International Marketing and Its Challenges

Global marketing is described as the process through which individuals or companies produce products, offer services, and make them available to customers worldwide (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2006). This type of marketing has brought about development within the world and more so, creating job opportunities for many people.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on International Marketing and Its Challenges specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The purpose of this analysis is to help readers establish more about international marketing and to learn on some of the challenges that this type of market is subjected to. It is also aimed at assisting individuals as well as companies in discovering ways in which they can indulge themselves in this kind of markets (Keegan and Green, 2012). Companies, which market their products and services globally, are faced with several cultural factors and as such, they either favor or disfavor their global marketing strategies. These cultural dimensions include; Competition Marketing globally tends to create a great competition especially if many entrepreneurs in the world, who uses the same channel to market, are engaging with the same type of products. Global marketing is largely facilitated by technological development aspects and hence bringing about tremendous development in communication and transport in meeting, the customer’s needs effectively (Johansson, 2008). As a result, continuous provision of quality products to consumers from different companies and countries is ensured. As such, it means that the competition for a product or service is very high. This can be regarded as a great challenge to entrepreneurs’ as they try to ensure that their goods are presentable and attractive to the consumers. In response to this challenge, companies pump many resources to try having a competitive advantage and as such, those companies with a small funding capa city can easily back out (Gerbe, 2007). Political culture The state of governance in countries, which a company decides to trade with, greatly determines how one will run his/her business in that country. In some countries, there exist conflicts in almost every sphere meaning that the political environment is unstable and as such, trading in that country becomes difficult (Gerbe, 2007). For instance, tax charged on imported goods might be very high such that low funded companies cannot meet and hence posing as a great hindrance to trade.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other countries employ dictatorship mode of governance and as such, some harsh rules are put into place, which tends to suppress the foreign investors and entrepreneurs and therefore, the marketing of a product or service may reduce due to harsh political environment (Johansson, 2008). Society Lifestyle I n any country, the lifestyle of its citizen will determine if the marketing of foreign made goods or services will be successful or not. Some products are not accepted in certain countries because of their cultures and taboos. Therefore, before a company decides to engage global marketing, it is necessary to find out if their way of living does support the use the product or service it intends to introduce. This decision is necessary as, if a company fails to consider the lifestyle, then it becomes a victim of terrible marketing thus tremendous losses (Hollensen, 2001). Capital Marketing globally necessitates pumping huge amounts of financial resources. This plays a great challenge to individual or companies who cannot meet the cost. It mostly affects the developing worlds as well as the third world countries (Matt, 2008). For a company to engage successfully into this type of market, it becomes important that there be a continuous flow of substantial income to ensure that there is no delay in the production of the product. The delay can lead to the collapse of the company due to the high competition from other well off firms where the consumers can turn to at any time. Capital necessary to finance such big investments can be obtained through loans from banks and other financial institutions (Dana, 2001). A company, for instance, dealing with cosmetic or beauty products, may face a challenge in its effort aimed at marketing its products globally whereby it would be subjected by stiff and unhealthy competition. Such a company should establish criteria on how to deal with this problem in order to survive in the field. Due presence of an integrated technology, the competition is exceedingly escalating and thus, for a company to survive this competition, it must ensure that its products are readily available to the consumers even at their doorsteps (Hollensen, 2007). The use of Internet makes it possible for enterprise to advertise their products using their websi te therefore reaching as many market segments as possible without incorporating a lot of resource or energy.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on International Marketing and Its Challenges specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This, in turn, will ensure that the companies make tremendous amounts of profits. Since there are so many companies making use of global markets to market cosmetic products, there is a wide variety of products for the consumer to choose from, the quality of the product also determines how consumers will respond to the product (Kaynak, 2002). For a company to effectively engage in global marketing and develop a competitive advantage over its competitors, it must recommend ideas and tactics and incorporate them in its global marketing strategy. Such recommendations would include; Search competition culture information A company dealing with cosmetic and beauty products must take advantage of the existing integrated information technology to search adequately the relevant information regarding the nature of competition existing among companies marketing their beauty products globally. It must get into fine details including the amount of resources capable of giving it a commanding lead as well as a competitive advantage over its competitors. In addition, it must find information on untapped markets and doing all this, it can easily avoid unhealthy competition (Schmidtmann, 2008). High quality products and services To effectively attract a substantial demand for beauty products and services from customers across the world, it