Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Management, Innovation and New Technology Essay - 1

Management, Innovation and New Technology - Essay Example According to Sonnack, â€Å"3M was found to be in very good shape with respect to fundamental, technology-driven innovation† (Hippel, 1999). 3M’s policy promotes all the employees to dedicate up to 15% of the work time on any one project of choice of the employees. During this phase of work the developers are busy on new ideas as individuals and as informal groups. They try to fetch the project where it can be considered for formal support as a product or service development project. Technology and knowledge are the two approaches of innovation process through which a company can grow and expand. 3M has been able to utilize the technology and knowledge based strategy for innovation of many products. Especially the Post-it note pad was the innovation of 3M in which the application of technical and knowledge based innovation approaches were witnessed. There were lot of research and innovation processes going on with the product and the market. There were initial failures with the technology of the product and with constant knowledge application towards the product development, the company was successful in launching the standard Post-it note pad in the market and achieved success (Berman & Hagan, 2006). But Rhodes and Wield have discarded machine based or technology based innovation in support of knowledge based formation of technological change. The view provided by them was towards knowledge as frequently tactical and not as explicit. Technology is the body of knowledge and not machinery. Almost all the innovations occurred in an applied setting like shop floor. In 3M, all the employees get engaged in one project of their choice and devotes towards the project in making them reality. The culture of innovation environment has made the 3M develop many innovative products and services. Invention is determined appliance of the individual mind that surrenders an innovative conception with the practical application. According to The

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho Santiago Analysis

The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho Santiago Analysis Paulo Coelhos magical novel follows the adventure of Santiago, a young Sheppard from an Andalusian town who disobeyed his fathers will for him to become a priest. For this reason Santiago can be described as a determined, curious as well as adventurous child as he leads his sheep through the unknown deserts. At the beginning of the novel, we see Santiago at an abandoned church, where he has been having reoccurring dreams of a hidden treasure found at the Pyramids of Egypt. Having no knowledge of omens or Personal Legends at that point, he shrugged off this dream until he decided to visit a fortune-teller. Both she and an old man (whom he meets shortly afterward) tell him that he has a quest in life that he must realize, and that is a part of his existence. While pursuing his journey, he learns a fair bit about the world around him. Although he has been grateful to have trusted individuals such as Melchizedek, there were many negative lessons learned such as depression (the Crystal Me rchant), distant love (the bakers daughter) as well as deceit (the thief that stole his money). All of these obstacles held Santiago back on his quest to finding his Personal Legend. However, as the reoccurring quote When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it (Coelho, 62) remains engraved in his head, his levels of motivation are once again replenished. There are a number of occasions when Santiago is forced to make choices that could alter the outcome of his journey. For example, he had to give up being a Sheppard and sell his sheep in order to have enough money to be able to finance his voyage to Egypt, in hopes of finding his treasure. I find Santiago to be a dynamic character as he matures and finds true love near the end of the book. He has come to learn about the different languages of the world, of the soul and unite himself with his environment. The Soul of the World is one of the biggest spiritual advancements that Santiago discovers througho ut his journey for his Personal Legend. This term is almost directly associated with collective worship. All of these worshippers from different religions worship a certain mystery. But in the end, all of the religions point towards the same mystery that is the true Soul of the World. Santiagos dynamic qualities are more apparent near the end of the book, where he almost gives up completely on pursuing his Personal Legend. Like the Crystal Merchant, he starts to show more materialistic qualities and deems that his current possessions are satisfactory for him and that the journey towards a supplementary but greater treasure is not necessary. Evidence of this is found when Santiago tells the