Mms Renta a Car

M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 1 W2 APPLICATION CASE W2. 1. 1 Part 1: The Intelligence Phase ONLINE FILE W2. 1 THE MMS RUNNING CASE MMS Rent-a-Car, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has outlets at major airports and cities throughout North America. Founded by CEO Elena Markum several years ago, it has seen fast growth over the past few years, mainly because it offers quality service, fast, at convenient locations. MMS is highly competitive, able to offer cars at slightly lower rates than its competitors because most of its airport facilities are located near but not at the airport.A keen user of information systems, MMS tracks competitors’ prices, stored in a large data warehouse, through its Web-based enterprise information system portal, CLAUDIA (Come Learn About statUs for Deals and Information on Autos). CLAUDIA also tracks sales, fleet status, other internal status information, and external information about the economy and its relevant components. CLAUDIA has been a great success in keeping MMS competitive. The First Meeting Elena calls the meeting to order: ELENA: Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I’m glad that we could schedule this meeting through our new scheduling module of CLAUDIA.I know you have all read my e-mail about our latest problem—sales are off by 10 percent. Basically, this will put us in the red for the year if it continues for another 4 months. CLAUDIA’s forecasting system that links to our RMS (revenue management system) indicates that sales will continue to decrease for the next 4 months, even after we adjust prices. Folks, what’s going on? I want to know what has caused this problem, how we can fix it, and how we can prevent it from happening again. Aside from solving the problem, I want to develop some knowledge about it and use it as an opportunity to improve our business.MARLA: Frankly, Elena, I don’t understand it! I noticed a slight dip in sales 2 months ago b ut was so busy with our new fleet acquisitions that I planned to go back and look into what happened when I finished replacing the fleet later this week. I should have passed word on to our analysts to have a look back then. Sorry. ELENA: No problem, Marla. I should have noticed it myself. I’m glad you were at least aware and ready to move on it. So, we have evidence of a problem. What else do we have? S HARON : My up-to-date reports from the travel industry indicate that over the past 6 months there has been a slight increase in businessProblems Elena has called a meeting of her vice presidents to discuss a problem that she noticed yesterday while tapping into CLAUDIA. Rentals are off about 10 percent nationally from the MMS projections for last month. Furthermore, CLAUDIA’s forecasts indicate that they will continue to decrease. Elena wants to know why. This morning, the following VPs are present: Sharon Goldman, Marketing (CMO) Michael Lee, Operations (COO) Marla Da na, Fleet Acquisitions (CFAO) Tonia van de Stam, Information Systems (CIO) Mark Lams, Knowledge Systems (CKO) Jelene Thompson, Accounting (CAO) Rose Franklin, Finance (CFO) 2-1M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 2 2-2 Part II †¢ Computerized Decision Support overall. More people are flying for business meetings, conventions, trade shows, and pleasure. And the same proportion of them is renting cars in North America. This is true for all of our primary markets—major cities and airports—but not for our secondary markets in the smaller cities, where most rentals are for business. Overall, business should be up. Vacation business is up quite a bit from the central Florida theme parks advertising specials and major conventions. Both political party conventions were held in major cities.Data indicate that our rentals did not increase while the total market did. Our earlier forecasts indicated that business should have increased; our rental rates reflec t this, as does our increased fleet size, by 15 percent. The cars should be moving— but they’re not! ELENA: How about the advertising impacts? ROSE: Our financials indicate that we have been spending more on advertising in our primary markets. Yet those are where our sales are dropping fastest. JELENE: I agree. Though our records were about 3 weeks behind, now they are up-to-date, and they’ll stay up-to-date, thanks to our upgrade to CLAUDIA.I’m looking at the current data right now on our secure wireless network, and we’re definitely down. ELENA: Okay. Our advertising expenditures are up. That’s because we made that deal with GMC (Gold Motors Corporation). We just finished replacing our entire fleet with GMC cars and vans, right, Marla? MARLA: Absolutely! The cars are much more reliable and cheaper to maintain than the ones that had the transmissions burning out every 45,000 miles (72,000 km). These cars and vans are the national best-selle rs, have great reputations, and are of high quality. They have the highest safety records in most categories.All of the standard models came in first: subcompacts, compacts, mid-size, full-size, and minivans. About 6 weeks ago, we started getting in the hot new GMC Spider 1600 convertible. We have an exclusive deal on this hot little number. It looks like the sporty 1971 Fiat Spider but is built to new quality standards. It’s fun to drive—they let me have one for a year before we got the fleet in! They are expensive, and GMC owns the domestic market. We should be able to rent these out all the time. We have 5 at each agency across the country, and by year’s end we should have 10.SHARON: We got an exclusive with them for the next 3 years. They only give the fleet discount to us, we feature their cars in our advertising, and they feature us in theirs. And the Spider came to us right off the new assembly line in Pittsburgh. ELENA: I have one of the Spiders, too. So I suspect that they’re constantly rented out, aren’t they? MICHAEL: Well, no. Only about half of them are rented. The rental rates were supposed to be set pretty high, but our RMS recommends setting it at the same price as a compact. We hedged a little and set the price to about 10 percent higher.Some local agency offices are overriding the system and setting the prices 15 percent less, and they still can’t move them. ELENA : How about the other classes of cars? MICHAEL: Rentals are down about 8 percent nationally on all the other ones. E LENA : So sales are down 8 percent for everything but the Spider, and the Spider, which should be a hot seller, is off by 50 percent. I know from CLAUDIA that our inventory is okay. All the new cars came in on schedule, and we were able to sell the used cars through electronic auction sites and carmax. com. Folks, we definitely have a big problem.M ICHAEL : As COO, I see that this is primarily my problem, though all of you her e are involved. We’ve never had this happen before, so I really don’t know how to classify the problem. But I think we can get at most of the information we need. This situation is only a symptom of the problem. We need to identify the cause so we can correct the problem. I want some time to get my analysts and Tonia’s moving on it. I will need some major help from Sharon’s people, M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 3 Chapter 2 †¢ Decision Making, Systems, Modeling, and Support 2-3 and probably a bit from everyone else.Sharon and I talked before the meeting. We both have a feeling that there is something wrong with how we are marketing the new cars, but we don’t have enough information just yet to identify it. I hope that once we solve this problem, we’ll have a nice piece of strategic knowledge for Mark to put into the knowledge management system (KMS). I’ll tentatively schedule a meeting through CLAUDIA next week, as close to this time as possible, depending on people’s previous commitments. I’ll e-mail the major results as we go. I’m sure we’ll know something before the next meeting. ELENA: Thanks, Michael.Okay, folks! We know we have a serious problem. We’ve seen its effects. Michael will assume ownership and move ahead. I also want our IS analysts looking at data even before anyone requests them. That includes any weird economic trends or events—and look at the underlying structure and parameters of our forecasting models, okay, Tonia? Sharon, you look into the advertising. See if there are any external events or trends or reports on the cars that could affect our rentals. The RMS has been accurate until now. It’s been able to balance price, supply, and demand, but something happened.Thank you all and have a great day. APPLICATION CASE W2. 1. 2 Part 2: The Design Phase Later on the day of the first meeting, Michael Lee has his top anal yst, Stephanie Elberson, look into what might have happened. Michael recognized that it was too early to start looking into criteria, solutions, and more (he had studied decision making in a DSS course in his MBA program). He was still trying to understand the problem and separate the problem that could be analyzed from the symptoms. He wanted to make the connection between the two, but he felt that something was fundamentally wrong, and CLAUDIA could ot identify it. A good decision maker relies on judgment and has a good feel for what makes sense and what does not. Michael is one of the best. Stephanie put together a team of analysts and started formulating areas to investigate. One member of the team, Dot Frank, worked closely with Sharon’s analyst, Phil Abrams, to establish the accuracy of the forecasting model. Amy Lazbin, on Stephanie’s team, looked into databases of operational data available internally and economic data available through subscription services. T he latter data focused on the auto rental, automobile, and general economic areas.The analysis team initially set the data mining tools on automatic to establish relationships in the data. For the most part, Amy was able to verify most of the relationships and assumptions that were already in the forecasting models and the RMS. Nothing new popped up from the artificial neural networks, clustering analysis algorithms, and statistical regression models. The pricing model and the forecasting models were all right, though there were some new fluctuations, and the errors were higher when the team looked into how well they had performed over the past 2 months as this new problem arose.The team noticed that the neural networks outperformed the regression-based systems a bit, so they set up an information system and marketing group to look into how they could improve the regression-based models with neural networks. (This was a new opportunity, which led them to return to the intelligence p hase with a new set of issues. ) Stephanie was puzzled. She met with Michael 2 days later to discuss what she was going to do next. She also invited the marketing team and the IS team to each send someone to the meeting. Phil Abrams and Marina Laksey (from IS) joined the team at this point.The meeting was held in the electronic meeting center (EMC), where they would be able to analyze data and use the group support system (GSS). Here’s how the meeting went: STEPHANIE: Thank you all for coming today. As you know, we are working hard on the problem— or rather the symptoms—to try to get to the heart of the problem. Data mining tools helped M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 4 2-4 Part II †¢ Computerized Decision Support a bit, but there is something fundamentally wrong, and we have yet to find it. Any ideas?MARINA: Stephanie, we used the data mining tools and looked at most, if not all, of the data we normally look at. And we usually look at standard views through our spreadsheet-type interface. I know we have to look â€Å"outside the box. † First off, the four of us need to fire up our new, powerful OLAP (online analytical processing) software, DOT (Data on Time). It taps into our data warehouse and other data, but it goes beyond data mining by allowing us to poke about in the data. We just got the software in 2 weeks ago, and I have already gone through the training course.It has many of the features that CLAUDIA has, but it allows us to look into multidimensional data from any of our data sources in any â€Å"slice† we choose. It also lets us link into other databases and data marts like the one that marketing has. Let me start it up! PHIL: I agree. I learned how to use the OLAP software on my own, and I’ve developed some interesting views of our marketing data that show relationships we did not believe possible. The graphics are almost automatic. Let’s try it! The team saw the bumps in the data but had no idea what had caused them. At least they could see them.When they tapped into the advertising plans, they noticed a slight inverse relationship with sales and advertising. When they asked Phil about it, he said: PHIL: Sales dropped 2 weeks after our new jointmarketing campaign began. We heavily advertised the new cars. Every national and local TV commercial prominently displayed the Spider. We have data on that in our marketing databases. I know you don’t normally look at that. Here, let me bring them up. Hmmm! We show how much air time each commercial played where, and what was in them. Let me do a little slicing and aggregating here. Aha! I see. We are mostly advertising the cars nationally.Sales are very weak in primary markets, but they’re also a bit weak in secondary markets. Ah! Ah! Ah! One problem we have is distribution. We have over half the cars in the wrong places. We need to move all the Spiders from the secondary markets to the primary markets. But I think we have another problem: The pricing, supply, and demand data that we are using to predict rentals don’t make sense. The car officially has an â€Å"insurance† back seat, so it is a fourpassenger car. But you’d be lucky to get a carryon suitcase back there. Since we didn’t have data on it, someone in our group entered it as a four-seat compact with two doors.The system thinks it is a car ideal for a small family or a single businessperson on a budget. These rent well in the Midwest in the secondary markets but badly in the convention areas, where there are men who are going through their midlife crises and single women who like to rent sporty cars. We have a lot of analyses to do here on where we are advertising what. I’m not sure who rents what where, but I suspect that we can target our ads better once we determine our market clusters—like males in Nebraska, 45 years old, traveling to San Diego for trade conferences.We have the data; we just need to apply them better. MICHAEL: Hold on. Before I start moving cars around, we need to analyze this a bit more. We’ve never had a car like the Spider, so we need to investigate its properties and which categories of customers would ideally want it. Part of the solution jumped at us. But what are we trying to do? If I remember correctly, a few years ago we ran a â€Å"try before you buy† promotion in conjunction with our previous car supplier. People could rent our excess stock on our off-days for half the rental rate for up to 3 days.If they bought the car from a dealer in the area, they got the rental price back. If not, they had fun with the car. It worked well. We noticed that people who liked the car they rented had a tendency to rent them again, especially in our primary markets. We have a lot to look into. I want to recap what we have. We know that our goal is to maximize net profit. This is clearly our principle of choice. We need to come up with criteria that describe the impact of alternatives and determine how they affect our bottom line. Our RMS sets prices so that we can ideally do that.We have some errors in our marketing database; we must rethink how we advertise and how we distribute our stock. Okay. I’ll meet with the VP team in a couple of days. I’m going to e-mail them information about what we’ve uncovered and where to M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 5 Chapter 2 †¢ Decision Making, Systems, Modeling, and Support 2-5 find the data. First I’ll talk to Sharon so she can get busy with some ideas on marketing. At a Meeting 2 Days Later: Same Place, Same People S TEPHANIE : Good morning. Those of us in the trenches think we’ve got it! Here’s what’s going on.We have several problems, each of which we have developed some alternatives for. We’re going to discuss what we think are the best ones for each situation. Some we can im plement right away; others will take some time. Let’s start with our objective: to maximize profit. Our principle of choice is profit maximization. This part of the problem was easy. Our RMS recognizes this and adjusts prices automatically to maximize profit on an annual basis. There are some errors in the price elasticity curve for the Spider, but, in general, the real question now is how to manage demand.Our advertising influences demand, as does our inventory. We need for the right product to appeal to the right customers. There are many criteria that we need to measure, from quality to color to size, and customer service, car availability, and so on, in terms of how they affect rentals. We are doing this, but need to do a better job of it in order to track our rentals. We have a team analyzing this right now. In a few weeks, they will have some concrete recommendations for system upgrades to the RMS. Our symptoms indicate the following real problems and alternatives, amon g hich we can choose: †¢ Data accuracy. We need to change the profile of the Spider from a compact to a sports car. We need to develop the RMS profile from what little data we’ve got. Fortunately, we can tap into market data that our faculty consultants at the University of Georgia (UGA) have gathered for us in their research. One of the faculty members drives a Spider as well. †¢ Inventory imbalance. We have done some analysis to determine what the real demand for the Spider is, how it affects the demand for other cars, and vice versa. We built an optimization model and solved it. Based on our urrent advertising, we have determined that by moving about 15 percent of our fleet around (and not too far), we can take care of most of the demand imbalance. We recommend moving all the Spiders from secondary to primary markets right away. We also want to move some of our minivans and full-size cars around. Later, we can adjust advertising to push some secondary market dema nd. †¢ Advertising imbalance. We advertise where our customers are, but they rent elsewhere, and for different reasons. We need to do a better job of identifying customer homes to determine what to advertise where.Our analysis shows rentals are off partly because we indicate that we have the Spider. Young to middle-aged men and single women want to rent it, but we stock out where they are going. For example, we discovered that middle-aged men and women from the Midwest rent compacts in the secondary Midwest markets, but those in the primary markets on the coasts want to rent the Spider. We are still analyzing effects like this and should be able to complete the work in about a week to determine how to realign our advertising efforts. †¢ â€Å"Try before you buy. † This actually is an opportunity, not a problem.When we saturate Spider demand in primary markets, we should get some additional Spiders in the secondary markets and reestablish the â€Å"try before you bu y† campaign. This car will be a real boon in this effort. Sharon’s group has already established a cooperative agreement with GMC. They’re interested, and it should boost our profitability on these cars by 18 percent. †¢ Discount substitutes. We discovered that many customers called or got on our Web site to rent the Spider. When they found out that we didn’t have one for them, rather than rent a different car, many were so annoyed that they rented a car from one f our competitors, usually a Toyota MR-2. This happened in almost all of our primary markets. In our secondary markets, people really didn’t want the Spider but instead wanted full-size cars. Because our advertising features the Spider, they â€Å"forgot† that we rent other cars as well. Actually, we forgot to remind them. Our advertising is backfiring on us. We should immediately M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 6 2-6 Part II †¢ Computerized Decision S upport discount substitutes for the Spider until we get the Spiders in place next week. †¢ Florida theme park demand.We have a unique opportunity here. Florida theme parks have been advertising heavily in Europe because the euro is strong relative to the dollar. We must increase advertising in Europe either with the theme parks or separately. Phil is confident that we can run a joint campaign. Marketing will look into this and how we might be able to get customers to pay in advance in euros. To do this, we may need to move minivans to Florida from as far away as Tennessee. What it boils down to is that we want to be more aggressive in balancing our stock to meet demand and tie this into the RMS and advertising.We also want to refine our advertising model to handle new types of cars, like sports cars, and update demand data more frequently. Michael, this is what we want to present to the VPs on Monday. Is that okay? MICHAEL: Perfect! We have identified the real problems and have good alternatives. I really appreciate the completed staff work. If this all works out, the end-of-the-year bonuses for this team should be excellent. Let’s go have lunch! I’m buying! APPLICATION CASE W2. 1. 3 Part 3: The Choice Phase Monday’s Meeting: With All Vice Presidents, Stephanie, and Her Team ELENA : Thank you again for coming.Stephanie, Michael tells me you’re on to something. Let’s hear what you have to say. STEPHANIE: Well, we think we’ve discovered what to do. But first let me outline what the real problems are and some suggested solutions and why these are appropriate solutions. Next Stephanie essentially outlines the details from the meeting described in Part 2 of the Running Case. There is a little discussion to clarify a few points: ELENA: Amazing. I’m glad Mark recommended acquiring DOT 3 months ago. Though expensive, it’s already paid off. Can you get me specifics on the bottom line for each alternative? STE PHANIE: Not accurate ones for each just yet.Some will take up to a couple of weeks. We do have estimates on all of them. Here are the results in my PowerPoint presentation. ELENA: Hmmm. Okay. I want those data on the Spider updated immediately—and some of them moved to where they’ll rent. MARLA: It’s already done. I took steps right away once Michael told me what happened. After all, it’s my responsibility. I already gave some updated data to IS. They’ve adjusted the RMS. Preliminary data indicate that they have improved our profitability already. In a couple of markets where it was relatively inexpensive, I have moved some cars around based on the DSS model’s recommendation.It worked! I think we should make the major changes recommended by the solution to the model. My estimates, just from these few markets, are that it will work just as the model predicts. SHARON: We’re looking into how to modify our marketing and tie it into the RM S. We’re also running models on how European marketing should work. We’ll know in a week what to do. ELENA: Excellent! Here’s where we stand. We’re going to adjust the profile data of the Spider and all models frequently, move cars around, and discount substitutes until we can get the imbalance fixed.We’ll decide on what to do about the other issues after the rest of the analysis is completed. M02_TURB7293_09_SE_WC02. 1. QXD 12/22/09 2:38 PM Page 7 Chapter 2 †¢ Decision Making, Systems, Modeling, and Support 2-7 APPLICATION CASE W2. 1. 4 Part 4: The Implementation Phase The implementation of the first couple decisions was relatively easy. Transport vehicles were rented, and cars were moved. Discounts were easy to establish for substitute cars because this could be done as routinely as when there was a normal stockout.A customer would first be offered the opportunity to upgrade. If the customer turned it down, the upgrade would be offered free. This worked 95 percent of the time, even in the case of the Spider. Sales were up, and the company was projected to be profitable with these small changes. Elena got the results of the additional analyses. They all made sense. She decided, with the advice of her VPs and the analysts, to go ahead with all the recommendations, but she held back on European marketing until a presence in Europe could be established in major markets.The â€Å"try before you buy† campaign would be started once there were 15 Spiders in each of most of the major markets and 3 in each secondary market. She also approved adding new data and features to CLAUDIA. When the advertising effort was refined and tied to the RMS, profits soared. Every member of Stephanie’s team and all the VPs involved got a generous end-of-year bonus, an extra week’s vacation, and a gift of a free GMC Spider. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION MMS ran into new problems when it changed its fleet.CLAUDIA was not equipped to h andle new cars that were unlike others from past experience, and it did not track events as well as trends. Simon’s (1977) four phases of decision making, along with feedback, were followed, even though the problems were not really identified in the first phase. Successful problem solving was ultimately accomplished using Web-based DSS. Case Questions 1. What is meant by a symptom versus a problem? Relate these ideas to the case. 2. Why is problem ownership so important? 3. Even though the problem was not identified at the end of the intelligence phase, what was? . How was the design phase performed in this case? 5. The choice phase seemed like a combination of design, choice, and implementation. Is this a problem? 6. The implementation phase seemed to involve elements of all the phases. Is this a problem? 7. How were new problems or opportunities handled as they arose? 8. Why do you suppose some alternatives were either modified or postponed? Source: This fictional decision- making case is loosely based on several real situations. Thanks to Professor Elena Karahanna at the University of Georgia for inspiring it.