is necessary that a company dealing with such products to ensure that an integrated paradigm in management is put in place. As such, it will ensure that its products pass through quality assurance tests and hence, the products must be of superior quality. This is a winning strategy, putting competition into consideration, as customers will always prefer quality and unique products. Moreover, quality products are indispensable and will become accepted across many countries across the world (Hollensen, 2007). Multi level Marketing Beauty products are regarded as basic needs as nearly every person uses them. Their markets are readily available and as such, making use of people globally to take these products and services to their doorsteps becomes an important aspect if a company wishes to attain a competitive advantage. As such, not many companies indulging in global market trading do employ retailing at such levels. Utilizing diversified marketing levels is an important aspect in establishment of different market segments in an effort to mitigate the presence of stiff competition (Saidin, 2007).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fair Prices While still maintaining high levels of quality among its beauty products and services, the company indulging itself in global marketing must ensure that it maintains affordable prices of their products and services. As such, the prices must be slightly below the competitor’s prices. Fair prices are used to entice customers and as such, they prove to be effective as large volumes of sales are realized and this means that a company has achieved a certain degree of command in respect to competition (Saidin, 2007). Liaison A company dealing with cosmetic and beauty products and services can liaise with specific wholesalers as well as retailers globally to sell its products through them subject to a small merit fee. A company, which intends to achieve an upper hand in issues concerning competition, it is necessary that, it approach various groups of traders to optimize the channels through which its products will be distributed. From this analysis, it is clear that glo bal marketing is faced with a great deal of challenges positioned by cultural dimensions the major ones being economic culture, that is, capital, competition from the like minded companies, politics in various countries across the world as well as the diversified lifestyles shown by different categories of people, their cultures, tastes and preferences. A company must be very cautious in engaging into the global market to avoid setbacks resulted by undesirability of its products. As such, it must establish measures to curb these possibilities, especially the case associated with global competition (Mooij, 2009). The most important effort towards mitigation of such issues is making substantial use of the integrated information technology to establish the strengths and the weaknesses of the competitors. References Czinkota, M.R, Ronkainen, I.R., (2006), Global marketing, Oklahoma: Dryden Press Dana, L.P., (2001), Global Marketing Co-Operation and Networks, New Jersey: Routledge Gerbe , K. (2007), Intercultural Communication as a Strategy of Global Marketing: Marketing, Marienstrasse: GRIN Verlag Hollensen, S. (2001), Global marketing: a market-responsive approach, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Hollensen, S., (2007), Global marketing: a decision-oriented approach, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Johansson, J.K. (2008), Global Marketing: Foreign Entry, Local Marketing, and Global Management, New York: MJMcGraw-Hill Irwin Kaynak, E. (2002), Strategic Global Marketing: Issues and Trends, New Jersey: Routledge Keegan, W.J, and Green, M., (2012), Global Marketing. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Matt, K.J. (2008), Global Marketing: A Cultural Point of View. Mason: Cengage Learning Mooij, M.K. (2009), Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Saidin, S. (2007), Global Marketing: Myth or reality. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons Schmidtmann, L. (2008), Global Marketing and Global Human Resources Management – Internationale. Marienstrasse : GRIN Verlag This assessment on International Marketing and Its Challenges was written and submitted by user Gianna A. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Binomial Table for n=2, n=3, n=4, n=5 and n=6

Binomial Table for n=2, n=3, n=4, n=5 and n=6 One important discrete random variable is a binomial random variable. The distribution of this type of variable, referred to as the binomial distribution, is completely determined by two parameters: n   and p.   Here n is the number of trials and p is the probability of success. The tables below are for n 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The probabilities in each are rounded to three decimal places. Before using the table, it is important to determine if a binomial distribution should be used. In order to use this type of distribution, we must make sure that the following conditions are met: We have a finite number of observations or trials.The outcome of teach trial can be classified as either a success or a failure.The probability of success remains constant.The observations are independent of one another. The binomial distribution gives the probability of r successes in an experiment with a total of n independent trials, each having probability of success p.  Ã‚   Probabilities are calculated by the formula C(n, r)pr(1 - p)n - r where C(n, r) is the formula for combinations. Each entry in the table is arranged by the values of p and of r.   There is a different table for each value of n.   Other Tables For other binomial distribution tables: n 7 to 9, n 10 to 11.   For situations in which np  and n(1 - p) are greater than or equal to 10, we can use the normal approximation to the binomial distribution.   In this case, the approximation is very good and does not require the calculation of binomial coefficients.   This provides a great advantage because these binomial calculations can be quite involved. Example To see how to use the table, we will consider the following example from genetics.   Suppose that we are interested in studying the offspring of two parents who we know both have a recessive and dominant gene.   The probability that an offspring will inherit two copies of the recessive gene (and hence have the recessive trait) is 1/4.   