Psychological Disorder Analysis Essay

Marla is a 42 year old Hispanic female accountant, that has complaints of trouble sleeping, feeling jumpy all the time, and unable to concentrate. With these symptoms it is causing her issues at work. There are several disorders that Marla could be suffering from but, it seems to be that one stands out from the rest. Post-Traumatic Disorder also known as PTSD, this is caused when a person experiences something traumatic such as a violent crime against them, a car accident, active military combat duty, the loss of a loved one, etc. Marla sat in my office nervous and unsure as if she was even in the right place. I asked her if she was okay and what brought her to see me. Marla told me of her symptoms and said she was unsure if she should even be here. I asked her if she has been to a family doctor to discuss her problems that she was having and she assured me that she had and came out with a clean bill of health. He doctor suggested to come see me and talked about what she was feeling and going through. With this and much reassurance from me telling her she did the right thing. I proceeded to ask her the following questions: Marla, what would you like to accomplish by being here? â€Å"I want to be able to feel normal again and to feel like myself again.† I think that is something that we can do with and I would like to ask you a little bit more about what you are feeling and maybe why you are feeling the way you do. Marla agrees. When did you start to notice the symptoms you are experiencing? â€Å"I started to really notice it about a month ago, my boss and some co-workers started to question me where I was not performing at my normal standards and coming into work late from not getting any sleep.† Is there any family history of depression, anxiety, or any mental illness? â€Å"Not that I am aware of†¦. As far as I know none of my family has ever had any issues mentally or been mentally ill.† She seemed kind of curios as to why I would ask such a thing, I ensured her that I am only asking to better help her and understand more ab out what she may be going through. Have there been any changes in your life recently? Good or bad? â€Å"Not that I can  think of.† Have you been a victim of a crime or served in the military on active duty before? â€Å"I have never been in the military or been the victim of a crime.† Have you had anything happen to you or somebody close to you? No, but I was a witness to a women walking in the parking lot with her husband and got hit by a car about six months ago.† Really, tell me more Marla. Well I was walking into work and an older women and her husband where walking hand in hand when a car driven by an elderly couple seemed to gain speed and struck the women where she rolled over the top of the car and landed several yards away from where she was. The elderly couple that was driving hit a pole which stopped their car. The driver had a heart attack and the passenger was hurt pretty bad but did not seem to be critical. When the ambulance and police showed up they called for a helicopter to take the women to the hospital that was struck, she was none responsive and just laid there twitching. There was blood everywhere and seemed to be pooling from the back of her head. I stayed there with the lady and tried to calm her husband that seemed lost and unsure of what to do. I was able to call his adult children to come to his aid and inform them of what happen. The EMT’s lifted her from the ground and laying there on the ground was a lock of her hair that was attached to part of her skull. They air lifted the women to a trauma center but died before they made it there. The couple in the car also passed away from injuries from the accident as well. I will never forget the look on the husbands face as he stood there helpless crying for his wife and pleading for them to help her. Well Marla I would say that could be pretty traumatic to see, have you talked to anybody about this? Not until now†¦ I did not think I would need to. Have you had any thoughts about this lately or think about it at all? Sometimes I do, I still cannot walk where she was lying on the ground I still see her laying there in my mind and them lifting her up with the piece of skull and hair laying there. I guess I was okay until I saw that. Marla I would have to say that you are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? Why would I now be having or suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder now 5 months later? PTSD is not always an instant onset of symptoms. It can come out days, months, or ever years later. Let’s talk more about this PTSD so you better understand it. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can occur in some individuals who have been exposed to a life threatening situation, or a situation which they have been witness in which another person is exposed to danger. The onset of symptoms with PTSD do not always happen immediately following the traumatic event, therefore the association between the symptoms and the initial event is often overlooked. A person with PTSD will be hyper-vigilant, and can react to an unsettling situation with physiological symptoms such as upset stomach, headache, or dizziness. People with PTSD can also suffer from depression or panic disorder, although this is not always the case. Avoiding stimuli which can trigger an anxious reaction is normal for the PTSD sufferer, and many become withdrawn from social interaction with friends and family members. Some may also have problems continuing an intimate relationship, and angry outbursts for no particular reason can cause problems with interpersonal relationships, as well as jeopardizing one’s employment. Treatment for PTSD can be relatively straight forward, although not always easy for the patient to endure. Being taught how to effectively relax is paramount, and once this goal has been achieved, the process of systematic desensitization can gradually take place. The desensitization process involves confronting the stimuli which cause the patient to have an anxious episode. Oftentimes, the stimuli from a particular location and for some it may be a certain situation which serves as an unconscious reminder of the traumatic event. The more a person is subjected to the offending location or situation, the less intense the fear becomes. This is achieved by implementing the relaxation strategies at the same time the stimuli are presented. The association between the relaxed state and the stimuli will eventually be achieved, disarming the stimuli and giving control back to the patient. In this situation Marla needs to see that there was nothing she could do. Being made aware of maladaptive responses to stimuli, patients are better able to identify which anxieties are due to the normal course of life, and which are patterns of irrational thinking related to their disorder.  According to DSM-IV, PTSD can occur at any age, to either gender, and the onset of symptoms can be delayed by months or even years (DSM-IV, 1994, p.426). According to Cognitive-Behavioral theorists, learned behaviors from conditioning can produce unsavory responses; both physically and psychologically. Unfortunately for the patient, these responses can occur whether it is their intent to react in such a way or not. In Marla’s case, the association with the accident she witnessed affected her life and her psychological and physiological having to walk by the certain spot where the accident took place as well as not speaking to or letting out how she felt or was feeling. Learned behaviors can be unlearned, just as new and more effective behaviors can be adopted. Marla, was correct in coming to talk to physiologist as to let out her feelings that she had pent up inside and to release the emotions that she had not expressed before now. Marla’s hyper vigilance and feelings of anxiousness can be alleviated and bought under control with practice, relaxation such as yoga, breathing technics, praying finding a solace in religion, keeping a diary of how she is feeling, and/or frequent exposure to the offending stimuli knowing that things do happen for a reason and there is nothing we can do to stop it, and in conjunction with Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, she may also benefit by taking an antidepressant (SSRI) such as Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil. This situation that I put in place for Marla is one that I actually experienced myself while I was at work and still to this day have flash backs of that day when I witnessed it and was placed in charge of handling the situation. It is not something I would ever want to see again or want to experience over. I did how ever take her death to heart and realized that my life had more meaning to it than what I was doing and decided to come back to school to earn my degree so I can help others and feel I make a difference to people. I will not let her death or the couple that died that was driving the car be in vein. I took this as a sign that I cannot waste my life doing something that does not make me happy, life is too short. Reference American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994. Faces of Abnormal Psychology, 2007. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Treatment Strategy. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/psychology/faces

A Comparison of Moral Views Essay

When we think of ancient philosophies, we immediately think of the early Greek philosophers. Among them were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, considered as the Fathers of Philosophy. Although they have different views on some certain aspects, we all know that they are the most influential thinkers not only during their respective times but today. This paper will focus on the similarities and differences of the moral and ethical views of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates believed that self-knowledge will meet the conditions of having a good life. For Socrates, knowledge and virtue are of the same category. If a person could not learn knowledge, he cannot learn virtue. With this, he argued that virtue can be taught. â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Socrates believed that the pursue of knowledge and wisdom should always come first before any private interests. For him, seeking knowledge is in accordance to ethical and moral actions. Socrates, considered to be the greatest philosopher of all time, assumed that reason will lead to the good life. He believed that the real happiness a person achieved was influenced mainly by doing what seems to be right. When a person’s true value and function is found, he will achieve happiness. The Socratic ethics can be categorized as teleological in nature. We humans act towards the good and these actions naturally have their purposes. Plato, like all the early philosophers, based his beliefs on ethics on virtues and human well-being. Plato’s beliefs on happiness diverged significantly from other philosopher’s views. Due to this, his time on describing his own concept of happiness was divided. He spent lots of time criticizing the customary beliefs of the good life. Plato also considered happiness as perfect and is not easily understandable since it is supported by metaphysical assumptions that appear to be vague and is impossible to be understood. The focuses on Platonic ethics are the problems and difficulties of an individual, not happiness as a factor of good-living. For Aristotle, ethical knowledge is considered to be a general knowledge and not a precise knowledge. He argued that ethical knowledge is not a theoretical discipline but rather practical in nature. Aristotle believed that to become good, a person should have experienced the actions of life and is in accordance to fine habits. He did not believe that merely studying virtues will make a particular individual virtuous. One should do righteous and honorable to be good and virtuous. Aristotle believed that reputation and respect only would give a person his happiness. He argued that an individual finds happiness by fulfilling his functions as a human being. For Aristotle, a human’s function is to utilize what he has that everything else does not, his capacity to think or reason, or logos. A person using his ability to reason fulfills his nature as a rational soul and therefore finds his absolute happiness. For me, Aristotle’s ethical philosophy is the most applicable and the most practical to adapt. Unlike Socrates’ belief that an individual will be virtuous if he studies the virtues, Aristotle believed that one should act good to be good – not by merely studying how to be good nor what is good. Plato, on the other hand, focused on what should not be done in order to make a person’s life good. Aristotle argued that understanding what is good does not make a person good. So I think, Aristotle’s concept on morality stands among the three of them, just like the saying goes â€Å"Actions speak louder than words.†

