Reserche proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reserche proposal - Essay Example The researcher has chosen to research the area of people with learning disabilities. Researcher because of experience of working in a PCT chose this subject area, where a large proportion of people with learning disabilities access primary health care services from independent contractors. The researcher works closely with a learning disabilities team and is carrying out research on their behalf that has a keen interest to identify the barriers for people with learning disabilities face, while accessing health services within Kensington and Chelsea PCT. As a health care practitioner, researcher is concerned that these people are discriminated against. The new government health strategy â€Å"our health, our care, our say† reinforces people rights and desires. Therefore, why not people with learning disability have a same right as other people and why they cannot access the same services. The aim of the study is to identify â€Å"Are health’s needs being met by GP services for people with learning disabilities?† The purpose of this study is to identify the most effective ways of closing the health gap and improving services so that people with learning disability problems have their physical needs met. A review of literature in this area was carried out using various search strategies (See appendix 1). Learning disability is a major concern around the world. Not all people share equal opportunities for good health and evidence indicates that people in less advantaged circumstances experience poorer health [1]. The poorer health of people with learning disabilities is the major concern in present circumstances. Therefore, this proposal will review the wider causes of health inequalities and consider how these affect people with learning disabilities. â€Å"People with learning disabilities have much poorer health than the general population and the NHS has traditionally failed to serve people with learning disabilities

West music recording corporation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

West music recording corporation - Coursework Example 5. The names of the leading songs. 5. Location 1. The navigation menu for the user to move from the page. 2. A quick link if the user wants to contact the company. Target Users of the website The website will be used by music selling company, music listeners and musicians. Music selling persons John is a business man who owns a music store in New York City. He sells all genres of music at his store. To make high sales, he has to have the best and the latest music for his clients. The music seller will look for a site to provide those services. The music seller will have this information from the home page. The company will also replies to any questions the seller sends. Music Listener Wayne is a high school graduate who owns an iPod. He prefers to have the latest music in his iPod. He makes a lot downloads over the internet but he ends up not listening to most of this music. Wayne has decided to be finding the best musicians online to download their music. He will be looking at the w ebsite to get news about the top musician on the bill boards and the best music. Musicians Dre is an upcoming musician from West Indies. He would like to record his music in a reputable company and alongside famous musician. He walks to down town companies which do not have a strong profile. The site provides Dre with a profile where he can see if the company fits what he wants. Provision of the contact page will also allow him to enquire on anything. Evaluating wire frames Questionnaires that would evaluate the wire frames were formulated. They were divided into open and closed questionnaires. The main objective of the questionnaire was to test if navigation, visibility and provision of what clients needed were right. The user chosen to fill the forms...The company representative gave the requirements required were such as providing the company profile. This profile would enable the business get as many clients as possible. Mailing capability was another thing the website was suppo sed to provide to allow their clients contact them with easiness. Music listeners were supposed to be incorporated in the site requirement specification. The listener stated some of the requirement they would have its to see the top musician on the billboard. The second requirement was to know the best ranked music at any moment. This would allow this person to download the latest music without going to a lot headache. The musicians who are the main clients of the company had to be considered, and a representative was found. The interview revealed the need of a profile page to enable the musician make a decision whether or not hire the company. They also required a contact page to communicate with the company without moving outside the website. Collecting of user requirement was involving because some users gave conflicting requirements. This required my ability in decision making, which sometime would not favor all the users. Another problem was starting to collect requirements from users without informing them on the need of providing this information.

