Louise Slaughter Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Louise Slaughter - Research Paper Example The term Congress in the United States has two applications (Kura, 2001). First, Congress refers to the Senate or national bicameral legislature. Secondly, Congress refers to the House of Representatives. In the Senate, members are referred to as senators while Representatives are the members in the House of Representatives (Heath, 1999). Persons who are members of both the Senate and House of Representatives are members of congress. Representatives are also referred to as congressmen or congresswomen. The current congress is the 113th and was elected in November 2012. The House of Representatives has 435 members while the Senate has 100 members. The members of US congress are elected to represent people in fifty states. Since the congress representatives are elected, it is possible to have a Congress whose representatives have unequal racial representation. The two Congress chambers are separate. However, they both participated equally in the enactment of legislation. The congress m ust hold one joint meeting in a year to agree on the convening and adjourning dates and count the presidential votes. The ability of the Congress to enact laws is the sanction of that effects other congress actions. The discussion in this paper focuses on the congresswoman named Louise Slaughter. In the discussion, Louise Slaughter is analyzed for her key achievements, voting records, important committee assignments, and leadership positions. Current position of Louise Mclntosh Slaughter Louise was born on 14 August 1929. Today, Slaughter is the New York’s representative for 28th congressional district. She has served in this position since 1993. The political party membership is Democratic Party. Slaughter’s district of representation is found in Rochester, New York. This district partially comprises of counties of Orleans and Monroe in New York. Since 1987 to 1993, Slaughter represented New York’s 30th District. The United States Congressional elections were h eld in November of the year 2012. In these elections, Slaughter’s victory was over Maggie Brooks who had been county representative since 2004. Her representation is now in the restructured 25th District. This District is entirely found in Monroe County except for Rush, Mendon, Hamlin, Wheatland, and part of Clarkson. Slaughter has formerly been the chairperson of the House Rules Committee. Her leadership in this Committee lasted from 2007 to 2011. Other membership roles include ranking minority member as from 2011. After her reelection, Slaughter vowed to fight for issues of Medicare and Social security. She also vowed to fight for the Violence against Women Act renewal (Alaimo, 2012). In most of her career, Slaughter has spent time fighting for the safety, opportunities and health. In addition, Louise is the co-founder of the Bi-partisan Pro Choice Caucus and Co-author of violence against Women Act. Slaughter has also greatly advocated for the protection of the nationâ€⠄¢s troops by ensuring that troops have the needed armor. According to slaughter, she feels that those responsible for protecting the nation should also be protected. Louise has been considered as a true reformer. For now, Slaughter is fighting to pass the Stock Act in her efforts to clean up Washington. Through this act, Congress members will not be in a position to make money in the stock market using insider information. This move will protect million of citizens since her support will not be

Stigma Against Methadone Essay Example for Free

Stigma Against Methadone Essay The purpose of this research is to identify a stigma against methadone users and those in the healthcare field who are trying to help them become drug free. Methadone is a synthetic drug brought to America in the 1960’s to help with opiate addiction. During the fifty years since then, it has been a very successful treatment drug, but a stigma has developed that to use this drug is to be considered a â€Å"junkie†. This is not the case; this paper will also discuss ways in which to educate about and overcome the stigma against those who work with or take methadone. What is a Stigma? According to sociologist Erving Goffman, â€Å"a stigma refers to characteristics that discredit people†¦ the stigma can become a person’s master status, defining him or her as deviant† (Henslin, 2012). Whether or not the accused person actually takes part the activities and behaviors the stigma depicts, they are still discredited, judged, and even ostracized because of others like them who do participate in the stigma’s behaviors. Anyone associated with a deviant behavior automatically gets grouped together, whether they take part in it or not, hence the stigma. What is Methadone? Methadone is a man-made drug originally synthesized in Germany in 1937. Thirty years later, in the 1960’s, it was introduced to the United States as a treatment for drug addiction. Since then, for over fifty years, methadone has been used to help drug addicts get clean of opiates and regain stability; during that time, there has been no evidence that taking methadone for long periods of time causes damage to the body (Drug Policy Alliance, 2006). The Drug Policy Alliance, an organization committed to identifying, acknowledging, and promoting health-centered alternatives to drugs (2011), supports the use of methadone to treat opiate addiction and states that when used appropriately and a proper dose is reached, opioid â€Å"cravings stop, without creating the effects of euphoria, sedation, or an analgesic effect† (2006, p. 8). In other words, the human brain has receptors that when stimulated by drugs, create a drug user’s â€Å"high†. Methadone covers those receptors so that the user does not feel the need to take drugs, yet they will not get high from the methadone either. This is called â€Å"the blockade effect† and allows for drug-dependent people the opportunity to stabilize, maintain a job, buy a car, get an apartment or housing, and keep healthy relationships, among other things. A Stigma against Methadone Methadone is used for both chronic pain and opiate addiction, yet the majority of society has the assumption that if one is to use methadone, they must be drug addicts. Yes, there are many people in society who are trying to free themselves from drug use, but there are others who take methadone simply because it helps them with their chronic pain when nothing else does. Also, when society hears the word methadone, a picture of an addict getting drugs off the street and overdosing from heroin and cocaine comes to mind immediately. However, this is not the entire picture; at a methadone clinic in Westbrook, Maine, only twenty five percent of the patients who come to get their dose are people who are detoxing from street drugs. That means that there are an additional seventy five percent dosing every day. Why are they patients at the clinic? Because they are there to clear themselves from drugs that their own physicians have prescribed to them. Even though three quarters of the population coming in every day are there because of their doctors, and not because they were addicted to street drugs, patients still have a difficult