Treatment Intervention for Paranoid Schizophrenia Case Study

Treatment Intervention for Paranoid Schizophrenia Case Study Jack Dwight (not his real name), aged 26 was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in October 2004. In August 2004 Jack’s best friend was killed by a group of youths who were terrorising their neighbourhood. Before the diagnosis Jack’s family was concerned about his constant complaints of headache and tummy ache. He suffered from a severe lack of appetite. He lost a lot of weight in a short time – from 120 to 108 kg in just two months. Jack no longer paid attention to his personal hygiene – his body odour was unbearable. Around September 2004 Jack developed an uncontrollable fear that he was going to be run over by a vehicle. He would not be persuaded to venture into the street, even going to his favourite store to get cigarettes for himself. He became extremely anti-social, keeping to himself in his locked bedroom most of the time. His family could not cope with his anger outbursts, which sometimes became violent. Thus it was that in October Jack was diag nosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Jack’s behaviour proved that Pinker (1997) is right when he states that sometimes, when thrust into a new and highly stressful situation, people suffer acute paranoia. For six weeks Jack was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where a team of specialists worked with him. It was on the 14th December 2004 that Jack was sent back home, and I became a part of his home staff of care providers. The medical staff prescribed pain killers – Paracetamol or Codeine for his headache, and antacids like Gaviscon for the tummy. It was agreed that care givers should try to redirect him whenever possible when he complained about head or tummy aches. It was suggested that since Jack enjoyed tea, he should first be offered calming tea when he complained of pain. He was also given Multi vitamins and Risperdal to take in the morning and evening. Jack is now happy to ask for a cup of Camomile tea whenever he has a headache. He understands that if his headache persists, he is allowed to take pain killers. He enjoys receiving positive feedback when he does not ask for painkillers all the time. He has even suggested that I serve him a cup of Camomile tea once every h our because he has realized that this controls his headaches. He has not made this request to my colleague who takes care of him when I am off duty. Instead, he gets the usual headache during this care giver’s shift. At this point one wonders whether this is similar to what Sorensen, Paul, and Mariotto (1988) refer to when they say â€Å"in some cases the paranoia diminishes for psychological reasons rather than because of the drug’s action.† I argue this because Jack’s headaches seem to surface when he is taken care of by some, and not other care givers. To this effect Smith (2003) is of the opinion that the outcome of therapy â€Å"may be determined by the ‘chemistry’ or fit between the therapist and the client than the specific modality being employed.† (p.61) In order to improve his appetite, Jack’s nutritionist suggested that Jack should be involved in the planning of a healthy menu. His opinion was to be sought and he was encouraged to plan his meals, choosing from a wide range of foods in the refrigerator. Care givers were advised to invite him to participate in the cooking and preparation of his meals, if he so wished. That plan worked very well because he felt a sense of ownership and was very proud to be serving his care givers the food that he himself has prepared. He started to enjoy meals that he had planned himself. This also made him to take an interest in reading the labels on all food packages, and he was proud to tell staff about the nutritional value of foodstuffs. The advantages of Jack’s involvement in the kitchen were enormous. Apart from improving his appetite, Jack also took an interest in going grocery shopping – something he had previously refused to do. He realized that he had to bathe and dress in clean clothes before going shopping. So his state of personal hygiene improved. He enjoyed watching his reflection in the mirror before going out. We now turn the trips to the grocery store into special excursions. I have noticed that even his need for a cup of Camomile tea disappears when we prepare to go shopping. It is not uncommon for him to compile the shopping list before going out. Jack recently invited his case manager to join us for shopping because he wanted to show her how well he was managing the shopping exercise. Before Jack’s friend was killed, they both worked as shop assistants in the local supermarket. During his illness Jack did not want to see any of his former work mates. He believed that they had plotted against his friend, and that they would do the same against him. This behaviour is in line with what Smith (2003) says, â€Å"paranoid persons have a highly developed aptitude for fabricating stories – making connections is like seeing shapes in clouds.