Nursing Knowledge through the Nursing Process Essay

â€Å"The assessment phase of the nursing process is foundational for appropriate diagnosis, planning and ,† (Ackley & Ladwig, 2014, p3). This beginning phase of the nursing process is important for many reasons. Not only are we meeting our patients for the first time but we collect but object and subjective data to put together and create a picture of our patient. The nurse makes an assessment of the patient, utilizing all the information that is gathered and can better understand their needs. Each nurse, through time and practice, fine tunes these assessment tools needed to go even further into a patients needs such as the holistic approach of mind, body and spirit. Assessment information gathering is done by looking at the patient’s chart, discussing with the patient about their history, and even through communication with the family members. The subjective date we can gather from the patient and family can help us understand how they are feeling or thinking. A thorough health and medical history are important so that we can implement the best care designed specifically for that patient. The physical assessment is also important; this gives us objective information regarding the patient’s current vitals signs, physical head to toe and any diagnostic’s previously done or that need to be completed. The information that gathered in this phase helps create the next phase which is formulating a nursing diagnosis. Diagnosis Phase â€Å"In the diagnosis phase of the nursing process, the nurse begins clustering the information within the client story and formulating and formulates an evaluative judgment about a client’s health ,† (Ackley & Ladwig, 2014, p3). After a nurse gathers all the subjective and objective information about the patient alone with using their knowledge, we formulate a diagnosis using â€Å"NANDA,† â€Å"North American Nursing Diagnosis Association.† There is a list of  nursing diagnosis related to primary clinical issues and may or may not have secondary issues too. The patient may also have many different diagnosis’ that need to treat as well, so the gathering information phase prior to the diagnosis phase is paramount. â€Å" A working nursing diagnosis may have two or three parts. The two-part system consists of a nursing diagnosis and the ‘related to’ (r/t) statement†¦. â€Å"The three-part system consists of a nursing diagnosis. The ‘related to’ (r/t) statement and the designing characteristics, which are observable cues/inferences that cluster as manifestations of actual or wellness nursing diagnosis† (Ackley & Ludwig, 2014, p4). This three-part system helps the nurse understand the primary diagnosis and the symptoms involved and what those symptoms may be related to. Creating a nursing diagnosis takes into consideration all data collected, other health issues (chronic or acute), symptoms that need to be treated and taking it all in with a holistic approach as a nurse. The Outcomes / Planning Phase According to King (1997), In this phase the nurse is able to use the prior steps of the nursing process and build off of it for the Outcome/Planning phase. The nurse formulates a course of action based on the her assessment and nursing diagnosis. The nurse uses her critical thinking abilities to prioritize and develops specific nursing interventions and documents her plan accordingly. Implementation Phase The implementation phase of the nursing process is the stage where the nurse can put her nursing assessment to action. The Nurse Intervention Classification or NIC, is a system that defines nursing interventions and clusters them into families of therapies and treatments that gear toward a specific problem. According to Forbes, â€Å"Nursing requires robust clinical research to show that its interventions do not harm and have a beneficial effect.† In this vital stage of the nursing process, there is a certain level of knowledge needed effectively to accomplish a positive outcome for the patient. At this point, a substantial amount of scientific knowledge is also needed so to understand how the interventions that are chosen, will impact the outcome for the patient. (Forbes, 2009) The knowledge needed at this point are as follows: †¢Nurse must be able to understanding the medical knowledge of the diagnosis and how it impacts the patient’s physical and psychosocial functions †¢Nurse must be able to determine if the intervention will produce the desired outcome for the patient based on scientific research. †¢Nurse must know what equipment or resources needed for the chosen intervention †¢Nurse must know the patient’s current status , to be sure the intervention is still relevant †¢Nurse must be aware of patient’s spiritual and culture needs that may potentially hinder the interventions outcome. †¢Nurse must know what evidence will determine the effectiveness of the intervention Evaluation Phase The nursing knowledge is needed and describes the scientific basis of nursing knowledge. Evaluation is defined as the judgment of the effectiveness of nursing care to meet the patient’s goals. According to King (1997), in this step of the nursing process the nurse compares the patient’s behavioral responses with predetermined patients goals and outcome criteria. Evaluation is the final step in the nursing process. Although evaluation is the final step in the nursing process, it has concurrently run throughout all phases of the nursing process. The nursing knowledge that is needed in the Evaluation step of the nursing process in: Nurses must be able to identify criteria and standards. Nurses must be able to evaluate collected data. Nurses must be able to interpret and synthesise data. Nurses must be able to document findings and identify when goals are met, or when to revise, update, change or complete the care plan. References (2014). In B. J. Ackley, & G. B. Ladwig, Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, Tenth Edition. Missouri: Mosby. Forbes, A. (2009). Clinical Intervention Research in Nursing . International Journal of Nursing Studies, pg 557-568. King JA, Morris LL, Fitz-Gibbon CT. How to Assess Program Implementation

