Implementing Electronic Health Record innovations for Pressure Ulcer Essay

Implementing Electronic Health Record innovations for Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management - Essay Example Regardless of the size of the project, the proper integration of a skilled workforce, proven strategies and technology at MICU, would see the successful implementation of the program in various units for easy use by clinicians. If properly utilized, EHR can be the silver bullet to the problem of inconsistencies that are the order of the day in documenting pressure ulcer management processes through paper-work. Prevention of Pressure Ulcer According to Hagens and Krose (2009), to maximize the benefits the EHR for Pressure Ulcer prevention and management, it would be vital to keep problem lists, medical prescription lists and sensitivity lists in all units handling the patients s(National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, 2007). In the MICU case, medical assistants or skin care specialists should enter medications and sensitivities from the paper work, and physicians would enter the problem lists. It would be appropriate to enter data shortly before an appointment is due, and take the cha rt to scanning. In doing so, the pressure ulcer management units will have an entirely electronic chart ready for patient handling when the patient arrives at the units (Kerr, 2009). Alternatively, it would be appropriate to enlist registered nurses for the task of problem list entry before the program is ready for use by various clinicians. Assessment for Pressure Ulcer For acute care, the first assessment should be carried out on admission and after every 1-2 days or whenever the condition of the patient changes (Clarke, Bradley, Whytock, Handfield, Van der Wal, & Gundry, 2005). At MICU, the system would be programmed to notify the health care providers to do assessments every 24 hours. For home health, the first assessment would be carried out on admission, and re-examination done as soon as the patient resumes care, during recertification, refer or release, or whenever the patient’s health condition changes (Adler, 2010). At MICU, it would be appropriate to reassess the p atient’s condition at each nursing visit. And for long-term care in MICU, the initial screening for patients would be appropriately done on admission and every week during subsequent missions. Determining Risk Levels Several electronic tools for risk assessment are accessible to assist in predicting the level of risk of the disease (National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, 2007). They include machines with values that when summed up together, can enable the health care providers to determine the risk score in totality. The Braden and Norton Scales are proven tools that can be used to provide an electronic data for predicting the risk of pressure ulcer risk in MICU. According to Ayello, Capitulo, Fife, Fowler, Krasner, Mulder, Sibbald, and Yankowsky (2009), these tools help clinicians to determine the risk values, which eventually can lead to the formulation of the most appropriate and opportune medical interventions. Norton Scale The Norton Scale comprises five groups: physica l and mental conditions; mobility, activity, and incontinence. These factors are valued from 1– 4 (Tavenner, & Sebelius, 2012). The total values usually range from 5 to 20. An entry of the following data to the EHR system can help clinicians to cope with the condition in a more effective and faster way: Mild Risk values at 14: Moderate Risk at 13: and High Risk at 12. The scale should be credible and kept in such condition to avoid errors in the final readings of data (Liang, 2007). Any alterations can change or render it an

Mardi Gra Social Impact Study Essay Example for Free

Mardi Gra Social Impact Study Essay Sydney has always been the destination of lesbian and gay tourists around the world to view this great spectacle at the South Pacific’s gay and lesbian capital. The Australian gay and lesbian tourism industry has always been on the go whenever the event comes into full view. The street parades and costume parties have always attracted tourists when compared to other events and affairs. Because of this, Sydney, the gay capital of the world, has changed from â€Å"an industrial port to a cosmopolitan, global capital increasingly dependent, for the last two to three decades, on an economy driven by consumption and leisure† (Markwell, 2002, p. 82). Therefore, it is evident that the Mardi Gra contributes solely on Australia’s tourism economy, as reflected in the paper that Kevin Markwell (2002) wrote. There are tensions and demands that leak from the Mardi Gras of Sydney, and the economic impacts of big events such as this cannot be completely ignored. Mardi Gras of Australia Localization as well as globalization can create a big impact on international events and issues that surround the nations. What Markwell (2002) has called localization-globalization dynamic refers to†¦ [T]he way in which a local, community event has challenged and overturned social mores and legislation at the state and national levels partly through its elevation to a national and international event. (Markwell, 2002, p. 83) This has an impact on the tourism industry, as it evades traditional mechanisms and instead, focuses more on the trend and movement of a certain population, creating an ever-increasing power while affecting government intervention and legislation. The tensions and demands of the Mardi Gras The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gra parade happened on the 24th of June 1978 (Markwell, 2002, p. 83). However, what was supposed to be an enjoyable event became one that was close to disaster, as the celebration turned out to be a riot â€Å"with fifty-three people arrested and several alleging vicious assaults by police† (Markwell, 2002, p. 83). There was this tension of distinguishing what exactly was the purpose of that event, especially that there were records on concealed systematic oppression, homophobia, as well as discrimination (Markwell, 2002, p. 83). As of last year, there were approximately 10,000 people who joined the Mardi Gra of Sydney, marking the event as the biggest Mardi Gra event ever to be held in Australia (Organizers say, 2008, p. 1). According to AAP General News Wire, â€Å"Crowds of up to 300,000 people are expected to line the central city route to watch the procession of themed floats, drag queens and many more costumed and flesh-revealing revelers† (Organizers say, 2008, p. 1). To avoid unwanted riots and insurgencies, 80 military personnel and defense force employees marched among the crowds. As stated, â€Å"Those charged will face a range of offenses including affray, assault police, possessing prohibited drugs, assault, and resisting arrest† (Mother Nature, 2007, p. 1). The demand of cleaning human debris is another demand, in addition to the demand of controlling 4,000 gays and lesbians in the event that triggered an economic relief of about $500,000 in the local economy (Bathersby, 2008, p. 1). The economic impact of Mardi Gras In the economy of New Orleans, there is a report that the chosen event can generate more than $1 billion in annual spending, benefiting the economy and the tourism industry of the state (Mardi Gras questions and answers, 2009, p. 1). Noosa, on the other hand, will have poured about $500,000 last year as stated above (Bathersby, 2008, p. 1). By March 2009, they earned about $300,000, as stated in the report (Lander, 2009, p. 1). It is therefore, apparent that this year is approximately 60% less the earned revenue of last year. Nevertheless, it still is helpful to the economy, earning in New South Wales an amount of about $100,000 million each year in the area of tourism (Santow, 2002, p. 1). Each state or nation earns different amounts each year, depending on the state of tourism of that state or nation. According to Simon Santow (2002) however, [T]he Mardi Gras is suffering from a combination of increased costs and falling revenue, at a time when, ironically, there’s been no significant drop in public interest. Unless half a million dollars is found, the organization could place itself in voluntary administration, so the call has gone out for some emergency funding from the state and federal governments [of Sydney]. (Santow, 2002, p. 1) The government issues the permits in parades such as these, but there are economic impacts on big events, such as the Mardi Gras events. Focusing on the economic impact of big events In a paper that Larry Dwyer, Robert Mellor, Nina Mistilis, and Trevor Mules (2000) wrote, they stated that, as the state government receives requests in funding special events and conventions (such as the Mardi Gra), the government focuses mainly on the alleged positive impacts of these events, especially the overall economic impact. There is a framework developed by the state of New South Wales in Australia used to estimate the economic impacts of events and conventions. This is done by using â€Å"accurate and uniform set of events or conventions expenditure as input into the forecasting model† (Dwyer, Mellor, Mistilis, Mules, 2000, pp. 191-192). Forecasting event-related expenditure is done by the following these steps: first is to estimate the number of inscope visitors; second is to estimate the inscope expenditure of visitors; third is to estimate inscope expenditure of organizers, participants, teams, and media; fourth is to estimate total event related inscope expenditure; fifth is to apply multipliers to estimate economic impacts; sixth is to estimate media impacts; seventh is to estimate fiscal impacts; eighth and final is the recognition of intangible costs and benefits (Dwyer et al. , 2000, pp. 192-194).Mardi Gra is a big event, and it covers some impacts on the economy and the society, as it affects the lives of people there and abroad. References Bathersby, D. (2008, March 2). Noosa set for pink invasion. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The Daily database: http://www. thedaily. com. au/news/2008/mar/02/noosa-set-pink-invasion/. Brown, A. L. (2009, February 27). Mardi Gras boost. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The Daily database: http://www. thedaily. com.au/news/2009/feb/27/mardi-gras-revellers-coast-boost/. Dwyer, L. , Mellor, R. , Mistilis, N. , Mules, T. (2000). Forecasting the economic impacts of events and conventions. Event Management, 6, 191-204. Lander, A. (2009, March 9). Mardi Gras recovery on the coast. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The Daily database: http://www. thedaily. com. au/news/2009/mar/09/mardi-gras-recovery-coast/. Mardi Gras questions and answers. (2009). Retrieved April 9, 2009, from the Compucast Interactive database: http://www.mardigrasneworleans. com/faq. html. Markwell, K. (2002). Mardi Gras tourism and the construction of Sydney as an international gay and lesbian city. GLQ, 8, 1, 81-99. Mother Nature to star Sydney gay parade. (2007, day). NSW, p. 1. Organizers say Mardi Gras will be biggest ever. (2008, day). NSW, p. 1. Santow, S. (2002, August 1). Mardi Gras in danger. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The World Today Archive of the ABC database: http://www. abc. net. au/worldtoday/stories/s637685. htm.