time entering methadone maintenance treatment. Walter Ginter, director of the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA), reported the following to Alcoholism Drug Abuse Weekly: Many of the public think of methadone as just a ‘substitute’ for another addictive drug and that even methadone patients themselves sometimes doubt that they can be in recovery, as long as they are on methadone†¦ partly because they have so little support in the community. The stigma is so great that nobody wants to say they’re a methadone patient. Even people who are successful in treatment don’t want anybody to know about it. (2007, p. 1) Many patients who enter treatment start thinking of tapering off methadone almost as soon as they begin their treatment, for the desire to get off methadone and away from the stigma associated with it is so great. The fact of the matter is, however, that seventy percent of patients who taper off methadone too soon or too quickly will relapse into drug use again (Ginter, 2007). Healthcare providers who work in methadone clinics and assist addicts in their recovery are subject to judgments as much as the patients are, even among fellow healthcare providers. A lot of patients look to their clinics to help them find â€Å"methadone-friendly doctors,† so that they can share the fact that they are taking methadone without having to fear judgment and reprimand. One patient at the clinic I work at has a doctor who discovered that she was taking benzodiazepines for anxiety along with her methadone, which can be dangerous when mixed in large amounts. The patient’s dose was not high enough to be quite as dangerous, but her doctor decided to stop her prescription for benzodiazepines immediately, with no tapering down; one can only imagine what that act did to the patient, both physically and emotionally; the patient presented at the clinic extremely anxious and shared the following with the dosing nurses when they asked if she wanted to talk about her situation with them: They (the doctors) just don’t understand. They don’t know that they can’t just take you off one drug cold turkey (the benzodiazepines) while leaving you on another (the methadone); it just doesn’t work like that. They just don’t care about people like me (anonymous patient #1, 2012). I have also been subject to the stigma and prejudice against methadone, just because I work with the addict population; when I first obtained the job, friends, family, and strangers alike would ask where I worked, and then promptly changed their expressions from interest to shock, horror, and even revulsion. It would have been quite amusing to me if it weren’t for the fact that their reactions were towards my patients. I once even had a friend’s mother say to me, â€Å"you be careful – don’t trust them for a second. They are dangerous people. † I would immediately start educating them about what these patient were really like and how I believed that it was a privilege to be helping them with their addiction treatment. In addition, I would throw out the statistics of how many people were coming in to get clean from doctors’ prescriptions, to show that not all of the patients were â€Å"junkies† and that they all chose to be in treatment to take control of their lives again. This helped to ease fears against my working there, and since then everyone asks how work has been going, with sincere interest, rather than with suspicion or doubt that I could actually enjoy working there. Though many healthcare providers who work with the addict population speak out against the stigma and the judgments against them, to defend both themselves and their patients against unjust prejudice, there are some who say nothing about where they work or what they do for work so as to avoid the negative attitudes directed at them from that moment on. Though it is understandable to say nothing about working in methadone treatment or defend the patients working hard to get clean, it does nothing but add to the stigma, and will make it that much harder to overcome in the future. Methadone Helps despite the Stigma I have worked in a methadone clinic for the past six months, and just in that short time, I have already witnessed extraordinary transformations. The nurses and I don’t just dose the patients and have them leave; when the patients come in and we give them a quick once-over assessment to make sure they can dose, we also talk to them. We are sincerely interested in how their life is doing, and though every person has ups and downs (even those who do not have an addiction), so much of the time I will hear of how someone’s life has changed so much for the better, and that they are so appreciative of this one thing that has helped them to live their lives again. One patient stated the following to me just a couple of weeks ago: I’ve got my life back again – I’ve got my family back, I’ve got an apartment, I’ve got a new car. I’d probably be dead right now if it wasn’t for this clinic. Methadone is the reason that I’ve been clean for seven years and will continue to be in the future (anonymous patient #2, 2012). Another patient who was coming in for her last dose at the clinic before tapering out for good, shared what she was feeling on her last day: â€Å"I finally have my life together again. It’s been eighteen years of being miserable and now I’m finally ready. For the first time in so long I can be happy, and I’m ready for that† (anonymous patient #2, 2012). She was a little nervous about what was to come, but the determination to stay on track was easily visible on her face, and so far, she has been out of the clinic for almost three months without any problems or relapse. How to Help To help fight against the stigma of methadone users and the healthcare providers who serve to help them, education is the only option. By providing science- based education and materials from peers, patients, educators, and healthcare professionals, people can learn that methadone is simply the medication part of opiate recovery. Patients must have emphasis on the fact that they are not â€Å"junkies† just because they take part in methadone maintenance. This stigma creates problems when trying to advocate for methadone maintenance and its patients. The best way to advocate for methadone treatment is to have patients appear publicly to provide testimony that methadone is not just a drug to replace another drug, and that long term maintenance provides stability and opportunity for those who use it. The problem is, â€Å"it can be difficult for everyone to be outspoken about being a methadone patient as people in recovery are afraid for their own recovery, due to stigma† (Ginter, 2007, p. 2). Conclusion  By educating society of the benefits of methadone and dispelling the myths and stigmas about it, recovering addicts can be less afraid for their physical and emotional well-being, healthcare providers don’t need to feel the need to hide what field they work in from others, and society can see what methadone maintenance really is. With education, understanding, and eventual acceptance, society will see that there are significant changes taking place in the recovery field at this very moment and there will continue to be changes as time moves forward.

