Benefits of Breastfeeding Essay

It’s amazing how all creation have been endowed with built-in capabilities to procreate and sustain its progenies. It is said that â€Å"there are 4,000 species of mammals† and each kind produces a distinctive sort of milk for their young (Ruth Lawrence, M. D. , professor of pediatrics and obstetrics, in Williams, accessed in the Internet last February 27, 2007, http://www. fda. gov/Fdac/features/895_brstfeed. html ). Given that, the natural food for an infant is its mother’s milk. Human milk is custom-built for human babies and enough to meet all the dietary needs of a suckling babe. It is an established fact that years of research on the efficacy of breast milk making it perfectly suitable to provide nourishment to infants and basically protect them from illness. In comparison to bottle-fed babies, the former have decreased rates of admissions or hospitalizations, infections related to the ear, rashes and allergies, diarrhea, and a host of other medical concerns (Williams, accessed in the Internet last February 27, 2007,http://www. fda. gov/Fdac/features/895_brstfeed. html) . This paper examines and proposes the manifold benefits of breastfeeding both for the infant and its mother, its historicity, and society’s role in its practice as well the risks when mother is exposed to questionable lifestyle or substance use-whether legal or illegal. II. Review of Related Literature Despite its popularity and very common occurrence in various parts of the globe, breastfeeding is a subject frequently being researched. In a compendium on this matter, Cadwell and others brought together information on the incidence, and other studies to present a realistic picture of the importance and condition of the breastfeeding in America (Calandro & Marcus in Cadwell et al article, 2003). Historically, this maternal activity is unquestionably a norm or an everyday occurrence of early Americans. According to Cadwell and other writers however, this is no longer the situation. Breastfeeding moms are fast becoming an â€Å"endangered species† so to speak. This team among others, are convinced that a resurgence of the breast feeding practice is most needful, and education’s place in promoting breastfeeding. In addition to the many positive effects of breastfeeding, recent study published by the La Leche League International focuses on the OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) occurrence (Palmer, 1999). Findings revealed that breastfeeding and the longer a baby is breastfed lowers the incidence of this disorder. III. Historicity and Occurrence of Breastfeeding Culture and society shape people’s values to a large extent. They shape attitude early on those developmental stages. Family, teachers and friends greatly have their effects on other people’s beliefs about what are those ways that are acceptable and are not (Canahuati et al, 1999. http://www. waba. org. my/wbw/wbw99/foldereng99. htm). Many in the research field say that ninety-nine (99%) percent of human history has been known to have breast milk as the primary or sole food until two years of age. There is common knowledge also that this practice of infant nursing even continues for more than those two years (______ in Small, last accessed in the Internet, February 27, 2007). However, culture and society slowly evolved until the norm became non-existent almost. Today, in first world countries mainly, the women now choose the option to nurse or breastfeed – the ready solution to feeding a baby has become to bottle-feed them. And this beside the avalanche of information that reach mothers, many women still choose to introduce formula which all agree as an artificial substitute (Matusiak, 2005). This was actually introduced around the 1860s in the U. S. and in Europe with advertisements persuading women to purchase what might well be the scientific discovery of the day at the same time convincing its customers they are paying for the most perfect substitute for mother’s milk (Matusiak, 2005). It is true that culture is most influential when the choice to breastfeed is taken or not. To date, there are various intricacies where culture and the choice to breastfeed are involved. Matusiak in his study on A Cultural Perspective of the Feeding Habits said that â€Å"In all cultures there exist a number of factors and beliefs not directly related to breastfeeding that nevertheless affect women’s decisions on how to feed their children† (Matusiak, 2005). They include feeding habits – when to feed and when not to feed – and also the duration (one year or less for instance) of nursing the child. This even includes the feeding position – the cultural differences that influence the mother to decide what she has been taught to do. This goes to mean that mothers hand over to their children what they usually practice. In addition, it undeniably true also that whenever one mother decides to breastfeed, society almost always dictate to a large degree this decision made by women. In Pakistani society for example, male children are more preferred at than the female children. So much so that when a mother gave birth to twins, the male child was breastfed while the infant daughter was given the formula (Matusiak, 2005). Again to quote Matusiak â€Å"The cultural aspects of what roles the male and female play complicates the issue. As seen, societies that favor a male over a female, as in some developing countries, tend to have the male breastfed, while the female gets the artificial breast-milk. While more developed countries are struggling with the emergence of a strong, self-willed female population† (Matusiak, 2005).

Apple: the Company’s Visions and Objectives Essay

Apple’s Vision was the Macintosh that was called â€Å"digital hub† that isa popular model of computer introduced in 1984, that features a graphical user interface ( GUI) that utilizes windows, icons, and a mouse to make it relatively easy for novices to use the computer productively. Rather than learning a complex set of commands, that wasonly need point to a selection on a menu and click a mouse button. Moreover, the GUI is embedded into the operating system. This means that all application that run on a Macintosh computer have a similar user interface. Once a user has become familiar with one application, he or she can learn new applications relatively easily. The success of the Macintosh GUI heralded a new age of graphics-based applications and operating systems. The Windows interface copies many features from the Mac. There are many different Macintosh models, with varying degrees of speed and power. All models are available in many different configurations. All models since 1994 are based on the PowerPC microprocessor. They believed had a real advantage for consumers who were becoming entrenched in a digital lifestyle. Also, digital cameras, portable music players, and digital camcorders. That they though could be the preferred hub to control integrate, and add value to the devices. Also to control of both hardware and software.Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. Apple’s Mission Was to bring an easy-to use computer to market, which led release of the Apple II in 1978. Also, Apple is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of their employees, customers and the global communities where they operate. They can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing recourses for future generations. Goals:The goal was to differentiate the Macintosh amid intense competition in the PC industry. And state of affairs, or a state of concrete activity, which an organization or system wishes to achieve or obtain. Objective Is the plan, to involve and implement actions which must be taken to close the gap between the current realities and the ideal state?Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS, PC CPU, MP3 , iPhone 4, 4s , iPad, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices. Corporation Governance:Agency Theory: Was in 1981 when the IBM introduced the IBM PC to the market that used Microsoft’s DOS and a microprocessor (CPU), by that apple practice integration and refused to license its hardware to third parties. But IBM gained more market share and also emerged a new for the industry more than Apple. That was when apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984 that was easy to use with industrial design and elegance, but the processor was slow in speed and that lack of compatibility on sale, and Apple net income fell 62 % between the years 1981 and 1984, and sending the Apple Company into a crisis. That contributed with the job was forced out in the 1985 even his called himself as a soul of the company. After that the boardroom hired John Sculley, who was recognized for his marketing skills. He was in the company for 8 years from 1985 to 1993, who pushed the mac in the new market where the Apple was driven by its best software, such page Market, and peripheral with laser printers. Also in education Apple grabbed more than haft the market. With that Apple recovered and stabilized around 8% in share worldwide, and in 1990 Apple sale $1 billion dollars in cash and was cognized at the most profitable PC company in the world. Stewardship Theory: In the years of Sculley, the Apple Company offered to the customers a better offer by a completed desktop solution ever that was included hardware, software, and simply plug and play. Also the company designing unique chips, disk drive, and monitors. He demonstrated his interest on the company success. And interest in customer’s satisfaction, Apple was selling its products at a premium price.This time Macs had more than $10,000, and gross profit around anadvantageous 50%. Sarbanes –Oxley: That was applied in the years 2010 and 2011 when the patent wars started with competition in the smartphone industry, where everyone sued everyone. Where creative companies begindisappears or never gets start. Apple litigated against Android, HTC, and Samsung. Also Apple turnaround in 1997 when jobs reshape Apple and announced that they would invest $ 150 million in Apple and made five years develop core products, like MS Office for the mac. By satisfy about 99% of customers and again job refused to license the latest mac. Also, the company 15 product lines were divided in only four categories that were desktop, portable Macintoshes, for customers and professionals. Another improvement that job did was to hire Taiwanese contract to manufacture mac products. Therefore, in 1998 Apple had a website direct sale for the first time. Corporation Social Responsibility: News of Steve Jobs’ death sent shockwaves through the technology industry, a world that he, in large part, shaped with his career. Apple’s executives are now left with the challenge of how to lead a company, whose identity has been inextricably linked to Jobs’ for decades. The task is formidable, especially when Apple’s fanatically loyal customer base is considerably less certain about what to expect from CEO Tim Cook. That is partly because Apple’s culture of secrecy and Jobs’ visibility have combined to make Cook relatively unknown to the public at large. The uncertainty is compounded by the fact that earlier attempts to replace Jobs proved disastrous.Until now, Jobs seems to be the only one to have had that special chemistry required for running Apple.What makes leading Apple difficult to maintain is the fact that the company is not selling a product as much as it is a vision, the founder’s vision. Apple products were well built and beautiful to look at. According to recent media coverage, it would seem that Apple is interested in developing a new vision, one which includes Corporation Social Responsibility. Jobs never showed much interest in public ‘do-gooding.’ He always maintained that equipping the public with the best technology is worth more than cash grants to charities. But Cook announced that Apple would embrace a new corporate charity matching program, using a model much like those of other major companies a dollar for dollar match for employee donations of up to $10,000 a year. Cook clearly wants to send the message that Apple is evolving in the way it perceives Corporation Social Responsibility, a major differentiating factor between himself and his charismatic predecessor. However, the decision curiously followed media allegations regarding Apple’s lack of Corporation Social Responsibility activities, including a New York Times article mentioning matching as a solution employed by a considerable porti on of the Fortune 500 companies.Apple still needs to embrace the core values that make it a â€Å"cool† company in short, that owning an Apple product secure membership in a select group. While Apple is perhaps overdue for a Corporation Social Responsibility strategy, the decision to enact donation matching is decidedly not the â€Å"Apple Way. Cook is only responding to media pressure rather than bringing to Corporation Social Responsibility the same kind of innovative and inspiring vision for which Apple is so highly regarded. And in that regard, the corporate matching program is a fail.Developing a Corporation Social Responsibility strategy around neither a sense of obligation nor calculation but rather around certain well defined character virtues is highly effective. In particular, integrity, empathy and zeal, among others, are critical during times of Uncertaintythey need to be well coordinated and implemented from the inside,out not the other way around. Integrity: Any major organizational change is accompanied by insecurity. The transition from Jobs’ approach to hiring and firing is bound to create uncertainty among employees, and in corporate environments uncertainty inevitably creates pernicious maneuvering and second guessing at middle management levels. The new Corporation Social Responsibility initiatives should present both the company and its new CEO with a unique opportunity to promote an image of integrity and to differentiate the new leadership from that of the Jobs era. However, philanthropy is not a good place to start. It should start from inside, promoting trust and openness, the internal integrity. Empathy: Empathy creates emotional bonding between the company and stakeholders allowing companies to endure a difficult time. Apple is currently embroiled in lawsuits that are likely to restrict consumer choices in the future if it carries on. Publishers are frustrated by Apple’s hammerlock over apps and magazine subscriptions on the iPad. There have been indications that Samsung, Apple’s most threatening competitor, angered by patent law suits, will finally fight back to counter sue Apple. While from Apple’s point of view, taking legal action against competitors may seem necessary as a means of protecting innovation, public opinion works differently. For multinational companies the legal victory can often end with a kind of zero sum game, leaving it with a reputation for arrogance and insecurity. Apple will have to worry about its reputation all the more so if it wins the battles against competitors. Even more telling, the suicides at China’s manufacturing behemoth, Foxconn, have created the uncomfortable impression that â€Å"cool† products like the iPad are being produced by what amounts to economic slave labor. This is decidedly â€Å"uncool† and not the image that Apple wants to portray. Zeal: Zeal is perhaps the virtue most-embedded at Apple’s core and is represented by their continuous innovation and excitement in terms of products and customer experience. By emphasizing Corporation Social Responsibility, Tim Cook would need to bring that famous Apple zeal to social issues, offering an innovative approach, as competitor Google did, when it famously began encouraging its employees to spend 20% of their time on their own projects. It goes without saying that Cook and Apple are standing at a precipice. Product innovations can be short-lived. A serious Corporation Social Responsibility strategy could quietly shift Apple’s sales pitch from personal charisma to the great public good, doing Apple good in the long term. The leaders of innovative organizations that undergo the uncertainty that comes with change, would be wise to promote both integrity and empathy internally, thus ensuring that zeal continues to inspire consumers throughout their tenure and for years to come. External Factors In 1980, Apple became the PC industry leader selling more than 100,000 Apple IIs and launching a successful IPO. However, Apple’s competitive position changed fundamentally in 1981 when IBM entered the PC market. Apple’s ignorance to the industrial changes caused them to lose major PC market share by 62% sending the company into a crisis. Apple manages its business on geographic locations having offices in New York, Europe, Japan, and Asia. Apple’s sales are continuously growing. In the past decades the PC industry has evolved into the proprietary system and the open system. Let’s review Apple’s position in each phase. Proprietary Systems before 1981 Every PC producer had to develop their own hardware and software. It was proprietary, one that possesses, owns, or holds exclusive right to something. There were two mainstreams in the market, Apple style machine and IBM style machines. During this period, Apple was the leader selling more than 100,000 Apple IIs and launching a successful IPO. Its strong developing ability made the Apple brand a family commodity. Introduction of the â€Å"Open† System 1981-1997 IBM offered an â€Å"open† system in which other producers could clone causing competitors such as Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell to enter the market while Apple continued to practice limitability with a horizontal and vertical integration relying on its own proprietary designs. It was during this time that producers started separating hardware into CPUs (Central Processing Units), mother boards, disk drive, and other peripheral items. This change caused consumers to not only care about hardware performance, but also about software applications. IBM machines with Intel CPU and Windows Operating systems became the mainstream. IBM PCs not only gained more market share, but also emerged as the new standard for the industry. Apple continued to lose market share because corporate insisted on selling the products at a premium price and not upgrading its hardware and software to be compatible with IBM machines. Apple responded by introducing the Macintosh and entering new markets – desktop publishing and education- in 1984. It marked a breakthrough in ease of use, industrial design, and technical elegance. However the Mac’s slow processor speed and lack of compatible software limited sales. Apple’s desktop market was driven by its superior software and offered customers a complete desktop solution which allowed for simple â€Å"plug and play†. In education, they grabbed more than half the market, which is safe to say, helped Apple recover and stabilize bringing in revenue of $1 billion. Micro-Environment Micro-Environment is actors or elements in an organization’s immediate area of operations that affect its performance and decision making freedom. This environment can be explained using Porter’s five forces; –Rivalry among existing firms –Threat of substitute products –Bargaining power of buyers –Bargaining power of suppliers –Threat of new entrants As a computer producer company, Apple is faced with many strategic issues; Surviving competition, responding to technology innovation and continuous market needs. The technology industry can be considered to be monopolistic competition which is characterized by having a large number of competitors and gaining easy access into the industry due to low entry barriers. Supplier bargaining position is very strong due to a small number of existing processor suppliers, example Intel and AMD. Customer bargaining position is also strong due to low searching and switching costs. Both of these characteristics constrain companies in the industry. As a result, the market becomes saturated and fragmented which makes for only a small market share gained by every company. There are a lot of competitors offering similar products to Apple for example, Windows tablet, Samsung, Kindle, etc., with only little difference in features and design. Macro-Environment Macro Environment is defined as the major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization’s decision making and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors, demographics, political, social conditions technological changes and natural forces. Specific examples of macro environment influences include competitors, changes in interest rates, and changes in cultural tastes. Technological Forces The main force that influences the computer industry is rapid and sustained technical progress. Each year, integrated circuits and other technological components become better, faster, and cheaper providing opportunities to improve on existing computers as well as designing a new one. Apple is strongly affected by technology innovation forces surrounding it. Rapid innovation on hardware by component producers, for example Intel & AMD and software by competitors (Microsoft) gives Apple no choice but to grasp and possibly enhance the new hardware technology and also continue innovating to sustain differentiation. Microsoft which dominates the operating system producer for Intel based computers is a main competitor for Apple. Microsoft releases new versions of Windows every two (2) years creating pressure for Apple to upgrade MacOS as well. Political forces With China joining the WTO creates opportunity as well as threats to Apple. Lower investment barrier and market barrier gives opportunities for Apple to take advantage of low cost labor as well as getting potential market. However, on the other hand, similar opportunities exist to competitors. When competitors move its plant into China and become more efficient, Apple has to respond or they will experience cost inefficiency disadvantage over competitors. Social Forces Different and dynamic change of needs and lifestyle requires Apple to continuously innovate to adapt. Consumer’s tastes, lifestyles, and needs are rapidly changing. Apple has also been criticized by many environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products. Because of the social pressure regarding environmental issues, Apple has to invest in R&D to become environmentally friendly. The collaboration of Political, Economic, Social and Technological forces creates an intricate environment. Apple has to keep in step with new technology, innovate to be different, and continually modify to its customer needs and demands. The instantaneous changes in technology and low entry barrier cause the durability of Apple products to become obsolete.