Characteristics of Tilapia Fish

Characteristics of Tilapia Fish Tilapia is generic name of an African cichlids endemic group. This group is composed of three aquaculture important kind of Oreochromis, Sarotherodon and Tilapia. Various characteristics differentiate these three genera, but the main critical concerns to reproductive conduct. All species of tilapia are nesting in builders; a brood parent guards the fertilized eggs in the nest. Both species of Sarotherodon and Oreochromis are mouthing incubators; eggs gets fertilized in the nest but the parents instantly pick up those eggs in mouths and keep them through brooding and for many days after hatching. Brooding in mouth is found only in Oreochromis species, while in case of Sarotherodon either male or both female and male are holding brooders (SRAC, 2005). During the last half of 20th century fish farmers all over the tropical and semi-tropical world have commenced farming tilapia (FAO, 2000). Today, commercial production of important tilapia goes to genus Oreochromis beyond Africa, and more than 90 percent of the farmed tilapia are Nile tilapia outside of Africa. (Balarin and Haller, 1982) reported that Nile tilapia is the most popular tilapia species for aquaculture and is widely distributed in many countries other than native Africa. Adaptability: Oreochromis niloticus is a quickly growing species which can live in various types of waters. It is extremely adaptable and can use a wide range of various food sources (along with plants), but feeds mainly on phytoplankton along with benthic algae. Even though Nile tilapia is assumed as a freshwater species it has shown a great margin towards salt and can survive in briny situations (Beveridge et. al., 2000). Stickney et al., (1979) reported that Nile tilapia can tolerate to a wide range of environmental conditions, fast growth rate, efficient to convert organic matter into high quality protein and have a favorable taste. Feeding Habits: Tilapia has broad variety food organisms that are natural, along with plankton, some aquatic benthic invertibrates, macrophyte, plank tonic and benthic larval fish, breaking up organic matter, and detritus. With heavy auxiliary feeding, natural food beings typically account for 30 to 50 percent of growth of tilapia. Tilapia is often referred as filter feeders as they can efficiently reap water plankton. The gills of tilapia release a mucous which traps plankton. Then mucous rich with plankton or bolus, is swallowed (EL-Sayed A.F.M., 2006). Tilapia is an omnivore; means feeds on both plants and animals food sources. However, feeding behavior depends with size and age. Larvae usually feed on phytoplankton (algae), fingerlings feed on zooplankton (artemia, moina, and rotifer), and while adults consume both plants and animal food sources near the surface because are floating feeders. In this regard, Caulton 1976; Saha and Dewan 1979; Brummett 1995; Turker et al. 2003 bumped that little tilapia filtered substantially more phytoplankton regarding than larger ones. In addition, Azim et al. (2003) looked into consequence of periphyton quantity and size of fish (7 and 24 g) on ingestion rate by Nile tilapia, and they observed that ingestion rate between small fish significantly increased with density of periphyton, but not for fish with medium size. Protein Requirements: Including Tilapia Proteins are important nutrients for all living organisms for their structure and function. Continual use of protein is being used for maintenance, growth and reproduction. Therefore, continuous supply of proteins or their component amino acids are necessary. Many studies indicated that fish does not have true protein necessity, but instead needs a well equilibrized mixture of dispensable and indispensable amino acids. Insufficient intake of protein will result in retardation of growth due to withdraw of protein from fewer vital tissues to maintain the function of critical parts. Too much supply of protein, however, only part will be used to synthesize new tissues and remainder will be converted to energy (NRC, 1983). Many findings have been carried out about the optimum dietary protein level for tilapia. This level for tilapia appears to be influenced by size or age of the fish and ranges from 28% to 50%. For fry dietary protein levels ranging from 36 to 50% have been shown to produce best level growth (Davis and Stickney, 1978; Santiago and Laron, 1991; El-Sayed and Teshima, 1992). That for juvenile 29 to 40% has been determined to produce optimum growth (Cruz and Laudencia, 1977; Teshima et al., 1978); for young adult fish up to 40g 27.5 to 35% appears to be maximum (Jauncey and Ross, 1982; Siddiqui et al., 1988; Wee and Tuan, 1988; Twibell and Brown, 1998). Practical diets for grow out of tilapia usually contain 25 to 35% crude protein. In ponds, however, fish may have access to natural food that is rich in protein, thus dietary protein levels as low as 20 to 25% have been estimated to be adequate (Newman et al., 1979; Lovell, 1980; Wannigama et al., 1985). Proteins are made up of amino acids. Arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine are the amino acids have been shown to be necessity for fish (Moyle and Cech 1982). The main problem is that quantity for each type required differs from species, and excessive quantity might be damaging a fishs health (Moyle and Cech 1982). Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) can result due to lack of amino acids in fish (Moyle and Cech 1982). Proteins are vital in the fish growth. Research has shown that due to certain proteins lack, growth will be scrawny. In the nature, omnivorous fish generally feed on ample alive organisms, protein enriched, that provide a valuable energy source (Moyle and Cech 1982). However, many commercial foods lack ample protein as it is expensive. Fish use large amount of energy to crush large and complex proteins. Due to this, carbohydrates and lipids are replaced as energy sources (Moyle and Cech 1982). Lipid requirement: On other hand, lipids are found in tissues of both animal and plant and are digestible completely (Moyle and Cech 1982). Symbiotic bacteria are present in guts of many herbivorous fish that helps to digest the carbohydrates and liberate its energy to fish. Lipids supply higher energy than do carbohydrates, and also render fatty acids, that are used for the energy construction reserves in fish. Predaceous fish normally have a maximum growth rate due to their diet of live fish, which are naturally high in lipids (Moyle and Cech 1982). Dietary lipids are the main source of essential fatty acids needed by fish for normal growth and development. They are vital carriers and assist in absorption of vitamins with fat-soluble. Lipids, especially phospholipids, are important for cellular structure and maintenance of membrane flexibility and permeability. Lipids serves as precursors of steroid hormones and prostaglandins, improve the flavor of diets and affect the diet texture and fatty acids composition of fish (Webster I. et al., 2002). Takeuchi et al. (1983) reported that essential fatty acid requirement of Nile tilapia was found to be 0.5% linoleic acid (18:2à Ã… ½6). Complete diets and Feeding Levels: Complete diets are important in semi intensive culture systems of Nile tilapia, for a provision of all essential nutrients to the fish. In order to develop such diets it is also necessary to know the specific nutrient requirements of the animal and optimize feed formulation in order to obtain fast growth of high quality fish at low costs, (Moore, 1985). Nutrient requirement of supplementary feed for Nile tilapia: Many studies have been done to find out the suitable optimum nutrient level for tilapia. Fineman and Camacho (1991) observed that 30% protein with 3500 kcal was better than 30% protein with 3000 kcal for supplementary feed for Oreochromis niloticus in brackish water ponds. Watanabe et al. (1990) found that final mean weight were high in 28% protein to 32% protein under all densities. Hanley (1990) found that increasing dietary lipid has no significant effect on growth rate, feed conversion ratio and protein gain. De Silva and Perera (1985) and Siddiqui et al.(1988) cited by Zonnveld and Fadholi (1991) found that optimum protein levels for fry and young Nile tilapia reared at maximum growth should be 28-30% respectively. Water Quality Requirements: Nile tilapia would grow well in water with a temperature range of 20-35 °c and optimum between 28 ° and 30 °C and productivity can be assumed at a maximum within this temperature range (Ballarin and Haller, 1982). Tilapia cannot survive at a temperature below 10 °c for more than few days. When it exposed to cold water, disease resistance is impaired and death may result in only few days (Lovell, 1989) The tolerance level of DO for Nile tilapia is as lower as 0.1 mg/L (Magid and Babiker, 1975). Chevrvinski (1982) reported that O. niloticus could survive by using atmospheric oxygen when dawn DO concentration drops to less than 1 mg/L. Colt (1987) demonstrated that Nile tilapia growth reduces as DO level reaches below 5mg/L.. However, its survival depends on the duration of low dissolved oxygen in the culture system. In tanks, fish survive at the oxygen level of 1.2 mg/L by gulping oxygen from the atmosphere for up to 36 hours if other water quality parameters remain at an optimum level (Balarin and Haller, 1982). Nile tilapia has a lethal pH limit at approximately 4 and 11 respectively and pH between 6.5 and 9 is the desirable range for fish culture (Swingle, 1969) Nile tilapia is more tolerant of high ammonia level than any other species of fish. The lethal ammonia level for tilapia is 2.3 mg NH3-N/L., but it was reported that by prolong exposure, it can tolerate levels of up to 3.4 mg/L (Stickney, 1985). A level of unionized ammonia above 0.5 mg/L frequency results in mortality when fish are further stressed by low oxygen, handling (Ballarin and Haller, 1982). Nile tilapia is not directly affected by alkalinity and tolerance level as high as 700 to 3,000 mg/L CaCo3 (Morgan, 1972). A total alkalinity range of 20 400mg/L is considered satisfactory for most aquaculture purpose (Tucker and Robinson, 1990 cited by Lawson, 1995). Phosphorous requirement The dietary requirement for phosphorus in tilapia varies from 0.9% (Watanabe et al., 1980), 0.45-0.6% (Viola and Arieli, 1983), 0.3-0.5% (Robinson et al 1984, Robinson et al., 1987) to 0.46% (Haylor et al., 1988) depending on species, fish size, food composition or expression of a reported requirement, available or final dietetic phosphorus. The diet containing the complete mineral premix contained 0.9% total phosphorus, whereas the unbalanced calcium and phosphorus diet contained 0.5% overall phosphorus. Although fish could partly absorb phosphorus from its environment (Lall, 1979, Lall, 1989, Lall, 19911, dissolved phosphorus is usually at very low levels of about 0.005-0.05 Mg/L, which is inadequate to meet their requirement (Nose and Arai, 1979 cited in Lall, 1991). Hepher (1954) (as cited in Hepher and Sandbank, 1984) noted that even in fish ponds fertilized with phosphates, the level of phosphorus does not increase much above its normal low level due to absorption to soil colloid and precipitation as insoluble compounds. Phosphorus is a component of phosphoproteins, nucleic acids and phospholipids, which play important roles in energy metabolism. Addition of dietary phosphorus has been reported to decrease the lipid content of muscle and viscera, whereas muscle protein content increased (Murakami, 1970 cited in Lall, 1979; Takeuchi and Nakazoe, 1981 cited in Viola et al., 1986; Shu, 1987; Hung, 1989; Wee and Shu, 1989). Calcium requirement The requirement for calcium in tilapia reared in calcium-free water was found to be 0.65% for 0. areus (Robinson et al., 1984, Robinson et al., 1987). In the calcium and phosphorus uncomplemented diet, the calcium level was about 1%. At this level, even without supplementation, it appears that the calcium level in the soybean-based diet would be sufficient to meet the requirement. The availability of dietary calcium to fish has not been studied. Furthermore, under normal conditions, one cannot demonstrate a calcium requirement in fish (Cowey and Sargent, 1979; Robinson et al., 1984, Robinson et al., 1987; Yarzhombed and Bekina, 1987) because of calcium uptake from the water (Dabrowska et al., 1989; Luquet, 1991). In Nile tilapia, calcium uptake takes place in the skin, particularly by the opercular membrane (McCormick et al., 1992). In contrast to phosphorus, it seemed, therefore, that the calcium requirement could be met from the rearing water. Activities such as liming of ponds are likely sources of calcium. The similarity of calcium levels in the final carcass of fish fed the calcium supplemented, calcium non-supplemented diets and the non-fed fish further support the likeliness of calcium uptake. The calcium is a must in the fish diet for balancing the calcium and phosphorus ratio. Maintaining an optimum Calcium and Phosphorus ratio is important in diets for red sea bream, eels, and brook trout but not for catfish, carp, and rainbow trout (NRC, 1973, NRC, 1983; Ogino and Takeda, 1976; Viola et al., 1986; Hepher, 1988; Lall, 1991). In tilapia, the role of the Ca: P ratio is not well defined and merits further study (Robinson et al. 1987). However, noted that in freshwater fish, dietary Ca: P ratio does not generally impair growth or tissue concentration as long as dietetic phosphorus is adequate and calcium is present in the rearing water. Feeding standards of supplementary feed for Nile tilapia This is a set of tables, which include the quantity of each dietary component required for each age and species of fish for different levels of production and maintenance. When complemented by tables of feeds composition, then it is possible to formulate accurate rations for individual or fish groups, an essential process for a least-cost ration feeding program operation. Marek (1975) composed a feeding chart of common carp and tilapia. The chart was having estimation of natural food in the pond and subtracted from the calculated feed requirements for maintenance and expected growth. The charts are based on the weight of fish, and changes are adjusted according to the daily growth of fish. In most cases, therefore ration is fixed for a longer period of time (Hepher, 1982). Feeding rate of Nile tilapia Underfeeding of fish can result in production loss. Overfeeding will cause a costly feed wastage and a potential cause of water pollution in addition, a condition ensuing loss of animals or needing expensive corrective measures. Hence, both overfeeding as well as under-feeding has serious economic effects that affect the farm viability. Bard et al (1976) stated that most of the supplemented feed is not fully eaten by fish; some drop to the bottom of the water contributes to development of phytoplankton, hence promoting growth of fish both direct and indirect way. Sometimes a vague instruction might be read, like feed 5% of biomass per day as a dry feed. This might be applied during whole growing cycle. This would most likely result in near famishment in the early stages and gross excessive feeding and later water quality problems. Feeding rates must not be steady throughout the whole of the growth cycle till table size. They must be changed according to the fish age and its size to conditions of water. Brown et al (1979) demonstrated that it is uneconomical to balance diets fed to fish in ponds according to the absolute nutrient requirement of the fish. Stocking density and size Feeding level of fish in the semi intensifier system increases with the increase of density of fish. As t density of fish in the semi intensive culture increases per unit area, the food requirement of fish also increases. This increase of biomass does not relate with the increase of raw food and in many cases is associated with a decrease in the production of food from nature due to limited supply to the overgrowing biomass stated (1979) that when the biomass of fish increased, each fish gets a smaller amount of natural food, which may not meet its nutrition requirement. This deficit can be covered by supplementary feed. Natural Food in a semi intensive culture Algae or phytoplankton is an microscopic weeds form the base of the fish food chain. Adequate temperature, sunlight, and nutrients are basic for all green plants needed for growth. In presence of the sufficient light and proper temperature, chemical fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) nutrients are readily assimilated by phytoplankton and increasing their abundance. Manure comprises the same nutrients, is released and present to phytoplankton during and after decomposition. As phytoplankton absorbs fertilizer nutrients and reproduces to create dense communities pond water changes to brownish or greenish color. This is known as phytoplankton bloom. There are three basic feeding pathways by which input of fertilizer in the pond provides nutrition for fish: Direct consumption of organic matter by fish Autotrophic productivity of algae pursuant to fertilization and their consumption by filter feeding fish. Heterotrophic productivity of micro organisms and benthic micro organisms from manure inputs and their successive consumption by fish. These three basic feeding pathways can operate in a single aquaculture system, even though their relative importance still a subject of intense debate Colman and Edwards, (1987). In Israel experimental work reported that the heterotrophic pathway of organic manure was found to be more efficient than an autotrophic pathway, Schroeder (1980). It was stated that low fish production by an autotrophic food chain was due to the sunlight limitations of phytoplankton with filter feeding fish mainly depend on heterotrophic organisms that are not light dependent. Therefore, the autotrophic food chain is required to provide the necessary DO which limit to the heterotrophic feed chain Colman and Edwards, (1987). The fertilized ponds with nutrients stimulate the microscopic plants growth in the water (phytoplankton). Phytoplankton is food for other water creatures (zooplankton and larger animals) that fish eat. Water becomes turbid or greenish color (called a bloom) Martin et al (1999) because of abundant growth of microscopic plants. Evaluation of the nutritional value of natural food is a difficult because each fish species has its own nutrition requirement from its diet Determination of biomass of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthos in the fish pond must be related to the food requirement of fishes. Until now, there is not a reliable method developed for determination of secondary production, although primary production can be estimated. Spataru et al (1979) reported that supplementary feed can replace some of the natural food. Aquino and Neilso (1982) supported that Oreochromis niloticus grow well in cages on food. The primary producers which are sourcing of food to different type of fish are not digested equally by fish. Blue green algae Anabaena, Microcystis, Oscillator was reported to be indigestible because they have copious moulage, cellulose wall, or firm periblast, (Zhang, 1989). Recent research work in China indicated that Tilapia can digest green-algae (Zhang, 1989). Mellamena, (1990) reported that algae contain protein, fat, Carbohydrates varies 22% to 48%, 2% to 16%, and 14% to 24% respectively. Zooplankton has more protein and fat content than any other phytoplankton except one gabber. Diatoms which have the more silicious cell wall contain higher quantities of inorganic matter. Tamiya, (1975) found that the average protein content of algae is about 50% on a dry matter basis. The biological value of algae is about 81.5% meaning that 124gram of algal protein corresponds to 100 grams of egg protein. The amino acid composition of algae is similar to that of FAO reference protein except, there is a slight deficiency in cystine and methionine. Lipids found in phytoplankton are typical ester of glycerol and fatty acids having a carbon number from C14 to C20. The major acids in diatoms are palmitic (16:0), hexadecanoic (16:1), Becker (1989). Blue green algae have a larger amount of polyunsaturated fats (25% to 68%) oftotaltriglyceride up to 80% of the totalalgae lipids. Lipid content of Cyanobacteria and green algaein outdoor mass culture is 7% to 15% lipids (Becker, 1989). (Nostocsp., Calothrex sp., Oscallaria and Spirulina sp., Urenima sp.) and 20% to 25% lipids in green algae (Scenedesmus),to 10% in dry weight. All plankton feeders fish reported to digest diatoms such as Silver carp and tilapia (Power, 1960, 1966). Tilapia zillii in Israel revealed that it had a capacity to disintegrate after gelatinous matrix colonies of blue green algae, especially Microcystis (Spataru, 1978).

