Franchising Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Franchising - Thesis Example Researchers have pointed out that the impact of the fast-food restaurant on the society is much greater and therefore the evolving competitive environment is determined by the degree of operational freedom that these franchisees have in adding side dishes to the main menu and so on. This trend has been particularly marked during the last decade from 1999 to 2009. Modern fast food restaurants that consider making entry into a franchising business would have to adopt a strategy that would enable it to achieve intended results. There are a number of such options available to fast food restaurants such as those direct entry methods, e.g. export buying agency or a trading company and indirect entry methods, e.g. intermediate entry modes such as licensing and franchising (Alon, 2005). It's also desirable to go for a hierarchical arrangement like a merger, an acquisition or a wholly owned subsidiary. Franchising can be defined as "A form of business organization in which a firm which already has a successful product or service (the franchisor) enters into a continuing contractual relationship with other businesses (franchisees) operating under the franchisor's trade name and usually with the franchisor's guidance, in exchange for a fee" (www.investorwords.com). It is a business model for anyone who wants to start up a business that they don't have an established business idea. Thus franchising has been in existence in over 70 countries worldwide with the sales of US$ 1 trillion. In fact franchisee could be able to run a business under the particular brand name with the cooperation of a franchisor.When it comes to Subway fast food franchise in USA and it can be considered as one of the constantly growing franchises in the global arena with 32, 131 in 90 countries. Moreover, it is the largest single-brand fast food restaurant chain and holds the second place from largest operators like Yum Brands. Subway mainly operates its business in the US and five other major regions including Europe, Middle East, Asia, Latin America and UK. According to the Subway provides its franchise opportunity to worldwide businesses by fulfilling few steps - research the Subway franchise; submit application; find a best place to locate from the restaurant maps; getting worldwide contact information from regional managers; and getting a capital investment information and find a way to get a loan.The Subway Fast Food Company is considering entry into the other regions could conveniently adopt one of the latter strategies. In fact existing Subway restaurants that already have a line of fast food items basically operating in the up-market segments could be a good proposition though it has less strategic advantages when compared to operating a wholly owned fast food restaurant. As much as a franchising arrangement with foreign companies might not be feasible, franchising could reduce t he degree of operational freedom of the franchised company. Therefore compared to wholly owned fast food restaurants franchised restaurants could be regarded as the best alternative in the competitive business environment. Wholly owned restaurants would enable the management to carry on with some freedom by way of both its competition policy and operational strategy. There is a

System Design Essay Example for Free

System Design Essay The basis for most systems analysis and design methodologies is the system development life cycle or SDLC. It is sometimes called the waterfall method because the model visually suggests work cascading from step to step like a series of waterfalls. The first step is problem definition. The intent is to identify the problem, determine its cause, and outline a strategy for solving it. Given a clear problem definition, analysis begins. The objective of analysis is to determine exactly what must be done to solve the problem. Typically, the system’s logical elements (its boundaries, processes, and data) are defined during analysis. The objective of design is to determine how the problem will be solved. During design the analyst’s focus shifts from the logical to the physical. Processes are converted to manual procedures or computer programs. Data elements are grouped to form physical data structures, screens, reports, files, and databases. The hardware components that support the programs and the data are defined. The system is created during development. Programs are coded, debugged, documented, and tested. New hardware is selected and ordered. Procedures are written and tested. End-user documentation is prepared. Databases and files are initialized. Users are trained. Once the system is developed, it is tested to ensure that it does what it was designed to do. After the system passes its final test and any remaining problems are corrected, the system is implemented and released to the user. After the system is released, maintenance begins. The objective of maintenance is to keep the system functioning at an acceptable level. a. Prototyping Software prototyping is the creation of prototypes or a rudimentary working model of a product or information system, usually built for demonstration purposes or as part of the development process. In the systems development life cycle (SDLC) Prototyping Model, a basic version of the system is built, tested, and then reworked as necessary until an acceptable prototype is finally achieved from which the complete system or product can now be developed. A prototype typically simulates only a few aspects of the features of the eventual program, and may be completely different from the eventual implementation. The conventional purpose of a prototype is to allow users of the software to evaluate developers proposals for the design of the eventual product by actually trying them out, rather than having to interpret and evaluate the design based on descriptions. Prototyping can also be used by end users to describe and prove requirements that developers have not considered. Prototyping has several benefits: The software designer and implementer can obtain feedback from the users early in the project. The client and the contractor can compare if the software made matches the software specification, according to which the software program is built. It also allows the software engineer some insight into the accuracy of initial project estimates and whether the deadlines and milestones proposed can be successfully met. In this project the Waterfall Systems Approach Method is being used. The systems approach is a problem-solving method that breaks a complex problem into pieces, designs a solution for each piece, and then integrates the solution into a complete system (Dewitz, 1996). As applied to information systems, the systems approach decomposes a system into subsystems and with its environments. In the waterfall model time spent early on making sure that requirements and design are absolutely correct will save much time and effort later. Thus, the thinking of those who follow the waterfall process goes, one should make sure that each phase is 100% complete and absolutely correct before proceeding to the next phase of program creation. Program requirements should be set in stone before design is started otherwise work put into a design based on incorrect requirements is wasted. Also the waterfall model has a simple approach and is more disciplined. The model itself progresses linearly through discrete, easily understandable and explainable phases and thus is easy to understand; it also provides easily mark able milestones in the development process. The systems approach recognizes two major activities: analysis and design. b. System Analysis Systems analysis is the process of studying an existing system – whether manual or automated – and its’ environment. The purposes of analysis are to understand the components and functions of the current system, to identify the organization’s information and processing needs, and to determine the characteristics of a new system to meet these needs (Dewitz, 1996). In the System Analysis phase, Preliminary Investigation, Problem Analysis (studying the existing system), Requirement Analysis (identifying the information needs and what the new system should perform) and Feasibility Study (determining whether the system is feasible for the proposed system) will be performed. System design is the key phase within the system development cycle. It consist of devising specifications for an information system (IS) that best fit a company’s current and expected circumstances (Wilkinson. J. W Cerullo. M. J, 1997). The design may involve an improvement to an existing IS or may pertain to the initial IS for a company. Systems design basically is the reassembling of the components and functions of the IS to satisfy the organization’s information needs most effectively and efficiently. 1. Project Deliverables Following are the Project Deliverables for the Hardware Tracking reporting System. Deliverable Name Deliverable Description DBMS The completed project will produce a DBMS for hardware tracking reporting and replace the current paper based system User training manual A training manual that can be used for training of new staff or the re-training of existing staff in the use of the system Troubleshooting manual A troubleshooting manual that can be used to troubleshoot and possibly resolve any issues that may occur in the daily use of the system Reference manual A reference manual that can be used for quick reference a. Project Milestones Following are the major milestones for the Hardware Tracking reporting System.

The Rotten Apple Essay -- Self Identity Stereotypes Stereotyping Essay

The Rotten Apple My mom has always told me, "If you're ever going to get anywhere in life, you have to make good first impressions!". I'll spare you the details about the hell holes I'd live in and the dead-end jobs described by my mom if I did otherwise. Not a lot of people would think this is a big deal. I mean, making a good first impression is one of the first things parents should be telling their kids to do right? I, however, get the lecture a lot when I was a kid. Heck, my mom called me last night to give me my fix. I seem to be unable to make any sort of good impression with lots of people. This is especially true with teachers. You had no idea the pain I went through trying to look for a teacher who liked me to write my recommendation. I'm not complaining though. I make no effort in trying to leave a good first impression, nor do I ever care for the first impression someone leaves after meeting me. What is a first impression anyway? It is probably the judgement a person makes on another based on the way he or she talks and acts in the first meeting. But in a lot of cases, first impressions are made based on the stereotypes, especially racial ones, that person fit in. "Wow, you must be really smart.". For most people, this is usually meant as a compliment. And I would take that comment as a compliment, if I had, for example, shown whoever said it the proof to a complicated math problem. But when given the comment the first time I meet someone, it means something completely different to me. It means they forgot to say "because you're Chinese". "Oh, stop complaining! You're in a good stereotype!" is the general response I get when I talk about this with my friends or people in general. That’s about when we would... ...identifies with a stereotype, he is losing a part of his self to the masses. He then tends to act or behave accordingly, based on what the stereotype demands of him. He asks himself, â€Å"What am I supposed to do?† as opposed to â€Å"What do I want to do?†. That â€Å"want†, I think, is the one answer of how to destroy the concept of stereotype. Still, I find it very ironic that, in a country found on the preservation of individuality and equality, there can be such problems associated with stereotyping and double standards. Perhaps, as a country, we are losing sight of the importance and mystique of the individual. Perhaps we are becoming too lazy and impersonal to understand each other for the human that we are, and not just some vague generalization. I am not a nerd, Americanized Chinese immigrant, Weezer-maniac, rebelling teen, overachiever, or crazed sports fan. I am Wang.