† (p.39) In January 2005 the case manager helped Jack to sign up for membership at the local Clubhouse where care providers accompany him to attend meetings at least three times a week. Jack has met and talked to other individuals who have had a similar illness to his. The counselling they receive at the Clubhouse has helped Jack to want to renew his membership of his former workplace’s bowling club. From March 2005 Jack has been accepting invitations from former work mates to go bowling with them. The local Clubhouse operates on a slightly psychoanalytical manner in the sense that it serves all of Smith’s (2003) purposes in one integrated package. At the Clubhouse psychological problems are addressed in a comprehensive interdisciplinary method. Clients are given vocational training so that they can attain some basic skills of concentration and reasoning that would enable them to fit in the job world again. In May 2005 Jack was invited, through the help of the case manager, by his former employer to work some shifts. At the moment his job is in the cafeteria section where he works three hours for four days in a week. He cleans tables and makes sure the dining area is generally clean. Jack seems to enjoy going to work. His job coach, a qualified rehabilitation specialist reports that Jack is an asset at work, the cafeteria manager is pleased and speaks highly of Jack. At the Clubhouse clients also receive training in handling their finances. Jack is now capable of balancing his bank balance. He draws a budget, based on what he earns from his employer and his weekly allowance. He compares prices and chooses which hairdresser, restaurant, super market, etc. to visit. Qualified physiotherapists are available to advise clients on the best ways to relax. They teach clients how to breathe, exercise muscles, or meditate when feeling anxious. The Clubhouse staff also organises evening social events during most weekends. Clients are invited to bring friends and / or family along. Jack was reluctant to attend these social events at first, but as soon as he started going out with his ex colleagues, he felt comfortable to attend the Clubhouse events as well. He has recently made friends with a few clients of his age group, and they love to dance and sing. I have lately experienced some difficulty in getting Jack to stop dancing when it is time to go home. The nutritionist has suggested that his high energy levels may be caused by some refreshments that are served during the evening of festivities. The care givers have been advised to encourage Jack to take sugar free drinks. It seems that Jack’s progress causes him to lack the insight to appreciate the full extent of his illness. Pennington et. al. (2003) state that sometimes positive symptoms of schizophrenia distort a person’s ability to perceive his or her own condition. Jack realizes that he has missed out on fun activities, so he might be trying to make up for lost time. It is therefore difficult for him to understand the need to control his excitement levels. Although a lot of progress is made in Jack’s health one cannot quantify the success. Smith (2003) contends that â€Å"in order to measure psychological change, one must possess an instrument to do the measuring. The psychological test used must be both valid and reliable. A valid test is one that is adequately underwritten by empirical evidence and able to produce consistent results.† (p.61). It is unfortunate that care providers in Jack’s case do not always compile comprehensive reports about our shifts’ proceedings. There is no standard instrument of assessment that can produce measurable results. Reports compiled at the end of a shift may be subjective. With regards to symptoms, for example one care giver might conclude that a particular action points to worse illness while another might not think so. It is also a subjective matter whether a symptom is or not present because what one might regard as a symptom, another might not. The therapeutic modality may be effective, but if it is applied inappropriately outcomes may be unreliable. It is also disheartening that the care providers do not maintain their positions for long. During the six months that I have been taking care of Jack, three care providers have left. Jack needs stability and consistency in order to regain his sense of trust and confidence in people. I have noted that he becomes very sad when a staff member leaves. He takes it very personally, becomes moody for some time and blames himself when a care provider resigns. I have also noted that not all family members take part in discussions or attend meetings organised by the medical staff to help Jack, so there is an information gap which slows down progress. One afternoon during the Easter weekend Jack went out with his older brother who lives with the family, in the same house as Jack. They left home around 7pm and did not come home until the early hours of the next morning. They had been to a pub, and Jack argued with some people there. Jack spent the rest of the weekend in a bad mood – using foul language and banging doors. Time out did not really help. Jack later confessed to me that he was disappointed with himself, for having lost his temper and nearly ‘getting himself killed’. Had Jack’s brother attended all family therapy meetings, had he taken the time to find out what needs to be considered when Jack enjoys a night out, Jack would not have had a relapse. Care givers often feel inadequate when confronted by unrea sonable family members. When one interrogates the motives behind bullying relatives or irresponsible actions like Jack brother’s, one cannot but agree with theories like Bentall’s (2003) when he asserts that there are many people who suffer from undiagnosed forms of psychoses. Who, if