What Really Is A Hacker? :: essays research papers

What Really is a Hacker? There is a common misconception among the general public about what constitutes a hacker and what hacking is. Hacking is defined as "gaining illegal entry into a computer system, with the intent to alter, steal, or destroy data." The validity of this definition is still being debated, but most individuals would describe hacking as gaining access to information which should be free to all. Hackers generally follow some basic principles, and hold these principles as the "ethical code." There are also a few basic "Hacker rules" that are usually viewed by all in this unique group. The principles that hackers abide by are characteristic of most people who consider the themselves to be a hacker. The first, which is universally agreed upon is that access to computers should be free and unlimited. This is not meant to be a invasion of privacy issue, but rather free use of all computers and what they have to offer. They also believe that anyone should be able to use all of a computers resource with no restrictions as to what may be accessed or viewed. This belief is controversial, it not only could infringe upon people's right to privacy, but give up trade secrets as well. A deep mistrust of authority, some hackers consider authority to be a constriction force. Not all hackers believe in this ethic, but generally authority represents something that would keep people from being able to have full access and/or free information. Along with the "ethical code" of hackers there are a few basic "hacking rules" that are followed, sometimes even more closely then there own code. Keep a low profile, no one ever suspects the quite guy in the corner. If suspected, keep a lower profile. If accused, simply ignore. If caught, plead the 5th. Hackers consider a computer to be a tool and to limit its accessibility is

Decoding the Jargon Essay

Create a booklet which explain the function of hardware components and identify communication between components. The pages should include photographs and diagrams to illustrate the information you include. (P1) Components communication The following diagram shows how components communicate each other’s. CPU Also known as the processor, the CPU is the heart of the computer and has two part: Control Unit The control unit controls the flow of data through the processor. Arithmetic/Logic unit (ALU) The ALU performs mathematical, logical, and decision operations in a computer and is the final processing performed by the processor. RAM A computer can only run a program when it is in memory named RAM (Random Access Memory). List of RAM such as: Double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), Static Random access memory (SRAM) and Dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Hard drive A HHD is a data storage device that provides storage and retrieving digital information. Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) is a serial transport protocol used to attach disk drives to server computers. A solid-state drive (SSD) it contains no actual â€Å"disk†, it is a data storage device using integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data. It is more quiet when it runs, more resistant to physical shock, has a lower access time and less latency. Motherboard The motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer. A number of major hardware components are plugged into it, including the CPU, hard  drive, the BIOS memory and RAM. The most commonly found and used motherboard is ATX motherboard. It is the standard motherboard which suit to any desktop computer. Fan A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for active cooling, and may refer to fans that draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside, or move air across a heat sink to cool a particular component. CPU fan: Use to cool the CPU heat sink. Graphic card Fan: The specific fan to cool down the temperature of graphic card. PSU fan: The power supply unit fan play two rules that cool down the itself and removing the warm air from the case. PSU A power supply unit converts mains AC to low-voltage regulated DC power for internal components of computer. DVD DVD is digital optical disc that can store a large amount of digital data such as text, music, image or video. b. Add a new section to the booklet to explain the purpose of TWO different Operating Systems and compare the features functions of these operating systems. (P2, M1) Window 8 is the latest vision of the Windows operating system, which was developed by Microsoft. It acts as an interface between the hardware and the user. Purpose of Windows 8 The operating system was made for personal, home or business user in the desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone market. It makes computer easy for users to control. 1. Graphical User interface The windows operating system designed originally to replace MS-DOS, which make the computer interface more user-friendly and allows you to use your mouse to operate. Windows 8 come with a new and unique kind of use interface (UI) called Metro. 2. Accessibility. Windows 8 increase the accessibility which includes features to enable disable people to use the computer more easily, such as: Optimize visual display to allow people to see more cleanly on screen, turn on audio description for people who are blind, adjust the setting of mouse for people are using different hand. 3. Multitasking Windows 8 provided people with the ability to do multitask more easily and steady. The Graphical User Interface makes easier to navigate from different tasks. 4. A Standard Part of windows’ purpose is to create a standard for third-part software developers. All windows programs will feature in a standard format, such as the position of menu options, the way programme opened and closed down. Purpose of DOS DOS known as Disk operating system that allow people to manage the storage devices such as hard disk, solid disk, flash disk or floppy disk. DOS is the basic system that people have to using Command line prompt to communicate with computer via simple interface which is not â€Å"friendly† user interface. The DOS can’t run multitask on computer which can only load one program until it finished. But some of the features still quite useful that people still use it. Such as: 5. CHKDSK 6. GBUPDATE 7. IPCONFIG 8. PING 9. FDISK Comparison of two operating systems We can see there are many different between those two computer operating system which the Windows 8 operating system have a lots of advance features and higher performance that suit to nowadays. The DOS system usually used to be run a specific program which prevents any virus or hacker attack in the solo computer such as sale program, data base in the hospital or council data base. c. In your document explain the purpose of different software utilities which is available. Explain how software utilities can improve the performance of computer systems (P3, D1) Windows 8 Utility Virus Protection The specific program used to prevent viruses, worms and Trojans which attached in the email or website. Every computer need to install an anti-virus software and have upgrade its regular that make sure the computer more securer. Firewall The Firewall is the software that build up to prevent attack from hacker which build a protective barrier in your computer when your computer connect to the network. It controlled which software’s data can thought the network and monitored the data thought the computer. Clean-up Tools The system utility that clean up system’s rubbish to make computer running more steady and smoothly. The list of clean-up content such as: Removal of cookies Internet history Defragmentation Drive formatting Drive formatting that means to delete everything on the drive or partition to install operating system or classify your partition. You can do it from Disk management or using Formatting Command in Command prompt just like type command in the DOS OS. Utility of DOS CHKDSK Checks a disk and repair your data that might lose or corrupt from take off your disk incorrectly or your computer lost electricity when it was running. The CHKDSK help computer more secure and repair the corruption when it detects. Ping is a computer network utility that to test how quickly the host to connect to the server. This utility could help user easier to check the connectivity with network. FDISK is utility software which using on DOS to partitioning disk and manage the partition. The FDISK that formatting your disk completely that not be able to recovery and it the common tool that used in 1990s during now. Scandisk is the command to run disk-repair on the current drive. DEFRAG is Command to reorganizes files on disks to optimize performance. DEBUG is command to run Debug, a program testing and editing tool.

