Project Controls Essay Example for Free

Project Controls Essay I have developed a proposal that would create a secure system within our organization. Below is the outline that should help prevent disaster recovery or in the case, backup our disaster recovery procedures. Duration Critical Task Sequencing The project will detail an array of critical task sequences including: * Pre-project Envisioning – Evaluation of HR database and corporate objectives, formulation of cost/benefit analysis, establishment of project scope and major milestones, securing of executive sponsorship and buy-in * Planning Structure – Project assembly, computing and testing environments, preliminary design, system array, and maintenance orientation * System deployment – Deployment of hardware and software systems, pilot test evaluations * Post-Implementation Review – Backup/restore maintenance, performance monitoring, system re-forecasting, establishment of ongoing infrastructure team Variance Baseline Achieving the desired outcome for the HR Resource Deployment will require a stringent and concentrated focus on maintaining adherence to the project timeline. Throughout this timeline, variance data will be closely observed and documented. Capturing variance data is an adamant goal for the project managers. Variance data will help to expose possible weaknesses of the planning process, and serve as priceless information for future endeavors. The means of collecting variance data will be comprised of the following: Delegation of variance targets. Prior to the project start, prime areas of variance will be decided upon for tracking. These areas will be closely monitored and documented. Targeted variances will form the baseline of the project, and will consist of measurements of quality, project milestones achieved, performance metrics,  and budget adherence. The success versus failure Planned versus actual. Variance data will be looked at according to what is planned as opposed to what the actual outcome will be. This will largely be focused on the proposed scheduling timeline and project cost expectancies. As the project advances, variance data will be tracked according to what deviates from the planned objectives. This data will be captured in real time in order to provide insight for future milestone proceedings. Estimates versus planned. This variance metric will focus on what was estimated for project details, such as schedule and cost, prior to the approved project plan. Such data will assist in greater accuracy of project planning, and will help to eliminate the guessing game. These variance metrics will be acquired through the collaboration between all stakeholders and resources. Maintaining high quality controls is a process that includes a lot of planning but when well maintains it builds the trust in the customers and eventually helps both organization businesses. As an organization maintains a high quality control one must know that there is also other aspects which is where being innovative and keeping a reasonable price adds to the equation. As many new customers are acquired a lot of the times this might be a direct result of on customer recommending another new customer. When this statement is true the new customer expects the same treatment and if not better. Therefore, one must stay innovative and open to new ideas and changes in order to fulfill the new customers’ needs. On-Going Evaluation and Status of Project There will be a definitive checklist for who will be responsible for the development and submission of projects reports. Evaluations will be performed on an as-we-go basis as to attempt to not miss anything important along the way. If there is anything that will be confidential or require a security clearance, these things will be handled by either the Project Manager or a member of management. Any projects that require the participation of stakeholders will be documented for future use and testing. All ongoing reports will also be given to all principal stakeholders along  the way. As each goal or milestone is met, it will be tested and retested for consistency to make sure what was done will stand the test of time (until the next project or upgrade). Method Used The Method that is used for determining whether the project has met its objectives is a survey. The survey can be done to figure if everything has been a success. Riordan employees will fill a survey out to give feedback on, if they are satisfied with the projects performance or not. Surveys can only provide estimates for the population, but cannot be a true measurements. You can measure surveys by the consistency of responses to questions about the project over a long amount of time period. REFERENCE Microsoft Office. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/leading-practices-for-applying-variance-data-to-future-projects-HA010174487.aspx

Cultural Distance Measurement And Its Impact Marketing Essay

Cultural Distance Measurement And Its Impact Marketing Essay In todays globalised world economy, the nations are becoming extremely cross-cultural. A better understanding of global consumer culture and its influences on consumer behaviour will play an integral role for both international marketers and consumer researchers to penetrate new international markets. The role of cultural difference in the present cross-cultural environment is taken into consideration for localizing marketing strategies (Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952). The designing of international marketing strategies and understanding the local market cultures is a challenge for new consumer researchers to understand and analyse the needs of foreign consumers. It is essential to understand the aspects of cultural dimensions to assess the impact of culture on consumer decisions, as the culture tends to manipulate the decisions of the consumer based on cultural value system (Akaka and Alden, 2010). This cultural value system acts as a guide for interactions within the members of the s ociety and between the consumer and its products. What is culture? According to Hofstede (2001), the culture is defined as, the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. This definition focusses on the etic approach, where the researchers look for universal or culture free concepts and its theories. However, the emic methodology is an alternative approach focussing on the subject being researched and understanding its issues. Culture is defined emically as, the lens through which all phenomena are seen. It determines how these phenomenas are adopted and assimilated Luna and Gupta (2001). In fact, there are several models of culture differences which are utilized to determine the framework of culture in shared groups or in a group acting as an interpretive model of consumer behaviour. This paper evaluates the culture dimension models proposed by Hofstede (2001) and House (2004) and the impact of different cultures in global consumer market. Some people may argue that culture is a shared idea, yet with different value sets, influenced by cross cultural beliefs. Within the reality of intercultural communication, the behavioural pattern followed by one society is integral to the basic concept of culture (McSweeney, 2002). Hofstede categorized culture into five different dimensions such as power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/feminity, and long term/short term orientation. The market researchers implemented Hofstedes cultural dimensions to the communications related to digital technology. Javidan et