Clinical Neuropsychology Manual of Mental Disorders

Question: Describe about the Clinical Neuropsychology for Manual of Mental Disorders. Answer: 1. The current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) system for diagnosing psychiatric illness fail to diagnose disease in a therapeutic manner and the results are suboptimal. Since the past few decades categorical approach to psychiatric disorder has been followed. With this approach, mental disorders are classified according to its typical symptoms and characteristics. The categorical approach utilizes DSM as well as ICD (International Classification of Disease) tool. DSM gives detail on specific terms of disorder and ICD aids in identifying symptoms of disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).The Categorical approach deals with the problem of disease sensitivity and comorbidity by diagnosing mental disorder from typical symptoms during mental health assessment. This process is based on the assumption that different pattern of thoughts and behavior can be organized into different categories of mental disorder. Thus, its sensitivity lies in organizing discrete illness and producing the diagnosis in similar situation. Despite these strengths, this approach has low inter reliability, lots of problem due to overlapping of symptoms. This makes the diagnosis difficult (Ragland Solomon, 2016). Due to this problem, clinicians have shifted to combining dimensional approach with existing categorical approaches. With this approach, clinicians can quantify a characteristic of disease based on using numerical values in different scales during disease assessment. The benefits of this approach lies in the fact that that it not only helps in identifying the presence of particular disorder but also aids in evaluating the degree of the condition a patient is suffering from (Shedler Westen, 2014). A clinicians can evaluate this by the question how much? to determine the level of severity of the disorder. Thus, in addition to categorical approach, it also takes into account various factors to get access to detailed information on each symptom. Instead of just labeling a disease, dimensional approach facilitates creation of a disease profile for specific patients. However, in relation to disease sensitivity and comorbidity analysis, much more time is consumed in getting each score. Dim ensional approach aims to enhance diagnostic precision of psychiatric illness. Dimensional scale measurement will allow better conceptualization and assessment of etiology and psychiatric syndrome. Challenges in user acceptability may occur with this approach because of interpreting underlying mechanism of disease (Cuthbert Insel, 2013). 2. Autism spectrum disorder is a neurophysiological disorder that impairs social interaction, communication and cognitive development of affected person. Other diagnostic features are poor social development, reduced interest and repetitive behavior. This disease may be caused by genetic or hormonal factors. According to mind blindness theory of autism, children with autism syndrome have delayed development of feelings and thought. Hence, a degree of mind blindness is present in affected person. They find it difficult to interpret others behavior and reduced rate of joint attention. Just et al., (2013) has suggested that this inability to identify mental states of self and other individual occurs because of brain abnormality and it occurs due to weak connection between medial prefrontal region and the posterior superior temporal region. Thus minblindness theory highlighted the social impairment in patients with autistic spectrum but it did not described about non-social characteristi cs of autism. Another limitation is that this theory is not specific to autism only. Another advanced theory called the emphathising-systemising (E-S) theory explains the combination of both social and non-social characteristics are present in people with autism spectrum disorder. It states that neurological disorder occurs not just because of lower empathy (E), but also because of below-average psychological factor (systemizing-S). Thus, inconsistency between E and S determines whether a person has autism spectrum disorder or not. Sabet et al., (2015) suggest that autistic people have exaggerated form of connectivity in each hemisphere and decreased inter-hemispheric connectivity due to small corpus callosum. Thus, increased interconnectivity disorder is found in specific area of brain in individual with the illness. The E-S theory was further developed by the extreme male brain theory of autism (EMB) which states that females perform better in emphasizing activities and males perform better in systemizing activities. Wen Wen, (2014) demonstrated that 54% males have systemizing brain while 44% females have brain with empathy activity. People with autism have smaller brain regions like thalamus, prefrontal cortex and superior gyrus compared to normal males. Besides this, normally size of male brain is larger than females, but in people with autism condition have even more larger brain than males. Thus this theory is useful in explaining why increases number of males develops the diseases compared to females. 3. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder of the brain associated with inattentiveness and hyperactivity that interferes with cognitive development of individuals. Inattention is related to difficulty in sustaining focus, hyperactivity relates to extreme restlessness and impulsivity makes the person socially intrusive without considering the potential harm of the action (DuPaul Stoner, 2014). Because of the possible symptoms seen in ADHD, many people think ADHD is a societal invention and caused by indiscipline in social life of people. It may be related to presence of distressing family life or environment, struggles in life or watching too much television. However, research suggests that ADHD is caused mainly due to genetic disorder along with interaction of environmental factors. Despite this, the social constructionist theory suggests that there is no clear pathophysiology of the condition. While evidence have suggested difference in brain structure betwee n ADHD and normal patients, the genetic viewpoint is that genetic is responsible for about 75% of ADHD cases in patient. There is great argument regarding the real medical diagnosis of ADHD. There is no set criterion to determine the disease; it is mainly dependent on behaviors like hyperactivity and impulsivity. This behavior depend is context dependent and have no real origin (Roskam et al., 2014). Lead exposure in children might be a factor that affects brain development in children. The social construct theory of ADHD also suggest that it is mainly caused by environmental factors such as living in enclosed spaces, increased stress and burden from family (Bunford et al., 2015). It is also a result of conformity to strict social behavior such as in classroom or due to attachment with video games and computer. This can be found in workplace too due to long sitting hours and too many tasks. Hence, there is a need to make right choices and strategies and just not indulge in following societies rule against ones own will. 4. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that has impact on how an individual behave, think and feel. Such person may face difficulty in assessing what is real and what is artificial. This chronic disease occurs due to structural changes in the grey and white matter of brain. Changes in the cortical region take place prior to the first manifestation of schizophrenia. Brain structure changes overtime with gradual ventricular enlargement and decrease in hemispheric volume. The superior temporal gyrus region of the brain which is involved in processing language is mainly affected and this lead to the development of symptoms of the disease. A study on people with schizophrenia has showed that mostly changes take place in the temporal and frontal lobe of brain and people with these changes later develop schizophrenia. Anomalies in brain structure are seen both in grey matter and white matter. The connection related to processing of language is disrupted and myelination in this region takes pl ace (Kong et al., 2012). Psychological changes take place prior to onset of symptoms of schizophrenia. This occurs due to changes in brain structure particularly prefrontal lobes of the brain. Prefrontal lobe is extremely responsive to environmental stress. This leads to the manifestation of psychological changes such as memory impairment, hallucinations, delusions, inattentiveness and many others (Kahn Keefe, 2013). After the manifestation of schizophrenia, neurological changes take place due to abnormal brain chemistry. Brain structure impairs in patients with schizophrenia and it is mainly associated with enlarged brain ventricle leading to decrease in brain tissue volume. The frontal lobe is the region which is associated with decision making and reasoning property in people, but in people with the condition, low function is seen in the frontal lobe (Hirjak et al., 2014). Psychological changes are associated with loss of emotional function reduced ability to express and plan things in life. People struggle in sustaining to activities (Frith, 2014). 5. Endophenotypes are the term used to classify behavioral symptoms on the basis of clear phenotypes and identification of possible genetic connection. It helps to different between symptoms for diseases like ADHD, Alzheimers and many others. In case of people with schizophrenia, the most visible symptoms is psychosis which is associated with personality changes, abnormal behavior and low level of social interaction. However the distinct phenotype of the illness is overload of stimuli and impaired memory. As these phenotypes have clear genetic connections too, that is why they have been identified as endophenotypes of schizophrenia. These phenotypes reflect the neurobiological mechanism of the disease that represents the most overt symptoms of schizophrenia. The genes involved in endophenotypic traits in schizophrenia include RELN, FABP7 and CHRNA7. They are linked to schizophrenia phenotype of prepulse inhibition. It is a phenomenon which weak prestimulus inhibits the reaction of in dividual to stronger stimulus. The criteria involve in assessment of endophenotypes of psychiatric disorder is that the endophenotype should be associated with specific illness; it should be heritable and present in individuals despites their clinical status. Other criterion is it should be separated from other symptoms of illness (Ross, Freedman, 2015). As psychiatric illness is mostly associated with multiple risk factors, one endophenotypes related to the mechanism of illness most frequently develops. In schizophrenia brain changes occurs throughout the life span. One endophenotype that is useful to detect the risk of schizophrenia is sensory gating which is a process of filtering out unnecessary stimuli from other environmental stimuli (Ripke et al., 2013). 6. Down syndrome and Alzheimers disease are inter-related as the both the disease have common genetic condition. Down syndrome is a genetic chromosome 21 disoredr which leads to physical disability, developmental problem, delay in intellectual development and other diseases. On the other hand, Alzheimers is a neurophysiologic disorder that leads to memory loss and serious intellectual disorder affecting daily life activities. There is a connection between the two disease and children with Down syndrome at more risk of Alzheimers disease when they grow up. People who suffer from Alzheimers are also more likely to develop dementia which is related to impairment of cognitive function such as reasoning and thinking ability. The link between the two diseases is the extra copy of chromosome 21. Chromosome 21 carries the APP genes which codes for APP (Amyloid precursor protein). In people with Down syndrome, excess amount of APP protein leads to development of beta-amyeloid plaques in brain . This interferes with normal functioning of brain and creates risk of Alzhemiers disease and dementia. About 50% of patients with Downs syndrome develop the brain plaques and eventually develop dementia due to Alzheimers disease by the time they reach the age of 70 years (Hartley et al., 2015). People with Down syndrome above 40 years develop numerous plaques and neurofibrillary tangles and there is maximum chance of pathophysiology of Alzheimers disease. These plaques contain beta-amyloid peptide from APP genes. In Down syndrome, over expression of APP takes place and amyloid-beta is major factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimers disease. Amyloid-beta is neuronal in origin and localized in endosomes. People with Down syndrome also have increased oxidative stress compared to normal people (Elizabeth Head, 2012). 