Laws Regulating Federal Lobbyists

Laws Regulating Federal Lobbyists In public opinion polls, lobbyists rank somewhere between pond scum and nuclear waste. In every election, politicians vow never to be â€Å"bought out† by lobbyists, but often do. Briefly, lobbyists get paid by businesses or special interest groups to win the votes and support of members of the U.S. Congress and state legislatures.   Indeed, to many people, lobbyists and what they do represent the main cause of corruption in federal government. But while lobbyists and their influence in Congress sometimes seem to be out of control, they really do have to follow laws. In fact, lots of them.   Background: The Laws of Lobbying While each state legislature has created its own set of laws regulating lobbyists, there are two specific federal laws regulating the actions of lobbyists targeting the U.S. Congress.   Recognizing the need to make the lobbying process more transparent and accountable to the American people, Congress enacted the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995. Under this law, all lobbyists dealing with the U.S. Congress are required to register with both the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate. Within 45 days of becoming employed or retained to lobby on behalf of a new client, the lobbyist must register his or her agreement with that client with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House. As of 2015, more than 16,000 federal lobbyists were registered under the LDA. However, merely registering with Congress was not enough to prevent some lobbyists from abusing the system to the point of triggering total disgust for their profession. Jack Abramoff Lobbying Scandal Spurred New, Tougher Law Public hatred for lobbyists and lobbying reached its peak in 2006 when Jack Abramoff, working as a lobbyist for the rapidly growing Indian casino industry, pleaded guilty to charges of bribing members of Congress, some of whom also ended up in prison as a result of the scandal. In the aftermath of the Abramoff scandal, Congress in 2007 passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) fundamentally changing the ways in which lobbyists were allowed to interact with members of Congress. As a result of HLOGA, lobbyists are prohibited from â€Å"treating† Congress members or their staff to things like meals, travel, or entertainment events. Under HLOGA, lobbyists must file Lobbying Disclosure (LD) reports during each year revealing all contributions they made to campaign events for members of Congress or other expenditures of efforts they make that might in any way personally benefit a member of Congress. Specifically, the required reports are: The LD-2 report showing all lobbying activities for each organization they are registered to represent must be filed quarterly; andThe LD-203 report disclosing certain political â€Å"contributions† to politicians must be filed twice a year. What Can Lobbyists ‘Contribute’ to Politicians? Lobbyists are allowed to contribute money to federal politicians under the same campaign contribution limits placed on individuals. During the current (2016) federal election cycle, lobbyists cannot give more than $2,700 to any candidate and $5,000 to any Political Action Committees (PAC) in each election. Of course, the most coveted â€Å"contributions† lobbyists make to politicians are the money and votes of the members of the industries and organizations they work for. In 2015 for example, the nearly 5 million members of the National Rifle Association gave a combined $3.6 million to federal politicians opposed to tighter gun control policy. In addition, lobbyist must file quarterly reports listing their clients, the fees they received from each client and the issues on which they lobbied for each client. Lobbyists who fail to comply with these laws face could face both civil and criminal penalties as determined by the Office of the U.S. Attorney. Penalties for Violation of the Lobbying Laws The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House, along with U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) are responsible for ensuring that lobbyists comply with the LDA activity disclosure law. Should they detect a failure to comply, the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House notifies the lobbyist in writing. Should the lobbyist fail to provide an adequate response, the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House refers the case to the USAO. The USAO researches these referrals and sends additional noncompliance notices to the lobbyist, requesting that they file reports or terminate their registration. If USAO does not receive a response after 60 days, it decides whether to pursue a civil or criminal case against the lobbyist. A civil judgment could lead to penalties up to $200,000 for each violation, while a criminal conviction - usually pursued when a lobbyist’s noncompliance is found to be knowing and corrupt- could lead to a maximum of 5 years in prison. So yes, there are laws for lobbyists, but how many of those lobbyists are really doing the â€Å"right thing† by complying with the disclosure laws? GAO Reports on Lobbyists’ Compliance with the Law In an audit released on March 24, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that during 2015, â€Å"most† registered federal lobbyists did file disclosure reports that included key data required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA). According to the GAO’s audit, 88% of lobbyists properly filed initial LD-2 reports as required by the LDA. Of those properly filed reports, 93% included adequate documentation on income and expenses. About 85% of lobbyists properly filed their required year-end LD-203 reports disclosing campaign contributions. During 2015, federal lobbyists filed 45,565 LD-2 disclosure reports with $5,000 or more in lobbying activity, and 29,189 LD-203 reports of federal political campaign contributions. The GAO did find that, as in years past, some lobbyists continued to properly disclose payments for certain â€Å"covered positions,† as paid congressional internships or certain executive agency positions provided as part of the lobbyists’ â€Å"contributions† to lawmakers. GAO’s audit estimated that about 21% of all LD-2 reports filed by lobbyists in 2015 failed to disclose payments for at least one such covered position, despite the fact that most lobbyists told the GAO that they found the rules regarding reporting covered positions as being â€Å"very easy† or   Ã¢â‚¬Å"somewhat easy† to understand.

Running Head Organizational Behavior Case Study

Running Head Organizational Behavior Case Study Introduction Organizational behavior is a broad and interdisciplinary area in management, which relies on the research and ideas of many other disciplines which explain human interaction and behavior.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Running Head: Organizational Behavior Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such disciplines include psychology, sociology, industrial psychology, social psychology, anthropology and communication (MacGinins, n.d). The focus of organizational behavior is the study of organizational; design, management and effectiveness (Martin, 2005). Organizational behavior therefore involves the interdependences and interrelationships of various topics like motivation, emotions, change process, culture, power and control, ethics, management and leadership, job design and technology, organizational structure, conflict and politics, stress in groups and individuals, learning, and communicat ion which involves decision making and negotiations. Managers must therefore understand the relationships between all these topics, and see how they can strike a balance, to ensure that there is a conducive environment for the progress and survival of the organization (Martin, 2005). In this assignment, I will explore organizational behavior by the use of the case study of RR Feeds, Inc., which is a large feed processing plant located in North Dakota. I will identify the challenges, conduct an in depth analysis and provide recommendations to the Management team. Discussion Challenges facing RR Feeds, Inc One challenge facing the organization is that of economic down turn, which brings in the problems of financial instability for the company because it makes less profit as the expenses remain constant. This made the organization lay off some of the employees and cut spending, so as to survive. The other challenge is that of change of employees’ attitude towards the organizatio n. The employees no longer feel obliged to commit themselves to the organization, and that is why they are ready to do as little as they can for the organization.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The employees’ morale in working is greatly reduced due to lack of or poor motivation for them to dedicate their efforts to the organization. The management is faced with the challenge of enabling the organization to survive under the economic down turn, as they safeguard the welfare of the employees. This is a challenge of change management. In depth analysis The problems facing the organization can be attributed to change management. The organization has had a good history in its relationships with the employees and it’s clients for a long time. It usually gave bonuses to employees, and committed a lot of resources in various activities of the organ ization. The employees were very satisfied and they had a very positive attitude towards the organization. The levels of the employee commitment, motivation and morale were high before the economic down turn. With the onset of the economic down turn, which is a universal economic catastrophe, the organization was faced with the challenge of maintaining the status quo, in terms of giving bonuses to employees, and spending in organization activities. This made the employees change their attitudes and perceptions towards the management of the organization. The fact that some employees were laid off did not go down well with some employees, who sensed something fishy in the management of the organization. Their perception was that the laying off of some of them was aimed at victimizing them for their reduced morale in their work at the company. The key problem for the organization is how to effect and manage change within the organization, which is necessary for its survival. When chang e happens within an organization, each individual reacts differently whereby some embrace the change while others do not. †¦ However, the organization must survive despite the challenges. When the management started laying off some employees, cutting on spending and bonuses, it did so as a reaction to the external forces to the organization. The employees on the other side reacted to the change by reducing their commitment to the organization due to lowered motivation.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Running Head: Organizational Behavior Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Recommendations to the Management Organizational change is always a challenge to many managers because they are faced with the challenge of maintaining the status quo for the organization in terms of employee satisfaction on one hand and retaining the organizational performance and output on the other. Mr. Nates idea of redes igning the jobs for the employees is one way of initiating the desired change to deal with the prevailing situation. This is because the jobs would be redesigned to enable one employee handle various tasks which were being handled by the laid off staff. However, the management will need to train the remaining staff on the extra fields or dockets, so that they may be able to discharge the duties effectively. The idea of reexamining the performance evaluation program and aligning it to the current organizational situation is aimed at bringing some changes in the manner in which employees are compensated for their labor. Chances are that the manager may come up with a contract performance system of working, in which employees are given some targets to meet, then get paid depending on how they meet those targets†¦.. This is different from the normal payment in which employees are paid after the end of each month without any targets set for them. The idea is good because it would en sure that the company divides its workload to the number of employees and attach some time frames under which those targets must be met, and then pay the employees depending on how they meet the targets. This can increase productivity and flexibility in the organization, because each employee will work hard to see that he or she meets the targets, so as to receive the payment. It would increase flexibility because each employee would set his or her own work plan, and develop a time table to accomplish the tasks. The employees may work hard to meet the set targets within a short time, so as to spare some time to engage in other income generating activities so as to supplement what they earn at the company (Martin, Fellenz, 2010). Regarding the stress levels and new employee behavior of low commitment to the company, the management should use Lewin’s three phases of change management namely unfreezing, transition and refreezing of behavior.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More During the unfreezing stage, the management should prepare the employees for the change through talking to them about the prevailing economic situations and how it is affecting the company, and therefore the need for the company to adapt and align itself to the prevailing economic situation in order for it to survive and remain in business. The management should then use push and pull strategies to prepare the employees for the change, which is implemented during the transition phase. At the refreezing phase, the management should refreeze the newly acquired behavior in line with the new work environment. This would make the employees satisfied and restore their confidence, loyalty and commitment to the organization (Lewin, 2011). Conclusion Organizational behavior is a very crucial field in management which is very broad in nature. Managers need to understand organizational behavior in order for them to be able to be able to deal with the dynamic nature of organizational environmen t, which keeps at changing. Organizational behavior entails interaction between the organization and the employees. One major challenge for organizations is how to deal with change, like the one which faced RR Feeds, Inc due to the economic down turn. In such cases, managers should borrow Lewin’s three phase strategy of dealing with change namely unfreezing, transition and refreezing of behavior, so as to align the employees’ behavior with the prevailing organizational environment (Lewin, 2011). References Lewin, K.(2011). Lewin’s Freeze Phases. Web. MacGinins, S.K.(n.d). Organizational Behavior and Management Thinking. Web. Martin, J. (2005).3rd ed. Organizational Behavior and Management. Andover SP10 5BE: Cengage Learning EMEA. Martin,J., Fellenz, M.(2010).4th ed. Organizational Behavior Management. Andover SP10 5BE: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Action response Essays