Alchemist I have already found my treasure. I have a camel, I have my money from the crystal shop, and I have fifty gold pieces (Coelho, 115). By the end of the novel, Santiago has acquired a lot of experienced, mostly gained by the knowledge of the Alchemist. Santiago learned to relinquish fear by listening to his heart, which guided him in the right direction and ultimately guided him to his treasure, which was found at the sycamore tree in the abandoned church at the beginning of the novel. Santiagos understanding of the Soul of the World is at its highest point during the event where Santiago was forced to turn himself into the wind by a bunch of warriors from the desert. At that point, Coelho uses figurative techniques in order to bring life to the sun, the desert, the wind as well as the heavens. The use of personification attributed to these elements demonstrates how much Santiago has learned and deepened his understanding of the world. Santiagos experience has brought him to understand the universal language of the world and is thus able to communicate with these inanimate elements. If there was one thing I discovered by the end of this novel, it is that the character of Santiago can be symbolic to the way we live our own personal lives. Like each and every one of us, we have character flaws that can often keep us from achieving our goals in life. Although most of us do not rely on omens in order to know if we are on the right track, we often rely on others invaluable sources such as our family members and friends who provide moral support to help achieve our Personal Legend. Obstacles will surely be met (we have seen many throughout Santiagos journey) however thanks to the help of characters such as the Englishman and the Alchemist, Santiago was finally be able to fulfill his destiny and finally reunite himself with Fatima, the girl of his dreams. ISU Journals: Personal Legend In Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist the author puts a lot of emphasis on Personal Legends. Upon Santiagos quest, he meets a stranger who later reveals himself as Melchizedek, the king of Salem. He reveals to Santiago an important moral rule, in which consists the foundation of Coelhos whole novel: Following ones own Personal Legend. The king describes this legend as A point in someones life where everything is clear, everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives (Coelho, 21). Furthermore, the king explains how there will be difficult obstacles to overcome in the path to realising the personal Legend. One of the obstacles presented in Part 1 of the book is a young boy who agreed to help lead him towards the Egyptian Pyramids for a cost. Little did the innocent boy know that the boy was in fact a thief and that dishonesty runs rampant in the city of Tangier. A second instance is when Santiago meets an Ar abic Crystal merchant, a man who has maintained his shop for over thirty years at the top of a hilly street. Through the crystal merchants character in Part One of the novel, we can see that he was unable to fulfill his own Personal Legend (which was to travel to the Mecca). While reading this particular instance of the novel, I felt that the merchants character greatly contrasts the protagonists quest into pursuing his own destiny. Phrases such as he had been in the same place for thirty years there was a time and it was too late to do anything else really show how much faith the merchant lost in his personal dreams. I found that this really affected Santiagos morality and hence, I listed this figure as an obstacle to the fulfillment of Santiagos Personal Legend. Nonetheless the boys depression was soon relieved once the old merchant offered to help the young boy to fulfill what he once dreamed of doing. ISU Journals: Sheep At the beginning of Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist we are brought upon the idea of the symbolism of the young Santiagos flock of sheep. Santiagos flock of sheep are first presented at the beginning of the novel. The Sheppard and his flock had ventured through the countryside of Andalusia for the past two years in search of food and water. Both the animals and their master have certainly formed a solid bond of friendship and it is explicitly shown in the text when Santiago explains They are so used to me that they know my schedule (Coelho, 4). He would read to them regularly, commentate on the views that they passed by while pursuing their journey and comfort them when they would begin to stir. Santiago also comments that the amount of knowledge and understanding that he received from his sheep is quite superior to that of a book. Although Santiagos gratitude and expressed love for his sheep are inevitable, the greater symbolism lies in the feelings of disgust that he has towards them. While reading the novel, I have noticed instances where Santiago says that the only things that sheep care about are food and water. The simplicity of happiness for animals is greatly contrasted with that of humans. Santiago is amazed by how careless the sheep are of their surroundings so long as they are provided with nourishment. This brought me to recognize that the limited perspectives on life of these sheep could in fact be paralleled with that of the Crystal Merchant as well as the baker. Evidence of this is shown when Santiago says If I became a monster today and decided to kill them, one by one, they would become aware only after most of the flock had been slaughtered.