My grandfather

Few events impact the lives of humans as war.   The United States found itself in many wars during the twentieth century, in every corner of the world.   The common trait throughout all these wars was that they were fought by young men, many of whom had little political education or any idea why they were fighting.   My grandfather, Francisco Martin, was one of these young men, as he fought in the Korean War.   Through the violence and the confusion, he survived to create a family and life of peace, though the memories of the war always stayed with him. My grandfather was born in Puerto Rico in 1930, and was still a young man when the Korean War broke out.   As a twenty-year-old college student at the University of Puerto Rico, Francisco knew very little about Korea, save for what he learned in history class.   After World War II, in a 1945 agreement reached by the allies at the Potsdam Conference, Korea was divided along the 38th Parallel into North and South Korea.   It was an early indicator of what would become the Cold War, as the communist Soviet Union would occupy North Korea and South Korea would be occupied by the democratic U.S. forces. However, only five short years later, on June 25, 1950, North Korean communist forces launched a massive surprise attack on South Korea quickly overrunning the capital.   U.S. Intervention was ordered on June 27 by President Harry S. Truman on the same day the U.N. invoked military sanctions against North Korea.[1]   As a citizen of Puerto Rico, my grandfather was also a citizen of the United States, and his dual citizenship in each country would prove desirable to the armed forces, as well as his college experience.   Less than a year later, young Francisco would put his studies on the shelf when his country called. As a student at the University of Puerto Rico, my grandfather had some experience in the R.O.T.C., and he could also speak Spanish and English, so his qualifications for the military were more than adequate for what the military needed and he was inducted on October 5, 1951.   For young Pvt. Martin, adjusting to life in the military was no easy task: â€Å"It was difficult.   The transition from being a University student, to being a trainee preparing to go to war was not easy.   It was a drastic change in mentality and attitudes. After all, it was sort of ‘brain storming’ in order to prepare the soldier to go to possible ‘combat areas’ as was called.†[2]   After four months of basic training in San Juan and Salinas, Puerto Rico, Pvt. Martin found out that he would be going to South Korea, which came as no big surprise.   However, finally hearing about his destination filled him with fear and trepidation, and he worried about what would come next.   While his commanding officers repeated that it was their duty to serve and go to Korea, this did little to quell his fears. My grandfather’s unit left Puerto Rico in April of 1952; at the time he was twenty-one years old and celebrated his twenty-second birthday on the way past Honolulu, Hawaii.   He describes the long journey by boat to South Korea as being difficult, uncomfortable, and lacking enough fresh water for the troops.   â€Å"We showered with salt water†¦ It was awful†¦ We spent approximately one month on board. We passed Hawaii and reached Japan; it was civilization at last!†[3]   The experience of Japan after the long journey was a welcome relief.   In particular, Tokyo proved to be an eye-opening experience for the young Puerto Rican American soldier, and made life off the ship that much more enjoyable:   â€Å"Nice food, big city†¦Ã‚   No more rotten eggs for breakfast as in the ship. No more seawater for bathing.   No more nasty odors and boring hours.†[4]   After being initially assigned by to be a translator because of his ability to speak Spanish and English, he was slowly beginning to adjust to life in the army, of course helped by being in the big, fast city of Tokyo.   However, before too long, he and his unit were finally shipped to South Korea to continue their duty and fight the communists of the North. My grandfather left Tokyo by train, leaving behind the many creature comforts of life in the big city, such as hot food and comfortable beds.   Back on the old, uncomfortable train he was forced to sleep on the floor with the rest of the men, or on the hard, wooden seats.   The only food they had for the trip was canned rations of spaghetti and meatballs, and once again life in the military seemed harsh and monotonous.   After the long train ride and a short ferry ride, they were finally on the mainland of Asia and in South Korea. When arriving in Pusan in the summer of 1952, it became immediately clear to all the soldiers that they were in a war zone: â€Å"On our arrival to Pusan, we could here the guns from far away.†[5]   There was no mistaking that there lives were now at stake, and the uncomfortable boats and the trip to South Korea did not look so bad. My grandfather remembers vividly his early days in South Korea: â€Å"I was assigned to the Second Division.   This army division arrived to Korea in 1950.   In 1951, the 9th Infantry regiment played an important role in the offense and defense in Korea.   I was there.†[6]   He recalls the large military presence and the continuous movement of trucks, tanks, and troops coming and going. He also remembers the differences in the attitudes of the soldiers, which depended highly on which direction they were heading: â€Å"Soldiers were leaving Korea and heading to Tokyo in their way back home (from U.S.A Puerto Rico, Colombia, and other countries in South America).   We (the incoming troops) were sad.   But they (the ones leaving) were very, very happy; it is understandable that after fourteen months in the combat zone.†[7]   Pvt. Martin prepared himself for the idea of spending the next fourteen in the combat zone, but failed to realize at first that the main feelings would be of alienation. After going through the long journey to get to South Korea, my grandfather found himself deep in a learning experience upon arrival, with little companionship from any fellow Spanish-speaking soldiers: â€Å"I went through a learning period.   Everything was new for me; nobody spoke Spanish. It was a harsh process of adaptation because everything was uncertain.†[8]   In addition to the hard adjustment of life in a combat zone, he was also met with repeated stories of the violence that took place not far from his post, which filled him with even more anxiety: â€Å"I was fearful after listening to all the stories of the battles, the misery, and violence.   Everybody around me was very pessimistic.   I was sure that I was not going to make it.†[9] The young soldier would hear stories of the biggest battles while in South Korea, including â€Å"Bloody Ridge,† which was the name given to the twelve-day siege waged by the men of the 9th Infantry regiment against a communist held hill in the fall of 1952.   Because of security reasons, the military publication Stars and Stripes would not disclose the exact location of the bloody battle, and soldiers in my grandfather’s regiment were left to wonder just how far away the violence raged. He would even hear stories about his fellow Puerto Rican soldiers fighting and dying in the battle of Kelly Hill, which also occurred in the fall of 1952, making him realizing the deadly cost of the war: â€Å"The Puerto Rican regiment (the 65th infantry regiment) participated in ‘Kelly Hill Battle’ that happened in the fall of 1952.   Half of the 743 Puerto Rican soldiers that died in the war, died in this battle.†[10]   But, as with so many soldiers and civilians caught in combat zones, it was only the faith in his God that gave him the strength to ignore his fear and do his duty.   My grandfather credits this for returning home and proclaims, â€Å"My faith was the only thing that kept me alive.†[11] As a soldier, Pvt. Martin served in the 9th Infantry regiment for around a year, moving to and from many different locations throughout South Korea.   Despite his close proximity to the frontlines, he was fortunate enough to avoid all major combat events.   Though he knew that his fellow soldiers were fighting and dying, he did his duty as assigned, not matter how fearful he was or how dangerous the duty seemed: â€Å"I did not fight a person-to-person combat or patrols.   But I stood for guard many times.   I remember guarding from 12:00am until 4:00am in a wet, cold and scary dangerous forest. Nights were horrible.   There were constant bombings but we had to get used to them and pray for our lives.† [12] One time on guard duty, he suffered the lowest moment of his time in Korea: â€Å"While supervising guards and moving the soldiers to different posts, one of my legs suffered frostbite.   I was hospitalized for a period of time and received treatment.   Once I was cured, I was sent back to the frontlines.   In that period, I was serving in a technical capacity.   I was part of a special unit called I.R.I.   That unit was in charge of distributing tools and explosives to those soldiers assigned to difficult missions as mine finding.†[13]   Once again, it was his religious faith that helped get him through the most difficult times of the war. Though my grandfather did not experience any serious combat while in South Korea, the threat of combat was always present.   When coupled with the often monotonous life of being a soldier, and the extremely hot and wet summers and extremely frigid winters, the days and nights could drag on and become terribly lonely and fearful times.   The only things that usually made this go away were the letters and news from back home: â€Å"Receiving letters was very important. Receiving mail from the family and friend brought me happiness and strength.†Ã‚   This was especially true of the letters from his young wife:   â€Å"Ana’s letters were well received and expected.   She was very consistent in writing and that helped me a lot.†Ã‚   In addition to letters from loved ones, the soldiers were sometimes offered breaks from constant life on the frontlines. Trips to Japan for rest and recuperation offered soldiers a welcome break from soldier life, and according to my grandfather: â€Å"I spent a week in a city called Sasebo Kokura.   It was nice, good food, movies, and trips to the city, dancing in the fort, rest, and sleep.   But after a period of â€Å"relaxation and distraction† I was sent back to Korea, but this time by plane.†[14] Even away from the war zone, terrible things can occur, and the plane ride back from Japan would stay with my grandfather for the rest of his life:   â€Å"The flight was dangerous, the plane had no seats.   I was standing strapped to the wall.   It was a horrible and traumatic experience.   Today I suffered of ‘flight fear syndrome.’   I still have flashbacks of that moment.†[15]   However, with his strong faith and fortune to avoid serious combat while there, he avoided many of the pitfalls that claimed other soldiers such as depression, alcoholism, and mental illness. There were also some good times in South Korea, which my grandfather recalled fondly, especially Christmas of 1952.   The Army threw a large Christmas party complete with treats and Christmas dinner:   â€Å"There was ice cream, turkey, fruitcake, juice, and candy†¦ It felt like home.   I went to mass, we received letters, and I even received food from home!   I still remember that day; we had a Christmas tree and everything that goes with it.†Ã‚   [16] What made the holiday even better for the young soldier is that it would not be long that he would be able to leave South Korea.   He recalled: â€Å"By that time, there were three or four more moths to go — we were ready to rotate–other troops would replace us.†[17] However, he still had a few more months to go and realized that anything could happen, as the stories of battles and casualties continued to pour in.   But, he could not get around the fact that he was so close to the end of his time in South Korea.   Around March of 1953, Pvt. Martin received news that his time in Korea was up.   As he lived in a bunker at the time and news was delivered by a messenger, he remembers when a messenger came to his quarters and stated: â€Å"You, F. Martin, are leaving Korea. You are heading to Tokyo (back to Seoul and the Tokyo).  Ã‚   A modern ship will take you back to the U.S specifically to Seattle, Washington.†[18]  Ã‚   And, after fourteen months in the combat zone, his time was up and he could leave with the satisfaction that he served his country and did his duty.  Ã‚   He transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve on June 23, 1953, and finally finished his military service with an honorable discharge on October 6, 1959, after a full eight years in service. After his experience in Korea, my grandfather took with him many lessons learned about life and war.   His view of the war is that there were no clear winners.   Tens of thousands of Americans died, along with countless more Koreans, Chinese, and Russians.   However, he cannot help but feel that some progress was made concerning the state of South Korea:   â€Å"South Korea obviously gained†¦ Today it is a prosperous, well-developed nation, technologically advances and democratic.†[19] But, he also acknowledges that the conflict itself failed to succeed in its greater goals: â€Å"On the other hand, that place is a divided nation! North and South are divided! Families separated! North Korea today is in bad shape; hunger, famine, no democracy at all.†[20]   Though my grandfather did his duty, he does not claim to be a politician or have answers to the most complex political questions facing humanity. He prefers to be a kind, decent man that loves his family and tries to impart his simple wisdom whenever possible.   Though many memories of Korea stay with him, he considers himself fortunate to be able to share his wisdom and experiences with his children and grandchildren, and is proud to be both Puerto Rican, and a citizen of the United States. Bibliography Martin, Francisco. Interview by author.   Written notes.  Location, date month year. [1] Francisco Martin. Interview by author.   Written notes.  Location, date month year. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Ibid. [10] Ibid. [11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] Ibid. [14] Ibid. [15] Ibid. [16] Ibid. [17] Ibid. [18] Ibid. [19] Ibid. [20] Ibid.

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International law - Essay Example Article 51 means that such rights are applicable only in the case where military assault is committed by a specific country rather than a fanatic and terrorist group (Al Qaeda) which does not represent any country in particular. The preface of Security Council Resolution 1368 dated twelve September recognizes basic right of an individual or common self-defence or self protection act in agreement with the Charter. But the key functioning part of the Resolution views 9/11 event as terrorist attacks rather than classifying them as armed attacks. Concluding this it can be said that the Resolution does not unambiguously recognize that the basic right of self-protection or defence as a consequence of the 9/11 event. However, as national interests have absolute priority in the United States, it is appropriate here to describe the principles self-defence under international law attributable to the International Law Commission. Humanitarian intervention refers to armed intrusion into a country by another country in order to mitigate the pain, distress, and suffering of its citizens. Although such intervention in international law is very powerful, its concept remains profoundly vague. Intervention embodies an element of prevention as it is the means by which prevention is implemented (Eberwein and Badie, 2010). The main idea of humanitarian intervention is that a country has the right to intervene in matters of conflict in another country and, in some special circumstances, to intervene to protect the victimized people in the other country. These attempts were just a reason to promote but in reality invade other countries to enforce the basic rights of human, these efforts were also supported by League’s mandate system and minorities’ clauses (Moosleitner, 2009). Humanitarian intervention by a powerful country in the internal affairs of another directly challenges its national

Inverted Yield Curve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inverted Yield Curve - Essay Example The value of a bond is dependent on its required return. â€Å"Whenever the required return on bonds differs from the bond’s coupon interest rate, the bond’s value will differ from its par value. The required return is likely to differ from coupon interest rate because either (1) economic conditions have changed; causing a shift in the basic cost of long-term funds, or (2) the firm’s risk has changed. Increases in the basic cost of long-term funds or in risk will raise the required return; decreases in the cost of funds or in risk will lower the required return† (Lawrence J. Gitman). This is the basic principle of interest rates and bond valuation. The above principle shows that the bond valuation is dependent mostly on economic conditions and the firm’s risk taking ability. So when reasons for lower interest on long-term bonds as compared to short-term bonds are analyzed, it reflects the character of economic conditions. In this way, the bond interest rates work as the barometer of the economic conditions. Normally long term investments are made in the avenues that show steady performances over a period of time and provide the reasonable rate of return. It is seen that whenever stock market underperforms, investors withdraw money from stocks and usually invest in long-term bonds. This raises the demand for bonds and as a result of demand and supply interactions, the requirement of funds through debts instruments decreases; and the result decreases in the interest rates of bonds.