A Positive Life Changing Experience

A positive life changing Experience I had my life set. At the age of 15 1 had no fears, no fears about life. My day-to-day routine comprised of going to school, coming home, resting for d while, waking up, and going out with friends, coming back home, sleeping, and then repeating the same thing the next day. I didn't care about my schoolwork or even glasswork for that matter. Why? My dad, he was the shelter to my ‘whatever-who-cares' way to elite.He provided me testimonial clothing, wristwatches and accessories more luxurious than many of my peer's whole attire. An extremely relaxed and stylish ride to go to school with- I had everything. To my 15 year old mind It was all that mattered, and my 15 year old brain knew that even if it never planned, the person whose it was, could enjoy a lavish fun life anyways. But then, life happened as I woke from the dream. My dad's Industry suffered a loss to such a massive extent that I dropped dreadfully trot being a leader to well- being a regular person.At that time I was angry, furious. I had little understanding of what was really going on, all knew was that I wasn't going to have the things that I was used to been able to live the life that once did. This whole condition took me for a major hit in my young adult fife, in my mind I was going to be Just like everybody else, which was not what I ‘ Off must say this could have been the best thing that happened to me, when I look back on my life, because I had become a materialistic Jerk.Now that I am much mature I grasped that, that's not a good way to go through life because surprising events happen, without anyone's control and I had been whipped into a habit of needing these things to make me feel whole as a person, which ways not needed ,but my day spoiled me to no extreme. I have learned to appreciate the things I have life and not over do it because a name doesn't make you who you are.

Boeing: Selling a Dreamliner

What is Boeing selling in the 787 Dreamliner? Discuss this in terms of the core benefit, actual product, and augmented product levels of 787 Dreamliner. The 787 Dreamliner core benefit is to provide an evolutionary step in air transportation by â€Å"looking at every aspect of the flying experience†. Boeing wanted to provide its corporate clients with an aircraft that falls into the midsized wide body market with ground breaking innovations that would translate into true benefits for its customers. Boeing 787 Dreamliner brings the speed range and capacity of the big jumbo jets to the mid-size market.It is designed to be the world’s lightest and most fuel efficient passenger jet, providing cost savings to their consumers. By looking at the entire flying experience, Boeing developed new product innovations in the 787 Dreamliner. Such innovations bring 20% less fuel consumption than comparability sized planes, an interior that offers a flexible design aimed at providing mu ltiple configurations for seating capacity, increased cargo capacity, enhanced safety and technology to cut departure delays and improvements to the passenger travel experience.Boeing prides itself on offering augmented product levels through superior customer relationships both during and after the sale. Boeing invests heavily in managing customer relationships during the lengthy sales cycle, through its sales and service technicians, financial analysts, planners, engineers etc. , all dedicated to finding ways to understand and satisfy airline customer needs. After the sale, the sales executives stay in almost constant contact with the customer to ensure that they stay satisfied.In this case of the delayed product delivery, Boeing augmented the product by announcing its commitment to working with its customers to minimize the impact of the delays as well as offering incentives and penalty payments to those customers. There are three major types of buying situations in Business mark ets. Identify which one better describes the situations of the airline mentioned as buyers of the 787 Dreamliner and explain.As a customer to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, I believe this situation is best described as a New Task, A business buying situation in which the buyer purchases a product or service for the first time. Although the customer may have purchased products previously from Boeing, this product line, the 787 Dreamliner, is a brand new, revolutionary product in the market. As such, the customer, not having a previous experience with that particular product, its impact or how it would fit into their own product portfolio would have to perform a complete benefit/risk analysis.Such investigations are including but not limited to: product specifications, their own price limits, contract payment terms, order quantities, delivery times and service terms. Without an investigation on the new product, the buyer can only leverage historical experiences from Boeing on different pr oduct lines and the company’s business reputation. This is not enough to make a purchasing decision. Discuss the customer buying process for a Boeing airplane. In what major ways does this process differ from the buying process a passenger might go through in choosing an airline?Customers looking to invest in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will undertake a Complex Buying Behavior for New Products. This behavior is identified for customers who are highly involved in the purchase and perceive significant differences amount brands. Consumers are highly involved with the product is expensive, risky, purchased infrequently or highly expressive. In the situation of buying the 787 Dreamliner, the purchasing cycle can take years of investigation and negotiations before the final contract is signed or the purchase is made.The length of the purchasing cycle and the behavior of the customer is identified by a number of stages, and these happen after the customer first identifies their need f or the airplane. After identifying if there is a need for the Dreamliner in the business, the customer will then go through a learning process about the product. They will investigate the 787 Dreamliner, compare the benefits and features with other competitive offerings. The customer will most likely analyze their finding through a comparative analytical model to help identify differences in the product and the value of those differences.Not only will the customer look at the core benefit of the product, the product itself, but the customer will also analyze the augmented product levels available to them (such as, warranty, maintenance, financing planners, engineers). It is during this evaluation that Boeing can be instrumental to the customer by managing the customer relationship by offering up an extensive team of company specialists all dedicated to finding ways to work closely with customers through the lengthy buying/discovery process. From here, the customer will develop first beliefs about the product itself.With only 2 competitors in the market for this type of product, the customer may already have a belief or attitude about the company itself (Boeing). It is now, that the customer will develop a belief, and then an attitude about the product and how the Dreamliner will fulfill their needs and what benefits it will bring to their portfolio. From there, the customer will make a purchase choice. A significant point is, that with this buying behavior, the cognitive dissonance the customer feels is relatively low, provided that the Boeing meets and provides the service and benefits that it marketed to the customer, thus providing customer delight.If Boeing fails to meet the criteria it set forth with the customer, than, as direct relationship with the price, the cognitive dissonance is very high. In contrast to a long buying cycle and decision making process that customers make in purchasing an airplane to round out their portfolio. The end user (the buye r) goes through a much shorter decision model and most likely fall in the Dissonance-Reducing Buying Behavior or even the Habitual Buying Behavior. I will review the Dissonance-Reducing Buying Behavior first.The Dissonance-Reducing Buying Behavior is when the buyer identifies a need they have (flying to a destination), that they are highly involved in the purchase as it maybe be an expensive, infrequent or risky purchased, BUT they see little difference among brands. As such, although the purchase price is expensive, and the buyer doesn’t see much difference between brands, the buyer may investigate options (shop around to learn what is available for pricing) but will buy relatively quickly.Provided that all pricing is relatively equal in the market (no large seat sales to take advantage of), the customer may do a preliminary scan of price offerings, stop overs, flight times et cetera; the customer will ultimately make a choice and purchase a ticket. As with most purchases, c ognitive dissonance will occur with this purchase. It will most likely not be over price, as all options available were of equal value, but it can occur from the service the buyer receives from the airline, or even through beliefs transferred from other’s experiences with that airline.The Habitual Buying Behavior occurs under conditions of low customer involvement and little significant brand difference. A significant portion of this buying behavior is based on the repetition of the product by the buyer. If the buyer is a frequent flyer, to him/her it may not matter about services, but about brand familiarity rather than brand conviction or brand loyalty. Once again, providing that price is not a factor in the buying decision, the buyer will continually return to the same airline out of habit provided that (s)he does not have a bad experience.As it is with Dissonance-Reducing Behavior, cognitive dissonance may occur, but most likely when the buyer receives bad service. Given that business and consumer marketers use many of same segmentation variables, which of the four categories of segmentation variables on page 242 of the textbook has Boeing used in planning for the 787 Dreamliner? Explain. Faced with a sullied reputation and suffering financial situation, Boeing fought back by first looking at the market and their products. They identified an opportunity in the mid-size wide-body market.Their current product line did not have the depth required to attack this market. When developing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing segmented their marketing tactics to Psychographic Segmentation, specifically targeting Benefits Sought. This segmentation group divides buyers according to the different benefits they seek from the product. With this understanding and segmentation in mind, Boeing not only developed a product to fit into this category, but Boeing focused on improving the â€Å"standard† design including a number of significant changes, (benefits ad ded).Boeing worked on adding â€Å"ground breaking innovations that would translate into true benefits for its customers, the types of benefits that would stand out to buyers and executives at major airlines†. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner brings the speed range and capacity of the big jumbo jets to the mid-size market. It is designed to be the world’s lightest and most fuel efficient passenger jet, providing cost savings to their corporate customers, who in which could pass along the savings to their customers, driving business and market share.Adding on to this innovation, Boeing developed additional product innovations in the 787 Dreamliner. Such innovations bring 20% less fuel consumption than comparability sized planes, an interior that offers a flexible design aimed at providing multiple configurations for seating capacity, increased cargo capacity, enhanced safety and technology to cut departure delays and improvements to the passenger travel experience.These change s or innovations are designed to provide their corporate customers with financial benefits through cost savings on fuel and cutting down on departure delays. The enhanced safety technology also provides a costs savings for the customer with increased safety provisions, and maintenance requirement reporting that can lead to reduced down time. The final advances, although aimed at the end user (the flyer), also promote a benefit to the customer. The customer can promote their flights to the flyer† and boast of the 60% noise reduction, more legroom, lighting that automatically adjusts to time zone shifts, and higher cabin pressure and humidity which reduce the common flying symptoms. By developing the 787 Dreamliner with innovations, cost savings, an end user comfort, Boeing was able to segment their market and target their product to the customers most interested in products that provide them with additional benefits. Identify and discuss the sources of competitive advantages fo r the 787 Dreamliner.Although the 787 Dreamliner has a â€Å"hefty† price tag, as compared to comparable models, at $168M, it also offers a number of competitive advantages over the competition: †¢ Worlds lightest and most fuel efficient passenger jet o Single piece fuselage made of lightweight carbon materials, eliminating 40000-50000 fasteners and 1500 aluminum sheets o Requiring 20% less fuel than comparable models o Fuel range of 8500 nautical miles and reaching speed of Mach 0. 5, bringing big jet speed and range to the midsize market, rivaling the jumbo jets o Innovations in safety technology o Technology in cutting departure delays and ground based com o Self-monitoring vital functions with maintenance reporting technology to cut on down time o Multiple interior configuration o Increased cargo space †¢ The flow through (or advantages aimed at the end user or flyer) are to reduce long-haul flying misery and to better imitate the life on the ground: o 60% quiet er than other planes in its class More leg room o Lighting that automatically adjust to time zone shifts o Larger over-head capacity to reduce content damage o Cabin pressures and humidity higher to reduce symptoms of flyer promoting a more comfortable ride o 19 inch self-dimming windows o Wireless internet o Entertainment system By looking at the entire flying experience, from maintenance, crew and the passenger, Boeing was better able to create a product that has distinct and definable advantages over that of its competitor.