Black Market Activities And Corruption In Pakistan Politics Essay

Black Market Activities And Corruption In Pakistan Politics Essay The relationship of corruption and Governance is integrated from a long time back. In case of Pakistan, the root of the relationship runs back since the Independence Day. Corruption as an attribute in the system in the sub-continent, has affected the level of Governance to the extent of creating extremities of positive and negative. Governance which measures the effectiveness of institutions in a society has only been a theoretical concept in case of Pakistan. Several factors that lead to the level of corruption to reach where it is now are ignored conveniently and the direct effect is on the masses. A number of activities are performed below the radar in Pakistan and are reported to as the â€Å"black market activities†. They are referred so as because of their capability to deceive the purposeful boundaries of the system present, which holds them liable to the tax structure of the country. The case is not a new one for the world, let alone for Pakistan, and this is a common practice in the country. All these activities are concealed from the authorities with regard to the tax structure in Pakistan, and are thus reported as the under-ground economy in macro terms. This is a consequence of a complex tax system, frequent cash transactions in terms of construction, smuggling etc. and that of a negative public perception. Pakistan has experienced a relatively below par appreciation when it comes to the structure of the taxing system present, and the flexibility in it. Unemployment and recessionary trend also contribute towards a most common phenomenon as part of black activities known as â€Å"tax evasion†. This concept has given birth to corruption on a wide scale. Tax evasion is when one skips the underlying rules of the system and is not officially recorded in the tax net. Some sectors of the economy in Pakistan have been exempted from taxes right from the independence till date, and hence they are also recorded as the underground economy. The ot hers, who happen to be the industrialists in some cases, have taken refuge under the same exemption by reporting their income either as under the exempted sectors or by understatement altogether. This has given rise to corruption not only by these means, but also by persistently supporting and influencing the policy making process so that loop holes remain to be exploited. The theoretical side of this aspect has confirmed that the persistent non-compliance towards tax laws have allowed a major portion of the economy to remain below the radar so that they can skip the measurement as per the economy’s activities. The graph relates to the overall black economy as a percentage of GDP and then tax evasion as part of the GDP Source: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad (PIDE Research series) The increasing trend in the black market activities from as early as year 1974 till the start of the 21st century is in line with the theory and also points out towards the fa ct that in Pakistan, the complex and flawed policies to account for a major chunk of the economy have decreased on standards year by year. The tax evasion figures also shed light upon the loop holes of the tax policy

XXX Company and Their Social Media Tool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

XXX Company and Their Social Media Tool - Essay Example Today, Coca-Cola continues to change with the times in ensuring up-to-date marketing strategies which involves a comprehensive social media marketing tool. Their use of the theme positivism in their new campaign aims to integrate a new approach in being able to affect not only by the linkage of the brand to their clienteles but by hoping to become a part of their general day-to-day lives. This is by connecting the product to a philosophy which centers on having a positive outlook in life despite all the hardships and that Coca-Cola is integrally a major part of it. Attributing the product with happiness is a smart and innovative move that ensures an encompassing approach to marketing. Coca-Cola was identified as second only to Facebook as the most popular page on the social networking site and what is most interesting about this is that the company has no hand in the phenomenon. This is the hand of social media at work. The company is reaping from the entire buzz because of the people behind the admiration for the well-loved product. Apparently, fans Dusty Sorg and Michael Jedrzejewski created a Facebook page devoted to Coke that all started with a quality photo of the soft drink. Now with the subsequent backing up of Coca-Cola, the web page has a record 3.3 million fans seven months from the time it was formed. Last November, Facebook created a regulation that only those associated and or authorized by the company brands have the right to generate such web pages. By the virtue of the said rule, Coke opted to let the creators run the page instead of running it themselves but simultaneously working close behind them (Barone, par. 2-4). By utilizing what is deemed as th 4Rs of social media strategy which are review, respond, record and redirect the company makes well use of the new age technique. They are building relationships by creating 1. new corporate

Family Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Assessment - Essay Example Caroline is 38 years old. She has a 15 year old daughter. Carol and her daughter lived alone until Carol’s recent marriage to Trey Reyes. Carol is a very successful Sales Manager and travels a lot with her company. Mrs. Janice Jackson and Carol have a very strong bond. Lenny is Mr. and Mrs. Jackson’s third child. Lenny Jackson is 33 years old married to Desiree and has one child, a son Marcus. Marcus is 9 years old. Shelldon Jackson is Mr. and Mrs. Jackson’s youngest child. Shelldon is 32 years old married to Leigha and together have a daughter 4 years of age. Lenny also has a son from a previous relationship. Lenny’s son Alex is 12 years of age. The Jackson family is extremely close. Mrs. Jackson is very involved in not only all of her children’s lives and activities but also those of her grandchildren. Mr. Jackson unfortunately is not allowed the same opportunity due to his rigorous work schedule. Mr. Jackson is a chef and has to be up early in th e morning to be at work for 4 am. So when he gets home he usually sleeps a lot of the time. Mr. Jackson is there whenever he can be. The Jackson Family is and always has been very female influenced and dominated. â€Å"A Woman’s intuition never steers wrong† is there family motto. The males have always taken the role as the main providers of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are very involved in their church community and scold their children when they are not. Mrs. Jackson was raised a strong Baptist believer. The children are not always able to be there because of work and busy schedules. Mrs. Jackson does not feel that is an appropriate excuse. There should always be time for God since He’s made time for you. The Jackson Family does manage to attend church together as a whole at least one Sunday out of the month. Developmental The Jackson Family has always declared home their safe haven. Which means no matter what mistakes you make in life, do not ever think h ome is no longer an option. Home in the Jackson Family is where the center and heart of love is. There is no problem too great to solve and no hurt too great that can’t be healed. Usually behind the solutions to every problem and every hurt was Mrs. Jackson. Mrs. Jackson is the backbone of the family, until about a year ago. About a year ago Mrs. Jackson was getting ready to leave work when all of sudden she could not catch her breath. After causing the serious concern of her co-workers an ambulance was called. Mrs. Jackson was taken to a nearby hospital and admitted. Mr. Jackson was notified and arrived right away. Not long after the entire Jackson Family was sitting in a waiting room waiting to hear news that would devastate them all. Mrs. Jackson kidneys were failing and she needed a kidney transplant right away. The entire family went through tests to see if they were matches none of them passed the test. Mrs. Jackson’s condition continued to get worse even on the dialysis treatment. Functional Mrs. Jackson has had to relearn how to live life. The change her family has seen in her is devastating. A once strong woman is now defeated and trying to survive. Now it’s the family’s turn to be the backbone. The only problem is Mrs. Jackson refuses to allow anyone to take her place even though the days become more and more difficult for her. Mr. Jackson finally decided to take a risky stand cutting his hours at work to be at home more with Mrs. Jackson to monitor her. This was of course against Mrs. Jackson’

Conduct a PESTEL analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conduct a PESTEL analysis - Essay Example Concern for global oil consumption in future is attributable to VAT rise in UK, rising oil prices, and a decline in global oil consumption. The increase in VAT has influenced the prices of commodities resulting from crude oil refinement. Economic factors inclusive of wage levels and inflation rates interfere with an organization costs. Consequently, the profit margin for BP is affected as sales lower because of a decline in demand of these derivatives that is attributable to the 2.5% rise in VAT. Clients and manufacturers may not order equivalent amounts of the commodities resulting from crude oil refinement because of affordability. The crude index has revealed considerable rise in oil prices over the past years and is attributable to some certain events including political unrest in Egypt, Iraq and of late Libya, that is the sixth largest producer of oil. BP has invested significantly in crude oil refinement. Additionally, the political imbalance in Egypt led to an increase in price to $ 101 per barrel and ultimately to $105 per barrel after Libya unrest. These events tend to affect oil prices considerably because there is a decrease of operations within these countries and instill an element of panic buying. Additionally, oil prices may be rising but statistically, global oil consumption is ever decreasing. The last decline was in the year 1982. This would support a report similar to the latest decline as apparent in global recessions. Some argued that greener attitudes and immense commitment by political leaders to minimize carbon emissions could also have led to the decline. In 2006, BP profits declined by nearly twenty-five percent compared to the year 2005. Therefore, if the recession continues, it will harm BP’s profits because of a decline in oil consumption (Schroder 2012). BP mainly focuses on utilization of fossil fuels connected with key environmental challenges. Following the controversial rebranding and pledge to

Human Resourcse question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resourcse question - Essay Example Evaluation of training requires persistence, adherence towards industry’s best practices and compliance to follow the details. When such measures are undertaken, training will be imparted in a corrective fashion, where the objective will be to mentor rather than merely passing time. Hence the objective of training evaluation is to draw parallel with how things shall be constructed and where anomalies can be resolved in a quantifiable manner. The critique of training is established by understanding that the organizational strategy requires a proper cover towards measures and steps which shall go a long way in developing how matters will be taken care of within the business concerns. It is the responsibility of the management and management alone has to be accountable to all other departments within the realms of a business (Sims, 1998). This training should be comprehensive and must cover areas which are deemed as inappropriate today but might be taken as significant in the fut ure. Training can be evaluated by making use of different questionnaires and testimonials from people who would require training for improving their professional settings. Questions could be asked of them to solicit their replies so that training can be adjudged as being fairly significant from one context or the other (Brewster and Pickard, 1994). The need is to learn where training is making headway and how it is on the weaker side. Actions are taken to address the latter points at the earliest. The return on expected outcomes is fairly simple to estimate. If the training modules cannot bring any significant change, then there are ought to be several problems that one might find with training. However, if the training is comprehensive, then the expectations that people have of it are fulfilled. When training is being undertaken to achieve sound results, the key performance indicators or KPIs for short are realized easily. However, when the training regimes have some weaknesses or grey areas within them, then it becomes a Herculean task to resolve the difficulties which stand in the way of achieving these KPIs. If the business has invested a great amount on training alone, it must make sure that this return on its investment comes with the passage of time. A training undertaking which goes wrong would not suffice as far as investment viability issues are concerned. Hence it is always a good idea to have a very realistic figure of the return on investment as far as training within an organization is concerned (Schuler, 2004). As Bramley, 1996 suggests, the actual criteria for training evaluation should always be built upon the activities of training right from the very beginning. This would mean that the initial phase of training will be able to draw results; otherwise it would not be seen as a feasible option. Sadler – Smith et al (1999) raise another important consideration with regards to training. This research points out that training evaluation is for the larger part made use of within feedback towards individuals as well as to inform and educate the process of training and slightly lesser for the return on investment as discussed earlier. This could have a completely different scenario than what was delved upon in the above paragraphs. After all, return on investment has always been a much imperative disposition on the part of the training regi