The Tourism Industry Is A Complex System

The Tourism Industry Is A Complex System The tourism industry is a complex system where its necessary to look at all different sectors which are influencing each other, to get a clear understanding how this system works. A helpful tool to use already models and theories, apply them on different example and evaluate them. The individual as a potential customer has to be analysed and categorised, which is ensuing a better understanding of tourist behaviour. Furthermore it helps to recognize their decision making progress for a destination, as well as getting knowledge about their needs and expectation. This essay will show the usage of these models and theories on example of the Dominican Republic. Tourism can be defined as a combination of services and activities for people who travel to places outside of their familiar surroundings. The definition of a tourist is wide-ranging, because the purpose of travel ranges from holidays, business trips, and visits to friends and relatives to various other reasons such as study, religion, shopping and so on. More than an industry, it is rather like a system that sells packaged holidays, activities, attractions, accommodations, and entertainment. It is offering the opportunity to break away from normal life and enjoy leisure time in different locations. Tourism normally does not provide just one single product; mostly it is a bundling of various products to satisfy the demand of the tourist. For example, someone going on holiday to London would not merely consume one product from one supplier. It is more likely that he is utilizing a package of services. He might arrive by plane, go by bus/train to his hotel, dine in a restaurant, and ta ke a sightseeing tour. Due to the fact that nearly every tourism product is interlinked, there is no owner or manager with complete control of his own destiny (Gunn A.C. 2002, p.243). Additionally, other industries, such as the oil industry, are linked to the tourism industry. In recent years tourism become a part of daily life because people have more leisure time than they used to have 50 years ago and the view of the work-life balance has changed. Another important point to mention is that the tourism industry is one of the largest in the world and is creating millions of temporary and permanent jobs. In 2006 the travel and tourism industrys percentage of the world gross domestic product was 10,3%, with a turnover of US$6,477.2 billion. The industry supported 234 million jobs, 8.7% of total world employment (Cooper, et al 2006: 3). This data represents the global importance and significance to the world economy. Tourism does not include just the supply of hotels, beaches and travel agencies but also economical, environmental and socio-cultural impacts. These three areas are always commingling and conflicting. There are people whom are simply interested in making a profit, other people wanting to protect the environment, and yet another group of people concerned with the social and cultural impacts of a tourist region. All three groups must achieve a balance to enable sustainable tourism. This idea is shown on the following graphic: 3. Tourist typology and their implementation to tourism models Stanley C. Plog One approach to understand tourist behaviour is to identify different types of people, whereupon they can be categorised into a series of organised psychographic types. In 1973 Stanley C. Plog created a model for the American population showing how personal motivation influences the decision for a vacation destination. He divided tourists into four types: allocentric, near-allocentric, mid-centric, and near-psychocentric/psychocentric. The allocentric type views travelling as an opportunity to discover foreign cultures and prefers exotic destinations. They are self confident and open for new experiences. The near-allocentric type is sporty, seeks challenges and views the journey as a chance to test a new lifestyle. The mid-centric type looks for relaxation and pleasure in a well-known environment. They want to escape from the daily routine and enjoy comfortable accommodation. The near-psychocentric and psychocentric types are focused on themselves and are scared to discover something new. These people tend to look for a safe place to holiday. Their choice of destination will be a place they know and where they are not that far away from their home city (Johnson Thomas, 1992: 19). Plog considered that there are just a few psychocentric or allocentric types because the majority of tourists are mid-centric. However, Plogs model is hard to apply in reality. For example the Dominion Republic has a lot of organised mass tourism and it is possible to organize a journey by yourself as well. Every tourist is an individual, so they cannot be generalized. One trip can have a completely different occasion and characteristic than the other one (Cooper, 2008: 48). Cohens tourist typology Another model which classifies tourists is Cohens tourist typology. He divides tourists into the organised mass tourist, the individual mass tourist, the explorer and the drifter. Cohen explains that organised mass tourists are typically purchasing a ready-made package tour where they have no or just a little contact with the local people and stay most of the time inside a resort. This is similar to Plogs psychocentrics` type. In Cohens theory most of the tourists are individual mass tourists. They are similar to the organised mass tourists, but they have more flexibility and scope for personal choice. They want to have contact to the local people. This category is comparable to Plogs midcentric tourists and most tourists fall into this category. The third tourist type is the explorer, who organises the trip by himself and looks for something special, something away from the typical interests of a mass tourist. However, he is still interested in comfortable accommodations. The last t ype, the drifter, is completely independent, wants to live with local people and wants to take part in the native culture. Cohens last two tourists theories, the explorer and the drifter, which are also the minority in this industry, are similar to Plogs allocentric tourists. (Cooper et al, p.51). 