Factors leading to building of good working environment

Factors leading to building of good working environment As HR professionals, we know that the real strength of an organization is its people. It is the only asset which cannot be easily copied but management tend to forget that people are not robots. The management is only concern about bring down the cost rather than focusing on improving the work environment in which their employees work in. Lately especially in Mauritius with the new regulations, employees are more willing to invest in their infrastructure so as to create a safe place to work. However, just investing in infrastructure and increasing pay is not the magic elixir towards the promoting of a good working environment. There are other factors which are important and they are discussed below. Culture The culture of an organization is the typical way of doing things in the organization. It particularly relates to behavioural patterns and relationships. The culture of an organization develops over time. It is created by the people that work for the organization, that is, its workforce and managers. What the organization stands for (its values) and the dreams that it seeks to turn into reality (its vision) are fundamental in creating a dynamic culture. A high performance culture exists when everyone in the organization shares the same vision and where they trust and value each others contribution. This shared belief and behaviors will ensure that the working environment at the firm is stable and consistent. Schein gives a more precise analysis of organizational Culture based on organizational psychology Organizational Culture is: A pattern of basic assumptions Invented, discovered, or developed by a given group As it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation an integral integration That has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, Is to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to these problem According to Schein, there are four dimensions of culture should be present in a firm namely, company practices, company communication, physical Cultural forms and common language. According to Armstrong .M(1996), Culture management is concerned with: Culture change: the development of attitudes, benefits and values which will be congruent with the organizations mission, mission, strategies, environment and technologies. Culture reinforcement: which aims to preserve and reinforce what is good or functional about the present culture Change management: This is concerned with enabling the culture to adapt successfully to change and gaining acceptance to changes in organization, systems procedures ad methods of work. Commitment gain: commitment of members of the organization to the mission, strategies and values The aims of culture Management are to: Develop an ideology which guides management on the formulation and implementation of coherent HRM strategies and policies Create and maintain a positive climate within the organization which indicates the behavior which is expected of members of that organization in the course of their work The management of the organizations culture is a central activity for senior management with the advice and help of personnel and HR specialists in their increasingly important role as internal consultants. Culture provides a sense of direction and is an unwritten form of norms which guides the employees in their everydays work at the workplace. It is this shared belief which guides and binds each individual at the workplace so that they form part of a family. Moreover, it is this shared belief which helps to form and maintain a good working environment. Each individual is unique in his or her way. It is the employers role to provide and sustain a culture which will be beneficial for each of the firms strategic partners. An employee spends most of his time at the workplace consequently the latter should feel at ease. He should feel that he is valued and not neglected by the company. Leadership Alan keith of Genentech states that, Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. According to ken SKC Ogbonnia, effective Leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals. Good management brings about order and consistency by drawing formal plans, designing organizational structures and monitoring results against the plans. In other words, the role of management is in the area of planning, implementation and control. In contrast, leadership involves developing a vision and inspiring people to achieve that vision. This leads to Shackletons definition (1995) Leadership is the process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or organizational goals. The modern Leaders should be more of an employee oriented rather than production oriented. The statement You manage things, you lead people from Grace Murray Hopper demonstrates the importance of the behavioural dimensions of leadership . It involves the concern that the leader has for the feelings, needs, personal interest, problems and well being of followers. This is such as employees are the human capital which contributes to the success and development of a company to a great extent. Thus, these days, companies do not see them only as factors of production from the classical perspective, but have started to value them as stakeholders and strategic partners with who long term goals are achieved together. A positive working environment is critical no matter how many employees the firm have. It is management that fosters the work atmosphere so they are responsible for conducting things in a way that helps raise peoples spirits. The statement from David J. Schawartz which states big thinkers are specialist in creating positive, forward looking, optimistic pictures in their own minds and in the minds of others is significant because people generally need some sort of challenge to motivate themselves. Effective leadership means offering people the chance to grow. The management should recognize their contribution through positive feedback and advancement to more challenging positions. Norman Allan statement Skill in the art of communication is crucial to a leaders success. He can accomplish nothing unless he can communicate effectively is indeed true since an organization will experience a good working environment only if the management and the employees are engaged in a collaborative and participation relationship. This reminds us of the statement from Mary D. Poole Leadership should be more participative than directiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.If the employees do not trust the management then this will create conflicting relationship between both parties and this is a major barrier towards the promotion of a good working environment. Thus communication is indeed a powerful tool which can align both partners towards the same goal. The leaders should do their best to create an atmosphere that is conducive to trust and provide the necessary infrastructure for the personal growth of its workforce. The leaders should do their best to create an environment where the workforce will feel at ease and can thus be more productive. The management should not forget that by creating a good working environment it will be a win situation for both the workers and the employers as this will enable the firm to be more competitive and productive. 2.3 Organisational justice Distributive justice This type of justice refers to outcomes being distributed proportional to inputs like the so-called equity principle (Adams, 1965). Outcomes in a work context might take the form of wages, social approval, job security, promotion and career opportunities, while inputs would include education, training, experience and effort. As it can be difficult to determine what constitutes an appropriate level of reward for a particular degree of input, people tend to make this judgement in relative terms, looking for a contribution-outcome ratio that is similar to that of their peers. For instance, if two employees have the same qualifications and experience but only one of them gets a promotion, the one who did not get promoted might feel that he was the victim of an unfair decision from the management. Consequently, such injustice might create a havoc in the firms working environment. Procedural justice Procedural justice is concerned with the fairness of the decision process leading to a particular outcome. It can outweigh distributive justice, in the sense that individuals might be willing to accept an unwanted outcome if they believe the decision process leading up to it was conducted according to organizational justice principles. For example, Greenberg (1994) found that smokers more strongly accepted a smoking ban at their workplace when they felt they had been given thorough information about the change of policy, in a socially sensitive manner. The same principles might apply to the hypothetical promotion scenario given above. An unpromoted worker may be placated if he is convinced that the system used to decide promotions is transparent and free from bias. Thus, if the employees trust the procedures adopted by their managers, they will readily accept them and the good working environment will be sustained at the workplace Interactional justice A third type of justice has been proposed by Bies and Moang(1986), which they call Interactional justice: the communication of fairness. This perceptive argues that people are sensitive to the quality of interpersonal treatment they receive during the enactments of organisational procedures. Researchers treated this as a third type of justice but recently researchers now treat it as one component of procedural justice. Colquitt (2001) divides interactional justice into two components: interpersonal which compasses respect and propriety and informational, which encompasses truthfulness and justification. Positive effects of organisational justice Well-designed systems that promote distributive, procedural and interactional justice profit both the individual, who will be satisfied that they have been fairly treated, and the organisation, which will maintain control over potential challenges and threats from its staff while reaping the benefits of being an employer of choice. Numerous gains can be observed. For example, Sheppard et al . (1992) state that equitable pay improves individual performance, equal treatment raises group spirit, voice creates commitment to a decision, and access creates a loyal ally (p. 102). Justice promotes positive attitudes of job satisfaction, commitment and trust, in turn breeding healthy and constructive professional and interpersonal behaviour. In particular, perceptions of procedural justice have been associated with the termed organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) that is, informal, prosocial acts that go beyond the immediate remit of the job description and encompass such outputs as cour tesy, conscientiousness, altruism and sportsmanship (Organ, 1988; Skarlicki and Latham, 1996). If employees feel that there exist organizational justice at their workplace, they will feel more secure and the wok environment will be more friendly between the management and the employees and this will drive the company towards achievement of its goals and objective. Psychological contract (PC) The long term economic health of most organization depends on the efforts of employee with the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities. One concept that has been useful in discussing employees relationship with the organization is that of a psychological contract. Which refers to the unwritten expectation that employees and employers have about the nature of their work relationship because of the PC is individual and subjective in nature, it focuses on expectations about fairness that may be defined clearly by employees. The transformation in the PC mirrors on evolution in which organization have moved from employing individual who perform tasks. To employing individuals expected to produce results. Rather than just paying them to follow orders and put in time, increasingly employers are expecting employees to use their skills and capabilities to accomplish organizational results. Studies suggest that employees do believe in these unwritten agreement or PC and hope their employers will keep their side of the agreement. When employers do not, employees feel a minimal need to contribute to organizational productivity because they no longer trust employers. Thus, employers loyalty is necessary and it can be successfully based on a new PC with the following expectation: Employers provide employee provide Competitive compensation Contribute to performance improvement Benefits tailored to the workforce Reasonable tenure with the organization Flexibility to balance work Extra effort when needed and home life balance 2.4 Personality, Health, Work Environment, and Performance According to Schneider (1987), the people make the place, and people are attracted differentially to, differentially selected, and differentially leave organizations. Costa, McCrae, and Holland (1984) emphasized on the fact that people begin this procedure by choosing into vocations that match their behaviors. Similarity between an interviewee values and the values of interviewers and employees in organizations has been shown to result in enhanced work attitudes and improved performance after organizational entry (Judge and Cable, 1997; Chatman, 1991). Research by Cable and Judge (1994) and Judge and Cable (1997) highlighted that interviewee pro-actively prefer such organizational environments based on individual preferences, as they think that job candidates look for organizations with recognize their efforts and reward them and cultures that fit their behaviors. Of even greater significance is the prospect that the link between personality characteristics and good work environments may have an influence on performance (Hurtz and Donovan, 2000). . Training and development programs Employee training programs are an integral part of the HR vision and long term strategic objectives of an organization. Through timely and planned training programs, employees are able to develop their knowledge, skills and capabilities so as to perform assigned jobs consistently and successfully. Ultimately, carefully devised and implemented employee training programs should impact organizational competiveness, long term performance and overall productivity. (By Pallab Dutta, ehow contributor). Nowadays, when we talk of training, employees want to form part of the planning process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.preparation and agreement with the individual of a development plan including formal training and various development activitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦'(Baron and Armstrong,2005,p.25). This collaboration ensures that efficient training occurs and everyone is capable of learning more and doing better in their job ( Baron and Armstrong,2005,p.25). All employees want to work for an organization that will satisfy their need for development as all employees want to develop and acquire new skills so that they are not only efficient but also more employable. Herzberg (1973) stresses opportunities for learning as a motivation factor in a good working environment when employees are properly trained, they become empowered with the knowledge and skills to perform their job functions with confidence. In turn, they will develop a stronger sense of accomplishment, usefulness and loyalty to the organisation (Peterson). Consequently, if the management caters this need of its workforce then they will be motivated and committed. This will eventually create a good working environment since both parties will respect their promise towards each other. 2.7 Staff Empowerment Creating an environment and culture where employees feel comfortable and capable of accomplishing their finest work, is the only means that ensures these organizations are experiencing their employees peak potentials. People are empowered when they are given the authority and responsibility to make decisions affecting their work with a minimum of interference and second guessing (Maurer, 2000, p.5). Empowerment has received increased attention among scholars and practitioners at the workplace (Donovan, 1994), and an opinion regarding the numerous advantages of empowering employees is shared by both managers and employees. Empowerment has proved to influence both organizational and managerial effectiveness (Spreitzer,1995) and is recognized as a method by which managers can efficiently manage an organization in todays work environment. 2.8 Trust Respect Trust is seen as an important attribute of effective leadership and has been referred to as the glue which keeps an organization together as a functioning unit (Strasser, 1994, p.181). In a study, Mishra (1990) concludes that there exist four factors that breed trust within an organization namely: Communication at all level Shared decision making Sharing critical information Honest sharing of perceptions and feelings This study also concluded that trust is an element which starts at the top of any organization, then filter sits way down due to the upper managements hierarchical advantage and greater access to key information. In a team-based environment, trust is an essential ingredient to the overall success and ensures that there exist a collaborative working environment where all party can cohabit and work together. Grundy (1998, p. 180) concludes that organizations where there are determined levels of trust, employees experience empowerment, satisfaction, and competitive advantage, stating; For a team to work effectively, its members must trust one another. We must be able to assume that we can trust each other, that is we can operate with the same values and purpose, count on each other during tough times, be bone straight with each other and work together with mutual respect and care (Harari,1999, p. 29) 2.9 Office layout and working environment Over the years, many organizations have been trying new designs and techniques to construct office buildings, which can increase productivity, and attract more employees. Many authors have noted that, the physical layout of the workspace, along with efficient management processes, is playing a major role in boosting employees productivity and improving organizational performance (Uzee, 1999; Leaman and Bordass, 1993; Williams et al. 1985). The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID, 1999) carried out an independent study and revealed that the physical workplace design is one of the top three factors, which affect performance and job satisfaction. The study results showed that 31 percent of people were satisfied with their jobs and had pleasing workplace environments. 50 percent of people were seeking jobs and said that they would prefer a job in a company where the physical environment is good. Ergonomics of office furniture is important because an employee has to work with them for the entire time that he is on office, and if they are uncomfortable and not user friendly, their working style and efficiency gets hampered considerably, in turn affecting the overall organizations. Non-ergonomic office furniture can also lead to health problems of employees, which again has an adverse effect on the productivity. Ergonomic office furniture ensures that each employee gels well with the things around him, like desks, chairs, computer alignment and even environmental factors. If the employee is uncomfortable due to any reason, his work is bound to get affected. If all factors surrounding the employee are ergonomically correct, then the employee will be comfortable and remain motivated to give his best. Nowier Mohammed (2009) Barriers towards building a good working environment The promotion of a good working environment has numerous advantages namely the firm will have a motivated workforce which will work to their maximum level so as to make the organization become more competitive. Moreover, the firms reputation will not be affected negatively since it will not suffer from problem like strikes and other major problems. As a result, the organization will be more productive and efficient. However, in spite of these advantages, there exist barriers towards the creation of a great place to work namely: Resistant from both parties At the workplace, there are often conflicts between the management team and the employees and this is due to the simple fact that no one party wants to listen to the other. For instance, the management usually implements decisions first and then they expect employees to follow. The management tends to use the authoritarian leadership style but employees are against that since they want to have a say. Resistance can be constructive if it forces managers to interact more frequently with subordinate, to review the decision to introduce change, and perhaps to explore alternative ways to meet desired objective. Six approaches have been put forward as ways of controlling resistance to change (kotter Schlesinger, 1979): Education and communication Participation Facilitation Negotiating and agreement Manipulation and co-option Coercion If the management uses the above approaches then issues like disagreement can be resolved. For instance, with a proper communication channel, there will be clarification of information and thus both parties will be on the same length. Moreover, by educating the employees, they will be able to see change as an opportunity rather than a threat. Thus, such policies can ensure that the organization will experience a harmonious working environment with very little or no conflict at the workplace.

ASTEROIDS :: essays research papers fc

Asteroids Sixty-Five million years ago, 70 percent of life on Earth died. The most reasonable and possible reason this happened was an asteroid. An asteroid hit the Earth very hard, and in doing this, dirt and dust from the impact stayed in the air and it blocked out sunlight, that’s why the dinosaurs died. An asteroid is a rock from outer space. Asteroids have orbited the Sun along with the planets since the solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago, but it’s only been 200 years since we first discovered them. Meteorites are small pieces of asteroids broken off on impact with other asteroids. Most meteorites are rusty brown on the outside, have rounded edges from melting as they go through Earth’s atmosphere, and contain iron. There are 3 different types of meteorites: stony, metallic, and stony metallic.92 percents of all asteroids are stone, 6 percent are made of iron and nickel, and the rest are a combination. Some meteorites also contain gold, copper, platinum, and carbon. Scientists get a good idea of what asteroids are made of by studying them through telescopes. They can tell what an asteroid is made of by the color and brightness of the asteroid. A lot of asteroids that we have discovered are very dark and made of stone, but there are shiny ones that are made of nickel and iron. Most big asteroids are ball shaped. Smaller asteroids, which are usually broken off of a larger asteroid, come in a lot of different shapes. All asteroids have craters that form when they bump or crash into other asteroids. The older the asteroid, the more times it has been hit and the more craters it has. Asteroids can be found orbiting the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter; this is called the Asteroid belt or Main belt. The asteroid belt has been said to probably contain millions of asteroids that are all different. There are more than 20,000 numbered asteroids. Some times asteroids get knocked off the asteroid belt. As asteroids revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits, Jupiter’s gravity and getting to close to Mars or another asteroid can change an asteroids path, this could send an asteroid out of the asteroid belt and into space across the orbits of other planets. An example of asteroid orbits changing is Mar’s moons Phobos and Deimos. These were asteroids that went to close to Mars and got caught in its orbit.