7. Neural development is the process that provides insight into the cellular and molecular mechanism involved in nervous system development. Neurotrophins are group of protein that facilitates the development and function of neurons. These protein molecules regulate cell division and overgrowth of neurite. The neurotrophins binds to particular tyrosine kinases receptor that induces dimerization and auto-phophorylation of receptors. It leads to the formation of a complex of receptor and neurotrophin which is endocytosed. This complex is then transported to the soma (Neural migration). In between the process, it initiates signal transduction cascade that inhibits the apoptosis of genes and thus neural cell survives eventually. Other examples of neurotrophin factors that promote survival of neuron include nerve growth factor (NGF), neurtrophin-3, fibroblast growth factor and many others (Park Poo, 2013). Another type of neurotrophin is the brain-derived neurotrophic factors that play an important role in synapse plasticity and development of brain. A recent study demonstrated its role in synapse formation and plasticity. Synapse formation is promoted by regulating the axon morphology and increasing the number of excitable synapse and inhibitory synapse. It also enhances the number of functional synapses by the facilitating the maturation of those cellular components that triggers the release of neurotransmitter. This long term modification will be crucial in providing synaptic plasticity to an individual (Harrington Ginty, 2013). Neurulation is the process of development of neural tube (embryos central nervous system) from the embryo. The human brain development initiates from the third week of gestation period and it progressed to differentiation of neural progenitor cells. Neurotrophic factors play a role in this development by acting against the apoptosis cascade. It target distinct neurons at synaptic connection and makes connection with target cells. These factors are present in embryo during gastrulation and neurulation process. Neurotrophin-3 is expressed in the neural tube and tyrosine kinase C (TrkC) is present in the neural plate. A neural tube differentiates TrkC gets localized in specific region of the tube. Thus neurotrophic factors and TrkC plays a role in early neural development (Davis, 2014). 8. Meiosis is a type of cell division that divides the chromosome number by half and enables sexual recombination in organisms. It produces four gamete cells and the number of orginal chromosome is restored back in the offspring. The diploid parent cell consists of two chromosome copies. It divides to form four haploid cells which have half the number of original chromosome. The first meiotic division is called meiosis I. The first stage in this case is the prophase I where the chromatin fibre condenses to form sister chromatids. It is then followed by condensation of chromosome into tetrad structure in the prophase I. This pair of chromosome exchanges their DNA by recombination process. During Metaphase I the chromosome pair aligns at the centre of the cell and the centriole moves towards the poles. The spindle fibre is formed which attaches to the chromosome. In the next stage which is the anaphase I, the spindle fibres pull each chromosome towards the poles. During Teleophase I th e chromosomes are arranged in nuclei and cytokinesis takes place which leads to formation of two separate daughter cells. This phase is followed by meiotic division of haploid cells called Meiosis II. In prophase II new set of spindle fibres are formed and they align the equatorial plate in Metaphase II. In the Anaphase II, sister chromatids are pulled apart and chromosomes are enclosed in nuclear membrane in telophase II. This is followed by cytokinesis and results in formation of four haploid daughter cells that develop into a sperm or egg cells (Wang et al., 2015). There are key steps in meiosis where there is chance of spontaneous mistakes. The genetic constitution is altered and the and unexpected crossing over leads to increased genetic variability in a population. The crossing over of sister chromatids occurs during metaphase I and random alignment of chromosomes gives rise different gene combination in the offspring. In rare cases, failure to separate homologous chromosomes lead over accumulation of chromosome in one cell and lack of chromosome in another cell. This process of non-disjunction of chromosomes leads to production of gametes with odd number of chromosomes. It may give rise to variety of syndromes like Kleinfelters syndrome, Turners syndrome, and other syndrome (Marchett et al., 2015). Mitosis is a multi-step process during which chromosome is divided into two daughter cells. The first phase is called karyokinesis where nuclear division takes place. It consist of five phases mainly prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. The second phase is called cytokinesis wherein cytoplasmic components separate into two daughter cells. Due to error in mitosis, two types of errors occur and it has benign or deadly consequences. Silent mutation can occur where no change in DNA sequence is found or missense mutation may occur when DNA sequence are changed. This type of mutations may lead massive disruption in cell cycle and formation of tumours. Chromsomal abnormalities may also take place when chromosomes fail to attach to spindle fibres and the daughter cell either has one extra or one missing copy of chromosome after division. It leads to disorders like Down syndrome, Alzheimer disease and may other condition (Yoshida et al., 2013). 9. Rett syndrome is a rare neurological disorder of the brain that mainly affects girls. Its clinical manifestation includes small hand and foot, decreases size of head called microcephaly, repetitive hand movements and many others. It occurs due to mutation in the X chromosome; however its clear pathophsyiology is not clear. Autisms spectrum disorder is group of developmental disorders that affects normal life activities. Due to the wide range of symptoms associated with autism, the common concept of autism spectrum disorder came up. It impairs social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication skills, behavior and specific interest of a child. Great debate exists regarding whether Rett syndrome should be classified as autism spectrum disorder or not. I feel that it can be classified as autism spectrum disorder because there is overlap of symptoms between the two diseases. In order to better understand the two disease and the type of neuropathological development in both case, a study was done that measures the symptoms using autism behavior checklist (ABC) in group girls with Rett syndrome. This data was then compared with girls with severe mental retardation. In relation to motor ability and development level, Rett syndrome scored higher than sever autism due to sensory scales. The Rett syndrome originally came in the 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM-4). Other diseases in this group included Asperger syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. Rett syndrome can be classified as autism spectrum disorder because certain medical characteristic of the disease is same as symptoms for autism. DSM-5 is related to new disorder which is completely different from autism and called as social communication disorder. Acccording to this Rett syndrome may not come under DSM or autism spectrum disorder at all. This is because if symptoms of mental disorders like anxiety and depression is not present in Rett syndrome, then it will not be diagnosed under DSM diagnosis of mental illness. This change is related to new guidelines for mental disorder classification (Huguet et al., 2013). 