(Coelho, 7) Similarly to the Crystal Merchant and the baker, the sheep care nothing else but their material desires (being the food and water). In the case of the Crystal Merchant, he is too preoccupied with his boring daily life (for more than thirty years) and the desire that everything remains the same. According to the king of Salem, individuals who present similar characteristics to the merchant are unable to fully neither understand nor appreciate their purpose in life, nor the creations of God. This is one of the reasons that have kept them from pursuing their destiny. Setting/ Epoch Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist has numerous settings which progress along with the novel. For instance, the beginning of the story is taken place in the lands of Spain. Evidence of this is shown primarily by the name of the protagonist: Santiago and by the fact that the boy first sets off his journey in the region of Andalusia. Also, there is a passage in the story making relevance to the Moorish invasion over Spain The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors. (Coelho, 5) By this quote alone, we can already assume that the storys epoch is set in a pre-modern context (several centuries ago) during the time in which most technologies such as computers, cellphones were absent. Also, caravans as means of transportation are not used as much in the modern era as opposed to in the story. Additionally, the following quote provides proof of the setting by revealing the type of currency The next day, he gave his s on a pouch that held three ancient Spanish gold coins (Coelho, 9). In addition to the epoch, Alchemy was a practice that had been abandoned years ago as it had been confirmed that you could not turn any stone into another by simply melting it and waiting several years. The setting shifts to another Spanish town located in Andalusia called Tarifa. It is at this landmark that Santiago meets with the king of Salem and is given instructions on pursuing his Personal Legend. Evidence of this is shown when the author describes the scenery and mentions that At the highest point in Tarifa, there is an old fort. Built by the Moors. (Coelho, 33)The plot line shifts continents and is currently found in a city called Tangier, which is found in Morocco (North Africa). We can confirm this setting because we find that the main language is Arabic, which Santiago isnt accustomed to. Clues such as the gigantic pipe (Coelho, 34) which can also be referred to as a shisha; women with their faces covered (34) and priests that climbed to the tops of towers and chanted (34) all suggest an Arabic (Muslim) community. The final setting is in the Sahara desert, in which Santiago crosses in order to get to Egypt. Once again, clues such as the Al Fayoum oasis which is located near the Nile River as well as the Arabic people confirm the final major setting of the novel. Plot summary Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist follows the story of a young Andalusian boy named Santiago whose adventure begins after having a reoccurring dream about him and a mysterious treasure found in the Pyramids of Egypt. Piqued by curiosity, the young encounters numerous individuals, who influence his journey (both positively and negatively) to his treasure. Some of these individuals include: the Gypsy, the king of Salem, the thief at Tangier port, the Crystal Merchant, the baker, the Englishman, Fatima as well as the Alchemist himself. The main event in the story is set when Santiago is forced to make a series of sacrifices in order to obtain his Personal Legend. For example, the first instance is when he follows the king of Salems advice to sell his sheep and to travel to Tangier. The King teaches Santiago about omens which aid Santiago in making the right decisions. However, the young boy got robbed and therefore got a job at a Crystal merchants shop. There, he was able to teach the merchant on the meanings of life and how he shouldnt have given up on pursuing his own Personal Legend to one day travel to the Mecca. By making enough money, Santiago is able to pay his way across the Sahara desert towards the sands of Egypt by means of a caravan. He then encounters an Englishman, who has also set himself on a journey in order to find his Personal Legend (to become an Alchemist). Through this man, Santiago learns about alchemy and