Marketing Ethics and Regulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Ethics and Regulation - Essay Example The code of ethics is one which would really help marketers make the correct choices in many aspects of running a business from determining the price, the promotional materials one makes available to public, accuracy in the representation of the product, support claims made about the product, to the kind of message those advertisements would effect to, and a lot more (Marketing Code of Ethics, n.d.). Aside from these internal factors needed to be considered, a marketer would also have to think about giving the best and what is best to not only their customers but at the same time their employees which is more known as Corporate Social Responsibility. With all these responsibilities that one would be facing as a marketer, the code of ethics would be of utmost help. What is the basic idea of being able to align your business to what is ethical? Well, it is said that the simplest basis of doing so would be making sure you act according to the law. The code of ethics is this law plus all the other specifications that a marketer could possibly encounter that the law would no longer be able to provide for. It reminds any marketer to be responsible for anything they do especially in those situations where there is a grey area wherein it is so easy to succumb to a deceptive marketing. One example of which would be perhaps undergoing cost cutting by choosing a more harmful packaging which is cheaper but could harm your consumers while you justify the act that it is for the common good as you would not have to fire any employee and at the same time cutting cost for your consumers. Indeed, the code of ethics really come into play in pushing a marketer to make the right decision not just according to one point of view but in looking at all the angles of a certain decision (Marketing Tutorials, News, How-to and More, n.d). With

ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT PAPER AND EVALUATION Essay - 1

ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT PAPER AND EVALUATION - Essay Example Q4. Making ethical decision is tricky because knowing the rights step to follow to handle the matter is a challenge. I had a problem because I did not know the best way and process to follow in order to deal with the problem. Q.23. answering this question for me is tricky because, the sexual relationship is between former client and the counselor knows some private things about the client. On the same note, it is now a former client so difficult to know how to handle. The first issue is dealing with client who has different belief system as me. For example if I have a client who is atheist and does not belief in any religion that can be problem to me. But, in order to be professional, I will stick to the ethics and responsibility of the work and that will help me to remove any emotions and beliefs that I have when dealing with the client. Another issue is that I am emotional and can feel sorry for client and share in their emotions. For example, I may be overwhelmed and feel like crying with the client. I will try to avoid this by observing the codes. On the same note, I will look for help from other colleagues to help me in tough times and tough decisions. The third issue is when dealing with clients who do not have money to pay for the services. I know professional have to be paid to survive but sometimes the client does not have enough money so it is difficult to deal with such problem. However, I will try to loom for advice form supervisor and other colleagues so that I can deal with the problem in the best

Using Global Variables Essay Example for Free

Using Global Variables Essay Global variables are variables that are visible to every module in the program and its scope is the entire program so that all of the modules within the program can access a global variable. They can be declared in modules by simply setting up an assignment box and adding in the variables to the modules. In Pseudocode, you will simply write out the particular variable you want to declare and its value. Many programmers go against the idea of using global variables in modules but there are a few good sides to using global variables. For one, the global variables are very easy to find within modules and can be accessed throughout all of them. Global variables also make it easier to update the objects code and on the APL*PLUS II/III systems, the correct signature in the first element can be installed once, and when the object is loaded into the workspace, instead of having to be done each time the FastFN is called. It is suggested that you try to avoid using global variables when unnecessary for several reasons. Non-locality, in other words, source code is easy to understand when the scope of its individual elements is limited. Global variables can be read or modified by any part of the program, which makes it difficult to remember or reason about every possible use. Global variables also give no access or control or constraint checking. Global variables can be set by any part of the program, and any rules regarding its use can be easily broken or forgotten by extension, the lack of access control greatly hinders achieving security in situations where you may wish to run untrusted code. Global variables also lead to concurrency issues. If global variables can be accessed by multiple threads of execution, synchronization is necessary. When dynamically linking modules with globals, the composed system might not be thread-safe even if two independent modules tested in dozens of different contexts were safe. They also create Namespace pollution because the global names are everywhere. Memory allocation issues are also big when it comes to using global variables. Some environments have memory allocation schemes that make allocation of globals tricky. References Gaddis, T. (2010). Global Variables and Global Constants. Starting out with programming logic design (pp. 104-105). Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley. Global Variables. (n.d.). Global Variables. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.chilton.com/~jimw/globals.html Global Variables Are Bad. (n.d.). Global Variables Are Bad. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GlobalVariablesAreBad Pros and Cons of Using Global Variables. (n.d.). Pros and Cons of Using Global Variables. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/vstudio/en-US/53ae563a-bb7d-4526-b7c6-8e58c7bb62e6/pros-and-cons-of-using-global-variables?forum=csharpgeneral