10. On the other hand, dyscalculia is associated with difficulty in comprehension of numbers and facts in mathematics. It can occur in all age group of people. This mathematical disability may be caused by injury in the brain. It is caused by a difference in the function and structure of the region of brain involved with mathematics. Butterworth Kovas, (2013) suggest this inefficiency may occur due to lesser grey matter in brain cells or reduced brain activity in the region of the brain that processes mathematics such as the intra parietal sulcus region. A brain imaging study showed that in children with dyscaclculia, there is decreased activity in parietal and frontal lobe of the brain involved with mathematical cognition. Damge or injury to parietal lobe also leads to this condition. The similarity in the two diseases lies in the fact both are learning disability and associated with structural and functional changes in brain. Due to the symptoms, dyslexia is often confused with dy scalculia. While dyslexia is the most common type of learning disorder, dyscalculia impairs writing, reading and number interpretation in children too (Lander et al., 2013). Thus these all categoreiies of ADHD that is related to behavioral disorder that occurs due to overactivity and impulsivity. Reference American Psychiatric Association. (2013).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Pub. Bunford, N., Brandt, N. E., Golden, C., Dykstra, J. B., Suhr, J. A., Owens, J. S. (2015). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms mediate the association between deficits in executive functioning and social impairment in children.Journal of abnormal child psychology,43(1), 133-147. Butterworth, B., Kovas, Y. (2013). Understanding neurocognitive developmental disorders can improve education for all.Science,340(6130), 300-305. Cuthbert, B. N., Insel, T. R. (2013). Toward the future of psychiatric diagnosis: the seven pillars of RDoC.BMC medicine,11(1), 1. Davis, M. I. (2014). Neurotrophic Factors and Ethanol Neurotoxicity. InHandbook of Neurotoxicity(pp. 1671-1732). Springer New York. DuPaul, G. J., Stoner, G. (2014).ADHD in the schools: Assessment and intervention strategies. Guilford Publications. Elizabeth Head, F. (2012). Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome.European Journal Of Neurodegenerative Disease,1(3), 353. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4184282/ Frith, C. D. (2014).The cognitive neuropsychology of schizophrenia. Psychology Press. Harrington, A. W., Ginty, D. D. (2013). Long-distance retrograde neurotrophic factor signalling in neurons.Nature reviews Neuroscience,14(3), 177-187. Hartley, D., Blumenthal, T., Carrillo, M., DiPaolo, G., Esralew, L., Gardiner, K., ... Lott, I. (2015). Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease: Common pathways, common goals.Alzheimer's Dementia,11(6), 700-709. Hirjak, D., Wolf, R. C., Stieltjes, B., Hauser, T., Seidl, U., Schrder, J., Thomann, P. A. (2014). Cortical signature of neurological soft signs in recent onset schizophrenia.Brain topography,27(2), 296-306. Huguet, G., Ey, E., Bourgeron, T. (2013). The genetic landscapes of autism spectrum disorders.Annual review of genomics and human genetics,14, 191-213. Just, M. A., Keller, T. A., Kana, R. K. (2013). A theory of autism based on frontal-posterior underconnectivity.Development and brain systems in autism, 35-63. Kahn, R. S., Keefe, R. S. (2013). Schizophrenia is a cognitive illness: time for a change in focus.JAMA psychiatry,70(10), 1107-1112. Kong, L., Bachmann, S., Thomann, P. A., Essig, M., Schrder, J. (2012). Neurological soft signs and gray matter changes: a longitudinal analysis in first-episode schizophrenia.Schizophrenia research,134(1), 27-32. Landerl, K., Gbel, S. M., Moll, K. (2013). Core deficit and individual manifestations of developmental dyscalculia (DD): the role of comorbidity.Trends in neuroscience and education,2(2), 38-42. Marchetti, F., Bishop, J., Gingerich, J., Wyrobek, A. J. (2015). Meiotic interstrand DNA damage escapes paternal repair and causes chromosomal aberrations in the zygote by maternal misrepair.Scientific reports,5. Park, H., Poo, M. M. (2013). Neurotrophin regulation of neural circuit development and function.Nature Reviews Neuroscience,14(1), 7-23. Ragland, J. D., Solomon, M. (2016). Categorical Dimensions of Social Impairment and Disrupted Functional Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders: When Does Continuous Become Discrete?.Biological Psychiatry,80(2), 90-91. Ripke, S., O'Dushlaine, C., Chambert, K., Moran, J. L., Khler, A. K., Akterin, S., ... Kim, Y. (2013). Genome-wide association analysis identifies 13 new risk loci for schizophrenia.Nature genetics,45(10), 1150-1159. Roskam, I., Stievenart, M., Tessier, R., Muntean, A., Escobar, M. J., Santelices, M. P., ... Pierrehumbert, B. (2014). Another way of thinking about ADHD: the predictive role of early attachment deprivation in adolescents level of symptoms.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology,49(1), 133-144. Ross, R. G., Freedman, R. (2015). Endophenotypes in schizophrenia for the perinatal period: criteria for validation.Schizophrenia bulletin,41(4), 824-834. Sabet, J., Underwood, L., Chaplin, E., Hayward, H., McCarthy, J. (2015). Autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and offending.Advances in Autism,1(2), 98-107. Shedler, J., Westen, D. (2014). Dimensions of personality pathology: an alternative to the five-factor model.American Journal of Psychiatry. Wang, S., Zickler, D., Kleckner, N., Zhang, L. (2015). Meiotic crossover patterns: obligatory crossover, interference and homeostasis in a single process.Cell Cycle,14(3), 305-314. Wen, W., Wen, S. W. (2014). Expanding upon the extreme male braintheory of autism as a common link between other major risk factors: A hypothesis.Medical hypotheses,82(5), 615-618. Yoshida, K., Toki, T., Okuno, Y., Kanezaki, R., Shiraishi, Y., Sato-Otsubo, A., ... Kon, A. (2013). The landscape of somatic mutations in Down syndrome-related myeloid disorders.Nature genetics,45(11), 1293-1299.