Suppose we want to consider the probability that a certain number of children in a six-member family possesses this trait.   Let X be the number of children with this trait.   We look at the table for n 6 and the column with p 0.25, and see the following: 0.178, 0.356, 0.297, 0.132, 0.033, 0.004, 0.000 This means for our example that P(X 0) 17.8%, which is the probability that none of the children has the recessive trait.P(X 1) 35.6%, which is the probability that one of the children has the recessive trait.P(X 2) 29.7%, which is the probability that two of the children have the recessive trait.P(X 3) 13.2%, which is the probability that three of the children have the recessive trait.P(X 4) 3.3%, which is the probability that four of the children have the recessive trait.P(X 5) 0.4%, which is the probability that five of the children have the recessive trait. Tables for n2 to n6 n 2 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .980 .902 .810 .723 .640 .563 .490 .423 .360 .303 .250 .203 .160 .123 .090 .063 .040 .023 .010 .002 1 .020 .095 .180 .255 .320 .375 .420 .455 .480 .495 .500 .495 .480 .455 .420 .375 .320 .255 .180 .095 2 .000 .002 .010 .023 .040 .063 .090 .123 .160 .203 .250 .303 .360 .423 .490 .563 .640 .723 .810 .902 n 3 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .970 .857 .729 .614 .512 .422 .343 .275 .216 .166 .125 .091 .064 .043 .027 .016 .008 .003 .001 .000 1 .029 .135 .243 .325 .384 .422 .441 .444 .432 .408 .375 .334 .288 .239 .189 .141 .096 .057 .027 .007 2 .000 .007 .027 .057 .096 .141 .189 .239 .288 .334 .375 .408 .432 .444 .441 .422 .384 .325 .243 .135 3 .000 .000 .001 .003 .008 .016 .027 .043 .064 .091 .125 .166 .216 .275 .343 .422 .512 .614 .729 .857 n 4 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .961 .815 .656 .522 .410 .316 .240 .179 .130 .092 .062 .041 .026 .015 .008 .004 .002 .001 .000 .000 1 .039 .171 .292 .368 .410 .422 .412 .384 .346 .300 .250 .200 .154 .112 .076 .047 .026 .011 .004 .000 2 .001 .014 .049 .098 .154 .211 .265 .311 .346 .368 .375 .368 .346 .311 .265 .211 .154 .098 .049 .014 3 .000 .000 .004 .011 .026 .047 .076 .112 .154 .200 .250 .300 .346 .384 .412 .422 .410 .368 .292 .171 4 .000 .000 .000 .001 .002 .004 .008 .015 .026 .041 .062 .092 .130 .179 .240 .316 .410 .522 .656 .815 n 5 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .951 .774 .590 .444 .328 .237 .168 .116 .078 .050 .031 .019 .010 .005 .002 .001 .000 .000 .000 .000 1 .048 .204 .328 .392 .410 .396 .360 .312 .259 .206 .156 .113 .077 .049 .028 .015 .006 .002 .000 .000 2 .001 .021 .073 .138 .205 .264 .309 .336 .346 .337 .312 .276 .230 .181 .132 .088 .051 .024 .008 .001 3 .000 .001 .008 .024 .051 .088 .132 .181 .230 .276 .312 .337 .346 .336 .309 .264 .205 .138 .073 .021 4 .000 .000 .000 .002 .006 .015 .028 .049 .077 .113 .156 .206 .259 .312 .360 .396 .410 .392 .328 .204 5 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .001 .002 .005 .010 .019 .031 .050 .078 .116 .168 .237 .328 .444 .590 .774 n 6 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .941 .735 .531 .377 .262 .178 .118 .075 .047 .028 .016 .008 .004 .002 .001 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 1 .057 .232 .354 .399 .393 .356 .303 .244 .187 .136 .094 .061 .037 .020 .010 .004 .002 .000 .000 .000 2 .001 .031 .098 .176 .246 .297 .324 .328 .311 .278 .234 .186 .138 .095 .060 .033 .015 .006 .001 .000 3 .000 .002 .015 .042 .082 .132 .185 .236 .276 .303 .312 .303 .276 .236 .185 .132 .082 .042 .015 .002 4 .000 .000 .001 .006 .015 .033 .060 .095 .138 .186 .234 .278 .311 .328 .324 .297 .246 .176 .098 .031 5 .000 .000 .000 .000 .002 .004 .010 .020 .037 .061 .094 .136 .187 .244 .303 .356 .393 .399 .354 .232 6 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .001 .002 .004 .008 .016 .028 .047 .075 .118 .178 .262 .377 .531 .735

Hydrology; Cleanup Surfactant Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hydrology; Cleanup Surfactant - Research Paper Example The residual organic liquid facilitates for an aquifer contamination. This takes place as water dissolves in the soil to join the rest of the ground water (Brusseau et al., 2009). It is hence evident that the contaminants are stored in the soil. In other words soil is also contaminated. It had been long believed that pump and treat methods were helpful in cleaning up contaminated soil. However, it has been discovered that these methods are neither economical nor effective means of recuperating residual NAPL from the contaminated aquifers. The inefficiency is attributed to low aqueous solubility of most NAPL as well as large interracial tension that exist between NAPL and groundwater. These aspects prevent displacement of residual NAPL globules at realistic pumping velocities. Aqueous surfactant solutions have instead been approved as the best criteria of removing NAPL from the contaminated aquifers (McCray et al., 2001). BioSolve and PetroSolve are examples of the aqueous surfactant solutions used in cleaning up soil in the world today. Various aspects are linked to these products which imply why these products are recommendable in the clean-up process as the document discusses. There are two main reasons why aqueous surfactants are recommendable in soil clean-up process. One of the reasons is that they tend to increase the superficial solubility of NAPLs. Secondly, they reduce interracial tension available between organic and aqueous phases. These phases help in inducing the mobilization of the residual organic liquids. The BioSolve and PetroSolve surfactants cleanup facilitate the removal of deposited and sorbed polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the diesel fuels from the soil as well as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These techniques have succeeded as a result of critical micelle concentration. This aspect dramatically enhances the aqueous solubility of the hydrophobic organic compounds (Carroll & Brusseau, 2009). BioSolve can be

Evaluate the policies that could be used in the UK to meet inflation Essay