not a psychotic person would expose his / her paranoid brother to a pub full of night revellers? Such questions are bound to remain unanswered for some time because the approach to schizophrenia itself is in need of improvement, so that it does not just assume that there is a distinct line between what is considered mental illness and mental health. A lot of ground has been covered in the study of paranoid schizophrenia, but a lot more still has to be covered. Studies examining the diagnosis of schizophrenia are not very reliable and consistent. The fact that it was Jack who showed remorse, and not his brother after the incident at the pub proves this assertion. Assessment is also another area that needs extensive research. The anti-psychiatry movement also finds fault with the diagnostic approach to schizophrenia. Bentall (2003) explains how proponents in this field argue for their case – stating that to classify specific thoughts and behaviours as an illness allows social control of people that society finds undesirable but who have committed no crime. Jack had committed no crime, but his loss made him to behave in a manner that is not so acceptable by society. An assessment of Jack’s condition at this point in time might also pose a challenge to psychologists. One care provider who ‘gets on well’ wi th Jack might assess him as stable, yet another might not. The challenge continues. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bentall, P.P. (2003) Madness Explained: Psychosis and Human Nature. London:  Penguin. Pinker, S. (1997) How The Mind Works. London: Penguin. Smith, D.L. (2003) Psychoanalysis in Focus. London: Sage Publications. JOURNALS: Sorensen, D.J. ; Paul, G.L. ; Mariotto, M.J. (1988) Inconsistences in paranoid functioning, premorbid adjustment and chronicity: Questions of diagnostic criteria. Schizophrenia Bulletin Vol. 25 (4) pp.570-575.

Statement of Purpose for Mba

School of Environment and Natural Resources SENR BiWeek August 6, 2012 A NOTE FROM DAVID~ AN UPDATE STAFF APPRECIATION PUBLICATIONS EVENTS DIVYA GUPTA SHARES HER FIELDWORK IN INDIA ~ I returned from India this summer after spending six months collecting data for my dissertation. My dissertation is on the role of local institutions in natural resource management. For data collection I was working in the central Himalayan region where I visited several villages to interview people about forest management activities that are conducted and coordinated by the local institution in the region.This local institution is called Van Panchayat (Forest Committee), it is a traditional institution that dates back to 1931. Since it was formed before independence (India got its independence in August 1947), it is significant in terms of rights of locals’ to natural resources. I collaborated with an NGO working in the region that helped me with navigating remote villages and also with arranging accommodations in the villages. Going from one village to another was a challenge as there was lack of proper road network so driving was near to impossible, but thankfully there were paths/trails that very intricately connected all the villages.Those trails were very beautiful, they cut through dense tropical forests and since I would walk on those trails on early mornings and evenings, it also gave me a chance to spot some beautiful birds on my way. I walked 7-10 miles/day on an average to get to my destination, which was hard in the beginning, but with time my body adapted. Also, the walking helped with keeping the body warm during cold winters. Unlike the west, the east experienced one of the coldest winters last year.The houses on the hills in India don’t have central heating systems, they barely receive a continuous 24 hour supply of electricity and water, so people burn wood to keep their houses warm and drink lots of ginger tea to keep their bodies warm. To understan d the dependence of people on the forests, I did a lot of homestays – staying with local families was one of my most enriching experiences, it gave me a chance to see firsthand how closely these people’s lives were associated with forests. Also it was amazing to see how self-dependent those people were.They almost grew all their food, from grains to cereals to fruit and vegetables and even spices. Without any outside help, family members would work together to manage their fields – it was quite incredible! I became very attached to all the families I lived with, they took very good care of me and always made sure that I was comfortable. While conducting field work in India, I received funding from the Environment Change Institute (University of Oxford) to participate at a conference in London.This was a unique opportunity for me to share ideas about my research, talk about its progress, and at the same time get valuable feedback from experienced people working i n the same area. Being my first time in the UK, this was a great chance for me to also explore parts of England and Scotland too! Continued on page 2 SENR BiWeek — 2 On behalf of Ron Hendrick, I am excited to share information about a new service for a broad range of people who are professionally engaged in managing, protecting, and using our environment and natural resources, including students.The SENR will launch the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) August 7th with two main components: multi-disciplinary interaction and networking through a