al. (2004), for instance, recognized individualism/collectivism which is one of the cultural dimensions proposed by (Hofstede, 2001), through a text based transcript of courses listserv (University online portal). They noticed that students from individualist culture behaved differently than the students from collectivist culture while communicating in listserv. The white American students, especially males were discovered to be more individualistic in their approach as compared to the Asian students who were more group oriented displaying a strong sense of we approach in their messages. This study showed that organizational communication through internet authenticated the influence of different cultural traits on the students behavioural pattern, belonging to different national cultures. Furthermore, Chiou (1999) conducted market research in the United States and Taiwan which resulted into findings that consumers in individualist cultures used products to demonstrate thei r inner values, while in collectivist cultures the consumers were more influenced to utilize the product to reinforce the social relationships. In an international public relations situation, the presence of power distance factor was also confirmed by other researchers, where power distance played an integral role in terms of product crisis. For example, the Coca Cola tainting crisis in Belgium in 1999. The product was recalled as the consumers complained about the irregular taste and odour in the bottled products. Due to Symptoms of reported illness, the Belgian Health Ministry banned the products of the Coca Cola Enterprise. Approximately, 15 million cans and tinned products were recalled. The CEO of Coca Cola apologized to the Belgian Health Ministry, and posted notes in newspapers and addressed consumers through media. On 22nd June 1999, the Belgian Health Ministry lifted the ban on Coca Cola Enterprise, and the company provided premiums to 72,000 consumers (Johnson Peppas, 2003). This case exhibits high level of power distance between the government and the consumers, which demonstrates a strong response to the crisis as compared to the countries that exhibits low power distance. On the other hand, Steenkamp et al. (2001) studied the effect of national culture on shaping consumer perceptions. He argues that the relationship between the conceptual definition of Hofstedes dimension and its implementation to measure cultural dimensions is weak and unclear. The scores are based on the samples recorded from IBM employees, which do not represent their own country in the research. This model can be implemented in small scale industries and less developed countries. In addition, he also states that Hofstedes research is more focussed on work related values which makes the data time and context specific. Similarly, McSweeney (2002) argues that Hofstedes research displayed narrowness of the survey conducted on population limited to one organisation IBM. Although the survey was conducted in 66 countries where IBM subsidiaries were located, the data used to build national culture comparisons was considerably limited to feedbacks from sales-plus marketing employees of IBM. The survey was matched on an occupational and organisational basis which neglected the fact of the employees, which could display the extent to which they can represent their nationality and their respective cultures. The sense of clarity in Hofstedes research with respect to national culture is unclear. Average tendency depending on questionnaire responses from the employees in a single company, failed to justify Hofstedes claim that national average tendency of consumers matches the average tendency of the people in the cross cultural environment. On the other hand, another research programme came into existence which categorized culture into nine major dimensions such as uncertainty avoidance, power distance, institutional collectivism, in-group collectivism, gender egalitarianism, assertiveness, future orientation, performance orientation, humane orientation and six primary global factors for leadership behaviour (House et al. 2004). Project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness) mainly focussed on the performance of leadership behaviours in different cultural contexts (House and Javidan, 2004). This project determined culture into two distinct types: cultural values and its practices. According to House et al. (2004), firstly, societal culture might influence an implicit belief which creates a CLT (cultural leadership theory). Secondly, leadership behaviour and attributes is directly influenced by societal culture. Thirdly, leader behaviours and characteristics leads to leader acceptance and effectiveness, however this interconnection is guided by CLT. The GLOBE dimensions of culture are applicable at both the societal or organisational level. For instance, feminine values are more developed in Japanese culture as compared to masculine values. Emotions and sensitivity plays an important role in Japanese marketing. For example, in Japan the wife decides how much money her husband can spend on his daily expenditures (Tanouchi, 1983). This factor can manipulate the buying behaviour of the husband. This society exhibits higher scores on gender egalitarianism practices as women is in the position where she has authority over her male counterpart, and societies where the scores are low (e.g. India, Kuwait, Egypt) the involvement of women in decision making is low. No society can be depicted as true egalitarian society where we can discover equal opportunities for men and women. Furthermore, future orientation is also one of the dimensions of culture discussed by House in his GLOBE project, where it demonstrates a cultural trait of individuals in societies involved in future planning and investment (Ashkanasy et al., 2004). For example, Intel, the worlds leading manufacturer of microprocessors is planning to enter the mobile phone market. Its investment and planning is based on its competence of developing and designing of smartphones which can be used more like a computer. Value added features of voice capability with faster internet access on smartphones like computers using Intels low power atom microprocessors. Based on this new technology, Intel is hoping to become a major player in the field of mobile communications (Jobber, 2010). This case exhibits low scores on the aspect of future orientation culture dimension proposed by House (2004). Intel wanted to invest on the technology to achieve market share and gain profit in the current market situation. The degree to which individual or the organisation has the propensity to save for the future requirements that society scores high on the future orientation dimension of culture According to recent study, Okazaki et al. (in press) scrutinized how soft sell versus hard sell techniques of advertising was interpreted by Japanese versus Unites States consumers. Using performance orientation and assertiveness which are two dimensions of culture in GLOBE study, it assessed the effectiveness of the ads in two societies. The results showed a variable response across the two cultures. The hard sell approaches are more persuasive for American consumers while soft sell advertising approaches are more favourable for Japanese consumers. This study shows that US consumers are more assertive and believe in performance oriented values. On the other hand, Japanese consumers are more likely to achieve irritation by hard selling ads because the ads were perceived as too aggressive, and