Vacant Chapter 9 Love

The words are ringing in my ears: â€Å"I love you.† It occurs to me I may have misheard. It's the only possible explanation. â€Å"So, you're okay? Don't listen to those girls, Emily.† I'll just pretend those three little words aren't hanging in the air – regardless of whether they were actually said. â€Å"Ethan, did you hear what I just said?† What do I say? I have no idea how to approach this, so I just stare at her wide-eyed. After a few moments, I feel warmth creeping up my thigh and realize its Emily's hand. At first, it's an attempt to get my attention, but as her hand ascends, I realize the intent is not so innocent. â€Å"We have to go. It's time to go,† I say, stilted, like Rain Man talking about his Kmart underwear. I grip the steering wheel for dear life because if I don't, the car and my life will go careening into the abyss. I've spent all this time convincing myself that Emily and I could never be anything but friends. Knowing that she may feel the same about me as I feel about her will complicate things, and I suddenly feel trapped. It's so quiet as we drive, that I hear a small plinking that would go unnoticed otherwise, but as I near the duplex, the sound the car is making increases. I briefly wonder if it's because the plink is getting worse or the quiet is just so intense. I make a mental note to find the origin of the plinking before putting too many more miles on the car. I should be thinking about the woman sitting next to me and her recent declaration instead of small pings, but I'm not†¦ I can't. If I do†¦ no. I can't think. I'm not even sure how I get here, but I'm sitting in the middle of my bed, having an argument with myself. It's no surprise that I'm winning. â€Å"She told you she loves you.† â€Å"She says she loves to cook. She loves lots of things.† â€Å"She's in there and you're in here.† â€Å"You really need to clean the ceiling fan blades.† I can't help but roll my eyes at myself. When I finally exit my room, the apartment is dark and quiet. Emily is asleep on the couch with a tight grip on the blankets. Little does she know she's gripping at my heart the same way. The notebook on the side table catches my eye, and I can't help but snoop. As I near it, I see there are several wads of paper strewn across the floor – discarded because they weren't perfect. The top piece, still clinging to life in its spiral bindings, is flawless. Dear Ethan – Sitting down to write this, I've never felt more like a young girl than I do right now. For the past two years, I've looked at you every day in hopes that someday – you'd feel for me, what I feel for you. But now I see that we perceive different things regarding our relationship. Maybe it could be classified on my part as hero worship, but I'd like to think I'm smarter than that. I think I know the difference between infatuation and love. I know there is a difference in our ages, but who cares? My heart has no idea how old your heart is. I just know that if I don't tell you, it will fester inside me, and I'll die a slow painful death. I've only ever loved my mom and never really knew what it was like to care for another person until I met you. I didn't fall in love with you that first day, but after many months of learning to appreciate your care and concern, I could see how kind your soul – your whole being is. That's when I knew another kind of love existed. It isn't the type of love between family members, or a crush, but a true love that is unconditional and lasting, a love that I can no longer hide. I know you probably don't return these feelings, but I couldn't go another second without you knowing. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable, and I'll find another place to live if you feel like we can no longer be friends. Love always, Emily I tightly clutch the notebook page in my hand. How can she do this to me? Doesn't she know what she's done? No†¦ it's not right. Not now, and without any further thoughts, I'm out the door.

“Philosophers”, “architects”, “dreamy professors” Essay

These epithets are most often used to describe the INTP personality type. INTPs love theories and believe that everything can be analyzed and improved. They are not that concerned about the real world and practical things – from the INTPs’ perspective, it is often less exciting than ideas and intellectual pursuits. People with this personality type have no difficulties noticing patterns where others cannot – this makes them brilliant theorists and analysts. The accumulated knowledge is the most valued asset of any INTP. Imagine an immensely complicated clockwork which is constantly absorbing, processing and generating all kinds of theories – this is how the INTP mind works. People with the INTP personality type possess the most logically precise mind of all personality types – they can easily notice even the tiniest discrepancies between two statements, no matter how much time would have passed in between. It is a bad idea to lie to an INTP. They ma y appear dreamy sometimes, but this is not because their mind is resting – quite the opposite. INTPs are enthusiastic and impartial when it comes to dealing with problems – they drill through the details and then develop a unique approach and ultimately a viable solution. INTPs are usually very intelligent and insightful people, able to remain unbiased in any situation. They absolutely love new ideas and theories and would never miss an opportunity to discuss them with other people – however, this never-ending thinking process also makes them look somewhat pensive and detached, as INTPs are perfectly able to conduct full-fledged debates in their own heads. People with this personality type may also find it quite difficult to explain their thoughts to others, even when it becomes obvious that their theories are not easily graspable. INTPs may also move on to another topic before their co-workers or partners have figured out what the INTP wanted to say. INTPs cannot stand routine work – they would much rather tackle a difficult theoretical problem. INTP personalities really have no limits when it comes to theoretical riddles – if there is no easy solution and the topic is interesting enough, an INTP can spend ages trying to come up with a solution. INTP personalities are usually very shy and reluctant when it comes to meeting other people. However, INTPs can also be very friendly and confident when they interact with people they know well or talk about things that interest them. INTPs are flexible and relaxed in nearly all situations,  except when their beliefs or logical conclusions are being criticized. In those cases, the INTP is likely to become very defensive and argue tirelessly. Sharing many personality traits with other T types, INTPs do not really understand or value decisions based on feelings or subjective opinions. In their opinion, the only good solution is the logical solution – INTPs do not see a point in using emotional arguments. Such an approach preserves the â€Å"sanctity† of their intellectual method; however, this also makes it difficult for INTP personalities to understand other people’s feelings or satisfy their emotional needs. Individuals with the INTP personality type are likely to be very open-minded and even eccentric. These traits, combined with their capacity for in ventiveness and original thought, make up a very Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken depends on your frame of reference. Albert Einstein  powerful mix – it is not surprising that INTPs are responsible for many scientific discoveries. An INTP is unlikely to care much about social expectations and the â€Å"usual† goals such as job security – however, they will do their best to find an environment where their creative genius and potential can be expressed. One of the few bottlenecks that INTPs impose upon themselves is their restless fear of possible failure. No other personality type worries that much about missing a piece of the mental puzzle or overlooking some crucial fact that might lead to a better solution. Unlike their more confident INTJ or ENTJ cousins, INTPs could spend ages reflecting on their actions. Even when an INTP is arguing with someone, this should be taken with a grain of salt – they might as well be arguing with their own mind. If you would like to learn more about the INTP personality type and its traits, download the INTP In-Depth Profile – a 6 0+ page guide covering a number of diverse topics.

Advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites Term Paper

Advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites - Term Paper Example Social network sites are web-based services that enable an individual to create a public or a semi-public profile inside a bounded system,communicate with other users by sharing a connection with them,and view as well as traverse their and also those created by others list of connections . Since the beginning, social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Cyworld, LinkedIn and others have fascinated millions of users, a number of whom have incorporated these networking sites into their every day life. These SNSs have transcended beyond global borders and have spread across in several forms, supporting an extensive range of practices as well as interests. The key technological features provided by these sites have been observed to be quite consistent, but the culture that generally emerges around the SNSs is primarily varied. These sites enable people to connect with strangers as well as known individual by the virtue of shared interests as well as activities and pol itical views. A few sites cater to varied audiences, whereas others draw people based on shared sexual, racial, religious as well as national identities or common languages. These social networking sites vary in the level up to which they include new communication and information tools, such as blogging, mobile connectivity, and photo or video sharing (Boyd & Ellison, â€Å"Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship†). According to a study conducted by ECAR Research Study (2008), it was found that SNSs were particularly well-liked among the under-graduates. Facebook was observed to be the social networking site of choice among the majority of respondents. The data also found that around 85.1% of the respondents were users of SNSs. Therefore, the attraction towards social networking sites is undeniable. The prime advantage that these sites provide is related to getting as well as staying in touch (Educause Center for Applied Research, â€Å"Social Networking S ites†) The social networking sites provide advantages for the business organizations as they can use flash advertisements of their products in order to capture the attention of varied users while they browse these SNSs. Thus, it provides a creative selling opportunity for the users. In terms of cost-benefit point of view, the advantages that this kind of advertisement provides to business organizations are immense. As compared to other media, this method of advertising is quite cost-effective for the businesses. It also provides a scope to target large consumer segment that are present in different parts of the world. Therefore, from the business’ point of view SNSs provides a unique opportunity to showcase their offerings to people (Oracle ThinkQuest, â€Å"Why Use Networking Sites?†). The SNSs provide people with an opportunity to create as well as maintain relationships, gather information on various subjects; provides an opportunity to contribute and also par ticipate in various social issues and causes, and enables professional networking which is invaluable for a jobseeker as well as employer. SNSs also enable newscasters to keep the users aware of the recent events. The sharing of knowledge and experience can be invaluable though SNSs as users belonging to different fields such as education, medicine, finance, technology and others can advice people regarding their queries on public forums (Boise Public Library, â€Å"Tweeting Isn’t Just for the Birds†). The social networking sites enable political organizations to be in contact directly with the public in more personal way. This makes these political organizations more reachable, personable, as well as comprehending with regard to the individuals that generally follow their activities or participate in them. As the SNSs are spread across the global arena,

Contemporary corporate governance issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Contemporary corporate governance issues - Essay Example The emergence of the concept shareholders value arose from the concept of separation of ownership and control which is also known as fragmentation of ownership. The concept focussed on how the owners of the company usurp the company’s profits for personal interest. The concept of shareholders emerged to enhance the betterment of the company. The relationships between the banks and the companies in UK prevented concentrated share ownership of certain companies in UK. The prevalent laissez –faire policy in the UK focussed on the non economic interest of the company and wanted to underpin the emerging corporate economy. There were sudden changes in the policies of the company where there was minimum government intervention and the concept of shareholders value evolved. The concept revolved around the fact that individual private owners of the company are the shareholders of the company, and managers have to act in accordance with their decisions. Whenever shareholders were unavailable for decision making in a meeting, the managers of the company would make the decisions on the shareholders behalf (European Investment Bank, 2012c). This ensured that the divergence between the interests of shareholders and managers did not become too extreme. The modern day business practices regard shareholders as the owners of the company. They usually buy the shares of the company (European Investment Bank, 2012a). There is no specific amount of shares that need to be bought in order to become a shareholder of the company. Shareholders can exercise their voting rights in the company. There are some exceptions, like the Kuala Lampur Stock Exchange prohibits the shareholders from exercising their voting rights. Shareholders regard the annual meeting as a serious event as they can question the management regarding issues which are pertaining to the company and are included and excluded in the annual report.

Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Essay

Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse - Essay Example Information is powerful. It can have devastating effects if it is not handled with the necessary caution. In the case of the collapsed Chilean mine, the people involved had diversity, (O’Rourke, 2010). They happened to come from different backgrounds, beliefs and culture. This means they receive information differently. Some can become extremely frightened the mere thought that their loved ones, friends and relatives might die (BBC news, 2010). The company had to bear a lot with this disaster that took place. This involved keeping the families of the miners calm and fully assured that their interests are going to be taken care of. This had to be a message of hope and patience against a precise enthusiastic mainstream media which presented raw information to the audience. The employees too were totally scared of losing their colleagues. They were expecting an exceptionally strong assurance from the mining company, as well. This left the copper mining company with the responsibility of knowing how to regulate the release of communication and how much information to release to both the relatives and the employees. The company needed to establish communication between families and the employees. The families needed to know whether their relatives handled enough food and other resources. They needed someone to assure them that enough was being done to rescue them, (BBC news, and 2010). At the same time, they wanted commitment b y the company that all of their relatives would be rescued alive. The company needed to sound more convincing that the mainstream media. This is because the media did was doing sensational reporting without paying much attention to the plight of families and employees. The media were also looking for whom to blame which deed little to address the need of the families. The company needed to communicate with the relatives of the tapped employees, detailing how it was going to meet the needs of the trapped copper

Helper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Helper - Assignment Example While in the past, the Port of Savannah was boosted by the export of American goods such as â€Å"flax, silk and cotton to Europe and the rest of the world† (Machalaba n. p.), at present, the port is now revitalized by ships that bring Asian goods deep into the American continent. The second important point is that economic activity in Savannah is such an important economic hub for the region, generating almost 120,000 jobs (Machalaba n. p.). The third point is that Savannah also benefitted from the booming port industry in the U.S., given that other busy ports, such as those of Los Angeles and Long Beach cannot handle the volume of business anymore (Machalaba n. p.). Another alarming point is that half of the retail goods that Americans consume come through ports, imported from Asian countries (Machalaba n. p.). Finally, businessmen of Savannah pins their hopes for the continued surge of Savannah on wooing big box retailers (Machalaba n. p.). Works Cited Machalaba, Daniel. â €Å"How Savannah Brought New Life to Its Aging Port.† logisticsatlanta.com. Logistics Atlanta, n. d. Web. 27 May 2011.

SWOT Analysys Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SWOT Analysys - Coursework Example The legendary growth of the organization is manifested in extending the scope of operations into more than 220 countries world wide with 300,000 employees working through four specifically defined lines of operations: express, freight forwarding, supply chain and mail. In 2002, DHL was consolidated and owned by Deutche Post World Net but retained the famous corporate and brand name. The mission of DHL is to provide excellent customer service in the field of international express transport and logistics and to achieve is goal of being the logistics company of the world (DHL: Strategy, 2011, par. 2). Management strives to achieve this mission by adhering with strict standards of quality and ethical responsibility of preserving and protecting the environment as they utilize various resources effectively and efficiently. II. Organizational Strengths and Weaknesses A. Competent Leadership and Managerial Expertise One of the strengths of DHL is its pool of competent, qualified and diverse leaders who are deemed experts in their respective fields of endeavor. This is a distinctive competence because as it operates in various parts of the world, strong leadership drive and potentials are honed through various incentives and strategies that promote â€Å"self-initiative among our employees through such activities as idea management, reward individual performance and attach great importance to team spirit. The First Choice Program, a critical pillar of our growth strategy, is designed to achieve systematic performance improvements at the interface with the customer† (DHL: The Group, 2011, par. 1). By motivating, developing and maintaining its diverse pool of personnel, their skills are effectively harnessed towards achievement of its corporate mission and goals. B. The Ability to Steer Growth in Strategic Locations DHL had been successful in identifying strategic locations around to world to expand its operations on a global scale. The study conducted by FAI Consu lting Services (2009) revealed that â€Å"the company has employed cross-functional teams around the world to plan, design, and manage facilities† (par. 4). In a span of 4 decades, the number of global partners dramatically increased by enhancing â€Å"its expertise by purchasing other leading logistics companies, e.g. 1999 acquisition of Danzas, 2004/2005 acquisition of 88 percent of shares of Indian express company Blue Dart, end of 2005 acquisition of Exel† (DHL: Facts and Figures, 2010, par. 6). C. Tendency for Complacency A study written by Apostolopoulos, et.al. (1998) indicated that there is an eminent weakness facing corporate employees as they manifest tendencies for complacency. The rationale for this is the market leadership prominently gained by DHL over the years. The exemplary working environment accorded personnel job satisfaction level that gave them benefits they deemed were more than expected and therefore should not be challenged nor disrupted. The o rganization can minimize this weakness through more challenging performance evaluation and appraisal programs that gauge their work attitude and apply appropriate sets of rewards and penalties as deemed necessary. 2. Discuss how the organization can minimize this weakness. D. Reported Poor Customer Service In sites that reveal customer complaints, DHL customers were objecting the poor customer service manifested

Money, Banking, and Financial Markets Assignment - 1

Money, Banking, and Financial Markets - Assignment Example 3). Around the world key indexes are on the rise, fuelled by the reduction in the benchmark interest rates by the Central Bank of China (The Globe and Mail Par. 4). The Eurozone has also announced it is acquiring assets in a move to bolster the economy of that region (The Globe and Mail Par. 4). The Canadian dollar is growing against other currencies, and there is an expectation that there will be an increase in Interest Rates by the Bank of Canada to reflect on the new levels of inflation. Moves made by the Government have situated Canada as an inexorably appealing spot to open and develop a business. A solid and aggressive business environment, thusly, helps the economy develop (The Globe and Mail Par. 4), makes new occupations and raises our expectation for everyday life. The Government has conveyed duty decreases totaling more than $60 billion to occupation making organizations from 2008–09 through 2013–14 (Bankofcanada.ca Par. 23). To build business investment and enhance gainfulness, the government general corporate pay assessment rate was diminished to 15 for every penny in 2012 from 22.12 for every penny in 2007 (Bankofcanada.ca Par. 23), including the disposal of the corporate surtax in 2008 for all organizations. In recognition of the especially unsafe impact that capital expenses have on business investment, the government capital expense was killed in 2006. The Government likewise gave an interim money related motivating force to urge the prov inces to dispose of their general capital expenses (Bankofcanada.ca Par. 24). The last commongeneral capital duty was dispensed with in 2012. To empower the development of little organizations by abandoning them with duty funds that can be held and reinvested in the business, the little business assessment rate was decreased to 11 for every penny in 2008, and the measure of wage qualified for