the amount of difficulty associated with it. Arriving at an oasis, Santiago envisions a horde of men attacking the desert and warns the chieftains. They were successfully able to defend against these men and Santiago finds the opportunity to meet the Alchemist in person. The Alchemist teaches the boy an innumerable amount of valuable lessons such as listening to ones heart, never giving up, understanding the Soul of the World etc. Santiago is put to the ultimate test when he has been captured by a group of Arabic soldiers and ordered him to turn himself into the wind as a display of his magical powers. By linking his heart to the Soul of the World, Santiago communicates with the sun, the wind and The Hand that Wrote All which invoked a powerful storm that brought Santiago to the other side of the hostile camp. Santiago and the Alchemist were free and Santiago finally makes it to the Pyramids of Egypt. However, Santiago is severely beaten and robbed at his final destination. One of the men describes his own dream as having seen a treasure buried at an abandoned church beside a Sycamore tree in Spain. Alarmed, Santiago finally understood this meaning and found his own treasure which has been at the starting point of his whole journey. Author relevance/ Writing Style Paulo Coelho is the author of one of the most compelling books that I and many others have ever read. I believe that the character of Santiago is easily portrayed by the author himself as both undergo a quest of self-freedom and to find their own happiness. Similar to Santiagos job as a Sheppard, Paulos dream of becoming a writer was heavily frowned upon by the members of his family. His mother told him that his father was a very bright engineer and that becoming a writer wasnt a job that got a lot of praise. As a matter of fact, Santiagos parents were equally perplexed about his dream of becoming a Sheppard. Unlike Coelhos family however, the young boys parents accepted his dream quicker than the author. The turning of point of Paulos life was when he walked the 500 plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. During this pilgrimage, Paulo had a spiritual awakening and therefore had a different view on life. This part of his life had a great impact on his award winning novel. It is without a doubt that the protagonists name had been inspired by the city of Santiago de Compostela. Similar to the sheep in the novel, Coelho lived his life solely on food and water and wasnt living his life in order to pursue his Personal Legend, which was to become a full-time writer. The obstacles that Coelho have faced in order to become a writer, and therefore fulfilling his own Personal Legend, are paralleled to Santiagos own obstacles in the novel. Depression, thievery as well as physical assault are things that both the author and Santiago have undergone before realising their dream. Unlike Coelho however, Santiago had moral guidance as well as charms (Urim and Thummim) in order to guide him to realise his quest with better ease. After having read the authors biography, I find that Santiagos journey was not necessarily an adventure to find a material treasure, but also a pilgrimage for a spiritual awakening (similar to Coelhos path). Important messages such as listening to ones heart, following ones dream, understanding the Soul of the World etc. are things that Coelho himself has also endured. During his pilgrimage, he has ultimately formed a bond with nature and it is very apparent in his writing style when he brings inanimate elements such as the sun and wind to life. Coelho has a very interesting style of writing that appeals a lot to me personally. Many books nowadays are several hundreds of pages long and focusing too much on scenery/setting that often detract readers from understanding any type of moral or life-changing message. Similar to my literary compositions, I strive to only include key points and keep most text-fillers out. Although The Alchemist is a very short novel, Coelho avoids many unnece ssary descriptions such as the scenery, characters and his use of imagery is very limited. Even having completed the novel, we do not know of many of the characters age nor their physical appearance. The reason being is that Coelho neglected most of these useless elements to develop the storys main message: to follow ones Personal Legend. Using a linear progression of writing, the author keeps the story rolling with plot-relevant details such as what the character is doing. Themes/Connections I believe one of the most important messages in this whole novel is to simply follow ones dream. Although this cheesy theme has been recycled many times and can be found in various films and literary works alike, Coelhos writing style is what sets his book apart from the others. For example, the authors use of Alchemy greatly enforces the books central theme. As the practice of Alchemy is to transform an ordinary stone (particularly lead, in this book) to gold, we can metaphorically associate Santiago to a block of lead. The process of alchemy does take several years and this is also associated with the time that Santiago spent in the Spanish pastures, Tarifa, Tangier and the desert in order to better understand his Personal Legend. Once Santiago met the Alchemist (the final piece to the puzzle) he got a crash course on spiritual awakening, listening to his heart/soul and communicating with nature. That was the final process in which Santiago needed to undergo in order for him to be fully transformed from a piece of lead to gold, hence fulfilling his Personal Legend and finding his treasure under the sycamore tree at the abandoned church. Im sure that most of us can relate to this particular theme as we all have had our personal aspirations or goals during our lifetime. When looking at most successful people in the world such as Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Bill Gates or even Steve Jobbs, they didnt lives solely off food and water as the Crystal Merchant, Baker and Santiagos sheep did. They did have material possessions at the time but the difference is that they made risks in their lives in order to achieve their dreams (whatever they may be). The same applies to Santiago, when he made a huge sacrifice of giving up his sheep to get money in order to travel to Egypt. Many novels illustrate some form of sacrifice in order to fulfill their own dreams. Using the books theory, Mother Theresa was also an ordinary woman, who was ordained a Saint several years ago after devoting herself to help the poor. Although I have not figured out my Personal Legend yet, I believe that the book points out important problems with the world around us. I see the Crystal Merchant as a metaphor to the Average Joe of the modern era. A person that is solely content with his material possessions and the ways things are. Even Newtons first law of physics (inertia) shows us that our body loves to be found at a same position and attempts to resist to changes. Consequently, a lot of us dont travel far enough from our comfort zone because we are either scared of the unknown or scared that we will falter. Literary Devices/Predictions In Coelhos novel, the most prominent and important literary device is foreshadowing. My predictions set for my novel are heavily based on the clues I encounter from the reoccurring elements of foreshadowing. However, other literary devices such as irony, metaphors, personifications, symbols, motifs, themes are also included in the novel. The first prediction that I made within the first couple of pages of the novel was his dream about having sought out his Personal Legend in the Pyramids of Egypt along with the help of a boy. Before having completed the book, I assumed that this boy was to be later revealed as an alchemist; however the identity of this boy remains concealed. This element of foreshadowing plays a big role in the overall progression of the book as it is this incident that sparks the whole story line as it initiates him to talk to the Gypsy, in which he later encounters the king of Salem etc. After all of Santiagos influences, Ive came to the conclusion that he would nonetheless have a change in his personality one way or another. Since Santiagos journey relies heavily on the use of omens, it is easy to predict future events and the decisions that he will make in order to accomplish a task. For example, Ive predicted that the Crystal Merchant would surely travel to the Mecca to realise his Personal Legend after having encountered Santiago and deemed him as a good omen. Ive also predicted Santiagos loss of hope and that he would ultimately give up his journey after he packed up his bags to return to Spain. However, I later discovered that the omens of Urim and Thummim have signalled to Santiago that he must not give up and must in fact continue his journey to find his Personal Legend. Further on in the story, I noticed that Santiago and the Alchemist have encountered hostile Arabic soldiers on their way to the Pyramids. I then noted that travelling in such an area would le ad to their eventual capture. On the note of literary devices, personification played a grand role in the development of the climax (human traits were given to the sun, wind as well as the Hand that Wrote All). The story alludes to many characters throughout history as well as mythology. For example, Biblical allusion is made towards the king of Jerusalem Melchizedek who brought bread and wine and offered a blessing (Urim and Thummim in The Alchemist) to Abraham after he won a harsh battle. Also, in the novels prologue, there is allusion to the Greek mythologys Narcissus. This character brings to our attention that everyone is a part of the Soul of the World. Evidence of this is shown when the lake mentions I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected (Coelho, X).