5. Demand for the creation of tourist typologies and their practice on the example of the Dominican Republic The reason why we need these typologies for different tourists is to help and to be able to develop tourism destinations. Expectations and needs from tourists on a perfect holiday can be identified, so the desired service can be supplied. As soon as we know the different motivations for individuals travelling to a particular destination, a specific tourist type is going to be targeted. This means that in example of the Dom. Rep. the organised mass tourists in the majority, which are looking for a safe holiday, we know their behaviour and know how to plan for them. Most of the resorts in Dom.Rep. are designed for this clientele and have been developed very fast during the last 20 years to satisfy the demand from tourists. At the first stage resorts were build for explorer or drifter, and since the creation of package tourism, a lot of individual mass tourists came to this area. With the creation of all-inclusive, there is no need for tourists to leave the hotel. Because of investigati ng the different desire of tourists and define them, it was possible to develop this area (National and regional tourism planning 1994, p.147). 6. Doxeys Index: The socio-cultural impact of tourism The Doxeys Index describes the relationship between visitors and the visited. He developed a five stage model which describes the first step as the upcoming  ´euphoria ´ when a small number of tourists arrive thus stimulating the economy and a large number of new jobs are created. The next steps are apathy and annoyance. At this stage local people get first used to tourists in their familiar surroundings, and afterwards annoyed, because too many people are visiting the destination. Antagonism and acceptance are the last steps in this theory. Native people start to avoid tourists and at the last step they accept them. Acceptance means, that they accept tourists in their usual life and forget how the area was before tourists arrived (Cooper et al, p.47). Top priority should be always building better relationships between residents and visitors, which improves social life for both sides. In Punta Cana, where the proportion of tourists is high to the number of residents, cultural problems occur because of different society expectations (National and regional tourism planning 1994, p.147). While Punta Cana has grown within twenty years, the local community did not have enough time to adjust to the high number of tourists. The three models of Plog, Cohen and Doxey are coextensive whith each other because when the first visitors (drifter) arrive at a destination, local people are euphoric. These tourists (allocentric) are not scared to discover new areas. In the midcentric are the explorer and the individual mass tourists. At this stage the community becomes apathetic and annoyed. The last step is the organized mass tourist who belongs to the psychocentric and native people start to accept them. The relationship between the models is linear (Cooper et al, p.47). 7. Butlers Tourism Area Lifecycle (TALC) The Tourism Area Lifecycle(TALC) is a well-known model Butler created to illustrate the dynamic of a tourist -destination or -product through different stages. The graph describes a characteristic function due to the natural interrelation between the exposure and intensity of tourism. It shows the evolutional process where every tourism product is going through, which can help manager to find a way out in case of a crisis or new developed destinations to establish themselves. Butler first stage is exploration, where small number of visitors arrive in an undeveloped area. These people been identified as Plogs allocentric or Cohens explorer type. After their trip they are responsible for Involvement, because they tell others about place they been to (Ryan 2003, p.269). A following rise of the curve during the development stage is logical, because more tourists can be carried. Butler says that the number of tourists decrease until the carrying capacity is reached, this is the consolidation stage. New development has to happen again to rejuvenate, otherwise it would come to a decline of visitors (Butler 2006). While developing new strategies is important to investigate the existing facts and concentrate on the potentials the destination is already providing. At this point it is necessary to make a decision. To develop this place, to leave the place how it is and increase the price or let it decline. Decline is the next stage of Butlers TALC. This happens if t oo many tourists are arriving at a destination at the same time and the capacity is too low. Visitor are disappointed and the number of tourists will therefore start to fall. An option to avoid decline is Rejuvenation. That means that the area has to be developed for example with new hotels and beaches. 8. The 5As model The 5As model was helpful to rejuvenate the Dominican Republic when it had been reached the stagnation point. A new development of Attractions, Accessibility, Activities, Amenities and Accommodation were necessary to bring facilities up to the level demanded by international tourists. When the carrying capacity was reached, an essential element in the tourism take-off was government investment in the infrastructure of tourism zones. Over $76 million went into the Puerto Plata region between 1974 and 1982. New hotels and transportation networks were built, to get electric power and satisfy water supply. Infrastructure was one of the main important things which had to be developed and when the airport in Punta Cana was built, a lot of new different tourists begun to visit this area. (http://kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/afuller/rd-tourism.html#ecsoc) Today the Dominion Republic is one of the most visited countries and popular for family holidays. This destination fits perfect in Butlers TALC because at first it was an undeveloped place and started to grow, decisions by the policy had to be done for example to rejuvenate the place, to let the area how it is or to let it decline. The Dominican government decided for rejuvenation because of the high potential of this area. With new roads, attractions, airports and hotels the resort development strategy was successful (National and regional tourism planning, 1994, p.147). 