Case Study on Pneumonia

Case Study: Pneumonia and Pressure Ulcer Prevention in an Elderly MICU Patient June 6, 2012 Case Study: Pneumonia and Sepsis in an Elderly MICU Patient L. M. is a 75-year-old female who suffers from severe dementia and lives in a SNF. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005 and as a result had a right upper and middle lobectomy. She also has a history of severe emphysema. L. M. has had several pneumonic infections and has an allergy to Pneumovax. She has a recurrent aspiration risk and received a tracheostomy and a PEG tube in January 2012. On Aril 25, 2012, L.M. was found to be increasingly fatigued, somnolent, and had shortness of breath accompanied with tachycardia as witnessed by the staff at the SNF. When she arrived at the emergency department, she was tachycardic with a heart rate in the 130-140’s and tachypnic with a respiration rate in the 30-40’s. L. M. , who normally depends on 2 liters of oxygen at home, desaturated to 88% requiring oxygen support increas ed to 4 liters. Her baseline systolic blood pressure is 100-110 and it was measured in the low 90’s in the ED. She also had an increased temperature of 38. degrees Celsius. As a result of L. M. ’s increase in temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate accompanied with pneumonia, the emergency department treated her for sepsis. Labs drawn showed an increase in white blood cells and lactic acid, as well as an increase in PC02 and a decrease in PO2. She was aggressively resuscitated with IV boluses as necessary followed by maintenance normal saline. She was also administered Vancomycin, Cefepime, Azithromycin, and Metronidazole. In addition, her chest x-ray illustrated a near complete opacification of the right lung field.She was diagnosed with sepsis secondary to pneumonia complicated by a right lower lung collapse due to mucus plugging. I assumed care of L. M. in the MICU ten days after her admission in the ED. She had been intubated and put on a mechanical ventilato r. She was put on pressure support mode at a rate of 10, PEEP of 5, Fi02 of 40%, and her tidal volumes averaged around 230. She had three bronchoscopies, however, there was still evidence of mucous plugs and L. M. was unable to clear lung secretions. Respiratory therapy attempted to decrease the pressure support on the ventilator but L.M. showed increased signs of respiratory distress. At the point that I took over care for the patient, my goals were: prevent aspiration and further spread of infection and improve ventilation and perfusion. Interventions for my patient to prevent aspirations and decrease risk of further infection included suction contaminated secretions, raise the head of the bed, and use of Chlorexidine wash. Protocol for suctioning an intubated patient in the MICU is every 4 hours or more frequently if necessary depending on the patient. L. M. ad a history of recurrent aspirations and was at risk for increased infection because she was on a ventilator. â€Å"Closu re of the glottis prevents aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions. When a patient is intubated with an endotracheal tube, the glottis remains open, leaving only the inflated cuff for protection against aspiration (Bennett, Bertrand, Penoyer, Sole & Talbert, 2011). † Therefore, routine suctioning helps to eliminate the pooling of secretions above the cuff of the endotracheal tube, where aspiration is most likely to occur.In addition, raising the head of the bed to 30-45 degrees decreases aspiration and the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. â€Å"The single most cost-free intervention found to reduce the incidence of VAP is elevation of the HOB (Stonecypher, 2010). † Although my patient was already diagnosed with pneumonia, it was important to prevent the spread of the infection to the healthy portion of her lungs or have a recurrence of sepsis. Chlorehexidine is an antiseptic that has been proven to inhibit dental plaque formation and gingivitis.I swabbed my patie nt’s mouth with Chlorhexidine once a shift as a protocol in her plan of care. The use of an antiseptic solution helps to decrease the amount of bacteria in the oral mucosa and thus prevents the colonization of bacteria in the respiratory tract (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). Another important intervention was to maintain the head of the bed at 30-45 degrees and position L. M. ’s left lung into a dependent position to improve ventilation and perfusion. L. M. ’s O2 was decreased to 63 and her CO2 was increased to 50.According to the IHI, it is recommended to elevate the bed to 30- 45 degrees to improve ventilation. Patients that lay in the supine position have lower spontaneous tidal volumes on pressure support ventilation compared to those laying at more of an angle (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). In regards to positioning, when the least damaged portion of the lung is placed in a dependent position it receives preferential blood flow. This redistribution of blood flow helps match ventilation and perfusion, therefore, improving gas exchange (Lough, Stacy & Urden, 2010).Implementing these interventions combined with respiratory therapy, significantly improved the blood gas values for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. â€Å"Pressure ulcers are key clinical indicators of the standard and effectiveness of care (Elliott, Fox & McKinley, 2008). † L. M. was at high risk for pressure ulcers for multiple factors such as immobility, poor nutrition, age, and health. Therefore, I used the Braden Scale as a quality indicator in order to assess the risk of pressure ulcers and also to initiate prevention.The Braden Scale assesses pressure sore risks by examining certain criteria: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and fiction and shear. Each category is rated on a scale of 1-4, with the exception of the friction and shear category that is rated on a scale of 1-3. There is a possible score of 23. If a patient has a higher score, they are less susceptible to development of a pressure ulcer and vice versa. In the category of sensory perception, I rated L. M. at a 2 because she only responded to painful stimuli but could not communicate discomfort with the exception of restlessness.I scored her at a 2 in the moisture criteria because she was often diaphoretic because of increased heart rate, increased respirations, and her linens had to be changed once a shift. In terms of activity, she was a 1 because she was confined to a bed both at the hospital and at the SNF she lived in. L. M. was very limited in her mobility and would only make occasional slight changes in her body position; therefore, I assessed her to be a 2. I rated her nutrition at a 2 because she weighed 84 pounds and was on tube feeding that seemed inadequate o meet her nutritional needs. In the last category, friction and shear, I gave her a 1 since she required maximum assistance in moving. She would frequently slide down in her hospital bed and required frequent repositioning. L. M. ’s cumulative score was a 10, which is considered a high risk for developing a pressure ulcer. â€Å"Prevention of pressure ulcers is a fundamental aspect of intensive care nursing, and quality improvement methods are arguably the most cost-effective and intuitive approach to addressing this potentially serious problem (Elliott, Fox & McKinley, 2008). One of the interventions I implemented in order to prevent pressure ulcers in my patient was the use of support surfaces. The use of a pressure-redistributing mattress and pillow supports under bony prominences, assist in relieving pressure that the patient’s body weight has on the skin when lying in bed for a pro-longed amount of time. If the pressure is not alleviated it can lead to impaired circulation, damage to the skin, and eventually tissue death (Gill, Reddy & Ronchon, 2006).In order to further promote patient care, it is necessary to educa te the patient, family, and/or caregivers. There are several different factors that could help to ensure a better quality of life for L. M. Consistent trach care and good oral hygiene can reduce the risk of bacteria entering the airways and causing recurrent respiratory infections. It is important for L. M. to maintain an elevation of the head of the bed to prevent aspiration and improve ventilation. Furthermore, frequent repositioning and the use of supportive devices is imperative to maintain skin integrity.It will also be crucial to monitor L. M. ’s vital signs to be able to recognize a recurrence of pneumonia or sepsis. References Bennett, M. , Bertrand, M. , Penoyer, D. A. , Sole, M. L. , & Talbert, S. (2011). Oropharyngeal secretion volume in intubated patients: The importance of oral suctioning. American Hournal of Critical Care, 20(6), 141-145. Elliott, R. , Fox, V. , & McKinley, S. (2008). Quality improvement program to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in an intesive care unit. American Journal of Critical Care, 17(4), 328-334.Retrieved from http://ajcc. aacnjournals. org/content/17/4/328. full Gill, S. S. , Reddy, M. , & Ronchon, P. A. (2006). Preventing pressure ulcers: A systematic review. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 296(8), Retrieved from http://jama. jamanetwork. com/article. aspx? volume=296&issue=8&page=974 Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Ihi ventilator bundle: Daily oral care with chlorhexidine. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Retrieved from http://www. ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/Changes/DailyOralCarewithChlorhexidine. spx Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Ihi ventilator bundle: Elevation of the head of the bed. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Retrieved from http://www. ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/Changes/ElevationoftheHeadoftheBed. aspx Lough, M. E. , Stacy, K. M. , & Urden, L. D. (2010). Critical care nursing. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Stonecypher, K. (2010). Ventilato r-associated pneumonia: The importance of oral care in intubated adults. Crtitical Care Nursing Quarterly, 33(4), 339-347.