Action response Essays Action response Essay Action response Essay Action Response is a London-based charity dedicated to providing fast responses to critical situations throughout the world. The charity receives requests for cash aid usually from an Intermediary charity and looks to process the request quickly and provide funds where they are needed, when they are needed. It was founded to provide relatively short-term aid for small projects until they could obtain funding from larger donors. Generally, Action Response Is regarded as one of the success stories in the charity world. The consensus of opinion is that it has filled an important AP in aid provision to relatively small scale recipients. Susan Noting Chief Executive of Action Response explains the background. Give a man a fish and you feed him today, teach him to fish and you feed him for life, its an old saying and it makes sense but, and this is where Action Response comes in, he might starve while hes training to catch fish. Nevertheless, Susan does have some worries about how parts of her enterprise are managed. She faces two major issues In particular. First she Is receiving complaints that funds are not getting through to where they are needed quickly enough. Second the costs of running the operation are starting to spiral. She explains. We are becoming a victim of our own success. We have striven to provide greater accessibility to our funds, people can access via the internet, by post and by phone. But we are in danger of losing what we stand for. It is taking longer to get the money to where it is needed and our costs are going up. We are in danger of failing on one of our key objectives: to minimize the proportion of our turnover that is spent on administration. At the same time we always need to be aware of the risk of bad publicity through making the wrong decisions. If we dont check applications thoroughly, funds may go to the wrong place and If the newspapers gets hold of the story we would run a real risk of losing the goodwill, and therefore the funds, from our many supporters. Susan NTIS held regular meetings with key stakeholders. One charity that handled a large number of applications for people in Nigeria told her of frequent complaints about the delays over the processing of the applications and they felt there was a danger of losing the key purpose for which the charity was founded. A second charity preventative complained that when he telephoned to ascertain the status of an application the RAPID staff did not seem to know where it was or how long it might be before it was complete. Furthermore he felt that this lack of information was eroding his relationship with his own clients some of whom were losing faith in him as a result. This was affecting the other work the charity was doing; trust Is so Important In the relationship he explained. Some of Suntans colleagues, while broadly agreeing with her anxieties over the One of the really good things about Action Response is that we are more flexible Han most charities. If there is a need and if they need support until one of the larger charities can step in, then we will always consider a request for aid. I would not like to see any move towards high process efficiency harming our ability to be open- minded and consider a request that might seem a little unusual at first. Jacqueline Horton, Applications Assessor) Others saw the charity as performing an important advice and counseling role. Remember that we have gained a lot of experience in this kind of short-term aid. We are also often the first people that are in a position to give advice on how to apply for argue and longer term funding. If we developed this aspect of our work we would again be fulfilling a need that is not adequately supplied at the moment. (Stephen Iniquity, Applications Assessor) The Action Response Applications Processing Unit (RAPE) Potential aid recipients, or the intermediary charities that represent them, are required to apply (or claim as Action Response termed it) using a standard form. These application forms can be downloaded from the internet or requested via a special help line. Sometimes the applica tion will come directly from an individual but ore usually it will come via an intermediary charity that is aware of Action Response and can help the applicant to complete the application form. The application form is then sent to the Action Response Applications Processing Unit (RAPE) The RAPE employs seven applications assessors with three support/secretarial staff, a pool of nine clerks who are responsible for data entry, coding and filing, and nine completes (staff who prepare the final paperwork and send the money, or explain why no aid can be given). In addition, a board of non paid trustees meets every Thursday, to ratify (approve) the applications. Action Responses IT system maintains records of all transactions. It provides an update of number of applications (by week, month and year), the number and percentage of applications approved, number and percentage of those declined, the number and amount of payments allocated. These reports identified that the Unit received about 300 applications per week (the Unit operates a 35 hour week) and whilst all the Units financial targets were being met at the moment the clear trend indicated that costs as a percentage of applications handled was increasing. Most internally set operations performance criteria were being met. The target for the turnaround of an application, from receipt of application to the issue of funds was 20 days. Accuracy had never been an issue as all files were thoroughly assessed to ensure that all the relevant and complete data was collected before the applications waiting for processing at each section with the exception that the completes were sometimes waiting for work to come from the committee on a Thursday. Susan had conducted an inspection of all sections in-trays that had revealed a rather shocking total of about 2000 files waiting within the process. Processing applications The processing of applications is a lengthy procedure requiring careful examination by applications assessors trained to make well founded assessments in line with existing charity guidelines and values. All applications arriving at the Unit are placed in an in-tray. The incoming application is then opened by one of the four receipt clerks who will check that all the necessary forms have been included in the application, the receipt clerks take about 10 minutes per application. This is then placed in an in-tray before collection by the coding staff. The five coding clerks allocate a unique identifier to each application and code the information on the application into the computer. The application is then given a front sheet, a pro formal, with the identifier in the top corner. This coding stage takes about 20 minutes for each application. The files are then placed in a tray on the senior applications assessors secretary desk. As an applications assessor becomes available, the senior secretary provides the next Job in the line to the assessor. About one hundred of the cases seen by the assessors each week are put aside after only 10 minutes scanning because it is clear that there is a need for further information. The assessor returns these files to the secretaries, who write to the applicant (usually via the intermediate charity) requesting missing or additional information, and return the file to the receipt clerks who store the file until the further information eventually arrives. When it does arrive, the file enters the process and progresses through the same stages again. Of the applications that require no further information, around half are accepted and half declined. Some applications clearly fit the charity criteria, or clearly did not. But others could take more time to assess. On average, the applications that are not recycled for further information take around 60 minutes to assess. All the applications, whether approved or declined, are stored prior to ratification. Every Thursday the Committee of Trustees meets to formally approve the applications assessors decisions. The committees role is to sample the decisions to ensure that the guidelines of the charity are upheld. In addition they will review any particularly unusual cases highlighted by the applications assessors. Once approved by the committee the file is then taken to the completion officers. There are 3 declines officers whose main responsibility is to compile a suitable response to the applicant pointing out why the application failed and offering, if possible, provide helpful advice. An experienced declines officer takes about 30 minutes to finalize the file and write a suitable letter. Successful files are passed to the 4 payment officers where again the file is completed, letters (mainly standard letters) are created and including dealing with any queries from the Bank about payment details. Finally the paperwork itself is sent, with the rest of the file, to two dispatch clerks ho complete the documents and mail them to the applicant. Each part of the process has trays for incoming work. Files are taken from the bottom of the pile when someone becomes free to ensure that all documents are dealt with in strict order. The dispatch activity takes, on average, 10 minutes for each application. The feeling amongst the staff was generally good. When Susan consulted the team they said their work was clear and routine, but their life was made difficult by charities that rang in expecting them to be able to tell them the status of an application they had submitted. It could take them hours, sometimes days, to find any individual file. Indeed two of the receipt clerks now worked full time on this activity. They also said that charities frequently complained that the money seemed to be taking a long time to agree and send. Questions 1. What objectives should the RAPE process be trying to achieve? 2. Map the process of handling applications at RAPE. 3. Analyses and evaluate the process. You may wish to assess: number of people involved in each application individual workloads whether the process is configured appropriately process throughput times why it is difficult to locate a file 4. What recommendations would you make to Susan Noting?

Personal statement of admission in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal statement of admission in USA - Essay Example Since this period, my desire and fascination in computers and programming grew rapidly. When I joined secondary school, I learned various programming languages including C++ and HTML. This enabled me to conduct a presentation concerning these languages during the career day in the school. My fellow students were extremely amazed, based on my understanding of the languages. After this session, I was utterly motivated to select computer science as a personal career. I was satisfied by the decision because I usually enjoy acquiring new skills and information. In most cases, I use the acquired skills to enable my adaptation in the fast-changing world. This has also enhanced my interest in the innovation sector. According to my personal thinking, computer science would give me an incentive to improve personally and gain information. When I joined the University in Saudi Arabia, I was familiar with most of the freshman courses in the discipline of computer science and information technolog y. The facile nature of computers has even made it possible for me to gain more information in the study of computer science and information technology. Moreover, the versatility of computers has also solidified my interest in the discipline of computer science and information technology, hence; exposing me to the enormous potential of computers. The study of computers has also widened my background in certain concepts. This has left me enchanted and rapt in regard to the developing field. In addition, I have also gained practical knowledge in the discipline of computer science and information technology. I have managed to achieve this through the project works and internships. I completed my bachelor degree and majored in Computer Science and Information technology in Saudi Arabia. After this, I started studying English as a second language in a full time program (Extensive program) in USA at FLS International at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania since April 2011 until December 2011. Later on, I transferred to complete my English program at the University of Pennsylvania Institute since January 2012 till now. In most of the courses that I have studied in the bachelor program, I have gotten high scores, which have been helpful in my studies. Some of these courses include distributed systems and parallel processing, design and analysis of algorithms, computers architecture, operating systems, advanced databases, and software engineering. I have also scored highly in some of the courses related to mathematics including linear algebra, principles of statistics and probabilities, and differential and integral calculus. The experience I gained from this study was of extreme value to me. I integrated the knowledge gained with the serviceability and functionality of a variety of worldly applications. Through this, I took hold of the application of computer technologies in various sections of life. I have also tried to follow some of the technological innovations and design through gaining facts from different sources. Some of these information resources include attending technological conferences and seminars and reading books related to technological advancement. Also, in order to acquire knowledge on this widespread technology, I familiarized myself on them through a variety of certification courses.

A Visit of Charity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Visit of Charity - Research Paper Example She presents herself as a campfire girl whose main aim of the trip was to earn three points (Welty 216). In her trip, she carries along a potted plant which she takes to the nursing home. During her visit, she was quite surprised by the behavior of the old women that she met. The short visit to the home was quite a challenge to her that she even felt like fleeing from this bizarre location. This was mainly because of the behavior of the two women that she met in the nursing home. In the narrative, the writer, Eudora Welty presents concerns of selfishness and heartlessness among other behaviors in an ironic tone. This paper will discuss the short narrative, A Visit of Charity. This narration is largely centered on Marian; a 14-year old girl, who once visited an elderly nursing home. The setting of the narration is presented as a beaten block, and it revealed the winter sun like a block of ice (Welty 216). It is redecorated by spiky dark hedge plants. These scenarios imply the lack of warmth and affection from a society towards the isolated elderly citizens in the nursing home. Marian is the central character of the story. The aim of her visit was to earn a minimum of three points in her score. After speaking with the nurse at the main desk, she was taken to a room where she met two elderly women. She was shocked by their behaviors. This included the sheep bleating noise that was made often by one of elderly women in that room. These strange happenings scared the girl, almost making her flee the area. She had carried flowers in a pot which the nurse referred to as multiflora cineraria (Welty 216). Soon afterwards, the flowers were taken away from Marian by one of the old women in the room. The two women in the room started pointing out their thoughts about the potted plant after snatching it from Marian. She then sits back and listens to the two old women argue senselessly. One of the women claimed that the flowers belonging to Marian were

Non-Employment ADR Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Non-Employment ADR Research - Essay Example eam is made up of trained, qualified and impartial fact finding individuals, who employ their expertise in offering dispute resolution services in the company (Cheeseman, 2010). This program allows for diverse evaluation of the issue at hand. Meetings are held between the conflict parties and the open door program specialists while investigations on the same issue are done confidentially. Information gathered is then analyzed in line with the rule of law and company requirements, after which a decision is arrived at. This ADR strategy has helped Intel corporation in a number of ways. First, the program provides employees with recommendations on conflict resolution. It provides the management with a basis upon which future conflicts can be avoided, alongside offering a resolution ground for the current disputes. Workable solutions have therefore been realized through this program. The most important aspect of this program is that employee participation in all activities undertaken by the program is not penalized, and therefore employees can express their concerns without fear of being sacked. This factor has facilitated the success of Intel Corporation in its ADR. Most of this company’s disputes emerge from liability claims. The company previously used to traditionally litigate claims. This means that it engaged the courts in litigating its claims. Court procedure for resolving disputes seemed favorable for the company, but the cost of the process in terms of both time and money raised concerns. The company realized that in most cases the claims were settled before trials took place and of course not before preparation time for the case (Jennings, 2006). In this regard, the company adopted mediation strategy for its ADR. This strategy allowed the company to significantly cut on the cost of making claims as well spare time for other activities within the company that generally improved the company’s welfare in business. Risks associated with the jury trials