Friday, October 25, 2019

Functionalist and Marxist Approaches to Education and Economy Essay

Functionalist and Marxist Approaches to Education and Economy Functionalist and Marxist perspectives differ considerably in the way they view the relationship between education and the economy. Both perspectives agree that the educational system provides society with certain functions, but they disagree about the purpose of these functions and more importantly who benefits from them. Functionalists see the educational system as providing a positive educational experience, which benefits the children and society. Whereas, Marxists claim that the system oppresses and harms people, and that it only benefits the powerful. Functionalists believe mass formal education is an essential part of industrial society, and that the expansion of industrial economies brings a corresponding expansion in the educational system. They also see the introduction of mass education in Britain during 1870, as a response to the increasing demand of industry, for a literate and numerate workforce. Many Functionalists, such as Durkheim, claim that education performs two central functions, which relate to social cohesion and the division of labor. Durkheim (1961 'Moral Education') argued that education transmits the norms and values of society to the next generation. It therefore reproduces social solidarity, which according to functionalism, is needed in order for society to exist. Durkheim offered an explanation of how social solidarity is reproduced by the educational system. He said that school creates a miniature model of society, where the child interacts and cooperates with other pupils whilst following a set of fixed rules. In this way, the ch... ...basic level, on some sort of conspiracy between employers and teachers. To conclude, the Functionalist perspective views education as a vital part of society, which turns pupils into model citizens and has a positive impact on the economy and society as a whole. Education also produces a diverse workforce, in a way that is fair to everyone, and it compliments the requirements of the economy perfectly. The Marxist perspective views education as a part of society that is vital for the ruling class, because it reproduces the unequal distribution of wealth and power, by turning working class pupils into conformist workers. It therefore sees education as an ideological tool, used by the upper classes to exploit the working classes. Ref: Haralambos and Holburn (2000) Sociology: Themes and Perspectives (fifth edition)

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Mountains Beyond Mountains Essay

The title is a haitian proverb that translates â€Å"beyond the mountains, more mountains.† As it relates to the book, I believe mountains beyond mountains means the never ending struggle to control disease involving the poor. In this case, the poor are the haitian people who are in a struggle to improve their health and the institution in place allow this to perpetuate. Farmer sees health in a way that differs from most. Farmer believes improvement of health is not only the actual treatment of the disease. Instead, it is the complete assimilation of institutions where the poor are given power to succeed politically as well as the access to health care. This is evident in what resources Farmer’s clinic has available to his patients that go beyond access to equipment and medications that are not easily attainable in Haiti. In order to provide the necessary resources for a healthy community today and into the future they provide a school, housing, kitchen that feeds people daily, sanitation, as well as filtered water systems. These different resources combined make up what a community needs to have an improvement of health today and into the future. This philosophy rings true for me. How can you expect to have a healthy community when these basic needs are not available. In a country like the United States these resources are at at your disposal in the most rural locations and their benefits forg otten because of it. Farmer’s Story shows how a small group of practitioners can make a positive and lasting impact in a world with poverty and a lack of health care provisions to those without insurance. One major component to this ability is the level of sacrifice these practitioners were able to endure. For many, the dreams of being a doctor include the big bucks that come along with it. In order to provide the level of care Farmer believed was necessary he sacrificed an extraordinary amount of his personal wealth. Another major sacrifice was his time with family. He split his year in Boston and Haiti so the geographic aspect was limiting. Then, the enormous amount of work that seemed never ending (mountains beyond mountains) kept  him busy way beyond an average 9 to 5, leaving no time for vacation to visit. These sacrifices are not to be taken lightly. I don’t know if I would be willing to live for others like Farmer has. It takes a certain character that one is born with to do this. Farmer used every tool he had to help. He sweet talked workers at hospitals and walked away with tuberculosis medicine for the poor and even paid for it himself. When caught he paid back the 96 thousand dollars in medicine he had take. When he was with others he would lecture all he came into contact with on the plight of the poor. He felt as though the poor were all too often forgotten. Tuberculosis control was the perfect example of this. Pharmaceutical companies had controlled TB in wealthy countries and made