Evaluate the policies that could be used in the UK to meet inflation targets - Essay Example The UK, just like the US and Germany, has a growing workforce, and its wages has also been increasing. The Europe’s unemployment rate was 9.8Â  % in March this year while it was 10.4Â  % last year the same time. In Europe, the lowest unemployment rates in March 2015 were Germany (4.7Â  %) while the highest was Greece (25.7Â  %) (Trending Economics 2015). Demand side Inflation happens when there is a surplus of demand for goods and services over the supply; the supply remains constant. Demand pull inflation involves the rise of inflation as gross domestic product increases. At the same time, the unemployment levels will be expected to fall as witnessed in UK (Thirlwall & Barton 2014). The situation is contributed by the increase in the government expenditure and no change in the tax structure. The rise in income of households is a major contributor of demand for goods and services. The increase in the supply of the money in the country leaves more non-reusable income with the people causing the demand for products and services (Miles 2014). A loose monetary policy can cause the increase in money supply. In addition, inflows from other nations because of export will enhance the money supply. In UK, demand-pull inflation may be attributed to increasing disposable of the citizens. As the levels of income of people go up, the demand to buy things also go up (Willett & Laney 2014). When demand goes up, and supply remains stagnant, prices of goods will go up leading to demand pull inflation. The government must make every effort to ensure that there is a balance between demand and supply to eliminate any case of inflation. When there is a surplus in demand, there should be strategies to ensure that the demand is met expeditiously. Inflation is not good for any country hence the need to maintain it at a low level. Cost push inflation emanates from supply side; the rise in the cost of production and a constant demand causes

Benefits of Breastfeeding and Stages of Child Feeding

Benefits of Breastfeeding and Stages of Child Feeding Breastfeeding is the oldest method of feeding a child and has existed since the beginning of time. Most of the mothers received advice on the methods of feeding their infants and it comes from a variety of different sources like relatives or their mothers, health professionals, friends, books, magazines and baby food manufacturers. Similar findings were reported by Worsfold (1996). It is found to confer several advantages to both the breastfed child and his mother. This is in line with the study by Gartner et al. (2005). 98.0% of mothers knew about the importance of breast-feeding. The most prominent benefit identified by 92.6% of mothers were protection of the baby from diseases as stated by Duggan et al. (1990) and Berg et al. (1984). 23.4% who found it to be economical and this matches the study by Duggan et al. (1990) and NRDC (2005). 8.5% of mothers concluded that breastfeeding protects the baby from childhood obesity as suggested by Cook et al. (2003) compared to the study by Clifford (2003) who did not find any association between them. Also, 8.5% of mothers agreed that breastfeeding prevents the mother from gaining weight. This is explained by the fact that during lactation, many calories are spent to produce milk as mentioned by NRDC (2005) and Brudenell et al. (1995). It can be seen that mothers in Mauritius had a good knowledge on the beneficial aspe cts of breastfeeding. Therefore mothers will try their best to breastfeed their child. This will not only provide adequate nutrition to their child but also some beneficial health effects to the breastfeeding mothers. Out of those 98 mothers who said that breastfeeding is important, 90 breastfed their child. However, all those who said that breastfeeding is not important breastfed their child. Those eight mothers who could not breastfeed their baby despite being aware of its benefits reported that they were either drug addicts, HIV positive or their baby was adopted. A study by Ashworth (2005) reported that the HIV virus can be passed from an HIV-infected mother to her baby, known as mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). This study also suggested that one in every 20 babies will become infected if breast-fed for six months while three in every 20 will become infected if breast-feeding continues for two years. Breast milk substitutes and their hazards Breast milk substitutes are alternatives to breast milk. They include powdered or liquid milks or formula, wet-nurses and exclude therapeutic formulas used under medical supervision (USAID, 2006). 82.0% of mothers knew about the hazards associated with breast milk substitutes. 61.0% of mothers reported diarrhea as the utmost hazard which does not tally with the study by Fein § et al. (1997). The second hazard mentioned by 48.8% mothers was severe abdominal pain. 41.5% of mothers stated that vomiting was associated with the use of breast milk substitutes as researched by Dugdale and Eaton-Evans (1987). Allergy and childhood obesity were reported by only 31.7% of 7.3% of mothers respectively. These show that the mothers were very much aware of the hazards associated with breast milk substitutes. Mother would probably try to limit the use of breast milk substitutes as much as possible by taking into account the hazards associated with them. In this way, breastfeeding will be promoted leading to an improved health status of the children of Mauritius. However, for mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed for genuine and valid reasons, the use of breast milk substitutes may still be considered as a safe choice. Colostrum Colostrum is the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy (WHO, 2010). 78.0% of mothers knew about colostrum. 72.5% of mothers correctly rightly defined it as the precursor to breast milk while 78.0% 0f mothers correctly described its appearance as a sticky pale yellow liquid. This shows that Mauritian mothers knew that colostrum is the first milk produced just after delivery and was able to describe it properly. 4.2 BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES Initiation of breastfeeding 47.3% of mothers breastfed their child in less than one hour after birth as recommended by the WHO (2010) and USAID (2006) while some breastfed their child after several days. A 22% reduction in neonatal mortality was seen in rural Ghana if breastfeeding is started within the first hour after birth (Edmond et al., 2006). It was also found that early initiation of breastfeeding builds on the babys innate reflexes and babies who start breastfeeding at this time continue to breastfeed exclusively thus adopting optimal feeding. The mothers body produces the hormone while enhancing the flow of milk. The mothers commensal (normal) bacteria start colonizing the babys skin and gut thereby protecting the baby against the harmful bacteria in the environment. During this time, the baby is calmer, is in an alert state with stable breathing and heart rate. Early initiation of breastfeeding has also been shown to help reduce post-partum bleeding, a major cause of maternal mortality in developing c ountries (IBFAN-Asia, 2007). In light of these studies, mothers should be advised and encouraged to breastfeed their baby just after birth or in less than one hour after birth. 