Arab unity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Arab unity - Essay Example However, it is mandatory to note that the Arabs role though to some extent may be little, may be played out in the center stage. This study, for this reason, seeks to analyze the various impacts that correlate to the Arabs unity. Arab unity is by no mechanism a new invention, and strides towards a massive cooperation are evident throughout history of the modern Middle East. The above cooperation ranges from Pan-Arabism, Nasserism, to Islamism. In previous decades the formulation of a police force for Arab countries has frequently been frustrated by member states who believe it is not important to their stability, for instance Pakistan.. The emergency of Arab summit held in Qatar on March 2009, preceding Gaza siege by the Israeli troops, was meant to establish a common legal understanding in most of Palestine allied Arab nations. The attack that resulted in massive human casualties displayed Arabs, disillusionment, disunity and disagreement.1 Thus, was the benchmark to necessitate a common ground for the unity of the Arab Nations. In comparison to Europe, new alliances that form the League of Arab States, for instance, on one side was that of Palestinian Liberation Organization, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. While on the other side was that of Syria, Qatar, and Hamas. Rather than joining forces to a common cause that appeared straight forward, and not divisive, the Arab Leagues continuously experienced long-standing disagreements as well as fluctuating rivalries. The above misunderstandings are not only disadvantageous to the economy but also a major set-backs when it comes to issues that pertain international relations and policies. Interregional unity of the Arab states will be a massive boost to ensuring the integration of trans-boundary policies and legislation. Integration of such legislation is what will enhance and speed up the dispute resolution mechanism, without compromising another country’s sovereignty.2 In order to foster a common police force

Erica Homes ltd. Project Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Erica Homes ltd. Project - Research Proposal Example At this time the city has considerable problems with migrants who don’t have a place to work and often not even a place to live. It is thought that the Olympics will provide a chance for the development of the area, for the creation of new jobs and for the integration into society of all the people with ethnic origins other that British. Erica Homes ltd. is planning to take advantage of this event and exploit it to the maximum. If the company purchases land right now it will do it very cheaply. However, as the 2012 Olympic is drawing nearer the value of the land in the outskirts of London will double, if not even triple and the prices of housing in the area will rise accordingly. Thus a great profit for all developers that manage to built before that time. Erica Homes ltd.’s strategy is to purchase land in the area, to build high quality luxurious apartments and to sell them when the market value of estates raises, thus realizing the desired profit. The company will hire internationally renowned engineers, architects, chartered accountants and IT experts. Erica Homes ltd. will employ the strategy of participative decision making. The centralization of decision making has been found to have in most cases a negative impact on a company’s relations between its employees and its management. Training, on the other hand has the exact opposite effect on the relations. Therefore Erica Homes ltd. is focusing on developing a structure of the organization that is based on communication in all levels. Every employee has to be able to have an impact on the management of the company and he has to feel it, motivating him to work harder and better. This would also encourage the appropriate integration of all employees, even problematic integrations. In order to achieve this system of participative decision making we are encouraging every employee in Erica Homes ltd. to own shares in the company. However little the investment might be, it will make that person feel linked to the organization in a proprietary sort of way and act accordingly. We will not only offer jobs to 1000 people, we are offering long term investment plans. Other organizations have applied this strategy and it has proven very effective because a person who feels secure about his future and the future of his family is more productive. "Members are part of a common social system or clan and are bonded together through the development of a sense of affiliation and belonging"1. Employees of Erica Homes ltd. will develop a sense of loyalty towards the company. In terms of structure the company will have a Board of Directors, a Shareholders Meeting, a General Manager, managers of the different departments and employees in each department. Erica Homes ltd. aims at being adaptable and flexible according to the needs of its employees and to the market. The good management of the company has to accomplish this while being stable and controlled. "There needs to be growth, resource acquisition and external support, but also tight internal information management and formal communication. The framework suggests an emphasis on the value of human resources, but also emphasizes planning and goal setting"2. Information sharing in the company will be very important. "As a catalyst for organisational growth, the sharing of knowledge is vital to an organisation"3. This will add value to the company and help with the achievement of the participative decision making strategy. Information exchange stimulates creativity and creates intellectual assets which are more important for a company than physical assets. "Sharing knowledge within organisations provides the opportunity to discuss know-what and know-how practices to direct the organisation towards future development and growth"4. The shareholders will elaborate plans and goals for long periods of time. The Board

Exploring the Literature and Finding Studies Assignment

Exploring the Literature and Finding Studies - Assignment Example knowledge gaps or the questions being asked related to theories, and the appropriate methodologies necessary in the investigation of the underlying issues. An efficient literature review is characterized be wide information searches that are presented in the form of a paraphrased critical analysis (Jesson and Lacey, 2006; May and Holmes, 2012; Cleary, Hunt, and Horsfall, 2009). The two databases that I will use to complete my literature review are Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PubMed. CINHAL abstracts and indexes numerous nursing, biomedical, allied health and consumer information sources (Kim and Yu, 2011; Cleary, Hunt, and Horsfall, 2009). The literature is presented in the form of books, dissertations, acts and educational software. PubMed database is operated by National Library of Medicine (NLM), USA. It acts as a source of free archive providing journal literature on biomedical and life sciences (Lu, 2011; States et al., 2009). Standard searches are conducted through entering the key details of the subjects into the search windows (Chang, Heskett and Davidson, 2006). Comprehensive search requires entry of detailed understanding of the subject being researched on and requires the inclusion of more specific information such a names (Chang, Heskett and Davidson, 2006; Lu, 2011). Comprehensive searches are best con ducted by specialists or

Arab unity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Arab unity - Essay Example However, it is mandatory to note that the Arabs role though to some extent may be little, may be played out in the center stage. This study, for this reason, seeks to analyze the various impacts that correlate to the Arabs unity. Arab unity is by no mechanism a new invention, and strides towards a massive cooperation are evident throughout history of the modern Middle East. The above cooperation ranges from Pan-Arabism, Nasserism, to Islamism. In previous decades the formulation of a police force for Arab countries has frequently been frustrated by member states who believe it is not important to their stability, for instance Pakistan.. The emergency of Arab summit held in Qatar on March 2009, preceding Gaza siege by the Israeli troops, was meant to establish a common legal understanding in most of Palestine allied Arab nations. The attack that resulted in massive human casualties displayed Arabs, disillusionment, disunity and disagreement.1 Thus, was the benchmark to necessitate a common ground for the unity of the Arab Nations. In comparison to Europe, new alliances that form the League of Arab States, for instance, on one side was that of Palestinian Liberation Organization, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. While on the other side was that of Syria, Qatar, and Hamas. Rather than joining forces to a common cause that appeared straight forward, and not divisive, the Arab Leagues continuously experienced long-standing disagreements as well as fluctuating rivalries. The above misunderstandings are not only disadvantageous to the economy but also a major set-backs when it comes to issues that pertain international relations and policies. Interregional unity of the Arab states will be a massive boost to ensuring the integration of trans-boundary policies and legislation. Integration of such legislation is what will enhance and speed up the dispute resolution mechanism, without compromising another country’s sovereignty.2 In order to foster a common police force

Exploring the Literature and Finding Studies Assignment

Exploring the Literature and Finding Studies - Assignment Example knowledge gaps or the questions being asked related to theories, and the appropriate methodologies necessary in the investigation of the underlying issues. An efficient literature review is characterized be wide information searches that are presented in the form of a paraphrased critical analysis (Jesson and Lacey, 2006; May and Holmes, 2012; Cleary, Hunt, and Horsfall, 2009). The two databases that I will use to complete my literature review are Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PubMed. CINHAL abstracts and indexes numerous nursing, biomedical, allied health and consumer information sources (Kim and Yu, 2011; Cleary, Hunt, and Horsfall, 2009). The literature is presented in the form of books, dissertations, acts and educational software. PubMed database is operated by National Library of Medicine (NLM), USA. It acts as a source of free archive providing journal literature on biomedical and life sciences (Lu, 2011; States et al., 2009). Standard searches are conducted through entering the key details of the subjects into the search windows (Chang, Heskett and Davidson, 2006). Comprehensive search requires entry of detailed understanding of the subject being researched on and requires the inclusion of more specific information such a names (Chang, Heskett and Davidson, 2006; Lu, 2011). Comprehensive searches are best con ducted by specialists or

The Causes of Challenging Behavior Essay Example for Free

The Causes of Challenging Behavior Essay Dealing with children with challenging behavior has been a source of major problems amongst educators. The depth of the problem and the difficulty of dealing with students with challenging behavior have caused some schools and other educators to not properly address the trouble, hence resulting for the child’s expulsion or transfer from one school to another (Laursen and Peterson, 2005). This research will then seek to identify the causes and other risk factors that led to the development of Challenging Behavior and other related cognitive and behavioral concerns. Challenging Behavior: A Definition The Center for Evidence Based Practice (2007) defined challenging behavior as â€Å"any repeated pattern of behavior, or perception of behavior that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning or engagement in pro-social interactions with peers and adults†. In relation with this, Emerson (1995) has added the role of culture on a development of a so-called â€Å"abnormal behavior†. Also, the element of success in school and other academic related activity was also cited by Grady (2007) as significantly related on the notion of challenging behavior. Environmental Factors One of the primary causes of challenging behavior among children is maternal depression (Douglas, 1989 p. 8). Studies showed that 30% of mothers during the 70’s to the 80’s revealed symptoms of melancholy. More specifically, a link between maternal depression and challenging behaviors of children proved to be one of the very vital risk factors. In addition, the notion of irresponsible parenting was claimed by Douglas (1989) as may be a result of a bad relationship with parents or with significant others. The role of the father in developing the behavior of the child is very crucial as studies showed that those fathers who exhibit characters of â€Å"personal disturbance, aggressive and anti-social behaviors† produced a significant effect on the children (p. 8). In addition, the difficult attitude of the father could also lead to a poor communication process that could further lead to minute cooperation and in the long run, irresponsible parenting. The study of Brown et al (1978) as cited from Douglas (1989) revealed four â€Å"Vulnerability Factors† that could be related to depression. The first factor is perceived as the death of one’s mother before the age of 11; the second factor was with regard to the absence of a â€Å"confiding relationship† with the mother’s significant others. The third was the lack of a professional career that would allow the mother to go to work, relate with other people and experience other things; and finally, those mothers who have three or more children who are all below 14 years old. Brown et al revealed that a significant 42% of â€Å"depression rate† was seen amongst mothers who have children who are all below 6 years of age. Barnes et al (1998) as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association (2002) have identified the role of parental illness as also one of the major determining factors for a child’s development of a challenging behavior. Some of the emotional dispositions of the mother that might have caused such is anxiety, depression and other negative emotional bursts that might have affect on the ability of the latter to take care of their children. In effect of this, a child may experience sadness, fear, loneliness and anger. The aggregation of these negative emotions in addition to the illness that is currently being experienced by the mother adds a lot on the distress and negative behavior that a child might exhibit. Corollary with this is the cause of family separation or divorce (Amato, 2002) (Pagain, 1997) as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association (2002). Amato and Pagain claimed that when compared from children who have a relatively better family setting, a child who has a broken family has more risks of developing challenging behaviors. In relation with this, Richman (1978) as cited from Douglas (1989) claimed that maternal depression is also associated on poor marriage; but virtually found no correlation at all to the role of relatives and friends in the curing of their depression. As such Douglas (1989) argued that it might be the case that the participants who are within the study of Richman have a relatively healthy relationship with their relatives and friends; however, such a relationship still cease to be a factor that could contribute to the well being of the mother until a healthy relationship on the significant other is established (Douglas, 1989, p. 9). The case of the child named June could be significantly related to this problem (Peterson, 2005). June is a 15 year-old female which has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and ADHD. In addition with this, she has also been perceived as having a relatively low IQ. June has been experiencing problems in terms of dealing with her peers and also her teachers and school administrators. She has been getting her self into fights, using profanity and frequently shouts at her teachers. On one of the sessions of June to Peterson (2005), she revealed that she recognize the fact that it could be possible that the effect of her mom’s relationship with another man who eventually her step father has also influenced her attitude. In one of the incidents June admitted that her most recent tantrum resulted due to watching a movie that reminded her of the bad incident that happened to her and to her step sister. She claimed that there was this time wherein some men on their place have been using some â€Å"chemicals†. At that time, her step sister became intoxicated and was later on sexually abused by those men. In addition, June herself claimed that she was also raped (Peterson, 2005). The role of marital relationship has been perceived as one of the major factors in shaping child behavior, however McLean (1976) as cited from Douglas (1989, p. 9) argued that there are a relatively few number of parents who are willing to undergo marriage guidance for the sake of their children. In relation with this, the Michigan Non Profit Association (2002) claimed that another reason for the emerging of a child’s challenging behavior could be a result of the relationship between the custodial parent and the child. More specifically, the absence of the custodial parent further makes things more difficult for the child since the latter has usually more attachment to his or her biological mother or father. Other cases such as financial difficulties also emerge on the picture as some parents failed to provide the needs of their children as a result of single parenthood or irresponsibility. The role of environmental stress such as poor housing and poverty has also been asserted by Douglas (1989) and Michigan Non Profit Association (2002) as a contributing factor on challenging behavior. The study made by Richman (1978) as cited from Douglas (1989) revealed the relationship of the type of abode to the development of challenging behavior. Richman claimed that there is a high depression rate that could be seen among children who are living in tower blocks. More specifically, those mothers who reside starting from the fourth floor and higher revealed a relatively high risk factor. The physical conditions of the rooms up stairs have been perceived to be the cause of the problem. Richman (1978) claimed that â€Å"damp housing conditions, lack of electricity or hot water, and overcrowding† (p. 9) also add to the depression that a mother experiences. In addition, majority of the mothers who experience depression are those who are with pre-school children who are unsupported and who are living in single bedsits (Richman as cited from Douglas 1989). In addition, Richman argued that such a type of disposition has further added on the depression that a mother experiences. However Richman as cited from Douglas (1989) made it clear that the abode per se does not directly influenced the behavior of the child, rather the amount of depression that is being experienced by the parent. If a particular mother perceived that she is being demoralized because of the type of her abode and its conditions, therefore she will certainly feel depressed and pass on this depression to her child. In addition to the amount of depression, a parent may also feel angry about her situation. In effect of this, the mother will slowly cut her relationship with her child, lost her patience easily; scrap her self out of enthusiasm and totally let her self fully bothered with her problems and deprive her child of proper care. In addition, Richman also made a point that some mothers who live in depressed areas do not necessarily exhibit depressing behaviors. He maintained that the treatment of a mother’s problem is completely relative to the perceiver.