community-oriented website at epn. osu. edu, and a monthly 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club on campus featuring great speakers on timely topics and offering additional networking opportunities. The EPN will strengthen SENR's support of people and organizations engaged in environmental management across Ohio and beyond. We recognize that even though society is information rich, quickly accessing information useful for your own needs can be quite challenging.This is often true in environmental management where so many social, economic, and technical factors crossing so many disciplines may be critical to solving a problem or creating an opportunity. The online querying capability of the EPN will facilitate quick access to information and knowledge from network colleagues who share a commitment to excellence in environmental management. It will also help work be more efficient and effective. The EPN online is free and participants can set their own level of involvement.Our speaker at the first 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club will be Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the 4 million-member National Wildlife Federation, which is actively engaged in many critical environmental issues. I hope that you and others will want to be part of initiating the EPN at this exciting event Tuesday, September 11th, at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center – OSU’s first LEED-certified building. Go to epn. osu. edu for information/registration. Please contact me with questions or for a copy of our brochure at 614. 47. 1908 or hanselmann. [email  protected] edu. I would also appreciate you sharing information about EPN with your many colleagues. We need to cast a broad net and be inclusive. So please spread the word and forward our information; contact me for e-materials. Also, I would be happy to come out to your events to briefly share information about EPN and participation. Contact me anytime. I hope to see you for breakfast Tuesday, September 11th. Be there, and be part of starting something new, different, and important. O H – I O!A Note from David Hanselmann ~ Divya cont. Before I started my field work, I was apprehensive about going to a strange place and being able to work successfully. But I was pleasantly surprised by the kind of encouraging response I got from people. I feel thankful to have had the opportunity to live and work in India amidst the beautiful Himalayas an d it’s people – it was the most rewarding and inspiring experience. A great trip overall! Divya Gupta is a PhD candidate in the Environment and Natural Resource graduate program.Her advisor is Tom Koontz. OSU Wellness Celery — more than a crunch! Once thought of as a nutritional zero, celery is actually a great source of potassium, a nutrient that helps reduce blood pressure and regulate the balance of fluids and minerals in the body. If you thought bananas were tops for potassium, here’s a stalking surprise — four medium celery stalks deliver about the same amount of potassium as a medium banana. For a quick snack, dip celery in hummus or peanut butter for some added protein. SENR BiWeek — 3The New Undergraduate Major in Sustainability at Ohio State An Update from the Conference Chair There are 1500 to 1600 delegates from 75 countries expected to come to Columbus for EcoSummit 2012 on September 30 – October 5 to hear 10 plenary prese ntations from the world’s premier ecologists and environmental scientists and practitioners, and 600 invited presentations from around the world in 65 symposia and to participate in 21 forums and workshops on practical issues related to improving our environment.In addition, there will be another 850 general sessions and poster presentations during EcoSummit 2012. There are 6 pre-conference field trips based in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, and Columbus that will educate an estimated 100 international delegates about some to the large ecosystem restorations in the USA. Most delegates will take part in one of the 33 all-day mid-conference field trips that radiate throughout Ohio. This conference will focus on prescriptions for solving the world’s environmental problems far more than on descriptions.Symposia and lectures will involve ecological engineering, ecological restoration, green infrastructure, the prosperous way down, adapting to climate chan ge, earth stewardship, ecohydrology, eco-informatics, ecological modeling, sustainable agriculture, protecting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, human ecology, and enhancing ecosystem services. The plenary speakers, Pulitzer Prize winners E. O. Wilson and Jared Diamond, will give a memorial to the work of the recently deceased Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, and a summary of the global contributions of H. T. Odum in ecological economics, engineering, and modeling, and energy futures.There will also be a 50th anniversary event of Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring at this first conference to link the Ecological Society of America (ESA), The International Association for Ecology (INTECOL) and the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER). Individuals can still register to attend at http://www. ecosummit2012. org/index. htm. Students who have a passion for sustainability can put their passion into practice by enrolling in Ohio State’s new