The Case Of La Trobe Aircraft - 1963 Words

â€Å"Diversity gives us areas of commonality through which we can connect with others, as well as, aspects of difference from which we can learn† (Gardenswartz Rowe, 2010, p. 24). These differences directly impact the workplace environment and for this reason this topic should be a matter of concern for managers in every organization. If management understand the differences between the employees and is aware of the factors that influence them, it will be easier to value and respect individualities and practice inclusive and effective communication within the organization. The differences between employees can be based on race, age, gender, personality, or organizational function, among others. The roll that management has regarding diversity is to ensure that the processes and policies are designed in response to employee’s specific needs and behaviours without interfering with the company objectives. In the case of La Trobe Aircraft, it is important to notice that there are biases and prejudices that are taking place within the organization and must be stopped. Senior staffs have prejudices towards working with apprentices and previous judgements dominate the way employees interact with others. The organization does not have clear policies or procedures for consideration of employees and there is no recognition of diversity, value and respect for individual differences. In China specifically, the top management is reluctant to hire employees with disabilities. With this

Ethical Analysis Ethics And Ethics - 909 Words

Consumers today want to do business with reputable companies that are led and managed by ethical decision makers. Ethical decision makers look to partner with other companies that share similar morals and values. In other words, the public and other companies want to associate with an organization that will make ethical judgements. Ethical decisions are not always obvious nor are they based on what is right or wrong or what is good or bad (Gonzalez-Padron, 2015). They are choices made by managers at all levels and stakeholders who follow the company’s core values, ethics policies and moral compass. One leader who is an example of integrity and ethics is Bill Daniels, who opened and operated a small insurance agency in Wyoming. Analyzing Bill Daniel’s ethical tradition, decision approach, and moral development will provide a foundation to Bill’s business methodology. Ethical Traditions Ethical traditions or theories connect with three behavioral dimensions. The three dimensions are actions, agent and outcome (Gonzalez-Padron, 2015). In Bill Daniels story, he clearly subscribed to the character of the agent approach. According to Gonzalez-Padron (2015), â€Å"The premise of the ethical tradition is two-fold: 1) a belief that people of good character act rightly and ethically, and 2) following rules is secondary to preserving relationships† (p.155). Mr. Daniels was a man of integrity and possessed virtues such as honesty, trustworthiness and fairness. He stronglyShow MoreRelatedEthical Ethics Analysis746 Words   |  3 Pagesinstitutional aspects of ethical conduct. Anthropologists, differently from some other disciplines, encounter with different challenges while doing fieldwork, since the research tends to take place in sensitive contexts. Anthropologists worked without a centralized ethical conduct manual, until the AAA issued the statement in which they stand for ‘doing no harm’ as a central principle. This ethical code has had several amendments, being the 2009, the last one. The AAA also offers an ‘ethics handbook’, in whichRead MoreAn Analysis Of An Ethical Dilemma Using The Doing Ethics Technique Essay2122 Words   |  9 Pages Assessment 1 – Doing Ethics Technique TITLE An analysis of an ethical dilemma using the Doing Ethics Technique (DET) SUB TITLE NAME Stewart Armstrong STUDENT ID 11206102 EMAIL CONTACT stewart@thearmstrongs.net December 2015 Table of Contents 1. The Analysis 3 2. The Reference List 7 â€Æ' 1. The Analysis There is more public support for marijuana law reform than ever before with new polls showing more than half the country is in favor of legalizingRead MoreEssay on Empirical Literature Article Review of Leadership Ethics1195 Words   |  5 PagesReview of Leadership Ethics Lillie Johnson LDR 800, Ethical Dilemmas and Stewardship June 4, 2013 Empirical Literature Article Review of Leadership Ethics The opportunity to evaluate original research serves as one of the many foundations to both scholarly writing and research (Grand Canyon University, 2013). Therefore, to enhance this process I will critique empirical research articles for the purpose of demonstrating the effectiveness in understanding leadership ethics. So, using the literatureRead MoreRole Of Corporate Ethics On Financial Performance945 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract. The article reviewed was The Role of Corporate Value Clusters in Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Performance: A Study of Financial Professionals and Implications for the Financial Meltdown. The key of the abstract is to demonstrate the influence of corporate ethics on financial performance. The financial meltdown negatively influenced top management mindset regarding professional ethics (p. 15). Introduction. The authors study 2008 collapse of financial system to analyze the link betweenRead MoreEthical Financial Reporting And Disclosure Quality893 Words   |  4 PagesArticle #8 Abstract. The article reviewed was Director Overlap, Ethical Financial Reporting, and Improvements in Disclosure Quality. The key of the abstract is to emphasize the positive influence of independent audit committee on the ethical financial reporting, corporate disclosure, and company ethical environment overall (p. 183). Introduction. The author studies the relationships between the director overlap and financial reporting quality, and for that purpose, analyzes the compensation measurementRead MoreStandards For Financial Decision Making926 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract. The article reviewed was Standards for Financial Decision-Making: Legal, Ethical, and Practical Issues. The key of the abstract is to emphasize the existence of standards and statutory mechanisms for financial decision-making. The article is based on standards of the National Guardianship Association (NGA) (p. 1275). Introduction. The authors study the meaning of term â€Å"standard†. Some dictionaries determine the term â€Å"standard† as a model of acceptance, others – as a measuring criterionRead MoreEthics Code Of Professional Ethics980 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle reviewed was Possible Ethical Issues and Their Impact on The Firm: Perceptions Held by Public Accountants. The abstract demonstrates the importance of AICPA’ â€Å"Code of Professional Ethics† and its components, and the influence of management perceptions on firms’ ethical environment (p. 919). Introduction. The authors study business ethics, compliance with ethics code, ethical issues, and ethical behavior of company management. The researchers concern with ethical believes of company employeesRead MoreEthical Behavior Is Distinguishing And Performing One s Actions1490 Words   |  6 Pages Ethical behavior is distinguishing and performing one s actions accordingly. The trouble with this statement stems the questions of what is considered as â€Å"right.† Verses wrong. The definition of this word varies according to individuals, customs, morals and beliefs. Ethical behavior represents a value system that has been developed from a logical analysis of society, established by fairness, integrity, the desires and privileges of people and oneself. Ethical leadership encompasses two aspectsRead MoreThe Code Of Ethics And Systematic Ethics985 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract. The article reviewed was The Impact of Ethical Tools on Aggressiveness in Financial Reporting. The key of the abstract is to demonstrate the differences in financial reporting between the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. Standards (p.477). More in depth the research focuses on the code of ethics and moral duties of company top management. Introduction. The authors study the financial scandals and the recent financial crisis to demonstrate the gap between marketRead MoreCritique Of - Applying Ethical Theories: Interpreting and Responding to Student Plagiarism, Journal of Business Ethics1310 Words   |  6 PagesMethods Assessment 1: Critical Writing (15%) Granitz, N. and D. Loewy (2007), Applying Ethical Theories: Interpreting and Responding to Student Plagiarism, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 72, pp 293-306. Summary Plagiarism in todays â€Å"copy and paste generation† is an unremitting, complex issue that is not yet fully understood. The paper responds to this proposition with a thesis that understanding the ethical reasoning provided by students in defending plagiarism is crucial in preventing it in