Marketing Mix and Market Segmentation

Marketing Mix and Market Segmentation Marketing mix What is the marketing mix? The marketing mix is probably the most famous marketing term. Its elements are the basic, tactical components of a marketing plan. The flowing marketing four p elements product price place and promotion of marketing mix The term marketing mix was first used in 1953 when Neil Borden, in his American Marketing Association presidential address, took the recipe idea one step further and coined tterm marketing-mix. Marketing Mix is a major concept in modern marketing and involves practically everything that a marketing company can use to influence consumer perception favorably towards its product or services so that consumer and organizational objectives are attained, i.e. Marketing mix is a model of crafting and implementing marketing strategy. It is the same with the marketing mix. The offer you make to you customer can be altered by varying the mix elements. So for a high profile brand, increase the focus on promotion and desensitize the weight given to price. Another way to think about the marketing mix is to use the image of an artists palette. Some commentators will increase the marketing mix to the Five Ps, to include Others will increase the mix to Seven Ps, Price There are many ways to price a product. Lets have a look at some of them and try to understand the best policy/strategy in various situations. Customers directly relate price to quality, particularly in case of products that are ego intensive of technology based. Sony being a company which emphasize product quality, it tends to sell its products with price range from moderately-high to high-prices, depending on the use and the targeted customers. For example, Lets consider Sony series of VAIO laptops. Sony has tried to categorize the laptops according to style, user, purpose, mobility and performance, and each a corresponding price. Another element of Neil Bordens Marketing Mix is Place. Place is also known as channel, distribution, or intermediary. It is the mechanism through which goods and/or services are moved from the manufacturer/ service provider to the user or consumer. Product For many a product is simply the tangible, physical entity that they may be buying or selling. You buy a new car and thats the product simple! Or maybe not. When you buy a car, is the product more complex than you first thought? The Three Levels of a Product The Product Life Cycle (PLC) is based upon the biological life cycle. For example, a seed is planted (introduction); it begins to sprout (growth); The Customer Life Cycle (CLC) has obvious similarities with the Product Life Cycle (PLC). However, CLC focuses upon the creation of and delivery of lifetime value to the customer i.e. looks at the products or services that customers NEED throughout their live. Promotion Sales promotions for example includes free samples, discount, rebates, coupons, contents and sweepstakes, premiums, scratch cards, exchange offers, early bird prizes, etc. Another one of the 4Ps is promotion. This includes all of the tools available to the marketer for marketing communication. Sales promotion is a marketing discipline that utilizes a variety of incentives techniques to structure sales related programs targeted to customers, trade, and/or sales levels that generate a specific, measurable action or response for a product or service. People People are the most important element of any service or experience. Services tend to be produced and consumed at the same moment, and aspects of the customer experience are altered Public Relations and Publicity Public relations is a broad set of communication activities employed to create and maintain favourable relationship with employees, shareholders,to meet the individual needs of the person consuming Process Process is another element of the extended marketing mix, or 7Ps.There are a number of perceptions of the concept of process within the business and marketing. For example to achieve a 30% market share a company implements a marketing planning process. Limitation of Marketing Mix Analysis (4Ps of Marketing) Despite the fact that marketing mix analysis is used as a synonym for the 4Ps of Marketing, it is criticised (Kotler Armstrong, 2004) on the point that it caters sellers view of market analysis not customers view. To tackle this criticism, Lauterborn (1990) attempted to match 4 Ps of marketing with 4 Cs of marketing to address consumer views: Product Customer Solution Price Customer Cost Placement Convenience Promotion Communication How to Write a Good Marketing Mix Analysis To follow a simple and best approach for marketing mix analysis, it is imperative to understand the purpose of this analysis. So the basic key is to analyse the companys overall marketing strategy primarily through the strategies it follows under the 4Ps of marketing Information for Marketing Mix Analysis Students may seek information regarding market mix analysis (4 Ps) from two basic sources: market and academic. For market sources, information is easily available from a companys website, business reports, newspapers/published data on marketing, independent market survey reports and, in some cases, students may visit a retail outlet to analyse a product, its pricing and promotional strategies. However, to get more specific details, marketing and advertising academic journals and secondary data in the form of case studies can be the ideal source. Developing the marketing mix Many non-profit organizations are skilled at event marketing . Events are organized to raise the funds, including dinners, dances, coffee mornings, book ales, sponsored walks and others.The pricing god the services provided by non-profit organizations may not follow the guidelines applicable to profit oriented pricing. For example the price of CE curse organized by non-profit CE center for Gypsies may be held low to encourage poor families to take advantage of this opportunity. Some non-profit