66 mothers claimed that breastfeeding must be initiated in less than one hour after birth but unfortunately only 39 of them practised it. The main barriers associated with late initiation of breastfeeding in cesarean section deliveries were the adverse effects of anesthesia on mother-infant pairs, maternal discomfort and delayed onset of lactation as stated by Emel. (2010). Exclusive breastfeeding 36.8% of mothers rightly carried out exclusive breastfeeding for six months. Exclusive breastfeeding was found to contribute to protection against common infections during infancy and to lessen the frequency and severity of infectious episodes while partial breastfeeding did not seem to provide this protective effect and this was confirmed in a research by Galanakis et al. (2010). Unfortunately very few Mauritian mothers did exclusive breastfeeding for six months. This implies that mothers introduced breast milk substitutes like for example infant formula or food items earlier in the babys diet. Stopping breast-feeding before four months and introducing solid foods were associated with overweight and obesity at three years old as reported in a study by Hawkins et al. (2009). Formula-fed babies show quicker growth rates than breast-fed babies and seem to be at a greater risk of obesity as they progress into childhood. This could be explained by arguing that a breast-fed infant has mor e control over the rate of feeding and the timing of the end of feeding while bottle-fed infant might feel pressured to take in more feed due to being led by a parent to finish the bottle as stated by Ebbeling et al. (2002). Among 51 mothers who knew that exclusive breastfeeding must be carried out for six months, only 28 of them did so. The major reason reported by mothers was insufficient milk production which was in line with the study by Petit (2008). A small group of mothers thought that breast milk did not satisfy their baby as it is easily digested as stated by Maeda et al. (2001) and that infant formula would prevent their baby from getting hungry more often. Some mothers stopped breastfeeding before six months due to fatigue, backache, nipples infection, child refuses to suckle or simply due to the easy availability of breast milk substitutes on the market. Others wanted their baby to get used to infant milk so that they can leave their baby with some family members when they had to go out or had to resume work. Complete breastfeeding 22.3% of mothers carried out breastfeeding for up to two years which shows that only a minority of mothers practiced breastfeeding for two years. However, the data showed that 17.0% of mothers carried out breastfeeding for eighteen months, 12.8% for twelve months followed by 11.7% for three months only. This was explained in terms of several reasons like inadequate amount of milk produced and baby was not receiving enough milk. Some mothers stopped breastfeeding as they wanted to get pregnant again and for aesthetic reasons. Those who work reported that they did not get breastfeeding time. Others mentioned that their infants have lost interest in nursing and their husbands had negative opinions on breastfeeding. Among the respondents, few mothers stopped breastfeeding as they had sore nipples. Others were under medication and were advised by doctors to stop breastfeeding. Certain mothers found it difficult to breastfeed their baby when they had to go out and found it more convenient to use infant formula in public places. A study claimed that the leading reason why mothers stopped breastfeeding was insufficient amount of milk produced (Hussain, 2003). Most Mauritian mothers did not breastfeed their child for two years for several reasons and this would probably had adverse health effect on the child with a reduced beneficial effect of breastfeeding to the mother herself. Weaning Weaning is the process of expanding the diet of the infant to include foods and drinks other than mothers or formula milk, to enable them to meet the extra nutritional needs for rapid growth and development (DOH, 1994).The weaning period is a crucial stage in the growth and development of the infant and child. The timing of weaning, the choice of foods, their methods of preparation, and how weanlings are fed, all affect the outcome46.5% of mothers introduced supplemental feed at six months of age. 93.0% of them introduced infant formula while others introduced mostly solid foods. It can also be seen that 29.4% of mothers started weaning before six months compared with 18.1% of mothers who began it after six months. The introduction of solid foods before 3 to 4 months were found to be associated with increased fatness and wheeze later in childhood, with an increased risk of allergy, and with higher rates of coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes in infants while the European Food Safety Authoritys panel on dietetic products, nutrition, and allergies concluded that for infants across the EU, complementary foods may be introduced safely between four to six months, and six months of exclusive breast feeding may not always provide sufficient nutrition for optimal growth and development as shown by Booth et al. (2011). Out of those 58 mothers who knew that supplemental food must be introduced at six months, 42 rightly introduced it in the babys diet at this age. At around 6-9 months changes occur in babies mouths that help them cope with the change from drinking to eating. Babies younger than this may be more at risk of choking on solid foods. For parents, leaving solid foods until around six months means less time spent preparing smooth purà ©es as babies can then cope with finger foods and lumpy foods more quickly and also fewer smelly nappies. Mothers who encourage their babies to help themselves to solid foods (an approach called baby-led weaning), rather than spoon-feeding them, say that this makes introducing solids an easier, more enjoyable and sociable experience. If breastfeeding is being continued to six months or more implies that your baby receives more antibodies and other protective factors. Giving only breast milk also means