Financial Analysis and Forecasting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Analysis and Forecasting - Coursework Example analysis shows that there exist a perfect relationship between sales and assets. The value of R-square is 1 this shows a perfect relationship that will produce a best-line-of fit that passes through the origin. The proportionality assumption that the value of assets increases proportionally with sales is therefore, holds, and is true. B) Repeat the part a regression analysis assuming the given data. Under these conditions, does it appear that the proportionality assumption holds true? Explain. From the results obtained below, the R squared value is 0.906304 this shows a good relationship because the R square value tends to 1, which is usually a perfect relation. SUMMARY OUTPUT Regression Statistics Multiple R 0.952 R Square 0.906304 Adjusted R Square 0.875073 Standard Error 4.495916 Observations 5 ANOVA Â   df SS MS F Significance F Regression 1 586.5602 586.5602 29.01858 0.012533 Residual 3 60.63978 20.21326 Total 4 647.2 Â   Â   Â   Â   Coefficients Standard Error t Stat P-val ue Lower 95% Upper 95% Lower 95.0% Upper 95.0% Intercept -50.9698 16.52736 -3.08396 0.053968 -103.567 1.627654 -103.567 1.62765 X Variable 1 3.246979 0.602756 5.38689 0.012533 1.328741 5.165216 1.328741 5.16522 From the above evaluation, it is clear that the best-line-of fit does not pass through the origin making the assumption not to hold true for sales and assets analyzed. This is because there is no close association between the dependent and independent variables in the study. C) Which of the preceding situations is likely to hold for most firms? What implications does your answer have for use of the percentage-of-sales-method? From the above situations, both cases have close range on R-square but the first is preferred most. The first situation is likely to hold for most firms because each firm will try as much as possible to ensure there is a good correlation between sales and assets. Any imbalance on these two variables may lead to collapse of the business because there migh t be too much expense in relation to company assets. Such a situation may result because of poor management and control of measures and standards. R is a measure of goodness of fit. Quantities neighboring 1 show a very suitable good fit. When the firm’s R is squared, it illustrates the percentage of changeability of y accounted for by x.In some other terms, most firms tend to ensure that their R-Square value stays or should not go below 0.95, as this will account for 95% of the changeability in y with respect to x. In business, usually an R-square values more than 0.9 are preferred, but it is essential to mark that even when a firm has an R-square value of 0.35, this implies that x is still demonstrating a considerable percentage of the y trait. Nevertheless, those below 0.5 are taken as somewhat inadequate for bivariate evaluation, since the related error is so wide. Multivariate analysis for firms is however, different. In addition, when applying mathematical associations t o forecast y given x, then the pact is to present an error = 2 ? SSE, but this resolution is not often the case. Implications on use of the percentage-of-sales-method Percentage-of-sales-method is an approach of forecasting cash needs by stating revenues and costs as percentage of sales, and from these percentages to develop a pro forma income statement. While predicating financial information

Evacuation Procuedures & Strategies in Buildings Dissertation

Evacuation Procuedures & Strategies in Buildings - Dissertation Example As the sky scrapers rose to majestic heights, so did the threats to their occupants. Evacuation procedures have constantly been under revision ever since the first evacuation plan was devised. Threats in terms of global hazards, accidents and recently terrorism have taken their toll and thousands of people have perished to date due in events such as fires in high rises, buildings collapsing due to earthquakes and terrorism incidents. The study is aimed to bring a deep insight from current evacuation procedure in high rises in light of new global and internal threats emerged in the last decade. Moreover, the study presents a brief overview with challenging issues in evacuation procedures in Burj Al Khalifa and Taipe Tower II. Table of Contents Proposal Methodology 1. INTRODUCTION Need of high rise building 2. LITERATURE REVIEW A. Events that may Lead to Evacuation I. External Threats a) Tsunamis b) Earthquakes c) Floods d) Cyclones and Hurricanes e) Heavy rains in Jeddah II. Internal Threats a) Fire b) Power Failure III. Terrorism and Accidents a) Air plane crash b) Terrorist attacks (bomb blast) B. Means of Alerting the Occupants in case of an Emergency C. General Problems in any Evacuation System I. Training of Floor Wardens II. Distribution of Handouts III. Seminars and Awareness Sessions IV. Evacuation Drills D. Severity of threat to High Rises 3. CHALLENGES IN EVACUATION A. Evacuation plan depends on the nature of the disaster I. Total Evacuation II. Select Evacuation III. Protect in Place B. Real-time evaluation of the problems during evacuation I. Problem sensing II. Identification of regions at high risks III. Calculating/Computing the most optimize evacuation plan in real time 4. AREAS OF CONCERN WHEN DESIGNING A HIGH RISE BUILDING A. Time Constraint B. Complex building architectures 5. AVAILABLE SOLUTIONS A. EVACUATION PROCEDURES AT BRIDGE AT KHALIFA I. Structural details II. Safety Measures Incorporated in the Design and Construction B. EVACUATION PRO CEDURES AT TAIPEI 101 I. Structural details II. Safety Measures Incorporated in the Design and Construction 6. CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION 7. REFERENCES PROPOSAL Tall buildings are being constructed all over the world. Almost all the urban skylines are pierced by sky scrapers reaching out into the heights as a testimony to human development in the fields of civil and mechanical engineering as well as the technological accomplishments that make the implementation of those developments possible. Since the appearance of the first high rise building on the globe in 1890 i.e. The World Building in New York City this structure was 309ft high, the tall buildings have grown taller and now expected to exceed the 1km height milestone. The construction of high rise buildings brought a new trend in the residential as well as office buildings. Now companies and service providers seek offices and work places in distinguished structures that can play a positive role in their marketing and public relatio ns campaigns. A certain part of the residential community, though not the majority, also look forward to having residences in distinguished buildings, preferably tall buildings. A sky scraper of moderate height i.e. 300m to 400m can house around 2500 to 2800 people in the event of an emergency it will never be easy to evacuate all of the occupants safely in time, and to do so will require great planning supported by safety features incorporated into the building’s design during construction. There are many advanced safety

A critical analysis of marketing strategy in the UK financial services Essay

A critical analysis of marketing strategy in the UK financial services sector. An empirical study - Essay Example According to Lazer (1971:209), â€Å"Given good intelligence, executives should eventually be able to scan markets, call for additional information through consoles, assess marketing alternatives more adequately, and adjust to dynamic market condition more readily†. It then requires that marketing strategies are structured to come abreast with the vicissitude of the time, for it to be successful and effective. THE United Kingdom financial services sector have in recent times adopted marketing strategies that are aligned with the information technology driven age. The conducting of business are embarked through e-marketing and to a great extent the UK financial institutions have adopted strategic alliance as an option of jointly pulling of their resources with organizations that share the same business orientation and prospects with them. â€Å"Markets face daunting challenges in an increasingly complex markets place. Market research information technologies have provided new tools to guide marketing resource allocation, but these technologies have added complexity to the marketer’s worldview. Compounding the challenge is the range of stakeholders that must be addressed: prospects, customers, shareholders, channels partners, market alliance partners, and vendors† (Cook & Talluri, 2005:244). In recent years the spate of strategic alliance in UK financial institutions are on the increase. According to Gup & Marino (2003), the United Kingdom financial institution recorded 401 alliances in Europe. Almost half of these strategies alliances occurred in 1998 and 1999. As a substitute to outright merger financial institution have prefer strategic alliance. In the same view, Proctor (2000), argues that the 21st century is seeing the development of strategic alliances and networks where firms work together towards shared goals and collaborate in their operations. The financial services sector plays a significant

Silver Blaze Essay Example for Free

Silver Blaze Essay What are the roles of Holmes and Watson within Silver Blaze and what is there relationship with each other? In this assignment I am going to look at the relationship between to characters that are both very hard to judge this is due to their roles and use in the storys created by Conan Doyle. Holmes and Watson are two characters, created by Conan Doyle. They live a very interesting and adventurous life. They have a great interest in crimes, which have been committed and enjoy solving them and understanding the criminals intentions. Watson is a retired medical who worked for the army and has a lot of knowledge. After reading Silver Blaze I have noted that Holmes always seems to be the master mind in solving the crimes, and that Watson is telling the story as though he is dictating it in his diary. It seems to give the reader the impression that Holmes gives the orders to Watson, but not in a harsh way, he gives the reader the impression as though he is the leader. Also when they arrive at the town of Tavistock they are greeted with great care, there is a carriage waiting to escort them to their hotel. The relationship between Holmes and Watson in Silver Blaze is clear. The first thing we can learn straight away is that both Holmes and Watson are both livening together and both also are always travelling together, this shows us that there relationship is strong, and we also can note that they never argue therefore there friendship is very strong. Also we know that not only do both Holmes and Watson live together but also work together. This makes it hard but yet also very easy to evaluate their relationship. This is because I could evaluate the relationship between Holmes and Watson if I was to read all the Conan Doyle books, which he wrote. I could judge the relationship easier, but the problem which I do face is that Holmes and Watson spend so much time together, there relationship is very strong and is lot more than I can talk about it through Silver Blaze. This is because from what I have read I see there relationship as two working partners, when I say partners I mean business partners. Also to show that the relationship of Watson and Holmes is very strong, in line 505 it shows Watson defending Holmes whos intentions are to drop this case; I was about to make some reply in defence of my friend, when he entered the room again. Watson gives the picture as though he is Holmes sidekick. This is the image given by the writer to the reader, but if you continue reading the story and understand the characters you can learn that both men would not be as successful as they are, if they werent together. This is because the two men both have great knowledge and expertise in different sectors and fields and always needs the others opinion. A good example of this is when they discover the knife that was used in the incident in Silver Blaze; Holmes turns to Watson for his medical expertise. This shows us that both men require each others knowledge. For example, Line 122, Watson ask, One moment! asked Watson. Did the stable boy, when he ran out with the dog, leave the door unlocked behind him? This allows us to see that Holmes requires Watsons help. We can tell this because of Holmes response is; Excellent, Watson! murmured my companion. The importance of the point struck me so forcibly that I sent a special wire to Dartmoor yesterday to clear the matter. This response tells us that Holmes requires Watsons knowledge. It also in a way steals Watsons clever work, ideas and his theory about the crime. This also tells us that Watson is not just a friend who helps Holmes by being with him, but Watson is an important part to Holmes cases, because of his knowledge. The writer Doyle gives us the impression that Watson is telling the story that makes the reader think that Watson does not play a major part in the case. A good example of this is: Excellent, Watson! murmured my companion. Murmured my companion, those three words tell us that Watson is telling the story. Also it also states Holmes and Watsons relationship, which is that the two are very close companions. Also I have noticed at the end of the short story Watson evaluates the story and the case after Holmes has explained the mystery and the puzzle of the case. Also a lot of the crime solving and puzzles are explained by Homes, the reason why I think this is because Watson is seen to be Holmes pupil. The reason why I think this is because all the explanation is done by Holmes and all the introduction to the cases are done by Homes. As example of this is shown on the first page to the story, Holmes explains to Watson about him leaving, and then Watson offers to come along, and once this is said by Watson, Holmes is very glad and happy that Watson has offered to come along. So overall I feel that his relationship between Holmes and Watson is very strong and powerful, this is because they have friendship, partnership and a lot of trust in each other. There partnership is also very successful because they both see each other as very useful, and are always happy to listen to each others views without arguing or disagreeing.