9. Multiplier effect In tourism the multiplier effect is used to illustrate how many times money spent by a tourist circulates through a countrys economy. In other words when a new tourist destination is created, the local economy benefits as new jobs are being created and tourist bring additional trade to local businesses. The most common example is when a new hotel is being built it does not only create jobs directly in the hotel, but also indirectly in other sectors of the economy. The hotel has to buy food from local farmers, who then spend some of this money, for example, on domestic expenses. When tourists spend money for local products the demand for those products increases, which also increases secondary employment. However the multiplier effect continues until there is a leakage out of the economy through imports, which is the purchase of goods from other countries. The most common example would be a Third World country, such as Dominican Republic, much of the money spent by tourist end up leaving the countrys economy via foreign-owned airlines, hotels, imported drinks and food, etc. A typical luxurious four star hotel would be more likely to import most of its goods and services; if that means that better quality would be provided which would ensure better customer satisfaction. (http://geographyfieldwork.com/TouristMultiplier.htm 10. Conclusion Models could be helpful to develop a successful tourism destination and understand the different motivations of tourists. When the policy changes the supply for example to develop an area for package tourism, the demand will also change. That means that the supply has to meet the demand side when at the descriptive side the object and services changing. Plogs, Cohens and Doxeys models are descriptive because they just describe a situation but Butlers model is descriptive and prescriptive. TALC explains what is happening in an area and makes diagnose. After this diagnose the problem becomes clear and it is easier to make a decision for solving this problem. It is always necessary to find out how much potential a place has to make substantial development it in the right way. For this fact tourism models are helpful. 11. References Cooper, C, Fletcher, J, Fyall, A, Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S (2008) Tourism Principles and Practice (4thedn), Prentice Hall, Essex Gunn, C.A (2002) Tourism Planning (4th edn), Routledge, London Howie, F. (2003 a,b), Managing the Tourist Destination: A Practical Guide (1st edn), Cengage Learning EMEA Johnson Thomas (1992), Choice and Demand in Tourism, Mansell Publishing Limited National and regional tourism planning (1994) Methodologies and Case Studies (World Tourism Organization) (1st edn), Routledge, London Ryan, C (2003), Recreational Tourism and Impacts (1st edn), Channel View Publications, Clevedon Dominican Republic tourism, Tourism Development in the Dominican Republic: Growth, Costs, Benefits and Choices, avaible from http://kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/afuller/rd-tourism.html#ecsoc (accessed on 11.12.2009)

Sketches of the Valley (spanish) :: Spanish Essays

Reportaje â€Å"Estampas del Valle† Abstract: â€Å"Estampas del Valle†, or â€Å"Sketches of the Valley†, is a book written by a well-known Chicano author, Rolando Hinojosa-Smith. The book is divided into four sections, in which he writes about the â€Å"sketches† of the characters he establishes, things that happen such as a sudden murder, the lives and deaths of elders in the community, and of the life of Rafa Buenrostro. Belken County a fictitious location in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. He writes of many that live there, ranging from young children, to prostitutes, to priests, ect. He writes of the dialogues, the stories, and the occurrences that are common regardless of ethnicity, with a humoristic view. His masterpiece is written in first person narrator and omniscient author consisting of letters, pieces from journals, diaries, and recollections of conversations. Rolando Hinojosa-Smith nacià ³ el 21 de enero del aà ±o 1929, en Mercedes, Tejas. Su padre un Mà ©xico americano, Manuel Guzmà ¡n Hinojosa y su madre Carrie Effie Smith, una blanca. Hinojosa nacià ³ el menor de dos hermanas y un hermano. A la edad de quince aà ±os, el comenzà ³ publicando su primeras obras en inglà ©s, en la publicacià ³n Creative Bits. Despuà ©s de graduarse de la escuela secundaria en el aà ±o 1946 a la edad de diez y siete aà ±os, se alisto en el ejà ©rcito donde cumplià ³ dos aà ±os. Hinojosa luego atendià ³ la Universidad de Tejas en Austin, por un corto tiempo antes de su reactivacià ³n en 1950 al ejà ©rcito para ir a la guerra de Corea. El estuvo estacionado en Fort Eustis, Virginia, donde fue director de una publicacià ³n del campo. Luego cuando fue estacionado en el Caribe trabajà ³ como anunciador de radià ³ y fue director de la publicacià ³n Carribbean Army Defense Command. Despuà ©s de su participacià ³n en el ejà ©rcito Hinojosa termino su educacià ³n en la Universidad de Tejas en Austin en el aà ±o 1954 donde se gradà ºo con un tà ­tulo en espaà ±ol. Empezà ³ su carrera enseà ±ando gobierno, espaà ±ol, historia, y latà ­n por un tiempo en la escuela secundaria de Brownsville, Tejas. En el aà ±o 1969, se casà ³ con Patricia Louise Mandley y tuvieron tres hijos, pero desafortunadamente resulto en un divorcio en el aà ±o 1989. Hinojosa continà ºo sus estudios de maestrà ­a en Highlands University en Las Vegas, Nuevo Mà ©xico, y luego su doctrina en la Universidad de Illinois en Urbana. Despuà ©s de recibir su doctrina empezà ³ como profesor en Trinity University en San Antonio, Tejas, en el aà ±o 1969.