Competitive Advantage and Comparative Advantage Essay Example for Free

Competitive Advantage and Comparative Advantage Essay What is the difference between competitive advantage and comparative advantage? Answer: An advantage that a firm has over its competitors, that differentiates the Product or services offered by the firm and allows the firm to reduce it’s Cost or generate Higher Revenue or Margin is known as Competitive Advantage. A competitive advantage is something that a consumer views in a product or service as having higher value than the other competitors of the firm in the industry. It is an expertise that one firm has. There are many types of competitive strategy that a firm adopts so as to give a competitive advantage to the firm. E.g. Cost leadership: A firm produces the lowest cost product in the entire industry. Comparative Advantage: When one firm/country is able to produce Goods or Services at a lower Opportunity Cost over another firm/ country, it is said to have a Comparative Advantage. For E.g. if one country uses more machines and produces 10 units of each Meat and Clothes in one hour. And another country uses fewer machines and produces either 4 Meat or 6 Clothes in an hour, each country can gain from trade because their internal trade-offs between Meat and Clothes are different. The country that uses fewer machines has a Comparative advantage in producing clothes, hence it is more beneficial to produce and trade Clothes with the other country. The country that uses more machines has a comparative advantage in producing Meat, hence it is beneficial for them to produce and trade Meat with the other country.

Global Perspective Individual Research

Global Perspective Individual Research Water the most important and basic necessity required for life to exist on this planet. From microscopic organisms to giant mammals, from algae to angiosperms, every living thing needs water to survive. It is universally known that clean, potable water is extremely essential for a healthy living but its also very scarce in todays polluted world. Statistically, dirty water is one of the deadliest killers. UNO has estimated that 10 people die every minute from contaminated water. The WHO estimates that 80% of all sickness and disease in developing countries is due to unsafe water. I believe water pollution is one of the most widespread problems and it has deadly effects which could be mitigated if the right actions are taken in a timely fashion. Thus, I think this is a relevant topic to tackle. Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater. Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly into water bodies without removing harmful compounds. By this project I will know more about what are the different perspectives regarding this issue. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Water pollution is prevalent all over the world. Several countries are suffering from intense pollution. The irony is that the highly industrialized, developed countries suffer from the highest margin of pollution. Many factors are held responsible for these problems- industrialization, population and poor water treatment plants. The top five polluting countries are China, USA, Russia, India and Japan. Globally, the water and sanitation crisis claims most lives. Some 6,000 children die daily due to lack of safe drinking water. The death tolls are equal to those who die due to 20 aircraft crashes. UN statistics show 2 million tons of human waste is disposed in water bodies daily. Developed countries dump 70% of industrial wastes untreated leading to contamination. The following are the sources of water pollution: Fertilizers: Synthetic fertilizers leech into rivers through rainwater or improper irrigation. Drained fertilizers give enrichment of nutrients which gives rise to algae; causing Eutrophication. This disrupts the life cycle of marine animals by using up oxygen. If continued it will lead to 15% global increase in nitrogen flow into rivers in 30 years. Chemical industries: Untreated chemical when released affects marine life, as sewage contains a high amount of pathogens which spread disease. Oil Spills: While huge oil tankers leak during transit, massive quantities of oil are spilled into oceans resulting in deaths of marine life. They die of hypothermia as oil sticks to their scales/feathers and they are not able to breathe and fly. As the water temperature fluctuates aquatic animals die. Oil spills have greater effects because of the fact that they are difficult to clean up. Continentally, Africa has highest amount of polluted water, having its greatest impact on South-Africa. African government has taken action by implementing laws and measures but they are not just enough. Africa being a developing continent, cannot afford the cost of treating all the waste. Some industries dispose the waste directly in water bodies. Even if a country is developed it can suffer from water pollution. Lithuania and Estonia (Europe) have 70% of all surface water polluted due to industrial activities. Due to Polands water polluted it is in shortage for water for industrial use. Baltic Sea is the most polluted sea in the world. In Asia most polluted waters are to be found in China, having 80% of its water polluted due to industrial waste. Japans majority populace is affected by Mina-Mata disease caused by methyl-mercury from the industrial wastewater of the Chisso Corporations chemical factory. This is a highly toxic chemical that can kill fishes. The fishes when eaten by the local people result in mercury poisoning. The possible outcomes are insanity, paralysis, coma and eventually death. Clean tap water is not available across USA, mostly up north, while other states receive contaminated water. The Senate and the Congress in America passed The Water Act in 1974 that could set national limits on certain contaminants in tap water. Australia has a comparatively low rate of water pollution. Many water projects are underway in Australia and people are enthusiastically helping to solve the problem of unsafe drinking water. Main source of pollution at Sydneys beach is affluent discharge from Bodi and Malabar waste water treatment plants. Waste water treatment plants collect waste water and remove solids and then treat waste water before realizing it into the environment. Water treatment can lead to greater life expectancy and deaths caused by contaminated water can be reduced. NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Im privileged to live in a country which has adequate water. By adequate, I mean there is enough for need, but unfortunately not enough for greed. Regrettably, India is amongst the top water polluters in the world. Since several decades, industrial wastes like chemicals, oils, carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) and other poisonous substances are discharged into the rivers in large quantities. Its a fact the water shortage will be the worlds most serious issue in the coming years. Fights have already begun for water. Indian states are involved in legal battles over the rivers which they consider a part of their state. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Karnataka are fighting over the river Kaveri, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are fighting over river Krishna. In India, rivers have a great religious importance as well as are holy. People travel miles to bathe in sacred rivers. Due to water pollution, the water which was considered Amrita (Elixir) has now become poisonous. To some extent, bathing in the river does cause water pollution. Imagine thousands of people diving into rivers for a holy and spiritual bath. This does contaminate water and gives way to spread of infection. River water is used for hygienic purposes such as washing clothes, bathing etc. It has been found that expired medicines and used injections are thrown into the rivers. Out of the 1400 km of the river Yamuna, 600 km from Panipat to Etawa has been officially declared to be dead (this means this stretch of the river has 0% dissolved oxygen meaning that neither can water support any type of life nor is it suitable for any kind of use. Experts have found out that the level of coliform (harmful bacteria) in water is dangerous if its 50/100ml of drinking water. For bathing water, it is an approximate of 500 per 100ml is considered harmful. More than 500 means that the water is not even fit for bathing. It has been found that Delhis level of coliform is between 9,000,000 and 10,000,000. If this is the condition of the capital city; it can be assumed that in other parts of the country the conditions are worse. Even though the Indian government has introduced many Acts outlawing water pollution, it is unable to enforce it strongly. Industrial wastes are dumped into the ground by injecting them deep inside. This practice pollutes the underground freshwater. In India, water pollution is impacting on the health of the people. The industrially polluted water is treated by ordinary techniques, which still are not able to filter out the heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. This water is used in agricultural practices, and the produced crops like the fruits and vegetables contain these poisonous substances. This water can cause diseases after consumption like: 1. Bacterial Infections Typhoid, Cholera, Bacillary-Dysentery 2. Viral Infections Infectious Hepatitis (Jaundice), Poliomyelitis 3. Protozoan Infections Amoebic Dysentery Aji River flows nearby Rajkot and a dam is built on it to sustain it. An analysis of different water bodies in downstream of Aji dam indicates the most of water bodies within city limits are contaminated. Pollution of underground water due to electro-plating industries and sari-printing industries is also observed. These small- scale industries are proliferating but are also causing severe damage to underground, potable water which is becoming increasingly scarce. PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE Perspective the word itself means the way one looks at things. I believe perspectives, opinions, ideas and viewpoints change when we are encountered with something new. I have started believing that a day will come when we will be left with no fresh water. But I also feel that we can start with something small. My town, Rajkot has consistently good rainfall since the past years therefore we should collect and harvest the rainwater. This water can then be utilized in several ways. India celebrates Festival of colors called DHULETI. It used to be celebrated with only colours traditionally but now colored water and colored sprays have also been a part of the celebration. People in Rajkot including me waste gallons and gallons of water within 3 hours of celebration. There is high amount of water shortage in the city. I personally have had water problems that day. Personally I accept that statistics already show devastating effects but they can be lowered if all of us develop a different thinking. POSSIBLE SCENARIOS Today, water has become a major world issue which is predicted to rise even further due to industries, agriculture and many other contributing factors. Peoples health is already affected badly. There is massive outbreak of diseases and infections. I agree that there are vaccinations present for almost all of these diseases but the saddest part is that not all of the affected population can afford to get vaccinated. And worse, some people are not even aware. If this continues many diseases will spread even quicker via water. Clean water wont be available for drinking. If states today will fight for water, tomorrow individual people might fight for water and a small issue about water may start a fight that might be difficult to contain or halt. If not acted upon now, the future of the world is going to be very dry. POSSIBLE COURSES OF ACTION Water pollution needs to immediately be reduced. By taking simple measures, we can alleviate the levels of contamination and with constant and consistent effort, probably remove contamination altogether. The following are some ways in which that could be done: Wise usage of water and a sense of responsibility while using it. Spreading awareness to industrial firms and trying to make them relocate their sewage plants if they are depositing it untreated into water. Stricter laws about minimum usage of pesticide, fertilizer and herbicide per annum which will reduce surface run off. Passing Government Laws and Water Acts about treatment of drinking and sewage water. These are some primary steps which can at least help jump start the conservation process. Soon, if this is kept on-going, my may well be living in a contamination-free world. Thus, I believe to change some of this big and major issues, all we have to do is accumulate the courage to take the first step. PERSONAL RESPONSE After realizing the need for judicious use of water, I have reduced the use of water in cleaning my bicycle and bathing. The household help had been instructed to use less of water in washing utensils and clothes. She has been advised to not keep the tap running I think the use washing machines and dishwashers would be beneficial in saving a good amount of water. My father owns a chemical industry and he ensures that his industry does not deposit waste directly in the water body before sufficient treatment. I have decided and also gave notice of no water availability during Dhuleti celebration time in my apartment with the help of management committee To spread awareness in the society I have stuck poster on my societys notice board. I believe these small steps, if taken by everybody will make a drastic change in the overall picture of this nation. And for that, I do talk to my friends about saving water and its importance. I am convinced that spreading awareness is the ONLY way to tackle is increasingly prevalent problem. [Word count: 1971 Words]