Business Analytics

Business Analytics Nowadays business analytics has established itself as an efficient tool for improving a management performance. A smart approach towards a company’s data interpretation allows to find out the possible drawbacks, predict potential problems, monitor the collective achievements and, most importantly, to perform a more reasonable and grounded decision-making process.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Business Analytics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is evident today that one has to be capable of processing large amounts of information in order to be a successful competitor. Therefore, companies contribute significantly to the modern technologies and professional personnel that constitute a favorable analytical environment (Pearlson Saunders 2013). The motives for developing analytical competence can be various. Some firms perform a thorough data analysis in order to work out a unique strategy; others try to re new the already existing concept. Despite the fact that the necessity of applying analytical analysis seems to be unquestioned, statistics has shown that one starts developing this competence when the company experiences some difficulties. As a rule, managers employ the analysis of big data in order to determine the cause of the current challenge. One should point out that this kind of approach cannot be called farsighted. The companies with a more rational managing policy contribute to business analytics not to solve the problem but to avoid it (Charles Gherman 2013). Reasonable management suggests using the data analysis in the interest of making the right decision and predicting its outcomes. The intensive business competition can, likewise, prompt one to engage analytical tools in furtherance of improving the company’s analytical performance. Thus, a thorough analysis of the collected data lets one monitor the clients’ satisfaction rate, as well as follow the riva ling companies’ activity. Whereas the analysis of big data is an undoubtedly efficient tool, it is also a relatively new concept. Therefore, companies are likely to face a series of challenges before they learn to perform a successful processing of the collected information. The primary problem one is apt to experience is the shortage of high-qualified specialists. As far as universities do not yet have relevant faculties, identifying a skilled data scientist seems to be rather problematic. Hence, it is up to the managers to work out a proper approach for attracting consistent professionals and evaluating their competence.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, while the problem of processing high volumes of data is easily solved with the help of modern technologies, its quality analysis seems to be a more challenging task. The company’s principal concern is, thence, to determine the precise aims of the performed analysis. It is an accurate targeting that results in formulating valuable conclusions instead of receiving mere statistics (Charles Gherman 2013). In my organization, the employment of big data analysis would have a significant impact on the company’s progress. First of all, as long as modern technologies allow storing the unlimited volumes of information, a high-quality data analysis would spare the company’s time and effort in carrying out the same procedures. The wise analytical policy would also prevent the firm from taking the wrong measures once they have proved their inefficiency. Finally, sufficient contribution to the development of the analytical competence would turn the organization into a successful competitor perfectly aware of its targeted market and the rival’s performance. In conclusion, one should point out the importance of integrating business analytics into the corporate po licy. It should be realized that the analysis of big data has its specificity and peculiarities that are to be considered. Finally, it is crucial that the managers do not overuse technologies while examining the input. However smart the mechanism is, the accredited analysis still requires human’s strategic vision and criticism (Pearlson Saunders 2013). Reference list Charles, V Gherman, T 2013, ‘Achieving Competitive Advantage Through Big Data.Strategic Implications , Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 1069-1074. Pearlson, KE Saunders, CS 2013, Strategic Management of Information Systems, John Wiley Sons Incorporated, New Jersey.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Business Analytics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

I am no orator as Brutus is Essays

I am no orator as Brutus is Essays I am no orator as Brutus is Paper I am no orator as Brutus is Paper This scene, the second half of the great double climax of the play, is almost entirely made up of the short speech of Brutus and the long speech of Antony. The speeches are often contrasted and it could be said that Brutuss speech appeals to reason, whereas Antonys appeals to emotion. Not only does Brutuss speech appeal to reason, but to the spirit of liberty and dignity in the crowd. Brutuss style of speech is logical, well balanced and classical. His argument is built up in clear strong lines. Antony on the other hand, moves from mood to mood, from style to style and from argument to argument, in no obvious pattern or format. In order to examine whether Mark Anthony is a good orator we must look at his character in Julius Caesar. A friend of Caesar, Antony claims allegiance to Brutus and the conspirators after Caesars death in order to save his own life. Later, however, when speaking a funeral oration over Caesars body, through buying his way into he hearts and minds of the plebs he persuades the audience to withdraw its support of Brutus and instead condemn him as a traitor. With tears on his cheeks and Caesars will in his hand, Antony engages in a masterful (in terms of powerful emotive speaking) rhetoric to stir the crowd to revolt against the conspirators. This is where we see Antonys weakness of style: His emotional speaking doesnt match up to that of Brutus commanding dialogue. We have Antonys opening line as Lend me your ears. If we look at Brutuss opening line for his speech, Hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honour, and have respect for mine honour, that you may believe. Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may better judge. Here we see Brutuss brilliance in that he doesnt merely deliver to the crowd a superficial line such as lend me your ears, he does so much more. He talks about senses, and every part of the body, not just one like Antony. He appeals to the Roman sense of reason and flattery and asks the audience to use their own wisdom and judgment. To me, the request lend me your ears implies a temporary question, as if to say listen if you want to. This is another of Antonys weaknesses. He is not commanding. He doesnt command your attention or your respect. He gains it by means of emotions and sympathy and this is why he is not as good an orator as Brutus. All through Antonys speech, Brutuss name is prominent. He mentions him on so many occasions, one begins to wonder who Antony is actually talking about. Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and grievously hath Caesar answerd it. Here under leave of Brutus and the rest come I to speak in Caesars funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me; but Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man It is as if he has to mention Brutuss name to keep the crowds attention. In the end, he pulls out Caesars Will, which bequeaths all of Caesars private gardens and walkways to the people of Rome. This is the final straw against the conspirators because it proves to the commoners that Caesar would have been a just ruler, and not at all ambitious, which is exactly why Brutus condoned Caesars assassination. In conclusion, Brutus is an exceptionally eloquent speaker, and I agree with Anthonys self assessment. Antony wins the crowds attention by means of something that is not entirely genuine in that it is a very temporary moment that is quickly forgotten, even though the plebs are exceptionally fickle. Technically, Brutus is the more articulate and logical speaker, however, the power of emotional rhetoric holds its ground and considerably sways the plebs in their decision. Regardless of Antonys gift it is clear that Brutus is the better orator of the two and that is why agree with Antonys self assessment, however, I do understand why, on this occasion straight oratory was not what was required and Antony is the victor.

Japanese Loan Words

Japanese Loan Words Japanese Loan Words Japanese Loan Words By Sharon Whenever you encounter another culture, each culture takes something from the other. So it is with English and Japanese. Each language has borrowed from the other. In the case of English, theres a long list of borrowings. Some of these have no direct English equivalent and describe inherently Japanese concepts. Others come from Japanese via Chinese. Here are a few examples: Adzuki a type of bean Anime Japanese animation (interestingly, this word originated from the English/French word animation) Bonsai tray gardening Dojo a martial arts training ground Futon a type of mattress Geisha female entertainers Haiku a form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines, with 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively. Hara Kiri ritual suicide Honcho squadron leader Jujitsu martial art meaning soft skill Kabuki Japanese theatre Kamikaze strong wind (refers to suicide pilots) Kanji A Japanese writing system; refers to the Chinese characters used Karate martial art meaning empty hand Kimono a full length robe Ninja a stealthy warrior Origami folding paper Rickshaw a human powered vehicle Sake rice wine Samurai a warrior Satsuma a type of orange Seppuku ritual suicide by cutting the abdomen Soy a bean Sumo a type of wrestling Sushi rice combined with other ingredients Tofu bean curd; this word is of Chinese origin Tsunami a huge wave (incorrectly called a tidal wave). Zen a branch of Buddhism Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101Confused Words #3: Lose, Loose, Loss8 Great Podcasts for Writers and Book Authors

