage has also been seen through a variety of different countries through history including those such as Persia, Kurdistan, Thailand, Tibet, Indonesia and Hawaii. The most recent history of massage can be seen is western civilisation. The earliest record was written by Ambroise Pare (1510-1590) but he was ridiculed for his publication. However by the time Henrik Ling (1776-1839) became the father of modern western massage it had become less of a ridicule. As the History of Massage, Therapies rules tell us Henrik Ling once put. We ought not to consider the organs of the body as the lifeless forms of a mechanical mass, he wrote, but as the living, active instruments of the soul. And through this he finally developed the system known as Swedish massage. Massage has now moved back towards the old holistic attributes instead of the physiological attributes so we are back to seeing massage in the same way as the ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks once saw the therapy. As reported by The Massage Bible, during the first World War injured soldiers were treated with massage, while the Californian bodywork movement in the 1960s combined massage with personal growth. There are many different kinds of massage practiced today all over the world and many of them can be received by almost anyone unless they have a specific reason that it cannot be preformed. There are a few different people who have been in the forefront of massage in modern history and those are Cornelius E. Who is the Father of massage in the USA, David Palmer, the Father of chair massage, Dr Tiffany Fields, the Mother of massage research and Jack Meagher the Father of sports massage. In figure I. In the appendices is a time line of the history of massage along with the cre ation and history of other therapies this has been take from the eBook History of Massage, Therapies Rules. Massage Principles and Holistic Experience: To decide if massage is a holistic therapy first of all we need to know what holistic means and according to thefreedictionary.com Holistic means Concerned with wholes rather than analysis or separation into parts. And with this definition we shall determine whether or not massage is a holistic experience. A massage whether it is a Swedish, Shiatsu or any other form of massage moves across the whole surface of the skin missing only a few vital places which are left for either health and safety reasons or due to the intimacy of the area. Most massages that even just incorporate one certain area such as an Indian head massage or even reflexology they all use different points of that area to correspond with different areas or energies upon the body. With different energies running throughout in specific channels which move around the entire body, when a massage is preformed to the whole body or even just a small portion of the body such as the hands, feet or head all the energies are involved which in turn incorporates the body as a whole. With this in mind a massage can be believed to be Holistic as this matches with the definition of holistic in taking the body as a whole instead of a separation of its individual parts. There is only one reason as to not treat a certain part of the body and that is due to a contra-indication such as pregnancy where you would not touch or massage the abdominal area or is say someone had a fungal infection upon their feet you would not massage their feet and would move onto the next step of the massage itself. These contra-indications could be on a temporary basis or they could be permanent and therefore this client would not be able to receive a treatment. There are some contra-indications such as cancer, epilepsy and a few others which would need a doctors approval before a treatment could be carried out upon the client for insurance reasons. For example for epilepsy if you do not know the trigger for a seizure and you had not received a doctors approval for the treatment and the client unfortunately had a seizure upon your table then the client might decide to sue the practitioner for causing this, this is why doctors approval is sought. Due to the Health and Safety at work act 1974 all employers and employees must maintain a high standard of health and safety in the work place as described in F. Goulds Body Massage for Holistic Therapists. Employers are responsible for the health and safety of anyone who enters their premises. If an employer has more than five employees, the work place must have a health and safety policy, of which all staff must be aware. There are many different procedures in the work place that all employees must adhere to such as the first aid and fire procedures, all employees should know where the first aid kits and fire extinguishers/ exits are located within the building for the safely of themselves and the clients, It is advisable however, that all practitioners are first aid qualified themselves in the event of an emergency. From the clients point of view the practitioner should know these things as well as have a basic understanding of personal hygiene in the sense of washing their hands properly, being of a clean and presentable appearance and be dressed appropriately for the treatment. This is due to the intimate nature of the massage with the close skin to skin contact as strong smelling perfumes or strong body odour can be very unpleasant