How successful has the government and the Bank of England Essay

The bank of England and the government has worked tirelessly to counter the threat of recession and inflation particularly over the last two years. Both have worked in tandem and introduced a number of economic policies to ensure that the country does not become the target of the dreaded recession. The problems came about due to the sub-prime mortgage problems which originated in the USA. Homes began to get repossessed as home-owners were unable to repay their mortgage arrears. This in turn was felt by the UK economy and the Bank of England was forced to tamper with interest rated to ensure that repossession levels were kept reasonably low. In addition to this we have seen additional economic problems i. e. the folding of Lehman brothers but the bank of England and the government has worked hard to soften the blow. (Jones, 2007,pg 13) The Bank of England has controlled the level of interest rates it sets via the manipulation of short term interest rates and has taken extra care since the credit crunch kicked in 2 years ago. They have controlled the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). If the MPC thought that the demand was set to rise too fast, then they would have increased the interest rate, but if they thought demand was growing at a slow rate, or maybe even possibly falling, they would then have reduce the interest rate. This was known as the transmission mechanism. (Bernake, 2006, pg 27) The government since November 2006 has introduced many different internal consumer demand changes that affected the general public. Firstly there was consumer borrowing. Many consumers used this method to borrow money in the form of credit cards or loans before the credit crunch but the government revised in at the start of 2007. As the interest rates increased, it became less attractive to borrow at that time as repayments were be higher and still are high. (Jones, 2007,pg 24) Next, there was the issue consumer debt. Because of levels of borrowing at present, higher interest rates meant higher repayment costs. This was known as debt servicing. This left the consumers as a whole with less surplus income to spend as this led to a fall in demand. Mortgage debts were present because most people had to borrow to purchase a home before the credit crunch and the payments on their property varied based on the interest rate but were generally high since 2006. Higher interest rates meant higher repayments which ultimately led to a fall in demand. The Bank of England declined to substantially cut interest rates but a cut of 0. 5% was made in September 2008. Expectations were another point to consider. If interest rates increased then people may have less confidence in the future of the economy and may hold off purchases as they became concerned about a possible fall in income or even worse, the possibility of becoming unemployed. Asset prices may have been affected by interest rates, with an increase in the interest rate meant asset prices may fall. This may be shares or perhaps houses. If asset prices decreased then people felt like they have less money and thus cut back on spending. (Mankiw, 2006, pg12) Many businesses borrowed money from banks and it is this demand changes that affected the interest rates which ultimately affected how much the business owed the bank. One solution is that businesses could have agreed with the lender that funds were only drawn when needed meaning interest would only be paid on amounts drawn and the business would not have to pay interest on unused funds of the loan. The government and bank of England has worked systematically to keep the economy flowing over the last two years where the UK has been on the brink of recession. What this is saying is that they could have predicted how interest rates would fall on rise based on the current state of the economy and the position it had within the world trade. If the economy is doing well then we can say that interest rates will be affected in a way in which we can predict for the future. In this case they may rise but if the economy is doing poorly then they may fall in the future. (Mankiw, 2006, pg22) To conclude one would say that the Bank of England plays a major role in the stability of this country. Without it this country would have no financial stability to be a world player on the trade market like it is now. b) Describe and evaluate the main macro economic policies used by the British government and the Bank of England over the last two years? (november 2006 – november 2008) The government and the bank of England have used a number of macro economic policies over the last two years. They are – Monetary Policy Government has used the monetary policy to ensure a slow steady growth in the money supply which moves in line with the growth of real output, around 1% or 2% per year since 2006. The Bank of England controls rates of interest rates, and by holding interest at a steady level, inflation would also be kept level. ( Bernake, 2007, pg 10) Fiscal Policy The fiscal policy is the policy used by the government to help direct the economy by deciding how much they should spend, which resources to spend money on, how much taxes should be risen or decreased or waived. An example of fiscal policy in use is when the government from 2006 used fiscal policy to change the level of economic activity due ton the credit squeeze. After 1979, the Conservatives believed that using monetary policy to control the money supply was more important but the government from 2006 only highlighted this area of macro economics due to the credit problems. Businesses used the fiscal policy as their main policy as they believe that interest rates played an important part in influencing aggregate demand. They used monetary policy as a back up to fiscal policy. When businesses were faced with a recession in the economy, they did not not welcome the change in the fiscal policy to decrease public spending and increase taxes. When there is a boom in the economy fiscal policy is used by Keynesians to decrease public expenditure and increase tax but since 2006 the opposite occurred. Monetarists used fiscal policy to reach a near balanced budget which they felt would prevent large increases in the money supply and inflation. As monetarists did not believe in the short term counter cyclical policies, they felt that it was important to stabilize the money supply in the medium term to counter the threat of inflation. ( Bernake, 2007, pg22) Incomes Policy The government looked at the incomes policy and aimed to reduce inflation rates by ensuring that the growth rate of incomes is the same as the growth rate of productivity. If the government could slow down the rate of increasing incomes, the incomes policy could restrict the rate at which costs were rising. A voluntary incomes policy was when the government tried to persuade trade unions and firms to accept that wages should not be allowed to increase more than the expected rise in Gross National Product. A statutory incomes policy was when the government passes legislation to limit or freeze increase levels which took place in June 2007. Price Controls Policy The government applied price controls to control inflation rates in Feb 2007.? Price controls sometimes hold prices below the equilibrium level, causing shortages.? If costs rose whilst prices were held down, firms may be unable to make profit.? When cost-push inflation is the main inflation, prices need to be controlled to reduce the problem. The Bank of England was wary of this and welcomed the change. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE POLICIES Monetary Policy Keynesians use monetary policy during a recession and in reverse during a boom. Monetary policy is used to lower interest rates, ease controls on bank lending and hire purchase during a recession. The effect this has on the government objectives was that unemployment would fall due to increased expenditure causing greater demand for goods and services and more need for employees to produce more goods. The threat of Inflation increased due to the less favourable balance of payments due to increased spending on imports. (Bernake, 2006, pg 26) Supply Side Policies Supply side policies also reduced inflation by de-regulating the labour markets and encouraging higher levels of productivity. Supply side economists felt that unemployment levels would drop when there was lower tax and reduced benefit levels but since Nov 2006 the government nor bank of England did not reduce tax. When unemployment had been reduced, the threat of inflation remained low, and if trade unions had less power, it would prevent workers demanding higher wages, which also helped to keep inflation low. By allowing market forces to operate, the bank of England felt that the economic growth would increase, as goods would be supplied where they were needed.? As supply side economists felt that supply factors were important and that they would concentrate on ensuring there was enough supply for consumers, preventing more imports having to be purchased, helping to keep the balance of payments level steady and keeping the economy running in a very shaky period. (Bernake, 2006, pg 29) Price Controls Policy If the government inflation fell by imposing price controls, it can often cause firms to go out of business if costs rise and prices don’t. Firms may be unable to keep employees if costs are rising and they are not making enough profit, causing increased unemployment. Economic growth would deteriorate, as firms may find it difficult to expand. Consumers may purchase goods from other countries if prices are unreasonable causing the balance of payments to decrease, making the UK less competitive. Bibliography Books Jones. C. Introduction to economic growth. Second edition. W. W Norton and company Ltd (2007) Mankiw, G.Macroeconomics. 6th ed. Palgrave, (2006) Journals Bernake, B. Is growth exogenous? Taking Mankiw, Romer and Weil seriously. National Bureau of Economic Research (2006) Edwards T. Human capital and the ambiguity of the Mankiw- Romer-Weil model. Loughborogh University (2007) Felipe, J et al. Why are some countries richer than others? A reassurance of Mankiw Romer Weils test of the neoclassical growth model. Mankiw, et al. A contribution to the empirics of economic growth. Quarterly journal of economics. (2007) Porter M and Stern S. Measuring â€Å"ideas† production function: Evidence from the international patent output. National Bureau of economic research. (2006) Bernake, B. Is growth exogenous? Taking Mankiw, Romer and Weil Seriously. (2007) Felipe, J. Why are some countries richer than others? A reassessment of Mankiw Romer Weils’s test f the neoclassical growth model. Bernake, B. Is growth exogenous? Taking Mankiw, Romer and Weil Seriously. (2006) Edwards T, Human capital and the ambiguity of the Mankiw-Romer-Weil model. (2005) Felipe, J. Why are some countries richer than others? A reassessment of Mankiw Romer Weils’s test f the neoclassical growth model. Zoeyga G and Gylfason T. Obsolescene. International Macroeconomics. 2006