What is Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is Death - Essay Example The very same also stands to be true for the phenomena of death. It is the very nature of human mind and propensities to theorize and analyze the unknown aspects of existence, by bringing in the beliefs, values and aspirations affiliated to the known into one’s conceptualization of the unknown issues or riddles like death. It is a fact that, barring a few exceptions and rare occasions, nobody wants to die, or in other words nobody wants the life to cease or end. Hence, most of the philosophical and scientific beliefs and theories of death are in a way the manifestation of the human yearning to respect life and the human desire for a continuation of life in an albeit different format, when the human body proceeds to disintegrate in response to natural or accidental factors that go contrary to the sustenance of life. To put it in simple words, in a general context, the human attempts to understand and grasp the truth and nature of death have largely been manifestations of the hu man need to live and the human fear of death, which in no way factually and scientifically explain the unexplainable and unknown reality of death. For instance, take the most ancient of the philosophies pertaining to death, the Hindu belief system, which holds that organic existence happens to be an unceasing cycle of â€Å"birth, death, rebirth, and, then again death (Kastenbaum 38)†. ... For example, the Dayak of Borneo hold that the human soul returns back to earth after death and gets reborn by invading the body of a woman (Kastenbaum 38). Philosophers like Samuel Alexander and Llyod Morgan have even tried to package the human need to go on living into a somewhat scientifically valid theory, at least seemingly, by basing it on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (Kastenbaum 49). Besides the urge to go on living, the other fact that attends the reality of death is the fear of death. At a very basic level, people fear death owing to many reasons, like fearing the eventual separation from one’s loved ones, the pain of an ending of one’s social existence, or the anxiety regarding passing into a form after death, which may be somewhat subhuman or completely elemental (Kastenbaum 61, 55, 49). Varied beliefs and tendencies accompanying the nature of death could to a large extent be explained and interpreted in the light of the quintessential human fear of de ath. Take the shapes and figures that have been considered to represent or resemble death since times immemorial like the sirens of the Greeks or the skeletons in many ancient cultures like Pompeii (Kastenbaum 52). Objectifying death into objects and entities that happened to be intimidating is nothing but a manifestation of the human fear of death. The other concept that extends insight into the human fear of death is the personification of death, which certainly is a bit more sophisticated development. Individuals and cultures personified death into the mould of anxieties and levels of pessimism or optimism that accompanied and attended their understanding or say a lack of understanding of death (Kastenbaum 54). One thing that largely contributes to the pervasive fear of

Policy provision and legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Policy provision and legislation - Essay Example One that brings tears into our eyes than a smile on our faces, The human race is suspicious of our own kind that we are willing to spend exorbitant sums of money on the manufacturing and buying weapons of mass destruction and whole scale genocide without even giving it a second thought but find hundreds of thousands reasons and engage in heated debates when it comes to doling out money__ which is peanuts, as compared to the money we spend on tanks, aircrafts and guns__ for the education of our future generations and especially the nursery sector. Writer 2 The politicians in their ecstatic rhetoric at conferences, seminars, public rallies and cabinet meetings give great lectures on children being our most cherished and valuable resource. In fact we refer to them as the future of our nation but when the same politicians are confronted with the question of why they hesitate in adequately investing in our ‘bright future’ are rendered speechless. Further, they are all in unis on and speak in one voice when it comes to safeguarding their privileges and the issue of increase in their salaries and other fringe benefits they are entitled to being our elected representatives but are bitterly divided into factions on questions of child care, may it be health care or education. On this issue they seek the shelter of the umbrella of cliched terms and nomenclatures such as liberals, conservatives, neo-liberals, and the neo-cons. The introduction of an authoritative book on education titled Education Policy, Process, Themes and Impact, edited by Les Bell and Howard Stevenson, begins with this pithy quote: There was a time when educational policy was taken for granted †¦ Clearly that is no longer the case: Today, educational policies are Focus of considerable controversy and public contestation†¦ Educational policy-making has become highly politicized (Olsen et al 2004: 2-3). According to Gerhardt early child rearing is of prime importance in the social a nd cultural life of UK but because of a number of factors, unfortunately, among which political, social and economic factors are predominant the trend in child care, child rearing and child Writer 3 education are not child centered as it should be but instead are work oriented and money-centered. This is the crux of her argument and the main reason for making Britain a fragmented polis. Further Gerhardt is of the firm view that the negligence on the part of all the relevant stake holders, the government, the independent agencies, the teachers and the parents is responsible in bringing UK to this stage where to use a metaphor the early child education and child rearing has been completely neglected. This criminal negligence in not performing the task that is required of each stake holder honestly and with professional integrity and in case of parents criminal in fulfilling their parental duties that UK has been unable to produce good law knowing and law abiding citizens, who on the o ne hand are unaware of their respective rights and on the other hand their duties that they owe to the society, the recent London city riots are a good example. Our educational institutions have miserably failed in producing citizens that are less of an asset and more of a nuisance and liability and thereby are the cause of tremendous tension and threaten to rend to rags the fragile fabric of our polis. The most pertinent question that needs to be answered by all those

General Overview of United Utilities Group Plc Term Paper

General Overview of United Utilities Group Plc - Term Paper Example By doing this, the company helps in the smooth flow of about 7 million people as well as 200,000 businesses in the North West and it does this by the provision of fresh and clean water on a daily basis. The company also takes away and treats the North West waste water which then helps in keeping the beaches and rivers quite clean. The company plans to finance its operations using debt securities instead of conventional bonds. This plan matches the market trends as the market, or the sector across the globe has been opting for the issuance of conventional debts due to the low interest rates attracted by bonds. Bonds usually pay a fixed income and the issuance of bonds in the utilities sector in the United Kingdom only account for half of the total funds raised in the equity capital markets. Firms in this sector just like the United Utilities Group Plc are opting for the issuance of debt securities even though it has high risks of threatening the market viability. Data also showed that only 8.7% of the funds raised were through equity capital markets while the remaining portion being raised through the use of debt securities. ... b. General Overview of the issued debt Debt security is an instrument which can be sold or bought between two different parties and include corporate bonds, collateralized securities, preferred stock and zero-coupon securities (Fabozzi et.al 2003). The interest rate on a debt security is usually determined by the borrower’s repayment ability. Debts securities are quite safer than equity securities as the principal amount is usually returned to the lender upon the maturity of the security. This is what United Utilities Group Plc plans to use as it mode of raising finance. 2. Evaluation using the Annual Financial Reports and accounts a. The position of the company to issue debt securities The annual profits for the company have decreased from ?909.20 million in March 2008 to ? 316.5 million in March 2012. Its EBITDA has been fluctuating over the period with an increase only being recorded on March 2009 after which the company recorded a continued decline. The company has also re corded a decrease in its Free Cash Flows for the Firm (FCFF) from ? 562.7 million in 2011 to ?559.8 million in 2012. The company borrowed ?215 million during the 2012 financial year in order to offset the dividends of ?209 million. Free Cash Flow to Equity (FCFE) is low for the firm as the firm’s equity is higher than the free cash flow. From the March 2012 annual statement, it is quite evident that the company has made maximum use of debt securities as it net debt is quite higher than the one recorded during the previous year which then reflects the additional borrowing done by the company as a way of funding its capital investment programmes. The gearing ratios for the company are also quite

Compare and contrast the characters of Tybalt and Mercutio Essay

Compare and contrast the characters of Tybalt and Mercutio - Essay Example In addition, they play key roles in precipitating the tragedy that befalls the lovers. However, even though Tybalt and Mercutio provide a foil for characters that are rather similar, their two characters represent almost two entirely different spheres of existence in terms of their essential natures. The most direct contrast of their characters comes in the tense interaction between Mercutio and Tybalt in Act 3 Scene 1 before Romeo arrives. Tybalt arrives and after Mercutio offers a witty quip, the Capulet immediately states his willingness to fight with swords instead of words (III,i,36-50). But Mercutio, the gifted artisan of language, stands his ground in an exchange with Tybalt and will not budge, even though this feud is now taking place in the public space. This difference in the two characters demeanours is the most noticeable throughout the play, given the instrumental role Tybalt’s sword will have on the plot structure—leading to Mercutio’s death and Romeo’s subsequent exile. But by mocking emotions and aspirations of other characters, Mercutio lightens the play with clever humour, contrasted with the almost infuriatingly solemnity of the malevolent Tybalt. And as a man with a more cynical perspective on human affairs, Mercutio allows the aud ience to see deeper through psychology. Tybalt, on the other hand, exemplifies simplicity and dimensionless action. In terms of a contrast, there remains also the issue of both characters’ worldviews and choices in the narrative structure of the tragedy. Mercutio, unlike other characters, refuses to blame an objective fate for the occurrences in the play, exemplified by such concepts as â€Å"star-cross’d lovers† (Prologue, 6). Instead, Mercutio lays the blame for the tragedy (in terms of events already taken place and those that will take place) on specific people rather than the hand of fate. In his view, the fault lays with the