for the client. A general knowledge of health and safety is beneficial for the example to clean up spillages as and when they happen as to avoid trips, slips and falls of either the client or yourself. A good general idea of protecting your equipment is ideal as oils and creams can become a hazard if left un-cleaned from the treatment table as this could cause a slip or the degrading of your equipment such as the vinyl of the table tops. For insurance purposes the practitioner must ensure that they do not perform a massage while they are unwell or when the client is contagious due to the spread of infection and should always wear gloves if they have any open areas upon their hands. This is for their own protection and that of the client as to not pass anything between them or onto any other client from the previous client. However it is also important to know if the client is well enough to receive the treatment, for this the practitioner must refer to the contraindication lists to see whether or not the client is acceptable to treat. The client should also be aware that at any point the practitioner is legally allowed to refuse treatment for withholding information or for unacceptable behaviour. The practitioner must also get the permission off the client at all times before a treatment if they can touch the client themselves, and they must ensure the client understands this and what is going to happen during the tr eatment for insurance purposes for the protection of both the client and practitioner. Personal safety for the practitioner is also important; these include the correct posture and the compression of the wrists. If either of these are incorrect then the practitioner later in their career could cause themselves more pain due to repetitive strain on the joints and could cause more damage if continued. To help prevent this the right table height should be selected for the practitioner as well as the correct foot wear to help with posture, also the right hand movements should be followed to help prevent the compression of the wrists. The most important piece of safety a practitioner should adhere to is their own safety when working with a client on their own such as a residential call or even in their own rooms at their treatment centre. If doing a residential call then the practitioner should only really perform these on clients that already know, they have a personal phone number for and they should always make sure someone knows where they are at which times and check i n after the appointment with either a family member or work colleague to show they are safe. If they get a new client after a residential call they should always follow the rules of asking for the residential phone number and insist upon phoning the day before the treatment to see if they still wish to receive the treatment. Making the treatment of a client a positive experience is one of the most important parts of making a massage holistic, the practitioner should look after their clients making sure they are comfortable with what is going on whether they are new or long term clients. To be a massage practitioner you should have excellent customer service skills, client care should be the most important thing to remember and should always be used every day with every client, the client should believe that the practitioner cares. The practitioner should always consult with the client and devise a treatment plan to suite the clients and stick to this plan unless anything changes in the circumstances with the client as well as receiving permission from the client for the practitioner to touch them during the treatment. During the treatment the discussion should be at a comfortable level for the client but also low enough for the client to relax and enjoy the treatment. After care should always be adhered to and offered to the client with a small encouragement of lifestyle changes if needed for the clients needs. Effects of Massage including the Physiological and psychological effects upon the client: Massage even though it is a holistic experience has been seen to have an effect of other areas of the human body and not just as a way to relax; a massage has been seen to show that it has both physiological and psychological effect upon the clients. Physiological effects are those which are shown upon the body itself and its function whereas psychological effects are those which manifest themselves in the mind and the emotions of the client. There are many different outcomes which could manifest for both on the anatomy and the body systems. In two different clinical trials that have been preformed independently of each other there is a show of the two different effects received after a massage treatment, one for the Physiological effects and one for the psychological effects. In the first trial the objective was to see if the early intervention with massage in children with Down syndrome would help with the motor skills and muscle tone. So parents with children suffering from Down syndrome where asked to attend one of two early intervention classes, one class was a body massage session and the other a reading session after a base line had been assessed upon their severity of the syndrome, some children were not used if sever mobility where involved or they had emotional problems as this might interfere with the trial. Twelve