Financial Statements of Pearson PLC-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Financial analysis of the financial statements of Pearson PLC. Answer: Introduction This report contains a financial analysis of the financial statements of Pearson PLC. Various ratios are calculated in the first part of the report which reflects about the companys profitability liquidity and efficiency and also it financial condition in the market. A brief overview about the company is also provided in the report. The second part of the report contains an evaluation of the two investment proposals, on which the company is looking on for making investment. Capital budgeting techniques like NPV, IRR and payback period is used for the purpose of evaluation. The report ends with a conclusion containing the findings of the analysis. About Pearson PLC It is a British owned company and worlds leading corporation engaged in providing digitalize teaching and learning services. The company has expertise in educational assessment. It offers its services to the schools, corporations and also directly to the students. The media brands owned by the company are Peachpit, Longman, Addison-Wesley and many others. The company was founded in year 1844 by Samuel Pearson. It has its headquarters in London and is known as the largest book publisher and education company all over the world. The company is listed on London Stock Exchange with a ticker LSE: PSON and is a part of FTSE 100 index. The mission and vision of the company is to increase the quality of life of people through learning because it believes on the fact that, learning provides and open up many career opportunities and make peoples life better. It provides products like published newspapers, books, magazines and services like higher education, school management and assessment related to education. Ratio Analysis The technique which is most commonly used in the analysis of financial statements of a company is known as ratio analysis (Zainudin, Zainudin, Hashim Hashim, 2016). Various types of ratios are calculated with the help of financial data available in the annual reports, to measure the liquidity, profitability, efficiency and capital structure of the company. Ratio analysis reflects the trend going in the company regarding its profits, earning and various other factors (Vogel, 2014). A ratio analysis of Pearson is done for past four years, on the basis of financial data taken from its annual reports. Referring to the excel sheet, following ratios are calculated: 2016 2015 2014 2013 Profitability Ratios Net Profit Margin Net profit after tax/sales -51.3% 18.4% 9.6% 10.6% Return on Assets Net profit after tax/total assets -23.2% 7.1% 4.1% 4.9% One of the main purposes of doing this analysis is to determine profitability of the company by calculating ratios like NPR and ROA. Pearson had negative profit percentage of -51.3% in 2016, whereas the same was highest in 2015 at 18.4%. The reason for such a huge decline was the collapse of its higher education business functioning in US. The company faces many problems due to decline in sale of textbooks and change in digital learning (Warren Jones, 2018). Looking at ROA of the company, it has been increased from 4.9% to 7.1 % in 2013 to 2015. This implies that company was efficiently utilising its assets to generate profits. After facing a great fall in the profits, the ROA for 2016 was reported at -23.2%. Company incurred a huge loss which cannot be covered with its assets (Tracy, 2012). Efficiency (or Asset Management) Ratios 2016 2015 2014 2013 Days of Inventory Inventory/average daily cost of goods sold 40.98 38.88 37.13 35.36 Total Asset Turnover Ratio Sales/total assets 0.45 0.38 0.43 0.46 These ratios tell about how efficiently company is working on its goals and targets. The days of inventory ratio tell how long companies will take to make and sell its products (Lee, Lee Lee, 2009). The number has been increased in past 4 years from 35 days to 41 days. It means companys ITR is low and increase in inventory over the years cause high inventory days. Total asset turnover ratio show how capable an organization is in turning its assets into sales. Overall the ratio has been fall for Pearson but as compare to 2015 it has increased to 0.45 in 2016. This implies assets were been utilized better and its pre publications has also increased from 2015 (Higgins, 2012). Liquidity Ratios 2016 2015 2014 2013 Current Ratio Current assets/current liabilities 1.06 1.07 0.67 0.62 This ratio determines the liquidity of the company and shows its potential to pay off its short term liabilities. In 2016, the ratio was 1.06 as compare to that of in 2015. As the ideal ratio is 1:1, which means company has enough current assets to pay its current liabilities. Its current liabilities are almost 60% less than its current assets (Fraser, Ormiston Fraser, 2010). Financial Structure Ratios 2016 2015 2014 2013 Debt/Equity Ratio Debt/equity 131.5% 81.3% 90.4% 91.6% Equity Ratio Equity/total assets 43.2% 55.2% 52.5% 52.2% D/E shows what portion of companys fund is financed through debt and what are financed through equity. Pearson has 131.5% of D/E ratio, which is highest in the past 4 years. This is because companys total debt is more than its equity. Reason for this can be the US incident which makes the share price fall. Equity ratio has also decreased from 52.2% to 43.2% because less funds are invested by equity investors. The company is not performing well for the investors as a result the ratio has been fallen (Engle, 2010). Market Ratios 2016 2015 2014 2013 Earnings per Share (EPS) Net profit after tax/no. of issued ordinary shares (2.86) 1.01 0.58 0.67 Dividends per Share (DPS) Dividends/number of issued ordinary shares 0 0 0 0 Price Earnings Ratio Market price per share/earnings per share (316) 963 1,678 1,517 EPS, DPS and P/E ratio shows market condition of the company. EPS tells about the profit earned by each share. The earning per share was negative in 2016 due to the losses incurred by the company. Though Pearson has issued more number of ordinary shares in 2016 but their market price has reduced and each share was earning losses. However, in 2013-2015, the EPS has increased (Christian Ldenbach, 2013). DPS is zero because the company has not declared any dividend in the past 4 years. Price earnings ratio was negative because EPS was below zero. The value has been reduced in 2015 as compare to 2014 and 2013. This means investor has to pay fewer amounts for each dollar of earnings made by the company. A low P/E is considered desirable (Anderson, 2012). Ratios Based on Reformulated Financial Statements 2016 2015 2014 2013 Return on Equity (ROE) Comprehensive Income/shareholders' equity -53.70% 12.82% 7.85% 9.45% Return on Net Operating Assets (RNOA) Operating income after tax (OI)/net operating assets (NOA) -33.43% 9.82% 6.75% 7.93% Net Borrowing Cost (NBC) Net fin. expenses after tax/net financial obligations 3.90% 4.52% 6.67% 5.41% Profit Margin (PM) Operating income after tax (OI)/sales -50.20% 18.97% 11.21% 11.91% Asset Turnover (ATO) Sales/net operating assets (NOA) 0.67 0.52 0.60 0.67 Economic profit (RNOA - cost of capital) x net operating assets (NOA) (2,431) 513 76 152 ROE shows how well an organization is using its owners equity to generate income. According to the table, in 2016 company was giving negative returns because of lack in profits. It does not have sufficient earnings to generate returns to its shareholders. In 2015, ROE was highest due to the highest profits. RNOA measures the financial performance as well as the efficiency is utilizing the assets. The ratio was highest in 2015 which means company was properly using its assets in making income. NBC ratio has been reduced in 2016 because of the reduction in the finance cost of the company. Profit margin, as usual it is negative in 2016 and highest in 2015. The reason is same as discussed above. ATR of 2016 and 2013 is same and also more than 2015 and 2014. This is because the net operating assets were lower in these years as compare to the latter ones. Moreover they are been utilized to generate more sales in 2016 and 2013. Economic profits measure the opportunity cost. As it can be clearly seen that company has economic loss in 2016 because the company had a huge loss and its assets had also decreased. It made an economic profit in 2015, which was more than all 3 years, due to highest profits and increased operating assets (Damodaran, 2012). Capital budgeting analysis Bunnings Coles Original cost 77 million 135 million Estimated Life 10 Years 10 Years Residual Value 2 million -1.5 million Estimated Future Cash Flows 31 March 2018 -4 million -5 million 31 March 2019 5 million -1 million 31 March 2020 15 million 10 million 31 March 2021 20 million 15 million 31 March 2022 20 million 15 million 31 March 2023 20 million 20 million 31 March 2024 25 million 20 million 31 March 2025 25 million 20 million 31 March 2026 10 million 25million 31 March 2027 13 million 13.5million Bunnings Coles NPV 5.88 million -66.61 million IRR 11.4% -0.3% Payback Period 6 years more than 10 years Pearson PLC has decided to invest in two new projects, one is purchasing a Bunnings warehouse and other is investing in a Coles supermarket for selling its products and services. In order to choose a better investment, Pearson choose to use the capital budgeting techniques like NPV, IRR and payback period. These techniques are used for choosing an appropriate investment proposal (Atrill McLaney, 2009). Net Present Value It is determined to know about the profitability of the proposal. If NPV is positive, then accept the proposal. If it is negative, reject the project and if it is equal to zero, select on the basis of other criteria. The NPV of Bunnings is positive and also the project requires low initial outlay as compare to Coles. The latter proposal has negative NPV and its initial investment is also more than the former one. So from NPV standpoint, proposal first should be accepted (Baker English, 2011). Internal Rate of Return It is that rate where PV of cash inflow is equal to PV of cash outflow. Discount rate of 10% is been taken for the evaluation and the proposal having high IRR is considered to be more desirable. Bunning project has high and positive IRR of 11.4% whereas Coles has a negative rate of -0.3%. It is better to go for Bunnings warehouses (BiermanJr Smidt, 2012). Payback Period It shows the time period taken by a project to recoup the initial investment. Generally, proposals having longer payback period are not advisable for making investment. As it is clearly seen from the above table that Bunnings will take 6 years to recover its initial outlay which is within its life period. On the other hand, Coles will require more than 10 years recovering the same as the project is not capable of doing it within its life period. So proposal one should be accepted (Ahmed, 2013). As per all three techniques used, investment should be made in Bunnings project as it is profitable, require less investment and also has a shorter payback period. Conclusion From the first part of the report, it can be concluded that ratio analysis is a best method to evaluate companys financial position. From this analysis, it can be said that Pearson has not performed effectively and efficiently in year 2016. On the contrary of this, its financial performance in 2015 was best with highest profits and highest market price per share. The second part concluded that company should go for Bunning project as it is the most profitable as compare to the other option available. Pearson should choose first option for making investment. References Ahmed, I.E., (2013). Factors determining the selection of capital budgeting techniques.Journal of Finance and Investment Analysis,2(2), pp.77-88. Anderson, K. (2012).The Essential P/E: Understanding the Stockmarket Through the Price Earnings Ratio. Harriman House Limited. Atrill, P. McLaney, E., (2009).Management accounting for decision makers. Pearson Education. Baker, H.K. English, P., (2011).Capital budgeting valuation: Financial analysis for today's investment projects(Vol. 13). John Wiley Sons. BiermanJr, H. Smidt, S., (2012).The capital budgeting decision: economic analysis of investment projects. Routledge. Christian, D., Ldenbach, N. (2013).IFRS essentials. John Wiley Sons. Damodaran, A. (2012).Investment valuation: Tools and techniques for determining the value of any asset(Vol. 666). John Wiley Sons. Engle, C. R. (2010).Aquaculture economics and financing: management and analysis. John Wiley Sons. Fraser, L.M., Ormiston, A. Fraser, L.M. (2010).Understanding financial statements. Pearson Higgins, R. C. (2012).Analysis for financial management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Lee, A. C., Lee, J. C., Lee, C. F. (2009).Financial analysis, planning and forecasting: Theory and application. World Scientific Publishing Co Inc. Tracy, A. (2012).Ratio analysis fundamentals: how 17 financial ratios can allow you to analyse any business on the planet. RatioAnalysis. Net. Vogel, H.L. (2014).Entertainment industry economics: A guide for financial analysis. Cambridge University Press. Warren, C. S., Jones, J. (2018).Corporate financial accounting. Cengage Learning. Zainudin, E.F., Zainudin, E.F., Hashim, H.A. Hashim, H.A. (2016). Detecting fraudulent financial reporting using financial ratio.Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting,14(2), pp.266-278

What to do with alcholic paren Essay Example For Students

What to do with alcholic paren Essay What to do With Alcoholic Parents!Many kids feel that they cant do anything when a parent is an alcoholic. In fact, almost every kid who has a parent who is an alcoholic feels that there is nothing they can do. You are wrong. There are many things that you can do if you just think about the situation. If your father/mother is abusing you when he/she drinks there is much that you can do. What about if your mother/father are in denial and he/she will not listen to you when you tell them that they need counseling. There are many sides in which you can take in order to help them solve their problems. We will write a custom essay on What to do with alcholic paren specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now One way people can go around a certain situation is to confront the alcoholic. By doing this you can see if they are in denial with the subject. This may cause some tension is some cases, but it is worth it to know if they are in that state or not of denial. If you do ask them and they do say, Yes than you should talk with him or her and see what do you think that you should do in order to stop drinking. Some people will however, get the ideas that you are trying to run their lives, and make a big scene. If you just do it with out blaming the person and allow them to answer then they will understand and be cooperative about the matter. Another way to try and help an alcoholic is to get them into rehab or counseling. In many cases this is the best and most convenient way to help out him/her with their problem. By doing this you are realizing that the person or people have a problem, and need help. Some people will get offended in this matter, but that is the risk that you have to take. If they do get offended they should see that right there they need help. If they do not get mad or angry than maybe they did not have a problem at all, and you made a mistake. There are many counseling opportunities that one can go to in-order to get help. The people that end up going to rehab, are the ones that still remain having the problem.In many cases rehab only makes matters worse. It is a good idea in certain situations, but teenagers should not be going to these places. It makes them feel worse and causes them to drink more often. The other way that you can help an alcoholic parent is to do what they say. Sometimes kids feel that if they do what they say it gives them the gratitude of power. So some kids do not listen and that causes some of the parents to drink more often and frequently. This is one of the worst things that you can do when it comes to an alcoholic parent. Not listening to them makes them feel that you dont care about them at all. They think that you are thinking you can do what you want when you want to do it. It is not the case, but that is how an alcoholic parent sees it in his or her perspective.Yes there are many other ways you can approach an alcoholic parent, but these are the ways that I feel are most helpful. If you do come across and alcoholic the best thing you can do it to just be there for him/her when they need it.

Bio-Based Propylene Glycol Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 2019 Essay Example

Bio Bio-Based Propylene Glycol Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 2019 Essay Bio-Based Propylene Glycol Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 2019 Essay Bio-Based Propylene Glycol Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 2019 Propylene glycol or 1, 2-propane-diol is one of the universal product that is used in modern life and is practically everywhere. It is derived industrially by processing petroleum products and has a very high demand due to which the global consumption of petroleum has increased by thousand metric tons per year. Propylene Glycol (PG) is used in a broad range of products; it can be found in fiberglass resins, antifreezes, foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Visit Complete Report Here: marketresearchreports.biz/analysis-details/bio-based-propylene-glycol-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2013-2019 Propylene glycol has been prepared by petroleum stocks but now days it is derived from corn starch and a special carbohydrate which is processed to make glycols. This processed and green derived propylene glycol is having a very high quality. T he synthetic ingredient is derived from a renewable source which meets the requirement of the consumers and it also offers additional advantage of a pleasant and fruity odor. The chemical industry is highly dependent on fossil fuel for making variety of petrochemical products. As there are many benefits of renewable chemistry so the entire industry is shifting towards it, companies are demanding bio-based chemicals to achieve sustainability by commercializing bio-based chemicals. One of the elements which are in high demand and attracting attention to be generated from renewable source is propylene glycol.The bio-based propylene glycol is in high demand due to its effective quality. These products have same area of applications as that of propylene glycol. Moreover it is a renewably derived product and helps in reducing the green house gas emissions. These products meet the standards of bio-preferred purchasing programs and also the specifications

How to Write a Book Report

How to Write a Book Report How to Write a Book Report You might rightly think that not all critical essays writing has a logical structure. However, most college courses in England and America require composition guidelines. For the beginner, the writing technique has the advantage: it provides clear-cut rules for enhancing the effectiveness and readability of essay by stressing unity and logic. Although the rules for essays writing may appear simple in theory, they are difficult to put into practice. It is essential not to give up and to persist in trying to organize your book report writing according to the guidelines: Critical Essay Writing Every academic discipline follows college critical essay conventions that are concerned with the documentation of sources. This feature of college English essay writing which is often subsumed under the term critical apparatus. In the field of English and American literature, there are particularly strict rules of documentation, which have been published in a handbook by the Modern Language Association, the largest and most influential association. College critical essay writing is characterized by consistent and accurate critical apparatus which must contain all primary and secondary texts used for book report writing. This should enable an essay reader to retrace the sources of quotations and paraphrases. Therefore, you have to collect all necessary information concerning a text, including the author's or editor's name, the title of the book, the journal or anthology containing the essay, the year of publication, the volume, and the page numbers. Critical Essay Help The literature used in critical essay writing can be incorporated either in the form of direct quotations or as paraphrases: short passages from primary texts are usually integrated as direct quotations while larger units of meaning as paraphrases. Secondary literature is generally paraphrased, except for important, fundamental statements which require word for word quotation. The critical apparatus usually consists of footnotes and bibliography. Footnotes serve a dual function in college essay writing: first, they allow you to acknowledge the source of information or quotations and to refer to further sources; second, they permit you to expand on a thought which is not directly relevant to the general argument in the essay. The bibliography at the end of the essay is an alphabetically arranged documentation of the primary and secondary literature used for book report writing. While writing critical essay, keep in mind the above information. Using other author's information without r eference in your English critical writing will be considered as plagiarism. .com You may find it difficult to write a book report especially if you have not read the book. Yes, most of the students prefer not to read the assigned books because they have not time.We offer you to take advantage of professional book report writing service offered on our site.We know how to write a book report and we are available 24/7 to assist you with writing.In addition, you can freely read wealth of free tips on our blog! Popular posts: Biology Term Paper 3,000 Words Term Paper SFU Writing Research Papers Writing a Research Proposal Writing a Research Paper