too achievement oriented. This study exhibits multiple dimensions of GLOBE such as assertiveness and performance orientation. It also provides an idea about the perspective of advertising consid ering different culture practices and values. By the above mentioned interaction models proposed by (Hofstede, 1980b) and (House, 2004), culture can be segmented into cultural values and practices, corresponding to consumer behavioural pattern influenced by their own culture. The cultural difference need to be identified in the global marketing situation, because it gives an idea of understanding local cultures which authenticates a deeper understanding of consumption pattern in a specific situation. The understanding of culture distance also helps to build a relationship between the product or service and the consumers. Failure in understanding culture difference may lead to catastrophic ramifications. For example, Halal meats in fast food outlets. Halal is an Arabic word which means lawful, which denotes that animal, should be slaughtered by a Muslim and invokes the name of Allah as the animal, dies. Belgium has the largest Halal meat processing plants as the number of Muslim population is increasing in the European region. The fast food outlet such as McDonalds, KFC therefore has halal certification where there is low risk of contamination from pork products. Due to which fast food business has established quickly and is a growing trend in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia accounts of 15% of food sales through fast food business which has grown over the last 5 years. (Usunier and Lee, 2005, p. 279). Similarly in countries like Malaysia, for example, fast food outlets such as Pizza Hut and KFC are advised by Syariah council to ensure that all overseas food supply and food production is Halal meat. The fast food companies identified the cultural importance and its difference with respect to Muslim traditions, and to attract the Muslim consumers they started with the Halal system, and posted notes and hoarding in front of the outlets which said that they follow the tradition of Halal meat. As a result, fast food outlets identified the cultural difference and gained market share in the global food sector. Another example which demonstrates cultural difference playing an important role in manipulating consumer behaviour is in the womens beauty sector. This sector consists of segments which provide brands with immense of opportunities to target specific groups. LOreal, for example, with its tag line Because youre worth it targets women who believe that they deserve to be self indulgence and pampering. Such niche targeting has made the brand into one of the leading players in the cosmetic market. However, on the other hand, Unilever entered the beauty market but chose not to compete with LOreal directly. Alternatively, it categorized women into different belief segments who oppose against beauty stereotypes. Dove promoted its product with its Campaign for Real Beauty where images of women do not match the tall, thin and young category. The brand created a different belief system by promoting workshops to help young girls with body related low self esteem. Dove successfully created a democratic view in the mind of the consumers about beauty and identified the market segment by tapping the women culture based on beliefs. Implementation of this strategy led Dove to be a major player in this market segment (Jobber, 2010). Consumer electronics market on the other hand is typically culture free product segment as they are more technologically based product or service and universally used. Here, the culture context acts lower priority and consumer behaviour is similar with respect to cross-national environments (Usunier and Lee, 2005). However, there is an exception in developing countries in which consumer electronic goods are bonded with culture. For example in China, owning a colour TV is a requirement to marriage and they sometimes are willing to wait so that they are able to afford the best colour TV to display the social status before marriage. Sony Corporation took advantage of this culture system and launched 3D LED BRAVIA Colour TV in China. Owning this TV in China is considered to be respectful and wealthy. Sony tapped the Chinese market with Japanese technology which favoured the organisation to create a brand image and now it is one of the major consumer brands in China in terms of television and music industry (Usunier and Lee, 2005) Some organisations tend to enter the niche market by targeting a specific group of culture. For instance, Nike produces wide range of sports equipments and follows the hip hop culture and the youth culture to persuade consumers to buy their fashionable products. For market penetration, Nike signed contracts with famous professional teams and athletes casting them in their advertisements and persuading young generation to buy the same product as their sports ideal is utilizing them. Nike targeted the sporting culture in young generation who care more about the utility and quality of the product rather than price. This strategy provides them a huge platform to position their product in the consumer market. Athletes are the main consumers of Nike products. This sporting company segmented the market according to the consumers sporting culture; this strategy helped Nike to build product intimacy with the consumers and persuaded them to purchase the product by associating the brand with high profile athletes like Michael Jordan. The recognition of distinct sporting culture in the consumer market led Nike to be the leading company in the world to provide sporting goods (www.articlebase.com) To conclude, it has been observed that culture plays an integral role in consumer behaviour. The marketers adapt and standardize their product according to the culture, so that they can segment, target, and position their product in a specific group or in the market as a whole. The organisations who failed to identify the cultural distance in consumers, struggled with the concept of brand positioning in the global market situation. Cultural difference can be reduced by analysing the local environment and practices to create a brand relationship between the product and the consumers. The brand adoption process of a consumer is influenced by personal value and expressions in their purchase. The individuality of the consumers affects the brand value and their perceptions about the brand. The concept of Glocalisation where Globalisation meets Localisation is essential in order to help the marketers to customize their global brands according to the local needs and suit the local cultures. One of the most important culture bound tool of marketing mix is advertising. It is the strongest link between the companies and its consumers in marketing communications. The words and images used in advertising can influence the consumer in terms of his culture, as the advertising campaign does not depends on particular country or region. This strategy can create an impact on global consumer culture at a considerable extent provide the message is interpreted in the way What is said and How it is said by the brand. In this case, as mentioned above, the brands such as Sony, McDonalds, KFC, and Nike identified the global consumer culture and their trends which patronized them to create a brand image in the minds of the consumers. In addition, they also created a brand relationship whic h corresponds to the global consumer culture by global marketing operations.