your baby is less exposed to harmful bacteria. Babies are more likely than adults to develop diarrhea and vomiting from such exposure as they have less acid in their stomachs. Early weaning is not convenient as babies do not actually produce all the enzymes needed to digest food thoroughly until they are about a year old. Under four months, any foods other than milk could put strain on the babys kidneys and the larger molecules in food are more likely to trigger an allergy. Although a baby given solids early may appear fine at the time, there are increased risks of eczema, wheezing and chest infections in childhood as suggested by NCT (2008). Others factors affecting weaning may include young maternal age, low maternal education, low socioeconomic status, absence or short duration of breastfeeding, maternal smoking, and lack of information or advice from health care in compliance with the study by Lakshman et al. (2009). Preparation of babys food at home and Use of ready-made pots 99.0% of mothers were preparing their babys food at home with 53.0% of mothers not using ready-made pots at all. This implied that among the 99.0% of mothers who were preparing their babys food at home, 40.0% of them were using ready-made pots in parallel as mothers found the cost of ready-made pots high. But due to its availability and convenience for babies, mothers tried to buy them for some meals. Therefore mothers would prepare one meal and use pots for others. Moreover, 29.4% mothers were using ready-made pots everyday while 30.4% claimed to use them rarely. The reasons for using ready-made pots rarely were due to their unaffordable price to some parents, unacceptable taste by babies, had to resume work, low freshness and less nutritious compared to ready-made pots. Mothers who prepared their babys food at home were mostly unemployed. Practice of exclusive breastfeeding and weight classification of children and BMI classification of children 35 children were exclusively breastfed for six months. From the findings, it can be seen that most of them (19) had a healthy weight represented by a percentile range which lies between 5th percentiles to less than the 85th percentile as mentioned by the CDC (2011). Also, most children had a weight of more than twice their birth weight at six months. This implied that the childs weight doubled between four to six months which tallied with the study by Mahan and Escott-Stump (2008). This indicted that exclusive breastfeeding for duration of six months did prevent excessive weight gain in children thereby protecting the children against childhood obesity. Practice on complete duration of breastfeeding with BMI classification of children Among the 21 children who were breastfed for two years, most of them had a healthy weight represented by a percentile range which lies between 5th percentiles to less than the 85th percentile. This showed that breastfeeding for two years prevents childhood obesity. However, some of the children were underweight as classified with a percentile range of less than 5th percentile. This could be explained by the fact that mothers wrongly timed the introduction of food in the babys diet or the amount and type of food given to the baby was not correct. Practice on age at which weaning started with BMI classification of children 31 children out of those 46 children who were weaned at six months had a healthy weight classified by a percentile range between 5th percentiles to less than the 85th percentile. This demonstrates that weaning at the right time prevent excessive gain of weight by children thereby preventing them from becoming obese. It was also seen that despite some mothers rightly introduced supplemental food in the babys diet, the baby was overweight as she was not breastfed. 4.3 AGE OF INTRODUCTION OF SPECIFIC FOOD ITEMS The WHO (2011) recommends that infants start receiving complementary foods at 6 months of age in addition to breast milk, initially 2-3 times a day between 6-8 months, increasing to 3-4 times daily between 9-11 months and 12-24 months with additional nutritious snacks offered 1-2 times per day, as desired. The main items that were introduced early were cow milk, mashed fruits, fresh vegetables and mashed vegetables. 61.1% of mothers introduced cows milk before 8 to 9 months as reported by CHW (2008). This was a bad practice as early introduction of cows milk is associated with an increased risk of developing Type-1 diabetes afterwards and a protein in cows milk was responsible in causing an unusual immune response as stated by Goldfarb (2008). Also, early introduction of cows milk and infant formula increases the frequency of atopic dermatitis, cow milk allergy, and wheezing in early childhood which is in line with a study by Burks et al. (2008) and IDACE (2005). Fortunately the majority of mothers (49.0%) rightly introduced infant formula in their babys diet at 6 months. Mothers introduced eggs irrespective of whether it is egg yolk, white egg or whole egg at around 9- 12 months as stated by ADC (2005) to prevent allergies. However, a study by Koplin et al. (2010) showed that introduction of cooked egg at 4-6 months of age does not increase the risk of egg allergy but can rather protect against its development. Bread was introduced earlier than recommended by 37.0% of mothers which is a bad practice. Bread is a starchy food and consists of sugars. Therefore, early introduction bread in a childs diet may lead to unusual weight gain in children. With time, the child may become overweight and obese. Research showed that overweight and obesity in children in most cases turned out to be obese adults which elevates the risk of diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and breathing problems as stated by AACAP (2010). Meat was introduced early by 40.8% of mothers. Meat is rich in saturated fats which is stored in the childs body. The digestive system of the child is affected and with time, the walls of the arteries may thicken leading to atherosclerosis together with many other chronic diseases. 