no effort in poor nations like haiti because it did not make sense financially. Once Farmer came into contact with a resistant form of TB in haiti he was on a mission to make MDR available for all not just the wealthy. The biggest block was cost. His goal of MDR for all was not shared by pharmaceutical companies that wanted to keep the prices high. That didn’t sway him one bit. Ultimately, Farmer was able to acheive his goal and make MDR affordable for all. This motivation with no regard to a personal financial benefit is an attribute I have seldom seen in my lifetime. I imagine Farmer had been approached or had the opportunity to make huge profits from his position and public image. This ethical character seems mythical in today’s world of business and bottom lines. His ethical standard is something to aspire to. The most intriguing quality I see in Farmer is his ability to understand the position of the poor in all its complexity. Wether the person is from Haiti or the United States he treats the patient with a respect that puts the patient at ease. His overall goal is to help the patient in a manner where it improves their overall health. One example that stuck out was Farmer’s experience with Joe a drug addict who doesn’t take his medication or eat properly. He sits with him and asks what his needs are in order to have a successful change in health. The response was definitely unique. His needs were a warm place to stay, 6 pack of beer, person to make sure he takes his medication, and someone to make sure he eats. Instead of listening and  completely dismissing his needs as out of the question he promises to try his best. On a board he writes what Joe’s current situation and the situation he wants to place him in and begins his mission. Ultimately he finds Joe a homeless shelter but they do not allow alcohol, but that doesn’t stop Farmer from pleading Joe’s case. This unorthodox method for providing the care Farmer felt would make a real change in Joe’s health was impressive. Farmer’s story is impressive. After reading this book I understand that a medical career is more than the good life. The abilities we are about to have can help so many and we need to know that is the goal of a good practitioner.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Advanced Practice In Nursing Cultural competence in the field of advanced practice in nursing

Culture is an essential component of the world because it provides individuals with their own ways of dealing with daily activities.   Culture also allows each country to uphold their own principles and attitudes, based on how they perceive issues.Analysts consider culture as a mental scheme that has shaped each population to its own characteristic features.   In the field of nursing, it is important to understand the concept of culture because these healthcare professionals are responsible for providing medical services to any individual in need, regardless of cultural background (Torres, 2009).It is thus imperative that advanced practice nurses are adept with the differences in culture, in order for them to delivery the best quality of healthcare that could be provided to the patient.Cultural competence pertains to the ability to recognize differences in culture and still be able to professionally deliver their services to the client, regardless of ethnic background (Verma et a l., 2009).   It has been earlier established that cultural competence can be achieved in several ways.One of the most straightforward methods is through learning different cultures and applying such knowledge at the actual workplace (Campinha-Bacote, 2009).It should be noted that patients from other countries who seek medical attention in the hospital may carry different values, as well as beliefs, from what is commonly accepted or considered as a norm.   The valuable knowledge and understanding of these differences may thus influence the success of treatment by influencing the patient to adhere to the suggested therapy (Pumariega et al., 2009).The issue of cultural competence is a relatively new concept in the field of nursing and this is mainly due to the significant increase in migration around the world (Sperber, 2009).   It is thus normal to see that a city, state or country is inhabited by several nationalities because these migrants opted to find a better place for them to settle in.In addition, it is a common occurrence that these recent migrants succumb to medical conditions and thus they need to seek medical attention at the nearest healthcare institution.   It may thus be possible that a foreign-born patient will seem shocked at the method of medical attention that is given to him in a Westernized hospital (Im et al., 2009).Cultural competence is thus a critical factor in the healthcare field because it may influence both the success of the treatment and the extent of cost for provide healthcare to the patient (Werkmeister-Rozas and Klein, 2009).There are several theories that attempt to explain the concept of cultural competence.   The theory concocted by Campinha-Bacote (1994) describes that attainment of competence in culture is gained through a continuous effort in learning and applying the lessons to the nursing professional immediate environment.This theory is associated with the gain of awareness there are definitely differences in cultural backgrounds among individuals and thus any interactions between individuals should be characterized with recognition of these differences.Nursing professionals should thus be actively conscious of the attitudes and beliefs of their patients and this may be observed through the mutual exchange that the nursing professional will impart to the patient during medical treatment.The theory also teaches the meaning of cultural knowledge, which pertains to the process of accepting that certain ethnic groups follows particular beliefs that may or may not be parallel to what is considered the norm in the Western world.The Campinha-Bacote theory also educates the nursing professional of the concept of cultural skill.   