organization even provide free access to services. Marketing in non-profit organizations Non-profit organization attempt to achieve some other objectives than profit. This does not mean that they are uninterested in income as they have to generate cash to survive. However their primary goal is non economic, e.g. to provide education. Marketing is of growing importance to many non-profit organizations because of the need to generate funds in an increasingly competitive arena. Even organization who rely on government sponsored grants need to show how their work is of benefit to society: they must meet the needs of their customers. Many non-profit organizations rely on membership fees or donations, which means that communication to individuals and organization .Marketing strategy A strategy gives business a defined route to follow and a clear destination. Build a marketing strategy and you will ensure that marketing is a long-term way of working, not a one-off activity. A marketing strategy provides organisation with shared vision of the future. All too often, an organisation will perform a marketing task, such a direct mail shot, then sit back and see what happens. A strategic approach will ensure that you maximise returns on your marketing spending and boost the profits of your organisation. Strategic marketing manager has a clear picture of the future anticipates changes in the market works towards clear long/term goals Non-strategic marketing manager lives day to day without planning reacts to canges in the market has only short-term objectives During the creating of the marketing strategy the marketing manager should proceed as follows: create the team review current situation set objectives plan action Market segmentation Market segmentation is a concept in economics and marketing. A market segment is a sub-set of a market made up of people or organizations with one or more characteristics that cause them to demand similar product and/or services based on qualities of those products such as price or function. A true market segment meets all of the following criteria: it is distinct from other segments (different segments have different needs), it is homogeneous within the segment (exhibits common needs); it responds similarly to a market stimulus, and it can be reached by a market intervention. The term is also used when consumers with identical product and/or service needs are Positive market segmentation.Market segmenting is dividing the market into groups of individual markets with similar wants or needs that a company divides the market into distinct groups who have distinct needs, wants, behaviour or who might want different products services. Broadly, markets can be divided according to a numbe r of general criteria, such as by industry or public versus private although industrial market segmentation is quite different from consumer market segmentation, both have similar objectives. All of these methods of segmentation are merely proxies for true segments, which dont always fit into convenient demographic boundaries divided up into groups so they can be charged different amounts. These can broadly be viewed as positive and negative applications of the same idea, splitting up the market into smaller groups. Market segmenting is dividing the market into groups of individual markets with similar wants or needs that a company divides the market into distinct groups who have distinct needs, wants, behavior or who might want different products services. Fig positive market segmentation in group. Price Discrimination Where a monopoly exists, the price of a product is likely to be higher than in a competitive market and the quantity sold less, generating monopoly profits for the seller. Market Segmentation is Critical Segmentation can make a huge difference in understanding your market. For example, when a local computer store defines its customer segments as high-end home office and high-technology small business, its segmentation says a lot about its customers. The segmentation helps the company plan its focus on the different types of potential customers MANUFACTURER CUSTOMER RETAILER Decisions with respect to distribution channel focus on making the product available in adequate quantities at places where customers are normally expected to shop for them to satisfy their needs. Depending on the nature of the product, marketing management decides to put into place an exclusive, Summary We Partner With Our Clients to Maximize Profit and Market Share Analytic Partners delivers results-oriented consulting services including marketing mix modelling, forecasting, custom analytics, and software tools designed to: .minimum price Maximize promotion effectiveness ability Support business planning Global Network, Local Experience With offices in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, our global network coupled with our extensive in-country experience allows us to deliver actionable insights at local, regional, and global levels. Client-Centric, Partnership Approach Our organizational model and operating culture is one of collaboration. We work with our clients to help drive action and fully benefit from the insights identified through Please Contact Us to learn more our work. Executive Summary3 In brief, this assignment is concerned about marketing management. It  covers in details about the concept of marketing mix with the aid of Sony  organization which I have taken as a case study in exploring the way this  organization has applied the marketing mix. In this assignment the following points are going to be discussed: Sample List of Marketing Mix being used By the organization. Find out if the marketing mix used by organization is satisfactory. My suggestion to the organization concerning the marketing mix Conclusion The customer needs, usage and  budgets, ajay has provided  several home products ranging from small packages  to big audio systems. They  boast on their Hi-Fi which deliver rich music, made  richer with preset equalizer  Ã‚  settings. Among other features which Sony boast to  offer are like, multiple disc  changers which for putting many discs at a go. Also, some even house additional  features such as the ability to handle multiple  formats, track programming and  repeat and random play.