20.0% of others introduced salty snacks earlier than recommended in their babys diet. Excessive salt consumption leads to storage of water in the body and affects the normal functioning of the digestive system. Afterwards, this person is more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and others health related problems. The main reason claimed by mothers for the introduction of milk and milk products were mainly as a source of calcium for the child. Other reasons include strength of bones and teeth, proper growth and development of the child. Eggs were given to children as a source of vitamin D, protein and to test for allergies. Cereal and cereal products were given as a source of carbohydrate to provide the child with adequate amount of energy to carry out his daily activities and for basal metabolism. Meat and meat products were given mostly as a source of protein and to vary the type of food the child consumes. Sweet and salty biscuits were given to children as snacks usually at tea time with a glass of milk to prevent the child from being over hungry at dinner time thereby preventing overconsumption of nutrients during the meal. The purpose of inserting fruits and vegetables in the diet is to provide the child with all the essential vitamins and to prevent constipation and other health problems related to malnutrition. Ice cream was rarely given as a dessert while custard was given to the child when he could not eat normal meals or during illnesses. With respect to my study, no problem was encountered with children. However, some children may be allergic to eggs, some specific brands of infant formula or fish while some children may suffer from cold while eating ice cream. 4.4 DETERMINATION OF THE ACTUAL BMI OF THE CHILDREN The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a childs weight and height and is used to assess obesity (CDC, 2011). The BMI of the children ranges from 12.82 to 21.33. These values were plugged on the body mass index-for-age percentiles to determine the percentile curve to which the childrens BMI tally with. Using this percentile and the data in Table 2, it can be easily seen whether the child is underweight, has a healthy weight, is overweight or is obese. The majority of children had a healthy weight compared to a small majority of children being underweight, overweight and obese. Therefore, it can be concluded that most Mauritian children had an ideal weight. 4.5 WEIGHT EVOLUTION OF CHILDREN Most children had a weight of more than twice their birth weight at six months and thrice their birth weight at twelve months. This implied that the childs weight doubled between four to six months and tripled at one year which tallied with the study by Mahan and Escott-Stump (2008). This showed that exclusive breastfeeding for six months, introduction of supplemental food at six months with continued breastfeeding till two years enable the proper growth and development of the child by preventing excess weight gain by the baby. In some cases, the childrens weight did not double at six months as they were ill and lost some weight during that period. Some children whose weights were more than thrice their birth weight were not properly breastfed. That is why their weights were higher than thrice their birth weight even though supplemental food was introduced at the right time. 4.6 CONCLUSION Breastfeeding is and will always remain the best way of feeding a child. Children who were exclusively breastfed for 6 months and were given supplemental food at this age with continued breastfeeding till 2 years were found to grow properly with a healthy weight. It was also found that those children who were not breast fed as recommended probably gained more weight despite the fact that supplemental food was introduced at the right time. Therefore, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months with the right age of introduction of complementary food in the babys diet together with prolonged breastfeeding till 2 years old is essential for the proper growth and development of a child. Mothers should be given knowledge on breastfeeding so that they can practice it in a more effective manner. 4.7 RECOMMENDATIONS Breastfeeding must be initiated within the first hour after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding should be carried out for the first six months with continued breastfeeding for two years or more, together with safe, nutritionally adequate, age appropriate, responsive complementary feeding starting in the sixth month. Mothers should be informed about the advantages of breastfeeding to both their baby and themselves Medical staffs should make mothers aware of the hazards associated with breast milk substitutes and its consequences, which may arise afterwards throughout the babys life. The weight of children must be controlled regularly to ensure that the child is growing properly i.e. to see if his weight doubles at 4-6 months and triple at around 12 months. HIV mothers must not breastfeed their child to prevent the Mother To Child Transmission (MTCT) of the virus. Advice must be given to mothers regarding the preparation of babys food at home and ready-made pots available for babies so that babies can be given more hygienic and nutritious food.

Assess the view that, in today’s society, the family losing it’s functions?

There are many sociologists who have many different views on the family and the functions that they require. For example, George Murdock and Talcott Parsons who are functionalists. The warm bath theory and feminists.A famous sociologist who looked at the family is Murdock; he thought that the nuclear family was universal. He came to believe that the family had four main functions; economic – the family pool their resources and share financial responsibility, sexual – a male and female relationship that is socially accepted within society, reproduction – spouses reproduce and have children, educational – the family learns the shared norms and values of society. This theory however has its critics, it is outdated and other structures within society, such as, banks, benefits, schools and adoption can take over to help the family perform its functions.Another functionalist is Parsons, he believed that families were to fulfil two basic irreducible functions; th e primary socialisation of children – this was important to Parsons because he thought that everyone should know the shared norms and values of society and a child begins to learn at a very young age at home. Without this there would be no consensus and without this a social life would not be possible as people would not know how to act and greet people in a respectable way. The second function is the stabilisation of adult personalities – unstable personalities can threaten the smooth-running and stability of society. Parsons believed that having a family can help support the adults and help them stay grounded.