The Marketing Strategy Of Apple Inc And Its Effectiveness

The Marketing Strategy Of Apple Inc And Its Effectiveness After reviewing the list of available topics for the 2012 Oxford Brookes Research and Analysis Project, I was most drawn to the topic A review of the Marketing Strategy of an organisation and its success because this relationship between the marketing strategy and organisational success is an area of high interest to me. I believe that undertaking this project will expose me to the real life interplay of the marketing models in the implementation of the business strategy of an organisation and help me to understand how a good marketing strategy can result in the success or otherwise of an organisations business strategy. Being much aware of how between 1995 and 1997 Apple Incorporated (then Apple Computers Incorporated) almost went bankrupt with $1 billion in backorders (California Digital Library, 1998); I believe that Apple Incorporated will be a fit candidate for this project analysis to show how an effective marketing strategy turned a failing company into the most valuable corporate body in share prices in under a decade (BBC UK, 2012). 1.2 Brief historic overview of Apple Inc. and its development: Apple Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary involved in the design, manufacture and marketing of mobile communication devices, computers and portable digital devices, including related software solutions and peripherals. Apple was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Incorporated on January 3, 1977 in Cupertino, California (California Digital Library, 1998). Initially a success, infighting and a power struggle between founder Jobs and CEO John Sculley on which products to develop and market led to Jobs resigning from Apple in 1985 (California Digital Library, 1998). Misguided product development, poor research into consumer products and a failure to understand consumer needs led to a fall in market share, profits and faced near bankruptcy in 1996 after huge losses and unfulfilled backorders (California Digital Library, 1998). A restructuring of products and a strategic partnership with Microsoft to invest $150 Million in non-voting Apple shares and making available Office, Internet and development tools on Apples Macintosh computers, helped keep Apple afloat (CNET News, 1997). Apple currently is a market leader in the Mobile Computing industry with a much diversified range of products; including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Macintosh Computers. 1.3 Project Objectives: The objectives I aim to achieve by undertaking this project work include: To understand how the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models are applied to the market/product relationship and the overall development of a marketing strategy for an organisation. To review the marketing strategy of Apple using the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models and access how the market/ products of Apple are developed effectively marketed to their consumer base. To access the contribution(s) that the application of these models by Apple Incorporated has made to their financial performance. This assessment will include: The contribution to net sales from their main market products. Access the effectiveness of their marketing costs to net sales. 1.4 Overall Research Approach The research is centred on the analysis and review of the marketing strategy of Apple Incorporated by evaluating their product development and marketing strategies from the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models. The research approach which will enable me meet the outlined objectives will include a mix of theoretical models and making inductive conclusions from their practical application by Apple. Deductive assessment from qualitative and quantitative contributions to the success of Apple by their applications of the functions of these models will be made from the financial statements of Apple and from Industry and Media publications. Chapter 2 Information Gathering In this research and analysis project there were mainly two sources of information I considered; primary and secondary. 2.1 Sources of Information Primary Sources Primary sources are the first hand information gathered by the researcher directly in the research field from his subjects and are usually in their crude form (Yale University, 2008). Methods for obtaining primary data include: Questionnaires and Oral Interviews I will not make use of the primary data sources due to constraints including: Financial constraints, time limit, subject location and the non-response of the subject to my request for information. Secondary Sources Secondary sources of information are that which is available to a researcher as a result of other research work or publications in a relevant field; this necessarily will not mean similar or same research objectives; but does make the relevant fact and data available to a secondary researcher (University of Illinois, 2011). Sources of secondary data include Industry related and media publications, Textbooks, Financial reports, etc. I will make use of secondary data sources as they were more convenient to the constraints I faced. My sources of secondary data included: Industry and Media Publications: I will make use of publications and tools from experts in the computing industry including reports from C.Net, Web Archives Organisation and The Car Phone Warehouse. References will also be made to major events and activities of the Apple in media and news publications and some of which include the Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, The BBC and CNN. This enabled me to access independent views on the success or otherwise of Apples marketing strategy. Library research: During the research I frequented my local library in Leyton, the library of the London School of Economics (LSE) and the Library of the London School of Business and Finance. This facilitated me on my understanding of the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models and their theoretical development. Electronic Research: I also made use of the internet to gather the majority of information I needed to analyse the history, development and current strategic position of Apple Incorporated, to which the website of the SEC, www.sec.gov, provided me with financial publications and reports. I also found information on the prices of relevant competitive products including the Samsung, HTC and VIM (Black Berry) from industry participants like the Car Phone Warehouse, www.carphonewarehouse.com. 2.3 Ethical Considerations of the Project: As an ACCA student and having written the Ethics and corporate governance module I do understand clearly the ethical situations that can arise from analysing an organisations strategies. I have as such made no attempt to obtain or disclose any top level information or data that might jeopardise the long term strategic position of my subject of study: Apple Incorporated. All the information that I will use in my analysis are publicly available from Apples financial reports and from various other industry and media outlets. References will be made to these media outlets, news events and such relevant information in the financial statements of Apple and all such sources will be disclosed as due and correctly attributed to. To the best of my knowledge neither myself nor any close relative hold any form of financial instrument, shares or stock in Apple or any competitor in the mobile electronics industry and as such I do not seek to profit from this research for any effects it might have on such instruments. 2.4 Theoretical base and definition of Models The ANSOFF Model developed by H. Ansoff (Johnson et al 2005) is a product/market growth matrix that allows an organisation to generate alternative directions for its strategic development. Alternative strategic directions are options of products and market coverage that are available to an organisation taking into account their strategic capability and the expectations of stakeholders (Johnson et al, 2005). Protect / Build Product Development Consolidation With existing capabilities Market Penetration Beyond current expectations With new capabilities Market Development Diversification New segments With existing capabilities New territories With new capabilities New uses with new capabilities Beyond current expectations Beyond current expectations Source: H. Ansoff (1988) as cited by Johnson et al (2005). An organisation typically starts from the position of building or protecting their market presence with its existing products in their existing market (Box 1). The organisation then has the choice of pushing further the same product in that very market or moving to developing new products in that market (Box 2). The organisation can also bring their existing products into new markets (Box 3) and finally the last and most radical option of diversifying into a new market with a new product (Box 4). (Box 1) Protect / Build: According to Johnson et al (2005) this involves consolidating and strengthening their current market status with their current products. This may require just increasing the efficiency of their processes by downsizing some activities. This approach is much preferred stagnant markets and requires much competitive advantage or edge to win over customers from competitors. Box 2 Product Development: A business resides in an environment and changes in that environment will demand new products or services at the expense of an established product. An organisation then delivers these modified or new products to existing markets. Product development is most utilised by industries with short product life cycle software and consumer electronics (Johnson et al, 2005). Box 3 Market Development: This is the case where existing products are offered to new markets which may include exploiting into other market segments, developing new users for existing products and advancing on the geographical stage both nationally and internationally. In all cases, it is prudential that market development strategies are based on products or services that meet the critical success factors of the intended new market. As simply on offloading traditional products or services into new markets are likely to fail. Market development also requires a degree of product and capability development (Johnson et al, 2005). Box 4 Diversification: This is a strategy that removes an organisation away from their current markets and products; that is their established comfort zone of domination as one may put it (Johnson et al, 2005). Diversification increases the market power that the head office must oversee and may be in response to a market decline, an attempt to spread risk or as a corporate response to the expectations of powerful stakeholders. Diversification can be understood in two ways; Related and Unrelated. Related diversification is seen as a strategic development beyond current products and markets; but within the capabilities or value network of the organisation. Unrelated diversification has to do with developing beyond the current capabilities or current value system and this is often referred to as conglomerate strategy (Johnson et al, 2005). An organisation can make a choice as to which of the function(s) of the model to apply in its strategic options. When this option has been made an organisation then has to develop a marketing approach to gain the advantage over their competitors. Marketing Model (Marketing Mix): Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably; it is widely used as a concept or a process and to cover a series of techniques (CIM, 2012). Marketing strategy therefore reflects a companys best options as to how it can most profitably apply its skills and resources to the chosen product and segment market Consumers have needs and wants, and are placed into segments based on those needs, but understanding the nature of customers and their needs is only just but the first step in implementing a business strategy. An organisation needs to communicate to the consumer why their product fulfils these needs and the tools used in this communication form the basis of the marketing mix model; being the Product, Price, Place and Promotion, also known as the 4Ps. The 4 Ps model was developed by McCarthy (Kotler et al, 2008) but modern scholars have identified 3 more Ps, People, Processes and Physical evidence that are more at play in the service sector, Booms and Bitner in (1981), as cited by Brassington and Pettit (2006). Product: This is what the customer receives from the organisation or manufacturer; totality of goods and services that the company offers the target market. (Kotler et al, 2008:49). A product goes beyond just the item sold, and is not only what to make, but how, when and its life span of feasible production. In marketing terms a product is split between the actual product and the augmented product. The actual product in its simple terms must satisfy the basic needs of the customer; and thus can be termed as the threshold product. However if an organisation seeks to survive in a changing market, it must provide more than the basic product. Price: The price is the amount of money the customer parts with in order to acquire the product; and may involve more than just the basic and straightforward calculation of costs and expected profit margins of the organisation (Brassington and Pettit, 2006). A common trait with price; regardless of the basis of calculation; is that it must reflect the value the customer holds to the product. This is a customers individual behaviour trait as Brassington and Pettit (2006) noted; and is a judgemental perception of what they are getting for their money, what options their spending power held for them and how much the amount relatively means to them. External factors that affect price include competitors and the general economy. The influence of pricing on the success of the overall marketing mix approach can be established with Bowmans Strategic clock model which shows the link between the perceived value of product, the price and its chances of success. A product that fails to communicate the appreciable value / price ratio to consumers will fail. The Strategic Clock Model, (C. Bowman and D. Faulkner 1997) Brassington and Pettit (2006), notes that within a given economic situation price sends all sorts of messages to the customers; it indicate quality and desirability and in the eyes of competitors it is seen as a challenge as low pricing can indicate a price war and high pricing leaves room for a competitor to undercut. Internal factors that may affect pricing include required return or shareholder expectations, cost of manufacture. Pricing is the most flexible element of the marketing mix but it is also quite a dangerous element to play with (Brassington and Pettit 2006). Place: Once the product and the price have been determined, the customer must be able to purchase the product. This can be directly from the manufacturer or from an intermediary or distributor. There are various modes of distribution in order