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation free essay sample

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary The situation consists of me constructing a perceptual map to create a marketing plan for Thorr Motorcycles. The perceptual map will be based off of parameters fundamental to the product and significant to the customer. I am the marketing manager for CruiserThorr. We are trying to use the parameters to market a new and innovative motorcycle to meet the needs of the target market. The parameters I have to choose from are lifestyle image, product design and styling, coolness, product uniqueness, service offerings, price, engine capacity, safety, and quality engineering. The parameters that I picked and felt were the most appropriate to market a new motorcycle were product design and styling, service offerings, price, and quality engineering. I chose product design and styling because often what the customer sees influences what they buy. Customers want products that are appealing to the eye and what better way to do so than by making sure that the product is new, cool looking, and gives off the impression that the product is amazing. We will write a custom essay sample on Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Service offerings are an essential element of any motor vehicle operation because they will need to be serviced every few months. Whether it be tune-ups, oil changes, or tire changes it is important to offer those services to customers. So naturally it makes sense to offer services such as maintenance, customizations, training courses, or financial services to customers. This helps to build loyalty and a customer fan base. â€Å"Price is the most important attribute of a product, because it drives purchase decisions in most cases (University of Phoenix, n. d. ). † I suggested that the market team should decrease the price while increasing the style of the motorcycle to appeal to the target population. While price is important if the price is too high sales will be low, but if the price is too low the revenue the company will bring in will not be enough to support the product. I suggested that the price should be median and appropriate for the average purchaser. The price should not be too high and not too low and we should offer different payment plans to customers. â€Å"Quality engineering covers all the aspects of manufacturing from sourcing the best material to high-quality production to superior styling (University of Phoenix, n. d. )† The product or motorcycle in this case cannot be successful without this important attribute because it incorporates everything such as design, engine capacity, coolness, or uniqueness. Quality engineering is what makes the product different from the rest and appealing to the customer. The results that I received when conducting the simulations were good. I chose three of the four fundamental parameters. The parameter that I did not choose was lifestyle image, which influences the customer into buying into the image rather than the functional attributes according to the University of Phoenix simulation. In the second part of the simulation I was asked to choose a marketing strategy, a marketing position, and differentiation options. I chose to reposition CruiserThorr, decrease price and increase styling, and use price, promotion, place, and services as the differentiation options. For price I chose to decrease price. For place I chose to include dealers and internet sites. For promotions I chose to sponsor events, offer insurance and protection plans, offer test rides for free, hire celebrities for endorsements, publicize through Hollywood films, and provide giveaways to potential customers. For services I chose to provide training to dealers, offer customization options, include financial services, and provide services to owner groups. I chose to decrease price and increase style to help boost sales because with recent pitfalls in the economy has caused sales to decrease. If the marketing team decreases the price sales will increase because it will make it more affordable to the target market which consists of mostly 18-25 year olds; hence, increasing style to meet the demands of a younger and hip clientele. According to the simulation, I could have done better especially pertaining to price. The simulation insisted that maintaining the price is crucial to the differentiation and changing the price would adversely affect the other components of the marketing mix. I agree. I could have offered financing options for customers rather than decreasing the price. This would allow customers to get the motorcycle and pay it off in a reasonable time and still not lose out on the profit. Every company or business should constantly evaluate or examine their products or services to be able to better serve its target market. The positioning and differentiation of products are essential element of marketing strategies and tactics. Differentiation of the products or services is the integration of attributes making the company’s product different from competitors. Depending on the differentiation of the product will help determine where the marketing team will position the product. The position of the product is how you represent your product against competitors to the target market. For example, Thorr’s Motorcycle Inc. would state that their corporation is the best because they guarantee quality engineering and low prices. The relationship between differentiation and positioning is that both elements go hand in hand. The marketing team cannot have one element without the other. The positioning of the product or service depends on the differentiation of the product in the market. The repositioning of Thorr Motorcycles is not what I expected because it was hard to see how the product and services could recover without the clear understanding of attributes or parameters, differentiation, and marketing plans or tactics. The product life cycle has many effects on the marketing strategies and tactics. Planning is effected and depending on where the product is in the life cycle can help the company prepare for the future of the product. Every marketing team understands that the life of a product is inevitable and will end eventually. Knowing where the product is in the life cycle helps the company prepare for increases and declines in sales. The pitfall of the life cycle that has a negative effect on marketing tactics is making false assumptions. For example, no marketing team can predict the launch of similar products. So while the company is expecting an increase in sales they may not because the competitor’s campaign may be more appealing giving off the impression that the original item is a copy. So that being said changes in marketing conditions or consumer needs can hinder the assumption of where the product should be in the life cycle. In conclusion, my job was to choose a marketing plan for Thorr Motorcycle Inc. to help reposition the product. I chose innovation tactics that proved to be a good plan to increase revenue. Though my tactics could have been altered by maintain price while offering financing options I think my marketing team did an awesome job.

The king and the French Rev. essays

The king and the French Rev. essays Could the King have averted the revolution? If so how? The king could have definitely averted the revolution and in a multitude of ways. The following essay will elaborate on how exactly he could have done so. Firstly, one of the main long term causes of the revolution was the losing of respect and confidence in the government due to the individual personality of the king. If, from the start, the king had behaved in a dignified manner and took his duties seriously, most probably, the revolution could have been averted. Louis XVI was very timid and refused to give constant support to his ministers (example: Turgot) reform plans. This led to a failure of making reforms over a long period of time and making the reforms only when an absolute crisis occurred. It was this sudden change that contributed to the revolution. Not only that, the king could have discouraged the intriguing of certain ministers to bring others down, but instead adopted a divide and rule policy, because he was weak. This undermining of fellow ministers is one of the factors led to Calonne failing in the Assembly of Notables, which led to the eventual calling of the Estates-General. Furthermore, at the meeting of the Estates-General, the king could have resolved the issue of whether to vote by head or by Estate, and could have hence gained control of the Estates-General meeting. Instead, he didnt do anything and this culminated in the national Assembly being formed and the 3rd Estate taking the law into their own hands; which eventually led to the revolution. Also, at the royal session (after the tennis court oath), the king introduced reforms that the people wanted to hear. However, he introduced them too late for the people to be completely satisfied. He should have introduced them much earlier. He was also supportive of feudal dues and privileges in his speech and also said that whatever the National Assembly had done un ...