The Enlightment

Sydell Mejia Prof. Goulding EN202-21 2/25/10 Importance of Reason The Enlightment age was a very important time period; it started in the eighteen century. This age was also known as the age of reason. Men of this age felt they were â€Å"Enlightened† group. They believed they were coming to their senses, educated men of this time thought that the universe was logical, rational, and reasonable, and this could even out a man's modern passions and actions. They had the beliefs that they had come closer to any other age to figure out how the universe and men worked and how to live more a good life more reasonably. The Enlightenment also challenged many of the former ideas, one of which was ignorance. Orgon in Moliere’s, Tartuffe, exemplifies the idea of ignorance, due to the fact he is ignorant of Tartuffe’s true character. DORINE: â€Å"There was that headache Madame had the day you left. Well, it got really bad. She had a fever†. ORGON: â€Å"And Tartuffe? † DORINE: â€Å"He’s fine- Rosy nose and red cheeked, drinking your wine. † ORGON: â€Å"Poor Man! †(1. 4. 8-14). Although Orgon hears news about his ill wife, he only shows his care towards Tartuffe. He also fails to recognize that Tartuffe is tricking them and is not thinking as reasonably as Cleante is. In Act I, scene 5, Cleante is trying to talk sense into Orgon; he is the voice of reason in this scene. Cleante accuses Orgon of being unable to distinguish hypocrisy and true devotion to the family. He tells Orgon that his love of Tartuffe is unrealistic, and attempts to â€Å"enlighten† him about Tartuffe's true character: Cleante: â€Å"Orgon, listen, You’re out of your mind. / Or you’re mocking me. Or both combined. / How can you speak such nonsense without blinking? † (1. 5. 73-75). Although Cleante knows that Orgon is wrapped around his feelings for Tartuffe. Orgon believes so strongly in Tartuffe's piety and goodness that he is willing to sacrifice the happiness of his daughter, therefore thinking unreasonably and affecting his family negatively, such as making his daughter marry someone she does not want to marry, sacrificing the happiness of his daughter. Dorine is another character that presents reason throughout the play. Dorine, Mariane’s maid, is someone with a low social status and because she is a member of the working class, she is portrayed as ignorant in the family because of her low social status. Although in the play she is of low social status, she is smarter than Orgon and also a lot more reasonable. She is able to point out that Tartuffe is an imposter. Dorine says, â€Å"Now there’s a lie that beats everything. / His pretended reverence for our king! †(5. 7. 25-26). This shows that it does not matter what social class one comes from to determine their level of reason. Dorine is someone from a lower social standing than the family, but yet, is able to socialize and befriend the family she works for. His control affects his family, especially his daughter. In the play, she is to marry to the man she loves, but when Tartuffe enters the picture, Orgon breaks his promise to her fiance, and tells her she has to marry Tartuffe instead. However, Orgon is challenged by his family, who work to prove Tartuffe is a fake. This is a conflict to the power order of society and brings into question the authority of this order, by the end of the play, Tartuffe turns his back on Orgon and tries to arrest him. He brings an officer of the king back to take Orgon. However, while Tartuffe attempts to get Orgon arrested, the king saw through him and reasoned that Tartuffe was the one to be accused and put to trial. In his Narrative, Oluadah Equiano, describes in detail his experiences when he was captured and enslaved. In an attempt to persuade the reader of the Englishmen evil actions, Equiano reveals the hypocrisy of European ideas of enlightenment and the dehumanizing nature of slavery. Equiano Olauduah's autobiography, The Interesting Narrative Life of Equiano Olauduah is a unique and intriguing story which includes vivid and great detailed descriptions of the author's life both as a slave and a free black man. Throughout Equiano's life he encounters many hardships and misery. In the beginning of the narrative, he explains his experience on a slave ship when he was sent away: â€Å"These filled me with astonishment, which was soon converted into terror when I was carried aboard† (38). He explains his amazement of the new advances throughout the ship but also explains the terror of being on the ship and watching the miserable slaves upon the ship. He has come in contact with many people of different races, religion and intelligence. Equiano was a well-rounded intelligent black male which many people admired. Although Equiano purchased his freedom and now considered a free man, he still endured man hardships. Works Cited â€Å"Age of Reason. † History – AllAboutHistory. org. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. http://www. allabouthistory. org/age-of-reason. htm. Moliere. Tartuffe A New Verse Translation (ED. Norton Critical Editions_)_. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. Print.

Project Exploring the 1960's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Exploring the 1960's - Research Paper Example All the events from the past have some certain lessons that can be utilized to attain courage, responsibility, respect, etc. The history of the world is full with such events. Such events are considered important in the history of mankind due to certain aspects of the events. 1960s is the age of the beginning of the industrial revolution, decade of social events and political revolution (Teachers, 2012). In the same period, different forms of music and art also developed. Some companies merged and some bigger companies split and made their own names in the different markets. Mass production of passenger vehicles for non military purposes started in 1960s. Thus, 1960 has the major influence on humans and world’s history. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to reach the space. He belonged to Russian Federation (Teachers, 2012). The event of the launch of the man into the space is one of the most dominating incidents in the history of the world. It depicts if a person wants somethi ng, he can achieve through hard work and utilization of intelligence. The mentioned event influenced me to achieve my goals and gave me courage to understand and develop my ideas and adopt the ways associating with the event of Yuri Gagarin reaching the space (Teachers, 2012). Social work is my passion and I love to work for the kids and families, particularly the families that lack the economic as well as parental support. The particular event of the Yuri Gagarin going into the space for the very first time is the event I have always remembered when performing any task or diverting my thoughts towards any task. The thought of the events gives me courage as the event depicts the courage of a man and the intelligence of the many people and several researches that made it possible to launch the flight with fist man into the space (Teachers, 2012). The major lessons, we gain from the event, are unity, courage, self-confidence, hard-work, and willingness to achieve the goals. I have thr ee adorable kids and during my life span, I learnt from that event how to handle the situation and how to work effectively and efficiently. If the event of ‘flight of first man into the space’ did not happened in the past, I think my life would not been such that. All my decisions and thought depended on the corresponding event. I think any other event has not such capability to be the lesson taking event of my life. My decisions and my goals are represented by my thoughts and all my thoughts are depicted through the corresponding event. The most important aspect of taking account of the corresponding event is the way to lead the life. I think that the world to me at that time would be different in many aspects if the event of first flight into space did not happen in the past. My goals would have been different from the current, I will not prefer to be the social worker and work for the kids, or most unimaginative thought I have is that, I would not be able to recogniz e myself and my personal skills. Most of the events have either positive or negative impacts on the human life. The event I discussed above has only positive impact on my life. I think that if the above mentioned event would not happened in the past, I would have developed my ideas depending on any other event and the event may have negative impact on me

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Management - Essay Example The company does not offer its clients any post-sales service of further support. Catherine's company is responsible for advertising campaigns for the business, thus it delivers the marketing message to customers directly. George’s company sells its products through builders, electrical retailers, and department stores. Therefore, the target market of this company is more definite than that of Catherine's business. Still, the business works with most of its clients indirectly. The target market is narrower than that of Catherine’s company. Though some clients are dealt with directly, most of the information the business can get about the end users may come from the retailers. The company offers its customers help repairing the goods and solving warranty issues. George’s company, though does implement some internal marketing, communicates its message to the customers through builders, electrical retailers, and department stores Alan’s company is a retailer of motor cars and, therefore, has direct contact with its customers. The target market is relatively narrow is even geographically bound. Nevertheless, the company’s salespeople closely work with the prospects. Therefore, the company, since has a direct communication with the customers, can gather information about them directly. The mechanics of the company are to help clients if they have any problems with the car after it’s purchased. Alan’s company’s direct responsibility is to implement its marketing strategies on its own. So company’s salespeople, in most cases, are the ones who deliver the marketing message to the clients. 2. How would these differences provide challenges for each general manager? Catherine’s and George’s companies have limited opportunities for receiving customer feedback. Such feedback, when integrated into the CRM process and communicated to the customer contact employees would improve the effectiveness of b usiness-customers communication. In addition, frequent and more improved communication would improve customers’ efficiency in using the products of the companies and, as a result, increase the rates of customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, such improvements in communication would require the companies to improve their internal communication channels and modify communication processes for them to deliver more valuable information about the customers. For Catherine’s company this would mean imposing on the franchisees the responsibility to gather customers’ feedback. George’s company would have to work closer with its retailers in order for them to give information about the end users of the company’s products. Alan’s company would have to implement a program that would ensure customer feedback is gathered, analyzed and used properly. Among the advantages of closer and improved communication with the clients is, first of all, leads gener ation. More personalized approach to sales would enable all the three companies to receive information on the potential clients from the existing ones. It is especially appropriate for Alan’s business model. In addition, word of mouth – information exchange between people – is to be of a great help if the company’s clients are satisfied and loyal. At the same time, improving communication with the customers, as well as communication channels, would require each company to somewhat restructure their sales strategies and business structures. New forms of communication should be