DISNEY MARKETING NUTRITION TO CHILDREN Case Study

DISNEY MARKETING NUTRITION TO CHILDREN - Case Study Example esity among children in the United States and Europe due to eating fast food that are produced and sold at Disney theme parks and outlets (Bell & Winig, 2009). It was gathered from the case study that more than 65% of Americans are obese and similar trend has been observed in children as well. From studies, it was found that a majority of the advertisements that are aired for influencing children are related to high calorie and fat food items such as, candy, soft drinks, fries and other fast food and sweetened cereals. It was also noticed that when a certain food was endorsed using cartoon characters, children insisted on purchasing those, more for the character than the food. Researches revealed that there was a huge gap between preference of parents and that of children regarding the nature of food. Children preferred eating those foods that their peers preferred, while mothers selected nutritious food for them. The case study also suggests that initially, when Disney sold food and beverages in their entertainment parks and outlets, they had only considered enjoyment entailed with the eatables over the nutrition factor. Therefore, their eatables included ice cream, candy, pizza and pasta. According to Disney, they related food as a lifestyle over a source of nutrition prior to the criticisms (Bell & Winig, 2009). People buy or consume fast food because these food items look attractive and taste good. Moreover, fast food is available at a reasonable cost while the volume is comparatively high. The company can introduce servings of salads and fruits along with basic meal. Introduction of salad along with high calorie meal will help in adding nutrition along with satisfying their taste buds. The company replaces its fast food products with healthier whole meal choices but with reduced variety. On a small scale production, it will be expensive, but if the company integrates suppliers and farmers from different parts of the world who are involved in fresh produce,

Human Resource Management College Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Resource Management College - Case Study Example Management of performance starts with recruitment and selection of the right person for the right job goes through the training and development of the employee and finally appraising him. Just because employees have the ability to do the job does not ensure that they will perform satisfactorily. A critical dimension of their effectiveness is their willingness to exert high energy levels - their motivation. In the case of Fifers Bakery, the plant is not automated, and therefore the situation demands for skilled workers, whereas, the majority of workers are unskilled. There are around 400 workers in the organization. The Appraisal process begins with the establishment of performance standards in accordance with the organization's strategic goals. These performance standards should also be clear and objective enough to be understood and measured. Performance is a vital component of the motivation model (Bradt, 1991; Guinn & Corona, 1991). Specifically, we must be concerned with the link between effort and performance, and between performance and rewards. Once performance standards are established, it is necessary to communicate these expectations; it should not be part of employees' job to guess what is expected of them. Too many jobs have vague performance standards and the problem is compounded when these standards are set in isolation and do not involve the employee (Tyler, 1997). To achieve the performance standards, the employees should be well trained in the skills expected out of them. In the case of Fifers, this aspect is lacking as many workers are unskilled. The third step in the apprai sal process is the measurement of performance. To determine what actual performance is, it is necessary to acquire information about it. We should be concerned with how we measure and what we measure. Four common sources of information are frequently used by managers regarding how to measure actual performance: personal observation, statistical reports, oral reports and written reports. The fourth step in the process is the comparison of actual performance with standards. The point of this step is to note deviations between standard performance and actual performance. This is followed by the fifth step, the discussion of the appraisal with the employee (Stack, 1997; Grote, 1997). The final step in the appraisal is the identification of corrective action wherever necessary. The challenges faced by Fifers can be linked to some commonly observed deficiencies. The Supervisor who is evaluating has two roles namely, judge and helper. Sometimes, there may be conflict between the two roles. Expectations of the supervisor and the subordinates regarding the job may be at variance. Very few supervisors have the skill to constructively convey to an employee how to improve his performance. Poor communication keeps employees in the dark about what is expected from them. These challenges could be overcome by taking some improvement measures. The employee job descriptions and performance standards should be periodically reviewed by the supervisors. The employees should be clearly communicated about what is expected out of them. This could help the supervisor and subordinate to overcome any variance in expectations. The employees sho