Bishop’s poetry Essay

I agree with this assessment of Bishop’s poetry. Her poems on the syllabus certainly pose interesting questions about identity, awareness and one’s place in the world, indeed the universe, and they do so by means of a unique style. This style is influenced by Bishop’s acute awareness of the poet’s craft and her ability to work with both traditional forms (sestina and sonnet, for instance) and free verse. The questions that interested me most are those posed in ‘Questions of Travel’. These fascinated me because Bishop dedicated so much of her life to travel, yet in this poem she questions the motives behind travel and exploration. One stylistic feature that is characteristic of Bishop is the conversational tone and it is evident in the opening lines, as she states ‘There are too many waterfalls here’. The question raised in my mind is ‘How can there be â€Å"too many† waterfalls? ’ Surely the waterfalls are a sight of natural splendour? Yet, reading on, we see that everything in this place of natural beauty over-powers the poet – the streams are crowded, they hurry ‘too rapidly’, there are ‘so many’ clouds. Why is this? She says that the streams and clouds ‘keep travelling, travelling’ and this poses the question of her own travels; has travel become as monotonous as the relentless waterfalls or is it a type of addiction or compulsion for the poet? This question poses more questions when we consider the poet’s alcoholism and the part played by addiction in her life. The questions raised in the next stanza address themes, which are central to her poetry – home, exclusion, and the quest for new horizons. Bishop wonders if the idea of a place is more satisfying than the place itself – ‘Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? ’ This apparently simple question is loaded with difficulties for Bishop as ‘home’ was never a simple concept for her. She is acutely aware of herself as an outsider in this culture and feels she is ‘watching strangers in a play in this strangest of theatres’. Bishop describes the urge for travel as a ‘childishness’ and the image of travellers rushing to ‘see the sun the other way around’ is an image of thrill-seekers consuming views and experiences without understanding or insight (‘inexplicable and impenetrable’). I find this very relevant, as we live in a society, which is obsessed with consuming things and experiences, often at the expense of understanding. This image also prepares us for the question at the heart of this poem: ‘Oh, must we dream our dreams and have them too? I found this question very interesting because dreams are not reality and there are other references to illusion in this poem – ‘strangest of theatres’ and ‘pantomimists’. The question of why we travel and explore is not explicitly answered in the poem but one wonders if it has something to do with flight or escape from reality. The disparity between the real and the imagined is alluded to again in another thought-provoking question: ‘Is it lack of imagination that makes us come To imagined places, not just stay at home? ’ All of our preconceived, modern ideas about travel – choice, freedom, excitement, broadening of horizons, understanding of other cultures – are turned on their head and challenged in the questions raised here about travel. In both ‘Questions of Travel’, and ‘The Prodigal’, Bishop deals with being away from ‘home’ and returning. In both poems, the idea of returning is difficult and complex; Bishop is not even sure where home is: ‘Should we have stayed at home, wherever that may be? ’ Her sense of displacement is much stronger than her sense of belonging. Similarly, in ‘The Prodigal’, the alcoholic in exile must struggle with ‘uncertain staggering flight/his shuddering insights, beyond his control’ before he can face the journey home. A stylistic feature of Bishop’s work, which I really enjoyed, was her tendency, in some poems, to move from sensory description of the apparently mundane to profound awareness and insight, even epiphany. This can be seen in ‘In the Waiting Room’ where Bishop begins with a description of a dull dentist’s waiting-room, ‘full of grown-up people, arctics and overcoats, lamps and magazines. This is a scene from everyday life in Worcester, Massachusetts. The setting is ordinary, yet the title denotes a place of anticipation and expectation, and raises questions. What can the young Bishop be anticipating or expecting? What is to come? The National Geographic – a magazine we could easily expect to see in any waiting-room – transports the child, in her imagination, to ‘the inside of a volcano’, a far cry from the blandness of the dentist’s waiting-room. The images of other races and civilizations are both horrifying and compelling but the child cannot stop reading them.

Spinal Immobilisation

Spinal Immobilisation: A Literature Review A review of the literature regarding spinal immobilisation has been undertaken using databases for PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, OVID and Cochrane EBM. Reviews were electronically searched using the subject headings â€Å"spinal injuries†, â€Å"spinal immobilisation† and â€Å"management of spinal injuries†. The results generated by the search were limited to English language articles and reviewed for relevance to the topic. The aim of this literature review is to compare and contrast the views on spinal immobilisation and to achieve a better knowledge of evidence based practice.According to Chiles and Cooper (1996) spinal injury should always be suspected in patients with severe systemic trauma, patients with minor trauma who report spinal pain or have sensory or motor symptoms, and patients with an impaired level of consciousness after trauma. According to Caroline (2008) the primary goal of spinal immobilisation is to pre vent further injuries. Good initial and acute management is crucial no matter the degree of damage (Sheerin and Gillick, 2004). The purpose of immobilisation in suspected spinal trauma is to maintain a neutral position and avoid displacement and secondary neurological injury (Vickery, 2001).Means of immobilisation include holding the head in the midline, log rolling the person, the use of backboards and special mattresses, cervical collars, sandbags and straps (Kwan, Bunn & Roberts 2009). The Advanced Life Support Group supports the use of the long spinal board (backboard) for spinal immobilisation, despite knowledge of pressure problems and poor immobilisation in some patient groups. The spinal board was originally developed as an extrication device using its smooth surface to allow a person to be slid out of a vehicle.However, it is difficult to remove the patient from the board in the field and therefore the patient is most commonly transported to the A & E department on the spin al board (Cooke, 1998). There is considerable variation in the best technique for pre-hospital cervical spine immobilisation (Vickery, 2001). Some have advised the use 1 to 1. 5 inches of padding under the head as standard, others have advised that judgement on the use of padding be based on visual inspection (Butman, McSwain & McConnell, 1986). Conversely, several rauma texts recommend placing the patient directly against the spinal board (McSwain, 1989). In the United Kingdom, the vacuum mattress is predominately used by mountain rescue teams as it is believed to provide better overall protection of an injured casualty and is perceived to be safer and easier to transport over the terrain encountered in these situations (Herzenberg, Hensinger and Dederick, 1989). In a recent study by Luscombe and Williams (2002), it was shown that the vacuum mattress prevents significantly more movement in the longitudinal and lateral planes when subjected to a gradual tilt.Perceived comfort levels are significantly better with the vacuum mattress that with the backboard. Chan, Goldburg & Mason (1996) reviewed the use of the long spinal board and its association with pressure injury, unsatisfactory immobilisation and positioning, and the pain that it can cause (Chan, Goldburg & Tascone, 1994). A study by Lovell and Evans (1994) indicated that while a casualty resides on a backboard it may possibly lead to pressure sores in those who have sustained injury to the spinal cord. The amount of time casualties remain on backboards can exacerbate the problems of pain and pressure.Ambulance journeys and waits in accident and emergency may be lengthy and there may be long distances involved in getting to hospital (Lerner & Moscati, 2000). In addition to pressure injury and poor immobilisation, the backboard may be the cause of pain even in otherwise healthy patients, leading to unnecessary investigations, radiographs and potential ambiguity regarding the cause of pain (Chan, Goldburgh & Mason, 1996). The evidence suggests that the backboard itself is not ideal and far from a gold standard.This has led to the suggestion that the backboard should not be the preferred surface for the transfer of patients with spinal injuries (Main & Lovell, 1996). According to Vickery (2001) however, the spinal board is considered to be the gold standard for spinal immobilisation during the pre-hospital phase of trauma management. For some patients, effective spinal immobilisation is beneficial and can also be vital in preventing the devastating effects of cord damage however it has been suggested that for many the excessive use of this preventative measure may not be prudent or necessary.It has been estimated that over 50% of trauma patients with no complaint of neck or back pain were transported with full spinal immobilisation (McHugh & Taylor 1998). Inappropriate spinal immobilisation may lead to patients experiencing unnecessary pain, skin ulceration, aspiration and respiratory compromise, which in turn may lead to further unnecessary procedures, a longer hospital stay which then incurs increasing costs to the National Health Service (Kwan, Bunn & Roberts, 2001).Shooman & Rushambuza (2009) report that immobilisation is a crucial part of the management of a trauma patient. They believe that if the mechanism of injury is uncertain, the patient should remain immobilised until further imaging even if there are no symptoms of spinal instability after log rolling. However, in a recent study by Pandie, Shepherd & Lamont (2010) they concluded that on its own, standard immobilisation techniques appear to be inadequate to maintain the cervical spine in the neutral position.One argument for keeping the patient on a spinal board is that it facilitates an urgent turn should vomiting occur (Vickery 2001). Spinal immobilisation is used throughout the world however the clinical benefits of pre-hospital spinal immobilisation have been put under scrutiny. It has been argued that spinal cord damage is done at the time of impact and that subsequent movement is generally not sufficient to cause further damage (Hauswald, Ong, Tandberg & Omar 1998).In contrast, in-line stabilisation of the neck, also termed ‘neutral alignment’, is usually enhanced by using immobilisation blocks and straps that fix the patient’s head and neck to a spinal board. In-line head and neck immobilisation is important during the transfer period to hospital and remains an important part of the care of the patient (Sheerin, 2005). Butler and Bates (2001), disagree with this and suggest that cervical collars are of no additional benefit to patients already immobilised using a long spine board with straps.In a recent report it was found that many patients brought to A & E automatically had a cervical collar applied ‘as a precaution’. This usually means that the victim has been involved in an accident that could possible cause a cervical injury, although the patient shows no signs or symptoms of such an injury (Sexton, 1999). Immobilisation in suspected spinal trauma must be initiated at the scene of an accident and continued until unstable spinal injuries are ruled out.Adequacy of spinal immobilisation must be reviewed during the primary survey in the A & E department (Vickery, 2001). Once the patient has reached A & E, the spinal board should be removed as soon as possible once the patient is laterally transferred from the ambulance trolley onto an A & E or resuscitation trolley (Vickery, 2001). The early removal of spinal boards and cervical collars is advocated by spinal units (Sexton, 1999). Complications associated with prolonged use of the spinal board include pressure ulcer development, pain and discomfort (Vickery, 2001).Vickery (2001) also suggests a partial solution would be recommended that the backboard should be removed as soon as possible after arrival in the A & E department, ideally after the primary survey and res uscitation phases. Hickey (2003) agrees with this, it is vital that following initial assessment, the patient is removed from the spinal board. Porter and Allison (2003) support this by suggesting that the patient should be then transferred and nursed on an emergency trolley with head immobilisation and straps applied.This in turn should minimise the risk of pressure ulcer formation which is prevalent in patients with spinal cord injury (Sheerin and Gillick, 2004). Vickery (2001) also suggests that where a spinal injury is suspected, prompt and safe removal of the spinal board is mandatory, these are patients that are at the greatest risk of developing pressure sores. Vickery (2001) continues to say that spinal board immobilisation on the board may be inadequate ending with tragic consequences.Observational studies in the US have shown that immobilisation by rigid collars may cause airway difficulties, increased intracranial pressure (Davies, Deakin & Wilson, 1996), increased risk o f aspiration (Butman, 1996), and skin ulceration (Hewitt, 1994). Caroline (2008) also suggests that complete spinal immobilisation is painful, especially over pressure points and can also be a cause of airway constriction which in turn creates an increased risk of aspiration. It has been reported that many trauma patients do not suffer from spinal instability and will not benefit from spinal immobilisation (Orledge, 1998).The value of routine pre-hospital spinal immobilisations are questionable due to any benefits of immobilisation being outweighed by the risks (Kwan, Bunn & Roberts, 2009). Kwan, Bunn & Roberts (2009) have already indicated that inappropriate immobilisation is contributing to the increasing budget of the NHS. Dimond (2001) agrees and claims that litigation claims are increasing against the NHS. Society is becoming less tolerant of mistakes or inadequate service and litigation claims are now becoming an accepted part of daily life (Vukmir, 2004).In contrast, a study in the USA has indicated that due to the fear of litigation, over five million patients receive spinal immobilisation every year (Orledge & Pepe 1998). In this current media inclined era, media attention for high profile claims against the NHS organisations is at a high. Although most of the evidence in literature is regarding claims against hospital specialities, there have been few claims written about claims against the ambulance service (Hulbert, Riddle & Longstaff 1996).However, there may be few documented claims against the ambulance service there have been a significant number of claims settled by ambulance trusts (Vukmir, 2004). In conclusion, there are many different points of views by many authors on the subject of spinal immobilisation. Many argue that the need to immobilise suspected head, neck and spinal trauma is a priority due to the potential life threatening incident. This way of thinking has been supported by many of the authors.Others however have stated that each incident needs to be individualised as the necessity of using spinal immobilisation is increasingly being inappropriately used. Methods of spinal immobilisation are also highly debatable, calling the clinical professional to use their own training and judgements when deciding how to transfer each individual patient. It was highlighted by many authors that it was necessary for patients to be removed from the spinal board as soon as possible when being cared for within the hospital setting as this reduces the possibilities of further trauma and pressure sores.It became quite clear when conducting this research that many health professionals are now very aware of the potential to become a target for the all too common blame culture that is so prevalent in today’s society. The fear of litigation may be the cause for the higher usage of spinal immobilisation although there is limited research at this time but within the next few years we may in fact see a rise in claims against t he Ambulance Service.There is evidence that inappropriate and prolonged use of spinal immobilisation can be very detrimental to the patient’s welfare, there is a vast amount of research to suggest the need to use spinal immobilisation in most head, neck and spinal trauma. Effective and appropriate use of spinal immobilisation is best practice in all situations and should be used wisely and competently by a trained professional.