Ways of Looking at Culture Within Organizations Essay

Ways of Looking at Culture Within Organizations - Essay Example all the members to allow for effective use of different skills and talents to the team, and problem solving where mechanisms for problem solving and conflict management are put in place. An example in a small organization is where a team of the management and employees of a small organization form a team. The team, in this case, should have a common goal of expanding the business, augment revenue, and provision of quality goods and services. Having a common goal allows for the development of synergy among the team members and provides a sense of purpose in achieving the clear and specified goal of the small organization. The effect will be an emphasis on ensuring all the strategies in the small business are synchronized for the achievement of the goal and each of the team members know their responsibility to the team and feel honoured to be in a team that has a specific goal allowing for augmented success of the small business. The structural elements of successful teams include having a shared vision, clear and continuous communication allowing for resolving issues amicably, and visibility and accountability of each of the team members. The other structural elements for successful teams are having clear expectations defined as all members, respect, planning, and trust among the members of the team allowing for cohesiveness and success of the teams (Sloane, 2007). Schneider believes that cooperation, contribution, and commitment are the other structural elements for successful teams (Schneider,

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Revival of Parisian Haute Couture after WWII - Essay Example World War II is considered to be the dark years of otherwise richest fashion industry, Paris. Before the war, the whole world looked towards Paris for fashion, accessories, fabrics, and inspiration. On the other hand, Pre-WWII America was merely a Parisian fashion admirer and consumer (Murgia 2013).It is quite interesting to explore how Paris made such remarkable comeback on international scene, despite the unparallel decline in prominence, social life differences between US and Europe, and most significant of all, momentous progress of American fashion industry during the 1940s. No doubt, WWII marked the end of European supremacy in the visual arts, and increasing momentum of New York art scene, however, equivalent enhancement of fashion scene couldn’t take place. Rather, United States’ magazines published articles like â€Å"How to buy a Dior Original† that presumed French couture as every American woman’s dream. Despite the time-consuming and expensive process of dressmaking by a French designer, American women found it priceless (Steele 1998). In addition to state efforts, and clever marketing strategies of French couturiers, â€Å"the sheer prestige of Pars fashion contributed to its post-war revival,† as Steele (1998) puts it. ... Hats made their ways into an otherwise politically correct dress. They found a creative outlet in the use of feathers, raffia, and different leftover items (Peterson et al. 2008). America was nearly disconnected with Paris during War years, therefore, most American couture houses and ready-to-wear manufacturers incorporated American designers in their teams. It provided Americans with freedom to create new styles without getting influences by Paris. In that period, American designers like Gilbert Adrian secured the leading position one fashion scene2 (quoted in Murgia 2013). After liberation from German occupation, French designers who showed association with Nazis were ignored. Even though Channel closed her Paris fashion one year before the war, her love affair with a high official of Nazis created unfavourable situations that made it difficult for her to open salon in Paris for many years after the war. Unlike Americans, French designers rejected the war related non-French frugali ty (due to rationing) and made luxurious use of materials. Such attitudes and emerging American designers’ popularity triggered a shift from Paris as the arbiter of all fashion (Peterson et al. 2008). During 1945, in their efforts to revive French fashion and regain the lost status of Fashion capital, fifty-three French couturiers joined hands to organize a travelling exhibition, called Theatre de la Mode. Some of the prominent names of this group included Cristobal Balenciaga, Jean Patou, Robert Ricci, Jacques Fath, and Elsa Schiaparelli. They revived an old-age exhibitions style of dressing up 200 dolls with complete dress, undergarments, hats, shoes, gloves, jewellery, handbags, and umbrellas

Chikita Banana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chikita Banana - Essay Example In pursuit of better business climate including, for instance, lower taxes, Chiquita engaged in payment of bribes to government officials. For instance, in 1975, it was disclosed that the company paid a Honduran official an excess of US $ 1.25 million bribe in order to reduce taxes paid on banana exports (Schotter and Teagarden 5). The company also employed underground tactics to discourage governments from developing infrastructure so as to retain a grip on transportation monopoly. By promoting coups against perceived hostile governments, Chiquita perpetuated injustices borne out of disrespect for sovereignty of the people. In doing so, the company’s corporate interests got entangled with the foreign policy of America. For instance, in 1954, the directors of United Fruit Company lobbied the U.S. government for a coup in Guatemala on the allegation that the incumbent government was rooting for communism (Schotter and Teagarden 9). This was undertaken to conceal the company’s fear of losing 40% of its land owing to supposed agrarian reform and new labor code. United Fruit Company was notorious for subjecting its farm workers to long working hours in dangerous conditions. Prior to its restructuring, Chiquita engaged in unsustainable wide scale cultivation of bananas by allowing agrochemical runoff water to flow into water sources, as well as massive deforestation of tropical forests to create land for expansion (Schotter and Teagarden 6). Chiquita employed guerilla tactics in order to retain its market share such as controlling the distribution of banana lands. The uncontrollable appetite for land and market dominance made United Fruit extend its reach and influence over governments and lives of its employees. United Fruit extended its influence to prevent governments from distributing banana lands to locals wishing to have a share for the banana business. The

Apple Inc. Current market conditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Apple Inc. Current market conditions - Essay Example The firm is estimated to have the majority of the smart phone market with the main competitors being the Research in Motion of Canada, Samsung of North Korea and the upcoming Huawei of China. On its launch of the Smartphone, the firm was able to sell over ten million units within a month which was a record not only for the firm’s product sales but also for the market. New version of the same product has been very successful with million units in sales made for each new version which is after every two years. Apple has proved to the world that it is a future firm and that it is here to stay. This has to do with its history of innovation and surprising the consumers with new products just when the customers thought they had everything there is to have in the electronics industry. Generally, Apple is a successful company with a growing future. Though it faces threats such as competition from other providers in its line, it stands a better chance for success due to opportunities a nd market venture it has not touched. Law of diminishing demand Mentioning of recent or upcoming purchases of cars and computers suggests a strong consumer demand for the commodities. The confidence of consumers is measured by Consumer Confidence Index (CCI). Consumers’ confidence shows the optimism of the consumers on the economy. This can easily be expressed in their saving and spending activities (Barnes, 2012). Household surveys are carried out every month about the ongoing conditions and the expectations of the future regarding the United States economy. Data is available by age, region, and income for consumer attitudes and buying intentions. A healthy economy means consumers are willing to spend their money. The CCI is calculated from data gathered from 5000 households every month. Five questions are asked in the survey and each question is given a relative value. The values are calculated and compared against a benchmark value that was calculated in 1985. The 1985 ben chmark value is as is because that is when the CCI was first calculated. From the results, an index value is obtained for each of the five questions. The average index values of the questions are obtained and forms the consumer confidence index. Consumer spending is very imperative to a countries’ financial health. Consequently, the CCI is closely and accurately watched economic indicator. Changes of below 5% are usually said to be inconsequential. On the other hand, changes of 5% and above show very strong change in the direction of economy (Barnes, 2012). Competitors and the market While Apple is a leader in the industry, this does not mean that the firm does not have competition. The main competition is from Research in Motion who is the manufacturers of yet another market leading Smartphone, Samsung, which is a Korean electronics manufacturer that is catching up very quickly with the American manufacturers and finally Huawei which is a Chinese mobile communication devise manufacturers who have recently entered the market for Smartphone (Russolillo, 2012). Huawei especially offers a very different kind of competition because apart from having the advantage of the Asian cheap labour from china, it has a very keen focus on manufacturing low cost Smartphone and have entered into strategic coalitions with such giants as Google and a number of mobile phone operators in the world. The

To what extent was there a 'step change' in Britain's relationship Essay

To what extent was there a 'step change' in Britain's relationship with the EU in 1997 - Essay Example ion assists nations in establishment of steady and flourishing democracies, and it reduces the chance of a country in Europe becoming a rouge state, by developing solid reconciliation between the conflicting parties in a country. Therefore, the paper will develop counter arguments to discuss the extent of â€Å"step change† in the relations of Britain with EU during the period between 1997 and 2005. The â€Å"step change† initiative was characterized by Blair as a term refereeing to adaptation of the New Labor to a practical European policy. Moreover, there were other terms referring to the same initiative such as Blair’s active promotion of EU expansion; thus, this implies that the government became responsive to affairs concerning the European, thereby dealing with issues like Convention on the Future of Europe. In fact, aim was to arise, instead of leading though the initiatives of the government policy2. The government had international priorities and not European since the themes were running during the entire period, hence raising the concern of whether Britain was seeking eschew from the euro before 1997. Europe segregated the British labor party for a period of sixty years, compared to the conservatives who offer support in the process of the integration, though the Prime Minister, Attlee was faced with opposition. Moreover, the history of Britain would be expunged after joining the Common Market, and the Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson had pragmatic reasons for his willingness to absorb Britain since it had lost the role as a leader in the world and due to deterioration of its economy. Therefore, by 1960, the leadership of the party would have resolved their differences on Europe relating to the segments of labor ranks and files while there was hostility by the labor movement to the notion of membership to the community of capitalist, since there was fear of increasing rates of unemployment3. In 1970, Britain took on a stance against the EU through

Individual - Videoconference Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual - Videoconference - Assignment Example The manager should be able to define the project success standards by identifying the various stakeholders involved which include those that are directly affected by the project, persons who sponsor the project implementation and the society at large (Journal, 2013). This will aid the business to upsurge its market share, meet the customer targets by attaining specific standards, the firm will also be able to increase its revenues since they can achieve the target sales while maintaining the customer satisfaction and keeping up with the industry and state standards. However the problem exist since some goals will be given more priority than others as there will be a trade-off of the choices. But the business goal must be decided since it is only rational to determine direct issues that will affect sales and improve revenue. Second, project manager should allow degree of freedom, project animators and decide on the restraints. Constraints are the limited resource available while the motivators are those factors that initiates a faster result of the project and freedom allows for adjustments during the project cycle (Charrel & Galarreta, 2007). This factor is advantageous to the company’s projects to be stretchy so that it can be successful. None the less, allowing too much flexibility may lead to wide deviations from the project objectives and should only be allowed at minimum levels. This factor has the rationale that if one direction is bound to fail, the manager can find other alternatives to remedy the situations while maintaining the project desires. Third, the manager should set achievable goals and avoid impossibilities. This is done by negotiations by consumers, managers of the organizations and all the staff members involved on the realistic targets to work on while keeping a good demand and forecast predictions about the future (Kerzner & Learning, 2013). This will enable the company to solve problems