Technological Achievements that Led to FISMA and COPPA Essay

Technological Achievements that Led to FISMA and COPPA - Essay Example This can be seen clearly from the enactment of various legislations that are aimed at protecting security and privacy such as the Federal Information Systems Management Act (2002) and the Children’s Online Privacy protection act (1998). FISMA and technological advancement leading to its creation FISMA in general aims at mandating basic security standards for government information technology systems. It requires that government agencies detect and report security vulnerabilities in computer systems. It also requires of them to improve the information security framework that is the plan of how they will improve the networks and finally the act includes a set of directives that govern agencies’ security responsibilities and how to adhere to the law (NIST, 2002). There are a few advances in information technology that resulted in the formation of this act. The first advancement is the move from mainframe computers to networked computing. The mainframes were originally larg e machines used for processing data by the federal government. Most of these were stand alone and therefore the risk of accessing information was greatly reduced. The move to networked computing where agencies could share information over a network increased the risk of exposing information to unauthorized persons. Secondly it also increased the chances of the computers being hacked into and data being used for malicious purposes. These advancements therefore led to ethical issues such as privacy and security concerns that had to be addressed necessitating the creation of this act (Dark, 2010). The second advancement was the move from the networked machines between government agencies to the internet. Networked computing enabled agencies to share information whereas the internet enabled agencies and individuals to access basic services online without having to go to the government offices. With this move privacy and security concerns increased as government departments became prone to cybercrimes such as the hacking of websites and this meant someone could hack into a government website, modify information or even collect information from citizens and use it for malicious purposes. Such necessitated regulations to be enacted to ensure that government information as well as individual privacy is protected (Dark, 2010). COPPA and technological advancements leading to its creation The second act, the COPPA act in general aims to give parents the control over what information is gathered from their children who are below the age of 13 online. The dynamic nature of the internet necessitated the creation of this act which applies to operators of commercial websites and online services that collect make use of or disclose personal information from children under the age of 13.it is also directed at operators of general audience websites and online services that know they are collecting, making use of or disclosing information that is of personal nature from children under the age of 13. It requires operators to issue comprehensive privacy policies, provide parents with notices for consent, provide parents access to information collected from children, give parents authority to prevent further use of internet and ensure confidentiality security and the integrity of information they have

Analysis of Using Feedback Loops to Explain the Circadian Oscillator Assignment

Analysis of Using Feedback Loops to Explain the Circadian Oscillator in Drosophila Paper - Assignment Example However, there is a considerable delay between when the peak levels of the per and tim mRNA are synthesized and when per and tim levels reach peak production late in the evening. The reason for this is the phosphorylation that destabilizes the PER, causing it to undergo dimerization with TIM. This occurs in the nucleus. There is little that is known with regards to how dClk mRNA is regulated. Previous studies have found low quantities of dClk mRNA in Drosophila that do not have functioning PER and TIM, indicating that PER and TIM are also responsible for activating dClk. This study involved measuring the levels of dClk mRNA levels in various mutant gene combinations. The results showed that the mutant genes did not display highly varying quantities of dClk mRNA over the circadian clock (Glossop, Lyons, and Hardin). The lack of dClk-dependent-PER alongside the relatively high levels of dClk mRNA proves that PER-dependent dClk is not activated by localization of an activator in the nucleus. mRNA quantities in the dClk mutants were measured to prove that the activation of dClk was not as a result of PER-TIM dimmers being formed due to low quantities of per and tim in dClk mutants. Results from this measurement found that the levels of dClk mRNA were almost similar to the peak level of dClk mRNA found in wild flies, proving that dClk is activated by PER-TIM via derepression. The negative feedback loop can be used to explain the observations made above. In this, the formation of PER-TIM dimers leads to sequestering of dCLK-CYC dimers that in turn hinder the CLK-CYC from functioning properly. This ultimately causes the derepression of dClk transcription. The reduction of PER-TIM quantities in the early hours of the morning causes dimerization of dCLK-CYC. These dimers cause repression of dClk, resulting in a reduction of dClk mRNA levels by the time the day ends.

Tylenol Murders Essay Example for Free

Tylenol Murders Essay 1. If Johnson Johnson had decided to â€Å"tough out† the first reports of the deaths instead of recalling the product things would have gone differently for the company. Their customers would have felt like they were betrayed because the company didn’t do anything about the deaths. It was their job to make sure the product was not the only reason for the deaths and to also reassure their costumers that the capsules are safe to take. 2. They did a good job in responding to the first round of Tylenol murders. They could have giving a press release explaining how the Tylenol capsules were not the only factor for the murders, or showing the process of how the capsules are made and each ingredient that goes into them. 3. Tylenol has been in the business for a long time. If they proved that their capsules weren’t the cause of the murders I don’t see any problem in them reintroducing extra-strength Tylenol. In my opinion, they should have waited a certain period of time to take them out in the market again. Everyone was still trying to see the factors of the murders and having the company reintroducing the product rapidly was not such a good idea. 4. I think they did a good job by removing it fast because in that way the consumers could see that the company cared about them. If they had left the products on the shelves like if nothing had happened, then there would have been more chaos. People would judge Tylenol to the extremes and would not take them serious again since they didn’t do anything about it. 5. Johnson Johnson handled the public properly. The people in charge of the company addressed the media immediately and tried to do the best they could to stop the crisis. It was a good move to use the media as a weapon and because of that they were able to find a solution. 6. The media was pretty helpful when the Tylenol crises occurred. They responded to each of their messages and gave them the solution they needed. If the crises occurred today everything would have been worst. There is much more criticism nowadays than before. Tylenol’s prestige and reputation would have been ruined forever. No one would trust them because I am sure the media would have giving them the worst criticism ever. 7. These sections demonstrate how Johnson Johnson are interest in the safety of their customers. They want the best for them and want to help them in any way they can. They have these sections to show how they want their product to be the best and see the reaction they get from their customers. If a new health scares appears again, they would manage it much better. Now they have everything to prove that they want to satisfy their customers and not harm them. Also they are move involved with the public and are much more concerned with what they produce, so a new scandal would be strange.