Swisses Application on Healthcare Products Marketing

Swisses Application on Healthcare Products Marketing By Qian Liu Executive Summary The purpose of this report was to analyse the marketing mix principles used by the Swisse to marketing its products and find directions for further development. The report illustrates how Swisse succeed through application of marketing mix elements: well-researched products, people and organisation culture, promotion through leadership and CSR marketing as well as the globalisation exchange. Recommendations are made on focusing on food safety regulations and global market management. Introduction With the advancement of researches on the health of human body as well as the increasing ability to buy, people starts to focus more on life quality and healthy living habits these years. Increasingly people began to pay more attention and money to body maintenance and health products, which brings business opportunities for the health care products market. Swisse is an Australian health and wellness company that manufactures vitamin, supplements and other personal care products that are currently available in about 30 countries including Australia, New Zealand, United King, the United States and Hong Kong, etc. Founded in 1969, the company has been committed to its philosophy: health, happiness (HH) with a belief that the focus on people, passion and principles will naturally bring profit in. It conveys its philosophy to the public by introducing ambassadors who are sports stars or celebrities conducting a healthy life cycle. For about 50 years, Swisse has been investing in independent scientific researches on the development and innovations of scientifically-supported healthy products. It started building up since establishment partnerships with universities, laboratories and other top academic institutions as well as its own scientific advisory panel consisted of a group of academics, scientists and clinicians. The company also focus on corporate social responsibility by using natural ingredients, offsetting carbon emissions, investing in charities and advocating sustainability. The purpose of this report is to identify the success of marketing mix of Swisse by analysing marketing mix principles it applies: product, people, promotion and placement. While Swisse focuses more on four elements of marketing mix strategies analysis, other elements of marketing mix as well as other aspects such as business environment might be overlooked. Marketing Mix Overview of the theory: Marketing Mix Market mix is a foundation conceptual framework in market. It is a set of marketing tools the marketing managers used to develop long-term strategies and short-term practices in order to meet targeted customer needs. Different elements are included in marketing mix in different industries. Through long development history, the marketing mix generally comprises the traditional 4Ps: product, price, promotion and place to the developed 8Ps with people, process, physical evidence and performance in addition. The company in question forms its own 4Ps strategy by focusing on product, people, promotion and place. the 4Ps Product Products are the goods or services a company delivers to satisfy customers needs and are the basis of a companys revenues. A company can control the product quality, design, features, after-sales services and brand name to add value to its products. Besides, in order to keep the competitive advantages, a company may continually introduce new products in response to customer needs and market environment. People Human resources including expertise involved in research and development, product line and marketing. A company should hire qualified personnel that are ethical, professional, high-performing and adaptable to the business culture. There should be working regulations, explicit standards incorporating code of ethics and a reward and punishment systems within a company . A comfortable working environment may increase the productivity of staff. The company should also establish and communicate positive values and culture for higher loyalty. Promotion Promotion is used by companies to convey the features and theories of their products to targeted consumers. General promotional tools may include advertising, public relations, brand name selling, etc. While products needs innovations and upgrades, promotion tools should also be creative and meet the market needs to attract customers and beat competitors. Place After production and promotion, a company needs to determine how customers are accessible to its products. Distribution channels include retailers, wholesalers, e-commerce, dealers, etc. As more and more business are going globalization, place becomes a specific concern due to difference in cultures and what works for a place may fail in another. The Swisse Strategy Introduction to Swisse and its marketing mix Swisse started from a humble Melbourne warehouse in late 1960s by its founder, Kevin Ring. From the very beginning, the mission HH and the principles Celebrate Life Everyday are embedded in the ground and development of Swisse. Swisse products went from only herbal vitamins to a range from multivitamins, supplements, nutrition, personal care products to functional foods and are sold in around 30 countries in the world. Swisse applies marketing mix tactically in its marketing strategies. It invests in researches to provide more innovative, functional and reliable products; it put people the top priority in its philosophy to build a harmony and effective working environment; it implement creative advertising practices by building up roles of ambassadors and emphasizing on corporate social responsibilities; it opens up the distribution channels to retailer and e-commerce and expands the global market. Application of 4 Ps to Swisse Marketing Application of Product Policy Research and Development Swisse ensure the functionality and quality of products by investment in up-to-date scientific academic research. It has its own research teams and clinics to conduct projects and tests on innovation and upgrading of products and also builds up collaboration with top academic institutions and foremost projects. It has formal partnerships with entities like: National Institute of Integrative Medicine(NIIM), Swinburne University and La Trobe University. It also has its own advising panel of esteemed scientific advisors such as Prof. Avni Sali, founder of NIIM, Dr. Karin Ried, research director at NIIM, Assc Prof. Andrew Pipingas, cognitive neuroscientist, etc. The expertise from cooperative organizations and advising panels ensures that Swisse remains at the forefront of the up-to-date research development and opportunities as well as certifies the efficacy of formulations. The investment on research by Swisse not only justify the benefits, but also build up positive brand image of the products. HH values Behind the success of Swisse is the HH values embedded in its products. Health and happiness is the most commonly mentioned concept and the test for every decision within Swisse to convey the living theory with products and build a positive brand image. Application of People Policy Focus on people Swisse put people at the top of its 4Ps priorities. It believes that people is the reason it succeed. It advocates a healthy lifestyle working environment by providing free personal trainers, masseuses and organic meals. It also encourages its staff to involve in communities to together build social leadership. Positive culture A success organizational culture affects the organizations productivity and performance and the opinion the customers have on the company. Swisse promotes a positive and friendly culture as noted by Radek Sali, CEO of Swisse wellness, a typical Swisse employee should force himself to dress up different daily, be creative, keep smiling, say hello to everyone, continuously improve and deliver a positive can do attitude at Swisse. Application of Promotion Policy Ambassadors Swisse introduces healthcare professionals, sports stars, entertainers and social media celebrities as ambassadors who find its products helpful and recommend the products through blogs or other forms of social media. This build up a reliable and fashionable brand image for the products and add to the corporate reputation through the personal influence of these public figures CSR As social image is gaining increasingly speaking power on consumers decisions on choice of products, Swisse expands the health, happiness and wellbeing philosophy to the whole community and actively engages in corporate social responsibilities. It emphasizes on environment protection and contributes to the community by establishment of the Celebrate Life Foundation to help preventing diseases by educations of nutrition and healthy lifestyle. Application of Placement Policy Globalisation Not limited by its #1 position in Australian market, Swisse goes globalisation recent years. Swisse products quickly enter into racks of popular local retailers, for instance, Walgreens in the U.S.. It also actively cooperates with local media and programs like the Ellen Show and participates in advertising campaigns to ensure the fluency of its launches. E-commerce Apart from wholesalers and retailers, the new distribution channel of e-commerce makes the purchasing experience much more convenient for customers and less resource-consuming for the Swisse itself. Recommendations on Future Development Focus on Product Quality Despite the popularity and fashionability of the brand name, consumers are more serious on what they eat. Swisse Vitamins has also been involved in advertising complaints on overstatement and misleading of its functionality and promotions violating Medicines Australias self-regulatory code of conduct. In fact, Swisse spent over $50 million per year on advertising. Though not involved in judicial cases or practically violating any laws, Swisse should focus on improving the products in the long run instead of conducting more advertising campaigns. Global Market Differences While globalization contribute to worldwide demand for products, it brings more concerns to a company. Markets in different cultures have different characteristics. As Swisse plans to enter into more countries in the following years, special expertise is needed to examine different needs of customers, competition of the market, customs of business and make strategies for launches. Conclusion Swisse has effectively applied the four elements of marketing mix in its marketing strategies. The independent product research, focus on people, active and creative promotion as well as the globalisation placement contributes to the significant competitive ege over its competitors. Though the company sees a success in its marketing and profiting, Swisse should focus more on product quality and be more self-regulated for the good of business sustainability. The globalisation practices should also be carefully oversighted due to risks in the global market. Word Count: 1637 References Ross, G.(2012). Re-thinking and re-tooling the social marketing mix: AMJ AMJ AMJ. Australasian Marketing Journal, 20(2012),122-126. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/locate/amj Retrieved from https://www.swisse.com/en-au/our-story. Kotler,P., Marketing Management,(Millennium Edition),Custom Edition for University of Pheonix , Prentice Hall, 2000, p. 9 Dermott, D. (2013). A case study on reinvention and growth: Swisse is not selling vitamins, its selling wellness. Retrieved from http://www.anthillonline.com/a-case-study-on-reinvention-and-growth-swisse-is-not-selling-vitamins-its-selling-wellness/ Arndt,J., 1980. Perspective for a theory in marketing. Journal of Business Research 9(3), 389-402. Peattie. S., Peattie, K., 2003. Ready to fly solo: Reducing social marketings reliance of commercial marketing theory. Marketing Theory 3(3). 365-385 Rosenstock, I.M, 1966, Why people use health services. Milbank Memorial Fund Quartely 44(3). 94-127. Shizumu, K., 2003. Symbiotic Marketing Strategy. Souseisha Book Company, Japan. Chain, D. (2013). Swisse Vitamins makes U.S. debut at Walgreens. Supplier News. Retrieved from http://www.chaindrugreview.com/