Financial accounting theories in a real life Assignment - 1

Financial accounting theories in a real life - Assignment Example Different researchers have dissimilar views regarding financial accounting theories (McGraw-Hill, 2006). There are different types of accounting theories that can be implemented in real life scenario. One of them is the Repo 105 theory. This theory is used by many of the companies. Moreover, it needs to be mentioned that the misuse of such theories can result in negative functioning of the companies. There are many such cases where improper use of accounting theories result in complete demise of the companies. Financial regulations can play a major role in reducing such cases (Liu & Schaefer, 2011; Eisinger, 2012). The report intends to discuss the role of Repo 105 scheme in the enhanced performance and subsequent downfall of the Lehman Brothers. The report would further depict the different motives that encourage companies to manipulate their financial accounts with reference to a few well known cases. Moreover, the report also intends to illustrate the importance of financial regulations in reducing such cases. Repo 105 is an accounting trick where a company depicts a short-term loan as a part of the sales of the company. Moreover, this loan would be further used by the company to repay its liabilities. A repo agreement would include temporary transfer of assets from one party to another which would also be accompanied by an agreement of repurchase of the same assets after a particular phase of time. After a certain period of time, the transferee returns the securities to the borrowers, which in turn repays the loan with a considerable interest. It needs to be mentioned that as a part of the exchange process, one party would receive securities as guarantee for the cash loaned, while the other party would receive cash guarantee for the securities loaned. It has been observed that these agreements are widely used as well as recognised as a legal means of

Contract & Purchase Negotiation Not Just the Beatles Essay

Contract & Purchase Negotiation Not Just the Beatles - Essay Example Thus, because of lack of preparation Brian Epstein lost in these negotiations resulting to lose of millions of revenue. However, he would have prevented this from happening if the following steps of effective planning for negotiations were followed; framing the problem and recognizing it is a common problem between the negotiating parties. Brian Epstein failed to recognize how the problem that was facing him would be beneficial to the media and entertainment industry and hence made it difficult for him to have a strong bargaining power in the negotiations hence resulting to the loss of millions of revenue. In addition, determine your goals, articulate what you want to achieve through them and finally prepare for the negotiations (Roy, et al., 1999). Your goals must define the ultimate agenda and the conflict situation. Brian Epstein failed to formulate a plan, and goals that he wanted to achieve through his negotiations with the media and entertainment industry players like George Martin hence resulting to the loss of millions of revenue. Exchanging the list of issues you want to discuss with the negotiating party is another effective negotiating step that can provide an opportunity for the negotiating parties to synthesize the merits and demerits of the negotiations prior to the negotiations process. If Brian Epstein would have presented his agenda to the media and entertainment industry early and articulated the benefits thereafter, he would have managed a better bargaining power that would have saved the Beatles the millions of lost revenue. Evaluation and prioritization of ones’ goals and trying to identify any possible tradeoffs between them is another key step in the negotiation process (Roy, et al., 1999). As a negotiator, you must be aware of your position and goals to help and guide you identify your concerns and desires that underlie your major objectives of

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Black Power Mix Tape - Movie Review Example Davis argues that any movement would require a focus towards its goals and the achievement of these goals needed to be done through means that were available to the resisting community. Davis points out the hypocrisy of the government, members of whom make incendiary comments against the African American community and in the same breath accusing the African American community of violence. Davis’s grouse against such comments stems from the institutional violence that African Americans have to face on a daily basis, leading to reduced economic and political opportunities. Diane Ravitch argues that society as a whole, if it is to be an educated one, would have to preserve its integrity (Ravitch). This idea can be connected to Davis’s notion of revolution. Revolution, for Davis, is for the establishment of a society that has integrity. The very notion of revolution too is characterized by its honesty, as far as Davis is

Disabilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Disabilities - Essay Example It simply means we are calling ourselves " abled". The Smith College Office of Student Affairs issued a pamphlet that defines "ableism" as "oppression of the differently abled, by the temporarily abled." The term "differently abled" was "created to underline the concept that differently abled individuals are just that, not less or inferior in any way..." "Ageism," according to the pamphlet, is "[o] oppression of the young and old, by young adults and the middle-aged, in the belief that others are 'incapable' or unable to take care of themselves." Disability should be perceived as an aspect of human diversity and not as an "abnormality". Terms like" differently abled" not only aim at being politically correct but also serve to remove physical and attitudinal barriers in various aspects of life. Literature and media has forever used words terms describing differently abled peolple that have negative, de-personalizing connotations and reinforce the stigma of these people and promote the idea of summing up a persons identity with a disability that he/she has. The sense of superiority and the illusion of power in us stems from our inflated egos because we take our lives and our living for granted. The "what -if-I was -one -of -them" factor never crosses our mind. We fail to realize that our bodies are not an everlasting bunch of tissues. Each cell in our bodies has a fixed life span and if the cell dies before we do, it results in disability. The condition of wellness we presently enjoy is not permanent but just a passing phase. We are al "temporary abled bodies" which means if we are lucky enough to live long enough , each one of us will come to face with a disability which is an inevitable part of ageing and degenerative process provided we don't meet with an accident or illness before that! Disability is an integral part of human existence and the only difference lies in the number of "disabled years" that we live. For some it might be their entire lifetime and for others it might be just the last few days of their existence. Indeed, m ost of us will experience disability in ourselves or in someone close to us at some point in our lives and we too will have to reach out to others - to family, friends, neighbors, strangers and even the government for a helping hand. We must understand that our distance from disability closes every second we live. This may sound as a morose and debilitating statement and very pessimistic too but that should not stop us from living our lives and fulfilling our dreams in anticipation of a life of chronic pain ahead! If we find it difficult to expand our definition of "normal" so much so that it accommodates what we call "disabled", I think it makes more sense to call ourselves" temporarily abled". This would place every human being on an equal platform with no obstacle to the right to fully participate in the society. It would also broaden the general perspective regarding "norms" which we have established for a normal, healthy and fulfilling existence. Research has shown that approximately 3% of all children born globally will be uniquely different - born to this world challenged in extraordinary ways. Also, one out of five adults between the ages of 45 and 65 will experience some form of disability for an extended period, and that 43 % of those over age 65 will

Objective responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Objective responsibility - Essay Example Moreover, a public administrator should be in a position to make decisions based upon their ethical reflection and analysis of a case. When making such decisions, public administrators need to consider whether to pass their objective responsibility or not. According to Cooper (2010, 72), the objective responsibilities of public administrators are defined by both accountability and imposed obligation, which are "responsibility to someone else for something. Basically these responsibilities externally create a palpable source of obligation, creating some of responsibility. Sources of objective responsibility are characterized by factors such as superiors and subordinates, elected officials, and citizens. The multi-faceted principal responsibility of public administration in a big way complicates a public administrators role as an agent (Cooper 2010, 72). It is however important to note that the balance of objective responsibility is the element role of public administrators. How effectively these administrators apply the balance of objective responsibility to their decision-making processes defines their fundamental preparedness to make ethical decisions. Conflict of interest, Cooper, pages 112 - 121: cooper points out that a conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization becomes engaged in multiple interests. One of these interests has the probably of corrupting the motivation of an act in another interest. Since the content of a conflict of interest is different from the fulfilment of impropriety, a conflict of interest can be found and voluntarily defused before the happening of a problem. Cooper (2010, 113) notes that, "Conflicts of interest involve collisions between these various kinds of influences and the interests of the public we serve". He states further that the fiduciary role is endangered when people lose trust in professional

Information Technology Management Emphasis Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Management Emphasis Essay The Master of Business Administration—Information Technology Management is specifically designed for experienced business professionals and managers seeking upward career mobility in the information technology arena. The program prepares you for a mid-level to upper-level information technology management position in business, industry, and non-profit organizations. MBAITM Understanding the Competency-Based Approach Practically speaking, what does it mean when we say that WGU programs are competencybased? Unlike traditional universities, WGU does not award degrees based on credit hours or on a certain set of required courses. Instead, students earn their degrees by demonstrating their skills, knowledge, and understanding of important concepts through a series of carefully designed assessments. Progress through your degree program is governed, not by classes, but by satisfactory completion of the required assessments that demonstrate your mastery of the competencies. Of course, you will need to engage in learning experiences as you brush up on competencies or develop knowledge and skills in areas in which you may be weak. For this learning and development, WGU has a rich array of learning resources in which you may engage under the direction of your mentor. You will work closely with your mentor to schedule your program for completing the assessments. (We discuss assessments in much more detail later in this guide.) You will work closely with additional faculty members as you proceed through courses of study that are designed to lead you through the content you must master in order to pass individual assessments. The benefit of this competency-based system is that it makes it possible for people who are knowledgeable about a particular subject to make accelerated progress toward completing a WGU degree even if they lack college experience. You may have gained your skills and knowledge of a subject on  the job, accumulated wisdom through years of life experience, or, indeed, took a course on a particular subject. WGU awards a degree to you based on the skills and knowledge that you possess and can demonstrate, not the number of credits you have on your transcript. Accreditation Western Governors University is the only university in the history of American higher education to have earned accreditation from four regional accrediting commissions. WGUs accreditation was awarded by (1) the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, (2) the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, (3) the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and (4) the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The university’s accreditation status is now managed by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The university is also accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), and the WGU Teachers College is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The Degree Plan The focus of your program is your personalized Degree Plan. The Degree Plan is a detailed blueprint of the learning resources and assessments that comprise your program. The length of your program depends on both the amount of new information you need to learn and the amount of time you plan to devote each week to study. Students will vary widely in the specific skills and information they need to learn. For example, some may be highly knowledgeable in a subject matter and would not need to engage in new learning opportunities. Others may find that portions of the program require completely new learning and that they may need to take an online class or participate in a study module to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to pass the program competencies in that area. Some individuals may be able to devote as little as 15ï€ ­20 hours per week to the program, while others may have more time. For this reason, you will complete pre-assessments to help your mentor form a profile of your prior knowledge and experience for use in creating your Degree Plan. WGU’s Mentoring Approach ]Our mentoring approach is a powerful component of the WGU educational experience. When you enroll at WGU, you will begin interacting with your personal mentor, course mentors, and support staff. Your mentor takes an active role and a personal interest in your success. Whether by e-mail or phone, your mentor will be your ―point personâ€â€" of communication throughout your program. Your mentor will help motivate you to work hard to complete your program. When you have questions or concerns, your mentor team will help you resolve them. You and your mentor will work together to evaluate your educational background, strengths, and weaknesses. With this analysis, your mentors will help determine in which areas you are already competent (and can move quickly to assessment) and areas you need to work on; this will become your personalized Degree Plan. Your mentor will direct you to the Courses of Study that contain the best learning resources for you (courses, texts, independent study modules, etc.) and are supported by course mentors that serve as your content experts for each area of study. As you proceed through your academic program, you and your mentor will determine when you are ready for the required assessments. If you are ready, your assessment will be scheduled. You will follow this same process as you proceed through each domain. Connecting with Other Mentors and Fellow Students As you proceed through your Degree Plan, you may also have direct contact  with other faculty members. These communications can take a variety of forms, including participation in learning communities, office hours via the courses of study, and webinars. As a WGU student, you will have access to your own personal MyWGU Student Portal that will provide a gateway to courses of study, learning communities, and program communities where you will have interactions with faculty and other students. Courses of study and communities are specifically designed to support you as you develop competencies in preparation for your assessments through the utilization of threaded discussions, blogs, and chats that are guided by content experts. You will access your program community during the Education Without Boundaries introductory course to network with peers who are enrolled in your program and to receive continued support through professional enrichment and program-specific chats, blogs, and discussions. WGU also provides a Student Services Associate to help you and your mentor solve any special problems that may arise. Education Without Boundaries Orientation Education Without Boundaries (EWB) is a required orientation that focuses on acquainting the student with WGU’s competency-based model, distance education, technology, and other resources and tools available for students. You will also utilize tutorials, message boards, online MBAITM chats, and other activities to connect with other students in your program. This orientation is completed before you start your first term at WGU. Transferability of Prior College Coursework Because WGU is a competency-based institution, it does not award degrees based on credits but on demonstration of competency. However, if you have completed college coursework at another accredited institution, you may have your transcripts evaluated and may be able to have some lower-division or co-requisite assessments cleared. The guidelines for determining what will  Ã¢â‚¬â€¢clearâ€â€" through transfer vary based on the degree program. The following transfer guidelines generally apply to graduate programs: Graduate domains (i.e., subject areas) cannot be cleared through transfer. Requirements in the domains that can be considered the degree major cannot be cleared through transfer. Furthermore, WGU does not clear any requirements based on the students professional experience and does not perform a resume review or portfolio review that will automatically clear any degree requirements. Degree requirements and transferability rules are subject to change in order to keep the degree content relevant and current. Remember, WGUs competency-based approach lets you take advantage of your knowledge and skills, regardless of how you obtained them. Even when you do not directly receive credit, the knowledge you possess may help you accelerate the time it takes to complete your degree program. Continuous Enrollment, On Time Progress, and Satisfactory Academic Progress WGU is a ―continuous enrollmentâ€â€" institution, which means you will be automatically enrolled in each of your new terms while you are at WGU. Your terms are six months long. Longer terms and continuous enrollment allow you to focus on your studies without the hassle of unnatural breaks between the shorter terms that you would experience in a more traditional environment. At the end of every six-month term, you and your mentor will review the progress you have made and revise your Degree Plan for your next six-month term. WGU requires that students make measurable progress toward the completion of their degree programs every term. We call this On Time Progress – denoting that you are on track and making progress toward on time graduation. As full-time students, graduate students must enroll in at least eight (8) competency units each term, and undergraduate students must enroll in at least twelve (12) competency units each term. Completing at least these minimum enrollments is essential to On Time Progress and serves as a baseline from which you may accelerate your program. We measure your progress based on the assessments you are able to pass, not on your accumulation of credit hours or course grades. Every time you pass an assessment, you are demonstrating that you have mastered skills and knowledge in your degree program. For comparison to traditional grading  systems, passing an assessment means you have demonstrated competency equivalent to a ―Bâ€â€" grade or better. WGU has assigned competency units to each assessment so that we can track your progress through the program. A competency unit is equivalent to one semester credit of learning.