Privacy Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Privacy Policy - Essay Example Facebook collects more information than the other websites since it is an interactive website. Information regarding your friends, family relationship, and views on matters like religion, politics, music and various events also appear on Facebook. However, all the information given on Facebook is voluntary and the user is in control of the amount of information they put on the website. The websites automatically collect information when users interact with the websites’ tools, services, application or advertising. Information on geographical location, device type, IP address, URL referral and page view statistics is automatically sent by the users’ computer or cell phone. The privacy policy outlines the personal information that might be shared and with whom. The three websites indicate that only with users’ consent would they share information with a third party. However, the policy does not apply to law enforcement, authorized third parties and governmental agencies. Subpoenas and court orders from jurisdictions within the United States and outside are adhered to by the websites. Information is also shared with lawyers, companies, and courts in order to protect the website and its users from violators of the websites statement of rights and responsibilities. The websites also share information with companies in order to offer joint services. The websites share information with domain administrators allowing them to conduct maintenance of the users’ accounts. The websites clearly state that privacy policy is subject to change. In the case of Facebook, the changes apply to all the users’ information and account. A fan of the Facebook Site Governance page receives the notice directly while others only find the notice on the site. Google privacy policy does not reduce the users’ rights without explicit consent. Any privacy

Compare and contrast the characters of Tybalt and Mercutio Essay

Compare and contrast the characters of Tybalt and Mercutio - Essay Example In addition, they play key roles in precipitating the tragedy that befalls the lovers. However, even though Tybalt and Mercutio provide a foil for characters that are rather similar, their two characters represent almost two entirely different spheres of existence in terms of their essential natures. The most direct contrast of their characters comes in the tense interaction between Mercutio and Tybalt in Act 3 Scene 1 before Romeo arrives. Tybalt arrives and after Mercutio offers a witty quip, the Capulet immediately states his willingness to fight with swords instead of words (III,i,36-50). But Mercutio, the gifted artisan of language, stands his ground in an exchange with Tybalt and will not budge, even though this feud is now taking place in the public space. This difference in the two characters demeanours is the most noticeable throughout the play, given the instrumental role Tybalt’s sword will have on the plot structure—leading to Mercutio’s death and Romeo’s subsequent exile. But by mocking emotions and aspirations of other characters, Mercutio lightens the play with clever humour, contrasted with the almost infuriatingly solemnity of the malevolent Tybalt. And as a man with a more cynical perspective on human affairs, Mercutio allows the aud ience to see deeper through psychology. Tybalt, on the other hand, exemplifies simplicity and dimensionless action. In terms of a contrast, there remains also the issue of both characters’ worldviews and choices in the narrative structure of the tragedy. Mercutio, unlike other characters, refuses to blame an objective fate for the occurrences in the play, exemplified by such concepts as â€Å"star-cross’d lovers† (Prologue, 6). Instead, Mercutio lays the blame for the tragedy (in terms of events already taken place and those that will take place) on specific people rather than the hand of fate. In his view, the fault lays with the

Getting father and I on the same page Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Getting father and I on the same page - Essay Example I’ve always written, for school assignments, college essays and term reports and sometimes just to let off steam or communicate with another person, but none of what I have written in my life has been as meaningful to me as the letters I wrote to Father when I was in Boston. These letters embody in writing the foundation and building of our relationship in words and are more precious to me than anything I ever wrote or was written to me. These writings embody the bridge that brought Father and I back together. I spent my childhood in a closely knit and fairly large family in Korea. My sister and I used to play together at home and were very close and strongly attached to mother, but father remained a potent yet detached presence in our house. My father ran his own business; he used to work long hours during the week and was hardly ever home. Even when he was; he seemed too tired to want to hang around with my sister and me. To my young self, father seemed like a big and imposi ng figure of whom I was mostly scared. Throughout middle school, I spent most of my time outside the house hanging out with my friends in an effort to stay out of father’s way. ... However, this pattern broke when I was 20. At 20 years of age, I moved from Korea to Boston and had to live away from my family for the first time in my life. Being away from home like this made me miss father, even if initially I just missed his mere presence. With time, I began to want to talk to him, to share my life with him and tell him how I was doing and in return ask him how life was back home. The only problem was that due to strained relations with him in the past I was still uncomfortable with the idea of initiating a conversation with him, especially an emotional one. However, I really wanted father and me to finally get along so I decided to write him a letter. I thought since this was a less direct way of communicating with him, both of us would be less uncomfortable trying to get our thoughts and feelings across to the other person. My initial letter to father was in some ways my shyest and in other ways my most courageous attempt to communicate with him. I wrote it so that I could finally build a bond between us which had been absent during my childhood, a bond which I now deeply craved that I was away from my home and family and living in a foreign land hundreds of miles away. I say this letter was my shyest attempt at writing to my father because it contained only a few preliminaries and pleasantries and redundant comments about Boston and its weather. I told him my mundane routine and asked him his even when I knew it already. This was my way of engaging him in conversation, of making him a stakeholder in the rebuilding the relation between us. But this letter was also my most courageous attempt to communicate and reconnect with him as only an

The Efficacy of Anacardic Acid from Anacarduim Occidentale Essay Example for Free

The Efficacy of Anacardic Acid from Anacarduim Occidentale Essay Lipids are one of the molecules used by fishes for their physiological functions and cellular processes. These lipids have many uses in the lives of fishes, not only in fishes but also in other activities of other organisms. Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia) is one of the most common fish that contains lipids in their muscle or tissues. Anacadium ocindentale (cashew) is a nut crop with fruits that contain a liquid known as cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). This three liquid has three phenol constituents, one of this is anacardic acid. In this study, the cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) was extracted from Anacardium occidentale and anacardic acid and then separated from the CNSL by the process of centrifugation and then mixed with the food of the fish and then fed to the fishes. The purpose of this study is to make a useful lipid source from anacardium occidentale. This study will test the efficacy of anacardic acid as a lipid source of Oreochromis niloticus, and observed if the growth development and weight increased. After observing the fishes for 1 month to 2 weeks, results and data were analyzed. The researcher used T-test as their statistical tool, and concluded that the growth and weight of the Oreochromis niloqticus increased by 50.36% in weight gain and 50.98% in the increase in size when given anacardic acid.