pride and prejudice :: essays research papers

summary Chapter 1: The Bennets ¡Ã‚ ¯ new neighbor Rich, young, single man, Mr. Bingley moves next to the Bennets ¡Ã‚ ¯. Mrs. Bennet is very excited and is sure that he is going to marry one of his five daughters. In fact, Mr. Bingley and Jane, the first daughter, are interested in each other. Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley ¡Ã‚ ¯s friend, gets interested in Elizabeth although he thought that she was only an unfashionable village girl at first. Chapter 2: Jane ¡Ã‚ ¯s illness Kitty and Lydia get very interested in the regiment that arrives in Meryton where their Aunt lives. Jane goes to visit the Bingley ¡Ã‚ ¯s and becomes ill while going there because of the rain. Elizabeth comes to see how Jane ¡Ã‚ ¯s doing and stays with her for a few days. Mr. Bingley ¡Ã‚ ¯s sisters mock the Bennet family. Jane and Elizabeth go back home a few days later. Chapter 3: Mr. Collins visits Longbourn Mr. Collins, who is to inherit everything when Mr. Bennet dies because of legal reasons, comes to visit the Bennets to do something about the inheritance problem. Mr. Collins thought that he was being very generous to the family. And he is thinking of marrying one of the Bennet girls to make amends to them. Chapter 4: Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham All the Bennet girls except Mary go to Meryton and meet a man named Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham talk about Darcy and Wickham tells Elizabeth about how terrible a man Darcy is. Bingley is giving a ball at his house and the whole Bennet family goes. Elizabeth is embarrassed by her family ¡Ã‚ ¯s behavior at the ball. Chapter 5: Mr. Collins proposes marriage Mr. Collins asks Elizabeth to marry him but she refuses. Her mother is very mad about it but her father is glad that she decided not to marry him. Jane receives a letter from Caroline Bingley that their whole family is moving to London for the winter. And she also tells Jane that her brother is probably going to marry Mr. Darcy ¡Ã‚ ¯s sister and Jane gets very depressed. Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins get engaged. Chapter 6: Elizabeth visits Mr. And Mrs. Collins Mrs. Bennet ¡Ã‚ ¯s brother and his wife Mr. And Mrs. Gardiner come to visit the Bennets ¡Ã‚ ¯ for Christmas. Several days later they return to London and take Jane with them for her to get some fresh air. Mr. Collins and Charlotte get married soon after this and they leave for Hunsford.

Destiny, Fate and Free Will in Homers Odyssey - Odysseus’s Fulfills Hi

Odysseus’s Fulfills his Destiny in The Odyssey During Odysseus’s journey in The Odyssey, his own guile, the gods’ obstacles and their assistance for him affected his destiny. Odysseus uses his crafty sense of trickery and guile to get out of situations, which allow him to reach his destiny of returning home. Many times in The Odyssey the gods who dislike Odysseus set obstacles to try to stop him from returning home. However, there are gods who favor him and give him assistance to reach his homeland of Ithaca. Odysseus found himself in some dangerous situations during his journey but he was clever enough to think of ways to escape them. For example, when he encountered Polyphemus, Odysseus tricked him when he told the Cyclops his name was "Noman." After Polyphemus believed him and was stabbed in the eye, not knowing any better called out to his friends, "Noman is murdering me by craft. Force there is none" (87). Odysseus’ power over his enemy is once again confirmed by his wit more than by physical force. Although this sense of guile is at his enemy’s expense, there exists a touch of dramatic irony that helps the reader to take part in knowing something that Odysseus’ enemy doesn’t know. To get his way with Calypso, Odysseus flatters her to persuade her to free him from captivity. Odysseus sweet-talks Calypso and then states his destiny when he says, "Powerful goddess, do not be wroth at what I say. Full well I know that heedful Penelope, compared with you, is poor to look upon in height and beauty; for she is human, but you are an immortal, young forever. Yet even so, I wish-yes, every day I long-to travel home and see my day of coming" (49). Odysseus’ day of coming stands for hi... ...other of this Scylla, who bore her a bane to humankind; she will restrain her from a second onset" (116). Odysseus has to stop thinking that fighting always works. It is best to run and take the easy and safe way out when he is fighting a more powerful being than himself. Odysseus’ own guile, the gods’ obstacles, and their assistance for him are all factors that affected his fate during his journey. His guile to make difficult situations seem simple became very handy in escaping the dangerous times and allowed him to move further in his odyssey. The gods who dislike him sent storms or traps in their attempts to cease and stop Odysseus’ journey home. The gods who approve of Odysseus’ return home, for instance Athena, Hermes, and Circe, assisted him in many ways to ease his way home to his home in Ithaca and to fulfill his destiny.

Business Evaluation Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Business Evaluation The subject that I interviewed was Mike from Allstate Insurance. Mike is an agent who owns his own office and has his own employees but at the same time is also an employee himself for the Allstate Corporation. The nature of Allstate is the sales of different lines of insurance policies. Mike's office is very service oriented although they are in the sales business. He classifies his office as a retail business with the explanation that he is selling something that is not provided directly by him, rather by the company, and because what he is selling is being bought. Allstate is a company that has many people that work for it. Each of these employees is a separate agent that works as a mediator between the customer buying the product and the company selling the product. Thus, Mike's own business inside another business positions itself, as well as Mike, as an agency. Since Mike is ultimately a salesperson, what he does most frequently during the day is to interact with people and sell them a policy or assist them with one he already provides them with. Even though this is what he does most often, he finds human relations to be the most difficult thing to do. Working with people isn't the easiest thing to do and he informed me that in the insurance business the calming people down and making sure you do your best to try to satisfy the customer can sometimes become quite exhausting. What made this the most difficult for him was frequently having to this for customers who were upset with something that happened and trying to remain calm and pleasant after dealing with someone who refuses to be satisfied. He uses trend exploration to determine his forecast. Since he is the sales person of his business he does his own forecasting. Trend exploration involves extending a pattern observed in past data into the future. He simply looks at the past sales of a few months or a year to try to come up with a projection for the next few months or year. This is a simple way of forecasting because trend exploration assumes that sales will remain the same, however, this may not always be the case. Allstate is probably known best as the "good hands people". This is their main advertising campaign. It commonly uses the sales pitch, "your in good hands with Allstate." Beyond having a photo and na... ...is in itself is a good thing, it seemed as if the business was about to reach or already has reached its maturity. Even although the business seemed to be doing well, I feel that more effort needs to be placed into finding new customers and opening new policies. From talking with the owner about pricing, I learned that there are discounts that customers can receive by having more than one policy with the company. Two of these were: a multiple car discount for customers with more than one car on one policy and a percentage discount for policy owners who have both their auto and home policy with the company. Since the multiple car discount is automatic, I would suggest profiling as many customers as possible looking for customers who only had an auto policy with them. These customers should then be given a call to find out if they indeed had a home. If they do, then the agent or whoever was calling should offer them a quote on the home and car together so the client could com pare what they could pay to what they are paying. Hopefully this would show that there would be savings with the company, the client would switch coverage to them, and new business would have been created.