major c alled Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability (EEDS) (http://eeds. osu. edu/).The EEDS major is a multi-disciplinary degree program in sustainability that provides students in-depth training in the economic, business and social aspects of sustainability. This cutting-edge major provides the core knowledge and skills students need to pursue a career in sustainability in the private, public or non-profit sector. Sustainability is a rapidly growing field and knowledge of sustainability is becoming an important competency in many types of jobs. The academic rigor of this major, coupled with opportunities for hands-on learning, will give students an important advantage when it comes time to launching their careers.Students can enroll now for Fall 2012! Learn more about this pioneering major and how to enroll, sign-up for our newsletter, like us on facebook, and start following us on twitter and pinterest by visiting http://eeds. osu. edu/. Alumni Award Selection Rattan Lal w ill be honored with the OSU Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Award at a ceremony on Sept. 14th. He received his PhD in Agronomy in 1968. SENR BiWeek — 4 Staff Appreciation The 2012 Staff Appreciation Week will be held August 13-17, 2012. Activities on the Columbus campus include the Rally for Wellness, Tuesday (8/14) from 9:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. . in the RPAC. Your Plan for Health and OSU Health Plan, the Department of Recreational Sports, and USAC sponsor this event. Nearly 100 healthand wellness-related exhibitors and professionals offer biometric screenings, chair massages, osteoporosis and skin cancer screenings, and samples of delicious, healthy food. Attending the health fair earns points toward the university's YP4H Faculty and Staff Incentive Program, so be sure to attend! The Staff Arts ; Crafts Exhibit will begin Thursday (8/16) with a reception 11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. at Bricker 2nd Floor area. This exhibit will be on display into October.On Friday (8/ 17) a USAC Pep Rally at the Ohio Union will be held 12:00 to 1:30 p. m. Planned by USAC's Outreach and Engagement Subcommittee and staffed by USAC members, the pep rally features Ohio State cheerleaders, members of The Ohio State University Marching Band, Brutus Buckeye, and special guests to kick off the football season. The CFAES SAC will hold the Columbus Staff Appreciation Day on Tuesday (8/14) from 11:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. on the Kottman Hall lawn & gazebo area. There will be free lunch, ice cream, games and door prizes. RSVP at http://go. osu. edu/K6p. Wooster Fun Fest is Aug. 7th, 11:30-3:00, where staff will enjoy free food, games, and cheer on your tug-of-war team! The OARDC and ATI Staff Council sponsor this event. The CFAES SAC is currently accepting nominations for their 2012 Staff Recognition: Above and Beyond Awards and the Shirley Brooks-Jones Award. The Shirley Brooks-Jones Award recognizes staff excellence, the Key Values Award recognizes staff with less than 3 yea rs of experience. The Innovation Award goes to staff who initiate new improvements to the workplace, and the Special Recognition goes to a staff member who offered special assistance.Nomination forms are available online at the Staff Advisory Council website. Laura E. (Bast) Lindsey graduated with Honors in 2009 with BS and MS degrees from SENR, with a research focus in soil fertility. She has now joined the faculty in the HCS where she will serve as the Extension Specialist in Soybean and Small Grains for OSU Extension in collaboration with OARDC. Her focus will be to develop extension outreach education and research on soybean and wheat production within sustainable cropping systems. Laura is originally from Plymouth, OH.She obtained the PhD degree in Crop and Soil Science from Michigan State University in May 2012, where she conducted research in weed science and soil fertility. She has received several fellowships and grants, including the 2011 Outstanding Graduate Student Award in recognition of exceptional accomplishment, research, and service from the North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference in Des Moines, IA. She is author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, numerous abstracts and proceedings articles, extension newsletter articles, and extension bulletins. If you would like to reconnect with Laura her email is lindsey. [email  protected] edu. Alum Returns One Last Thing —> Don’t wait! Take your PHA Today! Enrolled in an Ohio State medical plan? Complete the YP4H Personal Health Assessment (PHA) and Biometric Health Screening by Sept. 30th to receive the full 2013 PHA Medical Plan Premium Credit of $360. SENR BiWeek — 5 PUBLICATIONS Bhatti, Tariq M. , Jerry M. Bigham, Antti Vuorinen and Olli H. Tuovinen. 2012. Chemical and bacterial leaching of metals from black schist sulfide minerals in shake flasks. International Journal of Mineral Processing 110:25-29. Chaudhary, D. R. , J. Saxena, N. Lorenz and R. P. Dick. 2012.Distribution of recently fixed photosynthate in a switchgrass plant-soil system. Plant Soil and Environment 58(6):249255. Drobyshev, Igor, P. Charles Goebel, Yves Bergeron and R. Gregory Corace, III. 2012. Detecting changes in climate forcing on the fire regime of a North American mixedpine forest: A case study of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Michigan. Dendrochronologia 30(2SI):137-145. Goebel, P. C. , K. S. Pregitzer and B. J. Palik. 