Electronic Health Record Benefits

Electronic Health Record Benefits The electronic health record is a mean of organizing patients data making use in the field of information technology. Its purpose is to fulfill the various needs for information not only of patients and healthcare providers but also of other beneficiaries. The implementation of electronic health record system in health care organization is very complex and involves many parameters. Introduction Electronic health record is currently used by 12% of the physicians and 11% of the hospitals nationwide. Industry and government have promoted Electronic health record as a means of controlling costs and improving patients care. The electronic health record has become one of president obama main agenda and the investment necessary to ensure that within the coming years, all of Americas medical records are computerized. Today with the advance of globalization the electronic health record is still highly unlikely to advance in the next five years, governmental, technical and industry advances are adopting, which will drive the electronic health record in the hands of medical providers. The electronic health record (E.H.R) is a digital record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. It contains information of the patient includes demographics, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, laboratory data and radiology re port . The electronic health record also promises the removal of many barriers in the medical field such as saving lives, money, and time, but unfortunately the fulfillment of this promise in the real world application has remained with a big question mark due to many factors cost of implementation, privacy and security. The following graph is the result of survey experts at nearly 3000 group practice nationwide. The table below lists barriers to Electronic health record adoption. well known factors such as security and cost are cited as key factors, but other factors which is usability is not mentioned frequent is another barrier to the electronic health record adoption. Usability is a primary concern Usability issues are also a factor why electronic health record implementation fails. In a survey paper primary care physicians were asked the reasons why they did not use the electronic health record system. From the research finding 35% of the physicians listed specific electronic health record usability issues, the most common were: Problems with the screen navigation, and the lack of functioning and the concern that the data will be lost. Anecdotal support for usability and Electronic health record failure comes from Cedars- Sinai medical centre of Los Angeles. They developed a $ 34 million computerized physician order entry system, but only included the input of a few physicians before launching it hospital wide in 2002 without thorough training Physicians who previously used to take notes by hand now required going through nearly a dozen screens and responding through numerous alerts for even common orders. Traditional doctors around 400 of them demanded its removal within three months of its launch. Poor usability can also endanger patients health. The electronic health record should be modernized helping the clinician workflow. In the year 1991, the institute of medicine released a report supporting the idea of implementing the Electronic health record within the coming years. In 2010, researchers believe only a small portion of health providers both public and private implementing the system. The implementation o f electronic health record provides answers to many barriers in the medical world. Background An electronic health record is a digital or electronic record of the patient health information gathered over the history of the patients interaction with the health care system. An electronic health record stores all information concerning the patient health statues. Information varies and includes the following age/sex, medications, and vital signs, past medical history, laboratory data and radiology report. The concept of a medical report goes back to the fifth century B.C developed by the Greek physician Hippocrates, also known as the Hippocratic Oath. Hippocrates described two main goals behind his findings 1- a medical record should accurately reflect the course of disease 2- a medical record should indicate the problem cause of the disease. In the present days, the electronic health record first began to appear in the 1960s. Reported that at least 73 hospitals began to use the electronic health record system. In 1991, the institute of medicine released a landmark report recomm ending the electronic health record be implemented in health system within 10 years. Almost 20 years later, according to the latest researchers only a small portion of health providers have implemented electronic health record. A Meta analysis of diffusion rates of the electronic health record in the United States shows that an uptake has slowed in recent years. The study concludes Electronic health record is the future. President Obama administration has the electronic health record as one of its primarily agenda the investment necessary to ensure that within the next five years, all of Americas medical records are computerized. While still with the advance of globalization the electronic health record is highly unlikely within the next five years, governmental, technical and industry advances are adopting, which will drive the electronic health record in the hands of medical providers. The electronic health record also promises the removal of many barriers in the medical field suc h as saving lives, money, and time. The question is still debatable whether the whole world will move towards the implementation of the Electronic health record. The electronic health record is one of the most important electronic patient data collection of our time and with the expanding population of the world it has become a necessity to implement the system in all public and private hospitals. The G.C.C region Literature review The opinions concerning the positive effects an E.H.R can have on patients health and whether all the healthcares in the world should step in and implement the system. The collection of personal health data is described to have many formats when speaking of systems that manage it. Reduction of the storage necessary to keep paper charts is also a noted as a reason to leverage an E.H.R freeing up of space better used for revenue generation. Paper charts have their own risk associated with them in terms of getting lost, productivity impacts to maintain and retrieve paper records and the resulting negative patient care (Carpenter 2002). An electronic health record system is the collection of data that is central to the patient (Rishel, Handler Edwards, 2005). These opinions agree the importance of the E.H.R and implementation of the system. An E.H.R system exists to facilitate the storage, revival and continuity of the record itself (Gans, Kralewski, Hammons Does, 2005). These opinions also strongly agree with the improvisation of the Medical record with the advances with science and technology. reversing the scenario, an E.H.R system can collect and aggregate information from other sources such as laboratory, X-ray and unstructured data like faxes or handwritten notes ( Wojcik, 2006) the scholar Wojcik agrees strongly with the use of E.H.R talking about the positive of the E.H.R reduces the storage of handwritten notes and stacks and piles of paper. The near term presents providers with realizing the digitization of the boxes of paper that is generated by patient encounters. These paper databases represent the clinical data that is ultimately needed to take EMR systems to the next level. The near term presents providers with realizing the digitization of the boxes of paper that is generated by patient encounters. These paper databases represent the clinical data that is ultimately needed to take EMR systems to the next level. Clinical data is the baseline in whic h all healthcare processes subscribe including decision support, health outcome analysis, billing and claims processing and health maintenance. Correlation and access to this data is what EMR systems seek to facilitate (Handler Hieb, 2007). Electronic health record systems, once materially implemented across the healthcare spectrum, will itself become the framework in which more overarching goals can be accomplished, such as the centralization of a persons health history. With Clinical data as a basis, further utilization of EMR systems can occur. EMR systems, once materially implemented across the healthcare spectrum, will itself become the framework in which more overarching goals can be accomplished, such as the centralization of a persons health history (Gartner. Currently, about 25 percent of U.S physicians are using systems that facilitate electronic health records (Murdock, 2007). E.H.R has become a primary concern in the medical world and the according to past literature re view in this generation we find that it some of the scholars are concerned with the paper works as they say that the E.H.R will help save doctors a lot of time and makes the process more efficient. Some scholars say that paper based system is very negative as it leads to losing important patient data which might confuse the doctor in prescribing proper medication to the patient. There are differences of opinion but according to most scholars the E.H.R is a vital tool in solving many of the issues that both public and private hospitals face around the world Questionnaire Results The questionnaire focuses on the importance of the E.H.R system and its implementation in the United States of America at a nation wide level. With growing medical demands around the world Hypothesis one results Our research finding indicate that the U.S government is encouraging the country medical networks to start using the E.H.R Hypothesis two results Our research finding according to 430 surveyors say that 55.1 % of their medical practices use the Electronic health record system Hypothesis three results Our research finding shows that majority of the surveyors have a positive outlook that majority of the medical practices will start using the E.H.R between the next 1 to 2 years Hypothesis four results Our research finding shows that 41.8% of the surveyors believe that their medical providers will qualify for the Medicare and Medicaid programs Hypothesis five results Our research finding again shows a positive outlook of the near future as 65% of the surveyors say that their practices will qualify for the Medicare and Medicaid programs by the end of 2011 Hypothesis six results Our research finding again shows that the U.S government financial incentive can upgrade the performance of E.H.R surveyors helped us with the conclusion that government financial backing to the Medicaid and Medicare programs can improve the medical performance in the near future Hypothesis seven results Our research finding states the importance of the U.S government testing the E.H.R program before purchasing them according to the surveyors 71% agreed the importance of testing the systems before implementing them nationwide Hypothesis eight results Our research finding concluded that most of the clinicians hire 1-5 physicians which is low according to the demands of medical needs of our current era Case Study Questions and answers regarding on implementing the electronic health record (Case Study). The case study focuses on the systematic reviews and the effects of electronic health record system can have in the medical sector if implemented at nationwide level. In the G.C.C the electronic health record is still new and according to our case study taken from the united states we want to find whether implementing the electronic health record system will add value to the medical sector or not. Will electronic health record improve patients health outcome? In a review evidence results in two study cases came up with the following result In 2004 a systematic review conducted 3 study cases that reported patients outcomes, no benefit was the conclusion In 2008 an analytical survey of several U.S patients found very few data or no association between the use of electronic health records and the improvement of patients outcomes In the end of the study there was no evidence linking between electronic health record with better patient outcomes Will electronic health record improve the quality of care? Evidence proves that the following result might occur on the electronic health record if implemented in practice In 2004 a review of 26 studies analyzed several outcomes related to the quality of patient physician encounters and with the research it discovered a sharp incline in provision of preventing care In 2006 a review on health information technologies and their impact on quality, efficiency and cost findings were: Increased adherence to guidelines based care, advanced surveillance and monitoring and a decline in medication errors In 2007 a study of data from some community health centers over the course of one year concluded that while electronic health record related costs had not been recovered, the quality of care improved In 2008 a review on the advantages and costs of electronic patient Concluded that concerning the influence of EPRs on the quality of care The studies did not clearly identify a clear answer to the questions of Benefit In 2009 a review of 7 countries experience implementing health information systems concluded that they had a neutral experience where neither benefit nor harm between the system implementation and quality of care The conclusion of the study indicates that the electronic health record has a positive effect on the quality of care; however some of the reviews still find it neutral so the opinions of the doctors and physicians are still conflicting. Will the Electronic health record be cost effective? In 2003 cost benefit analysis on the electronic health record in primary care settings concludes that electronic health record can result in positive return on investment In 2007 review on informatics system designed to improve care of chronic disease found that both cost effectiveness and adherence were significantly improved In 2008 report on the United States budget office summarized evidence supporting the practice of health information technologies describes the benefits on cost saving as limited In 2010 assessment on the quality of care resulting from hospital computerization concludes that currently implemented hospital computing might improve process measures of quality but not administrative or overall costs The research cite modest cost benefit associated with electronic health record, however based on results for small trails or projections based on modeling: empirical evidence supporting the cost effectiveness on electronic health record remains limited or conflicting Will the electronic health service save time and improve the efficiency of health services delivery? In 2006 a review of quality measures on the use of electronic health records indicated that the lack of implementing health services has been demonstrated, but the author notes that the outcome is limited to a wider health service provider A systematic review in the year 2008 analyzed six studies that addressed electronic health record with respect to consultation time, one study