CoSchedule 2016 10 Huge Milestones + A Lot More Yet to Come

2016 10 Huge Milestones + A Lot More Yet to Come Its that time of year to reflect. And here at , there is a lot to reflect on. In 2016, the Customer Success team: Hosted  21.2k conversations with users +  fans. Published 68 new  help docs. Responded  to most inquiries  in 40 minutes or less! Props to Customer Success! The Marketing team: Reached 125k+ active email subscribers. Gained 1M+ monthly page views. Generated 3,500 monthly trial signups. And we couldnt have done it without an amazing tool to share with marketers like you. So I thought Id  give our Product team a huge thank you, and share with you  some of the huge milestones theyve built into . The developers  and designers behind the scenes at are some of the most amazing people Ive had the opportunity to work with. Theyve done a great job of  making smarter and more holistic in 2016! Lets take a look: 3/8/16 Schedule Pins To Pinterest In The Calendar Where You Organize Everything Else Pinterest scheduling was your #1 most-requested feature at the beginning of 2016! So it was a ton of fun to  include  the functionality to schedule Pins to Pinterest alongside your other social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Tumblr. Pinning consistently is a key part of success on Pinterest. Now you can Pin more often while saving time as you strategically plan your Pinterest posting schedule. You can even connect  multiple accounts and all the boards for those accounts, too! Pinterest scheduling makes a great way to consolidate your toolset. ;)Did you know you can schedule Pins to Pinterest with ?4/12/16 Post To Every Social Network At The Best Time (w/out The Manual  Busywork) Posting to social media at the best times will increase your engagement. And  in 2016,  we crunched the data (so you dont have to) and uncovered the best times to post on every social network. Then we built that into for ya! Best Time Scheduling takes the guesswork out of knowing when to post. Its a win-win: You automatically post at the best times to increase your engagement and get your time back to focus on doing the work you really love (instead of tedious tasks). Its pretty simple. And extremely powerful. I think about it like this: When you automate the mechanics, you save time you can  use better on more important work. Thats the beauty of Best Time Scheduling in .Automagically post at the best times for every social network with !4/26/16 Schedule Dozens Of Messages In A Few Easy Minutes With Social Templates After  you started using the social queue in , many  of you requested a way to save your queue as a reusable template. That was a great idea (so thanks for suggesting it!). Social Templates  was a super fun project to launch in 2016 to help you eliminate the tedious process of manual social media scheduling. Here are a few great use cases that are perfect for  Social Templates: You always share the blog posts you publish. Create a reusable Social Template to consistently share your blog posts on all of your social networks more than once. Do you host a Twitter chat? Social Templates make it easy to focus on writing great questions rather than manually scheduling the Tweets for every chat. Maybe now is the best time to start one! Hosting webinars? Promote your signup pages easily with a specific template for webinars. Do you write  guest blog posts? Share that content with your following consistently with a Social Template for your guest posts. Save tons of time  by scheduling social media messages in bulk with Social Templates!Schedule social messages in bulk with Social Templates from !6/21/16 Organize Your Social Campaigns All In 1  Place Youve got events, contests, blog posts, landing pages, and a whole lot more to share on social media. Soooo. Instead of managing a single social message as a project, isnt it easier to manage a campaign as a project? Thats the big idea behind Social Campaigns: The perfect way to organize a group of social media messages into a single project your entire team can collaborate on. You get a birds eye view of everything involved in a campaign, making it easy to review all of the messages quickly. You can even create custom workflows for your campaigns and  discuss right in (eliminating endless email CCs, thank goodness).Organize social media projects in 1 place with Social Campaigns in !10/13/16 Organize Your  Social Video Projects To Get Even More Engagement Its not a secret people love watching video on social media in 2016. So we wanted to make it easier than ever for you to plan, organize, execute, and schedule  video content to your social networks. Cue: Social Video. ^ See what I did there? ;) Now you can manage social video projects right in the marketing calendar where you manage everything else. Simply upload your videos and share them to all your social networks. This works amazingly well with other features like Social Campaigns, Social Templates, and Best Time Scheduling. Youll organize everything + increase your engagement!Organize your social video projects + get more engagement with !10/20/16  Tag Facebook Pages And Twitter Handles To Boost Engagement Social Tagging was another HUGE request from you in 2016! So it was a blast to see it come to life in your favorite marketing calendar this year. ;) Now you can search for Facebook Pages and Twitter handles as you write your social media messages. Forget about jumping to the social networks (or worse- guessing and getting it wrong)! Just type your @ and the first characters of the social profile. will intelligently search for the tag for you!Tag Facebook Pages and Twitter handles with !10/25/16 Prove The ROI Of The Work You Do With Social Analytics When you heard we were going to build social media analytics into , tons of you told us: I would use social engagement analytics to decide what content to re-share and decide what to write more of. That was excellent feedback to help us build the best kinds of social media analytics into your marketing calendar! Now youll: Measure  the success of every social media message you share. Its awesome to see which messages get the most comments, shares, and likes so you know whats working (and whats not). Never question the results of your hard work! You create tons of value with  your social media strategy, and now you can easily prove the ROI of the work you do to your boss/clients (and yourself). Discover trends with your content, specific social media messages, networks, and more. Do it all without the time-suck and stress by monitoring  your performance  in one place where you manage everything else. Its pretty awesome to see and compare your performance across your content, networks, and messages in one convenient place.Prove the ROI of the work you do with Social Analytics in !11/01/16 All-New Content Creator And User Experience has always  focused on  helping you organize your content + social media projects. With the new content creator, you got the chance to organize everything even easier than before. Now you can hide things youre not working on (or needing to see) to clean up your digital workspace. And collaboration is even easier than ever before with improved workflows and task management. Organize every marketing project with  Google Docs, Evernote, WordPress, and the all-new built-in editor. And now you can also upload files for any other kind of project, too- like Microsoft word, image files, and more. Work smarter with the new content editor in !11/08/16 Automatically Re-Share Your Social Messages With ReQueue ReQueue is the most