Prevalence of Self-Medication Essay Example for Free

Prevalence of Self-Medication Essay Antibiotic self-medication among university medical undergraduates in Northern Nigeria Joseph O. Fadare 1* and Igbiks Tamuno 2 1Department of Medicine, Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, Nigeria 2Department of Pharmacology, Bayero University, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. Accepted 20 April, 2011 Self-medication is becoming a common type of self-care behavior among the population of many countries. Many international studies have investigated the prevalence and nature of self-medication practices at the population level. In Nigeria, some workers have also looked at the population prevalence of self-medication in general; however the prevalence of antibiotic self-medication among medical undergraduates has not yet been studied. The interest in studying this practice among this select group is due to the fact that they are the future prescribers and health educators of the population of Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional pre-tested questionnaire-based study carried out among medical students of the Bayero University, Kano, North-West Nigeria during a two-week period in August 2008. The information from the returned questionnaire were coded, entered and analyzed using SPSS Version 12 statistical software. A total of 183 students filled and returned the questionnaire giving a response rate of 83.2%. Out of these respondents, 120 (65.6%) were males and the mean age of respondents was 23.2  ± 2.5 years (Range 17 to 31). 71 (38.8%) of the medical students admitted to the practice and there was no statistically significant difference among the different levels of medical education (p 0.05). Antibiotics from the penicillin group (ampicillin/cloxacillin, amoxicillin and ampicillin) were the most frequently used. Self-medication with antibiotics is prevalent among medical undergraduates in Northern Nigeria. There is a need for an intervention to address this practice. Key words: Antibiotics, self-medication, medical undergraduates, Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Antibiotics are one of the most prescribed drugs worldwide (Tà ¼nger et al., 2000). Self-medication with antibiotics is a common practice in many countries in the world although the trend seems to be more in developing or resource-poor nations (Awad et al., 2005). Some of the reasons that have been found responsible for this trend include lack of access to health care,  availability of antibiotics as over the counter (OTC) drugs and in open markets and poor regulatory practices (Vaananen et al., 2006). Self-medication with antibiotics has been identified as one form of irrational use of medicine contributing to *Corresponding author. E-mail: [emailprotected] Tel: +234- 8138048127. increased healthcare costs, antimicrobial drug resistance and sometimes increased morbidity among the popu- lation (Aswapokee et al., 1990; Okeke et al., 1999). The practice of self-medication in general has been widely studied among populations of many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe (Martins et al., 2002; Yousef et al., 2008; Awad et al., 2007a). One of the factors that have been found to influence this practice is the level of education of the research participants (Afolabi, 2008). Many studies have also previously looked at the pre- valence, nature and reasons for self-medication among university undergraduates (non-medical) in different countries of the world (Zafar et al., 2008; Sawalha, 2008; Lucas et al., 2007). There are also studies on general self-medication practices among medical undergraduates in some other countries (Buke et al., 2005; Chowdhury 218 J. Public Health Epidemiol. et al., 2009). In Nigeria, previous studies have concen- trated on general self-medication practices among the population (Afolabi, 2008) and health care workers (Bamgboye et al., 2006). This study of antibiotic self- medication practice among university medical undergraduates in Nigeria is very important as they are a segment of the population that is highly educated and with access to information regarding their health. Looking at this practice among medical undergraduates is also very vital as they represent the future generation of drug prescribers and health educationists. The understanding of the level of antibiotic self-medication practice and the reasons for it will enable for different interventional strategies. It will also help policy makers to develop approaches for a more rational use of antibiotics in the community in general. The main objective of this study was to determine the frequency and nature of antibiotic self-medication practice among university medical undergraduates in the Northern part of Nigeria. This study also sought if there is any relationship between the level of medical education and the self-medication  practice. METHODS The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study carried out among medical students of the Bayero University, Kano, North- West Nigeria during a two-week period in August 2008. Sampling A total of two hundred and twenty self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students from different level of medical education (200 to 500 Level) using a convenient sampling system. Questionnaire The questionnaire which had been pre-tested among students of another faculty in the university consisted of both open and close ended questions. The questionnaires were administered to the students through their class representatives who also returned the filled ones. The act of filling and returning of the forms was taken as consent of the students to participate and the study was approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee. The lead question was â€Å"Have you practiced self-medication with antibiotics in the last two months?’The duration of two months was chosen because of the belief that recall of medication use is still very reliable within that time frame. Other questions include: The reasons for indulging in self-medication, conditions for which the drugs were taken and the antibiotics that were being used. Statistical analyses The information from the returned questionnaire were coded and entered using SPSS version 12 statistical software. Results were expressed as counts and percentages while Chi-square test was used for to investigate possible associations between sex, level of medical education and antibiotic self-medication practice. A p-value 0.05 was considered as statistically significant for the purpose of this study. RESULTS A total of one 183 students filled and returned the questionnaire giving a response rate of 83.2%. Out of these respondents, one hundred and twenty (65.6%) were males and the mean age of all respondents was 23.2  ± 2.5 years (Range 17 to 31 years). The distribution of the respondents according to level of medical education is shown in Table 1. In response to the question  whether respondents had practiced self- medication in the preceding two months, 71 (38.8%) of the medical students admitted to the practice and there was no statistically significant difference among the different levels of medical education (p 0.05). Though self-medication with antibiotics was more common among the male students, this difference was not statistically significant (p 0.05). The common conditions for which the antibiotics were taken include diarrhea, sore throat, fever, cough and catarrh among others (Table 2). Antibiotics from the penicillin group (ampicillin/cloxacillin, amoxicillin and ampicill in) were the most frequently used for self-medication among the respondents (Table 3). 29 (42.6%) of the medical undergraduates who indulged in the practice did it because they considered their ailment as being mild while 24 (35.3%) were involved in it because of their past experience with the particular antibiotic. Regarding the source of the antibiotics used for self-medication, majority of the respondents (57.4%) patronized patent medicine stores while hospital and community pharmacies were the suppliers for 13 (19.1%) and 11 (16.2%) of the respondents, respectively. Only 1 respondent (1.5%) used the leftover from a previous prescription in this study. Majority of the medical undergraduates (89.6%) knew that the normal duration of treatment was supposed to be at least a minimum of 5 days; however only 34 (49.3%) of the respondents actually completed the course of treatment. This study also found out that gender of the respondents did not influence significantly the practice of antibiotic self-medication (p = 0.07). DISCUSSION Sample population and self-medication The frequency of antibiotic self- medication observed in our study is slightly lower than that reported in similar studies in Africa (Awad and Eltayeb, 2007b) and closer to that found in population-based studies in Jordan and Lithuania (Al-Azzam et al., 2007; Berzanskyte et al., 2006). This goes to show that there might not be a signi- ficant difference in self-care or health-seeking behavior between our segment of the population and the general population. This conclusion is also supported by findings from a study on self-medication in general among Fadare and Tamuno 219 Table 1. Distribution of respondents by level of medical education and practice of self-medication. University level Self-medication (Y) Self-medication (N) Total number of respondent 200 10 31 41 300 20 26 46 400 27 43 70 500 12 9 21 Missing value 2 3 5 Total 71 112 183 Table 2. Conditions for which self-medication was practiced. Condition No. of respondents (Percentage) Diarrhoea 17 (24.6) Sore throat 14 (20.3) Fever 12 (17.4) Cough 6 (8.7) Catarrh 4 (5.8) Toothache 4 (5.8) Body aches 2 (2.9) Others 10 (14.5) Table 3. Commonly used antibiotics by respondents. Antibiotics Frequency (Percentage) Ampicillin/cloxacillin 15 (22.1) Amoxicillin 12 (17.6) Metronidazole 12 (17.6) Co-trimoxazole 8 (11.8) Ciprofloxacin 6 (8.8) Tetracycline 6 (8.8) Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid 3 (4.4) Penicillin G 1 (1.5) health care workers of a tertiary healthcare facility in South-West Nigeria where over 70% of them were engaged in the practice (Bamgboye et al., 2006). Another possible explanation is that the earlier quoted population- based studies were carried out in societies where the literacy levels are relatively high. It is also important to note that such levels of antibiotic self-medication even exists in some countries with more stringent access to drugs, this being made possible by use of left-overs from previous prescriptions. Clinical features and self-medication There are similarities in the conditions for which self- medication was practiced in our study with several other university and community-based studies (Zafar et al., 2008; Shankar et al., 2002; James et al., 2006). These findings emphasize the fact that self-medication is usually resorted to by individuals for perceived mild clinical conditions. The problem with this practice is that fever and other similar symptoms which could be due to viral conditions are usually wrongly treated with antibiotics creating a foundation for possible development of resistance to antibiotics in addition to financial loss and possible adverse drug reactions. Antibiotic and self-medication The choice of the antibiotics from the penicillin group (especially ampicillin/cloxacillin and amoxicillin) by majority of respondents in our study is in keeping with findings from other studies (Awad et al., 2005; Awad and Eltayeb, 2007b; Raz et al., 2005). The choice of the antibiotics from the penicillin group could be due to the following reasons: 1. They are cheap, easily accessible, have a good safety profile and somehow broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. The relatively low patronage of antibiotics like amoxicillin/clavulanic acid could be due to its cost (about 1500 Naira /10 US Dollars) per course of treatment, this in a country where over 60% of the population survive on less than 2 US Dollars daily. 2. It is also pertinent to note that at the moment, there are no restrictions to how and where antibiotics can be sold in Nigeria hence the easy accessibility. Most of our respondents got their supply from patent medicine stores, hospital and community pharmacies reinforcing the earlier mentioned problem of lack of regulation. This is at variance with findings from other studies where left-over from old prescriptions were the main source of supply reflecting a more regulated access to antibiotics in these societies (Awad and Eltayeb, 2007b; James et al., 2006). This study revealed no strong associations between gender, level of medical education and the practice of antibiotic self-medication, a finding that is somehow different from the result of similar research in the Arabian Gulf (James et al., 2008) where the prevalence of self- medication was higher in the more senior medical students. Presently in many medical schools in Nigeria, 220 J. Public Health Epidemiol. pharmacology is taught either before the clinical training or at its initial stage and there is no significant reinforce- ment during the latter stages. Also too much attention is being placed on the basic aspect of pharmacology to the detriment of its clinical section and paying attention to this problem might be one level of intervention to address it. Conclusion This study has shown that self-medication with antibiotics is common among medical undergraduates in Northern Nigeria. There is a need for a review of educational programs especially the teaching of clinical pharmaco- logy to include modules on self- medication and rational use of medicines. At the  policy-making level, there is an urgent need to legislate and enforce laws restricting access to antibiotics in Nigeria. Most importantly, there is a need for a robust public enlightenment campaign to educate the populace of the disadvantages and possible complications of antibiotic self-medication. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors’ gratitude goes to the medical undergraduates of Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria who participated in this study. He is also grateful to the organizers of the International Training Course on the Promoting Rational Drug Use in the Community, Jaipur, India where the idea for the work was conceptualized. The author was a participant in the 2008 training course and the contribution of the faculty and fellow participants is really appreciated. REFERENCES Afolabi AO (2008). Factors influencing the pattern of self-medication in an adult Nigerian population. Ann. Afr. Med., 7(3): 120-127. Al-Azzam SI, Al-Husein BA, Alzoubi F, Masadeh MM, Al-Horani MS (2007). Self-Medication with antibiotics in Jordanian population. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health, 20 (4): 373-380. Aswapokee N, Vaithayapichet S, Heller RF (1990). Pattern of antibiotic use in medical wards of a university hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Rev. Infect. Dis., 12 (1): 136-141. Awad A, Eltayeb I, Matowe L Thalib L (2005). Self-medication with antibiotics and antimalarials in the community of Khartoum State, Sudan. J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci., 8: 326–331. Awad AI, Ball DE, Eltayeb IB (2007). Improving rational drug use in Africa: the example of Sudan. East Mediterr. Health J., 13 (5): 1202- 1211. Awad AI, Eltayeb IB (2007). Self-medication practices with antibiotics and antimalarials among Sudanese undergraduate university students. Ann. Pharmacother., 41(7): 1249-1255. Bamgboye EA, Amoran OE, Yusuf OB (2006). Self medication practices among workers in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Afr. J. Med. Sci., 35(4): 411-415. Berzanskyte A, Valinteliene R, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM, Gurevicius R, Grigoryan L (2006). Self-medication with antibiotics in Lithuania. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health, 19 (4): 246-253. Buke C, Hosgor-Limoncu M, Ermertcan S, Ciceklioglu M, Tuncel M,Kà ¶se T, Eren S (2005) Irrational use of antibiotics among university students. J. Infect., 51(2): 135-139. Chowdhury N, Matin F,  Chowdhury SF (2009). Medication taking behavior of students attending a private university in Bangladesh. Int. J. Adolesc. Med. Health. 21 (3): 361-370. James H, Handu SS, Al Khaja KA, Otoom S, Sequeira RP (2006). Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among first-year medical students. Med. Princ. Pract., 15 (4): 270- 275. James H, Handu SS, Khaja KA, Sequeira RP (2008). Influence of medica l training on self-medication by students. Int. J. Pharmacol. Ther., 46 (1):23-29. Lucas R, Lunet N, Carvalho R, Langa J, Muanantatha M, Nkunda LP, Barros H (2007). Patterns in the use of medicines by university students in Maputo, Mozambique. Cad. Saude. Publica, 3(12): 2845- 2852. Martins AP, Miranda Ada C, Mendes Z, Soares MA, Ferreira P, Nogueira A (2002). Self-medication in a Portuguese urban population: a prevalence study. Pharmacoepidemiol. Drug Saf., 11(5): 409-414. Okeke NI, Lamikanra A, Edelman R (1999). Socioeconomic and Behavioral Factors Leading to Acquired Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics in Developing Countries. Emerg. Infect. Dis., 5: 18-27. Raz R, Edelstein H, Grigoryan L, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM (2005). Self- medication with antibiotics by a population in northern Israel. Isr. Med. Assoc. J., 7(11): 722-725. Sawalha AF (2008). A descriptive study of self-medication practices among Palestinian medical and nonmedical university students. Res. Social. Adm. Pharm., 4 (2):164-172. Shankar PR, Partha P, Shenoy N (2002). Self-medication and non- doctor prescription practices in Pokhara valley, Western Nepal: a questionnaire-based study. BMC Fam. Pract., 3: 17. Tà ¼nger O, Dinà § G, Ozbakkaloglu B, Atman UC, Algà ¼n U (2000). Evaluation of rational antibiotic use. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents, 15 (2): 131-135. Vaananen MH, Pietila K, Airaksinen M (2006). Self-medication with antibiotic — does it really happen in Europe, Health Policy, 77: 166- 171. Yousef AM, Al-Bakri AG, Busta nji Y, Wazaify M (2008). Self-medication patterns in Amman, Jordan. Pharm World Sci., 30(1): 24-30. Zafar SN, Syed R, Waqar S, Zubairi AJ, Vaqar T, Shaikh M, Yousaf W, Shahid S, Saleem S (2008). Self-medication amongst university students of Karachi: prevalence, knowledge and attitudes. J. Pak.

Oracle :: essays research papers

Dates in Oracle are stored in numeric format. Each date represents the century, year, month, day, hours, minutes, and seconds. The default date format is DD-MON-YY. Using the SYSDATE function, you can display the current date and time. You can use SYSDATE as you would use any other column name. In order to view the time you will need to use the TO_CHAR function along with a format mask which includes a time format element. For example, you can display the current date by selecting SYSDATE from a table. You usually select SYSDATE from a dummy table called DUAL. All users can access the DUAL table. It is owned by the SYS user. It consists of one column known as DUMMY, and one row with the value X. When you want to return a value - not necessarily a date - once only, the DUAL table is useful. To display the current date using the DUAL table, you use the command shown. And the output displays the current date. Dates are stored as numbers in the database, which enables you to perform arithmetical calculations on them. You can add or subtract a number to or from a date for a resultant date value. You can subtract one date from another to find the number of days between them. You can also add hours to a date and time value. This is performed by dividing the number of hours in the time value by 24. Let's take a look at how you can manipulate dates. Let's say that you want to add and subtract days from the current date. To add one hundred days to the current date, you type the command shown. The result is displayed in the column SYSDATE+100. If you want to subtract 34 days from the current date, you type the command shown. The result is displayed in the column SYSDATE-34. Let's say you want to subtract the hire date from the current date - you type the command shown. The result shows the number of days between the current date and the hire date. Let's say you want to display dates in terms of weeks. To show the number of weeks each employee in department 10 has worked, you first subtract the hiredate from the current date. Then you divide the result by seven. You can use date functions in a similar way to number functions to operate on Oracle dates. The MONTHS_BETWEEN function finds the number of months between two dates. The result is displayed as a numeric value. This is the only date function that does not return a date value.