Becoming a Single Mother Changed My Life Essay -- How Motherhood Has C

Becoming a Single Mother Changed My Life (For the Better!) Everyone remembers a specific incident that has profoundly affected his or her life. I remember my special memory as if it happened yesterday; and that memory will always be as detailed. My life-altering occurrence happened when I was fresh out of high school. As an 18-year-old, I was known as out-going and friendly, as well as a bit ditsy. I drank Mountain Dew religiously and smoked cigarettes with the same feverish devotion. I also smoked pot recreationally and drank alcohol less regularly. I was a bit immature. All I cared about was feeling good and having fun. My boyfriend Randy and I were inseparable. We did everything together and we loved each other intensely. We had been dating for a year and a half; nothing else mattered to us except each other. Then, in July, everything changed. At the end of that month, Randy and I went to the drug store and bought a pregnancy test. We traveled to a friend's house and hid in the hot, stuffy bathroom to await the outcome. Randy and I sat on the hard, scummy bathroom floor holding each other while the test sat on the edge of the sink, developing an answer. Averting our eyes, we dared not look until the required two minutes were up. We both stood up and peeked at the result. It read "positive." I immediately began to cry. Randy saw my despair and clutched me close, smiling with pride. His unexpected favorable reaction put me at ease. Knowing that he was proud of having a baby made me delighted to bear his child. I knew I had received a precious gift from Randy and from God. Knowing the importance of the baby's life and health, I quickly quit smoking cold turkey and cut caffeine out of my diet; both of which were ... ...y to buckle down to the responsibilities. The job was left to me. Unlike Randy, who made preparing for fatherhood a loathsome chore, I made motherhood important and enjoyable. Preparing for it in that fashion made my transition in life less strenuous. It's still not easy, knowing that the most valuable person in my life has unpredictably rejected his child and me. I just have to remember that Randy did it because he was unwilling to stray from his easy life, and not because I was doing something wrong to him. Conquering everything all by my lonesome, I'm now successfully raising a baby, going to school full-time at State University, and working part-time. I'm a confident mother and have a new sense of self-worth. I have a son to live for now, so I still take care of my health, even though I'm not carrying a child. I owe it all to a little peek at a pregnancy test.

Nuclear Power - Whats missing from the debate? Essay -- Argumentative

Nuclear Power - What's missing from the debate? It is not generally a great idea to apologize for one's paper at the beginning, but the majority of this essay is going to include something which Swatties (or at least, I) have a great tendency to do - through attempting to think critically about issues, end up tearing apart the reasoning/argument of the author we don't think has thought everything through, or with whose opinion we do not agree (which, as some of us were informed by a professor of ours, is not very nice). However, I do think this is a worthwhile exercise, especially when dealing with a very real world problem/debate such as that surrounding nuclear power, as everyone can learn from the holes others see in one's argument. Hopefully, as well, you all will help to point out further discrepancies for me and refute my attacks on the author's behalf. In his essay Yes: Nuclear Power Is Safe, and We Need It, Jagger presents a litany of reasons for why nuclear power is safer than other energy-gathering technologies, why it is economically viable, why all of the fears surrounding its by-products are unfounded. He presents his case for nuclear power almost exclusively in relation to coal-burning energy, however. If nuclear power really will solve all the world's energy problems, including reducing the amount of air pollution released each year (which cuts down on respiratory disease, acid rain, ozone depletion, and the greenhouse effect), providing limitless energy to the world through the use of an infinite resource, and doing everything safely and at extremely low cost, why would one consider it in terms of purely the dirty, environmentally unfriendly, dangerous coal industry? Why not take on all possible energy te... .... It does not require an extreme view, but if one looks at the natural environment as being worthy of consideration, in addition to human life, one may find extremely compelling reasons for rejecting nuclear power on ethical grounds. This ethical rejection would be grounded firmly in reasoning and based on facts surrounding the debate, but would not accept the requisite disposal problems associated with nuclear power. I believe that this is the approach we have discussed in class on numerous occasions, and that Hans has been hoping we would adopt it as the way to defend ourselves and our environment. However, it requires critical thinking, constant questioning, a lot of refuting, and awareness of the (disappointing) potential for impurity in science. I hope we can work on developing these kind of ethical approaches to many of the problems we encounter in the future.