intelligent way to automate your social media. It  helps you craft your social media messages  once, then  automatically fills in the gaps in your posting schedule. Lets just say you want to send 15 tweets a day to your Twitter account, but you only have five scheduled for today. ReQueue will find the missing 10 gaps, and re-share 10  tweets (youve strategically selected) at the best times for engagement. Talk about maximizing your time, effort, and content! This was a super fun project for us because we beta tested the  feature,  looked for your feedback, and  rebuilt it even better based on your expectations. Thanks again for  helping us build the product you need to organize all of your social media + content! With ReQueue, youll: Set it and forget it! Youll craft  your messages, add them to ReQueue, and automatically share. Get more mileage out of your social media messages. You put time into  creating your social media content, and now youll get bigger results from your effort. Automatically reuse your best social media messages. ReQueue takes the guesswork out of knowing how often to post every day by doing it for you with the content youve chosen (based on analytics). Easily re-promote your evergreen content. Some content is timeless, and more social shares can help that classic content reach a larger audience. Now youll  craft your social media messages once,  organize them in a ReQueue group, and will automatically re-share that content at the best times for engagement! Automatically re-share your social media messages with !11/30/16 Schedule Instagram Posts (Alongside Everything Else) Many of you requested a way to schedule your posts to Instagram. Our product designers and developers  took your  feedback and built the  mobile app that makes scheduling to Instagram a breeze. Thanks! Those gals and guys  love building the features youve requested. ;) With Instagram scheduling in , youll: Quit forgetting to post on Instagram! Now youll  get push notifications when its time to post. Schedule Instagram messages alongside all of your other social networks. Its the best way to manage multiple social media accounts in one place. Go from haphazard to strategic. Plan your Instagram posting schedule well in advance to strategize your content and post it at the best times for engagement. Collaborate more efficiently than ever on Instagram projects. Your team will work together better than ever with customizable workflows, discussion, and one version of truth. When you combine Instagram scheduling with ReQueue and a drag-and-drop editorial calendar, you have the most complete social media publishing tool in the world.Consolidate your toolset with Instagram Scheduling in !  + A Lot Of Other Enhancements Happened Throughout 2016 The Product team that builds also put a ton of effort into making faster and easier to use. You may have noticed improvements here and there, which is something  they do all the time. In fact, the Product team  pushed new code to nearly every business day in 2016. For you, that means a product that never grows stagnant and one that constantly  iterates and improves. Im sending a big thank you (just one more time!) to the Product team that makes all of this excitement possible. You guys and gals are awesome! + A Lot More Is Yet To Come In 2017 Looking back on 2016 has been a lot of fun. But Im even more excited looking forward to 2017. Tons of amazing #SocialMedia functionality came to in 2016. And since has always been about organizing content + social better than ever In 2017, you can expect Custom content types  to help you plan, organize,  and execute even more marketing projects in one  place. Speaking of marketing projects soon youll have an even more advanced way to manage multiple pieces of content as marketing campaigns. Analytics will continue to grow with more reports for team management and content publishing. Email marketing to help you execute your campaigns better than ever in the marketing calendar where you manage everything else. Approval workflows to help you execute projects faster w/out time-sucking  hangups. What marketing projects will you organize in 2017?

The Inclusion of Children With Learning Difficulties in Mainstream Essay

The Inclusion of Children With Learning Difficulties in Mainstream Classrooms is Fine in Theory - Essay Example In Ireland the government has taken initiative towards the development of inclusive education in mainstream schools which has yielded mixed results. Background The move into inclusive education was initiated by parents of children with SEN who were concerned with the availability of appropriate institutions for their children. As a result, the Republic of Ireland signed an EU Council of Ministers Charter which led to the promotion of inclusion in schools by the Department of Education. In 1992, the Green Paper on Education highlighted the need to develop educational systems that were inclusive and provided those that were socially, physically, mentally or economically disadvantaged with equal opportunities. The Report of the Special Education Review Committee in 1993 laid the groundwork for inclusive education in Ireland. The reports proposed seven principles for the future of inclusive education which included; all children have a right to suitable education, the needs of the child should be the first priority while considering the route of education, the parents of children with SEN should be allowed to take an active part in decisions about their child’s education, a range of services that include education in a regular school with additional support, Special educational needs should be provided in ordinary schools unless individual circumstances make it impractical, only in extreme cases should it be necessary for the child to live away from home to receive suitable education and the state should provide the resources required to enable children with special educational needs to receive education according to their needs. In accordance with these principles, the White Paper on Education Charting our... This report approves that theoretically speaking inclusive education is an ideal system to integrate students with special needs into the mainstream. Inclusive education not only results in better academic performance by such students but also increased social interaction and rehabilitation for them. Inclusive education results in students in SEN receiving the same education and environment that regular students and thus preparing them for the real word and enabling them from the beginning. This helps adjustment in real life and greater chances of success in the future; it also helps in maintaining social relationships with other children and learning socially acceptable norms of behavior. It also increases a sense of belonging and decreases discrimination. This essay makes a conclusion that Inclusive education for children with special needs is a concept that works in practical life as well but like most other concepts it needs proper regulation and structure. In Ireland, although there is legislation and regulation schools need to be committed to inclusive education and cater to the needs of the students. Teachers need to get professional training and maintain positive attitudes. There should be greater collaboration among schools and other agencies as well as parent and school collaboration. Children should be taught to include their SEN counterparts and view them as their own. Inclusive education is a successful way of integrating special children in society although there are many challenges need to be overcome.