to transfer the product to the customer; from simple mail order to long and complex distribution chains. Place in the modern era of marketing has also taken the electronic edge and includes the internet and telephone orders. The Place function is not just about the movement and transfer of goods, it is about manipulation, competitive advantage and power of bargain between the consumer and the manufacturer (Brassington and Pettit 2006). Promotion: Product promotion is about communicating to the consumer or customer. An organisation has a product that may be competing with several others to satisfy a customers need. The act of convincing consumers on why an organisations products are the best in fulfilling their need is what promotion is all about. Often seen as the most active and glamorous part of marketing, it does demand a daunting amount of artistic endeavour and can be used to overcome setbacks an organisation may have in the other aspects of the marketing mix. Promotion in totality however contains two main acts: pull promotions that attempt to attract the consumer to purchase the product and push promotions that aim for retailers or intermediaries, encourage them to purchase the product and promote them to their own consumers. Promotion involves not just advertising but also discounts or sales promotions, personal selling, branding and public relations (Brassington and Pettit 2006). People, Processes and Physical Presence: Booms and Bitner (1981), as cited by Brassington and Pettit (2006), added 3 more Ps (People, Processes and Physical Presence) to the initial 4 Ps model to reflect the extra activities in the marketing of services. People reflect the human aspect of rendering a service to a consumer. A customer that feels comfortable with a particular service provider trusts them and has a rapport with them; forms a relationship with that provider that a competitor will find hard to break into. People add value to the service package that goes beyond what the service aims to offer (Brassington and Pettit 2006). Process concerns the live provision and consumption of a service; which is much different to the hidden processes of manufacturing sectors. A service provider has to maintain consistency with the consumer this involves specific quality controls, training, manuals of service, time of service and a professional level of quality (Brassington and Pettit, 2006). Physical Evidence has to do with how an organisation maintains an ambience of their principal locality of rendering services for the consumer. This is a premises from which their service is sold or delivered and includes how appealing it is in terms of maintenance, design and accessibility. This can include the airplane one boards when they book a flight, the room they sleep in when they book a hotel (Brassington and Pettit 2006). 2.5 Limitations of the report This report has limitation due to the constraints it was subject to and the intrinsic limitations of the theoretical models. The unavailability of primary data has restrained this reports view of scope to the secondary data and the financial statements of Apple Incorporated. Constraints that limit the scope and dept of the report also include the number of words which as underlined in the project outline is a maximum of 6,500 words. Time has also been a constraining factor limiting the extent to which the research could be carried out. The location of the study subject, Apple Incorporated has also made it impossible to study the cultural influences and other market factors, apart from marketing strategy, that could and can affect the success. The nature of the theoretical models ANSOFF and the Marketing Mix model restrains their exact application and thus analysing their real life application. These models like all theoretical models may not necessarily be reflected in their totality when applied and certain assumptions need to be made in order to analyse their effectiveness. Chapter 3 3.1 Application of Models and Analysis An assessment of the current marketing strategy of Apple Incorporated using the ANSOFF and 7 Ps Marketing Mix modules will set a point out on what exactly Apple does and how this has been effectively reflected in their success. Outline of ANSOFF Model as Applied By Apple: Market Penetration: Apple from its period of incorporation had been focused on gaining a market share in the computer and I.T industry and although they had a reflection of research into other I.T based products; their main focus was on a limited product spectrum which included the Apple II, Lisa and Later the Macintosh computers (California Digital Library, 1998). They based this market penetration strategy on their style and brand appeal, and sought to grow their market share the more. This clearly fitted into the ANSOFF model function of market penetration and market consolidation strategy. This approach however begun to recede in the 1990s as their strategic competitors Microsoft and IBM outgrew Apples market share with much cheaper and more innovative computers which in addition capitalised on the inability of Apples computers to integrate with other industry standard software and computers (Jim Carlton, 1998). Market Development Function: Apples market spans across the globe and is segmented on a regional and product basis including consumer, business, education, enterprise and government organisations that make use of the power and productivity of Apples products. This market has been developed with focus on product differentiation and enhanced knowledgeable sales persons, which allows the easy conveyance of value of products to consumers (Apple Inc, 2011). Apple is also active in the reseller and third-party locations market including Apple Premium Reseller Program which allow high level integration and support services to their products (Apple Inc, 2011). This high value market development is directly linked to their products which are developed on value, ease of use and integration. Product Development Function: Being involved in the mobile computing industry which is highly characterized by frequent product introductions and rapid technological advances requires strategic application of the product development function of the marketing mix model. iPod: This is a portable digital music player introduced in 2001as a niche product it clearly struck a nerve with a new generation of electronic users. With the traditional PC being regarded as my parents computer or the official business computer, Apple identified a market that desired the portability of an electronic music player and the storage prowess of a computer for that music data. It includes the iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle and iPod classic all of which work with iTunes and related accessories both Apples and third-party compatibles. Apple sold more than 15 million units in the last three months of 2005 and helping double the quarterly profits of Apple from $255 Million in 2004 to $565 Million in 2005 (BBC UK, 2006). The graph 3.1 shows how this product dominates the mobile music devices industry. Graph 3.1 Source: IDC, 2006 as cited CNN Money, 2006. Apple US Electronics Music Player Market Share iPhone: Developed in early 2007, the iPhone combines a smart mobile phone, an iPod and an internet communications device; as then CEO Steve Jobs put it a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary phone and a break through internet communicator (Anthony Imbimbo, 2009). It also includes accessories that allow it to communicate with other Apple products and tools that elaborate on ease of use, value and user friendliness. Within three months Apple had sold 270,000 iPhone devices and generated $5 Million of net revenue for the 3rd quarter of 2007, (Apple Inc, 2007). Graph 3.2 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2010 2011, Growth in Net iPhone Sales Between 2008 2011. Graph 3.3 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2010 2011. Percentage Growth Net iPhone Sales to Net Sales 2008 2011. Graph 3.2 and 3.3 above indicate how the iPhone product grew rapidly and its net contributions to sales. Mac: This is the personal computing product which includes desktop and portable computers, related devices and third party hardware products. They are designed to target high end business and professional customers. iPad: In the first quarter of 2012 Apple introduced the iPad which like the iPod touch and iPhone is based on the multi-touch technology, showing how using their existing capabilities Apple develops products to fulfil market needs (Apple Press Info, 2010). Described as a multi-purpose mobile device for browsing the web, reading and various other functions, the market reception of the iPad was so successful that Apple sold 300,000 within the first twenty-four hours of its launch (Ars Technica, 2010). Graph 3.4 shows the accelerated growth of net sales contribution from the iPad product. Graph 3.4 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2011. Percentage Growth in Net iPad Sales to Net Sales Between 2010 and 2011. This simultaneous implementation of the product and market development functions of the ANSOFF model clearly follows in line with Johnson et al (2005) observation that market development requires a degree of both products development and capability development. Chart 3.5 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2011, Percentage of Products to Net Sales. Chart 3.5 above shows the net contribution to net sales from the most recent products from Apple Incorporated. iTunes and iCloud: The iTunes offers a tool for organising digital files on apples devices on both Windows and Mac platforms it is integrated into the iTunes Store which allows the rental and purchase of digital products from Apple accredited sellers, including the App Store and iBookstore with one account (Apple Inc, 2011). The iTunes interface provides an integration platform for all devices one may own allowing files to be wireless pushed to all devices (Apple Inc, 2011). Extending on the iTunes digital hub integration, Apple introduced the iCloud in October 2011, which allows consumers to store and share all their files across all Apple devices they own, perform backups and various other functions including managing mail and contacts. This digital hub ideology allows Apple to provide the augmented services that make their products value stand above those of their competitors. Software Products and Computer Technologies: Apple offers a range of computer softwares for education, enterprise and government customers including the Mac OS X, iLife 11, iWork 09, server software and professional application software including Final Cut Pro, Logic Studio etc (Apple Inc, 2011). Apple also builds software for their mobile devices supported by the iOS architecture and offers these augmenting products to enhance the customer use and value of their products. Display Peripheral Products: Apple has a range of peripherals and display devices including the Apple LED Cinema Display, AppleTV and Thunderbold Display, Apple also offers several third-party augmenting devices that add value to their products (Apple Inc, 2011). Diversification Functions: When Apple introduced the iTunes and iTunes Store product they created a completely different product line that strays from their electronics products lines and yet offers more augmented value to their mobile devices. This online music store can be seen as a concentric or related diversification that provided a platform where the music industry could sell its products easily to the rapidly growing market of iPod and iPhone users. This diversification has been so successful that Apples online music store the iTunes overtook the largest music retailers in number of songs sold in 2008, (Apple Press Info, 2008). Source: ArsTechnica 2008, Apple iTunes Store Music Sales by % Volume. A more detailed analysis shows how Apple changed the way consumers purchase music from buying a whole album to allowing selection of a particular track or set of tracks. This lies in related horizontal diversification as Johnson et al (2005) pointed out as activities that are complimentary to the parents core activity network. Apple clearly uses a combination of the ANSOFF product, market development and diversification functions to effectively contribute to its success as a mobile I.T manufacturer. Application of the 7P Marketing Mix Model by Apple Incorporated Apple applies the 7P marketing model by either identifying a specific markets needs or by creating a market by defining products that address the needs of their target segment consumers. Product: Apple defines their products with the final consumer in focus and does not seek to gain all the consumers in the market; rather they focus on the Value seeking consumers and thus all of Apples products are designed to satisfy the needs of these value consumers. Products are designed with each aspect specifically detailed to achieve an advantage over equivalent competitor products including; superior ease of use, seamless integration and innovative design (Apple Inc, 2010). As Kotler et al (2008) describes, Apple provides augmenting services and peripherals for almost all of their product lines including maintaining compatibility to older generations and other third-party devices and software. These services, which are additional to all Apple products as basic packages at no and extra packages at extra costs allows consumers to continuously add more value to their products to fulfil their evolving needs. Currently as I write this report, Apple has launched several series of product upgrades and differentiation within the iPhone, iPod and iPad for other value consumers identified in their market segment whose needs the current products do not meet; including the iPhone 5, iPod Touch, iPad Mini and the Mac Book Pro and iMac (Apple Online Store, 2012). Pricing: One other aspect of the Marketing mix model which Apple applies effectively is the pricing of their products. Apple markets itself as a high end product manufacturer with a high-quality buying experience for their target consumers, and this is reflected in their pricing. Apples products are higher in prices in a comparison to their market competitors but this it leverages with its unique ability to design and develop its own operating systems, hardware, application software and services and provide its customers with new products and solutions of superior ease of use, seamless integration and innovative design. Apple believes in high quality sales and after sales support experience and ensures that although their prices are higher than any competitor; the final end consumer knows that the quality of product, sales and after sales support is second to none (Apple Inc, 2011). From C. Bowman and D. Faulkners (1996) strategic clock model, Apple Incorporated can be seen to be solely concentrated on a high value high price relationship which they also described as focused product differentiation. A samples analysis of the current UK mobile phone market prices ranges between the major market competitors and Apples iPhone product belo