Exhange Risk Faced by Multinational Corporations (MNCs) Essay -- Exhan

â€Å"Exchange rates are the amount of one country’s currency needed to purchase one unit of another currency (Brealey 1999, p. 625)†. People wanting to exchange some money for their vacation trip will not be too much bothered with shifts if the exchange rates. However, for multinational companies, dealing with very large amounts of money in their transactions, the rise or fall of a currency can mean getting a surplus or a deficit on their balance sheets. What types of exchange rate risks do multinational companies face?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One type of exchange risk faced by multinational companies is transaction risk. If a company sells products to an overseas customer it might be subject to transaction risk. If a UK company is expecting a payment from a US customer in June and the invoice was made in January, the exchange rate is bound to have changed during the period. If the deal was worth  £1,000,000 and the american dollar compared to pound sterling weakened from US$1.40 in January to US$1.50 in June, the UK company would loose  £47,619 (Appendix A).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economic risk is another type of exchange risks companies have to consider when dealing globally. Changes in exchange rates are bound to affect the relative prices on imports and exports, and that will again affect the competitiveness of a company. An UK exporter dealing with companies in the US would not want the US$ to depreciate, because it would make the exports more expensive for the US market, thus the company will loose business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other types of exchange rate risks are translation risk and so-called hidden risk. The translation risk relates to cases where large multinational companies have subsidiaries in other countries. On the financial statement of the whole group, the company may have to translate the assets and liabilities from foreign accounts into the group statement. The translation will involve foreign exchange exposure. The term hidden risk evolves around the fact that all companies are subject to exchange rate risks, even if they don’t do business with companies using other currencies. A company that is buying supplies from a local manufacturer might be affected of fluctuating foreign exchange rates if the local manufacturer is doing business with overseas companies. If a manufacturer goes out of business, or experience heavy losses, it will affect all the companies it does business with. The co... ...he curve. Appendix A. Transaction Risk:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A UK exporter invoicing US$1,000,000 in January for payment in June. Spot rates: January: US$1.40  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £714,286   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February: US$1.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £666,667   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Loss on transaction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £47,619 ( £714,286 -  £666,667) Appendix B. Interest Rates: i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A company borrows  £100,000 from a bank at 8% interest rate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £100,000 X 1.08 =  £108,000 ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A company borrows  £2,000,000 in 1998, with a fixed interest rate of 8%, payable annually for a 5 year period. Fixed annual interest, 8%:  £2,000,000 X 0.08 =  £160,000 New annual interest, 6%:  £2,000,000 X 0.06 =  £120,000 Annual loss, 6% vs. 8%:  £160,000 -  £120,000 =  £40,000 References: http://www.expedia.com, 22/11/2000, http://www.expedia.com/pub/Agent.dll Brealey, Richard A., Marcus, Alan J., Myers, Stewart C. 1999, Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 2nd edn, Craig S. Beytien, USA. Howells, Peter., Bain, Keith 2000, Financial Markets and Institutions, 3rd edn, Henry King Ltd., Great Britain. Ritter, Lawrence R., Silber, William L., Udell, Gregory F. 2000, Money, banking, and Financial Markets, 10th edn, USA.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) has been in place for over 30 years.   Initially used as an analgesic before the Second World War, it was used to rectify the heroine epidemic in the post-World War II era.   At present, MMT is used as a harm-reduction strategy – a tool to help withdrawing heroine addicts, reduce crime and deaths associated with opiate use and to reduce incidences of HIV/AIDS that results from heroin injection and needle use.   There is still however a controversy surrounding the treatment basically because of the misconception associated with MMT.   Health officials believe that MMT should be kept in a short duration as possible while researchers contend that higher doses and longer treatment duration may lead to lower cases of relapse. Heroin addiction is a persistent problem in the United States especially in New York City where heroin abuse, replacing opium smoking, started in the early 20th century (Frank, 2000).   The post-World War II era saw an epidemic rise in the number of heroin addicts such that between 1950 and 1961, heroin injection became one of the leading causes of death among young adults in New York City (Joseph, Stancliff & Langrod, 2000).   The average age of heroin-related deaths was 29 years old, both for men and women. Initially used as an analgesic in Germany before the Second World War, methadone was considered as an answer to the prevalence of the illicit drug and the consequent criminal offenses and deaths associated with its use.   This started in 1949 when Isbell and Vogel demonstrated methadone to be effective in helping addicts withdraw from heroin (Joseph et. al, 2000).   