Genre Theory †Robocop Essay

Genre theory is essentially a structuralised method of categorising films by common traits or conventions. The basis for genre theory comes from humans need to categorise things into neat sections and is one of the few film theories actually implemented more by the audience of films rather than film theorists and academics. ’ As intelligent entities, human beings have a natural proclivity towards organizing the components of the world around them into ordered filing systems. ’ (lumiere revolution 2004). However most films in a genre actually share conventions with films from other genres and borrow styles from other genres to make hybrid genres such as action comedies, science fiction/horror etc. The genre of a film depends on many features that make up the film text itself, from narrative to settings and themes in the story which the film has in common with other films (conventions). A collection of films with similar conventions which are grouped together make up a genre category such as horror, romance etc. The theory of semiotics also comes into genre as semiotics is essentially the language of signs such as red usually means danger, relating to genre signs are used to show the audience what type of film they are watching, visual cues such as the place setting or main characters which create the conventions of that genre. For example if someone goes to see a film in the action film genre they can expect to see a fast paced film with lots of spectacle possibly with special effects overshadowing the narrative, with the narrative usually based around conflict resolution. To look into how genre theory applies to Paul Verhoven’s Robocop (1987) it is useful to look at the science fiction genre and exactly what conventions go into putting a film into the science fiction genre. The main convention in a science fiction film is in the setting, often set in a futuristic utopia or dystopia on Earth or in space where technology plays a large part in people’s lives. A major theme seen in science fiction is technology, again it hinges on the premise of what the future holds, and is usually either man against machine or a commentary on mans over reliance on machines. Science fiction films also often feature a social commentary on past events or present political or social issues which are paralleled in the film text. Refer to films like Paul Verhoven’s Starship Troopers 1997, which is essentially world war two in space and the theme of the Terminator films which features machines becoming so intelligent they nearly wipe out mankind, reflection on the increasing reliance on computers to do pretty much everything. The reason I have chosen Robocop to apply genre theory to is simply because it is a very clear example of all the conventions which place a film in the science fiction genre. The setting makes it an obvious example of a science fiction film, set in a futuristic dystopia (not ideal future) where the city of Detroit is run by big companies who have privatised the police force (social commentary on privatisation in America at the time, health care etc.) The future setting is a standard science fiction convention which clues the audience into what genre this film fits into as soon as they see the setting. The main story arc is centred on a project to create a robotic super police officer, future technology being another major convention of the genre. To bring the robots to life on screen require some very impressive special effects which again is something that the science fiction audience has come to expect in order to make the setting and subject matter of the genre believable. As I mentioned earlier science fiction films also tend to have subliminal commentaries on social issues and Robocop is no exception. The transformation of America into a consumerist nation is a big theme that runs clearly through this film, everything is about selling products, even the police force has been privatised and is treated as a product. Robocop is even directly referred to as a product when the subject of his name comes up Bob Morten simply states ‘He doesn’t have a name, he has a programme, he’s a product’ (Robocop . P. Verhoven 1987). Verhoven also stages commercials throughout the film advertising fictional futuristic products again suggesting consumerism as a theme, even the main company in the film is called Omni Consumer Products. Replacing old with new is also a major part of the film, not only in the sense of Murphey being rebuilt into Robocop but also OCP’s plans to demolish old Detroit in favour of building Delta city, a city they can have total control over much like they have control over Robocop by programming him. ‘Omni consumer products or OCP, a company that functions as the unseen and seemingly irresistible casual principle, as it sets about redesigning the human environment – replacing old Detroit with the gleaming modern planned community of Delta City, complete as we learn , even to an element of planned crime and corruption. ’ (J. P. Telotte Science Fiction Film pg 166) The main plot is about OCP creating a super cop robot that doesn’t have the frailties of a human being, there are two projects seen in the film the first to be tried out is the Ed 2009 project which is totally made of mechanical parts and is run by a computer. The Ed 2009 project ultimately fails suggesting that with no human element to control the machines cannot function properly, rather than the other way round. The Robocop project is a combination of human and machine, with the brain programmed to take orders from OCP, with the human brain and mechanical body the project is a success which is perhaps a reference the ability of humans to think for themselves rather than blindly following orders that may not be applicable in the context of the situation. Robocop is in my opinion a shining example of what makes a science fiction film fit into its genre, this is supported by the very conventions of the science fiction genre, it has a distinct future setting which raises questions on what the future might hold, technology is also a major theme which is so often the case in the science fiction genre and also raises questions about morality and socialist issues. So just by looking at this film in particular you can use it as an example to show exactly what the typical conventions of a science fiction film should be. Film Theory Explication. Bibliography. Web Sites: * http://www. main-vision. com/richard/genre. shtml * http://lumierevolution. blogspot. com/2004/10/genre-theory-science-fiction. html Internet source: An introduction to genre theory – Daniel Chandler. Texts: An Introduction to genre theory – Daniel Chandler. Science Fiction Film – J. P. Telotte. The Science Fiction Film as an uncanny text – pg 161 – 178 – J. P. Telotte. Filmography. Robocop – P. Verhoven 1987. Starship Troopers – P. Verhoven 1997 The Terminator- J. Cameron 1984 Terminator 2 – J. Cameron 1991.

Natural Fires

When we speak of large scale fires, we often associate it with destructive forces that could burn properties and structures down to ashes or commit many lives. What we don’t realize is that large-scale fires have existed way back in the history of our planet, and that these fires are considered as natural occurrences. It is just our perception that lead us to our conceived meaning of fire, but truly, there are more benefits in it rather than the destruction if brings. Nature utilizes these large-scale fires for various reasons, both destructive and beneficial. We often think of fire as an evil force that consumes both living and non-living things in the environment. But besides this, we are oblivious to the fact that these fires are agents of natural change. These fires are considered as herbivores, because they consume plants and transform them to a more useful material (Bond and Kee). Most plants however, are inedible or just difficult to consume, like towering trees and the like. In order to put this into good use, fires act as herbivores that would devour an entire forest of inedible trees. They are consumed in order to transform the ecosystems into better ones, which the various creatures of our environment could live into (Pyne). No matter how man intervenes with the way the environment works, nature would always find its way with things. This is true for the occurrence of these large scale fires. Man has struggled and was somehow successful in suppressing these fires from devouring trees and other vegetations. Because of this, nature has somehow managed to adapt by increasing the temperature of the environment lately (Westerling et al.). Because of this increase in temperature, the trees in the forests become more susceptible to these fires. They easily get burned with just a little nudge, like a lit cigarette thrown into the woods, or a boy playing with some matchsticks. Works Cited: Bond, William J., and Jon E. Kee. â€Å"Fire as a Global ‘Herbivore’: The Ecology and Evolution of Flammable Ecosystems.† TRENDS in Ecology and Evolution Vol.20.No.7 (2005). Pyne, Stephen J. â€Å"Pyromancy: Reading Stories in the Flames.† Conservation Biology Vol. 18.No. 4 (2004). Westerling, A. L., et al. â€Å"Warming and Earlier Spring Increase Western U.S. Forest Wildfire Activity.† American Association for the Advancement of Science Vol. 313 (2006).      

Economy of Palestine essays

Economy of Palestine essays Economy has lost 790 million. This is equivalent to 20% of projected GDP for the year 2000. Investors have been detracted from Palestine due to blockade and due to poor resources in the country. Unless things change investors will not change their minds. It means it will be very difficult for business in Palestine to get any projects financed and major projects will be delayed. If Sharon imposes border closures, import and export businesses will be seriously disrupted. It will be exceedingly difficult to bring imports into the Palestine territories and exports will also be held up at border crossings. Perishable goods will rot as they did before when the Israelis imposed closures. "There are many Palestinian workers in Israel who bring in an enormous amount of income. In 1996 when Benjamin Netanyahu was in power it was $500 million. It was almost double that in 1999 when things were much better." However, external aid is still a crucial part of the picture and, under the circumstances, the donor financing will presumably continue. Poverty has increased by 50% since beginning of crisis. World Bank has released a report stating that 32% of Palestinians are below the poverty line. 100,000 Palestinians (23% of the workforce) depend upon work in Israel family income has evaporated. Purchasing power has decreased. ...

These Tips Will Help in Writing Synthesis Essays

These Tips Will Help in Writing Synthesis Essays Writing An Interesting Synthesis Essay Writing a desirable synthesis essay might sound tough, but after this guided method to writing one, your perception will totally change. To understand it, you should define what synthesis is. To synthesize means to gather several elements and create something new. You must have heard about the relationship between thesis, antithesis, and synthesis by now, if not then it okay. This means that for every point raised, there is a counterpoint. There is a combination of both results in the synthesis of a new point, where both aspects are reconfigured together to give out a new suggestion. A synthesis essay entails assimilation of different elements that agree or contradict to give out a single perspective when synchrony is applied. Synthesis Essay Definition Coming up with a synthesis essay is easy. You are expected to research a particular subject matter, and come up with sources that support your argument. The challenge arises in the conversion of the information obtained into your self-made point of view. For instance, you are given ten sources that have conflicting, or varying perceptions about the great depression. You are required to utilize only several sources (if not all) to synthesize your self-written synthesis essay. Your written papers should have a thesis which clearly puts across the point you are trying to make, based on the information collected from the chosen topics. Avoid summarizing the points, but instead, focus on making a point out of them. This is because most of the readers are aware of the contents of the sources and there is no need for repetition. Instead, use the sources as support to arguments that you intend to highlight. Ways of Writing a Captivating Synthesis Essay The following example will help you in understanding the process of coming up this a synthesis essay. Let’s say you are given ten sources, each talking about Superman. Out of the ten, four sources are essays on Christian Bale’s Batman, Adam West’s Batman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, and Michael Keaton’s Batman respectively. Four other articles show a photo of each actor while in their character, Batman. The other two are statistical data in graphs and charts, where one shows the box office returns of the four films with each having Batman as the star, while the other shows the ratings each got according to rotten tomatoes. Additionally, you are given the following prompt: Given that you have an executive position in a major film studio that is mandated to bring back the Batman franchise, synthesize using the sources provided, an essay describing how the studio should handle the Batman character in this latest comeback move. To start off, you should go through the information on each source and let the information sink in and get familiar with it. While at it, refer to the prompt given and make conclusions based on it. What are the reasons the studio should undertake a particular direction to handle Batmans character successfully? By answering such a question, you already have formulated your thesis. After completing your thesis, you are required to construct your outline. It is common knowledge that it should have an introduction and a conclusion. In between these two elements are the main points that support your argument, stated in the introduction under thesis, and re-stated again in conclusion. Support each point put across with sources provided. Synthesis Essay Outline In relation to the superman topic, I will highlight how best you should structure and organize your work to come up with a first-class synthesis essay Introduction The character of Batman has evolved in different forms over the years Each point of evolution has represented a theme popular during that time Adam Wests Batman character represented the campy fun of the 1960s Keaton’s Batman character represented the contrasting world perception of the 1990s Bale’s Batman character represented the realism demand for the 21st-century craving for a new true hero Afflecks Batman character represented the growing popularity of comic books in diverse genres, merges with filmmaking, but still utilizing the grim realism displayed by Bales Batman character. Bringing the character back to life should involve consideration of the target audience, daily realities, and the things the audience want to see in the film. The new Batman character should be both fun and evil, with a blend of intelligence, complexity, and torment. Finding the Right Movie Attitude in First Body Paragraph Each of the different Batman movie appearances has brought about a new phenomenon Evolving the character should apply originality, but still, stick to the true nature of the characters aspects that have not been introduced yet. Wests Batman character is a detective, thus showing originality in the introduction of a new Batman character wearing a cape and embarking on a vigilante crusade. Enjoy the Moments in Second Body Paragraph All appearances of Batman have excited viewers According to the review conducted by rotten tomatoes, the best appearances are based on the fun projected in character for the movie A new evolved Batman character is definitely exciting and enjoyable Be Realistic in Third Body Paragraph Wests Batman character is a tone for fun in watching the movie Keaton’s Batman character displayed a gothic, nightmare-like theme Bale and Affleck had a motive to highlight heroism, realism, and style in the character Ratings of the box office display the superiority in sales and audience point of view making them the biggest winners Evolving of the character adds fun to the content and movie altogether Conclusion Batman has a different character description on screen With the ranging opinions describing the best Batman character, factual evidence signifies the fun in evolving the character, and it should be real and focus on bringing to light a new aspect of the character that has not been developed on screen Topics to Consider for a Synthesis Essay Synthesis essay topics are aligned with reals include: Your thoughts about global warming The effort that needs to be taken to endorse economic development for sustenance Ways to combat terrorism and reduce a back and forth situation over the years What’s your opinion concerning genetically modified foods? Over dependency on digital technology in this evolving generation Normally, the topic or prompt is availed, together with the sources that need to be used. Creating the subject matter from this is therefore easy. However, deep emphasis and focus should be relayed to developing a new thesis that no sources provided has it in their literature, consider reading through your sources and prompt several times, grasp the concept and develop a thesis addressing the provided prompt, and relates to the sources previously provided. A Guide Sample of a Synthesis Essay You are provided with two synthesis essay examples. Each will describe different techniques of approach in handling this type of essay. The first essay utilizes the outline and sources given to come up with the required essay. For the second essay, assume that it is based on three diverse sources: an article by Jones, Book authored by Garrard, and presentation done by Schultz. Assume that each source discusses an aspect related to Hamlets character. In the end, you will realize that the essay synthesizes the perspectives of the three sources into an argument. Batman: The Evolution The character of Batman has evolved over the years, with each manifestation representing a popular element at the time of its conception. Adam Wests Batman character represented the campy fun of the 1960s. Keatons Batman character represented the world perception of the 1990s. Bales Batman character symbolized the realism demand for the 21st-century craving for a new true hero. Afflecks Batman character signified the growing popularity of comic books in diverse genres merges with filmmaking while still utilizing the grim certainties displayed by Bales Batman character. In an effort to revolutionize Batmans character, our studio should take into consideration the current theme endorsed and what the audiences really want. The new Batman character should be both fun and evil, with a blend of intelligence, complexity, and torment. The evidence also displays that each new Batman character represents something different from what was portrayed before. This paper will deliberate how the new Batman character should be depicted on screen, in relevance to the provided sources. Finding the right movie attitude sets the pace required to evolve the Batman character. Each of the different Batman movie appearances has brought about a new spectacle. Evolving the character should apply originality, but still, stick to the true nature of the characters aspects that have not been introduced yet. An essay on Wests Batman shows that the character is a detective, thus showing originality in the introduction of a new Batman character wearing a cape and embarking on a vigilante crusade. Therefore, by bringing about a new character aspect as Batman being a detective will make the audience find the presentation as fascinating and fun to watch. You should, however, keep in mind that the audience prefers fun over-seriousness in cinema as per review by rotten tomatoes. This is the reason why many critics discredit Afflecks Batman character, which they thought that it was too grey and pompous. Our evolved version should endorse fun, but still, avoid the campy aspect of Wests Batman. Keatons Batman character brought equilibrium between comedy and tragedy; thus the character chosen to represent our franchise should have a similar charm about him. This will ensure that the audience receives both thrill and fun as they watch our movie. It is also important to acknowledge that Bales Batman franchise was the most successful up to date. It was the first movie to bring about realism to the character. This can be seen by the response the audience gave out, that illustrated the need for a real hero who will solve their problems and needs in a time where both elements were thriving. While Wests Batman set the tone for fun, and Keatons character depicted a nightmare-like gothic experience, the Batman character brought to display by Bale (and to some extent, Afflecks Batman) signified heroism, realism, and style within the character. Therefore, it is suggested that there is a need to present a realistic Batman character to the audience. In conclusion, Batman has been represented in various forms on the screen. Even though there is a lot of speculation regarding which character is the best, evidence shows that an evolution of the character should be fun, have a realist attitude and focus on aspects of the character that have not been fully developed on screen. All the provided reasons should help our studio to define a Batman character who is a detective but still fun and realistic altogether. This will make the movie a hit and give it promising box office ratings. The mental state of Hamlet: Mad or Just a Hoax? So many suggestions come through when discussing the mental state of Hamlet character in a Shakespeare written book. However, several scenes in the play illustrate that the Hamlet character is just pretending which if he is, he exaggerates it too much (he slays Polonius in a fit of frenzy and later on says that he does not know what he has done). This paper will present arguments on the character of Hamlet, where he does begin by pretending to be crazy to deceive these people who were spying on him. Additionally, as the play progresses, he ultimately loses his mind for a short period and recovers it in the final act. As highlighted by Jones, Hamlet is determined to pretend to be mad so as to dupe his father-in-law. He only divulges to people close to him, and his trick does work. Those that were out of his inner circle could not understand Hamlets actions thus could not make a significant act on him.   Hamlet also displays a reasonable character, proved by the long soliloquies stating that he was an active mind at work which shows no sign of insanity. Garrard illustrated that the act by Hamlet to slay Polonius by lugging his guts away, he depicted a high level of crazy.   His reason is not deceptive, and his soliloquies are not present. Both elements have been replaced by emotional outbursts directed to his mother, suggesting that the prince was on the brink of losing his mind. In the last scenes of the play, he again displays his soliloquies and reaffirms his rationality, as indicated by Schultz. This can be seen when he returned to Denmark after escaping the ship that was leading him to his demise. He then seeks forgiveness from those he had wronged and those he intended to. However, he still ends up hurting them with his actions founded on pure vengeance promoted by a perceived act of justice, rather than madness. With a review of Hamlets character, it is safe to imply that he is sane, then becomes crazy, and reverts back to being sane again, which can be summed up as temporary insanity. This implication gives room for a good argument to be based on both sides and fuses all points into a new sense of direction. This allows the audience to depict Hamlets character as a voyage from reason to madness and back to reason again. Using this aspect to examine Hamlet helps us see hid downfalls and comebacks. In conclusion, you cannot perceive Hamlet and totally sane or insane. His character can be best perceived as a changing factor as the play progresses. From the threatening but lucid man as the start of the play, he develops into a hysterical, infuriated young man in the middle, and reverts back to his normal self as a reasonable person at the end. Summing up A synthesis essay is not hard to write. You just need to find reliable sources or use those given to you, utilize the main points in each, and form a link to bring out a new perspective which synthesizes various points of view to come up with a new argument. The argument created should be supported by the provided sources. The conclusion you come up with should depict how it has undergone a scientific thought process, thus finally completing a concrete synthesis. Following all the required steps and utilizing the provided sources are key to the creation of a well-written synthesis essay.