History of Modern Philosophy Essay

1- How, and with what success, does Hume deal with the apparent anomaly of the missing shade of blue? In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume attempt to rid 18th century moral philosophy of what he considered to be meaningless and vacuous concepts underlying our theory of knowledge – be it metaphysical arguments or hypotheses seemingly formulated from the mere imagination of many philosophers. Influenced by the emerging trend of empiricism and naturalistic science – like Newton and Locke, which Hume owed much of his basic principles from – Hume presented the Treatise as an attempt to introduce experimental methods of reasoning into the area of moral philosophy. In the first book of the Treatise, entitled Of the Understanding, Hume devoted the first part – Of the Origin of our Ideas – for explaining the basis of his philosophical system that appeals on the similar empiricist approach as that of Locke’s. However, curiously, Hume had cited an explicit counter-argument – the problem of missing shade of blue – that could invalidate his whole philosophical system that is based on this central principle. Even more puzzling is Hume’s complacency with this problem, and although he considers the problem as singular and exceptional, he fully admitted to this counter example and did not try to resolve it. Yet, this case merits a deeper investigation, and it is this essay’s attempt to see whether his apparent complacency with the missing shade of blue would have any effect on the strength of his philosophical system, and other attempts to render this problem irrelevant. The problem of the missing shade of blue by Hume is as follows: suppose a man who is well acquainted with colours for thirty years and has seen all the colours in the set of possible colour spectrum, except for one particular shade of blue. Then, he is presented with a full spectrum of the shades of blue, from the darkest shade to the darkest, all except the one particular shade in which he has not yet encountered. It is then conceivable that this man would be able to produce this single missing shade of blue. The problem of this lies in the basis of the empiricist doctrine at which Hume is following, namely, that all ideas must be preceded by experience, yet, in this example, it is demonstrated that it is possible for an idea to precede sensation experience, as the man is able to produce the idea of the missing shade of blue without having first encountered it through his senses. At this point, I would like to elaborate more on Hume’s theory of mind and the origin of ideas as that would clarify why this example is so damaging to Hume’s system. As stated before, Hume’s project can be put into a general label of empiricism, which is a belief that all knowledge comes from experience. Much of his line of argument resembles that of Locke’s, another prominent empiricist. Hume even borrowed Locke’s key terminology to a certain extent, with terms like ideas and impressions. Locke believes that ideas are whatever the mind perceives in itself, or is in the immediate object of perception, thought, or understanding, as when one perceives, thinks, or understands, the ideas are before the mind. This limits all ideas to be originated from experience (perception), and also shows the connection between thought and perception and their interchangeable nature. The ideas can be divided into ideas of sensation (touch, smell, sight, etc.) and ideas of reflection (fear, happiness, sadness, etc.), which can then be separated further into simple and complex ideas, where complex ideas are derived from simple ones. Hume follows this line of argument with some modifications. He claims he ‘restores’ the term ideas to its original sense by classifying the objects the mind is perceiving as perceptions, not directly as ideas as Locke have used, and from perceptions he then distinguished them into impressions and ideas, where they differ in degree, as impressions are more vivid and forceful before the mind, such when sees a colour, and the ideas are more faint, such when one thinks of a colour after having the impressions of it. Hume then makes the distinction of simple and complex ideas, and by introspection, Hume demonstrates that one can think of any simple ideas and then find corresponding simple impressions that are exact copies of each other, and one can do this with any conceivable simple ideas. Complex ideas are different in that they are composites of simple ideas. And with this experiment in introspection, Hume then postulates his first thesis, â€Å"†¦ That all our simple ideas in their first appearance are deriv’d from simple impressions, which are correspondent to them, and which they exactly represent.† We may call this the Copy Principle, as it simply states that every simple idea is a copy of a corresponding impression. One of the most important components of this thesis is the fact that it’s a genetic one in that it shows the origin of ideas as following from impressions – as impressions to be the cause of ideas. Again, this is proved by the constant conjunction of simple impressions preceding simple ideas, which one can do to every simple idea one may have. Another support Hume gives is that of a man born defective of certain perceptive organs, hence, missing certain impressions (e.g. sight or sound), one would not have any ideas of those corresponded with the impressions, for it is evident that deaf people also have great trouble speaking. The genetic component is important in that they validate the empiricism doctrine on the reliance of experience. Anyhow, now we can see how the problem seems to defeat the purpose of this thesis. Moreover, a counter example, from a logical standpoint, one counter example is sufficient to turn an argument invalid. So why did Hume not deal with this problem? We may try to take it as Hume claimed the problem to be – a singular case where it is not worth investing time on. Being a singular case, one may have to take the argument in closer inspection. Hume states explicitly that the man in question may have enjoyed the sights for thirty years and perfectly well acquainted with all the possible colours except one, and that may be the attempt by him to restrict this to some specific scenario. It is implicitly embedded in the counter example that the subject of this example must be well acquainted with all the colours, such that one can make up colours in one’s mind, much like how only musicians of a certain skill level can sight read music. Thus, it appeals to some amount of ‘experience’ such that one may be bound to experience, habits, or personal background. Yet, when given further consideration, this seems to be invalid as well, as these restrictions do not seem to hold. As far as experience go, a child who does not know what ‘turquoise’ mean does not necessarily have an idea of the colour ‘turquoise’. So this case is certainly not an exceptional case and Hume had not dealt with it satisfactorily. Yet, Humean scholars have tried to find solutions for this problem and some even disregard it as a problem altogether. Firstly, the first objection to this counter argument is that there is no way to test whether the person in question does in fact have an idea of the missing shade of blue before seeing the missing shade or not. There is a great difference between being able to spot a missing spot in a complete spectrum of blue, and being able to produce an idea of the shade of blue without first encountering the impression of it. If ones sees a constant change in shade from, let’s say blue-0 where it is darkest to blue-255 where it is the lightest shade, then if there is one shade of blue missing, it would be quite noticeable as the mind notices the jump in gradual and constant change, but it does not follow that one could create an idea of that missing shade. To test this is also impossible, as if one is to reproduce colour, it still does not follow that he produces the idea since he would only be mixing the existing colours to brighter shades, and thus, after finishing mixing the colour, one then has the idea of the colour following the impression. All other ways of testing is equally futile because they all involve exposing the subject to the missing impression one way or another. Alternatively, if we look at the thesis again, and instead of taking it as a genetic form of the argument that Hume meant it to be, and instead, modifies it slightly to a more analytical empiricism form. Hume’s thesis on the theory of mind, upon closer inspection, can be taken as a form of meaning empiricism, in the sense that ideas to him are the same as different thoughts, which are different kinds of concepts, which is linked to when one understands something in a linguistic sense one is linking the word with the meaning, or the concepts associated to the word. Hence, if we think of the initial genetic content of the thesis, that impressions strictly precedes ideas, we may relax it slightly in favour of the analogy to meaning empiricism and forget its genetic form and instead formulate the following thesis: that all simple ideas must have corresponding conceivable and encounterable impressions. By doing this, we are no longer faced with the problem of the missing shade, since it is perfectly possible that the subject would be able to encounter this particular shade. Lastly, from a personal view, I see the problem of the missing shade of blue as not a problem at all, but Hume’s mistake lies in classifying colours as simple ideas. It is true that the impressions of light blue might very well be different than dark blue, so to speak, but to use Hume’s method, it is possible to separate using our imagination the components ‘light’ and ‘dark’ from ‘blue’. Thus, it is the impression of ‘blueness’ which is a simple impression, combined with the impression of ‘light’ and ‘absent of light’ that combine to give this multitude of shades of colours. Take this example, suppose some neutral shade of blue, let’s number it blue 124, were put somewhere with light, you will be able to see blue 124. However, let’s say for some reason, the room becomes lighter, certainly, the shade of blue 124 would have changed to some lighter shade of perhaps blue 200. If we vary the light in the room from darkest to lightest, it is then possible to observe from the darkest to the lightest shade of blue likewise. One may argue that the colour can be calibrated to some objective criteria, perhaps the ratio of pigments of colour blue of some sort, yet, that does not matter since all that matters to Hume is indeed only impression. Furthermore, using this example, we can also say that perhaps the subject of the experiment may have in fact encountered the particular shade of blue sometime before without acknowledging it. Conclusively, although Hume’s treatment of the missing shade of blue is very limited and very complacent, it is perhaps Hume’s own mistake for considering such example a ‘problem’, rather than the problem itself being a threat to his theory of origins of ideas.