In 1964, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) was launched as a research program in Rockefeller Institute under the direction of Dr. Vincent P. Dole and Dr. Marie E. Nyswander. At present, methadone maintenance treatment is one of the common medications used to treat heroin and other opiate addiction.   Judging from the number of researches and assessments on MMT, it is evidently the drug abuse treatment that has received the most thorough evaluation and has been shown to be effective in reducing opioid use, HIV incidences, criminal activity and mortality (â€Å"Literature Review – Methadone Maintenance Treatment†, 2007).   Consequently, it has also been demonstrated to improve physical and mental health and a person’s ability to regain normal social functioning. Despite the staggering number of studies associated with MMT and the scientific data resulting from these studies showing that the treatment is an effective medication for withdrawing opiate addicts, controversies still surround the treatment.   There seem to be  conflicting views between scientists/researchers and health officials as to how the treatment must be dispensed.   Aside from discussing those controversies, this paper will also: a) present methadone facts b) present the advantages and disadvantages of MMT and determine the people that can benefit from such a treatment; and c) assess whether MMT is an effective harm-reduction strategy. Methadone Facts Methadone, initially used as an analgesic, is a synthetic narcotic that has been used to treat opiate addiction for more than 3 decades (Office of National Drug Control Policy [ONDCP], 2000).   Heroin and opioid addicts feel the need to continually take in these substances because opiates occupy a receptor in the brain which sends a signal to the body when opiate levels are low.   Methadone works by â€Å"occupying† these receptor sites and consequently hinders the euphoria caused by heroin use, relieves the craving for opiate and reduces the withdrawal symptoms associated with abrupt cessation of opiate use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2002). Taken orally once a day, the effect of methadone can last from 24 to 36 hours. As with any medication, there is the risk of abuse and dependency.   In a controlled and supervised treatment, a former heroine addict may remain physically dependent on methadone but does not experience the highs and lows resulting from the increase and decrease of heroine in blood levels (ONDCP, 2000). A person on methadone treatment can therefore be integrated into the society and become a functional citizen. Who Benefits From MMT Methadone will only be effective for those recovering from opiate addiction and will have no effect for those who are taking other mood-altering substances apart from opiates  (Stimmel & Kreek, 2000).   In the past, admission to MMT was limited only to applicants between the ages of 21 and 40 with a minimum of 4 years narcotic addiction.   Joseph, et. al. (2000) noticed that the admission criteria is much more liberal now as rehabilitation clinics now admit patients younger than 21 and older than 40. Because the link between heroin abuse and alcoholism has long been acknowledged, the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) changed its former rules of separating treatment for heroin addicts and alcoholics and instead ordered that Addiction Treatment Centers (ATCs) admit methadone patients into alcoholism rehabilitation programs and vice versa (Kipnis, Herron, Perez & Joseph, 2001). Even pregnant women can be treated using methadone as long as the mother is closely monitored and has to be enrolled in a comprehensive program that not only includes MMT but also prenatal care, nutritional counseling and other medical services that the pregnant woman may need (Joseph, et. al, 2000).   Ward (1998) as cited in â€Å"Literature Review – Methadone Maintenance Treatment† (2207) asserted that nobody should be excluded from the treatment (in the context of heroin and opiate use) because no reliable criteria exist that has determined a group of people that will not respond to treatment. Key Issues in MMT The guiding principle of most rehabilitation centers is that an addict is â€Å"cured† if he is able to abstain from the use of an illicit drug.   Critics of MMT claim that the treatment is just a substitute for the stronger opiate (heroin) addiction.   This is viewed as the major disadvantage of MMT, especially by health officials.   Kipnis, et. al. (2001), Stimmel and Kreek (2000), Joseph, et. al. (2000) and a host of other researchers contend that there is a misconception and misunderstanding between health officials and researchers of MMT.   Even at present, there is a stigma associated with MMT because it still viewed as a physical dependence on a drug. This explains why most patients in rehabilitation clinics receive  insufficient doses which would lead to a likely relapse. A lot of health care officials believe that therapy using methadone has to be ceased as soon as possible.   Researchers disagree, arguing that there should not be a limit as to the duration of the treatment because patients may respond well to a short treatment while others may respond better to a longer treatment, possibly even a lifetime treatment.   Joseph et. al. (2000) also noted that higher doses lead to a higher treatment retention rate.   Even with increasing evidence pointing to the effectiveness of MMT as a therapy for heroin and opiate withdrawal, there is still only partial acceptance for the treatment by the public.   The media has also distorted the public’s view on MMT which resulted to a stigma associated to the treatment. MMT as a Harm-Reduction Strategy Drug Policy Alliance (2007) cited dozens of authors that supported MMT as a tool used to reduce crime, death and disease.   