Marketing Strategy of Big Bazaar India

Marketing Strategy of Big Bazaar India In this assignment, I have described its marketing strategies and promotional activities. The assignment is based on the effective marketing strategy which influences customer to purchase a product of Big Bazaar helps to understand the effect of marketing strategy which is responsible for attracting customer towards big bazaar. The research was carried out as per the steps of Marketing Research. The well supportive objectives were set for the study. To meet the objectives primary research was undertaken. The data collection approach adopted was experimental research. Big Bazaar is the fastest growing and most successful Retail chain in India. Big bazaar is the first retail chain to be started in India and is the largest until now. In the later part of the assignment I have applied 4Ps marketing strategy to show that how Big Bazaar has reached from introduction stage to growth stage and observed via some points that this company is right now in growth stage of Product Life Cycle model. I have also analyzed the SWOT showing how this company made its brand more effective. I have also described some suggestions to improve its brand image towards customers. Contents INTRODUCTION: BIG BAZAAR is a name renowned in Retail. It is now a brand image in private retail sector. Wal-Mart is the retail stores of USA and is known all over the world for its fashionable and affordable materials and is known as one of the best in its field, big bazaar can be said as the Wal-Mart of India running a chain of more than 100 retail stores in India. People around the country thinks that big bazaar is inspired from Wal-Mart and it is quite obvious to think as Wal-Mart is world leading chain of retail shopping but actually the idea of big bazaar came to the CEO Kishore Biyanifrom a 25 years old store Saravana which was owned by a family and worked on the philosophy of low margin high turnover. Following its slogan of isse sasta or achha kahin nahi(Meaning cannot find cheaper and better than this anywhere) it provides the consumer with the best of the materials at a rate less than rest of the market. Big bazaar is the subsidiary of Future Group, Pantaloons Retail India ltd. The brain behind big bazaar is the CEO of Future Group Mr. Kishore Biyani Future group is has various brands like Pantaloons, F123, Copper Chimney, Etam, Staples, One Mobile, Urbana, Brand Factory, LootMart, HomeTown and Central. Big bazaar covers all parts of India including the metro cities Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai. Big bazaar started with its first store in Kolkata, west Bengal in 2001 and now owns more than 100 stores all over India making itself the fastest growing retail chain in India and leaving all its competitors behind. WHY BIG BAZAAR? Indian retail sector is witnessing one of the most hectic Marketing activities of all times. The companies are fighting to win the hearts of customer. There is always a first mover advantage in an upcoming sector. This advantage goes to BIG BAZAAR in India. It has brought about many changes in the buying behavior of people as Big Bazaar provides all items in one roof at low rates. The consumers preferences are changing they are moving from shops stores to Modern Retail outlet. Its the main challenge to the Modern retail outlets to attract the customers towards them from that of competitors. To attract more customers companies have to carry out the promotional activities in unique way. BIG BAZAAR has maintained that uniqueness has succeeded in attracting customers. The promotional activity of the company, which famous as Less Price than others as it saysNobody Sells Cheaper and Better!is made its place in minds of customer. As the competition is becoming stiff in the market the activities conducted by the company are unique, that have brought fruitful result to the company. Among them sales Promotions is one of the leading activity or unique among all other activities has high influence on the customer walk-in. OBJECTIVES: To know the effective marketing strategy which influence customer to purchase a product of Big Bazaar. To know the marketing and promotional strategy of big bazaar. How Big Bazaar Establish and maintain its position in retailing through promotion. LITERATURE REVIEW: RELATED CASE STUDY: A lot of case studies have been done before on this topic and its different aspects as my focus is on leading towards success through the low cost strategy which is followed by big bazaar, one of them is described below: Building brand through challenge: In 2001, PRIL opened its first Big Bazaar, a 30,000 square feet store in Kolkata. The major USP of the Big Bazaar, store was low pricing. These stores offered the best price proposition to customers. As part of this, the stores focused less on branded items and more on unbranded products with the same quality as branded ones, at a much cheaper rate. Commenting on this, Biyani said, We are not in the business of selling ambience, but in the business of giving the best possible deals to our consumers. The first Food Bazaar was set up in Lower Parel in suburban Mumbai in 2001. Food Bazaars represent PRILs foray into yet another value retailing business, focusing on food and grocery products. These stores were designed based on PRILs understanding of the emotional and rational needs of Indian housewives The tremendous success of the Pantaloons, Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar retailing formats, easily made PRIL, the #1 retailer in India by the early 2004, in terms of turnover and retail area occupied by its outlets. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, PRIL increased its retail area by 66% to 586,000 sq. ft and reported revenues of Rs 4.45 billion, a 56% increase over fiscal 2002. Its net profits rose by 63% to Rs. 114.1 million in fiscal 2002-03, over the previous year. Big Bazaar has positioned itself as a value for money proposition for Indian family retail store. They wanted to promote Big Bazaar as a retail store which gives its customers maximum advantage over other retail stores by catering to all their needs budget wise and income level wise. Sabse Saste 3 Din'(the cheapest 3 days) brain child ofMr. Sadashiv Nayak, President Big Bazaar and Rajan Malhotra, President Strategy and Convergence, Big Bazaar, believe that Consumers are always looking for best value for their money. Big Bazaars Sabse Saste 3 Din is a great opportunity for them to save money and gets best products at the best possible prices. These three days have come to truly signify freedom from high prices for consumers in the country. Maha Bachat ( save money) was introduced five years back ( in the year 2006 ) and it is still running very successfully. It is known as one of Indias mega shopping campaign. Continuing its efforts to provide the best shopping deals and savings to Indian consumers, Big Bazaar is always set to make Republic Day and Independence Days shopping, truly memorable, with rock bottom prices, best possible discounts and mega offers. Apart from the flagship Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar stores, other future group retail formats like Furniture Bazaar, Electronic Bazaar, Depot, and Home Bazaar stores are also a part of this mega campaign. From daily household needs of food and grocery to apparels, RETAIL INDUSTRY IN INDIA: India has one of the largest numbers of retail outlets in the world. Of the 12 million retail outlets present in the country, nearly 5 million sell food and related products. Thought the market has been dominated by unorganized players, the entry of domestic and international organized players is set to change the scenario. Organized retail segment has been growing at a blistering pace, exceeding all previous estimates. According to a study by Deloitte Haskins and Sells, organized retail has increased its share from 5 % of total retail sales in 2006 to 8 % in 2007. The fastest growing segments have been the wholesale cash and carry stores (150%) followed by supermarkets (100%) and hypermarkets (75-80%). Further, it estimates the organized segment to account for 25 per cent ofthe total sales by 2011. India retail industry is the largest industry in India, with an employment of around 8% and contributing to over 10% of the countrys GDP. Retail industry in India is expected to rise 25% yearly being driven by strong income growth, changing life styles, and favorable demographic patterns. It is expected that by 2016 modern retail industry in India will be worth US$ 175 -200 billion. India retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries with revenue expected in 2007 to amount US$320 billion and is increasing at a rate of 5% yearly. A further increase of 7-8% is expected in the industry of retail in India by growth in consumerism in urban areas, rising incomes, and a steep rise in rural consumption. It has further been predicted that the retailing industry in India will amount to US$21.5 billion by 2010 from the current size of US$ 7.5 billion. Shopping in India has witnessed a revolution with the change in the consumer buying behavior and the whole format of shopping also altering. Industry of retail in India which has become modern can be seen from the fact that there are multi- stored malls, huge shopping centers, and sprawling complexes which offer food, shopping, and entertainment all under the same roof. India retail industry is progressingwell and for this to continue retailers as well as the Indian government will have to make a combined effort. 4PS OF MARKETING: Marketing is the promotion of products, especially advertising branding. Marketing practice tends to be seen as a creative industry, which includes advertising, distribution and selling. Marketing mix is a deciding factor in formulating marketing techniques for the success of a particular brand, commodity or company. The components of marketing mix are: Product Price Place Promotion http://marketingroi.robinsonmaites.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/4ps.gif Source: http://notesdesk.com/notes/marketing/the-marketing-mix-4-ps-of-marketing/ PRODUCT: Big Bazaar offers the maximum variety for every category of product. The product is the same in every store in the city but the brand options are more in Big Bazaar and the quantity for each product is not limited to large packs only. The commodities sold by the retail chain includes its own products which get a ready distribution network. The own products of Big Bazaar include My World fashion magazine which is not available anywhere else. So costs are very low for such products. PRICE: Price is the critical point in a competitive industry. Big Bazaar works on a low cost model. It considers its discounted price as its USP. There is an average discount of 6-8% on all items in respect to their MRP. Prices of products are low because it is able to secure stock directly from the manufacturer. There are huge synergies in terms of bulk purchasing, transportation and central warehousing. These all factors are very helpful for the retailers to keep low prices. PLACE: Place means the location of the business. Big Bazaar has always worked on cheap locations. It targets semi-urban population with its placement. Its strategy is to find a low-cost location and it never goes for hot spots in the city. It relied on promotional activities to make up for unattractive locations. Another strategy used by Big Bazaar to overcome location disadvantage is use of internet. It has launched a merchandise retailing website www.futurebazaar.com which targets high-end customers ready to use credit cards. The promotion of this website is done through advertisement on Google. The website is put as sponsored link. PROMOTION: Big Bazaar has huge promotion budgets. The biggest idea behind all advertisements is to make people do bulk shopping. There are 2 types of promotional strategies of big bazaar. One is the advertisement which promotes the brand and creates awareness towards people. It is not targeted at promoting each store but only creates an image of Big Bazaar as low-cost shopping option. The store has advertised through TV, road shows and also started reality show-typed promotional campaign The Big Bazaar Challenge. Promotions like Sabse Sasta Din(Cheapest Day) are a very successful strategy to get good results. In this products across categories such as furniture, electronics, utensils, apparels and food products at the lowest possible prices, coupled with attractive promotional schemes. Some of the most attractive offers being a 20-litre branded microwave oven with grill for Rs 2,399, jeans and trousers for Rs 199 and HCL laptops for Rs 22,800. Buy 2 Get 1 Free types of promotions are very