The Ages of Poetry Essay Example for Free

The Ages of Poetry Essay The English Romantic poets of the 19th Century had a conception about nature that, over a century later, appears in the poetry of today. These poets have had a significant influence on the attitude and vocabulary a contemporary poet uses. Among the contemporary poets, Dana Gioia, in his two poems, Becoming a Redwood, and Rough Country, has drawn on the idea of the innocence and untainted part of nature that parallels the Romantic poetry of William Wordsworth and William Blake in their poems Nutting, and The Tyger. Also, Gioia has captured the wild-like and untamable demeanor of nature that many English Romantics have similarly captured. Finally, Gioia uses the concept of the sublime in his poetry to the extent that nature becomes dangerous to humans. Many English Romantic poets have written about the innocent and purity that can be found in nature. In Wordsworths Nutting, he comments on the beauty of the innocence of an unvisited nook his character discovers. Wordsworth writes, Unvisited, where not a broken bough / Drooped with its withered leaves, ungracious sign / Of devastation; but the hazels rose / tall and erect, with tempting clusters hung, / A virgin scene! (Ln17-31) Wordsworth is commenting on the innocence and beauty of nature without human intrusion. This Romantic conception of innocence parallels Gioia in his poem Rough Country. He writes, a spot so hard to reach that no one comes / a hiding place, a shrine for dragonflies / and nesting jays, a sign that there is still / one piece of property that wont be owned. (17-20) This last line implies that this part of nature will remain untouched, this part of nature will remain pure and innocent, and a Romantic conception of nature that even Gioia has adopted in his poetry. Another conception that the English Romantics held about nature was that nature is wild and untamable. This wild-like aspect of nature is described in William Blakes The Tyger. Blake writes, Tyger, Tyger / Burning bright / In the forests of the night / What immortal hand or eye / Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? (1-4) Blake creates this image of the Tyger as a wild beast, an untamable creature of the forest, and thereby composes nature the same way. Gioia in many ways parallels this view in his poems. In his poem Rough Country, nature is viewed as a place no engineers can  master, (6)a landscape made of obstacles / of steep hills and jutting glacial rock.(1-2) This nature Gioia describes is not sweet and delicate or fantastic; on the contrary, this attitude toward nature is fierce and ferine. The landscape of the nature in this rough country is not welcoming to humans tread, just as the Tyger in William Blakes poem would not be. In Gioias Becoming a Redwood, a wild and untamed animal is also found in this passage, Something moves nearby. Coyotes hunt / these hills and packs of feral dogs. / But standing here accepts all that. (19-21) Both the Tyger and the coyote have the instinct that embodies nature and both are wild animals. Gioia draws on the Romantic conception that there is wild freedom found in nature. This concept of wild freedom and untamable nature can be more clearly seen through the diction of the poems. Wordsworth writes, At thorns, and brakes, and brambles, and, in truth, / More ragged than need was! Oer pathless rocks, / Through beds of matted fern, and tangled thickets, / Forcing my way, I came to one dear nook / Unvisited. (13-17) In Gioias Rough Country, he uses words like tangled (10) and twisting (13) and thorn thick underbrush, (13) all of which Wordsworth uses in his poem Nutting. Gioia writes, Where tall black trunks of lightning-scalded pine / push through the tangled woods to make a roost / for hawks and swarming crows. / And sharp inclines / where twisting through the thorn-thick underbrush.(9-14) In each passage, these poets present nature as something wild, rugged, and difficult to maneuver simply through their chosen words. There is also a certain fear and respect of the wild, the rugged, and the untamable part of nature that can be seen in the poems of the English Romantics. In Wordsworths, The Prelude: Book 1, 340-400, he talks about the powerful image of the peak, a huge peak, black and huge / as if with voluntary power instinct. (39-40) Introducing the concept of the sublime he writes, And growing still in stature and grim shape / Towered up between me and the stars, and still, / For so it seemed, with purpose of its own / And measured motion like a living thing, / Strode after me. With trembling oars I turned. (42-46) The powerful presence of this mountain, and its inability to be controlled causes man to fear it, and thus fear nature. William Blake can also see the danger of nature in The Tyger. The Tyger represents a villainous side to nature, one that is careless, and does not worry about man. He writes, In what distant deeps or skies / Burnt the fire of thine eyes? / On what wings dare he aspire? / What the hand dare seize the fire? (5-8) This frightening aspect of the sublime, one in which man is afraid yet in awe of the power of nature can be seen in the work of Gioia. In Gioias, Becoming a Redwood, we are in awe of nature with the magnificence of the towering redwood tree. Gioia writes, Unimaginable the redwoods on the far hill / rooted for centuries, the living wood grown tall / and thickened with a hundred thousand days of light. (13-15) With this splendor the wild part of nature implies that there is danger nearby. He writes, Part of the grass that answers the wind / part of the midnights watchfulness that knows / there is no silence but when danger comes. (25-27) This English Romantic concept of sublime that Gioia uses, makes humans to not only fear nature such as the Tyger or the mountains, but also to hold high respect for its beauty and magnificence. It is interesting to see how much of our history actually does repeat itself. It is amazing that even today, we are asking the same questions about nature and coming to similar conclusions as people did in the 19th century. Its not that nature hasnt changed, but the attitudes toward nature still build on many general English Romantic ideas. Dana Gioia, in particular, has taken some of the same attitudes toward nature as the Romantics have; he has developed the untamable and wildness of nature, the innocent and virgin, as well as the sublime in his two poems, Becoming a Redwood, and Rough Country. English Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth and William Blake influence each of his poems. Because of their strong influence on contemporary poets today, it would not be surprising to see their influence carry on in yet another century, and have the influence on poets for years to come.