Researchers agree that methadone is the most effective treatment for heroin addiction.   Furthermore, methadone reduces criminal offenders because those who are in MMT are able to lead stable lives and can acquire legitimate employment. Cases of HIV and other diseases caused by needle-sharing are also reduced by the treatment.   Methadone treatment is also a point of contact between the patient and the health official and an opportunity for the patient to learn about the techniques to prevent HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases that may inflict drug users. MMT is also cost-effective, costing only $13 per day and is a better alternative than incarceration (ONDCP, 2000).   Kipnis, et. al. (2001) however believes that there must be an organizational overhaul in order for MMT to be more effective.   The staff of ATCs must lose their held principles that MMT does not work or that it is a form of addiction.   Discrimination for MMT patients must have no place in the 12-step rehabilitation programs and the public also needs to be educated of the proper and real function of MMT in the community. Conclusion MMT has been proven to be effective in more than 3 decades of its use.   Social factors however prevent it from being used properly.   Misconceptions that health officials have regarding the treatment, its use and the dosage to be dispensed lead to a great number of relapses.   Staff culture and beliefs have to be changed in order for methadone maintenance treatment to be fully accepted in the community and for its effectivity to be optimized. References Drug Policy Alliance (2007). Methadone Maintenance Treatment. Drug Policy Alliance. Retrieved September 1, 2007 from http://www.lindesmith.org/library/ research/methadone.cfm Frank. B. (2000). An Overview of Heroin Trends in New York City: Past, Present and Future. The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 67 (5-6). Kipnis, S., Herron, A., Perez, J. & Joseph, H. (2001 January). Integrating the Methadone Patient In the Traditional Addiction Inpatient Rehabilitation Program – Problems and Solutions [electronic version]. The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 68 (1). Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.mssm.edu/msjournal/68/PAGE28_32.pdf Joseph, H., Stancliff, S. & Langrod J. (2000). Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT): A Review of Historical and Clinical Issues. The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 67 (5). 347-364. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.mssm.edu/msjournal/67/page347_364.pdf Literature Review – Methadone Maintenance Treatment (2007). Health Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from   http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/pubs/adp-apd/methadone/policy-politique_e.html#adm Stimmel, B & Kreek, M.J. (2000). Neurobiology of Addictive Behaviors and Its Relationship to Methadone Maintenance [electronic version]. The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 67, (5-6). 375-380. Retrieved September 1, 2007 from http://www.mssm.edu/msjournal/67/page375_380.pdf U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2002 February). Methadone Maintenance Treatment. IDU HIV Prevention. Retrieved August 30, 2007 from http://www.cdc.gov/idu/facts/MethadoneFin.pdf         

50 Fancy Words

The New York Times 50 Fancy Words (defined and used) 1. Inchoate: just begun and so not fully formed or developed; I am glad your inchoate proposals for integrating the company were not accepted this time, thus saving us face. 2. Profligacy: recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant, profligate behavior; Anderson’s profligacy cost him his job and its better you tighten up your belt before you go the same way. 3. Sui Generis: being the only example of its kind, unique; Mr.Bill Tandy generated his sui generis theory based on little research and more hypothesis, thus finding no takers for his pet project. 4. Austerity: severe and morally strict; the quality of being austere, having no pleasures or comforts; Every major war on this planet were followed by many years of austerity. 5. Profligate: using money, resources, etc. , in a way that wastes them; The firm’s profligate spending only hastened its downfall. 6.Baldenfreude: Satisfaction derived from the misfortune of bald or balding individuals (coined by NYT columnist Maureen Dowd); Humpty Dumpty’s antics remain a constant source of baldenfreude for children and adults alike. 7. Opprobrium: harsh criticism, contempt; His ludicrous attempts at mimicry in the office only earned him the opprobrium of his colleagues. 8. Apostates: pl; a person who abandons a belief or principle; The millionaire technocrat and his cronies were publicly derided for being apostates, after they were exposed of polluting the environment while purporting to have spent large sums for water conservation. . Solipsistic: the theory that the self is all that can be known to exist; His solipsistic view about life ensured that he lived in social isolation. 10. Obduracy: refusing to change in any way; Anthony’s obduracy in his legal case expedited his impeachment. 11. Internecine: causing destruction to both sides; The African states’ internecine conflict continues to extract a terrible toll on innocent human lives . 12. Soporific: adj; causing sleep; The soporific drug caused Tony to fall asleep in the board meeting. 13.Kristallnacht: German, night of (broken) glass : Kristall, crystal (from Middle High German, from Old High German cristalla, from Latin crystallus, crystallum; see crystal) + Nacht, night (from Middle High German naht, from Old High German; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots); The Kristallnacht remains an infamous event in the German history. 