Explain the Significance of the Four Marks of the Church - One, Holy, Essay

Explain the Significance of the Four Marks of the Church - One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic - Essay Example Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has continued to fulfill the marks, and only faith can recognize that the Church received these manifestations from God. The â€Å"One† mark of the Church shows that the Church of the apostles was one. Paul wrote that there is only one body and spirit in (Eph. 4:4-5), and he linked the unity to the Church’s common Eucharistic bread in (1 Cor. 10:17). The Bible says that the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-32) and has only one source. Jesus also promised from the outset in (John 10:16) that there would be one flock, and one shepherd. The Catechism also notes that the Church is one with three reasons namely; first, source of the Church is Holy Trinity, which is a the great unity of three heavenly persons; Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; the second being the founder of the Church, Jesus Christ, who came to reunite through the blood in the cross for all mankind; and the third, â€Å"soul,† the Holy Spirit that is in the souls of the faithful, unites all the faithful into one communion of believers, and guides the Church. The â€Å"oneness† of the Church is visible in Catholics who are united in their Creed and other teachings, the sacramental celebrations, and the hierarchical arrangement that are based on the apostolic succession that are handed and preserved through the Sacrament of Holy Orders (Brian 2008). The Body of Christ Himself is the Church, and so is whole one, and one as Christ’s Body is whole one. The Church of Christ teaches only one set of doctrines that are taught by the apostles (Jude 3). The unity in the belief in which the Scripture calls all to adhere to (Phil. 1:27, 2:2). The Christian Church is united in faith, worship, and succession from the apostles themselves. The unity manifestation is hard to clutch today with centuries of old divisions and the existence of many Christian denominations spread across the world. Mass is conducted in the same w ay all over the world in terms of prayers, readings, structure, and everything except in difference of language by Catholics who have the same belief, and are offered by a priest who is united by his bishop who is united by the holy Father, the pope. Although, some dissent from official doctrines, the Church understands them (John 16:12-13) and it does not misunderstand them to mean contrary to want they meant before. Diversity is found in the oneness, in that the faithful has different vocations and different gifts, although they work together to continue with the mission of the Lord. The different cultures and traditions enrich the Church in their expressions of faith. Charity must saturate through the Church, for members to continue being together in unity. Example of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that; The Church is one that recognizes one Lord, which confesses one faith, the Church born of one Baptism; it forms only one Body, given life by one Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome. Churches of all denominations have continued to emphasize the fundamental unity showing that there is only one faith, one Lord and One God. â€Å"Holy† as a mark of Church signifies the Church of the apostles as the Lord Himself as the source of all holiness. This shows that all things that the church has from the all-holy God himself and everything are holy. However,

Punk Rock Essay Example for Free

Punk Rock Essay American exceptionalism is a pivotal concept within the American culture. Stemming from a revolution, this theory shaped a new way of thinking within the United States that seemed far different from many other cultures. Seymour Martin Lipset used this concept to explain, â€Å"why the United States is the only industrialized country which does not have a significant socialist movement or Labor party. † This essentially explains why America is extraordinary. Punk personifies American exceptionalism with its distinct lifestyle to be different from the norm, and is surrounded by independent self-governing thinkers. The United States didn’t become what it is today because of law abiding and passive citizens. This is also a main reason why Punk Rock became so popular in America, and has stayed relevant to teens and young adults all over the world. People began to thrive on understanding the history of this nation, and take pride in the originality of our constitution, and way of life. Punk Rock adds another chapter in the long list of independent concepts and ideas within the American Culture. â€Å"America marches to a different drummer. Its uniqueness is explained by any or all of a variety of reasons: history, size, geography, political institutions, and culture. † This type of â€Å"American† thinking continues to inspire all kinds of musicians, but more so with the Punk Rock genre than any other. It was defines the core competencies of the bands, as well as that of their followers. This defining concept of individualism is also why Punk Rock has stayed relevant for all of these years. This country was built off this impression, as well as Punk Rock. It is hard to break down the barrier of individualism, because everyone is so unique, and Punk Rock simply unites and celebrates all different types of unique thinking. Through lyrics from bands such as the Romones, Blink 182, and The Clash, a colossal following came to Punk Rock. The lyrics almost became anthems to band groupies lives. In â€Å"The Shape of Things to Come† by the Romones, they sing â€Å"Theres a new sun Risin up angry in the sky? And theres a new voice Sayin were not afraid to die. One could argue that that way of thinking was backbone for what soldiers in the American Revolution stood for, and how the United States became to be what it is today. Of course American exceptionalism has its negative aspects to it that can be looked down upon. The United States has at times been exceptionally bad, racist, and violent. This cannot be ignored in the conversation of American exceptionalism. Although some of this demonstrates unfair and harsh governing, it shows that the American spirit still have that Punk Rock â€Å"drive† in them that fuels and strengthens them. This is also another reason why Punk Rock has, and will always continue to stay relevant in todays American Culture