Intervention and Rehabilitation for Sexual Abuse Trauma

Intervention and Rehabilitation for Sexual Abuse Trauma Presenting Problem The case is about an adult woman’s struggle to get over her trauma for the sexual abuse she suffered in her childhood. Apparently, her painful memories of such a traumatic experience were triggered when she and her workmates visited a friend’s farm in the country. While in the farm, she had flashes of her painful childhood memories which she thought she has forgotten over the years. However, the sights, smells, sounds, etc. of the farm only made the flashbacks more vivid. Sherry was only four years old when her grandfather began sexually molesting her in his barn. He did this to her until she was nine years old when she and her family had to move to another city due to her father’s employment. Sherry used to adore her grandfather because he brought her on trips around the country side and had ready treats for her every time she and her parents came to visit him and her grandmother. It is in the barn when he would sexually abuse her in the guise of pretend play. Sherry did not enjoy that kind of play at all and felt uncomfortable with her grandfather’s touch. Even if she was already toilet trained, she would sometimes soil her underwear in the hope that her grandfather will not rape her. Although he told her that it was their secret and she was not supposed to tell anyone, she tried to tell her mother when she was five years old, and in response, she was spanked, in the belief that she was lying. She never told anyone again. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (1969) is one theory that explains the development of attachment of children to their significant others. It posits that a person’s real relationships in the earliest stages of life shape his or her survival functions as he or she grows and develops throughout the life span. To Sherry, her attachment relationships to both her grandfather and mother may have been shattered by her disappointment in them. Ringel (2012) contends that children like Sherry develop disorganized attachments alternating between ambivalent and avoidant behaviors as well as dissociative behaviors like freezing and repetitive behavior. The dissociative processes used by the child have been developed from his or her dysregulated, traumatic interactions with the people they are attached to. These provide protection from overwhelming and unacceptable affects like being fearful or angry towards the significant other. Dissociation can also mean adopting alternate and disconnec ted identities, developing bodily sensations and conflicts in relationships. The individual may realize that such dissociative behavior is very unlike his or her character (Ringel, 2012). In Sherry’s case, if she developed dissociative behaviors (such as soiling her underwear when she was with her grandfather), it was to cover up the fear and anger she keeps for her grandfather, who violated her, and her mother, who did not believe her and instead, rejected her. Trauma theories point to the victim trying to control the resurfacing of the memory of the painful event and stashing it away in some part of the brain to enable him/her to focus on living day to day. However, such memories can still be triggered by physical factors from the environment causing the individual to react physically to the memory, be it conscious or not. Nonverbal messages are conveyed by facial, gestural body language (Jacobs, 1994). Recently, with the old pain being resurrected, Sherry always felt stressed out. She would feel palpitations and sudden episodes of intense fear that makes her unable to concentrate on her work. She also felt worthless, as if she is â€Å"damaged goods†. Her self-esteem became so affected that she feels she has lost the former confidence she exuded. She does not feel like socializing with others and would rather be alone. That was the reason why she sought professional help. Proposed Intervention In designing the most appropriate intervention for Sherry, who has been through such an intense trauma and is in need of more understanding and less judgment from a counsellor or therapist, it is important to remember that gaining her trust necessitates a more humanistic approach such as the one advocated by Rogers’ Person-Centered model. This emphasizes unconditional positive regard and the quest for congruence of self to achieve authenticity, meaning the integration of the person’s public and actual selves. This approach has great respect for a person’s subjective views and potential for self-actualization. It offers a fresh and hopeful perspective on its views on human nature no matter how dire his or her past experiences may be (Weiten McCann, 2006). The intervention should target all aspects of Sherry’s development, namely her socio-emotional, cognitive, physical and even spiritual aspects. The intervention includes counselling sessions with a competent counsellor or therapist who can accurately empathize with Sherry’s subjective experiences on an interpersonal, cognitive and affective level to fully unlock her perceptions, feelings and motivations for her behaviors (Corey, 2005). Sherry will find in Person-centered therapy a trustworthy and accepting friend who is ready to listen but not judge her painful past. She will be encouraged to express her innermost feelings, both positive and negative, and feel assured that she remains acceptable to the counsellor. Eventually, the goal is for her to overcome her trauma by being reassured that it was not her fault, nudged to move on and finally, begin her healing by deciding on a positive action towards self-actualization. A huge part of Sherry’s healing is forgiveness. This releases her from the heavy burden she has been struggling with all her life that she has managed to keep it repressed in her unconscious. The counsellor may help her process this huge step and support her when she finally makes that step to forgive her grandfather for the damage he has done to her person as well as her mother for not believing in her and losing her trust. Since Sherry’s trauma not only brings about emotional and mental anguish but manifests physical symptoms as well, the intervention should also address that. One therapy for trauma victims is the Observed Experiential Integration (OEI). This requires keen observation of the client’s responses to their experiences brought up during therapy. Counselors provide continuous feedback to their clients as to the physical and emotional changes observed while processing shared traumatic experiences. Even minute changes such as the reddening or moistening of the eyes, blushing, tension in the jaw may depict higher levels of emotional or somatic responses while hesitations, brow furrowing, inconsistencies in narration of incidents may denote confusion or emotional conflict (Bradshaw et al., 2011). Making the client aware of her bodily responses will make it easier for her to manage them. Walsh (2009) provides specific guidelines in helping clients deal with stress namely relaxation skills and stress prevention training. This involves the joint processing of relaxation skills and the agreement of relaxation techniques that work for the client such as listening to music or deep breathing exercises to calm the bodily reactions to the traumatic memories that surface. It also teaches the client to prevent further stress by avoiding things that would trigger stress in her system. Evaluation Evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention can only be done after a certain period of time when Sherry has totally moved on from the ghosts of her past. The effectiveness will be apparent in how she manages her behaviors and attitudes. If she can effectively live her life without being bothered anymore by her painful memories, if she can talk about it with deep wisdom and understanding and most importantly, if she has forgiven her grandfather for his transgressions and patched up her strained relationship with her mother. She should also manifest her old confidence and positive disposition as well as sustain her healthy relationships with her family and friends while also expanding her social network. If all of that happens after the designed intervention, then it can be considered effective.