of the children were assigned to the massage sessions and eleven to the control reading session, so in overall there where twenty one children involved in this trial. Each session was scheduled for the same times each week and specific times of the day for both classes, and each session was on an individual basis, the sessions lasted for half an hour each, twice a week for two months, while the reading session was conducted the same way with the therapist holding the child while reading for the half an hour. This was the treatment that the children received in the following sequence: The 30-minute massage therapy session started with the child lying on a small mat on the floor. The therapist conducted the following sequence three times with the child in a supine position: Legs and feet-(a) while forming hands like a letter C and wrapping the fingers around the childs leg, long, milking and twisting strokes from the thigh to the ankles; (b) massaging foot by gliding thumbs across bottom of foot followed by squeezing and tugging each toe; (c) massaging across top of foot by gliding thumbs from ankle to toes; (d) flexing and extending the foot; (e) massaging from ankle to foot and back to ankle; (f) stroking from the ankle up towards the thigh; and (g) back and forth rolling movements (as if making a rope from dough) from the ankle to the thigh. Stomach-(a) slow, circular, rubbing movements to stomach area with one hand; (b) using the palms, hand over hand down the stomach in a paddlewheel fashion; (c) starting with thumbs together at the umbilicus, stroking horizontally to sides of body and then twice above and twice below the umbilicus; (d) using fingertips and starting below the umbilicus on the childs right side, small circular upward movements until even with the umbilicus, then continuing across to the left side, and then down on the left side to below the umbilicus; (e) with one hand following the other, short upward stroking from right side below the umbilicus, then Massage and Down syndrome 401 across the umbilicus to the left side of the body, and then down on the left side to below the umbilicus; and (f) cupping or holding sides of knees, bending both knees simultaneously towards the stomach and holding for three to five seconds. Chest-(a) with palms of hands on childs sternum, stroking outward across chest; (b) starting at sternum, stroking upwards and over tops of shoulders and down the sides of the ribs; and (c) starting at the right thigh, stroking diagonally through the chest to the opposite shoulder and back down to the same thigh; repeat starting at the left thigh; Arms and hands-same as legs and feet (i.e. replace legs with arms and feet with hands). Face-(a) making small circles to entire scalp (as if shampooing hair); (b) with flats of thumbs together on midline of forehead, stroking outward towards the temples; (c) stroking gently over the eyes and brows; (d) starting at the bridge of the nose, stroking across the cheekbones to the ears; and (e) making circular movements under the chin, around the jaw line, around the ears, to the back of the neck and the rest of the scalp. The following sequences were done after placing the children on their stomach (in a prone position). Back-applying oil to the hands: (a) starting at the top of the spine, alternating hand strokes across the back working down towards the tail bone (never pressing the spine) and reaching over to include the sides; (b) hand over hand movements from upper back to hips with flats of hands and then continuing to feet; (c) using circular motion with fingertips, from neck to hips stroking over the long muscles next to the spine and retracing on the other side of the spine; (d) making circular strokes with the palm of the hand to rub the tops of the shoulders; and (e) ending with long gliding strokes from the neck to the feet. As was described in the journal Children with Down syndrome improved in motor functioning and muscle tone following massage therapy (2006). The trial was held at the childrens early intervention pre-school centres, while the test was run by the university of Miami school of medicine. The results of this trial show that there was a greater gain for the results of the children who where massaged in their sessions than to those who where read too. The improvements were shown in the gross motor skills and fine motor skills development of the children as well as a marginal effect in their language development. This then showed that through the early intervention with massage it could help children with Down syndrome enhance their motor development at a faster rate than if they were left to mature in their own way. These results help to show that massage can have a physiological effect upon the body in helping to produce and enhance muscle tone. However, there is the argument that another control group could have been added into the trial to help show whether this is successful or not is a control group that uses light stokes instead of a pressure massage to help with the ethical problems of withholding the intervention from those in the reading session. This was all shown in the clinical trial journal of Children with Down syndrome improved in motor functioning and muscle tone following massage therapy (2006) which is located in the appendices. The second trial is to determine whether or not