Store Layout and Design

Chapter 13 – Store Layout and Design I. Introduction to Store Layout Management. Retailers can use the retail store itself to initiate and continue their relationship with customers. A. The store itself (e. g. , its layout) has the potential to overcome many of the negative attitudes/emotions customers may carry as they enter a retailer’s store. 1. 2. In fact, no other variable in the retailing mix influences the consumer's initial perception as much as the retailer's store itself. The two primary objectives around which all activities, functions, and goals in the store revolve are store image and sales productivity.Store image is the overall perception the consumer has of the store’s environment. b. Space productivity represents how effectively the retailer utilizes its space and is usually measured by sales per square foot of selling space or gross margin dollars per square foot of selling space. In cyberspace, retailers must be concerned with the format of the entire website. In order to drive repeat visits and encourage consumer purchasing on one’s web site, the e-tailer should: a. b. Keep content current. Make the site easy and enjoyable to use. c.Structure an online community where consumers can interact with one another or contribute to the site’s content. B. Elements of the Store Environment – The successful retailer will place a heavy emphasis on designing their physical facilities so as to enhance the retailer’s overall image and increase its productivity. The elements that should be considered are: a. POS signage. b. c. Visual Communications – Retail identity, graphics, and Store Planning – Space allocation, layout, and circulation. Store Design – Exterior design, ambiance, and lighting. election, merchandise a. 3. d. Merchandising – Fixture presentation, and visual merchandising. C. The two primary objectives of creating the desired store image and increasing space producti vity correspond to the general mission of all retailers, which is to get consumers into the store (traffic) and influence them to buy merchandise once inside (conversion rate) while operating in the most efficient manner possible (operating efficiency). The store planner must constantly balance these objectives, as they are sometimes at odds. 1.Developing a Store Image – the ability to create and change image through the store environment becomes more important every day as consumers’ time poverty increases. 2. Increasing Space Productivity – a goal summarized in a simple but powerful truism of retailing: â€Å"The more merchandise customers are exposed to, the more they tend to buy. † To enhance space productivity, retailers must incorporate planning, merchandising, and design strategies that minimize shrinkage (the loss of merchandise through theft, loss, and damage). II. Store Planning.Store planning is the development of floor plans, which indicate wh ere merchandise and customer service departments are located, how customers circulate through the store, and how much space is dedicated to each department. A. Allocating Space – the starting point of store planning is determining how the available store space will be allocated to various departments, based on mathematical calculations of the returns generated by different types of merchandise. 1. Types of Space Needed – there are five basic types of space in a store: a. . The back room includes the receiving area to process arriving inventories and the stockroom to store surplus merchandise. Offices and other functional spaces include a break room for associates, a training room, offices for the store manager and assistant managers, a cash office, bathroom facilities for both customers and employees, and perhaps other areas. The amount of space dedicated to aisles, service areas, and other nonselling areas can be significant, perhaps 15 percent or more of the entire s pace.While the store planner always attempts to minimize the amount of nonselling space, customer service is an equally important part of a store and should not be short-changed. The floor merchandise space holds many types of fixtures used to display merchandise. The walls are one of the most important elements of a retail store. They serve as fixtures holding tremendous amounts of merchandise, as well as serving as a visual backdrop for the merchandise on the floor. c. d. e. 2.Space Allocation Planning – to determine the most productive allocation of space, the store planner must analyze the productivity and profitability of various categories of merchandise. There are two situations where this is evident: planning a new store and revising the space allocation of an existing store. a. Improving Space Productivity in Existing Stores – When a retailer has been in business for some time, it can develop a sales history on which to evaluate merchandise performance, refine space allocations, and enhance space productivity.Various quantitative measures, such as the space productivity index, can be used to develop a more productive space allocation. Space Allocation for a New Store – When a retailer is creating a new store format, it bases space allocation on industry standards, previous experience b. with similar formats, or more frequently, the space required to carry the number of items specified by the buyers. B. Circulation – there are four basic types of circulation patterns in use today. Shoppers have been trained to associate certain circulation patterns with different types of stores. . 2. 3. Free Flow, the simplest type of store layout, is a type of store layout in which fixtures and merchandise are grouped into free-flowing patterns on the sales floor. Grid Layout is another type of store layout in which counters and fixtures are placed in long rows or â€Å"runs,† usually at right angles, throughout the store. Loop Layo ut is a type of store layout in which a major customer aisle begins at the entrance, loops through the store – usually in the shape of a circle, square, or rectangle – and then returns the customer to the front of the store.Spine Layout is a type of store layout in which a single main aisle runs from the front to the back of the store, transporting customers in both directions, and where on either side of this spine, merchandise departments using either a free-flow or grid pattern branch off toward the back and side walls. 