Canadian Employment Insurance - Online Application

Canadian Employment Insurance - Online Application If you have paid Canadian Employment Insurance (EI) premiums and are unemployed, you may be able to apply for Canadian Employment Insurance benefits using the EI Online Application from Service Canada. EI Online Application - Frequently Asked Questions Before you attempt the EI online application, please read through the Frequently Asked Questions from Service Canada. EI Online Application - Personal Information The EI online application takes about 60 minutes to complete, but if you are disconnected during the process, your information will not be saved. Be sure to have all the information youll need close at hand before you begin the EI online application. If you do not have all the information listed below, or if you have any questions, then it is better to file your Employment Insurance application in person at the nearest Service Canada office to make sure your Employment Insurance benefits are not delayed. For the EI online application you will need: Your postal codeSocial Insurance Number (SIN)Date of birthMothers maiden nameAddress and postal code of residenceGross salary - total earnings before deductions including tips and commissionsGross salary for your last week of work - from Sunday to your last day of workVacation pay - received or to be receivedSeverance pay - received or to be receivedPension - received or to be receivedPay in lieu of notice - received or to be receivedOther money - specifyName, address, dates of employment and reason for separation for all your employers in the last 52 weeks.Dates for the weeks in the last 52 weeks when you did not work, did not receive money and whyDates for the weeks (Sunday to Saturday) in the last 52 weeks when you did not work and did not receive money, and reasons whyDates and amounts for weeks in the last 52 weeks when your earnings were less than $225.00 before deductionsBand number if applying for Status Indian tax exemptionBanking information to arrange a direct deposit of E mployment Insurance benefits. If applying for Employment Insurance parental benefits, you will also need the SIN of the other parent. If applying for Employment Insurance sickness benefits, you will need your doctors name, address, and telephone number. You may also need your expected date of recovery. If applying for Employment Insurance compassionate care benefits, you will need information about the ill family member. Note: When submitting an EI application online, you must also submit the paper copy of your Record of Employment by mail or in person to a Service Canada office as soon as possible. EI Online Application - Confirmation Once you submit your EI online application, a confirmation number will be generated. If you do not receive a confirmation number or wish to make changes to your application, do not apply again. Instead, call the following number during regular business hours and press o to talk to an agent: 1 (800) 206-7218

French Verb Conjugations for Augmenter

French Verb Conjugations for Augmenter Augmenter  is a French verb that means to increase, to raise, or to rise. Its a very useful word to know and its a rather simple on to conjugate to fit the present, future, and past tenses. Follow along in this lesson to learn all these conjugations, including the past participle, subjunctive, and imperative forms of  augmenter. Conjugating the French Verb  Augmenter Verb conjugations are a little more complex in French than they are in English. We understand that an English verb with an -ed ending implies the past tense and an -ing is used for the present tense. In French, there are more endings to learn because the verb must match the subject pronoun as well. Augmenter  is a  regular -ER verb. In the conjugations, it follows a particular pattern for the new endings. These same transformations can be found in similar verbs like  attraper  (to pick up) and  complà ©ter  (to complete), making these among the easiest to memorize. Using the chart, you can quickly figure out which verb form you need. Simply match the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense. For instance, I increase is jaugmente and we will rise  is nous augmenterons. Subject Present Future Imperfect j' augmente augmenterai augmentais tu augmentes augmenteras augmentais il augmente augmentera augmentait nous augmentons augmenterons augmentions vous augmentez augmenterez augmentiez ils augmentent augmenteront augmentaient The Present Participle of  Augmenter The  present participle  of augmenter  is augmentant.  This is done with a simple change from the -er  ending to an  -ant  ending. Not only is it a verb, but you can use it as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © The  past participle  of augmenter  is augmentà ©. You will need this to form the commonly used past tense known as  passà © composà ©.   To form the conjugations, use the appropriate form of avoir,  which is an  auxiliary, or helping verb. For example, I rose is jai augmentà © and we increased is  nous avons augmentà ©. Notice how  avoir  has been conjugated to match the subject, but the same past participle is used in both phrases. More  Augmenter  Conjugations There may be times when you will need to use the following verb forms of  augmenter. The subjunctive and conditional are rather common and imply a certain degree of uncertainty in the action. Its likely that you will only encounter the passà © simple or imperfect subjunctive in formal writing. Yet, its good to be able to recognize and associate these forms with  augmenter. When using  augmenter  in imperative verb form, there is no need to include the subject pronoun. This is implied within the verb itself and these are used in short statements. Rather than nous augmentons, you can say augmentons.