found the decrease in consultation time and the other found no difference A 2008 report from the United States congressional budget office summarized evidence supporting the adoption of health information technologies described the evidence around efficiency as conflicting In 2009 a review examined the impact on regional health information system and figured that, studies were of variable scope and quality improves the medical data access, timely information, and medical data exchange and improvement in communication and coordination within a region between health care professionals While there are some evidence supporting an association between the electronic health record and efficiency, there is also evidence which does not support this conclusion Will electronic health record improve physicians and patients satisfaction? In 2004 a review found that results were mixed with both the patients and physicians expressing enthusiasm for electronic health record and on the other hand expressing significant concerns about the impact of their use on a variety of outcomes A 2009 review of seven united based studies examined patient satisfaction with the electronic health record and figured that: one out of seven studies reported a positive effect on patient satisfaction, five out of seven studies reported a neutral effect and one out of seven studies reported a negative effect Evidence on patients and physician satisfaction is scarce An interview with Dr Michael Shuskho on the electronic health record As a professional in your field how do you find the electronic health record system? Michael: the E.H.R is an advanced system which is very useful for doctors especially in the current Era. It provides better patient care, and makes a permanent record that is legible that other doctors can review the system and also actually streamlines patient care Will the electronic health record improve efficiency and reduce time Michael: yes, the electronic health record is a valuable system to most of the doctors because it replaces the piles of paper and with a few click on your computer screen the doctor can view all the patients past medical record and send all the information to the other doctor within minutes Is the electronic health record system better than the manual paper based system? Michael: yes, the E.H.R is clearer and safer than the manual system provided that it is used carefully. Exg: a doctor can view patients X-Ray, picture of his electro cardio graph in a much clearer and digitalized form while in the paper based system the pages might wear or get old and by the time the picture of the X-Ray gets more aged, it makes it hard for the doctor to identify the exact diagnosis Is it cheaper to implement an electronic health record? Michael: The electronic health record system is expensive and the start up cost of the Medicaid and Medicare programs is high but in the long term it will eventually become cheaper for the clinics and hospitals to use them What are the barriers that prevents the electronic health record system by being in practice at a larger scale Michael: some doctors who arent familiar with updated technology and use practical manuals prefer not to implement the E.H.R in their clinics. Another barrier to the electronic health record is the upfront cost which is expensive and the some doctors find it hard adapting to the system Dr. Michael one last question before we conclude our interview. In your personal opinion will the E.H.R be mandatory by 2015 in the U.S Michael: I assume the probability that the electronic health record system might be mandatory in the U.S and the government might take actions in seeing that all the practices and clinics use the system The implementation of the E.H.R IN Kuwait and Bahrain Based on our research we have found that the electronic health record still needs to adapt at a global scale and the system is new to the G.C.C countries compared to the western countries such as United States, United Kingdom. Kuwait started using the E.H.R in 2005 in private and public clinics replacing the paper based system. According to the hypothesis questions and results in the U.S case studies it shows clearly that the E.H.R is on the way of improving and use the E.H.R rather than the traditional filing system. Bahrain is also taking a step further in implementing the system and the public and private clinics and with the help of the MGA methodology and the case study we have come with proposed solutions and the benefits that the kingdom of Bahrain and other G.C.C countries will achieve through the E.H.R December 2010 The health ministry in Bahrain will launch its national e-files project early 2011. It will cost the ministry between BD 25 Million to BD 30 million. Files of patients at salmaniya Medical complex and health centers will be converted into e-files. The first phase will cost BD 1.5 million and include all SMC and health care patients. Private hospitals and clinics can also be part of the system by paying a fee The health minister stated that many countries were struggling to meet the challenges of providing adequate health care for citizens. Changing demographics increased patients expectations, a global shortage of health professionals and rising costs associated with innovative technologies and new drugs means that healthcare is consuming an increasingly large proportion of gross domestic product and is becoming a priority for most governments. The minister also discussed Bahrain healthcare agenda through some strategic objectives which includes health promotion and prevention by strengthening primary healthcare services, the provision of quality health services by maintaining international accreditation of facilities and enhancing access to all health care services (Gulf Daily News- [emailprotected]) Plan for online health service Patients in Bahrain may soon be able to manage their healthcare online. Patients know best (PKB) enables people to communicate securely with doctors and nurses, access their medical records and send and receive health data. The medical group was founded two years ago by Bahraini Dr Mohammed Al Ubaydli in the United Kingdom. He has more than 15 years of experience in the medical software and trained as a physician at the Cambridge University. The expert worked as a staff scientist at the national institutes of health and was a management consultant to US hospitals at the Advisory board company and is the author of six books. PKB is the first company to integrate into Britains NHS secures connecting for patients to work online with clinicians. The group was voted as the best social innovation start up at tech crunch europas European start up awards 2010. At least two hospitals in Bahrain as well as others in the UAE and Malta have shown interest in signing up to the initiative. In the U.K, PKB affiliates includes great Ormond St hospital, Thalidomide Trust, Cure Parkinson and Two NHS hospitals will also sign up soon Access Dr Al Ubaydli said hospitals and medical centers that have affiliated with the PKB give their patients an online ability to securely access their medical documents, history and test results, have online consultations with their doctors and receive prescriptions. Once you give the medical record to the patient they can give them to their GP, relatives, social workers and so on he told the GDN. The patient can start an online consultation with any doctor they have added, it works a bit like the face book. They can also reach their doctor at any time say, for example, their child is taking medication but develops a fever at 3am and they can go online and ask the doctor how to adjust their medication. The system asks automated questions that your doctor would ask so that when the doctor sees this in the morning it saves them a lot of time and they can quickly respond with advice. ( Gulf Daily News 8 Dec 2010) The articles concludes the following results The kingdom of Bahrain is taking new measures in implementing the E.H.R in the G.C.C and mena region Many of today healthcares can be solved through networking Globalize E.H.R System Networking communication is an intermediary between practicing doctors implementing the E.H.R in their private clinics or public clinics. The information process is much faster through communication networks which reduces time, saves lives and improves efficiency Exg: Steve Dr Akram Favorite doctor has a patient and needs emergency solution to a problem through a communication network can achieve his goal browsing the Globalize E.H.R network finding solutions through other Doctors specialized in that field. An E.H.R system that works like a face book Doctors can log on their account and log on the system with other health professionals and discuss emergency situations and provide solutions The problems can be solved through fast communication and accurate knowledge the tacit knowledge key challenges to health practitioners implementing the E.H.R in the GCC countries Cost of implementation is not offset by the efficiencies in the E.H.R Technical support needs to be modified due to the advancement in IT Stress on staff and the practice in general was significant A 2007 review article recommended strong physician leadership and a staged approach to successful implementation In 2010 an article challenged conventional assumptions that the physicians were to blame for low uptake of electronic health record. Electronic medical records vary greatly in capability, quality, and cost. Doctors will become enthusiastic users if the electronic medical records are helpful in the care of their patients There are significant challenges associated with implementing E.H.R in the Mena or G.C.C countries Benefits of networking for the G.C.C Region Improves patient care through greater access to information Reduces test result times Decrease paper work for clinicians Integrate communication Helps ensure that patient medical data and stats are there when patients need to find his/ her test results Compliance with privacy regulations Proposed solutions for the electronic health record A 2008 synthesis of 3 qualitative studies identifies essential components of successful electronic health record implementation A project champion Realistic expectation of the challenges of implementing an electronic health record Addressing existing staff attitude towards IT Provide adequate training to staff A systematic review of 7 countries experience implementing health information system in primary care identified the following factors Quality of the graphical user interface and feature functionality Quality of implementation project management Users previous experience with information technology systems The Electronic health record today application The adoption of the electronic health record is difficult to overcome due to the lack of the return on investment. Scholars and writers on the subject noted that health care decision makers find it difficult to demonstrate return on investment to undertake a comprehensive electronic health record system within their organization. The health care costs continue to increase and the fact that the initial investment on equipment can be quite expensive. Another fact that complicates the adoption of the electronic health record is that the data is heavily structured, being recorded in the allotted space. Training is an important issue and this is required by a large amount of population. One should keep in mind that the population has different levels of computer literacy (Upham 2004). These contributors of the electronic health services contributed to a slow increase in the adoption of such systems in many hospitals. In a survey question regarding the E.H.R and the implementation of the m ethod out of 436 who have responded to the question, 35.6% said that they have already implemented the electronic health services. The percentage is expected to grow in the coming years of application. The G.C.C is taking all the necessary step in implementing the system with an enhanced knowledge in the field and the governments should test all the Medicare and Medicaid programs before implementing the system The Evolution of the Electronic Health Record The electronic health record is an open field of debate amongst the doctors, physicians, clinicians and scholars. In the electronic implementation of such records, we may also expect to find populations of patients, integrated access to biomedical literature and interactive environment for offering clinical guidelines or consultative advice. Throughout ages the world is becoming more globalized and in the age of science and technology the computer is being the number one tool. The (local area network) is connected to the full internet, with an integrated access to a wide variety of information sources that are geographically distributed well beyond local institutions. The electronic health record system is expanding worldwide and some of the future implementation An enhanced internet: an internet with much higher bandwidth and reliability, increased response time and financial models that makes the application cost effective and practical is required. Major research effort is underway to address some of these concerns, including the federal next generation Internet activity in the United States exploratory effort that continue to push the state of art in internet technology, and all significant implication for the future of health care delivery in general for computer- based health record in particular Better Education and health care training for health care providers: there is a difference between computer literacy (familiarity with computers and the routine users in society) and the knowledge of the role that computing and communication technology can and should play in our health care system. More medical information training programs and the expansion of existing programs are needed. Junior faculty in health science schools who may wish to seek additional training in this area should be supported Changes in the management and organization of health care institution: health care provide some of the most complex organizational structures in society, and it is simplistic to assume the off shelf products will be smoothly introduced into a new institution without major analysis. Discussion The project mainly discusses on electronic health record system that the implementation of the idea goes back to Hippocrates who laid the foundation in the 5th century and by the following years doctors, physicians, pharmacists and clinicians tried to improvise the idea of the health record system on paper but in the 1960s the standards of the paper based changed to the electronic health record systems and hospitals welcomed the new system which was more efficient and reduces paperwork and time. The electronic health record according to numerous researches and articles emphasized that the system should be introduced worldwide. the G.C.C region is expanding in both size and capacity since the countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Uae opened door to foreign investment in their respected countries. Our research focuses on the implementation of the E.H.R in the U.S and the results of the case study gave us a better understanding on whether to implement the system in the G.C.C countries. The results were positive and the need of the system is becoming compulsory in our world today. Kuwait have already