4. C. Shrinkage Prevention. When planning stores, the prevention of shrinkage due to theft, damage, and loss must be considered. Some layouts will minimize vulnerability to shoplifters by increasing the visibility of the merchandise. III. Planning Fixtures and Merchandise Presentation.In the â€Å"theater† of retailing, there are two basic types of merchandise presentation: visual merchandising displays which are analogous to the props which s et scenes and serve as backdrops; and on-shelf merchandising which represents â€Å"the stars of the performance†. A. Fixture Types fall into three basic categories: 1. Hardline Fixtures. The workhorse fixture in most hardline departments is the gondola. The gondola can hold a wide variety of merchandise — in fact, virtually all hardlines — by means of hardware hung from the vertical spine.Tables, large bins, and flat-base decks are used to display bulk quantities of merchandise when the retailer wants to make a high-value statement. Softline Fixtures. A large array of fixtures have been developed to accommodate the special needs of softlines, which often are hung on hangers. The four-way feature rack and the round rack are two of the fixtures most heavily used today. The round rack is known as a bulk or capacity fixture, and the four-way rack is considered a feature fixture, because it presents merchandise in a manner, which features certain characteristics of the merchandise (such as color, shape, or style).Wall Fixtures. The last type of fixture are those designed to be hung on the wall. To make a plain wall merchandisable, it is usually covered with a vertical skin that is fitted with vertical columns of notches similar to that on the gondola, into which a variety of hardware can be inserted. Shelves, peghooks, bins, baskets, and even hanger bars can be fitted into wall systems. 2. 3. B. Merchandise Presentation Planning – With all the various types of fixtures available, there is an endless variety of ways to merchandise product. . The methods of merchandise presentation include the following: a. Shelving – The majority of merchandise is placed on shelves that are inserted into gondolas or wall systems. Shelving is a flexible, easy-to-maintain merchandising method. Hanging – Apparel on hangers can be hung from softlines fixtures such as round racks and four-way racks, or from bars installed on gondolas or wall sys tems. Pegging – Small merchandise can be hung from peghooks, which are small rods inserted into gondolas or wall systems.Used in both softlines and hardlines, pegging gives a neat, orderly appearance, but can be labor intensive to display and maintain. Folding – Higher-margin or large, unwieldy softlines merchandise can be folded and then stacked onto shelves or placed on tables. This can create a high-fashion image, such as when bath towels are taken off peghooks and neatly folded and stacked high up the wall. Stacking – Large hardline merchandise can be stacked on shelves, the base decks of gondolas, or â€Å"flats,† which are platforms placed directly on the floor.Stacking is easily maintained and gives an image of high volume and low price. Dumping – Large quantities of small merchandise can be dumped in bins or baskets inserted into gondolas or wall systems. This method can be used in softlines (socks, wash cloths) or hardlines (batteries, can dy), and creates a high-volume, low-cost image. b. c. d. e. f. 2. Different merchandising methods can strongly influence our buying habits and cause us to purchase more. There is a certain psychology of merchandise presentation. . Value/Fashion Image – One of merchandising's most important psychological effects is its ability to foster an image in the customer's mind of how trendy, exclusive, pricey, or value oriented the merchandise is. Angles and Sightlines – Research has shown that as customers move through a retail store, they view the store at approximately 45 degree angles from the path of travel, so merchandise placed at 45 degree angles to the aisle has better visibility.Vertical Color Blocking – To be most effective, merchandise should be displayed in vertical bands of color wherever possible, so that customers are exposed to a greater number of SKUs. b. c. C. Selecting the Proper Fixture and Merchandise Presentation Methods – In selecting which fixtures and merchandising methods to use, a good guideline is to match the fixture to the merchandise, not the merchandise to the fixture. This means you should only use fixtures hat are sensitive to the nature of the merchandise, but all too often, retailers are forced to put merchandise on the wrong fixture. D. Visual Merchandising is the artistic display of merchandise and theatrical props used as scene-setting decoration in the store. Visuals don't always include merchandise – they may just be interesting displays of items somehow related to the merchandise offering or to a mood the retailer wishes to create. IV. Store Design – encompasses both the exterior and the interior of the store.There are literally hundreds of details in a store's design, and all must work together to create the desired store ambiance, which is the overall feeling or mood projected by a store through its aesthetic appeal to the human senses. A. Storefront Design. If the retail store can be compared to a book, then the storefront or store exterior is like the book cover. It must be noticeable, easily identified by passing motorists or mall shoppers, memorable, clearly identify the name and general market positioning of the store, and give some hint as to the merchandise inside.Interior Design can be broken into architectural elements and design finishes, and encompasses floorcoverings, walls, and ceilings. Lighting is one of the most important, though often overlooked, elements in a successful store design. Retailers learned that different types and levels of lighting can have a significant impact on sales. Sounds and Smells: Total Sensory Marketing. Research has shown that senses other than sight can be very important. Many retailers are beginning to engineer the sounds and smells in their stores.B. C. D. V. Visual Communications. Visual communications includes in-store signage and graphics. When carefully balanced with personal service, visual communications, with i ts reliability and low cost, can create an effective selling environment and is therefore an important tool in the store designer's toolbox. A. Name, Logo, and Retail Identity. The first and most visible element in a comprehensive visual communications program is the retailer's identity, composed of the store name, logo mark, and supporting visual elements.The name and logo must be catchy, memorable, and most of all, reflective of the retailer's merchandising mission. Institutional Signage. Once inside the store, the first level of visual communications is known as institutional signage, or signage that describes the merchandising mission, customer service policies, and other messages on behalf of the retail institution. Directional, Departmental, and Category Signage serve as the next level of organizational signage. These signs help guide the shopper through the shopping trip and assist in locating specific departments of interest.B. C. D. Point-of-Sale (POS) Signage. The next lev el of signage is even smaller, placed closer to the merchandise, and known as point-of-sale signage, or POS signage. POS signage is intended to give details about specific merchandise items and is usually affixed directly to fixtures. E. Lifestyle Graphics. Many stores incorporate large graphic panels showing so-called lifestyle images in important departments. These photo images portray either the merchandise, often as it is being used, or images of related items or models that convey an image conducive to buying the product.