7 Warning Signs Your Talent Is Being Wasted at Work

7 Warning Signs Your Talent Is Being Wasted at Work So you sought out a job, went through the interview process, and got hired. Whoo hoo, so exciting! What’s more, you even feel confident that you were the best out of the bunch of candidates. But all the same, maybe since you started you haven’t been quite sure that your talents and particular skills are being used to their full effect. Take a look at the following warning signs that you are not reaching your full potential. If a few of these signs apply to you, you might want to consider seeking out a bigger pond, one where you can stretch your wings, challenge yourself, and reach the career goals you know you’re capable of reaching.1. Your boss is threatened by your best ideas.If all your ideas end up in the â€Å"Maybe Someday† file, and your manager seems to prefer bumping along with the status quo rather than pushing the envelope, you’re not going to get much traction. Maybe you’re hearing a lot of â€Å"but this is how it’s alway s been done† and not enough â€Å"that’s a great idea; we should try it,† or getting shut down (or outright ignored) by your boss for ideas you know to be good. If any of this is the case, then maybe it’s time to start to worry.2. You work with automatons.Instead of everyone pitching in to realize some long-term goal or vision, you find that all of your coworkers are merely on autopilot, doing task after task that doesn’t seem to generate any new sparks or momentum.3. You never receive any sort of appreciation.If you’re working hard and no one at work sees you for the superstar you are, then you A) haven’t shown them, or B) they’ve seen your talents and are choosing to ignore them. Your once bright future starts to grey.4. You’re trapped.Are you confined by your title? This could be your own fault or the fault of your workplace: you’re so hemmed in by your specific role and tasks that you don’t feel the free dom to be able to fluidly reach out to your team members and help with other projects and initiatives when necessary. Even if this kind of effort might require you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, it can be good for your growth.5. Your boss is putting your light under a bushel.Whether your boss is afraid of change or threatened by your rising star, perhaps he or she isn’t being the kind of mentor that lets you shine. Maybe they even call you in and tell you to hold back a little, or pipe down in meetings, instead of batting around your best ideas.6. Your company values policy over passion.You’re a rule-follower, and you’re feeling stifled. It’s possible that you’re very comfortable where you are, but still- biding your time and knowing real change and real challenge are too far around the corner to be feasible it a recipe for nothingness. Meanwhile, you keep on toeing the company line and following policies you don’t think are best practice. You’re going nowhere, and slowly.7. You’re burnt out and bored.After your first entry-level gigs, you should probably never be bored at work. If your job is boring you, it’s time to move on for sure. Watch for burn-out also; it’s not just for people in high powered careers that work too fast and too hard. It can strike anyone who’s been grappling with long-term demoralization and lack of inspiration. Remember, you’re a person, not a robot just completing tasks.

Discussion Q Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion Q - Assignment Example Third, personality traits can be used to predict people’s behaviour and values tend to influence behaviour through conviction of what is morally right. Finally, the paper explains how consultants can leverage values and personalities of leaders through motivation. Emotions are expressed in varying forms of human experiences that occur in episodes and often unconscious. They are activated from the environmental interactions with people or situations and cause certain physiological conditions that influence bodily reaction towards a subject of the situation. Attitudes on the other hand entail a system of beliefs that influence an individual’s judgement through their conscious logical reasoning of the assessed situation. In subordinate coordination theory of emotions, Haselton and Ketelaar claim that emotional experiences influence the human’s system of perception, activate inferences and regulate behaviour (2005). As people get sensory information in their brain, based on their perception, they attach emotional markers to it and form emotional responses like happiness, sadness, fear and anxiety. Under the logical reasoning process, the formed emotion will be used to shape ones thoughts and beliefs towards the subject of interest. Here, the attitudes influence the judgement. Merging of the two (emotion and attitude) tend to determine one’s supportiveness, collaboration, willingness, involvement and rejection towards a situation or subject. Reaction behaviour can be expressed through bodily movement, facial expression or in tones. Change initiatives can either be successful when embraced by employees or fail if rejected. Normally, people perceive change to come with re-structuring of organizations, disruption in patterns and habits in a setting. This may introduce a stress factor, which requires coping mechanisms to adjust to the changes. Vakola and Nikolaus research in organizational change â€Å"revealed that highly

Short essay question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Short question - Essay Example The underworld is believed to be the dwelling place of the earth-goddess. It is this earthly goddess that will add feministic principles and instincts to this masculine ego of the mythical hero. The hero is equally portrayed has having redemptive powers. These are the powers that he or she receives from the gods. The hero has the power to uplift the entire human race from the dismal conditions that it lives in. this is clearly a potential that can only be performed by the gods. Mortal women equally play a role in the hero myths. The heroes are often considered to be an isolated case due to their uniqueness. This isolation makes the hero to develop a close relationship with mortal women. The purpose of this relationship is to offer the hero support in domestic contentment. The myths argue that if the hero were to undertake domestic contentment, then he would be greatly swayed from his purposeful tasks. The civilization of the ancient Greek has been considered as the most brilliant in the history of the world. Most of the credit has been given to the Greece mythical heroes. The heroes often travelled afar and set up cities in the places that they went to. It is for example indicated that the western civilization was as a result of the spread of the Greek culture by the heroes. It is the divine power that the Greek heroes had that made them to easily spread the Greek culture as well as be a caviling force without resistance from people. Adrienne Mayor states that stories about the bones of the heroes were often told in many ancient cultures like China, Greece and India. He underscores that these stories were often said so as to accounts for animal fossils that the people had never seen while in their life state (Mayor, 2004). He equally indicates that the ancient Greeks believed that the bones of the heroes are the remains of giants and monsters that had been destroyed by the gods and buried deeply in the ground. The bones of the heroes had a lot of

Summary of Section 754 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Summary of Section 754 - Research Paper Example Hence, now the owners and managers who pay tax and their advisers now advance towards the transactions with the same concern, as those stated in the historic decrees of subchapter K that the partnerships concerned with tax have been asking for years: why incorporate The substantial increase in the use of partnerships has led to increasing frustration with the obsolete subchapter K regulations (most of which were spread in 1955). Among the most troublesome laws are those which govern the basis for adjustments on the sale or swap (exchange) of a partnership stake (Orbach, 2004). In fact, the laws --which allow the purchaser of a partnership stake to reflect the purchaser's acquiring cost in partnership resources, are among the most perplexed and highly defective aspects of partnership taxation. At the start of the year 1998, to address these problems, the Internal Revenue Service in collaboration with the Treasury issued proposed laws and policies u/s734(b) (basis adjustments on some distributions), section743(b) (basis adjustments on transfers of partnership interests),section 751(a) (the "collapsible partnership rule" requiring recognition of ordinary income on the disposition of certain partnership interests), andsection754 (Depreciation Adjustment). (Internal Revenue Code) The origin of partnership property is usually not affected when a partner sells or exchanges its interest in the business. As a result, if a person buys or ventures into a partnership stake or interest by sale or exchange for a sum that exceeds the transferee's allocation of the adjusted basis of partnership property, the purchase price in excess, is not reflected in the partnership's asset basis, i.e., the purchaser is not able to "push down" its purchase price to the partnership's assets When the business (partnership) makes a an election u/s754 within the stipulated time, however, a transferee partner's share of the partnership's adjusted basis in its assets ("inside basis") is stepped up or stepped down to reflect the partner's basis in the acquired business interest ("outside basis"). Bottom of Form We would proceed by considering an example, in relation to the partnership business, the various transactions that take place in the form of sale and exchange. More importantly, we would focus on the implications of Section 754 of the IRS, which has a major impact with respect to taxation in shaping up these transactions (Orbach, 2004). When an interested party, buys a stake or share of an existing partner's partnership interest, or the interest of a member of a limited liability corporation (LLC) taxed as a partnership, at a value which is said to be its fair value in the market the amount that the purchaser of the interest pays becomes the base for the purchaser's business interest (outside basis). In this transaction at fair market value, the buyer (new partner) assumes the seller's pro rata share of the business partnership's adjusted basis in its assets (inside basis). If the partnership's property or asset value has appreciated sufficiently, the variation between the new partne r's inside and outside basis can be

Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Statement - Essay Example I will attempt to prove all this today and over the following nine days, but first I would like to tell you some more about who the victim in this case really is. Ms. Chen joined the staff at Monash University as a teacher and research academic in May of 2008. Before that time Ms. Chen had worked at the Imperial College in London and also at the University of Cambridge. She had gained two PhDs; one from Imperial College in 2007 for Biomaterials and the other from the University of Science and Technology of Beijing in 1992 for Metallurgical Physics. Professor Sian Harding from the Imperial College of London made the comment that "Qizhi (Ms. Chens nickname) is an exceptionally bright and creative scientist." In terms of her teaching capabilities, Professor Alexander Bismarck, also from Imperial College, remarked that Qizhi is "a gifted teacher." To put it simply, Ms. Chen is an independent thinker, hard-working academic and strong-minded woman who has carved out a fine academic career for herself. In contrast to many female academics who choose to put their career above a family, Ms. Chen is a very typical conservative Chinese woman with a strong family life. She also has a 12-year-old son, who is the apple of her eye. In conjunction with pursuing her academic goals and objectives, Ms. Chen is of the belief that being a mother with a caring family around her is considered to be the greatest achievement a woman can make. In line with her cultural values, Ms. Chen possesses the traits of loyalty, decency, and honesty. Also, Ms. Chen balances her work life and personal life in a way that allows her to have healthy relationships with everyone who she comes across. She is a woman who is quick to forgive and only make judgements based on facts rather than conjecture. In the workplace, Ms. Chen prefers an inclusive approach whereby knowledge can be shared for the benefit of