Conducting Effective Performance Appraisals Essay -- Management Employ

Conducting Effective Performance Appraisals Performance appraisal is considered a key tool for managerial needs of today’s organizations. Performance appraisal is the process by which organizations evaluate job performance. Usually a performance appraisal system requires a manager to rate each employee’s performance according to performance criteria’s that have already been established over a period of time. Performance appraisal systems also provide a basis for planning improvement as well as means for determining merit increases, transfers and even dismissals. According to Berkeley’s Policy and Procedures, the purpose of performance appraisal is to be able to measure and enhance individual and institutional performance, and in turn to providing professional and career growth, determining merit increases, and meeting the internal and external demands for documentation of individual performance. Performance appraisals are intended to encourage open communication between the employees and the supervisors. As a result, it provides an understanding of the employees’ job responsibilities, the standards of performance of a supervisor, and the progress of an employee in his or her job responsibilities. Performance appraisal are very important to employees because some type of feedback is needed in order for employees to be aware of how well they are performing their job or on the contrarily, to be informed of the areas which they need improvement in. Feedback is one of the most important factors supporting high level of performance. Without performance appraisals or feedback, employees have no way of knowing whether they are doing a good job or whether there are some areas in which they need to improve (F... ...ine. Available: http://www.sasknetwork.gov.sk.ca/pages/tw/d121.htm. Bartley, Douglas L. Job Evaluation. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Reading, Massachusetts 1995. Cohen, Steven and William Eimicke. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco 1995. Fournies, Ferdinand F. â€Å"Employees Don’t Do What They Are Supposed To Do Because They Think They Are Doing It When They Really Aren’t.† Library Hall Press 1988. Online. Available: http://www.gmp1st.com/mntp0798.htm. Heathfield, Susan M. â€Å"Performance Appraisals Don’t Work.† Human Resources (6/11/00). Online. Available: http://humanresources.about.com/careers/humanresources/library/weekly/aa061100a.htm. Henemen, Robert L. Linking Pay Increase to Performance Ratings. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Reading, Massachusetts 1992.

Risk Management and Prevention at a Medical Facility Essay -- Medical

Risk Management Risk management is defined as a program directed toward identifying of, evaluating of, and taking corrective action against potential risks that could lead to injury of patients, staff, or visitors. It is a planned program of loss prevention and liability control, and its main purpose is to identify, analyze, and evaluate risks and then to develop a plan for reducing the frequency and severity of accidents and injuries (Decker and Sullivan, 2001). Risk management is a continuous daily program of detection, education, and intervention. This paper will describe the risk management issues at Great River Medical Center as they pertain to medication errors, and will describe the methods that are currently taking place to address this issue. Identifying Potential Risk Identifying potential risks for accident, injury, or financial loss requires formal and informal communication that involves all organizational departments in the facility. The risk management department at Great River Medical Center conducted on study on medication errors in the facility during preparation for a JACHO inspection. During this study, they discovered that medication errors had increased steadily over a 2 year period, and that many of them were because of illegibility reasons. The two most common legibility reasons included reading the initial order and reading the medication on the hand written medication sheet. According to Michael R. Cohen, MS, FASHP, from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, poor handwriting is the leading cause of medication errors. Poor handwriting can blur the distinction between two medications that have similar names. And, many drug names sound similar, especially when spoken over the telephone, enunciated poorly, or mispronounced. At Great River Medical Center, this was also found to be one of the leading causes of medication errors. The inability of the nurse to read the written order and the inability to read the written medication sheet accounted for 20 % of the medication errors at GRMC. Other reasons for medication errors at GRMC include the following: ï‚ § Incomplete patient information (not knowing about patients' allergies other medicines they are taking, previous diagnoses, and lab results, for example); ï‚ § Unavailable drug