Facial Prosthetic Adhesives Effect On Maxillofacial Silicone Elastomers Biology Essay

Facial Prosthetic Adhesives Effect On Maxillofacial Silicone Elastomers Biology Essay Maxillofacial prosthetic discipline plays an important part on patient treatment that has suffered facial disfigurement caused by accidental trauma, tumour, cancer, diseases and congenital malformation (Sanchez-Garcia et all 2010). The sucess of maxillofacial silicone elastomer depends on factors such as stability, support and retention (Dahl and Polyzois, 2000; Sanchez-Garcia et al., 2010). The retention and its methodology is of primary importance and is based upon four categories (Dahl and Polyzois, 2000) : skin adhesives, mechanical ( Magnets, spetcles ) (Lemon et al., 1995 ; Goiato et all, 2009), anatomical ( undercuts) and implants (Dahl and Polyzois, .2000). Adhesive retention is communly used in U.K which was identified by Hatamlesh et al (2010) by use of questionnaires. Of the 220 working maxillofacial prosthetic technologists surveyed, has been found that in 1193 prosthetic contructed, adhesives communly retained 48% of orbital prosthetics and 45% of nasal prosthetics (Hatamlesh et al 2010). However its use was influenced by adhesive chemical constituition and the patient skin condition (Sanchez- Garcia,. et al, 2010). Nevertheless, by refering to patient satisfaction and quality of life (Goiato et al, 2009), adhesive retention of facial prosthetic has a negative impact, due to difficulties of removable which results in skin irritation (Dahl and Polyzois , 2000) or damage to the prosthetics, compared to implant retained prostesis (Goiato et al, 2009), which is costlly (Cheng el al ,2002), however, despite of costs, 70% auricular implant are commonly made ( Hatamlesh et al ,2010) to retain the prosthetics. 1.1 Definition of adhesive-adhesion An adhesive is an essence that holds materials together trough surface attachments (Holland and Turner, 1983). During surface interaction between an adhesive and subtracts is termed adhesion. When the two subtracts comes in contact by a third substance on its interface is termed adhesive joint (Hulland and Turner, 1983) (Figure 1.0) or bond, which is depend upon the wetting and the spread of the adhesives (Thomas, 2003). According to Wu (1982 cited in Nenakhov, 2008 p 20) adhesion is where two different materials comes in close contact interfacially, so that a load could be transferred between adherent and substrate to the adhesive joint. Flexible adherent Subtract Fig1.0 The adhesive Joint However, many issues are responsible for adhesion which is described by the skin factors and many underlying general theories. Facial prosthetics retention factors Skin is the largest organ of the human body and has many heterogeneous and anisotropic tissue layers. The three main tissue layers are: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis or adipose fat tissue. This tissues work in support to each other and differ in thickness by function of age and the area where is found (Pailler-Mattei et al, 2008; Pailler-Mattei, and Zahouani, 2006; Wood and Bladon,1985). The epidermis is found at the outer layer of the skin and subsequently subdivided by differentiated five sub layers, called stratified squamous epithelium (fig 1.1) which varies in thickness by 30 ums and 4 mm (Wood and Bladon, 1985). It contains blood vessels, diverse types of cells and keratin protein (Wood and Bladon, 1985). The outer sub layer of the epidermis (stratum corneum) contains dead cells which is water resistant. The dermis is found beneath the epidermis and it is further divided into two parts (Wood and Bladon, 1985): Papillary region The outer area that contacts the epidermis, and is composed by loose areolar connective tissues; Reticular region- The deep area that contacts the hypodermis, and is composed by irregular connective tissues trough it, weaves collagen and elastic fibers. The dermis functions to reduce the pressure and tension of the body under exterior excitation (Pailler-Mattei, and Zahouani, 2006). The hypodermis is found below the dermis and is consisted by loose connective tissue and elastin fibers. Its main function is to attach the upper layers to muscles and bones and to supply blood vessels and nerves (Wood and Bladon, 1985). Generally different components can be found in the surface of the skin: fingernails, toenails, hair follicle, sweet glands and sebaceous glands. Skin is consisted by: water, protein, lipids, and different minerals and chemicals. It has a variety of functions, (Wood and Bladon, 1985) such as: It protects from bacterial invasion by keeping our insides (muscles bones ligament and internal organs) intact ; Evaporation control provides a semi permeability barrier to fluid loss; Storage for lipids and water ; Absorption- Oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide can diffuse into the epidermis in small amounts; Isolation by regulating the temperature and sensation. Fig 1.1 schematic illustration of skin (Ivyrose ,2003) Hair Pore Epidermis Stratified squamous epithelium Stratum corneum Stratum lucidium Stratum granulosum Stratum spinosum Stratum basal Stratum corneum Stratum lucidium Stratum granulosum Stratum spinosum Stratum basal Stratum corneum Stratum lucidium Stratum granulosum Stratum spinosum Stratum basal Dermis Hair follicle Sebaceous gland Blood capillaries Sweat glands Nerve endings Sensory receptors Hypodermis Artery and vein Capillaries Adipose tissue Therefore for adhesion process to proceed, it is important to have an account of skin factors such as, hair follicles, (Kiat- Annuay et al 2008) perspiration, skin lipids and the sebum, which are the main culprits for the difficulties that the adhesive may encounter when in contact with the epidermis of the skin (Wood and Bladon, 1985). Also these factors may vary between the different ethical groups (Kiat- Annuay et al 2008). However, In order to understand the adhesive behavior on health applications, human skin is modeled as viscoelastic material (Pailler-Mattei, and Zahouani, 2006; Renvoisea et al, 2009). Still for accepting it as an elastic, mechanical tests has been performed, and the results showed that its young modulus varies between, 0.42Mpa -0.85 Mpa for torsion, 4.6 Mpa 20 Mpa for tensile, 0.05 Mpa -0.015Mpa for suction and between 0.0045 Mpa -0.008Mpa for indentation (Pailler Mattei, and Zahouani, 2006). Therefore it can be thought that the skin is highly deformable up to a limit. Skin deformation should be minimized when testing adhesives. Theories of adhesion The theories of adhesion have been classified into three categories ( Hulland and Turner, 1983): Mechanical bonding The theory is based on the factor that all the surfaces to be bonded are rough at microscopic level.  Ã‚  The low viscosity adhesive will flow and penetrates into the cracks, crevices or pores of the rough subtract surfaces. As the adhesives hardens it keys into those surfaces and a strong bond results. However, the bond joint strength between the adherent and substrate is limited, both by the adhesive strength and the roughness of the surface (Hulland and Turner, 1983). Chemical bonding the theory is based on the formation of primary chemical bonds between the adhesive and the surface of the substance which invokes the formation of covalent, ionic and hydrogen bonds also secondary bonds may influence by van der walls forces in the interface (Hulland and Turner, 1983) Physical bonding Adhesive bond formation may be attributed trough the energy on the interface between adhesive and the substance which in turn is determined by physical process during contact : Electrostatic -is based on difference in electro negativity between the two subtracts when in contact. Adhesive strength is given by: the transfer of electrons across the interface resulting in a negative and a positive charge, creating double layers thus attracting one another (Hulland and Turner, 1983). Diffusion -is based on adhesion that is formed trough diffusion of molecules in the adhesive and adherent. However the theory is only applicable when both the adhesive and adherent are soluble and having similar long-chain molecules that are capable of kinetics (Hulland and Turner, 1983). Absorption is based on adhesion which results from molecular contact between an adhesive and the adherent known as wetting. The wetting is considered in terms of free surface energy and is determined by measuring the surface contact angles (fig1.2). Thus, high surface energy a near Zero angle of contact may occur, so the liquid wets efficiently over the subtract surface. However, at low surface energy a higher contact angle may be produced which results in inefficiently surface coverage by the liquid (Hulland and Turner, 1983). Fig 1.2 The effects of surface energy of a subtract on contact angles of a liquid droplet (Hulland and Turner, 1983, p 403). High surface energy so lower liquid contact angle indicated by the arrow Low surface energy so higher liquid contact angle indicated by the arrow (Hulland and Turner, 1983 , p 403). Surface wet ability of a prosthetic material The prosthetic material that contacts the skin must have a good wettability (high surface energy- hydrophilic) for efficient adhesion, however according to Water et all (1999) when comparing silicone elastomers used in maxillofacial with that of an acrylic denture base resin, statistically found that the silicone elastomers has a lower surface energy, thus resulting on surface that is poor wetted (low surface energy- hydrophobic). Nevertheless, no significance statistically difference has found between the silicones elastomers, but only demonstrating a quantitative difference contact angle mean raging between 79.31 to 83.18 degrees and the surface energy raging between 25.11 and 28.45. In addition to that, the researchers concluded, the low wettability found may cause friction and micro