DNA Repair Mechanisms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DNA Repair Mechanisms - Research Paper Example The optical density of the culture was maintained at 540 nm. The cultures were then exposed to different levels of UV-C, and were subsequently added to prewarmed ST medium. It was then incubated in the dark at 80Â °C with shaking. To determine which cells were viable, irradiated and control samples were grown in GT medium, diluted using the same medium, and plated in the dark on 0.8% (wt/vol) Gelrite (Kelco) GT plates with pH = 3.0. The plates were placed in a humid chamber with a temperature of 80Â °C for approximately 5 days, and colonies were counted. Meanwhile, growth rates were determined by spectrophotometric analysis at 540 nm of at least seven independent cultures grown in liquid, and generation times were calculated using Prizm 4.0 software. To visualize chromosomal damage, 4 x 109 suspended cells (optical density at 540 nm of 0.2 to 0.4) exposed to UV were obtained at 2-4 hours from the culture, and were treated with proteinase K and SfiI. The treated cell solutions were run using pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with a buffer temperature of 14Â °C. with gels made of 1% agarose, 0.5xx TBE (9 mM Tris, 9 mM boric acid, 0.2 mM EDTA), and with running parameters of 24 h at 5.5 V/cm using a 120o included angle with switch times of 60 to 120 s. The gels were stained using ethidium bromide and, chromosome repair was measured using GeneTools quantification software, with the untreated sample designated as 100% repair. Finally, using PCR as well as gene and protein analysis, the sequences of the three strains were compared. Gene expression was then analyzed using RNA isolation, cDNA preparation, and qRT-PCR. The strains react differently to the varying amounts of UV irradiation. Upon the assessment of colony formation on solid medium, at the lowest UV dose (100 mJ/cm2), all three strains demonstrated resistance, with the highest survival rate recorded from strain 98/2 (23%, as compared to P2-A and P2-B, which had 11% and 13%, respectively). On the oth er hand, P2B was the most sensitive to 200 mJ/cm2, displaying 5- to 7-fold-lower survival than the other two strains, while 98/2 was the most sensitive at 300 mJ/cm2. Next, the growth rate after UV exposure was determined. Normally, and at 100 mJ/cm2, 98/2 grew the fastest, although exposure to UV, despite using the lowest dose, resulted to a decreased growth rate for all the strains. On the other hand, both P2A and P2B regrew faster than 98/2 after exposure to 200 and 300 mJ/cm2. Despite differences in growth rates, the growth levels achieved for negative controls achieved the same levels as the UV-exposed set-ups. Upon SfiI digestion and PFGE, inherent differences in the genomic sequences of these three strains were seen. In UV-protected set-ups, P2A, 98/2 and P2B had two, three and four distinct digest fragments, respectively, which means that there are sequence disparities among the strains. After irradiation, double-strand break formation, seen as lower molecular weight smears at the bottom of the gel, was present for all the strains, with most breaks and slowest acute (50%) repair rate observed from P2B. Overall, however, 98/2

Critical Awareness of Values and Ethics Case study Essay

Critical Awareness of Values and Ethics Case study - Essay Example All three key figures - the two deceased and the murderer - in the incident have a history of disrespect for the sanctity of marriage. Joe Korp was in two marital relationships before his affair with Tania Herman. Both Maria De Gois and Tania Herman did not consider having an affair with a married man a serious moral violation. The defence of Maria's consent to feature on an internet swinger's site by her relatives as an attempt to 'save' a troubled marriage is laughable. You cannot save a marriage by cutting it to pieces. The whole saga is testimony to the devastating effects of the neglect of family values and marital commitment. The second issue is the narrow materialistic viewpoint with which the whole incident was evaluated by the whole system - the families of the deceased, the media, and even the Supreme Court judge. Financial gain was definitely one of the motivations for Joe Korps conspiracy of killing his wife. Finally an issue that pops up is the propriety of removing life support systems for a patient who is not dead but is given up for dead by the doctors. There are various arguments both for and against mercy killing (Eckels,2005). This is an important issue, but I would not consider it central in this context. The deed had been done. Maria was never coming back. Whether she was living dead or 'dead' dead is a non-issue here although at another time or place it needs to be debated. Challenges to my values and morals: I cannot fathom the thought process of a self respecting man who decides to abandon his family for the sake of another lover. This is selfishness at its peak. To me this was the most devastating link in the whole chain of events that took place in Joe Korp's life. It opened him out to the possibilities that lay outside of the boundaries that one keeps for oneself. The murderous attempt on Maria was nothing but the logical conclusion of this thought process. When one chooses to rationalize to one's own self actions which are completely wrong, there is a whole paradigm shift in our own morality which leads to a vicious cycle resulting in even more grievous actions. Maria Korp was a tragic victim of her husband's financial aspirations and emotional hunger. No one deserves to be killed, but I cannot help thinking that somewhere a certain responsibility for her own undoing lays on her. Till she came along Joe Korp was a married man with a family. Wasn't it she who opened him up to the possibility of unfaithfulness Was there not insensitivity not just to the unfortunate Leonie but also to her children Maria Korp thought nothing of permanently destabilising the lives of three other people for her own sake. Steve Deegan defended his sister Tania by describing her as vulnerable and unlucky in love. However how can one accept anyone justifying an act of attempting to kill another person on these grounds Disregard for the life of another is unacceptable. Needless to say she too displayed the same insensitivity to the needs and rights of others. Although one can argue that she did not know Joe was married. How can one explain the fact that she not only stuck with him after having been lied to by him, but also aided him in his desire to murder his wife The financial gain

DNA Repair Mechanisms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DNA Repair Mechanisms - Research Paper Example The optical density of the culture was maintained at 540 nm. The cultures were then exposed to different levels of UV-C, and were subsequently added to prewarmed ST medium. It was then incubated in the dark at 80Â °C with shaking. To determine which cells were viable, irradiated and control samples were grown in GT medium, diluted using the same medium, and plated in the dark on 0.8% (wt/vol) Gelrite (Kelco) GT plates with pH = 3.0. The plates were placed in a humid chamber with a temperature of 80Â °C for approximately 5 days, and colonies were counted. Meanwhile, growth rates were determined by spectrophotometric analysis at 540 nm of at least seven independent cultures grown in liquid, and generation times were calculated using Prizm 4.0 software. To visualize chromosomal damage, 4 x 109 suspended cells (optical density at 540 nm of 0.2 to 0.4) exposed to UV were obtained at 2-4 hours from the culture, and were treated with proteinase K and SfiI. The treated cell solutions were run using pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with a buffer temperature of 14Â °C. with gels made of 1% agarose, 0.5xx TBE (9 mM Tris, 9 mM boric acid, 0.2 mM EDTA), and with running parameters of 24 h at 5.5 V/cm using a 120o included angle with switch times of 60 to 120 s. The gels were stained using ethidium bromide and, chromosome repair was measured using GeneTools quantification software, with the untreated sample designated as 100% repair. Finally, using PCR as well as gene and protein analysis, the sequences of the three strains were compared. Gene expression was then analyzed using RNA isolation, cDNA preparation, and qRT-PCR. The strains react differently to the varying amounts of UV irradiation. Upon the assessment of colony formation on solid medium, at the lowest UV dose (100 mJ/cm2), all three strains demonstrated resistance, with the highest survival rate recorded from strain 98/2 (23%, as compared to P2-A and P2-B, which had 11% and 13%, respectively). On the oth er hand, P2B was the most sensitive to 200 mJ/cm2, displaying 5- to 7-fold-lower survival than the other two strains, while 98/2 was the most sensitive at 300 mJ/cm2. Next, the growth rate after UV exposure was determined. Normally, and at 100 mJ/cm2, 98/2 grew the fastest, although exposure to UV, despite using the lowest dose, resulted to a decreased growth rate for all the strains. On the other hand, both P2A and P2B regrew faster than 98/2 after exposure to 200 and 300 mJ/cm2. Despite differences in growth rates, the growth levels achieved for negative controls achieved the same levels as the UV-exposed set-ups. Upon SfiI digestion and PFGE, inherent differences in the genomic sequences of these three strains were seen. In UV-protected set-ups, P2A, 98/2 and P2B had two, three and four distinct digest fragments, respectively, which means that there are sequence disparities among the strains. After irradiation, double-strand break formation, seen as lower molecular weight smears at the bottom of the gel, was present for all the strains, with most breaks and slowest acute (50%) repair rate observed from P2B. Overall, however, 98/2

HEALTH CARE QUESTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HEALTH CARE QUESTIONS - Essay Example Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society." (Kotler & Andreasen as quoted by Weinreich, 2006, par. 2). In every marketing campaign, the most important sources of data to examine are the elements of the marketing mix: product, price, promotion, and place. For social marketing campaigns, the following elements are added: public, partnership, policy and purse strings (Weinreich, 2006, pars. 4 – 11). Under health care, a social marketing campaign considers any of the wide range of products offered by health care institutions. Physical products come in the form of medicines, prosthetics, and other tangible health products. Health care also offers services ranging from diagnostic, laboratory, therapeutic examinations. Other products are likewise enumerated: â€Å"practices (e.g., breastfeeding, ORT or eating a heart-healthy diet) and finally, more intangible ideas (e.g., environmental protection)† (Weinreich, 2006, par. 4). The price is the cost for designing and implementing the social marketing campaigns. The place is the target market for the campaign. The promotion â€Å"consists of the integrated use of advertising, public relations, promotions, media advocacy, personal selling and entertainment vehicles. The focus is on creating and sustaining demand for the product† (Weinreich, 2006, par. 6). The other critical sources of data for the campaign are: publics (internal and external groups directly involved in the campaign); partnerships (affiliated organizations that team up to organize the campaign); policy (governing rules supporting the social marketing program); and purse strings (â€Å"funds provided by sources such as foundations, governmental grants or donations† (Weinreich, 2006, par. 11)). Coye, Foege, & Roper (1994) identified leadership traits required in public health to ensure the development of health objectives in one’s community, to wit: â€Å"the