Sports Leadership And Communication Physical Education Essay

Sports Leadership And Communication Physical Education Essay This research is based in Sports Leadership and communication. The specific area to be investigated is the question following: Different coaches will have different leadership and communication styles. How will you determine the most appropriate style for you to use? The Coaches leadership and communication style can affect the athletes psychology. Im investigating this area on my class paper because as a sports coach, I would like to know how to be a leader of my team and communicate with my athletes. Based on that problem statement, I have to answer the questions: What is Leadership? What is Communication? From these two basic questions, I should answer more focused questions. What is leadership and how is connected with psychology? What are the leadership traits? How communication skills can be use in sports psychology? How can you send and receive messages more effectively to athletes psychology? These questions are made into sections which can be: Definitions of leadership The Leadership traits Communication Send and receive messages Definition of leadership in Sports psychology Leadership might broadly be considered the behavioral process of influencing individuals and groups towards set goals. This definition is useful because it encompasses many dimensions or leadership. In sport and exercise, these dimensions include making decisions, motivating participants, giving feedback, establishing interpersonal relationships, and directing the group or team confidently. (Weinberg, 2007) A leader knows where the group or team is going and provides the direction and resources to help it get there. Coaches who are good leaders provide not only a vision of what to strive for but also the day-to-day structure, motivation, and support to translate vision into reality. Coaches, teachers, and exercise specialists are leaders who seek to provide each participant with maximum opportunities to achieve success. And successful leaders also try to ensure that individual success helps achieve team success. (Weinberg, 2007) Leadership is simply this: First its knowing how to chart a course, to give others direction by having a vision of what can be. A team without a leader is like a ship without a rudder. Second, leadership is developing the social and psychological environment-what business calls the corporate culture and Ill call team culture-to achieve the goals the leader has charted. This culture consists of selecting, motivating, rewarding, retaining, and unifying members of your team-players, assistants, everyone who helps your organization. Excellent coaches-leaders-give the team vision, and know how to translate this vision into reality. Coaches, in their leadership roles, seek to develop an environment whereby each and every athlete has the maximum opportunity to achieve success, and in so doing achieve team success. The coach is concerned not only with the physical environment, but the psychological and social environments as well. . (Martens, 1987) Leadership formally defined, is the action of an individual to influence others toward set goals. It is often confused with management. Management consists of planning, organizing, staffing and recruiting, scheduling, budgeting, and public relations. Leaders perform these functions, or delegate them to others, but they also do more. Leaders determine the direction for the future, and then marshal the resources within the organization to pursue that vision. Managers simply handle the routine, never questioning whether the routine should be done. This distinction is significant in sport, for too many teams are over managed and underled. (Martens, 1987) Leadership emphasizes interpersonal relationships and has direct impact on motivation, whereas management necessarily does not. Tom Peters and Nancy Austin write in A Passion for Excellence: Coaching is face-to-face leadership that pulls together people with diverse backgrounds, talents, experiences and interests, encourages them to step up to responsibility and continued achievement, and treats them as full-scale partners and contributors. Coaching is not about memorizing techniques or devising the perfect game plan. It is about really paying attention to people-really believing them, really caring about them, really involving them. (1985, p. 326) While reading through the massive literature on leadership, I gained two impressions. First, the leadership literature in psychology, including sport psychology, contains pounds of pulp and ounces of information. Never have so many said so much to tell us so little. And second, the essence of leadership, what sets it apart from other human processes, is ill conceived in psychology. (Weinberg, 2007) Leadership Style There are two leadership styles democratic and autocratic. As you might expect, the coach with a democratic style is typically athlete centered, cooperative, and relationship oriented. Conversely, the autocratic style is usually win oriented, tightly structured, and task oriented. A coach need not act entirely one way or the other. Coaches can effectively integrate and blend democratic and autocratic leadership styles. Different leadership behaviors are more optimal in various situations, as you have seen through the multidimensional model of sport leadership and LSS. The challenge is determining what style best suits the circumstances and whether individuals and flexible enough to adapt their dominant style to a particular leadership situation. The appropriate coaching style depends most on situational factors and member characteristics. (Weinberg, 2007) One aspect of style that has been researched is how decisions are made by coaches. In fact, coaching effectiveness largely depends on making good decisions and the degree to which those decisions are accepted by athletes. Chelladurai and others have developed a model of decision making that applies in sport. Five primary styles of decision making are used in sport: Autocratic style. The coach solves the problem herself using the information available at the time. Autocratic-consultative style. The coach obtains the necessary information from relevant players and then comes to a decision. Consultative-individual style. The coach consults the players individually and then makes a decision. The decision may or may not reflect the players input. Consultative-group style. The coach consults the players as a group and then makes a decision. The decision may or may not reflect the players input. Group style. The coach shares the problem with the players; then the players jointly make the decision without any influence from the coach. (Weinberg, 2007) To the above figure we can see the different types of coaching leadership style: (Martens,1987) Section II Trait Approach In the 1920s, researchers tried to determine what characteristics or personality traits were common to great leaders in business and industry. They considered leadership traits to be relatively stable personality dispositions, such as intelligence, assertiveness, independence, and self-confidence. Proponents of the trait theory argued that successful leaders have certain personality characteristics that make it likely they will be leaders no matter what situation they are in. This would mean, for example, that Michael Jordan would be a great leader not only on the basketball court but also in other areas of life such as business and community affairs (or as part owner of the Washington Wizards). Or that Winston Churchill, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King, Jr., would have similar personality characteristics that helped make them effective leaders. (Weinberg, 2007) The trait approach lost favor after World War à Ã‹Å", when Stogdill reviewed more than 100 trait theory studies of leadership and found only a couple of consistent personality traits. Although certain traits might be helpful for a leader to have, they are certainly not essential for successful leadership. Because common leadership traits among coaches, exercise leaders, and performers have not been found, little sport research today uses the trait approach to leadership theory. Leaders have a variety of personality traits. There are no specific traits that make a leader successful. (Weinberg, 2007) Interactional Approach Trait and behavioral approaches emphasize personal factors at the expense of considering the interaction between people and their situational constraints. Many researches in industry and general psychology have proposed interactional models of leadership. These interactional theories have important implications for effective leadership in sport and exercise settings. As we have seen, no one set of characteristics ensures successful leadership. Investigators believe that great leaders have had in common personality traits appropriate to leadership role and distinct from nonleadership roles. However, leaders have not been predicted solely by their personality traits. Effective leadership styles or behaviors fit the specific situation. Coaches have been fired from team positions, for example, when administrators thought they werent providing effective leadership, only to be hired by another team where they were immediately successful. These coaches probably did not suddenly change their leadership styles or the way they coached-rather, their leadership styles and behavior fit better in the new settings. Leadership styles can be changed. If you hear someone say, Some people just have what it takes, dont believe it. In fact, coaches and other leaders can alter their styles and behaviors to match the demands of a situation. Two examples of leadership styles are presented as well as how they might change to fit a situation. For example, relationship-oriented leaders develop interpersonal relationships, keep open lines of communications, maintain positive social interactions, and ensure that everyone is involved and feeling good (their style is analogous to the consideration function described earlier). On the other hand, task-oriented leaders primarily work to get the task done and meet their objectives (their style is analogous to the initiating structure function described earlier). A relationship-oriented leader focuses on developing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships; a task-oriented leader focuses on setting goals and getting the job done. People can change from a relationship-oriented style to a task-oriented style and vice versa, depending on the situation. According to Fiedlers research as he developed his contingency model of leadership, the effectiveness of leadership depends equally on the leaders style of interacting with the group and on the situation. Specifically, Fiedler argued that a task-oriented leader is more effective in either very favorable or unfavorable situations; a relationship-oriented leader is more effective in moderately favorable situations. A physical education teacher in an inner-city school that lacks facilities, leadership, and community support might have to be seen as very unfavorable. Getting things done and setting goals would override developing positive interpersonal relations. In contrast, a physical education teacher in a lower-middle-class school where the facilities are poor but the community support is good (moderately favorable situation) might be more effective as a relations hip-oriented leader. Thus, sport and exercise professionals need to be flexible in leadership styles, tailoring them to meet the demands of situation. If a coach feels more comfortable with one type of leadership style than another, she should seek out situations in which this style would be more effective. Highly skilled players are typically already task oriented, and coaches who have a more relationship-oriented style appear to be more effective with these players. Conversely, less skilled players need more continuous instruction and feedback, and a task-oriented coach would be more appropriate for them. This does not mean than less skilled individuals do not need or want a caring, empathic coach or that more highly skilled participants do not need specific feedback and instruction. It is a matter of what should be emphasized. The effectiveness of an individuals leadership style stems from matching the style to the situation. (Weinberg, 2007) In Finding a Way to Win, Bill Parcells, successful football coach what he believes to be the keys to successful leadership: Integrity. A leaders philosophy must have a sound structure, must be rooted in the leaders basic values, must be communicated and accepted throughout the organization, must be resistant to outside pressure, and must remain in place long enough to allow for success. Flexibility. Traditions are made to be broken. If youre doing something just because its always been done that the way, then you may be missing an opportunity to do better. Loyalty. The first task of leadership is to promote and enforce collective loyalty, also known as teamwork. Confidence. If you want to build confidence in your players and coaching staff, give them responsibility and decision-making capabilities and support them in their attempts. Accountability. Accountability starts at the top. You cant build an accountable organization without leaders who take full responsibility. Candor. When sending a message, its not enough to be honest and accurate. The impact of the message will hinge on whos receiving it-and what the recipients are willing to take in at that time. Preparedness. Well-prepared leaders plan ahead for all contingencies, including the ones they consider unlikely or distasteful. Resourcefulness. At its most basic level, resourcefulness is simply resilience, a refusal to quit or give in even when all seems bleak. Self-discipline. There is always a way to compete, even against superior forces, but strict adherence to a calculated plan is required. Patience. Patience is rarest-and most valuable-when an organization is performing poorly. Its not enough to know what changes must be made; its equally important to decide when to make them. (Weinberg, 2007) Section III: Communication The relationship that exists between a coach and an athlete has been extensively researched, and can be both extreme and powerful (panel). A coach has tremendous influence on the physical and psychological development of their athletes. Sophia Jowett has defined a positive coach-athlete relationship as a state reached when coaches and athletes closeness (eg, interpersonal feelings of trust, respect, and appreciation), commitment (eg, interpersonal thoughts and intentions that aim to maintain the relationship over time), and complementarity (ie, interpersonal behaviours of cooperation, such as responsiveness, easiness, and friendliness) are mutually and causally interconnected. The main responsibility of the coach is to enable their athletes to attain levels of performance not otherwise achievable. Coaches therefore need to motivate athletes and establish the right conditions for learning. Effective coaches have many skills. They should, for instance, be good communicators and have a working knowledge of the learning processes, and of the teaching methods, training principles, and assessment procedures associated with their sport. (Sandra E Short, Martin W, 2005) These skills enable a coach to fulfil five defined roles-those of teacher, organiser, competitor, learner, and friend and mentor. 