2012. Influence of flooding and landform properties on riparian plant communities in an old-growth northern hardwood watershed. Wetlands 32:679-691.Goebel, P. C. , B. J. Pailk and K. S. Pregitzer. 2012. Structure and composition of riparian forests in an old-growth northern hardwood-hemlock watershed. Forest Ecology and Management 280:52-61. Gorney, Rebecca M. , Marsha G. Williams, Dawn R. Ferris and Lance R. Williams. 2012. The influence of channelization on fish communities in an agricultural coldwater stream system. American Midland Naturalist 168(1):132-143. Graser, William H. , III, Stanley D. Gehrt, Laura L. Hungerford and Chris Anchor. 2012. Variation in demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across an urban landscape.Journal of Wildlife Management 76(5):976-987. Kautza, Adam and Mazeika P. Sullivan. 2012. Relative effects of local- and landscapescale environmental factors on stream fish assemblages: evidence from Idaho and Ohio, USA. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 180(3):259-270. Lane, Matthew, Nicola Lorenz, Jyotisna Saxena, Cliff Ramsier and Richard P. Dick. 2012. Microbial activity, community structure and potassium dynamics in rhizosphere soil of soybean plants treated with glyphosate. Pedobiologia 55(3):153-159. McConnell, T. E. 2012. The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry.Proceedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 7 p. Publications cont. McConnell, T. E. 2012. Forest products: Building economic growth i n Ohio. Procedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 6 p. McConnell, T. E. and D. K. Apsley. 2012. Jackson County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-76-12. McConnell, T. E. and G. W. Graham. 2012. Holmes County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-75-12. Sloan, John J. , Peter A. Y. Ampim, Nicholas T.Basta and Roger Scott. 2012. Addressing the need for soil blends and amendments for the highly modified urban landscape. Soil Science Society of America Journal 76(4)):1133-1141. Sullivan, S. Mazeika P. and Kerri T. Vierling. 2012. Exploring the influences of multiscale environmental factors on the American dipper Cinclus mexicanus. Ecography 35(7):624-626. PRESENTATIONS Charles Goebel presented ‘Complexity, resiliency, and restoration – Lessons from the forests of eastern North America' as an invited presentation to the School of Natural Resources, Trinit y College in Dublin, Ireland (July 16, 2012).Eric McConnell presented ‘The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry' and ‘Forest products: Building economic growth in Ohio' at the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention in Washington, DC (June 3-5, 2012). SENR BiWeek — 6 EVENTS Monday, August 6, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. @ 460 Kottman Hall Speakers: Drs. Cerri and Maia, CMASC Visiting Scholars Title: Carbon Budget by Land Use Change and Biofuel Production in Brazil 2012 Teaching Orientation @ Ohio State Monday, August 13, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. 460 Kottman Hall Speaker: Atanu Mukherjee, CMASC Postdoctoral Researcher Title: Impacts of Various Amendments in Soil Quality Friday, August 17, 2012 SENR Faculty Retreat @ 8:30 a. m. – 4:30 p. m. @ Alum Creek State Park Guest: Kaz Obrietan, Marketing Specialist This annual event has been designed specifically for new Ohio State GTAs, to reduce anxieties, provide some tech niques and strategies for effective teaching, and suggest resources for further assistance. The orientation is sponsored by the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT).Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 1:00–2:00 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Overview 2:20–5:00 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part I Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 9:00 a. m. –12:30 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part II Teaching as a Grader Teaching in the Clinical Setting Lunch – On Your Own, 12:30–2:00 p. m. 2:00–3:30 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall University Policies and Procedures Every Teacher Should Know 3:30–5:00 p. m. Physics Research Building Teaching Resource Fair Thursday, August 16, 2012 9:00–10:15 a. m. and 10:30–11:45 a. m. (morning sessions) 1:00–2:15 p. m. and 2:30–3:45 p. m. (afternoon sessions) Central Classroom Build ing (Unless otherwise noted) College Teaching Topics For more information visit the UCAT website. A New Website is Coming to SENR A team from SENR met on July 24th with a team from CommTech to officially kickoff a new SENR website. A college-wide project championed by Linda Martin, all academic units will have their web presence fall under a new CFAES umbrella site.Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, along with Plant Pathology, have launched their new websites. A new CFAES Academic Programs website is scheduled to launch in August. The SENR website is scheduled to launch in January 2013. Kaz Obrietan of Kaz & Co. will also be contributing to the School's online presence. This SENR BiWeek contains highlights from the School along with announcements of upcoming seminars, programs and events. If you have items to be included in future mailings please forward your information to Pat Patterson.

Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty Essay

The financial services and banking facilities industry has seen a growing intensity of competition within the market place over the last decade. A bank is a financial intermediary that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities, either directly or through capital markets. A bank connects customers with capital deficits to customers with capital surpluses. Banking is generally a highly regulated industry, and government restrictions on financial activities by banks have varied over time and location. Today, CIMB serves close to seven million customers in over 600 locations through over 36,000 staff. Nowadays, financial services and banking facilities has force to pass by intense competition by other bank that growth from inside also outside this country because of the regulation for financial institution to establish was deregulation by government, and causing the adding in growth of the bank in Malaysia. Thus, people also have various banks to choose and directly give the big impact to manager of bank to search the way to enhance the loyalty of current customer from switching to other bank. They are many strategies that have been attempted by managers of the banks to retain customers in order to increase customer loyalty. It is costly than to attract new customer compared to retain the current customers. Thus, many banks have introduced innovative products and services (Alam and Khokhar, 2006) in order to retain current customers. Another strategy is to understand the factors influencing customer loyalty. Figure 1: Graph profit of Agrobank Seri Iskandar branch in April 2009 until April 2010 1. 2. Background of the organization Agrobank is an institution which provides holistic financial services and banking facilities. It give their utmost priority to the needs of their customers by providing attractive products and services such as savings activities, banking services, loan facilities, insurance coverage and advisory services. Agrobank is a Government-linked-Company (GLC) under the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MFI). The bank’s financing of the agricultural sector is driven by a policy set forth by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries. Agrobank is a continuity of the former Bank Pertanian Malaysia which has 40 years of experience in agricultural banking and an excellent track record in shaping and developing successful entrepreneurs. With a wide network of branches throughout Malaysia, they are confident of providing the best services to all. The rebranding of Bank Pertanian Malaysia to Agro Bank was done on 8 April 2008. The move is taken as an initiative to make the bank more competitive by fostering a fresher outlook, and enable it to provide a broader range of services to the market and cater the whole segment of the agriculture industry. An external consultant was deployed to carry out the public relation (PR) and rebranding exercise for Agrobank, penetrate the market and create awareness among the public. The solutions include Agrobanking, Business Banking, and Personal Banking. 1. 3. 1 Agrobanking Loan facility / financing offered under Agrobanking are open to agropreneurs clients carry out primary agricultural activities such as fisheries, forestry, livestock and any other related agro-based industry. Financing utilizing fund from the government and related agencies which is offered at a very competitive and special rate to help stimulate economic growth. This includes; i. Fund for Food (3F loan) ii. Skim Kredit Pengeluaran Makanan (SKPM) iii. Skim Kredit Padi (SKP) iv. The researcher was interested in predicting what the factors influencing customer loyalty toward AgroBank Seri Iskandar. Variables such as satisfaction, switching cost, trust and commitment might all contribute towards customer loyalty. When using multiple regressions in psychology, researchers use the term â€Å"independent variables† to identify those variables that they think will influence some other â€Å"dependent variable†. Thus, in as an example above, satisfaction, switching cost, trust and commitment would emerge as significant predictor variables, which allow researcher to estimate the criterion variable. As have pointed out before, human behavior is inherently noisy and therefore it is not possible to produce totally accurate predictions, but multiple regressions allows researcher to identify a set of predictor variables which together provide a useful estimate of a participant’s likely score on a criterion variable. Multiple regression analysis is done to examine the simultaneous effect of several independent variables on dependent variables. Multiple regression analysis can be used in order to determine whether the independent variables explain a significant variation in the dependent variable which is whether a relationship exists.

Carthage - The Founding