Input Stage Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix Marketing Essay

Input Stage Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix Marketing Essay Key Strategic Factors Weights Ratings Weighted Scores Strengths Brand  Image 0.08 4 0.32 Growing  Sales 0.03 3 0.24 Market  Share 0.05 3 0.15 Distribution Channel 0.08 4 0.32 Product  Quality 0.07 3 0.21 Capacity 0.08 4 0.32 Innovation 0.04 3 0.12 Customer  Oriented 0.02 3 0.06 Qualified Work force 0.01 3 0.03 RD 0.05 4 0.20 Business without Interest 0.02 3 0.06 Exporting 0.06 4 0.09 Weaknesses Local  Company 0.05 1 0.05 Centralized Decisions 0.09 2 0.18 No Sales on Credit 0.06 2 0.12 High  Price 0.05 2 0.10 Uncertain  Economic Political Conditions 0.03 1 0.03 Market  Demand 0.05 2 0.1 Striker  Terms And Conditions 0.03 1 0.03 Promotion 0.05 2 0.1 Total 1 2.83 COMPETITIVE PROFILE MATRIX  (CPM) Critical Success Factors Weight Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score Research   Development 0.08 3 0.24 3 0.24 4 0.32 Advertisement 0.09 3 0.24 4 0.36 3 0.27 Financial  Position 0.09 3 0.27 3 0.27 3 0.27 Market  Share 0.07 2 0.14 4 0.28 3 0.21 Product  Quality 0.08 3 0.24 3 0.24 3 0.24 Price  Competitiveness 0.11 3 0.33 3 0.24 2 0.22 Management 0.10 3 0.30 4 0.40 3 0.30 Global  Expansion 0.08 3 0.24 4 0.32 3 0.24 Customer service 0.06 3 0.18 3 0.18 2 0.12 Network 0.09 3 0.27 4 0.36 3 0.27 Production  Capacity 0.07 2 0.14 3 0.21 4 0.28 Alliances 0.08 3 0.24 4 0.32 3 0.24 Total 1.0 2.76 3.51 2.98 EFE MATRIX AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN KEY EXTERNAL FACTORS WEIGHT RATING WEIGHTED OPPORTUNITIES tax exemption 0.07 2 0.14 energy incentives 0.08 2 0.16 water flow system 0.04 1 0.04 agricultural loans 0.06 3 0.18 surplus production of wheat 0.05 3 0.15 surplus production of rice 0.06 2 0.12 availability of natural resources 0.07 1 0.07 labour incentives 0.09 1 0.09 economies of scale 0.01 1 0.01 high demand of necessities 0.04 1 0.04 THREATS The conversion of arable land into non-agricultural uses 0.10 4 0.40 Water logging and salinity 0.09 2 0.18 Land erosion scenarios are the most disastrous of the present day crisis. 0.08 1 0.08 Land is fixed 0.04 3 0.12 Increasing population 0.01 1 0.01 Political system 0.03 2 0.06 Proposed new tax system 0.03 3 0.09 feudalism 0.02 1 0.02 Instability of economy 0.01 2 0.02 Low literacy rate 0.02 2 0.04 TOTAL: 1.00 2.75 REASONS: The IFE MATRIX for AFL is given above. Note that the strength for the company is Research and Development, Pakistan based and having a highest production capacity so got 4 rating. The major weaknesses are Price competitiveness customer service and planning for the future state of the AFL. The total weighted score of2. 76 indicate this large milk Production Company is above average in its overall internal strength. But its very close to average limit as well. So it really needs to improve its weaknesses and build its strength MATCHNG STAGE OF ENGRO FOODS LIMITED SWOT MATRIX STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OF EFL STRENGTHS: Olpers is a  brand of  EFL. This means that consumers can relate their former image of EFL to Olpers.Engro is a well established brand name in Fertilizer, IT  and infrastructure business. The  brand is well known so customers will automatically have a  brand association with Olpers and see it as a premium quality product. ENGRO  is world renowned so it can easily attract foreign investors in backing it against other competitors such as Nestle. EFL can easily afford research and development costs for Olpers have in order to introduce new products. It can also distribute the brand through better channels because of its long term relationship with distributors in the agriculture sector. Engro has  been interacting with the farmers for fertilizers and has gained quite a good reputation over the years. It has led to a strong bond and long term relationship with the farmers who are willing to supply milk to the company.This is an added advantage and strength for the company because it will never  be short of milk production. The farmers also wont have to look elsewhere to sell their milk. EFL  only, has the third-generation  UHT  milk plant in the country. EFL  plant is the only plant in Pakistan that uses  Bactofuge technology to virtually eliminate  bacteria and ensure premium quality and hygiene. Other strengths of EFL are: Worldwide fame of  Engro. Efficient milk collection system. keeping high quality standards. Integrated distribution and warehousing facilities. Successful related diversification. Generic  brand name of  Olpers Large market share of  Engro innovative and chemicals. Having  Good reputation in the market  by strong  brand name i.e. Engro Industrial strengths for EFL are: Worldwide fame of  Engro. Efficient milk collection system. Keeping high quality standards. Integrated distribution and ware housing facilities. Generic  brand name of  Olpers large market share of  Engro innovative and chemicals. Having  Good reputation in the market by strong brand name i.e. Engro Strong  RD WEAKNESSES: Olwell ad which is  based on  Western life style,  EFL  brand management showed a man who put off his clothes  remain just in his undergarments, or half nude lady in a cat walk or men admiring the figures of a lady in mix  gender health club. In this ad they are creating associations with the brand through the stripes, which is a highlight of Olwell packaging. Half naked people have been shown with tattoos of the same stripes in order to show that they are loyal consumers of Olwell.  Also, the talent, situations and locations connects well with the ad to give Olwell a premium positioning. The brilliant marketing people at EFL failed to analyze is that the market they are targeted the ad on, is Pakistan, where practicing Muslims reside, who have strong religious beliefs. When making the ad, the brand managers were focused on, making an ad that should give the brand the most premium look and feel amongst the target consumers but on the other hand they were least bothered about the ethics, religious beliefs and cultural values. The company has not owned the color red like Nestle has a green  Milkpak;  Haleeb  has a  blue carton etc. This may create problems because when a consumer enters a grocery shop, then he/she might have problems in recalling the brand because there is no color association attached to Olpers .The company may need to find a suitable color in which to focus its upcoming marketing strategies. EFL  is not having its own dairy farms; it largely collects loose milk from farmers   gwalas through its 40  milk collection centers, which sometimes is of low quality and impure because they add vegetable oil to milk to get higher prices. EFL  is dependent upon  Tetra  Pak for the packaging of its entire dairy products. Tetra  Pak is the only option available to Olpers for packaging because it is having monopoly in the packaging sector in Pakistan. Due to this reason, TetraPak can charge them higher and it could increase the production costs. EFLs  34  out of  40 milk-collection centers are located in  Punjab, where as its only milk processing facility is situated near Sukkur(Sindh). It increases the milk collection  distribution costs; and also increases the chances of milk getting spoiled because of increased traveling time. It has  been more than a year now, when  EFL  launched its first dairy product,  Olpers  Milk on March  20,  2006. But  EFL ¶s  brand portfolio still consists of  just  3  products i.e. Olpers  Milk, Olwell  Milk and  Olpers  Cream. Whereas its competitors like Nestle and  Haleeb Foods have a much diversified line of dairy products. Industrial strengths of EFL are: Unable to compete in price sensitive segment of  UHT  milk market. Under  -utilization of the capacity. Unable to fulfill the demand of local powder milk market. Not yet ISO  certified. THREATS Our agricultural land is facing many threats and some of the major threats are: The conversion of arable land into non-agricultural uses Water logging and salinity Land erosion scenarios are the most disastrous of the present day crisis. The total land area of Pakistan is nearly 197 million acres, while the population growth rate is increasing annually. As our total land area is fixed, which cannot be increased, therefore, with rapidly expanding population pressure on it, it is also increasing quickly. As a result, our current and potential agricultural land is reducing and shrinking tremendously. It has been estimated that throughout the country, everyday approximately 500 acres (1 acre = 4,840 square yards) of farmland is taken out of agriculture by the expansion of settlements, roads, factories and many other non-agricultural activities. It is also predicted that if this trend continues then after every decade approximately a million acre or more of crop land would be taken out of agriculture in our country. Arable land is a basic and major resource for the production of human food. But it seems that the expansion of human population and human activities are reducing the availability of land, suitable for food production at an alarming rate. Expanding population demands more food on one side and devours agricultural land on the other side, which is a matter of great concern for everyone. Out of total land area, 80 million hectares, 21 million hectares is cultivable. Of the total cropped areas 16.2 million hectares (77%) is irrigated and 6.01 million hectares is rain-fed. The annual rainfall in Pakistan varies from less than 100 mm in Sindh to more than 750 mm in the foothills and northern mountains. About 60% of this rainfall occurs during monsoon. In spite of a number of drainage and salinity, menace control schemes being undertaken, the salinity and water logging problems positively persist and each year 40,000 hectares of irrigated land is lost to water logging and salinity. On the one hand, the nation needs more food to fulfill the demands of its increasing population while on the other hand, each year the cultivable commanded area (CCA) is decreasing due to this twin menace. Pakistan is quite outstanding country in the world with regard to its well-knit irrigation system which covers from upper parts of the country, down to the mouth of Indus in the south. Irrigated areas (nearly 16.0 million hectares) are generally limited to the Indus plain and river Indus and its tributaries are the main source of irrigation water of this 12.09 million hectares are canal irrigated 3.35 million hectares by tube wells and another 0.6 million hectares by other sources. Of the total area under irrigated agriculture, about 9.6 million hectares is arid, 3.8 million semi-arid and the remaining area is characterized by sub-humid. No doubt, irrigation system has increased agricultural production but on the other hand has created threats of salinity and water logging. The political system of Pakistan is not stable and the corruption in Pakistan also affects the agriculture sector. Government legal obligations