trauma to the supporting tissues, as the wettability did not achieve the lubrification needed (Water et all,1999). However, the surface of the silicone elastomer may be modified to improve wetting wit hout affecting the material bulk and mechanical properties as Aziz et all (2003) demonstrated. The experimenters concluded, that if the silicone elastomer was treated with argon plasma and followed by chemosoption of ethyneopoxy functional silanes it proved an effective way to improve wetability demonstrated by the reduction of contact angle (Aziz et all, 2003). Requirements of medical adhesives Adhesives that are used in the facial prosthesis are pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) which needs a slight pressure to adhere at room temperature and it possess two essential requirements which are: That they should stick firmly to a difficult subtract (skin) (Chivers, 2001; Webster 1998), which varies in dryness and wetness. That they should be easily removed from subtract without causing any damage by stripping the skin, or leaving adhesive residue (Chivers, 2001; Webster, 1998) during de-bonding process. With this two requirements in mind, PSA is proposed to show an adhesive failure when the skin is a subtract, however to verify this requirements a peel test at different angles, usually at 900 or 1800 degrees, is employed which is one of the standards used to evaluate the strength of adhesive bonds, therefore the higher the test value (energy per unit area), the stronger the bond. Assessing Pressure sensitive adhesives 1.6.1Pressure sensitive adhesive factors During assessing the mechanical properties according to Chivers (2001) the requirements in 1.5 are constantly in conflict, so to resolve it, he approaches trough using chemical means and physical procedures during peeling of PSA that is used for dressing of wounds. The chemical means consist of an adhesive that contains a mix of a hydrophilic base polymer (alkyl vinyl ether) with a water soluble tackifying agent (ethoxylated alkyl phenol part of polyethelne glycol) in 1:1 or 1:2 ratios which gives on a dry state its tackiness (Chivers, 2001). However by wetting with water the peel strength has seen to be reduced by 90%. Also he explains if an additive of a crystallisable polymer side chain is incorporated into the making of a PSA adhesive the effect of strength may be reduced by increasing the temperature so melting the additive above its use temperature. Though, Mcguiggan and et all (2008) demonstrated that the peel strength of the PSA decreases with increasing temperature consecutively the peeling rate is decreased at peeling angles of 900 and 1800 degrees. Also PSA may be activated by visible light or to a low ultraviolet light on a switch of mechanism to lower peeling strength, so that it does not traumatize the skin (Webster, 1999). By act ivating by this mechanism cross-linking process occurs with the free radical exposure of the side groups, thus the adhesive polymer will produce a bond of the prosthetic material to the skin (Chivers, 2001). The physical procedures that Chivers (2001) mentioned showed that, if the angle of peel of polyester backed PSA on a stainless steel subtract is increased up to 1350 degrees, the peeling force will automatically decrease. 1.6.2 Comparison of adhesives bonds on different subtracts A number of studies were published to compare adhesives bond strength on facial prosthetics elastomer to the skin (Wolfaardt et all, 2005; Kiat-Annuay et all 2004; Polyzois, et all 1993 ) , and one of the studies was to compare four types of adhesives (Dow Corning 355 medical adhesive, PSA 1, Daro and 9874 3 M) with five room temperature vulcanized silicone facial elastomers (Silskin II, MDX4- 4210, Cosmesil, Cosmesil HC2 and RS 330 T-room temperature Vulcanized (Polyzois, et all 1993). Polyzois , et all (1993) prepared the elastomers strips specimens of 50x 50 x 3 mm dimension on stone moulds. These specimens were tested on the inner aspect of the right forearms of one subject. And before each test, the attachments sites were cleaned with ethyl alcohol. A total of 160 peelings were carried out on the universal testing peeling machine that was previously calibrated to a 4 N load and the rate of 1mm/ minute of peeling. With this experiment the researchers concluded, that the tensile b ond strength is depended upon both the elastomers and the skin adhesives and the results showed that the Down corning 355 adhesive had the highest bond and the 9874 3M the lowest (Polyzois, et all 1993). The MDX 4 4210 silicone elastomer had the strongest bond and the RS 330T-RTV had the weakest in all adhesives (Polyzois, et all 1993). The material used for adhesives are based on silicones and resin formulation. Benedek (2000) explained that the resin adhesives exhibited from low to higher adhesion to skin and silicones from low to moderate skin adhesion. However, the adhesives used may have caused damage to the skin but according to Kiat -Annuay, et all (2000) if a skin protective dressing is used then trauma will be reduced. Nevertheless, the researchers experimented the protective dressing and a remover manufactured by Smith and Nephew on two adhesives, (Daro epithane 3 (E-3) water based and factor II secure medical adhesive (SMA) silicone based with the backing of MDX 4 4210 silicone elastomer. They applied to 20 subjects on the volar surface of the arms, and at 900 degrees of peeling observed the adhesives on its own, without the dressing and found that SMA was 4 times more retentive (adhesion mean = 96.3 Nm) than E-3 (adhesion mean = 24.1 Nm), however with the prep, E-3 increased by 27% in contrast SMA increased only 15%. Also it was observed a residual adhesive on prosthetics (skin interface) and the skin (prosthetic interface) (Kiat -Annuay, et all 2000). However the remover did not affected the bonding but helped only cleanin g the skin. Though, Kiat Annuay, et all (2001) indicated if a second application of adhesive was applied over the existing paste within a time period between 0 and 4 hours to secure the prosthetic, then at 4 hours interval the peeling bonds strength increased for SMA. Although it was observed the bond strength of silicone elastomer to the skin was decreased over an 8 hours interval. Anyways, when investigating a single and multi adhesive layering at 900 degrees of peeling, on 30 subjects has found the combination of SMA/ E3 had significant higher adhesion to the skin followed by SMA alone, E3/SMA and E3 alone (Kiat Annuay el all 2004). The investigators agreed that if a sandwich of adhesives was used then the margins of the prosthetic will not be visible (Kiat Annuay et all 2004) therefore improving esthetics (Karayazgan B et all 2003). However when peeling the device out, the margins may tear, so by incorporating of tulle it would improve its strength (Karayazgan B et all 2003). According Kiat-Annuay, et all (2008), when evaluating the strength of SMA and E-3 adhesive on silicone MDX 4 4210 with urethane liner and the chlorinated polyethylene elastomer, backed with skin prep, found that there were no significant interaction differences between silicones, however they observed that the adhesive failure occurred at the interface. Nevertheless of the 26 subjects tested it was found significant statistically difference in bond strength for gender, amount of hair in volar surface of testing subjects and ethnicity. However, age of the volunteers did not affect the bond strength of the adhesives. Volunteers with no Hair had a higher bond strength compared with subjects with arm hair. In addition, the mean adhesive bond strength of strips applied to the African -american subjects (n=8) was statistically greater than of the Hispanic, white and Asian volunteers (Kiat- Annuay et all 2008). Thought by reviewing the literatures, peeling experiments still is carried out on Humans volunteers which conflicts with the ethical issues, and on stainless steel which gives false adhesion values, as it does not relate to skin. So for this reason Nussinovitch, A. et all., (2008) and Renvoise, et all (2009) produced artificial skins to test adhesion of adhesives, anyways adhesives should be chemical clear before testing on humans. 1.6.2.1 The rational of Biocompatibility Therefore biocompatibility is of prime importance (Dahl and Polyzois, 2000). For the clinical clearance of adhesives, patch tests have been developed to scrutinize, the constituents of the adhesives such as solvents and takifying agents, which may irritate the skin (Dahl and Polyzois, 2000). According Dhal and Polyzois (2000) they suggested a new in-vitro test by use of hens egg test chororioallatoic membrane method. The researchers concluded that the organic solvent ethyl acetate contained into the adhesive gives severe irritation reaction. For this reason, a new PSA adhesive was formulated by Sanchez -Garcia, et all (2010), and it was based on acrylic monomers. They found that the formulation B3, synthesized by water based emulsion, presents a good alternative for patients that have suffered severe facial damage. 1.6.3 Adhesive failure Most of adhesive boding joint failures can be placed into 4 groups (Messler, 2004) they are: Substrate Failure:  Substrate fails before the adhesive and this depends on the adhesive strength Cohesive Failure:  Adhesive fails down in the middle, adhesive remains on both substrates. Interfacial Failure:  Adhesive fails from one of substrate.   