This topic involves the actual application of the lessons that the nursing professional has learned on the patient that he is currently taking care of.The nursing professional has been trained to recognize a number of cultural backgrounds and thus it is expected that this healthcare worker could positively identify the patient’s culture through the answers he provides to him from interviewing him upon presentation at the hospital.The Campinha-Bacote theory also employs a form of exposure of the nursing professional to different cultures.   This may be done in the form of engagement in a nursing care facility that is known to maintain patients of varied cultural backgrounds.   The exposure of the nursing trainee to such environment may be helpful in instilling a sense of variation that is normally present in all situations and places around the world.  Another theory that explains the concept of cultural competence is that designed by Lipson and Steiger (1996).   This alternative theory is based on the concept the self-care is a universal characteristic that encompasses all cultural backgrounds.   The approach thus upholds the idea that every individual strives to take care of themselves, as well as the other members of their fam ily.Taking care and giving concern to the community and the society is also covered under the theory of Lipson and Steiger (1996).   The theory thus believes every individual is responsible for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, regardless of cultural backgrounds.Processes such as health promotion, as well as prevention of disease, are thus included in this theory.   It is also expected that the advanced practice nurse carries a perspective that there are different cultures that exist in society and that three major elements comprise this approach.  The element of self pertains to the personal principles and morals of a patient, which in turn influence his interaction with other people.   The element of the other individual identifies the need to recognize and understand the patient himself, as well as his immediate family.This connection needs to be considered because every individual is interconnected to another individual as he continuously circulates in his own particular social unit.The third element, known as the context, pertains to the employment of the knowledge that the advanced practice nurse has acquired regarding cultural differences and competence.   The combination of these three elements thus ensures the success in understanding cultures of patients.The Banks and McGee theory (1989) describes that competency in the area of culture involves the application of care, as well as safety, in the treatment of different ethnicities.   Culture competence is thus a gradual process of learning different cultures, as well as reflecting on the prime variations of each human population.The understanding of cultures allows an advanced practice nurse to instill a caring and safe environment for every patient.   The concept of learning that is associated with the Banks and McGee theory (1989) thus requires that an advanced practice nurse is adept in identifying the cultural background of the patient, including the type of language that he commonly e mploys for communication.In cases when the nursing professional is not familiar with the patient’s language, he should immediately find an interpreter who can help in communicating what is essential to be performed in the hospital.The theory thus upholds an important concept in cultural competency and that is the advanced practice nurse should be aware and recognize his responsibility to perform additional measures in order to make the patient feel that he is being cared for and understood as well.It will be difficult to treat a patient who does not understand a single word that the physician or nurse is doing, especially when it involves administration of a drug or conducting a medical test.If the patient understands the reasons behind a specific medical procedure, it is most likely that the patient will allow the healthcare professionals to conduct this procedure and would even adhere to any directives that the physician or nurse would suggest.Cultural competency is an impo rtant area in the field of healthcare because it dissolves any barriers that may hinder the administration of a medical treatment.Awareness and understanding of difficulty cultures also expand an advanced practice nurse to be more accepting of different backgrounds and perform their tasks without prejudice or bias towards the patient.   Cultural competency may also indirectly influence the success of a medical treatment and also facilitate in promoting patient adherence.ReferencesBanks, J.A. and McGee, C.A. (1989).   Multicultural education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Campinha-Bacote, J.   (1994).   Cultural competence in psychiatric mental health nursing. Nursing Clinics of North America, 29, 1–8.Campinha-Bacote, J.   (2009).   A culturally competent model of care for African Americans.   Urology and Nursing, 29, 49-54.