common. Original prices are cut down and new prices are shown, of which customer takes quick notice. There are loyalty schemes which reward regular clients. CURRENT POSITIONING STRATEGY OF BIG BAZAAR: Big Bazaar is holding a strong position in the market and is growing very fast. It captures the maximum Indian market and with a strong financial background and it has to go a long way through. The low price strategy it is successfully running its business all over India and is still growing bigger and bigger. The following graph shows the Product Life Cycle of Big Bazaar which is currently at the growth stage. Source: http://www.coolavenues.com/know/mktg/ravi-big-bazaar-14.php Looking at the product life cycle of big bazaar it can be seen that it is in the growth stage at this point of time and still have a lot scope to grow. It is said that: Cheap prices are a luxury for the rich but a necessity or a need for the poor. So Big bazaar has understood the need of a vast population of the upper middle class and middle class people of the country and in fact no matter how rich a person is wherever he/she can get good brands at a cheaper rates they will be attracted towards it whether an average or a rich person. RETENTION STRATEGY: Big Bazaar strive to foster a feeling of well-being in their employees through care and respect, Big Bazaar have several structured processes including employee mentoring and grievance management programmers which are intended to facilitate a friendly and cohesive organization culture. Off -site activities are encouraged to improve interpersonal relationship. Big Bazaar also acknowledge the efforts exerted by their employees by organization an annual celebration called Pantaloon Day where Big Bazaar recognize employees who have shown exceptional talent, sincerity and dedication. Big Bazaar have implemented an employee suggestion programme called Prerna wherein the employee can give their suggestions. Every quarter the best suggestion received per zone per format is awarded prize called Golden Cap. BIG BAZAARS NEW MARKETING STRATEGY: Big Bazaar has launched new marketing strategy which is based on Guerrilla Marketing. Guerrilla marketing warfare strategies are a type of marketing warfare strategy designed to wear-down the enemy by a long series of minor attacks, using principles of surprise and hit-and-run tactics. Attack, retreat, hide, then do it again and again, until the competitor moves on to other markets. Guerrilla force is divided into small groups that selectively attack the target at its weak points. In the world of cut throat competition, corporate use extension of the same strategy in marketing. Corporate like Pepsi, Coke etc have been using the same for quite some time now and the latest entrant is our very own Future Group- Big Bazaar, Future Bazaar, Pantaloons, e Zone are all part of this group and they are taking on the biggies like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, and Tatas Westside. In order to do the same, Future Group have come up with 3 catchy and cheeky ad campaigns which surely do catch our eyes a nd surely one cant resist appreciating the same. ADVERTISING: THE ESSENTIAL OF BRAND BUILDING PROCESS- Advertising is an essential component of brand building. The advertisement and brand building is done through various ways, the techniques used are: Tag-line:Big Bazaar tag-lines are the key components of advertising. These tag-lines are modified according to demographic profile of customers. These catch-phrases appeared on hoardings and newspapers in every city where Big Bazaar was launched. Print Ads:Big Bazaar newspaper advertisements are present just before launch of any new scheme. TV Ads:Kishore Biyani spends a lot of money in brand building exercise. Big Bazaar commercials are shown on various channels in India. Presently, Fashion at Big Bazaar commercial is aired. Road-side Advertisements:Big Bazaar bill-boards are displayed on prime locations in various cities as a brand building exercise. They display the catch-phrases now-a-days. Radio Ads:This technique is used in cities like Sangli (Tier 1 / Tier 2 cities).Now-a-days, it is replaced by advertisements on FM channels. This informs customers about all new happenings at Big Bazaar. For example: The departmental store chain Big Bazaar has launched a commercial sometime back to promote The Great Exchange Offer. The commercial portrays how customers can exchange any old and broken items (junk) and get new products at a discounted price from Big Bazaar. Customer can get the amazing prices for junk. The month of January and February is generally a low-key affair in terms of customer footfalls and revenue generation. Innovative, out of the box promotions is one of the effective ways to draw customer attention and shore up the revenue. Historically Exchange schemes have been used to induce better sales; it also has a strong appeal with the Indian mindset of getting value even for their junk, states an official release from Big Bazaar. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths: Maximum number of varieties: People prefer those places where they can get the maximum products they need and Big Bazaar provides vast range of products under one roof helping in attracting customer and their family to shop together and enjoy the experience. High brand equity: Big Bazaar has created high brand equity through its promotions and marketing it has created a different image for its products as the cheap and best. Largest chain of retail marketing in India: Big Bazaar is the first retail chain to be started in India and is the largest and successful until now. High capacity investment: Big Bazaar offers 1,70,000 products and owns more than 100 retail stores all over India and has the strong financial background as being the subsidiary of future groups which owns the pantaloons which is one of the biggest the industries in mens wear in India and have its work is spread all over India. Future group is one of the leading groups in India. Everyday new promotions and schemes of low prices and discounts: Big Bazaar always offers new schemes of low prices and gives discounts in products like Big Bazaar offers the sabse saste 3 din ( the cheapest 3 days) in which it offers the lowest of prices than other days. Facilities like online booking and delivery of goods: It is not just a chain of retail shopping but also provides online shopping facility to the consumers. Weaknesses: Overcrowded: During offers, promotions and even on weekends the place is overcrowded with people and sometime even there is the situation of closing the store due to it. Checkout can be extremely slow: There can be seen a long queue on the billing counters making the consumer wait for hours due to the slow service and the crowd. Perception of low price=low quality: Generally people think that if any product has low price then the quality of the product will be low as they think quality comes with price. Targets at the middle class and upper middle class only: It targets at the middle and upper middle class due to which it ignores the upper and elite class people as they are the cream of the society who are ready to pay any price for the quality and product they need. Opportunities: Big Bazaar can enter into production of various products due to its in depth understanding of customers tastes andpreferences. Nowadays people prefer going to one big store and buy everything instead of visiting different places for different items and waste time. So Big Bazaar can expand the business in smaller cities as there is a lot of opportunity. Lot of potential inthe rural market. Threats: High business risk involved: Big Bazaar investment is very large so it is obvious that there is high business risk involved. Lot of competitors: There are a lot of countries which are planning to enter the Indian market like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco which is a big threat to Big Bazaar. Less Parking Space: Customers are not satisfied with the parking space availability provided by Big Bazaar. Hence its a threat of Big Bazaar as it may loose its customers because of less parking space availability. In holidays it will be very difficult for customers to park their vehicle in Big Bazaar. Unorganized retailing: Unorganized retail stores are a threat to the business of big bazaar as now also people prefer to go to the local stores which are convenient enough for them. COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS: BIG BAZAAR V/S VISHAL MEGA MART Vishal Mega Mart ( FOR DETAILS REFER APPENDIX) Fields Big bazaar Vishal mega mart Price Big Bazaar prices are very low because its adopt the low price marketing strategy. Vishal Mega Mart prices are not low because they give whatever is market price. Service Big Bazaar services are not quite good as billing problem due to crowd and less parking space. Vishal Mega Mart does not face these kind of problems as its not overcrowded. Ambience Product variety Big Bazaar has lots of variety in every category of products. In Big Bazaar people can find almost everything. Vishal Mega Mart dont have so much varieties as it is smaller than Big Bazaar. Convenience Big Bazaar has always worked in cheap location so that it is very convenient for the people to go to the Big Bazaar rather than going outer of the city. Vishal Mega Mart also works in low cost loacation but it is not so much popular in comparison of Big Bazaar as showrooms of Vishal Mega Mart are less than Big Bazaar. Shopping experience In Big Bazaar people can buy the maximum variety of products of every category under one roof helping in attracting customer and their family to shop together and enjoy the shopping experience. Vishal Mega Mart also provides the products under one roof but there is not so much varieties so that customers dont attract so they can not enjoy their shoppings Product quality The product quality is good in Big Bazaar because people can find cheap and best things in Big Bazaar. The product quality is also good in Vishal Mega Mart but the prices are very high. RECOMMENDATIONS: Big bazaar should keep offers in regular intervals so that there should not be a long term gap, because offer is the most influencing factor which is responsible for customer purchase decision. Big bazaar should start emphasizing more on internet shopping along with the formal retail shopping because a large population of the country likes to shop online in order to save time. Along with the different discounts and offers it should pay attention towards the students and provide some offers for them also because half of the Indian population is of youths and students. It should work on its billing counters and customer service in order to solve the problem of long queues and waiting customers. CONCLUSION: Big Bazaar is undoubtedly the number one retailer in India. It has built a very emotional and cordial relationship with its customers. It is also very intending to built long-term relationship with all its stakeholders, which is very essential for a successful business venture. It is observed that the organization hierarchy is professional as all the departmental Managers directly report to the store manager who in turn reports to the Zonal Head. Big Bazaar, with 25 years of experience in the field of weaving fabrics, is the leading Apparels and fashion design fabric company. There exist a healthy and positive relationship between employees and managers. The employees accept their responsibilities wholeheartedly, accept that it is their responsibilities to carry out a part of the activities of the company and they will be held accountable for the quality of their work. It is found that more than 60% of employees are of the age group of 20-35. Fromthis it reveals thatcompany is having young and energetic workforce who are very creative, enthusiastic and also very determined to grow in their career and in turn helping the company to grow. Working environmentis good and also the various facilities provided helps in motivating the employees. The company is reaching out to all the sections of the society as it is creating a hypermarket where not only the rich people shop but also the middle and the lower class customers come to enjoy the whole shopping experience. Moreover the customer friendly ambiance and the organized retailing of products also make Big Bazaar one of the successful retail industries in India. REFRENCES: Abhay, 2008. Big Bazaar. [Online] Available at: http://ekikrat.in/Big-Bazaar [Accessed 23 March 2011]. Admin, 2009. Marketing Mix. [Online] Available at: http://notesdesk.com/notes/marketing/the-marketing-mix-4-ps-of-marketing/ [Accessed 18 March 2011]. Berry, T., 2008. How to Perform SWOT Analysis. 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