Analysis of Health Education Pamphlet Essay

Analysis of Health Education Pamphlet: Helping Yourself Heal When Your Spouse Dies Mental health is an important component of overall healthcare, but it is often overlooked. Although society has become more aware of mental health issues, there is still a stigma perceived, and individuals are often reluctant to disclose their mental health issues for fear of rejection, prejudice or avoidance by others (Turner, 2013). Grief and the grieving process is a common aspect of mental health; this pamphlet’s target audience is individuals who have lost their partner (Wolfelt, 2011). The goal is to provide information and reassurance that their grieving is normal and necessary. The analysis of this pamphlet will include an examination of its layout appeal, content and quality of information, an assessment of the reading level and its appropriateness for the target audience, clarity, examples of health care promotion, usefulness, cultural sensitivity and competence, along with helpful tip s for self-care and health management. Layout Appeal A first glance at this pamphlet shows a soothing but attractive picture of a dandelion in full seed. The background is a muted brick red/brown, with the dandelions depicted in light blue that lighten further to bright white in the center. The title is in white with the word â€Å"Spouse† enlarged. This certainly catches one’s eye and clearly announces the target audience it intends. The interior of the pamphlet is all text but divided into titled sections of two paragraphs each. The section titles could read separately from the rest of the content and still lend insight to the reader. For example, the first four section titles are as follows: Acknowledge Your Loss, Allow Yourself to Mourn; Recognize Your Grief is Unique, and Talk Out Your Thoughts and Feelings. The background of the interior is white, the print in black, with the exception of the section titles, which are in blue ink. There are faint pictures of dandelions on the interior, carrying over the cover design. Overall it is very pleasing and attractive. Content and Quality of Information The content of this pamphlet was developed by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition and faculty at the University of Colorado Medical School’s Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Wolfelt has  written extensively on the subject of grief and loss, as well as conducting classes in the subject. Each of the titled sections is two paragraphs and covers just one aspect of grief and loss. It can be read in one sitting or one section at a time. The information of the pamphlet covers the entire grieving process and offers reassurance, comfort, and empathy without being rigid about the grieving process. It allows an individual to take in as much as they can, and then refer to the pamphlet as a reference. Reading Level/Appropriate Literacy Level Delgado and Weitzel conclude in their study on literacy of lower-income urban adults that most participants had â€Å"reading and comprehension levels at beginning high school level† (Delgado, 2013), and suggest that clients may have difficulty understanding the offered information. They recommend that printed information for the general public be written on a level to ensure comprehension by the target audience – at the 8th to 9th grade level (Delgado, 2013). The content of this pamphlet flows nicely and was analyzed using two different reading level assessment tools: ATOS (ATOS Assessment, 2014) and SMOG (SMOG Assessment Overview, 2012). The ATOS scoring placed the content of the pamphlet at the 8th grade reading and comprehension level, with the SMOG scoring slightly higher at the 9th grade reading and comprehension level. Overall, the pamphlet meets the recommendations of Delgado and Weitzel, and should be readily understandable by most adults. As this pamphlet is targeted for adults who have experienced the death of a spouse, the pamphlet is entirely appropriate in reading and comprehension levels. Clarity The target audience and intent of this pamphlet are clear from the first glance and onward. It contains concise and useful information and gentle guidance while stressing individuality. The content is written in plain language and is easily understood. Each section has a title and addresses only what the title states, creating manageable bits of information. It does not overwhelm the reader. Usefulness This pamphlet provides much useful information on the grieving process. It gives examples of the types of emotions one might experience during grief and reassures the reader that each person grieves in their own way. It gives valuable information and reassurance without becoming â€Å"preachy† and patronizing. Different aspects of grief are explored and explained, and the reader is encouraged to embrace their grief, experience it and know that to suppress the grief and emotions accompanying it can be detrimental. Cultural Sensitivity and Competence While the pamphlet does not address specific cultural differences, it does acknowledge that there are cultural differences exist. The author also encourages the reader to embrace their own cultural traditions pertaining the death, loss and grieving that will bring them and their families comfort. Helpful Tips for Self-Care and Health Management Many helpful tips are offered in this pamphlet; from acknowledging grief and mourning to finding support systems to dealing with the possessions of the deceased. The overall tone of the pamphlet is one of acceptance, reassurance, and comfort. It encourages the reader to be compassionate with oneself, to be open about the pain of loss and not to repress emotions. It also informs the reader that they will experience a range of emotions, sometimes within a short period of time, and that it is normal. This is a gentle and useful pamphlet that offers both comfort and a guideline to aid a person through the grief of the loss of their partner. Reference ATOS Assessment. (2014). Retrieved from Renaissance.com: http://www.renaissance.com/Products.Accelerated-Reader/ATOS Delgado, C. &. (2013). Reading comprehension levels in a sample of urban, low-income persons. Health Education Journal 72(3), 345-350. SMOG Assessment Overview. (2012). Retrieved from Havard.edu: http://www.cdnl.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/135/2012/09/pdfSMOGoverview Turner, R. N. (2013). Combating the mental health stigma with nostalgia. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 43(5), 413-422. Wolfelt, A. (2011). Helping yourself heal when your spouse dies. Fort Collins, CO: Companion Press.