1. Teacher: This role is the most immediately recognisable function of a coach. Quality training or practising provide opportunities for coaches to display their knowledge and skills to help prepare athletes for competition. Training involves the provision of tuition about physical, tactical, technical, and mental aspects of the sport. Although some coaches also teach their athletes psychological skills (such as mental imagery or relaxation techniques) to help them learn and perform new skills, and effective strategies to improve their self confidence and regulate arousal and anxiety levels, many hire psychologists to work with their teams on these aspects of mental training. 2. Organiser: Typically the least enjoyable or rewarding part of being a coach involves the work that is done behind the scenes-the organisation of practices and competitions, and the scheduling, planning, and transportation of athletes-that makes for a successful season. Organisation, however, helps a coach to prepare for training and for competition, and is a crucial variable for success in all sports. A coach must have an explicit plan or vision, especially in team sports. It is vital for a coach to begin every season by outlining the steps necessary to achieve success. Related to the role of the coach as an organiser is the recognition that they often have to work within certain constraints. There are issues specific to places and contextual factors like scholarship allotment and budgets that can affect a coachs win-loss record. 3. Competitor: Throughout the day of competition, the coach must attend to various tasks. These tasks differ from sport to sport. Coaches of teams play a more active part in competitions than do coaches who work in individual sports; having to make athlete substitutions, call time-outs, and interact with officials. Individual sport coaches are often passive observers during competitions. Coaches in team sports also tend to be more emotional than those in individual sports, in that they are more likely to experience the same emotions as many of their athletes. This emotional response, coupled with perceptions of how the team played and the outcome of the contest, interact to affect the content and focus of the post-competition meeting with athletes. 4. Learner: A coach should be continually learning about their sport and improving their abilities as a trainer. 5. Friend and mentor: Coaches have the opportunity to develop strong relationships with their athletes and to take on the role of friend and mentor. This process involves being a positive role model, discussing problems, sharing successes, offering support when needed, and even providing counselling when necessary. This aspect of coaching can have a strong positive or negative effect on the athlete and affects their feelings of satisfaction with the coach-athlete relationship. An important research finding is that successful coaches seek to improve athletes lives both inside and outside of sport. Results of research into the characteristics of coaches indicate that there are some differences between those who work in individual sports and those who work in team sports. The same is true for athletes. Irrespective of the type of sport, however, both parties view the structure and function of the coach-athlete relationship in the same way. It is noteworthy, though, that athletes in individual sports often feel closer and more committed to their coaches than do team players. What seems to be more important than the individual sport versus team sport distinction is the expectation that a coach has for their athletes. The expectancy theory, or the self-fulfilling prophecy, describes the situation in which coaches perceptions of their athletes affect their behaviour towards them, consequently encouraging actions from the athletes that are consistent with the initial judgment. In sport, the expectancy model comprises four stages. First, coaches form expectations of their athletes bas ed on the athletes personal cues-eg, physical appearance, ethnic origin, and sex-and performance information-eg, practice behaviour, past performances, and skill tests. Second, the expectations made by the coaches affect their behaviour towards the athletes with respect to the frequency and quality of interactions, quality and quantity of instruction, and type and frequency of feedback. Third, over time, the coaches behaviour affects the athletes performances by causing lowexpectancy athletes to perform to poor standard because they have received less reinforcement and playing time, have less confidence, and believe their ability is limited, compared with high-expectancy performers, who typically excel. The cycle is complete when the athletes performance confirms the coachs expectancy. If a coach is wrong, a gifted athlete might never achieve his or her potential. Coaching is an art as well as a science. A coach has to assimilate a vast amount of information and scientific data about their sport, and translate it into practical coaching and training programmes. The success or failure of this process relies heavily on the coachs experience, availability of resources, knowledge of the event or sport, and their relationship with the athletes that they are coaching. By understanding the scientific principles that surround their sport, a well designed training programme can be developed that will help an athlete reach their full potential. The art of coaching is in the understanding and application of the science. (Sandra E Short, Martin W,2005) Sending and receiving messages These are guidelines for sending effective verbal and nonverbal messages (Martens, 1987b): 1. Be direct. People who avoid straightforward communicating assume that others know what they want or feel. Rather than expressing their message directly, they hint at what they have in mind-or they tell a third person, hoping the message will get to the intended recipient indirectly. 2. Own your message. Use I and my not we or the team, when referencing your messages. You disown your messages when you say, The team feels or Most people think you are.. . What youre saying is what you believe, and using others to bolster what you have to say implies cowardice in expressing your own megs.. 3. Be complete and specific. Provide the person to whom you are speaking with all the information he needs to fully understand your message. 4. Be clear and consistent. Avoid double messages. I really want to play you, Mary, but I dont think this is a good game for you. I think youre a fine athlete, but youll just have to be patient. This is an example of a double message-acceptance and rejection-and it probably leave Mary confused and hurt. Double messages send contradictory meanings, and usually the person sending them is afraid to be direct. 5. State your needs and feelings clearly. Because our society frowns on those who wear their emotions on their sleeves, we tend not to reveal our feelings and needs to others. Yet to develop close relationships, you must share your feelings. 6. Separate fact from opinion. State what you see, hear, and know, and then clearly identify any opinions or conclusions you have about these facts. You say to your son when he returns home late one night, I see youve been out with the Williamson kid again. In the context in which you say it, your son will receive the message but not be certain of what exactly your concern is about the Williamson boy. A better way to send this message would be to say, That was the Williamson kid, wasnt it? (verifying a fact) and then, Im concerned that you spend time with him. Im afraid hell get you into trouble (stating your opinion). Although your son may not be pleased with your opinion, at least hell understand it. 7. Focus on one thing at a time. Have you ever begun discussing how to execute a particular skill and abruptly switched to complaining about how the team hasnt been practicing well? Organize your thoughts before speaking. 8. Deliver messages immediately. When you observe something that upsets you or that needs to be changed, dont delay sending a message. Sometimes holding back can result in your exploding later about a little thing. Responding immediately also makes for more effective feedback than a delayed response. 9. Make sure your message does not contain a hidden agenda, which means that the stated purpose of the message is not the same as the real purpose. To determine if your message contains a hidden agenda, ask yourself these two questions: Why am I saying this to this person? Do I really want the person to hear this, or is something else involved? 10. Be supportive. If you want another person to listen to your messages, dont deliver them with threats, sarcasm, negative comparisons, or judgments. Eventually the person will avoid communicating with you or simply tune you out whenever you speak. 11. Be consistent with your nonverbal messages. Perhaps you tell a player it is okay to make an error, but your body gestures and facial expressions contradict your words. Conflicting messages confuse people and hinder future communication. 12. Reinforce with repetition. Repeat key points to reinforce what you are saying. However, dont repeat too often, because this causes the other person to stop listening. You can also reinforce messages by using additional channels of communication-show a picture or video along with explaining a skill, for example. 13. Make your message appropriate to the receivers frame of reference. Messages can be much better understood if you tailor them to the experiences of the person with whom you are communicating. It is inappropriate, for example, to use complex language when speaking to young athletes. They do not have the vocabulary to understand what youre saying. 14. Look for feedback that your message was accurately interpreted. Watch for verbal and nonverbal signals that the person to whom you are speaking is receiving the message you intended. If no signal is given, ask questions to solicit the feedback: Do you understand what I am telling you, Susan? or Are you clear about what you should do? Athletes and Coaches behaviour has the most important role in their communication to the follow article we see some studies about players and coaches behaviour. Relevance of several factors to players aggressive behavior has been extensively studied. Sport-related factors were studied in the framework of context-personality (Isberg, 1985, 1986, 1989) or context-gender (Rainey, 1986; Kemler, 1988; Bond Nideffer, 1992) relationship. Teams moral atmosphere, team norms regulating aggressive acts, and players perception of these norms are mentioned to be important in this circumstance (Stephens Bredemeier, 1996). Difficulty of the task (McGowan Schultz, 1989) and use of anabolic steroids (Lefavi, Reeve, Newland, 1990) also appear to be relevant to aggression in sport. The relevance of communicating factors was also studied (Hanin, 1980) and practically discussed (Hanin, 1992). Coach-related factors are also of importance in this context. Coaching includes decision-making processes, motivational techniques, giving feedback, establishing interpersonal relationships and directing the team confidently. Good coaches provide not only a vision of what to strive for, but also the day-to-day structure, motivation, and support to translate vision into reality. Because of the importance of coaches behaviors and its possible relation to players behaviors, it seems that our understanding about the significance of this relationship needs improvement. Having studied coaches behaviors extensively, some investigators tried to categorize coaching behaviors. Tharp and Gallimore (1976) after studying the behavior of the most successful NBA coach emphasized the importance of instruction and demonstration behaviors and their significant effects on players success. At the same time, sport specific questionnaires were also developed. Danielson, Zelhart, and Drake (1975), revised the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire to classify coaching behaviors into eight categories. On the other hand, researchers trying to develop guidelines for training coaches (Smith, Smoll, Hunt, 1977; Smoll, Smith, Curtis, Hunt, 1978) needed a proper tool to observe and classify coaches behaviors; therefore, the Coaching Behavior Assessment System (CBAS) was developed for coding and analyzing the behaviors of coaches in natural field settings (Smoll Smith, 1984). This system which was applied in the present study, divides coaches behavior into twelve categories as follows: Reinforcement Nonreinforcement Mistake-contingent encouragement Mistake-contingent technical instruction Punishment Punitive technical instruction Ignoring mistakes Keeping control General technical instruction General encouragement Organization and General communication According to Smoll and Smith (1984), distributions in the CBAS categories indicated that nearly two-thirds of coaches behaviors were found to be positive, falling into the categories of: a) positive einforcement, b) general technical instruction, and c) general encouragement. Players who played for coaches, who frequently used encouragement, instructions, and reinforcement, demonstrated greater self-esteem at the end of season. They rated their teammates and their sport more positively. According to Weinberg and Gould (1995) these players reported that: they liked their teammates more, felt their coaches were knowledgeable, rated their coaches better as teachers, had a greater desire to play again the next year, and had higher levels of enjoyment comparing to other young players (p. 208). Having considered the association between coaches and players behaviors (Tharp Gallimore, 1976; Danielson, Zelhart, Drake; 1975), one may consider that some players unwanted or negative actions may also be related to coaches behaviors. Aggressive behaviors are among the most problematic behaviors in sport setting and reported to be somehow related to coaching behaviors. Isberg (1985) reported that coaches encouraged players to commit aggressive acts to win the game; such acts were often rewarded by coaches and teammates. Stephens and Light-Bredemeier (1996) observed that the power of context in elite level of competition, forced young soccer players to act aggressively even if they had different orientation. Special stress on relating players aggressions to coaches behaviors would be explained by Social Leaming Theory (Bandura, 1973), which emphasizes the important role that significant others have on the development or control of aggression (Smith, 1988). Therefore, the main objec tive of the present study was to investigate the reality and the amount of possible correlations among coaches behaviors and players aggressive acts in natural field settings. (S. M. VaezMousavi, M. Shojaei, 2005) Conclusion Leadership is the process that one individual set some goals and is trying to support them and accomplish them with the help of others. A Leader is a person who rules others and he is trying to guide and inspire them. As a Coach you have to have the strength to lead your players or athletes. There are different types of coach-leaders but is good to borrow from other coaching-leaders if you want to improve your coaching and leadership skills. The most important traits of a leader are honesty, integrity, to be a good person and to be positive. Exhibiting these traits will decrease your leadership. A coach influences the physical and psychological development of his athletes. Some important roles of a coach are teacher, organizer, competitor, leader, friend and mentor. The characteristics of a coach are different depending on who he is coaching. When he is sending some messages he must be direct, complet