14. Peripatetic: going from place to place; The peripatetic bards of yore propagated the words of the Holy Prophet. 15. Nascent: beginning to exist, not fully developed; In its initial stage, the nascent film industry faced harsh opposition from moral groups. 16.Desultory: going from one thing to another, without a definite plan or purpose; Garcia’s desultory conversation got everybody yawning. 17. Redoubtable: deserving to be feared and respected; Mike’s redoubtable instincts as a prize-fighter kept his opponents at armâ₠¬â„¢s distance. 18. Hubris: excessive pride; The Empire’s vanity and hubris in its exaggerated military were the reason for its downfall. 19. Mirabile Dictu: wonderful to relate; Randy’s winning putt remained mirabile dictu in the golf club gossip for many years. 20. Creches: a place where babies are looked after while their parents work, shop, etc. Go down the Green Avenue and you will find a string of creches and day-care centres. 21. Apoplectic: sudden loss of the ability to feel or move; adj: suffering from apoplexy; easily made angry; His son’s antics on the playground left him apoplectic with rage. 22. Overhaul: to examine carefully and thoroughly and make any necessary changes or repairs; to come from behind and pass them; Michael’s faster car easily overhauled the leading drivers in the F1 championship. 23. Ersatz: used as a poor-quality substitute for something else, inferior to an original item; The DJ’s ersatz musical numbers were a poor rendition of Celina’s work. 4. Obstreperous: very noisy or difficult to control; Andy’s obstreperous behavior just after a few drinks generally caused his early exit from most parties. 25. Jejune: too simple, naive; dull, lacking nourishment; Horrified by the senator’s jejune responses to their problems, the voters guild decided to withdraw their support to him in the forthcoming elections. 26. Omerta: rule or code that prohibits speaking or revealing information, generally relates to activities of organized crime; sub; the Mafia; Henry was vowed to the code of Omerta and sealed his lips during the police interrogation. 7. Putative: generally supposed to be the thing specified; Mr Brown is referred to as the putative father in the document. 28. Manichean: A believer in Manichaeism – an ancient Iranian Gnostic religion; Roberta’s Manichean beliefs found little approval in the stoic theology group discussion. 29. Canard: a false report or rumour, ae rofoil designs on certain airplanes; The disturbing canard about my company’s finances left me in despair. 30. Ubiquitous: seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; The ubiquitous internet is both a blessing, as well as, a curse. 1. Atavistic: relating to the behavior of one’s ancestors in the distant past; The chieftain urged his tribe to curb their atavistic urges and refrain from unnecessary violence. 32. Renminbi: another name for the Chinese Yuan, official currency of People’s Republic of China; Chinese renmin people + bi currency; Around 1950, the Chinese government officially released the Renminbi notes for circulation. 33. Sanguine: hopeful, optimistic; She remained sanguine about our chances of success in the raffle draw. 34.Antediluvian: very old-fashioned; His antediluvian ideas are preposterous! 35. Cynosure: object or someone who serves as a focal point of attention and admiration, something that serves to guide; His wife, Cath erine, remained the cynosure of all eyes throughout the evening gala. 36. Alacrity: eagerness or enthusiasm; Richard accepted her offer of marriage with alacrity. 37. Epistemic: cognitive, relating to learning, or involving knowledge; The monk’s epistemic dissertation was an engaging study of New Testament beliefs. 38.Egregious: exceptional, outstanding; The NBA referee’s decision was the most egregious error of judgment. 39. Incendiary: designed to set something on fire, tending to create public disturbances or violence; Amanda’s incendiary remarks alienated her from the whole campus. 40. Chimera: an imaginary creature composed of the parts of several different animals, wild or impossible idea; Harry gazed awestruck at the monstrous chimera, a gigantic beast with the head of a lion and the body of a winged horse. 41. Laconic: using few words; Jerry’s laconic sense of humor endeared him to the crowd. 2. Polemicist: person skilled in art of writing or spee ch, arguing cases forcefully; Mr. Trimble stands little chance in the public debate against the Republican polemicist candidate, Mr. Burns. 43. Comity: mutual civility; amity, an atmosphere of social harmony, the policy whereby one religious sect refrains from proselytizing the members of another sect; The Shias and Sunnis lived in perfect comity in their remote mountain hamlet. 44. Provenance: the place that something originally came from; He deals in antique furniture of doubtful provenance. 5. Sclerotic: condition in which soft tissue in the body becomes abnormally hard; Doctors were at a loss in explaining the child’s unusual sclerotic condition. 46. Prescient: knowing or appearing to know about things before they happen; His prescient instincts saved him a small fortune when he sold his shares before the stock market crash. 47. Hegemony: control and leadership, by one country over others; The United States’ military hegemony in the region was a source of great dis tress to Iqbal. 8. Verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real; To add verisimilitude to the play, the stage is covered with snow for the winter scene. 49. Feckless: not able to manage things properly or look after oneself, not responsible enough; The McCarthy’s are feckless parents with more children than they could support. 50. Demarche: step or manoeuvre in political or diplomatic affairs; Thierry’s political demarche with the liberals saved the government a great deal of face in the senate hearings.