Conceptual Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Conceptual Art - Essay Example Conceptual art is perhaps one of the artistic movements surrounded by many debates and controversies since it seems to provoke powerful emotions and reactions in audiences. That is, although a good number of audiences agree that conceptual art is not only refreshing but also relevant to modern times, others find it rather repugnant and shocking kind of art. In fact, others feel that conceptual art is not art at all. Thus, conceptual art could be described as something loved and hated in equal measure. That conceptual art is controversial and divisive is not accidental as it seeks to challenge and probe audiences to take a keen and analytical look at art in general and prompts them to question hitherto unchallenged assumptions about what qualifies as art and the roles of art and artists. Therefore, there are a number of hurdles that philosophers of conceptual art have to encounter and contend with in their work. First, conceptual art philosopher need to isolate the art/object under ex amination or categorization. This activity becomes quite challenging given that the definition and boundary of conceptual and other types of art is not quite clear. Generally, conceptual art refers to the artistic movement that appeared in the period between 1966 and 1972, practiced and spread by artists such as Joseph Kosuth, Robert Morris, Joseph Beuys and Mel Ramsden. A critical feature of this period’s art is its absorption and application of the lessons learnt from earlier 20th century art movements such as the Fluxus group., Abstract Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Suprematism. The other unique feature of conceptual art is that it attempts to overcome the notion that art is only about aesthetic value, emphasizing that art only valued for its beauty but not to make people think is redundant (Corris 78). Unlike conceptual art, instead of promoting reflection and conception, earlier artistic movements only used art to promote consumerism on the basis of the beauty of art and the skills of the artists. Conceptual artists thus denounce these specific and restricted views of art, Instead, they promote a revisionary understanding of works of art, artists, and artistic experiences. From a philosophical viewpoint, it would be rather narrow to restrict the definition of conceptual art to the 1960s and the 1970s. Thus, any inquiry into conceptual art should not only cover artworks created in this mentioned period since the spirit and intentions with which conceptual art was produced in the 1960s and 1970s continues even in current times

New Health Medical Systems Memo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Health Medical Systems Memo - Research Paper Example Staffing should incorporate specified basic rules which play a part in managing the human resources of an organization. New Health Medical Systems should have a durable staffing strategy which will be significant in attaining its objectives.The strategic decision of placing advertisements in the local newspapers and contacting staffing agencies that specialize in placing technicians into healthcare facilities is extremely significant for New Health Medical Systems. This will help in creating awareness among the qualified technicians. Organizing a job fair for local professionals to attend will also be essential for New Health Medical Systems. The job fair will enable the organization to analyze technicians who are qualified from the ordinary ones. New Health Medical Systems will receive numerous applications from technicians coming from different regions due to the job fair and visiting professionals. The final strategy of offering a $1,000 signing bonus to anyone who joins the organ ization and stays for at least 180 days is novel but ineffective as it will enhance the expenditure of the organization.The management of New Health Medical Systems should provide training for its current employees and put forward an offer for them. Also, any member of staff who recommends a qualified technician should get monetary rewards. This will help in developing and acquiring qualified technicians. The organization should employ all forms of media so as to adequately advertise the vacant positions.... There is need for appropriate forecasts regarding possible employee transfers, retirements, and turnover outside the zone. Training employees in the organization is a basic step for filling positions which are not required instantly. Staffing should incorporate specified basic rules which play a part in managing the human resources of an organization. New Health Medical Systems should have a durable staffing strategy which will be significant in attaining its objectives (Conaty & Charan, 2011). The strategic decision of placing advertisements in the local newspapers and contacting staffing agencies that specialize in placing technicians into health care facilities is extremely significant for New Health Medical Systems. This will help in creating awareness among the qualified technicians. Organizing a job fair for local professionals to attend will also be essential for New Health Medical Systems. The job fair will enable the organization to analyze technicians who are qualified from the ordinary ones. New Health Medical Systems will receive numerous applications from technicians coming from different regions due to the job fair and visiting professionals. The final strategy of offering a $1,000 signing bonus to anyone who joins the organization and stays for at least 180 days is novel but ineffective as it will enhance the expenditure of the organization. Recommendations The management of New Health Medical Systems should provide training for its current employees and put forward an offer for them. Also, any member of staff who recommends a qualified technician should get monetary rewards. This will help in developing and acquiring qualified technicians (Boudreau & Ramstad, 2007). The organization should employ all forms of media so as to adequately

Design Process - Satellite hinge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design Process - Satellite hinge - Research Paper Example Its thickness and positioning are adjusted so as to tune the final design in terms of motorization torque, stability, stiffness. Therefore, the selected hinges have to meet certain constraints for the satellite to work since the movement of panels has to be controlled without any damage and should be brought to rest and locked when fully deployed. These constraints are also very important since if they fail, then the whole satellite becomes unusable. (Givois, 2001) The hinges must have a maximum panel acceleration and deceleration of 200 deg/sec/sec and a maximum angular velocity of 400 deg/sec. Individual panels should not exceed a weight of 200 grams while the cost of each hinge should be approximately  £400. Figure 1 below shows the relationship between angle versus time, velocity versus time, acceleration versus time and torque versus time for both hinges. (Donzier, 1997) This comprise of two components i.e. a powered drive hinge and a multiple degree-of-freedom floating hinge. Powered deployment is a result of High Output Paraffin (HOP) linear motor that is acting through a redundant metal band. Deployment is initiated by provision of power to the actuator. One the panel is deployed in position, a bar latch gets into position hence locking the panel in a fully deployed position. (Starsys, p.51) It comprises of two hinges i.e. a spring powered drive and a multiple degree-of-freedom floating hinge. This provides exceptional stiffness for vibration loads without need of for a high tolerance alignment. Deployment energy is provided by a double coil torsion spring on the drive hinge. (Starsys, p.53) The hinge mechanism consist of a passive and powered constant torque hinge. The powered hinge is deigned to take axial and radial loads while the passive hinge has axial play to allow panel thermal displacements. This system provides a near constant torque for any deployment up to an angle of 180o. Each hinge consists of an axle,