information (such as lack of up-to-date warnings); ï‚ § Miscommunication of drug orders,... ...ch new implementation process. With the use of the Omni Cell dispensers, computerized order entry, and the electronic medical record, the hospital has seen a reduction of errors and near misses at approximately 75%. Along with this great statistic, also comes peace of mind to an already stressed out and over worked staff, that wants to provide the best care possible for the patients. References: Anonymous, (2004). Nursing BC. Vol.36, Iss.5; pg.33, Vancover. Retrieved December 18, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Business Wire, (2004). Hospitalist Physicians Partner with Clinical Pharmacists to Improve Patient Outcomes, Reduce Medication Errors. Business Wire, pg. 1, New York. Retrieved December 19, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Davis, J.L. and Smith, M. (2002). Medication Errors Rampant in Hospitals. WebMD Medical News. Retrieved on December 20, 2004 from www.mywebmd.com. Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (2004). Measuring Medication Safety, retrieved on December 19,2004 from www.ismp.org. Stein, R. (2004). Automated Systems For Drugs Examined; Report: Computers Can Add to Errors. The Washington Post, pg. A03. Retrieved December 20, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Risk Management and Prevention at a Medical Facility Essay -- Medical Risk Management Risk management is defined as a program directed toward identifying of, evaluating of, and taking corrective action against potential risks that could lead to injury of patients, staff, or visitors. It is a planned program of loss prevention and liability control, and its main purpose is to identify, analyze, and evaluate risks and then to develop a plan for reducing the frequency and severity of accidents and injuries (Decker and Sullivan, 2001). Risk management is a continuous daily program of detection, education, and intervention. This paper will describe the risk management issues at Great River Medical Center as they pertain to medication errors, and will describe the methods that are currently taking place to address this issue. Identifying Potential Risk Identifying potential risks for accident, injury, or financial loss requires formal and informal communication that involves all organizational departments in the facility. The risk management department at Great River Medical Center conducted on study on medication errors in the facility during preparation for a JACHO inspection. During this study, they discovered that medication errors had increased steadily over a 2 year period, and that many of them were because of illegibility reasons. The two most common legibility reasons included reading the initial order and reading the medication on the hand written medication sheet. According to Michael R. Cohen, MS, FASHP, from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, poor handwriting is the leading cause of medication errors. Poor handwriting can blur the distinction between two medications that have similar names. And, many drug names sound similar, especially when spoken over the telephone, enunciated poorly, or mispronounced. At Great River Medical Center, this was also found to be one of the leading causes of medication errors. The inability of the nurse to read the written order and the inability to read the written medication sheet accounted for 20 % of the medication errors at GRMC. Other reasons for medication errors at GRMC include the following: ï‚ § Incomplete patient information (not knowing about patients' allergies other medicines they are taking, previous diagnoses, and lab results, for example); ï‚ § Unavailable drug information (such as lack of up-to-date warnings); ï‚ § Miscommunication of drug orders,... ...ch new implementation process. With the use of the Omni Cell dispensers, computerized order entry, and the electronic medical record, the hospital has seen a reduction of errors and near misses at approximately 75%. Along with this great statistic, also comes peace of mind to an already stressed out and over worked staff, that wants to provide the best care possible for the patients. References: Anonymous, (2004). Nursing BC. Vol.36, Iss.5; pg.33, Vancover. Retrieved December 18, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Business Wire, (2004). Hospitalist Physicians Partner with Clinical Pharmacists to Improve Patient Outcomes, Reduce Medication Errors. Business Wire, pg. 1, New York. Retrieved December 19, 2004 from www.proquest.com. Davis, J.L. and Smith, M. (2002). Medication Errors Rampant in Hospitals. WebMD Medical News. Retrieved on December 20, 2004 from www.mywebmd.com. Institute for Safe Medication Practices, (2004). Measuring Medication Safety, retrieved on December 19,2004 from www.ismp.org. Stein, R. (2004). Automated Systems For Drugs Examined; Report: Computers Can Add to Errors. The Washington Post, pg. A03. Retrieved December 20, 2004 from www.proquest.com.