Literature Review on Assertiveness Essay

Literature   Review on Assertiveness Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assertiveness is the ability to express one’s point of view, feelings, thoughts and needs while keeping the rights of others peoples in mind. An assertive individual learns which response to select, whether it can be acting non-assertively, aggressive or assertive on a case by case basis. Nevertheless, acting assertively is not usually the best selection in accomplishing the best possible results. An assertive individual has the capacity to stop and think what is in his or her best interest as well as the interest of others (Peneva, 2013).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study of assertiveness began in the middle of the 20thcentury whereby it was associated with clinical practice. The clinical psychologists accepted non-assertiveness as a reason for some of the mental illnesses and thus to treat them, they implemented several programs with the main aim of developing assertiveness. In the 70s, when the civil rights movement in America was growing, some psychologists concentrated on assertiveness as a way of protecting the rights of individuals. They claimed that the capability to protect individual human rights in a humane and democratic manner, without prejudice to the fundamentals of others was among the significant features of assertive conduct. Therefore, the political and social associations during the 80s and 90s of the 20th century promoted the interest in assertiveness as a way of strengthening the human potential and attaining maximum individual fulfillment (Peneva, 2013). Various periodicals w ere published targeting professionals and incorporating theoretical description of training programs and studies as well as theoretical positions. The first study on assertiveness was performed by an American psychologist Andrew Salter in 1949 with the main aim of discovering the causes of uncertainty and find a mean to treat or reduce its neurotic influence (Peneva, 2013). According to him, uncertainty occurred due to the prevalence of retention processes over stimulation process in the nervous system. He also claimed that most people in the contemporary society suffered from a disorder of the balance nerve. This formed the theory of assertion, which is based in the premise that every person have certain basic human rights such as the right to make errors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   People who are assertive has characteristics such; emotionality of speech, expressiveness of speech, potential to oppose and counter others suggestions, accepting praises, and impulsive in own actions and refusal. On the other hand, individuals who are non-assertive lack the ability to maintain adequate boundaries between his or her rights and those of others. Non-assertiveness happen when one permits his or her boundaries to be restricted. A non-assertive person tends to internalize tensions and feelings and to experience such emotions as anxiety, fear, fatigue, nervousness and depression (Ames, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The review on assertiveness brought about other associated concepts such as professional light, assertive communication, self-confidence and conflict management. Assertiveness has been claimed as the background for understanding these concepts and their independence in assertiveness.Lizarraga.M et al, examined the impacts of teaching self-regulation, assertiveness, and empathy to forty middle school students in a compulsory education setting (Lizarraga et al, 2003). The study involved a quasi-experimental design, which utilized pre and post-test measurement. According to them, assertiveness refer’s to an individual capability to express and advocate interests, ideas and feelings easily without anxiety, but maintaining respect for other people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assertiveness is also connectedto self-esteem and self confidence because peoples who feel self-assured and competence interact more naturally and sincerely in establishing relationships. Anna Deltsidou in â€Å"Undergraduate nursing students’ level of assertiveness in Greece,† examined the assertive behavior in students’ interaction with each other as well as their studies in the first and second semester. According to Anna, the concept of assertiveness acquired meaning when defined in terms of chosen indicators such as autonomy, relationship and authenticity (Deltsidou, 2008). The study involved an assertiveness scale that measured assertiveness in relationships, which proved to be valid and reliable to a significant extent.It was concluded that nurses interact with colleagues, patients and other health care professionals whereby the interaction is improved when nurses have a good assertive communication skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having the same idea with Anna, Amir Abbassi and Raghu claimed that assertiveness acquire meaning through autonomy, courage, and authenticity (Abbassi& Raghu, 2006). Furthermore, they claimed that assertiveness is a significant notion in counseling, sociology and psychology for dealing with matters in individual characteristics required for functioning various roles in the society. They concluded by claiming that autonomy, courage, and authenticity are interconnected to each other, which are the primary indicators of assertiveness and latter give meaning to assertiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a comprehensive body of literature on assertiveness and assertiveness training. All the same, assertiveness is defined as the practice of traits that enables individuals to act in their best interest, express themselves and stand for themselves without denying the rights of others. ArvindSinghal and MotokoNagoya presented the definition of assertiveness in the similar manner through their study on â€Å"Assertive as Communication Competence,† which claimed that there is significant variation between individuals’ attitudes toward performing assertive behaviors (Singhal& Nagao, 1993). Nevertheless, it is clear that some people are more assertive than others. They also argued that assertive communication competence is situational and contextual whereby it vary from situation to situation depending on the gender, and concluded by claiming that there is a need for further investigation on assertiveness as a tool for measu ring communication competence in intercultural settings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Daniel R. Ames explored the varying levels of assertiveness in negotiations and interpersonal conflicts in his article, â€Å"Assertive Expectancies†. According to him, assertiveness is a healthy and desirable behavior for all individuals who interact in a group situation insofar as it militates against personal powerlessness and can lead to personal empowerment, and ultimately benefit the workplace as a whole (Ames, 2008). According to Ames, individuals make idiosyncratic prediction of the social and instrumental implications of a given acquiescent behavior, which is in line with theories of personality that claims that outcomes expectancies shape behavior (Ames, 2008). Thus, it is possible that assertiveness is predominantly the product of expectancies and values, meaning that individuals who expect high assertiveness to be harmful could simply be more concerned with preserving relationships. He concluded by arguing that assertive ness there are many definitions of assertiveness that differ in accordance to the particular perspective or the purpose of the definer as well as the context. However, the meaning of assertiveness must concerns confidence, and behavioral pattern, which are the fundamental components of assertiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In describing the behavior of consumer, ClaesFornel and Robertperformed an exploratory study of assertiveness, aggressiveness, and consumer complaining behavior. They defined assertiveness as a complex of behaviors that are produced by an individual in an interpersonal context, which shows an individual feelings, opinions, attitude, wishes, firmly and honestly while preserving the attitude, wishes, rights and opinions of others (Fornell& Robert, 1979). Moreover, they suggested that assertiveness does not concern an undue or excessive amount of fear and anxiety, but represents the standing up of an individual rights without violating the rights of others. This is in line with arguments of mental health scholars who argue that assertiveness is learned and depend on the situation to situation. Likewise, the impacts of assertive training involve increased positive response from others, increased self-esteem and decline in social situations for individuals having gone through a training program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the above literature review reveals, it is clear that the definition and source of assertiveness depend on an individual perception and the situation to situation. The key indicators of assertiveness are courage, autonomy and authenticity. References Abbassi.A, & Singh N, Raghu (2006) Aseertiveness in Marital Relationship Among Asians Indians in the United States. The Family Jounal.14.392-398 Retrived from http://www.sagepub.comAmes, R, D (2008) Assertiveness Expectancies: How Hard People Push Depends on the Consequences They Predict. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.6. 1541-1557 Retrieved from http://www.columbia.eduDeltsidou, A (2008). Undergraduate nursing students’ level of assertiveness in Greece: a Queaionnaire survey. Journal of Nurs Education in Practice 9. 322-330Retrived from http://www.researchgate.netFornell, C & Robert.(1979) An Exploratory Study of Assertiveness, Agressiveness, and Consumer Complaining Behavior.Th Journal for Association for Consumer.6: 105-110 Lizarraga. M, Ugarte. M, Cardelle-Elawar, Iriarte.M &Baquedano.M (2003).Enhancement of Self-regulation, assertiveness, and empathy.Jounral of Learning and Instruction 13. 423-439. Retrived from http// www.elsevier.com/Peneva, I &Mavrodiev (2013).A Historical Approach to Assertiveness.The Journal of Psychology Thought. 6(1) 3-26 Singhal.A, & Nagao, M (1993). Assertiveness as Communication Competence: A Comparison of the Communication Styles of American and Japanese Students. Asian Journal of Communication. 3. 1-17 Retrieved from http://utminers.utep.edu Source document