have always been a threat for the running of agriculture industry. Inputs rates are increasing day by day, that means less and expensive seeds, pesticides and fertilizers. The trend of feudalism has been in our country for a long time, creating a lot of mismanagement in the federal and provincial level for the running of economy. Because of this the firms in the agricultural industry of Pakistan has been greatly affected. OPPORTUNITIES There is an opportunity for the economic growth to benefit more people only if the country rises: Enhancing Agricultural productivity Improves its system of general education to help millions of small farmers, those are decided to leave the agricultural industries because of poor productivity. Encourages labour incentives in agricultural industry. Improve economic condition in Pakistan by promoting the farmers and maintaining the system for improving agricultural methods. Clean energy and Climate Legislation Will Help: Pakistani Farmers need energy to grow crops and raise livestock, and to transport products to consumers. Farmers have been hurt by recent spikes in diesel and natural gas prices, and by jumps in the costs of inputs like fertilizer. As a result, there are serious concerns across the agricultural sector about the impacts of clean energy and climate legislation on production costs. There are more rooms for chemical industry (for more pesticides and fertilizer). There are three key factors affecting energy prices that will help farmers handle a small increase in both the short and the long term. First, farmers that take advantage of energy and climate bill incentives can quickly see big cost savings from even small improvements in energy efficiency. Farmers can take advantage of the legislations renewable energy incentives to reduce dependence on fossil fuel sand their volatile prices. The legislation will help stop speculation in energy markets, which will help stabilize fossil fuel prices. Increased Energy Efficiency Will Save Farmers Money, Energy and climate legislation will help farmers increase their energy efficiency, reducing their dependence on foreign oil and other fossil fuels. Technology has been advancing rapidly and use of new technology changes such as more efficient farm equipment and farming practice changes such as no-till agriculture. The Pakistan agricultural community is well positioned to benefit from passage of clean climate legislation. Farmers can protect themselves from cost increases through improved on-farm energy management and efficiency and develop new revenue streams through expanded markets for renewable energy. This will help our farmers continue to provide the food we all depend on. SWOT MATRIX FOR ENGRO FOODS. Strengths Weaknesses Worldwide fame of Engro. Unable to compete in price sensitive segment of UHT milk market. Efficient milk collection system. Under-utilization of the capacity. Keeping high quality standards. Unable to fulfill the demand of local powder milk market. Integrated distribution and warehousing facilities. Not yet ISO certified Generic brand name of Olpers Large market share of Engro innovative and chemicals. Having Good reputation in the marketby strongbrand name i.e. Engro Strong RD Opportunities SO Strategies WO Strategies Improving Economy Increase production of quality milk to cater the unsatisfied demand(S2,O2,O8) Population growth rate. As per the increase demand of the milk they should fulfill the demand as EFL have the ability to expand.(W3,O8). High urbanization rate. They should go in the product line of powdered milk. (S8,O2,O5) High literacy rate. They should make strong distribution system to cater to avail the full benefit of the growing market.(W3,O2 ) Flexible government policies They should increase their exports. for food industry. Have significant growth opportunities . May merge with other global businesses to eliminate competitors. They should cater the wide range of unsatisfied demandby improving their distribution networks(S4,O8)) Having Capable of expanding into other markets of the world They should adopt affective marketing strategies for the promotion of their product.(W2,O1) Threats ST Strategies WT Strategies High inflation rate. Invest more on the dairy product line as there is still a large chunk of the market which require modernization ( S6,T5) Low purchasing power. The co-ordination between different departments of EFL should be improved it will lessen the bureaucratic cost and increase the efficiency of the company. Decrease in GDP growth rate .Introduce new technology for assurance and better productivity (S4,T7) Increasing interest rates Decreasing investment Engro must get the ISO certification as to beat their competitors( W4,T8). Recessionary period in business cycle Competition with Nestle Competition with Nestle, Engro Foods and the new entrants Engro foods is currently facing increase in SalesTax SPACE MATRIX FOR ENGRO FOODS LIMITED SPACE matrix is a management tool used to analyze a company. It is used to determine what type of a strategy a company should undertake. Strategic Position Action Evaluation matrix or short a SPACE matrix is a strategic management tool that focuses on strategy formulation especially as related to the competitive position of an organization. SPACE matrix can be used as a basis for other analyses, such as the SWOT analysis, BCG matrix model, industry analysis, or assessing strategic alternatives (IE matrix). The SPACE matrix calculates the importance of each of these dimensions and places them on a Cartesian graph with X and Y coordinates. The following are a few model technical assumptions: By definition, the CA and IS values in the SPACE matrix are plotted on the X axis. -CA values can range from -1to -6. IS values can take +1to +6? -The FS and ES dimensions of the model are plotted on the Y axis. ES values can be between -1 and -6. FS values range from +1to +6 Conservative Aggressive FS 6 5 suggested strategy type 4 (3, 2.75) 3 2 1 CS 1 2 3 4 5 6 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 IS -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 Defensive ES Competitive Result: This particular  SPACE matrix  tells us that our company should pursue an  aggressive strategy. Our company has a strong competitive position it the market with rapid growth. It needs to use its internal strengths to develop a market penetration and market development strategy. This can include product development, integration with other companies, acquisition of competitors, and so on. BCG FOR EFL Relative market share in industry High Medium Low 1.0 0.5 0.0 ENGRO FOODS stars ? cash cows dogsHigh 10 Industry Sales Growth Medium 0 Rate Low -10 INTERNAL EXTERNAL (IE) MATRIX FOR ENGRO FOODS LIMMITED: The  Internal-External (IE)  matrix  is another strategic management tool used to analyze working conditions and strategic position of a business. The Internal External Matrix  or short IE matrix  is based on an analysis of internal and external business factors which are combined into one suggestive model. The  IE matrix  is a continuation of the  EFE matrix and  IFE matrix models. Strong =3.00 to 3.99 Average=2.00 to 2.99 Weak =1.00 to 1.99 Grow I And II Build III Hold IV ENGRO FOODS And V Maintain VI Harvest VII And VIII Harvest IX High=3.0 to 3.99 Medium = 2.0 to 2.99 Low= 1.0 to 1.99 1. Score from the  EFE matrix  =2.75-  this score is plotted on the y-  axis 2. Score from the IFE  matrix  =2.83-  plotted on the x-axis As blue lines indicate RESULT: This  IE matrix for  Engro  Foods tells us that our company should  hold and maintain  its position. The company should pursue strategies focused on increasing market penetration and product development. GRAND STRATEGY MATRIX FOR EFL: REPAID MARKET GROWTH RATE Quadrant I I Quadrant I ENGRO FOODS Weak competitive strong competitive Position Position Quadrant III Quadrant IV Slow market growth rate RESULTS: The grand strategic  Matrix for  EFL  is show that it lies in the first quadrant which recommend that for EFL  continued concentration on the current Market(market penetration and market development)and products(product development)is an appropriate strategy. DECISION STAGE QUANTITATIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING MATRIX OR A QSPM The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix or a QSPM approach attempts to objectively select the best strategy using input from other management techniques and some easy computation. In other words, the QSPM method uses inputs from stage1 analyses, matches them with results from stage2 analyses, and then decides objectively among alternative strategies. Stage 1 strategic management tools The first step in the overall strategic management analysis is used to identify key strategic factor. this can be done using, for example, the EFE matrix and IFE matrix. Stage 2 strategic management tools After we identify and analyze key strategic factors as inputs for QSPM, we can formulate the type of the strategy we would like to pursue.this can be done using the stage2 strategic management tools, for example the SWOT analysis(or TOWS ),SPACE matrix analysis, BCG matrix model, or the IE matrix model Stage 3 strategic management tools The stage 1 strategic management methods provided us with key strategic factors. Based on their analysis, we formulated possible strategies in stage2. Now, the task is to compare in QSPM alternative strategies and decide which one is the most suitable for our goals. The stage 2 strategic tools provide the needed information for setting up the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix QSPM. The QSPM method allows us to evaluate alternative strategies objectively. Conceptually, the QSPM in stage 3 determines the relative attractiveness of various strategies based on the extent to which key external and internal critical success factors are capitalized upon or improved.The relative attractiveness of each strategy is computed by determining the cumulative impact of each external and internal critical success factor QSPM of Engro Foods Based on strategies in the (IFE, EFE) and (BCG, SPACE, IE), company executives determined that Engro foods needs to pursue an aggressive strategy aimed at development of new products and further penetration of the market. They also identified that this strategy can be executed in two ways. One strategy is acquiring a competing company. The other Strategy is to expand internally. (Attractiveness Score: 1 = not acceptable; 2 = possibly acceptable; 3 =probably acceptable; 4 = most acceptable; 0 = not relevant Doing some easy calculations in the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix QSPM, we came to a conclusion that Expansion internally is a better option. This is given by the Sum Total Attractiveness Score figure. The expansion strategy yields higher score than the acquiring of competing company.The acquisition strategy has a score of 2. 75 in the QSPM shown above whereas the internal expansion strategy has a smaller score of 2. 78