Challenges to Infection Control of Hep C, B and HIV

Challenges to Infection Control of Hep C, B and HIV Infection control and cross contamination prevention are imperative to ensuring high quality patient care and quality of life for all patients. In the hemodialysis clinics and hospital units where patients are in end stage renal disease the prevention of infection is of utmost concern as it is directly correlated to lowered morbidity and mortality rates. Blood borne pathogens and bacteria are transmitted through poor infection control practices and lack of cross contamination prevention procedures. To understand the importance of infection control and cross contamination prevention, it is first imperative to understand the risks and consequences of infection transmittal in the hemodialysis unit. The hemodialysis unit is unique in that the procedure allows pathogens to enter the body through access sites, injection sites, and catheterization, all of which increase risk of infection for already ill patients. The following explores the most common concerns in infection transmittal as He patitis C and B, HIV, and common bacteria found in hemodialysis patients. This is followed by an exploration of methods in infection control, focusing on the procedures of cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection. An examination of staff education and training procedures that impact infection control and patient care follows. The research concludes with a summary and commentary. Research has often compared the incidences of HCV infections in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in patients, finding that patients undergoing clinical bloodstream invasive hemodialysis procedures have three times higher rates of HCV infections (Horl et al 2004). This is reflective of nosocomial transmission of HCV within the clinical dialysis setting (Horl et al 2004). HCV is transmitted through cross-contamination, occurring through blood, shared cannulas, and equipment, and blood transfusions (Horl et al 2004 p 1390). A comparison of the outcome of hepatitis virus-positive and -negative kidney transplant and hemodialysis patients involved 384 kidney transplant patients (67 HBsAg positive, 39 anti-HCV positive, 278 hepatitis negative), transplanted between 1987 and 2001, and 403 hemodialysis patients (128 HBsAg positive, 83 anti-HCV positive, 192 hepatitis negative) who had started hemodialysis and were referred to the kidney transplant waiting list during the same period (Visn ja et al 2008). Comparison of the groups survival rates, adjusted for patient age, showed that all kidney transplant patients survived longer than hemodialysis patients (p Thirty-two outpatient hemodialysis providers in the United States voluntarily reported 3699 adverse events to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) during 2006 (Klevens et al 2008). Among the 599 isolates reported, 461 (77%) represented access-associated blood stream infections in patients with central lines, and 138 (23%) were in patients with fistulas or grafts (Klevens et al 2008). The microorganisms most frequently identified were common skin contaminants (e.g., coagulase-negative staphylococci) (Klevens et al 2008). Hepatitis C (HCV) among maintenance hemodialysis patients has limited data on the incidence and prevalence. According to Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis (2007 p 360): In 2002, 63% of dialysis centers tested patients for anti-HCV, and 11.5% reported having (symbol) 1 patient who became anti-HCV positive in 2002. The incidence rate in 2002 was 0.34% among centers that tested for anti-HCV, the prevalence of anti-HCV among patients was 7y.8%, a decrease of 25.7% since 1995. In the facilities that tested, the reported incidence was 0.34% and the prevalence3 was 7.8%. Only 11.5% of dialysis facilities reported newly acquired HCV infection among their patients. The most efficient transmission of HCV is through direct percutaneous exposure to blood, central to the epidemiology of HCV transmission is the infected patient (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Staff members in hemodialysis clinics have similar rates of infection as other healthcare workers, between 1-2% (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). The risk factors of HCV infection in hemodialysis clinics include blood transfusion from unscreened donors and the number of years the patient has undergone hemodialysis treatment (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). The years of hemodialysis treatment is an independent risk factor that is strongly associated with high HCV infection rates, where the time of hemodialysis treatment increases the prevalence of HCV infection (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Patients undergoing hemodialysis for less than five years have a 12% chance of infection, while patients receiving dialysis for more than 5 years have a 37% chance of infection (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Dialysis related HCV outbreak research is indicative that HCV transmission occurs due to inadequate infection control practices of supplies and machinery (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). During hemodialysis, monitors such as the venous pressure monitor is used to as a protective system against external blood loss, wh ere blood may leak through clamps on infusion lines (Horl et al 2004). Pressure of the leak is sense through an air-filled tube that connects the venous bubble to the monitor, which senses the pressure of the blood flow; however blood losses up to 40 ml/min may be undetectable by the sensor equipment (Horl et al 2004). Cross-contamination during invasive practices occurs when blood enters the air-filled tube and contacts the monitoring machinery where the pressure protectors are inserted into the line or connective areas (Horl et al 2004). Hydrophobic and impermeable flexible membranes used may become wetted with blood, and thus pressure changes are not transmitted to the sensor and the monitor itself does not function accordingly, indicating that cross contamination may have occurred (Horl et al 2004). The CDC reported three outbreaks of HCV infection from 1999-2000 for patients in chronic hemodialysis centers (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Cross contamination opportunities were the common indicator of infection, where observations of cross contamination included: Equipment and supplies that were not disinfected between patient use (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Use of common medication carts to prepare and distribute medications at patient stations (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Sharing of multidose vials, which were placed at patients stations on the top of the hemodialysis machine (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Contaminated priming buckets that were not routinely changed or cleaned and disinfected between patients (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Machines surfaces that were not routinely cleaned and disinfected between patients (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Blood spills that were not cleaned up promptly (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). The sharing of multidose vials or injectable medications has been a source of high cross contamination. According to Finelli (et al 2002 p 58: â€Å"In 2002, 52.8% of centers reported that medications from multidose vials were drawn into syringes in preparation for patient administration in a dedicated medication room or an area separate from the treatment area, 24.6% reported that medications were prepared on a medication cart or a medication area within the treatment area, 3.7% at the dialysis station, and 18.9% in other areas. In 2002, the incidence of HBV infection was significantly higher among patients in centers where injectable medications were prepared on a medication cart or medication area located in the treatment area compared to a dedicated medication room (Table 13). However, the incidence of HCV infection was not significantly different by location where injectable medications were prepared. The incidence of HBV results are of particular concern because all medications, supplies, and equipment for HBsAg-positive patients should be dedicated for their use and not used by HBV-susceptible patients. Outbreaks of HBV infection have occurred when multipledose medication vials were available in the treatment area and used for both infected and susceptible patients, although isolation procedures for HBsAg-positive patients were in place for equipment and other supplies. To avoid contamination in the general hemodialysis population, medications should be prepared in a centralized area separate from the treatment area, and supplies and equipment should be shared only if they are disinfected between patients.† Furthermore, in dialysis centers where multiple infections clustered around timeframe a common exposure event is suggested as being likely due to supply carts moved from station to station which carried clean supplies and blood contaminated items such as biohazard containers, sharps disposal containers, and other containers contaminated or used to contain patients blood (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Due to the cross contamination opportunities and incidences, it is recommended that routine testing of hemodialysis patients for anti-HCV occur on admission and reoccur every six months (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). HIV patients often undergo hemodialysis over other options of dialysis therapy when they are in advanced stages of the disease, as hemodialysis has lowered incidences of protein loss and peritonitis (Henrich 2003). Hemodialysis is also preferred over CAPD for patience with cognitive motor dysfunction (Henrich 2003). However, concerns of transmission of HIV infection during hemodialysis in clinical dialysis units exist as patient to patient, patient to staff, and staff to patient risks of cross contamination (Henrich 2003). The risks of HIV transmission from patient to patient is extremely unlikely in dialysis units that conform to the practice guidelines recommended by the CDC† (Henrich 2003 p 341). The CDC examines that individual dialysis units had no HIV nosocomial transmissions for patients undergoing hemodialysis treatments in clinical settings (Henrich 2003). Furthermore, a study of multiple dialysis centers across the USA found no instances of HIV seroconversion over a 48 week period (Henrich 2003). Thus there is a negligible risk of HIV transmission, and therefore HIV patients do not require dedicated machines or isolation while undergoing hemodialysis when the clinicians follow the CDC guidelines (Henrich 2003). HIV has not been shown to be transmittable through hemodialysis machines as the pore size of dialyzer membrane is between 1 and 7 nm, and the HIV virus is 105 nm (Henrich 2003). The use of the same dialysis machine between HIV positive and negative patients is not correlated with the transmission of HIV in the clinical setting, provided that disinfection procedures for dialyzers and dialysis machines are followed for both non-HIV positive and HIV positive patien ts (Henrich 2003). It is important to note that when the disinfection and cross contamination procedures are ignored, HIV outbreaks in dialysis clinics can occur (Henrich 2003). This is represented by recent outbreaks of HIV in Columbia, Argentina, and Egypt hemodialysis clinics. In Columbia it was found that the transmission of HIV was due to the cross contamination of dialysis access needles and sharing of inadequately disinfected site access needles (Henrich 2003). In Argentina the cross use of filters and multidose heparin vials was shown to be the likeliest reason for the transmission of HIV (Henrich 2003). In Egypt, syringes were used for more than one patient, allowing the cross contamination to occur (Henrich 2003). While HIV patient to patient transmission has not occurred in Westernized clinics, it is imperative that adequate procedures for dialyzer and dialysis access devices are continuously utilized as a precautionary and preventative method (Henrich 2003). For healthcare workers, patient to staff transmission is a high concern. Interestingly, only one incidence of patient to staff HIV transmission has been recorded in the United States, which occurred through a needlestick injury (Henrich 2003). Yet risk still exists, where research statistics show reported incidences of 5 needlestick exposures and 28 skin and mucous membrane exposures for every 10,000 dialyses. (Henrich 2003 p 320) However, only one instance of HIV seroconversion due to patient to staff transmission has been reported by the CDC, but that should not diminish the risk that HIV transmission can occur, most likely due to needlestick injuries in hemodialysis clinics (in peritoneal dialysis, it may occur through improper handling of PD effluent) (Henrich 2003). Staff to patient transmission is also a concern. According to Henrich: To date, there have been no reports of transmission of HIV from a health care worker to a patient in a dialysis setting. There are other important issues in dialysis units that accept patients with HIV infection. Patients with HIV infection are prone to infection with myobacterium tuberculosis. In contrast to HIV, M. tuberculosis infection is an aerosol-transmitted infection, and, therefore, precautions to prevent the spread of this infection to other patients should be taken. Importantly, M. tuberculosis infections among HIV infected patients are often multidrug resistant. Nosocomial transmission of multidrug tuberculosis has been described. In addition to tuberculosis, HIV infected patients are at increased risk of other communicable infections. Appropriate precautions should be observed to protect other patients in the dialysis facility and the staff caring for these patients. (Henrich 2003 p 342). Nontuberculosis mycobacterial (NTM) infections are a concern for all hemodialysis patients, particularly in clinics that practice the reuse of dialysis machinery (Nissenson and Fine 2005). NTMs have a predilection to colonization in water utilized for hemodialyzer reprocessing, where the CDC examined 115 dialysis centers in 1988 (Nissenson and Fine 2005). NTM recovery from water was found in 83% of these centers and 50% of all water samples of these centers (Nissenson and Fine 2005). An outbreak in Loiusiana that occurred in 1985 was due to inadequate sterilization of hemodialysis equipment, where 27 patients became infected with mycobacterium chelonei, 14 patients died over a one year period (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Similar outbreaks have occurred over the last twenty years, where bacterial contamination of reprocessed dialyzers was the main culprit (Nissenson and Fine 2005). No bactermias were found in patients who used only new dialyzers (Nissenson and Fine 2005). In a 1995 repo rt, an outbreak of klebsiella pneumoniae bactermia was shown to be due to cross contamination (Nissenson and Fine 2005). These incidences are attributed to failure to adequately use aseptic techniques during the reprocessing of dialyzers used by patients with bacteremia infections, thus allowing the contaminated dialyzers to spread to other patients in the hemodialysis clinics (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Viral infection has been the main epidemiologic concern in the hemodialysis units; however, bacterial infection is responsible for more than 30% of all causes of morbidity and mortality in Portuguese hemodialysis patients, vascular access infection being the culprit in 73% of all bacteremias (Ponce et al 2007). A prospective multicenter cohort study of bacterial infections incidence, conducted from January to July 2004 in five hemodialysis units, to record and track bacterial infections, using a validated database from CDC’s Dialysis Surveillance Network Program (Ponce et al 2007). The results are surmised: 4,501 patient-months (P-M) were surveyed, being dialyzed through a native fistula (AVF) in 60.6%, a graft (PTFE) in 31.3%, a tunneled catheter (TC) in 7.6%, and a transient catheter (C) in 0.5%. 