John Q

Some movies have the power to captivate you as if you are experiencing the drama for yourself. A mixture of emotions flow into words and actions seen on screen that may motivate us in reflecting our own actions In life. The New Line Cinema Presentation of John Q. Directed by Nick Captivates has a powerful story line that has an array of emotions and conflicts that reflect society. Some of the characters In this movie convey many feelings yet the predominant one shown here Is greed and It Is seen in many forms.This story is based upon a lower class man who was dedicated to his son who errantly is fighting a heart aliment. The situation took a turn for the worse when John and his wife could not supply the sufficient amount of money to fund the operation. Not helping the situation his insurance company changed their coverage policy without him knowing; he was no longer covered for health benefits. The insanity of losing his son drove John to take over the hospitals' emergency room deman ding that his son be placed on the donor's list for the first available heart.At the apex of the movie a donor came through with a heart for his little son Michael ND he was found guilty on the account of detailing hostages against their will. The movie conveyed many strong issues that face society today. The first of these is the lack of health care that should be provided for any person or persons in need of medical attention. The unfortunate incident of John's health insurance should be basis for the grounds of a lawsuit. Even though they promised reimbursement the funds were not the coverage he needed to make this operation possible.This element of the movie showed to me a sensate idea of turning your back on a man, owing back on your word, and then telling him he has a new insurance plan that he did not agree to and had no knowledge of Is yellow. I think that a person burdened with problems must get themselves out of their own problems before they make them somebody else's. The denial to perform this operation due to his lack of sufficient funds was a slap in the face. Society has laws that are voted on that deal with health insurance coverage. This movie showed the true color of what really happens when you aren't covered in society based upon greed.The hospital took the liberty of making the choice for John by deciding to discharge Michael and have him return home; no questions asked. The lead surgeon of the hospital would not agree to commence the operation despite John's small amounts of money that he was bringing in. Later it was revealed that Michaels medical problem was overlooked for so long due to doctors keeping their mouths shut. The Insurance company would pay these doctors off as long as the insurance company would not take a hit In the coverage of a sick child under the erection of a doctor.The doctors don't send them so the Insurance doesn't have to cover. The events that unfolded were the effects of greed In society. Conveyed greed. She st ated that people without insurance sometimes get the raw end of the deal, she has to make these decisions all the time and sometimes people die. The woman's sole purpose was concerned with making money from the situation. She had no value of life and was willing to throw someone's away that she could have given hope back to. Through the movie they explain that they do undress of these operations a year and the question is how come you can't make one exception.Despite her bitterness in the beginning she changed her outlook after hearing John converse with his son. She emotionally broke down to the point of where she put Michaels name on the donor's list. This changing of the tide gave me a sense that she is human. She faced a hard decision and ended up regretting denying Michael in the first place. The head of police chief conveyed another aspect of greed. He was driven by his new election year to make things right for the city. He didn't care for the situation so he made the call to have John Q fired upon after lying to him.He didn't listen to the facts and was concerned with getting re elected next term so he didn't want this blemish on his record. The greed portrayed here is seen as Just another hostage situation and I being the head of police chief have to look good for next election despite the lives I take. This disgusting action is yet again the truth revealed in society. Being human all he was self absorbed in was the fact that he wanted to have this problem Just go away so he didn't look bad. The final emotion conveyed in this film was compassion shown by John Q in several situations.He took desperate measures in order to preserve his sons life. He was caring to the hostages that he took in and related to each in some way knowing that everyone has problems and that he did not want to be the burden of them. Eventually, John came to the apex of the movie telling the surgeon to take his own heart out of his chest and give it to his dying son. That showed true character to me that he was willing to sacrifice his own life Just to save the one life that he brought into this world.