Cocaine in the Brain :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Cocaine in the Brain "Cocaine delivers an intensity of pleasure - and despair - beyond the bounds of normal human experience." During the 1980s, Partnership for a Drug Free America began airing commercials that seem to either frighten or educate people about the use of illegal drugs. One of these commercials avowed, "No one ever says, 'I want to be a junkie when I grow up'." The comment is obvious, but very true. Probably very few people aspire to be drug addicts. But it happens, everyday. Why? What is so good about a drug that can potentially destroy a person's body? How does it work? What are its effects on the brain? Why is it so hard to quit? Cocaine (C17H21NO4) comes from the leaf of an Erythroxylon coca bush. It is a drug that effects the central nervous system. It causes feelings of euphoria, pleasure, increased energy and alertness. People under the influence of cocaine often do not feel the need for food or sleep. They also feel energetic and may talk a lot. However, depending on factors such as environment, dosage, and the manner in which the drug is taken, cocaine can have adverse effects such as violent, erratic behavior, dizziness, paranoia, insomnia, convulsions, and heart failure to name a few. Long- term effects of cocaine include, but are not limited to strokes, heart attacks, seizures, loss of memory, and decrease in learning capability (1). People may not always know the exact consequences of the drug they are taking, however, chances are that they do know that the drug is unhealthy for them. Schools across the country educate about the dangers of drug use and abuse through programs like D.A.R.E., television stations show anti-drug advertisements as a public service, and even city buses blazon anti-drug propaganda. People are aware that very rarely does anything good come from drug use, and still, everyday people fall victim to drugs. Why do people succumb to the urge to try drugs? It feels good...why else? When a person takes cocaine, it causes a rush. There is between one or two minutes of intense pleasure. This is followed by five to 8 minutes of euphoria, then as the high comes down, an overwhelming urge for more, which may last for a day. (3) When a user is between cocaine doses or halts usage, the opposite effects occur. The user is depressed and tired (2).