Methods Of Recovering Energy From Waste

Methods Of Recovering Energy From Waste Biomass (waste) energy is increasingly attracting attention worldwide because it is a renewable source of energy and potentially CO2 neutral. At present, most waste materials are converted into electricity often by combustion. Waste combustion is widely applied for district heating and combined heat and power for electricity generation. This report describes waste, waste reduction and treatment regulations in Europe as well as different types of waste generated, an overview of waste to energy technologies applied throughout the world today. Energy from waste has been evaluated based on their ability to reduce the emission of pollutant into the atmosphere. In order to mitigate climate change which is gaining increasing awareness, recent developments of different technologies that have been able to process waste to generate heat and power with high efficiencies can be considered to be the most viable option to replace fossil fuels. 2 INTRODUCTION Due to the rising cost and the ecological disadvantages of fossil fuels, there as been concerns about the future of energy supply in the world. According to the World Energy Council, fossil fuel covers about 82% of the worlds energy. And this has caused severe damages for the environment in terms of greenhouse emissions, sea level rising, air pollution, etc. Moreover, as the World continues to experience globalization, rapid industrialization and technological advancement, it will certainly get to a point, where supply of these fossil fuels will not meet demand. Therefore, it is imperative to find an alternative source of energy (Soetaert and Vandamme, 2006). Research and development of renewable sources of energy and energy from biomass is expected to be of immense benefit to the society as it reduces the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it is not exhaustible. Biomass is a major source of biologically derived bio fuels (bio-ethanol) and biogas. This is considerably becoming a reality in energy/electricity generation. Biomass can be burnt directly to produce heat or electricity, or it can be converted into solid, liquid or gaseous fuel through fermentation process into alcohol and anaerobic digestion into biogas. There are many environmental and social benefits associated with biomass energy. These include reduction in CO2 levels, energy carriers to rural communities, waste control, etc. (Calbe, Bajay, Rothman and Harry, 2000). Biomass raw materials for energy generation includes the first generation feedstocks i.e. energy crops (corn, sugarcane, wheat, etc) and the second generation feedstock mainly lignocellulosic materials (wood and agricultural residues). Hence, using biomass as a substitute for fossil fuels is sustainable and beneficial. However, there have been contentions on the use of human food (energy crop) for energy generation especially in developing countries where there is shortage of food. Hoffert et al. (2002), Dismiss the use of biomass for energy, others take the opposite view (Dewulf and Langenhove 2006). To this effect, energy recovery from waste can be an economical viable option. 3 WASTES 3.1 Definition Waste arises as a result of human technological development and social activities. The Uks Environmental Protection Act 1990 indicated waste includes any substance which constitutes a scrap material, an effluent or other unwanted surplus arising from the application of any process or any substance or article which requires to be disposed of which as been broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled, this is supplemented with anything which is discarded otherwise dealt with as if it were waste shall be presumed to be waste unless the contrary is proved. Murphy et al. (2002) defined waste as a material with no further beneficial use. The figure below shows the Schematic illustration of the EU Legal definition of waste 3.2 EU WASTE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE The Directive requires all Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health or causing harm to the environment and includes permitting, registration and inspection requirements. The Directive also requires Member States to take appropriate measures to encourage firstly, the prevention or reduction of waste production and its harmfulness and secondly the recovery of waste by means of recycling, re-use or reclamation or any other process with a view to extracting secondary raw materials, or the use of waste as a source of energy (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2009). 3.3 UK WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY The UK Waste Policy is developed from the idea of sustainable development. This policy encourage diversion from landfills by imposing high tax levies on landfill site, reduce the amount of waste produced by the commercial sector, and ultimately encourage re-use and recycling of materials. 3.4 WASTE HIERARCHY Figure 3.1 Waste hierarchy 3.5 TYPES OF WASTE Municipal Solid Waste Hazardous/Radioactive Waste Sewage Sludge Medical/Clinical Waste Agricultural Waste Industrial and Commercial Waste Other Waste e.g. construction and demolition industry waste, mines and quarry waste and power station ash, iron and steel slags (Williams, 1999). There are also two different kinds of component fraction in a waste stream; The Organic fraction i.e. Biodegradable and the Inorganic fraction. 3.5.1Municipal Solid Waste This is composed of/includes mainly household waste, with commercial and trade waste which is collected or disposed of by a municipality within an area. The composition of MSW streams varies, depending upon socio-economic factors, geographical locations, climate, population density and level of industrialization etc. for example in US and other industrialized countries where value is placed on time, consumers have adapted to the mentality of using disposable at all times, thereby driving packaging and wrapping technologies to a new level, in addition with the putrescible waste from food stuffs. The energy fraction contained in materials of this type of waste stream can be between 75 to 90%. Whereas in less developed countries where the waste stream is composed dominantly of putrescible fraction i.e. foodstuffs, vegetable and organic materials with minute packaging materials, the energy content will be much lower (Murphy, 2002). 3.5.2 Hazardous Waste Hazardous Waste is waste which contains substances that are considered to be dangerous to health and society. This includes substances which are reactive, infectious, harmful, toxic and corrosive etc. examples are chemicals such as, hydrogen cyanide, sulphuric acid, hydrofluoric acid etc. explosives such as dynamite, ammunition etc. water reactive chemicals such as potassium, phosphorous, sodium hydride etc. In USA, estimate arisings of hazard waste is 275 million tonnes, UK 4.5 million tonnes, Germany 6 million tonnes, Spain 1.7 million tonnes (Williams, 1999). 3.5.3 SEWAGE SLUDGE Sewage Sludge is usually generated at the waste water treatment facility. It is a by-product of the treatment of raw sewage from domestic households, which may also include commercial and industrial waste. The sewage is composed mainly of water, but after treatment, the moisture material is concentrated to form sewage sludge (Williams, 1999). They are solid, semi-solid or bio solid in nature. Harper-Collins Dictionary of Environmental Science defines Sewage Sludge as a semi-solid mixture of bacteria, virus-laden organic matter, toxic metals, synthetic organic chemicals, and settled solids removed from domestic and industrial waste at sewage treatment plants. (Renewable Energy Institute) The sewage sludge treatment undergoes both aerobic and anaerobic digestion and the final treated sewage sludge is either land filled, spread on land as fertilizers or incinerated. Recent developments have shown that biogas can be produced during anaerobic digestion. 3.5.4 CLINICAL WASTE Clinical Waste is mainly produced/waste arising from health centres, hospitals and nursing homes etc. Examples include drugs, syringes, needles, blood, human or animal tissue etc. Approximately 0.3 millions tonnes of clinical waste arises in the UK annually. Majority of clinical waste are incinerated (Williams, 1999). 3.5.5 AGRICULTURAL WASTE Agricultural waste is waste streams generally produced from agricultural activities. They are produced within agricultural premises and they include organic materials such as slurry, manure from livestock, silage effluent and crop residues. It is estimated that approximately 700 million tonnes of agricultural waste is produced in OECD countries. UK also produces large tonnage, 80 million tonnes estimated from housed livestock alone (Williams 1999). 3.5.6 INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL WASTE These are types of waste stream that arises from both industrial and commercial sectors such as hotels and catering, food, drink and tobacco manufacturing industries, metal manufacturing industries, timber and wooden furniture industries, mechanical and electrical industries, transport and communication industries etc. The typical composition of this waste streams differs and very wide. A survey carried out by Environmental Agency of some 4,500 commercial and industrial businesses in England in 2002/2003 showed that commercial waste amounted to 30 million tonnes and industrial waste 38 million tonnes (mt). In that survey, the main sectors producing CI wastes were retail (12.7mt), food, drink and tobacco (7.2mt), professional services and other (7.1mt), utilities (6.2mt), the chemicals industries (including fibre, rubber and plastics) (5.3mt), basic metal manufacture (4.8mt) and hotels/catering (3.4mt) (Defra, commercial and industrial waste in England, 2009). 4 ENERGY RECOVERIES FROM WASTE TECHNOLOGIES Energy is recovered from waste either through thermal combustion or biological/chemical reactions. The energy recovery process produces electricity directly through combustion, or produces synthetic and combustible fuel i.e. methane. 4.1 INCINERATION Incineration with energy recovery is the controlled combustion of waste and it is the most wide spread waste to energy implementation. It involves the combustion of waste streams at high temperatures and the heat produced can be used to drive a turbine in order to produce electricity and district heating. Waste materials or fuel are fed into incinerators in two ways, the mass fired/burning systems and refuse derived fuel (RDF) fired systems. The mass burning involves minimal processing; the entire mixed municipal solid waste is fed into a furnace without any removal/separation of recyclable and non combustible materials. For RDF fired technologies, MSW undergoes pre-treatment, separation of non-combustible and recyclable material which is known as RDF. RDF fired systems has a higher energy content compared to unprocessed MSW because of its homogeneity (Tchobanoglous, Thiesen and Vigil, 1993). There are various types of incinerator plant design: moving grate, fixed grate, rotary-kiln, and fluidized bed incinerator. 4.1.1 Moving Grate This can also be called Municipal Solid Waste incinerators. The moving grate enables the movement of waste by a waste crane at one end of the grate through the combustion chamber to the ash pit at the lower end. The combustion air is supplied through the grate lying below. Cooling of the grate itself is essential for the mechanical strength of the grate. One single moving grate boiler can handle 35 metric tonnes of waste per hour, and 8,000 hours per year. 4.1.2 Fixed Grate This is a simpler type of incinerator. It is made of a brick lined compartment with a fixed metal grate above the lower ash pit, with one opening for loading and another opening in the side for removing incombustible solids known as clinkers. 4.1.3 Rotary kiln It is mostly used by municipalities and large industrial plants. Rotary kiln incinerators have 2 chambers, primary and secondary chamber. In the primary chamber, movement and conversion of solid fraction of the waste to gases and partial combustion occurs while the secondary chamber completes the gas phase combustion reactions. 4.1.4 Fluidized Bed Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) is a combustion technology used in power plants. FBC developed from efforts to find a combustion process that is able to control pollutant emissions. Advanced fluidized bed combustion offers a viable power generation technique. In fluidized bed combustion, a strong airflow is forced through a sand bed, which keeps the waste suspended on pumped air currents and takes on fluid like character. Due to the turbulent mixing, the waste and sand are fully circulated through the furnace. 4.2 BALDOVIE WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT The Baldovie waste to energy plant is a state of the art facility commissioned in Dundee in 1999, to replace a waste disposal incinerator due to its inability to meet EU requirements on emissions. The plant is run by a joint venture between Dundee city council and private sector partners. The joint venture is collectively called Dundee energy recycling limited (DERL). The plant processes 120,000 tonnes of waste annually and generates electricity to meet its own demand (about 2.2MW) and also supply to the public (about 8.8MW). Separation techniques carried out before combustion removes and recovers ferrous metals which can be resold (Gazetteer for Scotland, 2010). 4.3 LANDFILL GAS CAPTURE Landfill is a waste disposal site where waste is deposited onto or into the land. When waste is deposited, it undergoes various degradation process which produces gas mainly methane. Modern landfills have gas recovery systems, where the landfill gas is extracted and can be used for production of steam, heat and electricity (Dewulf and Langenhove 2006, p.248) 4.4 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Anaerobic treatment technologies are used throughout the world for effective treatment of organic waste. This technology is particularly attractive because the energy required for operating the process is minimal compared to energy required for aerobic process. Anaerobic digestion is a complex biogenic process which involves the microbial degradation or conversion of organic waste in a closed reactor vessel (absence of air) to produce gas chiefly methane (55-65%), CO2 (35-45%), and trace amounts of N2, H2 and H2S, depending on factors such as the composition of waste, organic loadings applied to the digester, time and temperature. The methane-rich biogas which can be combusted to generate heat and electricity In general anaerobic digestion is considered to occur in three stages: A] Liquefaction or polymer breakdown; B] Acid formation; and C} Methane formation Substrates for anaerobic digestion includes waste water from food processing, breweries, distilleries etc. sewage sludge, animal waste, farm residues. 4.5 GASIFICATION AND PYROLYSIS Gasification is defined as a partial oxidation/combustion of biomass and various combustible waste/carbonaceous fuels to produce gas. This gas can be used in internal combustion engines and gas turbines to generate electric power. Pyrolysis is a thermal process which involves the breakdown of organic materials in waste under pressure in the absence of oxygen. The pyrolysis process produces a liquid residue and gas which can be combusted to generate electricity. The principal difference between the two systems is that, pyrolysis system use an external source of heat to drive the endothermic pyrolysis reaction in an oxygen free environment, whereas gasification systems are self-sustainable and use air or oxygen for partial combustion of solid state (Tchobanoglous, Thiesen and vigil 1993). 5 CONCLUSIONS Energy from waste has been evaluated based on their ability to reduce the emission of pollutant into the atmosphere, minimise waste, and generate heat and power. With the recent development of different technologies that have been able to process waste to generate energy with high efficiencies, waste to energy technologies can be considered to be viable substitute/option for fossil fuels for electricity generation and also in minimizing of waste accumulation.