massage can have a psychological effect on the client and for this the trial was preformed for the Association of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Nurses (2009). The aim of this trial was to reduce symptoms of children with cancer and to reduce the anxiety of their parents. Children with cancer, ages 1 to 18 years, received at least 2 identical cycles of Chemotherapy, and one parent, participated in the 2- period crossover design in which 4 weekly massage sessions alternated with 4 weekly quiet-time control Sessions. As described in the article Massage Therapy for Children with Cancer (2009). To determine if the massage was helping to relieve the psychological symptoms of anxiety in the parents and the symptoms of the children while the trial was progressing they measured everyones heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol level as well as their pain, nausea, anxiety, and fatigue levels. According to the results of this trial the massage was more effective in reducing heart rate than quiet time in the children, the anxiety in the children aged fourteen and older and the anxiety in the adults. The clients all commented upon how the massage rather than the quiet time helped with their anxiety and helped them feel better. So due to their result it is feasible to massage children with cancer and their parents to help relieve their anxiety. Therefore this result helps to show that massage to the body can have a psychological effect upon the client in this sense it has reduced the anxiety of the both the children and the parents although in the younger babies the results did vary a little more than the other ages, but the results of the older children and the adults help to prove that just a massage on its own can have a psychological effect upon the human body. The trial that this assessment was based upon is located in the appendices as clinical trial 2. So both of these trials show that massage can had a successful outcome on the physiological and psychological effects portrayed on the body, they both proved that through a short massage the body can manifest its effects through muscle tone or motor function progression as well as to reduce anxiety in both children and adults. Neither of these two trials have a negative out come and therefore both are a success but there shall be a few trials where massage has not appeared to be successful at all or shows that it is a little less successful than anticipated, these however are normal and show both sides to an ongoing argument about whether massage is actually good for the body, mind and spirit on a whole or if it just theoretically works on the body.

Article Review on John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a Warrior for Peace :: President JFK

J.F.K The Making of America: A Warrior for Peace By David Talbot TIME Magazine, July 2, 2007 This article concerns one of the most famous presidents of the twentieth century, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. It is a thoroughly written piece on Kennedy’s devotion to peace throughout his administration. The author, David Talbot, focuses on the major points of Kennedy’s administration, starting with his aggressive campaign against Richard Nixon, touching on the Bay of Pigs invasion, and finally addressing the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis. Throughout the article, Talbot sprinkles in Kennedy’s commentary on the issues at the time of their occurrence, and Kennedy’s colleagues’ commentary on the issues long after they have passed. Talbot is careful to stay true to what Kennedy was like as a person. He titled the article A Warrior for Peace for a specific reason: Kennedy truly was a man that tried to keep the peace. This is evident with all of the issues that Talbot addressed. In the beginning of the article, Talbot includes an excerpt from a letter Kennedy wrote to his family saying â€Å"All war is stupid.† This is the tone that is effectively set for the article, that Kennedy did everything possible to avoid war. In the Bay of Pigs episode, Kennedy firmly stood his ground and did not send military enforcements (Marines and Air Force) to back up CIA officials Dulles and Bissell. Talbot remarks that that decision was the turning point of the Kennedy presidency, from then on it became a government at war with itself. Talbot harks upon the fact that Kennedy often did what he wanted instead of what he was advised. He was a man on a mission who consistently did what he, not others, thought was best and right and prosperous for his country. However, he was deft in his methods, that is, he very cleverly deflected his espionage chiefs’ military council. Talbot firmly suggests that the sort of ‘theme’ of Kennedy’s presidency was the following: â€Å"J.F.K.’s strenuous efforts to keep the country at peace in the face of equally ardent pressures from Washington to go to war.† The war that he is most likely referring to is war with Cuba. It is a constant recurrence that during the Kennedy administration, the CIA and Air Force chief General Curtis LeMay wanted Kennedy to attack and declare war on Russia/Cuba. Kennedy, warrior for pace that he was, did not. Looking back, a few members of his administration were surprised to find that though Kennedy’s Joint Chiefs assured him that there were no nuclear warheads in Cuba, there actually were.