166 hospitalisations were registered as target events and 182 intravenous antibiotic courses were assessed (Ponce et al 2007). Of these 182 antibiotic treatments, 47.8% included van comycin, only 30% had blood cultures drawn pretreatment, and only 36% were positive. The research found 98 infections at the vascular access site and 2.13 infections at other sites. The isolated microorganisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis in 40.1%, Staphylococcus aureus in 30.1%, Pseudomonas in 13.3%, and Escherichia coli in 3.3% (Ponce et al 2007). Researchers found that the number of target events and the bacterial infections incidence were remarkably homogeneous in the five Portuguese centers (Ponce et al 2007). The research concluded with the following major points: (1) High incidence of bacterial infections, causing major morbidity; (2) infectious risk is vascular access type-dependent, with dramatic rise in catheters; (3) underutilization of blood cultures to orient diagnosis and therapy, and (4) high rates of vancomycin prescription (Ponce et al 2007 p 136). Cetin (et al 2007) compared microbial findings and their resistance to antibiotics between hemodialysis patients and patients without end-stage renal failure with diabetic foot infections. An 18-month-long descriptive study analyzed bacterial isolates obtained from 32 hemodialysis (HD) patients with diabetic foot infection in an Antakya hemodialysis center and 65 patients with diabetic foot infection admitted to the Education and Research Hospital of Mustafa Kemal University, Turkey (Cetin et al 2007). The occurrence of gram-positive bacteria in the hemodialysis patients was found to be 59.0%, this rate in the other patients was 53.1% (Cetin et al 2007). The frequent bacterial species isolated in the hemodialysis patients were S. aureus (22.9%), followed by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (CNS) (19.7%), the microorganisms in the other patients were found as CNS (20.7%), followed S. aureus (18.0%) (Cetin et al 2007). The researches recommend that antibiotic therapy in HD patien ts with diabetic foot infection should be more closely guided by culture findings and antimicrobial susceptibility results (Cetin et al 2007). Patient’s exposure to dialyzer reprocessing allows for a potential for blood borne bacterial infections to occur, where the majority of NTM infections are due to the improper reprocessing techniques (Nissenson and Fine 2005). In recent history, there have been few indications of invasive infections from reprocessed dialyzers; however there are no current and reliable estimates of infection risk attributed to dialyzer reuse in hemodialysis (and other dialysis) clinics (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Standardization of reprocessing techniques has resulted in acceptably low risk of bacterial infections of modern dialyzer reuse (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Infection control practices in hemodialysis units reduce the risk of patient to patient transmissions through directly or indirectly contaminated devices (Mayhall 2004). Devices may include equipment, supplies, environment surfaces (floors, tables), and the personnel’s hands (Mayhall 2004). Practices should be routinely carried out for all patients in the hemodialysis units as there is increased potential for blood contamination during hemodialysis, where many patients undergoing hemodialysis are colonized or infected with pathogens (Mayhall 2004). Practices established for infection control include stringent measures for the prevention of HBV due to the ability of HBV to survive on surfaces and contaminate dialysis machines (Mayhall 2004). Patients with increased risk for transmission of pathogens such as antimicrobial resistant strains may require additional precautions such as dedicated (non-reuse) dialyzers (Mayhall 2004). Infection surveillance and other events is importa nt to monitor the infection control practices and ensure their effectiveness (Mayhall 2004). Chronic hemodialysis patients should have routine HBV and HCV infection tests and these tests should be reviewed promptly (Mayhall 2004). This allows the facility to identify potential cross contaminations before they result in an epidemic, allowing for proper infection control measures and possible staff retraining based on the test results (Mayhall 2004). It is important to note that test results must be communicated to other units of the facility when patients are moved for care, for example a HCV positive patient moves from hemodialysis to ICU allowing for better patient care (Mayhall 2004): Routine HCV testing should include use of both a screening immunoassay to test for anti-HCV and supplemental or confirmatory testing with an additional, more specific assay. Use of NAT for HCV RNA as the primary test for routine screening is not recommended, because few HCV infections will be identified in anti-HCV negative patients. However, if alanine amino-transferae levels are persistently abnormal in anti-HCV negative patients in the absence of another etiology, testing for HCV RNA should be considered. Blood samples collected for NAT should not contain heparin, which interferes with the accurate performance of this assay (Mayhall 2004 p 1152) Procedures for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization for infection control in a hemodialysis center are important to reduce cross contamination, and do not differ greatly from those in other health care settings. However, the uniqueness of the hemodialysis setting allows for higher potentials for blood contamination due to the routine vascular system access that increases the potential for cross contamination of blood borne pathogens (Mayhall 2004). Critical medical items that require stronger disinfection and disposal techniques include needles and catheters and other equipment that requires invasive procedures (Mayhall 2004). Semicritical equipment includes those that come in contact with the mucous membranes, such as endoscopes (Mayhall 2004). Noncritical equipment is that which comes into contact with the skin, such as blood pressure cuffs. Hemodialysis units should maintain infection control policies that prevent cross contamination based on these critical levels to ensure t hat infection potential is reduced (Mayhall 2004). Specifically related to needles as critical medical equipment in the hemodialysis unit, the CDC issued the following statement regarding infection control and cross contamination: â€Å"To prevent transmission of both bacteria and bloodborne viruses in hemodialysis settings, CDC recommends that all single-use injectable medications and solutions be dedicated for use on a single patient and be entered one time only. Medications packaged as multidose should be assigned to a single patient whenever possible. All parenteral medications should be prepared in a clean area separate from potentially contaminated items and surfaces. In hemodialysis settings where environmental surfaces and medical supplies are subjected to frequent blood contamination, medication preparation should occur in a clean area removed from the patient treatment area. Proper infection control practices must be followed during the preparation and administration of injected medications. This is consistent with official CDC recommendations for infection control precautions in hemodialysis and other health-care settings. Health departments and other public health partners should be aware of the n ew CMS conditions for ESRD facilities. All dialysis providers are advised to follow official CDC recommendations regarding Standard Precautions and infection control in dialysis settings. Specifically, CDC has recommended the following: ‘Intravenous medication vials labeled for single use, including erythropoietin, should not be punctured more than once. Once a needle has entered a vial labeled for single use, the sterility of the product can no longer be guaranteed’. (MMWR 2008:875-876). Environmental surfaces that are frequently touched, such as equipment and tables, should be cleaned after each patients hemodialysis procedure with a detergent or detergent germicide (Mayhall 2004). This cleaning step is imperative to preventing cross contamination, but may be often overlooked. The cleaning process interrupts the cross contamination and transmission routes, and should be completed each time the equipment is used (Mayhall 2004). Patient to patient transmission of viruses and pathogens through the hemodialysis machine and its various components is an environmental risk, where the external surfaces such as the control pane and attached waste containers used for priming, as well as blood tubes and other items such as dialyzer caps and medication vials that may come into contact with the machine surfaces are all potential vehicles for cross contamination (Alter et al 2001). Microorganisms, including resistant bacterial spores, are killed by sterilization. The procedures for sterilization are generally steam cleaning or ethylene oxide gas used on critical medical equipment. However for equipment that is heat sensitive, FDA approved liquid chemicals can be used according to the manufacturer’s directions and with appropriate exposure timeframes (Alter et al 2001). High-level disinfectant may kill viruses and bacteria, but is not adequate for killing bacterial spores that exist in high numbers (Alter et al 2001). High-level disinfection includes heat pasteurization and chemical sterilants (also must be FDA-approved). The sterilants and high-level disinfectants can be used on medical devices, but not on environmental surfaces (Alter et al 2001). For environmental surfaces, the CDC recommends intermediate-level disinfectants that kill bacteria and most viruses (Alter et al 2001). This includes tuberculocidal hospital disinfectant and diluted bleach. Lo w-level disinfectants such as general purpose cleaners kill most bacteria and are designed for environmental surfaces, these can also be used on noncritical medical devices in accordance with manufacturer’s labels (Alter et al 2001). It is important to note that antiseptics such as chlorhexidene and iodine are designed for use on skin and are ineffective for cleaning medical equipment and environmental surfaces (Alter et al 2001). Prior to disinfection and sterilization, it is imperative that hemodialysis clinics support the use of germicidal detergents (Alter et al 2001). Germicidal detergents remove organic material such as blood and feces, as well as dirt and debris (Alter et al 2001). Dirt, debris, and organic material act as a protective shield for microorganisms by blocking or inactivating disinfectants and sterilants (Alter et al 2001). Therefore, hemodialysis clinics must add germicidal detergents to their cleaning and sterilization regimens (Alter et al 2001). Training and education of staff and patients is underlined as the most imperative component to ensuring the quality of infection control practices. Chronic hemodialysis clinics should update practices and policies to ensure that they are implemented and rigorously followed, where efforts should center on the education of new staff members and continuing education for tenured staff. Emphatically, hemodialysis units should consult CDC recommendations and approved practices to ensure that they are following the most appropriate and up to date infection control procedures. Staffs working in renal units are frequently unaware of the level of microbiologic contamination in their dialysis fluid arising from the presence of biofilm in the dialysis machines and the water distribution network (Hoenich and Levin 2003). Bacterial fragments generated by such biofilms are able to cross the dialysis membrane and stimulate an inflammatory response in the patient (Hoenich and Levin 2003). Such inflammation has been implicated in the mortality and morbidity associated with dialysis (Hoenich and Levin 2003). The desire to improve treatment outcomes has led to the application of more stringent standards for the microbiologic purity of dialysis fluid and to the introduction of ultraclean dialysis fluid into clinical practice (Hoenich and Levin 2003). Other researchers found that blood exposure is common for healthcare workers in hemodialysis, requiring the use of gloves when in contact with patients and patient equipment followed by appropriate hand washing techniques. Researchers examined staff members from a sample of 45 US hemodialysis facilities though anonymous survey questionnaires. The results show that of the 420 (69%) responses as: registered nurses, 41%; dialysis technicians, 51%; and licensed practical nurses, 8%. Only 35% of all respondents reported that dialysis patients were at risk for blood borne virus infections, and only 36% reported always following recommended hand hygiene and glove use practices (Shimokura et al 2006). Technicians, over registered nurses, reported more frequent compliance and measures for cross contamination prevention (Shimokura et al 2006). Compliance with recommended hand hygiene and glove use practices by hemodialysis staff was very low, and understanding of the reasons for compliance is seemingly ignored by some licensed nurses (Shimokura et al 2006). Infection control practices specific to the hemodialysis setting, and the reasons for these practices, was poorly understood by all staff (Shimokura et al 2006). This underlines that infection control training should be tailored to this setting and should address misconceptions of cross contamination and the risks of infections (Shimokura et al 2006). In one case of staff education, researchers reported an increase in Gram Negative Bacillus (GNB) infection in patients with long term catheters (LTC) (Mayor et al 2005). An objective was set to design an action plan and a new working methodology in order to eradicate the infection and the cause (Mayor et al 2005). Three periods were established in the prospective follow-up of LTC patients: the pre-epidemic period (01/94 to 03/99), with a bacteraemia every 144 days per patient, the epidemic period (04/99 to 12/00) with a bacteraemia every ten days per patient, and the post-epidemic period (01/01 to 04/02) (Mayor et al 2005). A multidisciplinary working group was established, which produced action plans for nursing and technical staff (Mayor et al 2005). The working methodology of the service was studied and analysed by means of a review (Mayor et al 2005). The dialysis and connector cultures were positive for GNB, confirming that they were of the same genetic origin (Mayor et al 2005) . An evaluation of the periods was carried out, studying the working methodology, to which no changes were made between the pre-epidemic and epidemic period (Mayor et al 2005). In the post-epidemic period, a number of changes were made to the care dynamic, with no other bacteraemia arising to date (Mayor et al 2005). Adapting and improving protocols is a good indicator of quality. The role of nursing staff communication, education, training and practices are vital in prevention of GNB (Mayor et al 2005). At Sentara Bayside (SBH), Leigh (SLH), Norfolk General (SNGH) and Virginia Beach General (SVBGH) Dialysis Units, researchers examined the ability of hemodialysis clinical areas of each hospital according to The JCs National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) knowledge of Standards of Care/ANNA (Grier-Smith 2008). The research found that staff is able to articulate standards and requirements, where monthly and hourly rounds at each unit occur as well as peer to peer unit evaluations and daily huddles prior to work day based on behavior based expectations, the environment of care, and constant daily checks and balances (Grier-Smith 2008). The adherence to peer to peer communications, behavior support, and team work has been instrumental in supporting staff ability in the hemodialysis clinics to maintain strong positive scores in knowledge of standards of care, this underlines the importance of staff training and education that is continuously supportive of behaviors associated with lowering i nfection risks and