European Integration of Ukraine Is the Main Task

European Integration of Ukraine is the main task, which unites government and opposition In connection with the new political season, which began not only in the Ukrainian Parliament, but also in the European Parliament, delegation of MPs of Ukraine from the Party of Regions arrived on an official visit to Strasbourg.Delegation members are Chairman of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction Olexander Yefremov, Deputy Chairman of the Party of Regions for International Affairs Leonid Kozhara, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information Olena Bondarenko, member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Banking, Tax and Customs Policy Vitaliy Kaliuzhny.Today, September 13, in the European Parliament took place a public meeting on â€Å"The Future of EU-Ukraine Relations and Ukraine’s Internal Political Situation†, where the Chairman of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction Olexander Yefremov informed about the current situation in Ukraine. Particular attention Olexander Yefremov paid to reforms, which are being carried out by authorities. â€Å"Over the past year and a half great changes took place in Ukraine. Unfortunately, in Europe, few people know what is actually happening in the country.The country's leaders held a number of reforms – this is pension and judicial reforms, adoption of anti-corruption legislation and the new Tax Code,† the politician said. â€Å"Now we are preparing such global documents as a bill on the land market, new Criminal Procedure, Housing and Communal and Labour Codes. In Ukraine these laws have a long history, they are not modernized. And, unfortunately, over the 20 years of existence of Ukraine as an independent state, no one worked on them. It is our task.Therefore we have a lot of work to do. And as you can see, we are working very hard,† said Olexander Yefremov. MEPs stressed the importance of the visit of Ukrainian parliamentarians becaus e now it is a key moment in relations between the EU and Ukraine, and Europe needs first-hand information. Olexander Yefremov reminded that in 2009 Party of Regions started with very bad starting positions. â€Å"When we conducted an audit of the national economy, it was found that in 2009 we began with minus 15% of GDP.It was a disastrous number. And we had to find quickly the tools for economic growth, to overcome the economic crisis. However, our operational work and the actions that we undertook, gave a good positive result. 2011 we are to finish with 5% increase of our economy,† he stressed. Representatives of the European Parliament agreed to this. They noted how significantly increased the intensity of work of Ukrainian Parliament and adopted documents. According to Olexander Yefremov, today the government command faces many challenges.And one of the most important is the European integration of the country. â€Å"And at the moment it is one of the uniting issues for opposition and authorities. There is no dissent and no opponents here. Everyone understands that we need to work on this common goal,† said Olexander Yefremov. Answering the question, what Ukraine will choose: Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with Europe or the Customs Union, Olexander Yefremov said that our first priority is the EU, but at the same time we want to maintain good relations with Russia, if that's possible from its side. In turn, we declare that we want to be a part of civilized Europe,† said the politician. The head of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction got stronger conviction that there is practically no opponent of integration between Ukraine and EU, everybody is trying to help, to give an advice; no one wants to see Ukraine worse or poorer, or further from the EU; everybody is trying to support it. MEPs, in turn, said that Europe would like to see Ukraine developing further and happy people living in Ukraine.The MPs acknowledged that Europ e knows very little about what is actually happening inside the country. In addition, Olexander Yefremov said that judging by the questions he was asked about Tymoshenko case, there is a significant lack of information about the topic. That is, people know about it, but nobody goes into details, and, as a rule, the very essence is hidden in details. He reminded the gist of the charges against ex-Prime Minister of Ukraine. â€Å"In January 2009 Tymoshenko was in talks with Russia on gas supplies.Under the Law â€Å"On International Treaties of Ukraine† the authority to negotiate and to sign international treaties is granted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as a collective body. The Prime Minister can not alone authorize someone to negotiate on behalf of the Government. When negotiations with Russia began, most of the ministers at the Cabinet of Ministers session refused to support Tymoshenko's personal position, as evidenced by minutes of meeting. Despite of this, she p rovided the Ukrainian negotiators a document entitled Directives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine†, which contained the signature of Tymoshenko and official government seal. Thus, the ex-Prime Minister is charged with single-handed decision and document forgery,† said Olexander Yefremov. In addition, the MP informed about extremely unfavorable conditions for Ukraine, which are in the contract. This, above all, is the highest price, unreasonable amount of compulsory gas purchase (Ukraine consumes 40 billion cubic meters and must buy 52 billion cubic meters), and extremely inadequate penalties.If the country does not buy stated in the contract amount of gas, then there is the penalty 150% in summer, and in winter – 300%. â€Å"If such a contract was signed in the business between the two businessmen, one of them would be admitted to be crazy, that is absolutely inadequate and disadvantageous contract for the country,† said Olexander Yefremov. EU Integra tion and Trade: a Look from the Outside of the EU Eastern Border. Oleksandr Shepotylo*, Kyiv School of Economics and Kyiv Economics InstituteAugust, 2009 Abstract: This paper develops a methodology for trade policy analysis of costs and benefits of alternative regional integration scenarios, based on the disaggregated gravity equation, and applies it to calculate the impact of the EU enlargement on integration strategies of non-member countries. In particular, the paper measures the impact of the 2004 EU enlargement from the standpoint of Ukraine – a country that has been left on the sideline.This angle allows estimating the costs of non-integration that occurred due to trade and investment diversion, and forgone opportunity to carry our structural changes in the Ukrainian economy. According to the results, EU accession would dramatically change the composition of Ukrainan exports by almost doubling exports of manufactured goods by 2007. The costs of non-integration accumulat e towards the end of the investigated period. Projecting the results into the future clearly indicates that the benefits of EU accession for Ukraine would have been unambiguously positive.By showing that costs of non integration are high, the results shed some light on the debates over the benefits of EU integration for the newly accepted states. They also give guidance on the potential export gains from signing a deep FTA between EU and Ukraine which is currently negotiated by policymakers. JEL categories: C33, F12, F17 Keywords: gravity model, EU enlargement, Ukraine, CIS, heterogeneous firms, trade policy Introduction The studies of European Union (EU) enlargement mostly focus on the impact of the enlargement on the current and new EU members (e. . Bussiere et al. 2008, Nilsson, 2000, Baldwin, 1995 and 1997, Gros and Gonciarz 1996). This paper looks at the impact of EU enlargement from a different angle and estimates the costs of non-integration into EU. It develops a methodology for evaluating alternative regional integration scenarios. Comparing costs and benefits of different integration scenarios, a policymaker decides on the best integration strategy for a county. When an additional country joins a regional trade bloc, it imposes additional costs on outsiders due to trade and investment diversion.The costs of non-integration are growing when more countries join the bloc, which triggers a new wave of enlargement, a so-called domino effect introduced by Baldwin (1993). For example, the enlargement of the European Economic Community (EEC) – a process that started in 1960s – induced integration of the members of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) into the EEC: â€Å"The 1960s saw rapid discriminatory liberalisation with the EEC and EFTA. This had a dramatic effect on trade patterns. The EEC’s share of trade with itself rose from 30 to 50 per cent.The share of EEC imports from other European nations stagnated or fell. This discri mination meant lost profit opportunities for exporters in both groups, but since the EEC market was more than twice the size of EFTA’s market (and growing faster), the EEC club was far more attractive to exporting firms. This generated new political economy forces within the EFTA nations – forces that pushed for EEC membership. † (Baldwin, 2008) Currently, a similar process involving the EU and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) trading blocs is evolving.The differences in size and level of development between EU and CIS blocs imply that the EU bloc is more attractive and the opportunity costs of not-integrating into the EU are higher. Recently, EU has expanded by 12 new members, mostly by countries that for a long time had been important trading partners of CIS countries. At the same time, Georgia left the CIS in August, 2009, while Ukraine and Central Asia countries significantly reduced their involvement into the CIS programs.These developments indirectl y indicate that the EU accession strategy looks as an increasingly attractive policy for the CIS countries. However, the literature says little on how the different integration scenarios can be compared. What are the costs for the CIS countries of not integrating into EU? Do the costs of non-integration exceed the benefits of staying in the CIS? Empirically, this question has not been studied and the primary goal of this paper is to evaluate the ex post costs of non-integration. To answer these questions, the paper focuses on Ukraine.De facto, Ukraine is a member of the CIS. However, Ukraine participates in the CIS programs very selectively and the Ukrainian parliament never ratified the CIS Charter. Moreover, after 2004, Ukraine explicitly declared the EU accession as its strategic goal. Ukraine is an eligible candidate for enlargement based on the geographical criteria. It is an important EU trading partner that moves towards EU both politically and economically. In February, 2008 , the Ukraine has started a round of FTA negotiations with EU which is the next step towards the EU integration.The launch of negotiations followed the finalization of Ukraine’s WTO accession process on February, 5 2008 , which was a prerequisite for FTA talks. Therefore, the advantage of looking at Ukraine while comparing costs and benefits of a deeper EU integration vs. deeper CIS integration is as follows. First, it is not a purely theoretical exercise but a question of practical importance. Did Ukraine make a right choice when declaring the EU integration as the policy priority? Second, the answer to this question gives guidance for policymakers of the EU and Ukraine for the decision on the future of the EU enlargement process.How Ukrainian exports would look like if the country joined EU in 2004? To answer these questions, this paper develops a methodology that allows predicting trade patterns of Ukrainian exports in such a hypothetical situation. The offered method assu mes that the main differences between being an EU member and being a typical CIS country stem from the changes in behavioral relationships of the parameters of the gravity equation rather than from the changes in factors that represent the gravity forces per se (see Egger, Pfaffermayr, and Schmidt 2006).By setting its regulatory framework in line with the EU standards, signing a deep FTA with EU, and, in the long run, achieving its final goal of becoming a full-fledged EU member, the Ukraine would gradually evolve from being a part of the CIS trading bloc with its distinct reliance on export of raw materials towards being a part of the EU trading block with a high degree of intra-industry trade in processed goods. Therefore, its trade patterns would become more in line with the trade patterns of the Eastern European countries.The behavioral changes would come from better access to the EU market, changes in the institutional environment, deep reforms of the regulatory framework, and standardization of export and import regulations. To capture the behavioral changes, the gravity model is estimated for two samples: one sample includes sixteen Eastern European countries – twelve EU member countries that recently joined EU (EU12) and four countries that are not member of the EU but are considered as candidates for enlargement in the future (EUC4) ; the other sample includes nine CIS countries .In addition to evaluating the behavioral change, the novelty of the paper lies in applying an estimation of the disaggregated gravity equation using the two stage procedure developed by Helpman, Melitz, and Rubinstein (2008) (henceforth HMR). The method explicitly deals with a substantial number of zero trade flows, and unobserved firm-level heterogeneity.Unlike the HMR method, we exploit both cross-sectional and time dimensions to remove the pair-specific fixed effects that can bias the cross-sectional results and estimate the impact of the EU accession on bilateral t rade flows by the Hausman-Taylor method (Hausman and Taylor, 1981) treating the EU accession as an endogenous decision that correlates with variable and fixed costs of trade. The model demonstrates substantial costs of not integrating into EU.If the Ukraine had became an EU member in 2004, it would have benefited from an increase in export volumes, redirection of trade from CIS trading partners towards the EU trading partners, and restructuring of exports from industrial products with low value added, primarily exports of raw materials, towards exports of manufactured products with high value added and exports of agriculture and food .The benefits would have come not from the EU accession per se but from the gradual process of reforms, economic restructuring, and behavioral changes in the bilateral trade relationships with its trading partners. The initial losses from breaking the trade relationships with other CIS countries would be more than compensated later along the development path. The structure of the paper is as follows. Section 2 compares existing trade patterns of the Eastern European countries with trade patterns of the CIS countries.Section 3 briefly discusses the methodological issues, presents a theoretical model and develops the estimation procedure. Section 4 discusses data. Section 5 presents estimation results for aggregated trade data and discusses advantages of the Hausman-Taylor method. It also presents estimated gains in disaggregated exports from the EU-Ukraine trade integration for two counterfactual experiments. Finally, Section 6 concludes. Trade patterns of EU and CIS countries: first glance at the data The theory of regionalism and preferential trade agreements (i. . Baldwin, 1993; Baldwin et al. 2006) stresses that costs of non-integration into a regional trade bloc increase with the size of the bloc which, in turn, induces more countries to join the bloc due to a so-called â€Å"domino effect†: by lowering trade barriers a nd improving market access, a discriminatory liberalization of trade within a trading bloc gives an edge to the companies located within the bloc over the outsiders and create additional incentives for multinational companies (MNC) to move their activities inside the bloc.This creates an additional pressure for inclusion on outside countries. Hence, once started, the process of regionalization captures ever-growing number of countries. The story of the latest EU enlargement illustrates this point. The Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) that, by 1989, included fifteen Soviet republics, six Eastern European countries – Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Poland –, and three other countries – Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam generated a substantial intra-bloc trade due to a high degree of economic and political integration The economic cooperation with the rest of the world was limited at best and in some instances prohibited. Since the b eginning of transition, Eastern European countries and Baltic States have rapidly moved away from the Moscow-centered economic gravity towards the Brussels-centered one. As was correctly predicted by some scholars (i. e. Wang and Winters, 1991 Hamilton and Winters, 1992, and Baldwin, 1994), this led to the reorientation of their trade flows away from the CMEA countries towards the EU members.By 1995, Eastern European trade flows did not differ considerably from that of similar Western European countries and mostly exhausted the westward expansion of exports at the intensive margins of trade (Gros and Gonciarz (1996). This view is supported by a more recent World Bank (2005) report which shows that currently most of the EU12 countries trade above their potential or ‘normal’ level.