Technology?s Downside Essay -- essays research papers

There is no doubt that technology has played a major roll in many people’s lives today. It has affected the way we perform our daily routine, communicate with people, and just about anything else that is done in a day and night. But most of the technology we have is thought of as a good thing. Actually it is not a positive for our world, its is bad for us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early days many people would have to get together to communicate and interact among each other. Today all we do is log onto our computers and interact in a cyber chat. The computer technology has cut down on actual human contact interaction. All the communication is performed through the Internet chat rooms and e-mails. Also, computers have hurt us in another way. Computers run everything in our world and if they break down nobody knows how to do the job the computer was doing manually. We have become dependent on the computers to make all things run like clock- work and keep us going. Nothing is done manually anymore which only complicates the process. The people have become ignorant on how actions are performed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another technology downside was the A-bomb. Its invention wound up killing large quantities of people. To go along with that, other weapons such as the automatic machine gun or laser guided missiles have been invented only to cause human death and mass destruction. Our war-like technology has only increased human casualties and lowered the fair fi...

Organization’s Cost and Profitability and Performance Indicators Essay

The emergence of the internet and other information technology has been hailed by the business world as one of the drivers of growth and profitability. It revolutionized the relationships between businesses and their customers; between and among businesses; and between customers, too. Implementing e-business, however, is not easily implemented. Apart from the monetary costs, there are also integration and transition issues that an organization needs to face. Quan (2008) argues that in spite of the heavy investment in e-business activities and platforms, there is no conclusive proof that demonstrates significant returns from e-business. When profitability is measured, leaders demonstrated success. In terms of cost measurement, however, they did not. I agree with Quan that too many executives and IT practitioners have joined the bandwagon of e-business because of success stories of some internet businesses. It is easier to join the bandwagon and duplicate what other organizations have done than to take a look at one’s own situation and peculiarities to really determine, which approach would work. If this were followed, the impact of e-business would have been more salient. In my own experience, the integration of information technology and e-business framework has mixed results. It helped the way that the business connects with its customers and clients. In terms of customer relationship management and the way that the business manages its inventory and its communication needs. The investment on e-business is significant. The business has to employ additional individuals so as to manage the elements of e-business and spend on additional equipment and gadgets that could make the system work. The returns on this investment, however, cannot be felt right away. There are several areas of business operations rendered more efficiently such as reporting, accessing information, savings on materials such as paper that are no longer used extensively. In the short run, e-business platforms and elements tend to be more on the cost side of the business. For managers, this is a rather alarming situation. Profitability is of course the ultimate goal of any business. Yet, e-business tends to be unprofitable in the short run. Quan agrees with such an observation. To maximize the impact of e-business profitability, the timeline of the implementation should be clear and there should be clear guidelines as to the implementation of the project. In our case, we managed the expectations of stakeholders by informing them of the process that the organization will go through while e-business platform is being integrated into the system. Managers and organizations, in general, should be able to manage expectations as to the situation of e-business integration. Yet, management should not be afraid to take risks because of the benefits that e-business could bring to the organization as a whole. Several months might not be enough to see the results of e-business integration. Yet, if the organization will really follow through on its investment, the results will be seen in due time. The challenge, however, is planning and mapping out these results. With deft management and effective communication within and without the organization, e-business will succeed and become integrated into the operations of the business in the long run.

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essay

Critical thinking entails the ability to think clearly and rationally. The reason is that even though the conclusion may seem logical every individual has different ethics. For instance, if an individual needs a job in order to acquire money quickly, then it makes sense to do is needed to make the most money the quickest. Let us say the logical job would be to obtain and sell scrap copper because the one can make a large amount of money in a little amount of time. While another individual may say this is a logical way to make money quickly, ethically it is wrong. Critical thinking is one’s form of judgment that has a particular purpose and reflective judgment. When individuals use critical thinking, one reaches a decision or solves an issue. Reaching this conclusion and judging what to believe or what to do in a thoughtful way. Critical thinking is a tool that individuals can use to evaluate incoming information. Critical thinking is being able to learn new material with an open mind and having a heightened level of self-awareness of our biases and how our biases impact the analysis of information. Business ethics are very important when solving moral problems in a business is concerned. I do believe critical thinking can be at odds with moral decision making. One should be good simply because only what is good is to be done. Being good often brings a reward in a way or the other but it is not always the case. This is why sets of rules known as ethics have been created. Critical thinking entails the ability to think clearly and rationally.

It’s Not Child Labor, its Child Abuse Essay

Patrick Kearny, a nine and a half year old boy died in a horrible mine accident (Freedman 52). He’s not the only one. In the 20th Century, many children got physical deformities and were in accidents while they were working their tough, harsh jobs. Many young working children got diseases. Others got severe burns. Cuts and physical deformities were popular as well. Imagine that you are working at night, a tall big man screaming at you to not stop and you are just getting little pay. On top of that you just accidentally burned your legs. This was very popular. Burning occurred in coal mines and glass factories. In the mines, children were not protected very much. They barely wore gloves, so their hands were at risks. Accidents happened often. In 1911, Lewis Hine was photographing in a mine. He observed two young children accidentally falling onto burning hot coal and died, right there. â€Å"â€Å"While I was there, two breaker boys fell or were carried into the coal chute, where they were smothered to death,† Hine reported from a Pennsylvania Mine† (Freedman 48). Many children lied about their age when working like Patrick Kearny and Dennis McKee. He was a 15 year old boy who lost his life by falling into a chute at an Avondale Mine (Freedman 52). Also, 15 year old Arthur Albecker burned and injured both of his legs. So, not only do these young children work in a horrible environment, but accidents happen a lot in mines. Also, burning happened frequently in glass factories. â€Å"†¦minor accidents from burning are common. â€Å"Severe burns†¦are regular risks of the trade in glass-bottle making,† says Mrs. Florence Kelly.† (Spargo 2). These accidents happen because the jobs include use extremely hot glass. Also children, have to heat glass near flames. Not only did these small, poor, innocent children get burned, but many children got terrible diseases while working tough jobs. Spinners commonly experience disease. â€Å"The hot, steamy air was filled with dust and lint that covered the workers’ clothes and made it hard to breathe. Mill workers frequently developed tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases.† (Freedman 35). Those weren’t the only respiratory diseases children got. In 1902, several miners got miners’ asthma now known as pneumoconiosis (Derickson 4).That is a disease of the lungs caused by inhaling mineral or metallic dust over a long period of time. This comes about by a lot of exposure to mine dust while the workers are still children. (Derickson 4). Also, children got tuberculosis, rickets, and other diseases like the common hookworm disease. (Derickson 4). Hookworm disease, which is widespread among farmers, is a blood-sucking, nematode worm (found in textile plan ts) that goes through the skin, attaching itself to the intestinal walls with its hooked mouthparts. Rickets is a disease, especially of children, caused by a lack in vitamin D that makes the bones become soft and prone to bending and structural change. In addition, children popularly got rheumatism. It is a disease which joint or muscles pain. Also the common cold was frequent. This happens when being in two extreme temperatures. In glass factories, young boys are next to a scorching furnace to a freezing room where they cool off glass (Spargo 3). Young children had to work harsh jobs that aren’t safe at all. They may get diseases. It is simply immoral. Lastly, children got dreadful cuts and physical deformities. Cuts were common in farming. â€Å"In the fall, the mature beets were pulled from the ground and were â€Å"topped†. Topping required holding a beet against the knee and slicing off the top with a sixteen-inch knife that had a sharp prong at one end. Accidents happened all too often. â€Å"I hooked my knee with the beet knife,† a seven-year old boy told Hine, â€Å"but I just went on working.† (Freedman 67). So, very young kids of age, 5, 6, 7, handled one foot and a half long knives. You can guess that accidents happened often. Also, doffers got cut plenty. (Freedman, 35)A young boy tripped into a spinning machine. (Freedman 35) He accidentally tore out two of his fingers. (Freedman, 35) This was very common. Also, physical deformities happened. Reformers found that premature employment shortened normal physical development. (Derickson 4) So if young children worked, they became short, underage adults. (Derickson 4) They also found that children that worked had flat feet by standing and walking all day with improper footgear and a curved spine by bending while working for several hours. (Derickson 4) In conclusion, accidents and physical deformities happened very repeatedly in the early 20th century. Accidents like burning were twice as common in children as with adults. Diseases were popular too. Lastly, physical deformities affected these children for the rest of their already short lives. Spine-curving and flat feet were common. Risks of pesticide intoxication occurred too. The list is endless. So as you can see, child labor is unhealthy, unfair, unjust, and immoral. It should be called child abuse, as that’s what it is. Don’t you think that children deserve an education? Children deserve better than working in an unhealthy and hazardous place. Children deserve to live longer. Children deserve to be children. Works Cited Cleland, Hugh G. â€Å"Child Labor.† Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. Grolier Online. 19 Oct. 2008 http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0090989-00 Derickson, Alan. â€Å"Making Human Junk: Child Labor as a Health Issue in the Progressive Era† SIRS Knowledge Source, 1992.19 Oct. 2008 http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMIAMIDADE-0-5114&artno=0000270 Freedman, Russell. Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor. New York; Houghton Mifflin Company.1994 Spargo, John. â€Å"The Bitter Cry of the Children (excerpt)† American History Online. 1906. Facts On File, Inc. 19 Oct 2008 http://fofweb.com/NuHistory?default..asp?ItemID=WE52&NewItemID=True