Mixed failure : characterized by interfacial and cohesive failure Fig 1.3 Subtract failure Fig 1.4 Cohesive failure Fig 1.5 interfacial failure Fig 1.6 Mixed failures Figures 1.3 ,1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 (Messler, 2004) 1.7 Research objectives The objective of this study was to measure the force needed to remove strips of room vulcanized silicone elastomer from a rigid material such as stainless steel, treated with acetone. Four different skin adhesives were measured on a universal testing machine (Hounsfield H50KS Universal Testing Machine) at 1800 peel (Figure 1.7) according to ISO 8510-2-2010 standard. Figure 1.7 Schematic diagram 1800 peeling (ISO 8510-2-2010) Material and Methods Twenty silicone abacus strips 250 x 25.0 x 2mm were processed from a mix of 50% stone/gypsum moulds. The surfaces of the moulds were treated with an alginate separator before pouring a mix of 100 grams of silicone abacus and 10 grams of the activator, as of manufactures instructions. See table 2.1, for the materials used in this study. The elastomers strips were allowed to cure at a room temperature for 24 hours before testing. For the rigid material five stainless steel sheets 250 x 25.0 x 1.6mm were cut. The surface attachment of the stainless steel was cleaned with the acetone and allowing to dry before each test. The Hounsfield H50KS Universal Testing Machine was calibrated with a load cell of 8N at a crosshead speed of 100mm/min (Fig 2.2). Four types of adhesives were studied. The spray (Down corning B, Hollister 7730) and the liquid adhesives (Pros- aide and PSA 1b) were applied to 120 mm area in length, in a thin layer of each of the twenty silicone elastomers, and allowed to dry according to each specific adhesive manufacturing instruction (Down corning B- 1 minute; Hollister 7730- 5 minutes; pros aide -3 minutes; principality- 3minutes). The elastomer specimen was attached to the stainless steel and a thumb pressure to the silicone was applied for 30 seconds. The unattached silicone elastomer was placed into the grip of the universal testing machine and the peeling at 1800 was carried out. A total of twenty (five of each adhesive type) peeling was made. The point of adhesive failure (cohesive, mixed or interfacial failures) was noted. The average maximum, minimum, normal average force and the energy of peeling were recorded as a function to the distance peeled. SPSS Statistical package software version 17.01 was performed to analyze the data through a combination of a paired T test of adhesives and the maximum force of peeling data was used to conduct it. Table 2.1 some of the material used in this study and its drying time Type Material Drying time Manufacturer Silicone facial elastomeric + activator Abacus 24 hours room temperature Abacus Silicon Technology Pte Ltd Skin adhesives Dow Corning medical adhesive B 1 minutes Down corning corporation, midland, USA Hollister 7730 medical adhesive 3 minutes Hollister limited, aurora Ontario Pros -aide Adhesive 3 minutes Pros-Aide ®, a division of ADM Tronics Unlimited, Inc. Northvale, New Jersey 07647 USA PSA 1b Adhesive 3 minutes Principality Fx Newport U.k Results The maximum, minimum, mean, standard error and standard deviation of the maximum bond strength in Newton per millimeter (N/mm), measured by four adhesives (Dow Corning, Hollister, Pro aide and PSA1b) backed with silicone elastomer strips, at 1800 degrees peel on a stainless steel subtract, is shown on table 3.1. Five peelings (N=5) of each adhesive was performed and a total 20 pulling was made. The mean value varied from 4.12 N/mm to 10 N/mm and the standard deviation ranged from 1.62 N/mm to 4.40 N/mm. The bar chart /error bar on figure 3.2 shows graphically, that PSA 1 b had highest maximum bond strength comparatively to Dow Corning, Hollister and Pro aide adhesives, thus Dow Corning and Hollister adhesives had lower bond strength of peeling and the pro aide an intermediate. Acetone use to remove the adhesive did not influence the bonding, however De- bonding of adhesives was at stainless steel level as the residues was left on the prosthetic strips, however one specimen of Down co rning adhesive had de-bonded on the prostheses strips so the majority of residues was left on the metal substructure (table 3.2 ) (Fig 3.1) Fig 3.1 Dow Corning adhesive had mixed failure cohesive and interfacial (residue left on prosthesis and on the metal) Fig 3.2 Maximum adhesive bond strength mean and the standard error of the means Dow Cor Maximum adhesive bond strength to the stainless steel Table 3.1 The maximum bond descriptive statistics Descriptive Statistics N Minimum ( N/mm) Maximum ( N/mm) Mean ( N/mm) Std. Deviation ( N/mm) Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Std. Error Statistic P/M Dow Corning B 5 2.50 6.62 4.12 .72567 1.62 4/1 Hollister 7730 5 2.48 5.72 3.91 .53729 1.20 5/0 Pros Aide 5 3.10 8.45 5.22 .96437 2.16 5/0 PSA 1B 5 5.11 14.95 10.00 1.96904 4.40 5/0 Valid N (leastwise) 5 Key: P/M residue left on the prosthetic P or in the stainless steel M A paired t test from SPSS Statistical analytical software tool, table 3.2 revealed that there was a statistical difference between the pairs : Dow Corning and PSA 1b; Hollister and PSA 1b as the Sig(2tailed) value = pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤0.05 at 95 % of chance. Adding on, no statistical difference was found between: Dow Corning and Hollister; Dow Corning and Pro aide; Hollister and Pro Aide; Pro aide and PSA 1b as the sig (2 tailed) value = P >0.05 at 95 % chance. Table 3.2 SPSS statistical analysis of Paired t test between adhesives groups Paired Samples Test Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper A B .21040 2.29084 1.02450 -2.63406 3.05486 .205 4 .847 A C -1.10380 1.97320 .88244 -3.55386 1.34626 -1.251 4 .279 A -D -5.87980 4.73267 2.11651 -11.75619 -.00341 -2.778 4 .050 B C -1.31420 3.11820 1.39450 -5.18595 2.55755 -.942 4 .399 B D -6.09020 4.10128 1.83415 -11.18261 -.99779 -3.320 4 .029 C D -4.77600 5.84121 2.61227 -12.02881 2.47681 -1.828 4 .142 Key : A Dow Corning B B Hollister 7730 C Pros Aide D- PSA 1b Discussion The approach of retention methodologies of facial prosthesis from pressure sensitive adhesives are important, so its development and research, to make a more compatible, toxic free and less irritable to employ it on skin contacts. Testing machines has been used to experiment adhesives for its tackiness such peel tests at certain degrees but its use remains controversy as it tests on volar surfaces of the arms or other type of substrates such stainless steel which gives misleading information. However, according Wolfaardt et all (1992) used a custom made machine to perform in vivo testing of tree facial prosthetic adhesives (PSA1, Pro- Aide, Dow Corning 355) on Cosmesil silicone elastomer. He tested the adhesives on one of the cheeks region of two subjects and obtained the data by repeating the experiment. A load of 900gm was applied for 20 seconds. Stretching, twisting and its combination tests were carried out. The data was analyzed trough the student Newman keuls statistical method and found that Down corning 355 had the strongest bond during stretching and twisting, however PSA 1 during stretching was the weakest nevertheless PSA1 and Pro Aide adhesive was found no statistical difference during twisting test methodology. Adding on, Polyzois and et all (1993) also found that Down corning 355 had a stronger bond strength during peeling at the volar surface of the arm during tension by use of ANOVA and Duncan statistical test methodology. Its results however varied between the types of silicone elastomer used. Nevertheless, Wolfaardt et all (1992) and Polyzois and et all (1993) experiments showed that Down Corning adhesives had higher bond strength but the methodology used was different from the present study, so a detailed comparison would be invalid or difficult. Adding to, the two researchers did not disclosed what angles that the peeling was performed and also the experiments was conducted in vivo. Despite of these facts, according to Benedek (2000), resin adhesives such as the PSA1 b and the Pro Aide water based formulation would exhibit a lower to higher adhesion and silicone from lower to moderate skin adhesion and this are all depended upon to its curing time and the number of applications. Indeed, according to Sanchez Garcia, et all (2010) water based acrylic adhesives is the most effective for the patients with severe facial damage, thus this adhesive can stand a variety of loads consequently suitable for its use in maxillofacial prosthesis. The research results in figure 3.2 and table 3.1 from peeling at 1800 degrees on a stainless steel subtract indicated that the PSA1 B had a maximum retention (mean =10.00 N.mm), approximately 2.5 times more retentive than Down Corning (mean 4.12 N.mm) and Hollister (Mean 3.91 N.mm). Pro aid showed approximately 2 x lower retention (mean=5.22N.mm) than the PSA1B. Pro Aide had an intermediate retention between the adhesive tested. Nevertheless to illustrate the most retentive adhesive a Paired T test ( table 3.2 ) indicated that the statistically paired combination of adhesives : Down corning (A) and Hollister (B) t(4)= 0.205, p=0.847Down Corning (A) Pro aide (C) t(4)=1.251, p=0.279; Hollister (B) Pro Aide (C) t(4)=0.942, p=0.399 ;Pro Aide (C) PSA 1B (D) t(4)=1.828, p= 0.142 has found no significant difference as p values were > than 0.05 at 95% chance difference. However, statistically paired combination of adhesives: Down corning (A) PSA 1 B (D) t (4)=2.778, p=0.050; Hollister (B) PSA 1 B (D) t(4)=3.320, p=0.029 has revealed statistically significant as P values is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ than 0.05 at 95 % of chance difference. Also the use of acetone did not influence in the bonding. Furthermore, only one specimen Silicone/Dow Corning had a mixed failure (cohesive and interfacial) as some residue left on metal and the prosthetics. The rest of adhesives failed at metal interface (residue left on prosthesis). Thought the results was expected PSA 1 B and Pro Aide are based in water and resin emulsion therefore it gave a higher adhesion to the skin compared to Dow Corning and Hollister which are based in silicones (Benedek, 2000). However the higher peeling was depended upon the curing time (monomer cross linking)