Human Growth and Development Research Paper Essay

Abstract The following research paper will be written on schizophrenia. I will discuss what schizophrenia is. I will discuss the history behind this chronic disease. Also, who is affected by it? In addition, how common it is in some people. And, I will talk about the different types. Furthermore, I will discuss the causes of schizophrenia. If schizophrenia is hereditary? And the different types of symptoms. Also, how it is diagnosed. Lastly, I will talk over the treatment for people with schizophrenia. What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness. It is considered one of the psychotic mental disorders and is described by symptoms of thought, behavior, and social problems. The thought problems associated with schizophrenia are described as psychosis, in that the person’s thinking is completely out of touch with reality at times. An example of this would be, the sufferer of this disease may hear voices or see people that are not actually present or feel lik e bugs are crawling on their skin when there are none. The individual with this disorder may also have disorganized speech, behavior, physically rigid, significantly decreased feelings, and delusions, which are ideas about themselves or others that have no basis in reality (for example, the individual might experience paranoia, in that he or she thinks others are plotting against them when they are not). What is the history of schizophrenia? The term schizophrenia has only been in use since 1911. The word â€Å"schizophrenia† is less than 100 years old. Soon before that, it was deemed a separate mental illness in 1887 by Emil Kraepelin. Despite the fact that it is a more recent known disease, it has been described throughout written history. Ancient Egyptian, Hindu, Chinese, Greek, and Roman writings described symptoms similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia. During medieval times, schizophrenia, like other illnesses, was often viewed as evidence of the sufferer being possessed by spirits or evil powers. The film â€Å"A Beautiful Mind† depicts the life of a man named John Nash, a noted scientist, and his struggles with paranoid schizophrenia. In history, all people who were considered â€Å"abnormal,† whether due to mental illness, mental retardation, or physical deformities, were treated the same. Early theories  invented that mental disorders were caused by â€Å"evil possession† of the body, and the appropriate treatment was then get rid of these demons, through various means, reaching from innocuous treatments, such as exposing the patient to certain types of music, to dangerous and sometimes deadly means, such as releasing the evil spirits by drilling holes in the patient’s skull. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. 1996-2009. Schizophrenia.com. Who is affected, and who is it most common in? Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population, corresponding to more than 2 million people in the United States and 100,000-200,000 newly diagnosed people every year. Other statistics about schizophrenia include that it affects men about one and a half times more commonly than women and that 50% of people in hospital psychiatric care have schizophrenia. Diagnosis is usually in people aged 17-35 years with the illness appearing earlier in men (in the late teens or early 20s) than in women (who are affected in the 20s to early 30s). Although there have been fewer studies on schizophrenia in children compared to adults, researchers are finding that children as young as 6 years old can be found to have all the symptoms of their adult counterparts and continue to have those symptoms into adulthood. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What are the different types of Schizophrenia? There are five different types of schizophrenia, each based on the kind of symptoms the person has at the time of assessment. Firstly, there is paranoid schizophrenia. In this type the individual is preoccupied with one or more delusions or many auditory hallucinations but does not have symptoms of disorganized schizophrenia. On the other hand, disorganized schizophrenia is when the prominent symptoms are disorganized speech and behavior, as well as flat or inappropriate affect. The person does not have enough symptoms to be characterized as suffering from catatonic schizophrenia. On that note, catatonic schizophrenia is when the person with this type of schizophrenia primarily has at least two of the following symptoms: difficulty moving, resistance to moving, excessive movement, abnormal movements, and/or repeating what others say or do. Also, there is undifferentiated schizophrenia: This is characterized by episodes of two or more of the resulting symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior, catatonic behavior, but the individual does not qualify for a diagnosis of paranoid, disorganized, or catatonic type of schizophrenia. Lastly, there is residual schizophrenia: While the full-blown  characteristic positive symptoms of schizophrenia (those that involve an excess of normal behavior, such as delusions, paranoia, or heightened sensitivity) are absent, the sufferer has a less severe form of the disorder or has only negative symptoms (symptoms characterized by a decrease in function, such as withdrawal, disinterest, and not speaking). Overall, those are all the different types of schizophrenia, there descriptions, and symptoms. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What Are Causes of Schizophrenia? There are many causes to schizophrenia. Rather, it is the result of a complex group of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Genetically, schizophrenia is very similar to bipolar disorder, in the two disorders they both share a number of the same risk genes. However, the fact is that both illnesses also have some genetic factors that are unique. Environmentally, the risks of developing schizophrenia can even occur before birth. For example, the risk of schizophrenia is increased in individuals whose mother had one of certain infections during pregnancy. Difficult life circumstances during childhood, like the early loss of a parent, parental poverty, bullying, witnessing parental violence; emotional, sexual, or physical abuse; physical or emotional neglect; and insecure attachment have been associated with the development of this illness. The environment and the beings around the child as its young can decide whether or not the person suffers of that disease. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. Is Schizophrenia Hereditary? One of the most frequently asked question about schizophrenia is if it is hereditary. Like most of the other mental disorders, schizophrenia is not directly passed from one generation to another genetically, but it is known to run in families. Consequently, the risk of illness in an identical twin of a person with schizophrenia is 40%-50% and a child of a parent suffering from schizophrenia has a 10% chance of developing the illness. So, yes schizophrenia is somewhat hereditary. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What are some signs or symptoms of schizophrenia? When it comes to symptoms there are two different categories. There are positive and negative symptoms. Positive: – Beliefs that have no basis in reality (delusions) – Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, or tasting things that have no basis in reality (hallucinations) – Disorganized speech – Disorganized behaviors – Catatonic behaviors Negative: – Inhibition of facial expressions – Lack of motivation/ speech 1996-2014  MedicineNet. How is schizophrenia diagnosed? There is no test that definitively indicates that someone has schizophrenia. Therefore, health care officials diagnose this disorder by gathering comprehensive medical, family, and mental-health information. Patients have a tendency to to benefit when the practitioner takes into account their client’s entire life and background. This consists of but is not restricted to the person’s gender, sexual orientation, cultural, religious and ethnic background, and socioeconomic status. The symptom sufferer might be asked to fill out a self-test that the practitioner will review if the person being appraised is able to complete it. The practitioner will also either perform a physical examination or request that the individual’s primary-care doctor perform one. The medical examination will usually include lab tests to evaluate the person’s general health and to explore whether or not the individual has a medical condition that might p roduce psychological symptoms. Also, mental-health professionals are often exploring if the individual suffers from hallucinations or delusions, depression and/or manic symptoms, anxiety, substance abuse, as well as some personality disorders and developmental disorders. As a result, some of the symptoms of schizophrenia can also occur in other mental illnesses, the mental-health screening is to determine if the individual suffers from schizoaffective disorder or other psychotic disorder, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, or a substance-abuse or personality disorder. Any disorder that is associated with bizarre behavior, mood, or thinking, like borderline personality disorder or another psychotic disorder, as well as dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder, which may be particularly challenging to tell between from schizophrenia. In order to judge the person’s current emotional state, health-care providers perform a mental-status examination as well . In addition, providing treatment that is appropriate to the diagnosis, determining the presence of mental illnesses that may co-occur with schizophrenia is important in improving the life of individuals with schizophrenia. For example, people with schizophrenia are at increased risk of depression, or thoughts of suicide. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. What are some treatments for schizophrenia? There are a number  of helpful treatments available; medication remains the key of treatment for people with schizophrenia. These medications are often referred to as antipsychotics since they help decrease the intensity of psychotic symptoms. Many health-care professionals prescribe one of these medications, sometimes in combination of one or more other psychiatric medications, in order to maximize the benefit for the person with schizophrenia. Medications that are thought to be particularly effective in treating positive symptoms of schizophrenia include olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel), ziprasidone (Geodon), aripiprazole (Abilify), paliperidone (Invega), asenapine (Saphis), lurasidone (Latuda), and lloperidone (Fanapt). These medications are the newer collection of antipsychotic medications, also called second-generation antipsychotics. They are known for having the ability to work quickly compared too many other psychiatric medications. As a group of medications, side effects that occur most often include sleepiness, dizziness, and increased appetite. In addition to medication there are psychosocial treatments. One, Family psycho-education: In addition to educating family members about the symptoms, course, and treatment of schizophrenia, this form of treatment consists of providing family support, problem-solving skills, and access to care providers during times of crises. Secondly, there is the treatment of Social skills training: Also called illness management and recovery programming, social-skills training involve teaching clients ways to handle social situations appropriately. It often involves the person scripting (thinking through or role-playing) situations that occur in social settings in order to prepare for those situations when they actually occur. This treatment type has been found to help people with schizophrenia resist using drugs of abuse, as well as improve their relationships with health-care professionals and with people at work. Although, these are only a couple of the many options for treatment; these are some of the best. 1996-2014 MedicineNet. References: http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia_pictures_slideshow/article.htmhttp://schizophrenia.com/family/sz.overview.htm http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia/article.htm http://www.helpguide.org/mental/schizophrenia_symptom.htm Title Schizophrenia Authors John M. Neale, Thomas F. Oltmanns Edition illustrated Publisher John Wiley & Sons, 1980 Original from the University of California Digitized Aug 24, 2010 ISBN 0471630861, 9780471630869 Length 554 pages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia