Osteoporosis essay Essay Example

Osteoporosis essay Essay Osteoporosis â€Å"Thirty-five year old Donna Duckworth is learning how to care for her newborn of five weeks, when she bends over the baby’s crib and feels something give in her back. The next day and the following week, the pain becomes unbearable in her back. She is breast-feeding and does not want to take any medication so she lives with the intense and continuing pain. Within a few weeks, she can no longer stand it so she goes to see her physician who orders blood work, does a complete physical and as a result, sends her to see an orthopedist who x-rays and does a bone density study. The diagnosis comes back as osteoporosis and it is found she has fractured three of her lumbar and four of her cervical vertebra.† Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the inside of your bones. Osteoporosis can affect anyone at any time in his or her life, but mostly in his or her later years. After reading, one can know what the signs and symptoms of osteoporosis are, what the probable diagnosis is, if it is treatable, what the prognosis is, what a health care practioner would do, who can be effected, what can be done to prevent it, and what new treatments are available. (NOF, 2010) â€Å"A person that has osteoporosis has bones that have lost substances as well as calcium, and other minerals† (UCSF Medical Center, 2010). Osteoporosis has signs and symptoms that one can look for within them. Osteoporosis is not gender selective. There are no symptoms of osteoporosis in its early stages, but there are symptoms that occur late in the disease. Some of the symptoms that occur late in the disease are bone pain or tenderness, fractures, loss of height, lower back pain due to fractures, neck pain due to fractures and curvature of the spine (The New York Times, 2010). Even though any bone break could be a sign of osteoporosis, one is most likely to have a compress fracture in their spinal vertebra. â€Å"These bone fractures are a result of weakened bone cracking from the normal pressure of a person standing upright† (UCSF Medical Center, 2010). The spinal vertebra breaks often result in the curvature of the spine at the shoulders (UCSF Medical Center, 201 0). â€Å"The curvature of the spine is sometimes called a ‘widow’s hump’† (UCSF Medical Center, 2010). (NOF, 2010) We will write a custom essay sample on Osteoporosis essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Osteoporosis essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Osteoporosis essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer â€Å"Pregnant adult women need an extra 400 milligrams of calcium daily† (Willis, 2010). â€Å"Thats about 50 percent more than recommended for women 25 and older† (Willis, 2010). â€Å"If there is not enough calcium in the mothers diet, the fetus may draw calcium from the mothers bones† (Willis, 2010). â€Å"Calcium deficiency in pregnancy may result in osteopenia (decreased bone density) in the mother† (Willis, 2010). Ms. Duckworth was in the standing position at the time that she felt something give in her back. Considering Ms. Duckworth gave birth within a year and her age, the likelihood of her having osteoporosis probable due to the improper amount of calcium intake. Diagnosis is crucial in osteoporosis. One of the best ways to determine if one has osteoporosis is by doing a bone density test. There are different types of techniques that can be performed in order to diagnose osteoporosis. Some of the different techniques are dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), ultrasound, quantitative computerized tomography (QCT), and lateral radiographs (UCSF Medical Center, 2010). DXA is a can of the spine with a low-dose X-ray (UCSF Medical Center, 2010). (NOF, 2010) Ms. Duckworth should have a DXA of the spine and hip areas as well as the blood and urine tests. If necessary, a QCT should be ran based on the results of the DXA. These tests will determine the severity of Ms. Duckworth’s bone density issue. It will tell if she has osteopena due to pregnancy or a more severe case, osteoporosis. â€Å"Almost 80% of bone density is determined by heredity and 20% by lifestyle† (WebMD, 2010). â€Å"Bone mineral density tests (BMD) shows how dense bones are and whether you have osteoporosis† (WebMD, 2010). â€Å"This information helps determine which prevention or treatment steps are needed† (WebMD, 2010). There are different laboratory tests that can be ran by doctors that helps in diagnosing osteoporosis. These tests are run with samples of blood and urine from the patient. Some of the tests are blood calcium levels, 24-hour urine calcium measurement, thyroid function tests, parathyroid hormone levels, testosterone levels in men, 25-hydroxyvitamin D test to determine whether the body had enough vitamin D, and biochemical marker tests, such as NTX and CTX (NOF, 2010). Osteoporosis is a treatable disease, but not a curable one. There are different types of treatment for osteoporosis. Some of the medications that can be taken for treatment of osteoporosis are estrogen, bisphosphonates, calcitionin, raloxifene, parathyroid hormone, and testosterone replacement (UCSF Medical Center, 2010). Some of the more common names for bisphosphonates are Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, and Reclast (Mayo Clinic, 2009). These treatments are taken orally once a week or once a month. In addition to the medications, there is also the treatment of exercise and diet. With a diet high in calcium, stopping unhealthy habits, like smoking and drinking, and regular exercise can reduce the likelihood of bone fractures in people with osteoporosis (The New York Times, 2010). In Ms. Duckworth’s incident, it would be recommended that she increase the amount of calcium in her diet and exercise, and depending on the severity of the osteoporosis, medication. Prognosis for osteoporosis is that the disease is treatable, but not curable. There is not one simple treatment for this disease. If one has the markers for osteoporosis, then the amount of risks should be kept to a minimal. Prevention is the best way to lower the odds of obtaining osteoporosis. One should make sure that the amount of calcium needed is in their diet. They should also develop an exercise program that avoids the risk of falling or could be considered high-impact, as that those could cause fractures. Ms. Duckworth future could turn to one as beneficial as it was before the spinal fracture. With proper diet with high calcium intake, an exercise program to reduce the likelihood of fractures, medication, and check-ups Ms. Duckworth could be back to her normal activities. As a healthcare practioner, Ms. Duckworth would be advised to increase the amount of calcium in her diet and add an exercise regiment. Based on Ms. Duckworth’s blood and urine analysis, it would also include medication if necessary. Ms. Duckworth would also be scheduled for routine check-ups to see the progression or recession of the osteoporosis. Family history would also need to be looked at for Ms. Duckworth. As previously stated, 80% of persons with osteoporosis obtained the disease through hereditary genetics, 20% obtain it through life choices and medical conditions. If Ms. Duckworth were suffering from osteoporosis from hereditary, treatment with medication would be probable, instead of just diet and exercise. Osteoporosis most commonly is diagnosed in women and men over the age of 50. Osteoporosis is considered a health threat for 44 million U.S. women and men aged 50 and older (NOF, 2010). The following chart gives an indication of the prevalence of osteoporosis in women and men in the U.S. through the year 2020 (NOF, 2010). Prevalence of Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass in People Aged 50 and Over 200220102020 Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass in Women and Men43,600,00052,400,00061,400,000 Osteoporosis in Women and Men10,100,00012,000,00013,900,000 Low Bone Mass in Women and Men33,600,00040,400,00047,500,000 Women With Osteoporosis or Low Bone Mass29,600,00035,100,00040,900,000 Women With Osteoporosis7,800,0009,100,00010,500,000 Women With Low Bone Mass21,800,00026,000,00030,400,000 Men With Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass14,100,00017,300,00020,500,000 Men With Osteoporosis2,300,0002,800,0003,300,000 Men With Low Bone Mass11,800,00014,400,00017,100,000 (NOF, 2010) Even though there are several different ways to prevent progression of osteoporosis, they are not a guarantee that it will stop the progression. With the medication as treatment for the osteoporosis, there are still occasions that bone fractures can occur. â€Å"The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning linking long-term use of popular osteoporosis drugs to an unusual fracture of the thigh bone† (Wilson, 2010). With the profound results of the bisphosphonates slowing the loss of bone mass, they have been proven to have nagging safety concerns that are jaw osteonecrosis, arrhythmias, and esophageal cancer (Wilson, 2010). Drug makers are working to find new ways of treating osteoporosis. â€Å"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new injectable osteoporosis treatment for post menopausal women† (FDA, 2010). â€Å"Prolia is a treatment for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fractures† (FDA, 2010). Osteoporosis is an unforgiving disease. It cannot be cured, but can be slowed in its progression. Prevention is the way to proactive. One should be sure to consume calcium in their diet that is adequate for their needs and to be in an exercise regiment that will aid in reducing fractures. One should also be careful in putting himself or herself at risk by smoking, drinking, being off balanced, or doing rigorous exercising that could possibly cause fractures. If one does these things and has regular check-ups, then they should be able to reduce the likelihood of severe osteoporosis. Total Words: 1,422 Works Cited U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2010, June 1). FDA Approves New Injectable Osteoporosis Treatment for Postmenopausal Women. Retrieved from FDA.gov: Mayo Clinic. (2009, August 27). Osteoporosis Treatment Puts Brakes on Bone Loss. Retrieved from MayoClinic.com: National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). (2010). Diagnosing Osteoporosis. Retrieved from nof.org: National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). (2010). Prevalence Report. Retrieved from nof.org : http://www.nof.org/print/219 The New York Times. (2010). Osteoporosis Overview. Retreived from nytimes.com: UCSF Medical Center. (2010, October 29). Osteoporosis Diagnosis. Retrieved from ucsfhealth.org: UCSF Medical Center. (2010, October 29). Osteoporosis Signs and Symptoms. Retreived from ucsfhealth.org: UCSF Medical Center. (2010, October 29). Osteoporosis Treatment. Retreived from ucsfhealth.org: WebMD. (2010). Osteoporosis Guide Diagnosis Tests. Retreived from webmd.com: Willis, Judith Levine. (2010). All about Eating for Two. Retreived from childbirthsolutions.com: Wilson, Duff. (2010, October 13). Prescriptions. Retreived from nytimes.com:

Analysis Of Confederation Of Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay Example

Analysis Of Confederation Of Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay Example Analysis Of Confederation Of Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay Analysis Of Confederation Of Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay This is a study on the issues and accidents that a traveller can confront while on circuit. With the current universe state of affairs the hazard of going is at its highs due to terrorist act. So the accidents that can happen is more, along with this is aligned to buccaneering, so with these effects going is decidedly at a hazard or faces many accidents. Due to this factor many accidents can be managed and minimized during a circuit through reading and information that is available and besides with the benefits of insurance. This besides gives a wide over expression on the circuit operator, The advantage and the disadvantage of holding a circuit operator. Undertaking 1 Major accident and incident as identified ( Based on state of affairss ) A circuit operator is a individual who combines circuit and travel constituents to make a vacation experiences fro tourer or even locals. Therefore the most common illustration of a circuit operator s merchandise would be a flight to a finish and so transit from airdrome to hotel ; this may be by rail, coach or auto and even transit for sight visual perception and so on. Tour operators still exercise undertaking power with providers: air hoses, hotels, land transit agents, sail so forth and besides influence over other entities such as tourer board and authorities governments, In order to make bundles and particular goings for finishs otherwise hard to see. In forming Tourss both the circuit operator and the rider might confront accidents and there are many such reported instances from the past how tourer faced accidents and therefore the load had to be borne by the circuit operator, but this does nt go on to each and every tourer, unhappily a really little figure is reported. Sadly for an highly little per centum of tourer accidents and unwellnesss can strike while going or on circuits, So good attention has to be taken both by the circuit operator and the tourer. Some of the accidents a tourer or a group can meet: Driving abroad. Food and drinks Tropical cyclones Terrorism River and sea, buccaneering Robberies The undermentioned web site portions a narrative of an accident the tourer had to meet while on circuit. It is of import to maintain in head that some tourer can travel into legal footings even with the little accident. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.articlealley.com/article_973138_18.html More than transit accidents there are many other ways and means that tourer could acquire attacked or face an accident. For illustration as spring in the account I shall take the UAE state. As it is a known fact that this state has a high menace from terrorist act, which terrorist may be after to transport out tacks? Such onslaughts could be indiscriminate and could go on at any clip, including in topographic points frequented by exiles and alien travellers. Thus the travel operator should do his tourer knowing to keep a high degree of security consciousness, peculiarly in public topographic points. Besides the travel agent or circuit operator should advice his or her clients non to drive in unknown district, because driving sides, Torahs refering to driving and the district might postpone. Robberies are sometimes armed packs are increasing both at remote sites and urban centres. Several serious robberies have been reported specially on British subjects. Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, particularly for transporting which does non take appropriate safeguards or followed agreed transporting industry best pattern guidelines have to confront these state of affairss. One such incident occurred last twelvemonth on the 23rd of October, when two British subjects were taken surety while sailing in the Indian Ocean. Sailing vass are peculiarly vulnerable to assail. Many people suffer from an disquieted tummy or diarrhoea because of something they have eaten or drunk abrod.More earnestly Cholera, enteric fever, and hepatitis can be contacted from contaminated nutrient and H2O. Tropical cyclones are known are distinguishable to go on during a peculiar seen and a peculiar country, so tourer and circuit operators should be knowledge able on such state of affairss and be of service of advice to the tourer. Therefore accidents are inevitable it could go on at any clip but when we are off from familiar location it is the tourer s duty to be careful and minimise the sum off accidents that can happen in a peculiar state of affairs. From the side of the circuit operator he/she should be of service to the tourer, as accidents can be minimized, instead than atoning subsequently on. Methods to be used in prepare the program A travel operator has to take the enterprise in doing the travel program, but he can non do the program harmonizing to his ain concent.He has to confer with the traveller, the reaching states embassy and so the locations and hotels and transit, there upon develop the program. So the circuit operator needs to confer with many before he makes the program. He has a few countries to concentrate on, the following are really of import: Reliable flight The first most of import thing is to assist the tourer obtain a good flight because the flight and its dependability are extremely of import. Besides there are some riders who require high service in the flight. So looking into all these countries the pick of air hose is given to the rider there upon the following measure the operator moves to the following country Check menus So the following measure is the engagement of flight. First the operator will travel through all possible charges. It is a definite fact that if the traveller is a first clip client or a changeless pleasant traveller the air line will seek to acquire them the best available air carnivals. The air carnivals will besides depend on the clip the traveller makes his engagement. So with the blessing of the travel the ticket is obtained to his budget. Booking of Hotels If the client wishes the best rates for adjustment and in house going excessively is done. All this is given to the rider as a bundle. Time All this should be done harmonizing to the clip of the client. The circuit operator can non make it harmonizing to his discretions. The air menu and hotel stay rates should tally within the given travel clip period of the client. Hazard The hazards involve in going should be explained to the client. As mentioned above some of the hazards are ; terrorist act, bad conditions conditions, larceny, and buccaneering. So the travel operator should do the client aware of these and acquire the client to make more research on the country. Security Security is the most of import thing. While going, and on circuit. The circuit operator should advice the client to obtain a good insurance coverage which will cover all countries, when going. Undertaking 2 Plan in managing accident and Emergency While on circuits many things can travel incorrect. It will non be any 1s mistake and ever the incrimination can non be bestowed on the circuit operator. As a tourer we excessively should shoulder responsible and be a responsible tourer. So each tourer before going should obtain travel insurance. Even the best planned holiday can be interrupted by bugs and exigencies. Travel insurance or travel protection is specially designed to turn to the state of affairss and hazards involved in travel ; it provides coverage from the minute a tourer leaves to the minute he or she arrives back place. For illustration, travel insurance can reimburse you for any luggage or points that you may lose during the trip. This is really of import if the traveller is transporting expensive points such as electronics, jewelry or expensive point. A standard medical insurance besides tends to limited to a web country, so without travel insurance a tourer will hold to shoulder the load of paying off the infirmary measure where it might be really expensive in some cases. So travel insurance is perfectly necessary if a traveller is going into an country with high wellness hazards or exigency processs are really high, travel insurance is extremely important. If the tourer plans to take a impulsive holiday travel insurance is necessary, because many car policies will non widen coverage outside the state a individual lives. Travel insurance can besides supply protect against exigencies that are so specific to traveling abroad that they can non be covered by a standard insurance policy. Travel protection programs can besides supply aid services like an exigency hot line and medical transit service, This really valuable when a crisis hits in a foreign state. Critical action in program An action program should back up the chief program at a clip of crisis. Tour crisis does nt happen all the clip, unhappily it happens really mistily but there should be a program to back up at the clip of necessary. Flight hazard In instance a client misses the flight, the circuit operator should be able to set him on the following available flight. At this point excessively the circuit operator should see on the clients clip restrictions. At clip a flight is cancelled adjustment should be provided for the client, particularly when the client is in a foreign district. This is a point that security is assured. Lost luggage/delayed baggage The circuit operator should help and assist follow up when the baggage is losing. Handle the hazard in program The hazard can be categorized into three chief countries. They are as follows: Technical Technical hazard might happen at an unexpected clip, and this is non the mistake of circuit operator. So the client should bear with that status. This can be due to a mishandling of informations, and deficiency of communicating which the path clearance is non done on clip Human Human hazard can be a pilot all of a sudden falling sick so a dorsum up pilot should be ready but non the carbon monoxide pilot to take off. Besides crew or cabin members can acquire delayed to get at air port due to detain of air port conveyance. For all these inevitable hazards a back up program should follow. It is a must to maintain in head that all run on clip General General hazards are weather. Bad conditions conditions ever cancel or delay a flight. Examples: many European flights were cancelled due to the vent in ice land. At this point many flights did non run, and flights were cancelled for many yearss. And the clients or tourer were stranded in air ports. The recent fog in England kept a many a Michigans to most of the air transit in England. It is must to maintain in head that any organisation has to confront hazard. Confronting the hazard suitably is the best manner. The human hazard and proficient hazard can be minimized but non general hazard.So it is a must to maintain in head the hazard that can happen from the organisations point of position should be minimized. As going depends on people s time.Becasuse today people travel for many grounds and non merely on pleasance. Professionals and cons in the program Once the finish is decided, next the client should make up ones mind if he or she needs a circuit operator or whether they are traveling a caput by them egos. The senior travellers who are more dependent take the aid of a circuit operator to be after out their circuit while the others choose to be after their circuit by themselves. The undermentioned points are to be considered when forming a circuit, if to travel a caput with a circuit operator or indivually.So the pros and cons of it shall be encountered. The following are as follows: The countries that semen under the pros or the good are as follows ; Comfort While one enjoys the trip, person else deals the trip for you. The client selects the planned travel program, pays off the travel agent and awaits whiles the trades are processed. The lone thing the traveller has to make is make the finish on clip for the return off. Worry free travel The usher or circuit operator shall be concerned about managing problems with theodolite work stoppages and baggage barriers. Troubles could be rare on agent trips because the travel agent got the travel program earlier and, most likely, has guided the same trip many a times before Social chances Some people want to run into new people and do familiarities while on circuit. Thus the operator will assist the client to place topographic points with the most sums of societal assemblages are and where the client can accomplish his/her end. If they need urban or rural societal garnering the operator will advice them Learning experiences. The circuit operator volitions ever advice on the best acquisition experiences when on circuit and will assist acquire the best larning out semen of the trip. As we have to maintain in head that the circuit operators are good experient people on a certain finish, instead than we go a caput entirely to form our circuit. Monetary value The monetary value with a travel agent differs from entirely engagement, Because the travel agent will ever acquire the best awards of its clients. Besides particular offers are available. As they have a buying power over hotels, air menus, transit and many services. Cons Pre planned trips A tourer will hold many trips to do when he arrives at a finish a portion from the planned 1s. This will decidedly take to a deficiency of ego sadness because the tourer is non free to see countries of his pick. Health Many wellness issues may a rise. Lack of free clip Over programming will take to a deficiency of clip to go to to the tourers own demands and pleasances. Personality struggles Personality struggles may originate at the clip of treatment with circuit operator which might take to unneeded struggles. Schedule issues. For illustration scheduled visits issue may happen if the tourer is really tired he/she might non desire to travel to a peculiar topographic point, but as he or she has paid they are forced to travel. Decision This study gives an out line to the hazard grip by a circuit operator when forming a circuit. There is a huge country about the accidents that can go on to a individual going a wide and how they should maintain or seek to minimise the hazard involved in them. The organisation construction further emphasizes on the size of the circuit operator s capacity of with standing different patronages and besides minimising on the hazard that will be involved.

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

Art response - Essay Example Art theory is a factor that is very relevant to this country since the interpretation is not uniform and there is need to evaluate the relevance of each work presented in museum to form part of the cultural heritage. Successful evaluation requires in-depth understanding of content and context in which the work is relevant. It is important to note that various theories of criticism have been formulated by scholars to ensure that all the elements of art are applied relevantly in any production. The context in which the piece of art is established determines its application and serves to bring out the meaning in simpler way. For the works of art to portray the actual picture of the social context in which they are set, various critical analysis tools have been applied as in the case of the museum in Denver, USA. Another important aspect of American Art is the expression of the aesthetic values present in the pieces. USA has a wide variety of art and therefore serves as the center of anc ient studies on history and art. Art as shown from the past drawings and sculptors sets emotional status and therefore gives the real context and setting in which it was taken. Considering some of the artifacts found in the museums, it is worth to note that the emotional aspect of the works makes the viewer create a picture of the setting and context in which it is relevant. A collection of various pieces of art presents diverse abstraction which has remained a critical aspect of art. In the modern society, creative art still incorporates the ancient concepts in expressing the scene, meaning and context for the piece of art. It is important to note that art stands for past events which are useful in defining the lifestyle observed on a given society. The common saying that a picture speaks a thousand words asserts that artistic pieces say more. The posture, facial expression and other decorations gives detailed information about the moral concepts being conveyed. It is common to see the drawings painted in different colors and texture differentiated with a main aim of creating a particular impression. This is the reason behind the multiple colors, textual indentation and varied body features expression found in various artifacts kept in museums across United States. American art is not limited to artifacts but also written history. The complex social structure of the modern United States can be attributed to the Red Indian community and the immigrants who cumulatively formed the Amerindians. There is great history that covers the ancient tribes that inhabited the modern day United States. The story of art in this country dates many years back but some of the outstanding monuments like The Twins meets the Gods of Xibabla (The underworld), cylindrical vase e.593-830 CE among others gives a long period of art and history development ranging from 16,000 to date. Taking the Mayan tribe as an example, the art they left behind has been a ground for research study on the ancient American society and their way of life. The modern American society traces its roots from a very complex cultural fusion which is always exhibited in form of art. Some of the writings, paintings, drawings left behind and collected for stewardship in museums are important as far as the development of ancient art is concerned. Other art forms

Critical examination of exchange rate changes on the financial Essay

Critical examination of exchange rate changes on the financial performance of Honda Motors - Essay Example Having clearly outlined the risk management framework for Honda as its financial strength pillar, it is important to highlight the limitations in achieving results with such policy initiatives. According to Guay and Kothari, there is a huge â€Å"difference† between the amount of money that a firm wants to hedge with derivatives, and the amount that it actually succeeds in hedging. In previous section, we discussed the relative importance of different hedging options for Honda’s case. But, it is not an easy route as it is fraught with some practical limitations, which we shall study on an individual case by case basis. 1. Continuing with financial instruments as primary safeguards: Three major problems with financial instruments are inconsistency, asymmetry and indeterminacy. Inconsistency refers to the wide gaps in hedging schemes with a complicated web which can make auditing a difficult task. Asymmetry refers to the unreliable nature of the entries itself, and indete rminacy refers to the probability of fraudulent data entry. If these problems with financial instruments are not sorted out in the beginning itself, it could lead to a colossal financial disaster, the likes of Nick Leeson.

Research methods Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Methods - Research Paper Example Introduction Background of the Study The term retail means to break the bulk. The rise in consumer demand, consumption pattern and also the desire among the customers to get products conveniently under one roof has made retailing one of the most booming sectors in the world. The focal point of discussion is the U.K. retail market and the leader of the U.K. retail market called Tesco. U.K. retail market has been chosen because in the third largest retailer in the world and makes a contribution of 8% to the GDP and provides employment to over 400,000 people. Tesco founded by Jack Cohen in 1919, is the third largest retailer in the world and the largest one in U.K. As on 2012 the total revenue of the company was ?64.539 billion (Kotler, 2001, p. 25). Problem Definition The presence of retailers such as Asada, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s has made the U.K. retail market very competitive. However, in order to ensure global success Tesco has to maintain competitive advantage in the co untry of origin. ... Literature Review Competitive position of accompany can be defined as the position of a company that can allow it to gain competitive advantage over the competitors. Some of the parameters based on which competitive position can be measured are market share, revenue, brand awareness, etc (Kolb, 2008, p. 92). In order to analyze the competitive position it is important to understand the internal and external environment. One of the best ways to analyze the external environment is to assess the macro environmental factors such as Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors; known as PEST. One of way of analyzing the internal environmental factors is to conduct a SWOT analysis. In case of SWOT Strengths and Weaknesses are internal, whereas Opportunities and Threats are external (Henry, 2008, p. 89; Brown, 2009, p.63). To conduct the analysis relevant data are required. Secondary data is something that has already been collected by other sources. As compared to primary data sec ondary data can be collected within lesser amount of time spending lesser amount of money. Most preferred medium of collecting secondary data today happens to be internet (Churchill, 2009, p.211). Methodology An ideal methodology provides a much required foundation to a researcher right from the starting of the choice of topic till making the final recommendations. In this case the main motivation of the choice of the topic was the contribution of Retail to service sector and the overall economy of U.K. As it can be seen that the nature of the study is exploratory in nature; hence in order to explore the topic and reach the final conclusions secondary research has been chosen so that relevant and appropriate data can be collected within the stipulated time in

Staff Roles And Responsibilities In Rfp Process Information Technology Essay

Staff Roles And Responsibilities In Rfp Process Information Technology Essay Best Western International is looking at develop the functionality and the eServices of the European consolidated Best Western website that support the national European IT departments to integrate their functions and maintain-operate this single website portal. As the travel industry is characterised by dynamic changes such as mergers and acquisitions of hotel chains and properties, Best Western International is looking for a partner who is willing to share the responsibilities, benefits and risks. The partner should continually find ways to advance the functionality of the consolidated website portal and advise Best Western on the change management processes for its national IT departments. The vendor is also expected to help and assist the hotel to plan and go through with the required organisational change. The project is to complete within the next six months. This is a huge challenge as Best Western does not have any single IT department to oversee the design and the management of outsourcing requirements and process. This report helps to identify its operational and strategic needs for developing the Request for Proposal (RPF) as well as identifying and selecting an appropriate outsourcing vendor. One of the major requirements of the RFP is not only the technical requirements of the application but also the organisational competencies of the vendor that is required to help Best Western, Europe, manage the organisational transition process. This report advise the client how to write and negotiate the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the selected vendor in order to ensure the provision of reliable services, how to develop and negotiate a contract with a potential vendor so that Best Western enjoys pricing, technological and organisational flexibility. This report also examines the business operational environment, its culture and propose strategies. This should enable Best Western to effectively manage the knowledge transfers and process collaboration between the internal multi-national IT staff and the IT vendor development staff. The focus areas include knowledge management and transfer issues, management of the transition process and organisational changes that are required to take place within Best Western in Europe. In addition, it helps Identify the staff who should be involved in the transition process and their roles and responsibilities. Major outsourcing risks and recommend practices to overcome them were identified as well. Introduction Best Western International is the worlds largest hotel brand. With its presence in 80 countries, it has over 4,000 hotels all around. Member hotels of Best Western consortia enjoy many benefits. Besides being associated with the international brand name, they receive the benefits of the marketing and operational services of Best Western. This includes access to (electronic) distribution channels, international reservation call centres, training, and centralised e-procurement. While Best Western International has its footprints all over the globe, its local representative offices in each country function independently in more ways than one. They develop and operate their own websites. These websites are not characterised by any standardised design. Each one features different online services and functionalities. Furthermore, there is limited synergy and links amongst these country specific websites. These websites create confusion to international travellers and also act as a major technological and organisational inhibitor to the future development and adoption of sophisticated eServices by the hotel chain. Furthermore, every national Best Western office has an individual IT department. This department is responsible for developing its own eServices based on the departments financial resources and skills. As a result, eServices development efforts are replicated; leading to a waste of resources at a European level despite the fact that other national IT departments may be lacking resources for website development The organisation has recognised the need to develop a consolidated portal providing access to all European Best Western websites. This should feature integrated and holistic new eServices; such as dynamic packaging solutions and an easier interface to the Best Western Reward programme Dynamic packaging solutions provide several benefits and revenue making opportunities to travel companies. It can also help the organisation realise its aims to promote Europe as a single destination. It has envisaged the need to re-organise the IT departments of Best Western in every European country. Other requirements will be to foster and support their cooperation and synergies as well as define their roles and responsibilities related to website design and e-services development. RFP Development RFP is typically drafted at the end of the requirements-gathering phase of a project. It is important that the following prerequisites be completed before embarking on RFP process: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify organisational objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify stakeholders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify project objectives. Once the prerequisites are completed, we can then accurately capture, interpret, and represent the voice of the client in specifying the IT system requirements. It is important that all stakeholders must achieve a common understanding of what the IT system will be and do. To achieve that, a combination of meetings with user representatives, facilitated workshops with analysts and users, individual customer interviews, prototyping, and user surveys be employed. It is important that Best Western International undergo the following pre-RFP activities before developing its RFP Has it performed any prior feasibility studies or High level design analysis on the new web portal to be developed Has the cost and benefit analysis of the consolidated systems being conducted and documented Was the benefits been quantified and shared with key stakeholders within the organisation to get consensus and endorsement about the new business for developing and consolidating the IT system Was the high level scope been identified including completing the documentation of the business process procedures (BPPs) to be enabled through new IT systems Identifying the sponsor for the new Portal and receiving approval to proceed. For example, a project charter to formally engage the necessary resources for the outsourcing project an Has the timelines for the implementation of new IT system and the estimated budget for the entire programme including TCO(total cost of ownership) for enduring support been finalised Pre-RFP activities are critical for formulating any business case into an RFP. It is recommended to use information gathering or IT requirement gathering methods, tools and techniques in order to capture the requirements for the new IT system. Some of the main tools that would help in elicitation of requirements are Brainstorming, structured questionnaires, case scenario, state transition diagrams and UML model diagram to capture relationship between the real time objects and classes. In other words, the pre-RFP activities are as much critical as the RFP activities. A good RFP address and capture the following: Scope of activities that are clearly defined to be delivered by the vendor. Unless the scope of the engagement is clear, vendors would not be in a position to submit a viable and competitive response for the RFP. Include inputs from the initial study/HLD analysis performed by client organisation with the quantifiable benefits expected out of new IT system. Vendor must understand the sizeable benefits and criticality of the new system to client organisation otherwise it would not be able assess direct financial implications on client organisation for any slippages and understand the criticality of the project to client Include technical requirements including specific technical infrastructure, platform and software. Furthermore, it is important to highlight reasons behind finalising on a particular platform and software including its roadmap in the RFP Include timelines for the vendors response submission and timelines for the project implementation and what impact would have on the client organisation in case of slippages Explicitly mention Vendor characteristics and minimum qualifications expected from vendor for being trusted partner for this engagement Clearly articulate the service level Agreement (SLAs) for the delivery of new IT system and impact of not adhering to SLAs along with financial liabilities (if any) Highlight the expected frequency and details to be incorporated in status reporting Explicitly document the mandate for signing on non-disclosure agreement of vendor with client organisation in order to ensure security and integrity of data Highlight the need for obtaining approval from key client personnel who will be engaged in the programme from vendors team Enforce the business units to highlight the risks, operational constraints and issues that the vendor can foresee on the programme/project. This will help in assessing its impact and its likelihood even before start of the programme and plan for mitigation What infrastructure required from a vendor perspective to deliver the new information system Vendors commercial offer and what factors that vendor thinks that would position them ahead of others Any live case studies whereby vendor had involved in similar engagement with other clients along with contact references from those clients for future enquiry and reference. Articulate clearly responsibility and accountability of activities to be taken by vendor and other parties as part of the engagement through RACIS(R-Responsible A-Accountable C-Consulted I-Informed S-Supported) matrix Include the warranty requirements that is expected from vendor on the new IT system to be developed The acceptance criteria for the new system and the process for obtaining signoff In addition an RFP should request a corporate profile of the responding vendor. Typically this will include risk statements around corporate liquidity, market share, an outline of local operations, number of staff in this country, support models (where support may be with a third party), escalation procedures to parent, local install base (number of customers in this country) etc.. A typical RFP for a website project should include the following components: Introductiona summary of the organization including the mission statement. Project outline Goals and purpose Project scope Website requirements Database development requirements User requirements Design requirements Functional requirements Budget constraints-limited budget Time constraints-when we need the project completed by and when we require responses from vendors Criteria for selecting a vendor Submission of proposal and further information-contact information that encourages vendors to contact the organization for more information Staff roles and responsibilities in RFP process: One of the critical success factors of an outsourcing deal is involving the right stakeholders who will be actively involved in this project whose interest may be positively or negatively affected as a result of the project execution or successful completion. For project outsourcing to succeed, it must be well-planned and carefully implemented. To help ensure the organisation benefit from outsourcing, different teams or roles can be formed or specified: Ideas team This team is involved in identifying processes which can be beneficial to outsource. They should be directly involved in overseeing the companys business strategy to ensure that they have a strategic overview of the companys existing processes and goals. Policy-level team This team is involved in assessing whether outsourcing specific processes is appropriate. For each process, this requires analysing the possible benefits of outsourcing in relation to the companys policies and strategic goals. The team should consist of senior company executives, rather than employees from individual departments. A common perception is that outsourcing a process implies a departments failure to manage it. Using senior executives rather than department members in a policy-level team helps ensure objectivity. It also ensures that the team has the required strategic perspective. Assessment team This team is involved in analysing the likely implications of outsourcing the process for the company. This team should include members from the policy-level team, and should be lead by an executive from the team. This team should include members with different roles and skills. This helps ensure that the team can recognise the likely implications of outsourcing across different areas and form the perspectives of different stakeholders. Members of an assessment should include: Consultants Functional managers Process experts Representative customers Technical experts Implementation and transition team This team is responsible for setting up project outsourcing to address any implication identified. It makes the changes required to pass internal production processes to a service provider. The transition team should be involved in managing the change involved in outsourcing project. This teams focus should be on ensuring that the move from internal production to outsourcing des not impact negatively on the company. Vendor evaluation and assessment criteria Prior to developing the evaluation criteria, it is important to clearly define the company objectives of outsourcing its IT operation in term of functions, performance, quality and costs. We can then define the following outputs expected from the vendors: Operational systems Documentation Management Training Communication Support Reduced costs Expertise Assets When we have the above outputs, we can define the following acceptance criteria: The quality of the service in term of functionality, usability, performance, reliability and availability The implementation and operational plan The quality of the support Capability for future enhancements in line with business expansion Qualification of vendor technical capacity ability to meet objectives financial stability quality system In additional, an evaluation of the following should be performed: Assess the managerial proposal: Desired working relationships Depth and frequency of liaison, meeting, reports Dealing with extraordinary items Location of offices and services Resources/commitment required of client Confidentiality Assess terms and condition: ownership of hardware and software maintenance of customer supplied equipment protection of customers and vendor proprietary information Warranty period Escrow arrangement Assess the technical proposal completeness of proposal demonstration of capabilities or products compliance to requirement (performance and quality) demonstration of degree of understating of problems and applicability of solution technical strategy maturity applicability and compatibility Assess the financial proposal assess method of payment E.g., fixed price, by usage of resource, shared savings, revenue it Identify Total costs Identify cost payment schedule Other factors in assessing proposal The vendor The company industry specification, track record Length of time in business Length of time with local presence Standard qualification (ISO 90000, etc) Size, ownership, financial position / paid up capital etc. Staff assigned CV, security clearance (if appropriate) Experience, is who you see who you will get? Any other commitments References (other customers) Previous experience with contractors Does contractors representative come across as direct or straight forward? interest in your business In addition, we can quantify evaluation criteria of each vendor by aiming to score vendors against each other. For example: Attached weights to each Criteria Weight Proposed Functionality 6 Demonstrated Services 5 Previous Experience 3 Costs 5 We can give each vendor a score of 1-10 for each criterion and determine total weighted score = sum (weighted scores) Criteria Weight Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Score Weighted Score Score Weighted Score Proposed Functionality 6 8 48 7 42 Demonstrated Services 5 4 20 5 25 Previous Experience 4 6 24 4 16 Costs 5 5 25 5 25 Total 117 108 The vendor with the highest score is usually the preferred partner. Service Level Agreement (SLA) development An SLA defines the boundaries of the project in terms of the functions and services that the service provider will provide, the volume of work that will be accepted and delivered, and acceptance criteria for responsiveness and the quality of deliverables. A well-defined and well crafted SLA should set expectations for parties, including the incentives, rewards and penalties applicable to the outsourcing agreement and its results. To ensure the provision of reliable services from the service provider, an SLA should specify client and the providers accountabilities in the outsourcing relationship. These include: Client role The organisation needs to detail its role in the outsourcing relationship. This extends beyond providing its requirements because it details what the provider can expect from the client organisation. For example, the organisation may need to advise the provider about the process, keep them informed about the vision of the project, provide any customise software it needs, or help it acquire and maintain infrastructure The terms of service This should include the cost and duration of the contract, and a time frame for deliverables. The terms should be realistic and measurable, based on the organisations requirements. It need to stipulate any context-sensitive terms, such as a roadmap for release dates, an hourly billing rate, any ceilings on billing rates, and conditions for payments. Delivery measurements This should detail how the providers service is measured, and any performance bonuses payable if metrics are exceeded. The organisation needs to specify who is in charge of completing the metrics, who reviews status reports, and how any conflicts in the measurements are to be mediated or arbitrated. For example, we should set metrics for service reliability, availability and response times for transactions and any service incidents such as server failure. Reliability = Uptime / Downtime The system shall not suffer a downtime greater than 15 minutes during continuous 24 hours operation Downtime = Operational down time + Waiting time + Investigation time + Recovery time Availability = Uptime / (Uptime + Downtime + Maintenance time) The system shall be 99% available during normal working hours (0700 1900) Performance Response time 95% of all online enquiries will be serviced within 5 seconds Average response time to online enquiries shall be 4 seconds No enquiry shall suffer a response time > 10 seconds Throughput The system will handle a maximum of 100,000 transactions per day Storage The system must currently store 1 million customer records and provision must be made for an increase in records of 5% per annum Delivery and Output The following reports will be delivered daily at 0800 Penalty clauses This should include the price and penalties of non-compliance in the SLA. This should clearly define the expectations in the relationship and helps establish remedial processes to resolve any compliance disputes and ensure uninterrupted service. We can dictate a fee reduction, corrective action or payable compensation for any defects or damages to the organisation reputation or service quality due to non-delivery. For example: A Defect is any non-conforming performance that occurs during a day. A Level one defect is any defect that lasts for more than 2 hours but less than 24 hours A Level two defect is any defect that lasts for more than 24 hours A Level three defect is any defect that occurs more than once during any seven-day period A Level four defect is any defect that occurs more than once during any thirty-day period Penalties For each Level one defect, service provider will grant the client a credit of $1000 against the provider fees For each Level two defect, service provider will grant the client a credit of $5000 against the provider fees Exit clause The organisation may need to terminate an outsourcing relationship due to non-performance, violation of the SLA like Termination for cause, or to reintegrate the outsourced processes into its in-house operations due to mergers or acquisition Termination for convenience. These instances and related activities need to be stipulated in an exit clause to ensure both parties understand how and when the outsourcing relationship can end. For example, the organisation stipulates that the contract automatically terminates after six months or if a contact violation occurs. Flexibility SLA should be flexible enough so that any changes or updates either internal or market-related can be easily added to the contract. It is recommended that SLA be reviewed every six month depending on service aspect and its occurrence of poor performance and duration of the contract itself. However, this should not negate the benefits accruing to either party. For example, if a project is scaled upwards to accommodate extra transactions, the metrics for measuring service deliverables need to change. When setting an SLA, we need to consider the organisation and service provider existing infrastructure, including expertise, employees, and technology. It is useless setting up an SLA that details commitments that cannot be fulfilled due to limited infrastructure. A typical SLA should be as long as it must be and as short as it can be. SLA of 10 to 50 pages are not unusual. The longer it is, the more important it is to focus on structure, clarity and readability Contract Development Building flexible in an outsourcing contract is important to ensure the success of an outsourcing arrange. Today market is moving fast and changing fast. Many IS outsourcing deals seem to be obsolete as soon as they are signed. Business strategy changes, market environment changes, technology changes, law, rules and regulatory changes could affect scope of services which means that outsourcing objectives no longer aligned to the business goals to achieve the desired outcomes that they were set to achieve. Flexibilities need to be built during planning stage, contracting stage and post contract management stage to meet any of the above changes. Planning Stage Selecting the right vendor with culture that reflects its business philosophy is important instead of evaluating merely on price and capability. The selection process should involve due diligence regarding the vendors record and attitudes toward rigidity, structure, adaptation, bureaucracy, change and, most importantly, the vendor attitudes toward creating customer value. Choosing the right vendor by forming a strategic alliance promotes the spirit of teams whereby both share relevant risk and rewards would enable contracting parties to be flexible in getting over those bumps along the path. Contracting Stage Contracts are made to allocate risks. Typical contracts allocate known risks and provide some opportunity to each party to obtain a commercially reasonable outcome for risks that are unlikely but nonetheless possible The first is a change in the scope of services. This will likely affect staffing commitments, technology investment, pricing and service level commitments, among other things. In defining the scope of contracted services, the customer should establish a method for integrating the vendors services into the customers other service infrastructures, both internal and external, both current and planned. In the contracting stage, provision for flexibility should be catered for changes in the business environment within organisation. As mentioned, with rapid globalisation, change is a constant to the business. Such change could result in a drastic increase or decline in provider services. The contract should contemplate the impact on pricing and service level commitments in the face of such dramatic changes. The pricing schedules should reflect a band of services at varying, foreseeable levels in order to facilitate financial planning for both parties. At the outer limit, unbundled and transparent pricing, particularly for commodity-type services should be considered. Pricing algorithms and strategies should be studied separately, since pricing flexibility reflects a constellation of business terms. Next are changes in the legal environment. Laws, rules and regulations change, often unpredictably. A contract that did not foresee such changes must be construed to allocate the cost of compliance with such new directives and compliance. Accordingly, contracts should require the vendor to comply with changes in the laws, and costs of compliance should be addressed. Otherwise, the vendor would be exculpated from having to comply by arguing that an act of state, act of God or other force majeure exonerates the vendors non-compliance. The vendor should assume certain predictable risks of technology changes. With rapid technological update and changes, both parties may predict and contractually agree on certain technology refreshment cycles beyond a certain threshold like three to five years where both sides must provide contractual leeway to benefit from such changes without incurring material adverse consequences if those changes should radically alter the contractual balance. Additionally, organisations are moving towards the concepts such as business process management (BPM). BPM allows an organisation to continually make adjustments to its business processes as it evolves and learns. A vendor should embrace this type of concept and allow flexibility into its processes. Furthermore, using best practices such as Service Oriented Architecture could also aid in flexibility. Business operational environment and Culture Staff roles and responsibilities in transition Staff or stakeholders involved in the transition process and knowledge transfer would include Ideas team, Policy-level team, Assessment team, and Implementation and transition team as mentioned Staff roles and responsibilities in RFP process who roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. In addition, the teams should consist of members from both the client and service provider organisation. Culture and resistance to change The culture of each organisation in an outsourcing relationship helps to determine its flexibility. Change typically involves stress because it requires that people adjust to new roles, process and responsibilities. An organisation culture helps to determine the level of stress caused by change, and whether this stress inspires resent or commitment. An organisation culture can help to determine: Its approach to the value of the relationship and to building the relationship over time with the provider Its openness to change The extend to which employees share a common vision and can work together One of the crucial factors to successful outsourcing is a smooth transition. The transition phase involves multiple stakeholders and a number of dynamics paradigms that outsourcing brings to an organisation impacts all clients stakeholders employees, users, and support groups. Many employees will be concerned about the implication of this change to their jobs and to their futures. For some employees, a clear understanding of the required changes and their rationale will foster immediate buy-in and support. Other employees will express their concern by asking questions, challenging rationales, and finding holes in the implementation plan and process. Other employees may resist the change by either avoiding involvement or causing real or potential disruption. Understanding the stages of Resistance A key step in a smooth transition is to understand the three stages of behavioural patterns as it relates to organizational resistance. The three basic stages that have been identified by organizational management professionals are Holding On, Letting Go, and Moving On. Holding On is the initial the resistance to change that occurs when individuals hold on to that with which they are most familiar and comfortable. Many users are used to getting served in a particular way from a team. There is mutual trust as well as fear of the unknown. In the case of outsourcing, their team may now be thousands of miles away instead of just down the floor. This naturally causes concerns such as: How do I know what my team is doing offshore? How do I speak to my team during my workday? Where is everybody? Signs of this stage include forgetting to attend meetings about the change, coming into work late or an increase in employees calling in sick, or when people become irritable or withdrawn from others with whom they have previously had good working relations. Letting Go is the second phase individuals typically experience when confronted with change. You may start hearing people say things like it just might work if management will let it happen. I will do it once I see others do it without any backlash. It might work somewhere else, but I dont know how it would work here. Letting Go is visible when people start attending meetings and either do not contribute or take opposing perspectives or when individuals question the issues associated with the change and start challenging thinking. They begin spending more of their personal time discussing how it might just work if only Moving On is the third phase. At this stage, we can hear comments like: When am I going to learn how to do this? How can I get this going already? This isnt so bad after all. Moving On is visible when individuals spend time planning how to make things wo

Faults of Woven and Knit Fabric

Faults of woven fabric: Bar: It is a band running across the full width of cloth. Pick bar due ti difference in pick spacing Tension-bar due to difference in weft tension Weft-bar due to difference in material count, twist etc Box marks: The causes of box marks are – Dirty box Shuttle riding over the weft Dirty shuttle Dirty picking and ticks Broken pattern: It occurs due to wrong drawing of threads insertion of thee pick, incorrect lifting of warp threads. Broken pick: A pick missing of the fabric, due to rough shuttle eyes, poor winding and weft yarn breakage. Defective selvedge: Curled selvedge Cut selvedges Loppy selvedges Slack selvedges Pulled selvedge Tight selvedge Uneven selvedge Float stitches: A place where warp and weft yarns escape the required interlacement. If occurs for improper warp stop motion. Fuzzy: it occurs for the present of hairy and abraded yarns. Hang pick: A pick which is out of line and is a triangular shape. Missing ends: Gap of warp yarns is the main causes Reed marks: Due to this fault cloth shows irregular spacing between groups of warp yarns across the fabric width. Shuttle marks: Width way marks due to abrasion of warp yarns by the shuttle. Stain: Major problems on woven fabric Oil, Dust, Soil, Carbon particles in the air may cause stains. Uneven cloth: It produced when take up motion is faulty, broken ratchet wheel is also responsible. Some mechanical faults: Reed marks Shuttle flying out Shuttle trapping Loom hanging Loom stopping Weft cutting Bumping Knitting Faults: Holes: Holes are the result of yarn breakage. It occurs for the following causes – Uneven yarn Badly set of yarn feeder Knots, slubs etc in yarn Yarn tension is too high Yarn is too dry Drop stitches: Those are the result of a defective needle. It also occurs when a yarn is not properly fed during stitch formation. Cloth fall –out: it is an area consisting of drop sitiches lying side by side. Snags: It occurs when filament yarns are processing. It occurs for higher twist and lesser crimp elasticity. Double stitches: These occur due to badly knitted or non-knitted loops. Vertical stripes: It is observed as longitudinal gaps in the fabric. When the space between Wales is irregular it occurs. Horizontal stripes: Horizontal stripes are caused by unevenness in the courses. Soil stripes: Soil stripes can appear both in the direction of Wales as well as courses. Color fly: Color fly consists of singe fibres, brunches of fibre of yarn pieces in varying colors. Distorted stitches: Due to it if become unsettled fabric and fabric appearance is skitter. Write about BAN (Barium Activity Number): Barium activity Number = (? Ba(OH)? _2 Absorbed by mercerised cotton material)/(? Ba(OH)? _2 Absorbed by unmercerised cotton material) BAN is always greater than 100 Standard range of BAN 115 – 135 Highly mercerized range 140 – 150 possible If BAN < 115, Mercerization wille be uneven Write ablout Water Hardness: Hardness is a term applied to water denoting a measurement of its PH and metal salt contest. Classification of water according to hardness – DescriptionTotal hardness (Degree) Very soft 0 – 40 Soft 5 – 80 Shild 9-140 Fairly hard 15 -180 Hard 19 -300 Very hard > 300 Determination of water hardness: The following Reagents are required for hardness measermet Buffer solution EDTA (Ethelene Diamine Tetraacetate ) (. 02 N or . 01 M) Indicator solution 0. 05 gm (Solochromo black WDFA) Mixture of alcohol and tri-ethanol amine Calcium solution – Take 1 gm CaCO3 and dried at 1650C Cover with clock glass and add water (50-100 ml) Add 20. 5 ml HCl Warm and next Cool Transfer to one litre volumetric flask Determination of total Hardness: Total Hardness = (T? 1000)/V mg/L CaCO3 Where, V = Wt. f solution (50 -100) into conical breaker T = Total amount of EDTA used to get reddish tinge disappear. Weight loss in Pre-treatment: The weight of unscoured and scoured were taken separately at the same moisture content and then weight loos is measured in %. Weight loss = (Wt. of Unscoured fabric-Wt. of Scoured fabric )/(Wt. of Unscoured fabric) ? 100% Standar d range of Weight loss = 4 – 8% Fabric and knit: (Questions) Faults of woven and knit fabric. Different variables of woven fabric. BAN (Bariem activity number) Hardness measurement of H2O. Wt. loss in pre-treatment (Scouring, bleaching, desizing etc)

Youth Migration

Our world is a big global village. With the opening up of the world economy resulting in free movement of youth, both within their countries & across the nations for better education , better jobs , better quality of life ,migration, both internal and international ,has emerged as a burning issue. Migration is a multi-dimensional,transnational,multicultural issue. It is acomplex problem. It is not a simple demographic or economic problem; there are socio-psycological,cultural,ethnic,legal issues involved. The issue of migration needs to be examined in a holistic manner.In today’s world, knowledge is power and Information is the key to success. In most third world & developing nations, the youth is rural and semi-urban areas are confronted with poor educational Infrastructure. In Indian context, there are broadly three types of schools- (i) schools having teachers and children but no buildings or insufficient classrooms,(ii) schools having buildings and students, but no teacher s ,(iii) schools having buildings and teachers ,but no students because of non-availability of quality teachers , educational tools & equipments.The colleges in these areas are no better. Next is lack of quality technical &vocational education, lack of qualified science teachers, scientific tools, equipments and other educational infrastructure. Lack of quality educational infrastructure in rural &semi-urban areas in most Third world & Developing nations focus the mere ambitious modern rural youth to migrate to schools & colleges in cities & metropolis. More than 75% of rural population is dependent on agriculture, but ironically agriculture is neither remunerative nor sustainable.For example, 75% of land in rural India is owned by 5% of landlords, big farmers & absentee landlords. Shoddy land reforms fragmentation of land leading to uneconomic size of land holidays ,lack of modernization & commercialization of agriculture, further marginalization of marginal farmers have forced mod ern youth to move to urban areas for better education ,better employment opportunities & better quality of life. The factors that drive migration of youth from rural to urban areas at the micro-level are more or less the same that determine migrant motives at he International level . Better education, better employment opportunities, better vertical and horizontal mobility in job situations, more lucrative pay packets , better quality of life and increasing aspirations of the youth in a liberal free economic world are the migrant motives . The number of young students from Third World countries & Developing economies like India & China in American & Western Universities has quadrupled over the last two decades.For some a foreign degree is a status symbol; but for the majority of students from poor Third world countries & developing economies it is the quest for knowledge & better job prospects that drive them to migrate to American and Western Universities & Colleges . Developing ec onomies like China , Japan , India, Brazil motivate their students, even at times with state sponsorships & scholarships , to study in Western Universities for acquiring better knowledge & with access to modern technologies. Income maximization, social mobility & social status, yearning for better qualities of life propels this youth to join schools of Higher Learning.With economic & civilizational gaps between countries narrowing down day by day, the culture shock appears minimal & non-existent. Peer group influences also act as a motivating factor. Youth migration, both within the country and at international level, is a modern day reality & not to be looked down with suspicion or anxiety. World economies have opened up; nations & nationalities have become more liberal & tolerant; people to people contact, industry to industry contact besides Government to Government contact has become more democratic & participative.A sort of give and take operates between the rich and powerful n ations & the developing & Third world countries. International trade & commerce, technology development particularly after the recent economic meltdown has made world economies more interdependent. No one nation can solve the problems facing the world. A new world has emerged where the Rich and poor nations need each other. In such scenario, International migration, both in the sending country as well as in the receiving country, has affected one & all.It has thrown open new challenges & opportunities for the Governments & for communities & nationalities. The migrant youth, while migrating to an alien land, no more suffers for cultural shock; he slowly gets integrated in the alien land, becomes part of its society, its culture & its economy. He contributes to the development process in the receiving country; he, in return, receives a better pay packet & leads a better quality of life. Next are, of course, occasional racial discriminations & race related crimes; but they are of negli gible proportions.There are however attendant problems like social and family dislocations in the sending country, greater pressure on the urban infrastructure in the receiving country. Next are occasional hue & cry in Developed economies regarding their jobs being cornered by youth from developing nations, thus contributing to increasing unemployment & resultant social tensions. At the domestic level, migration from rural to urban areas has put enormous pressure on urban civic amenities like housing, health, education, drinking water, sanitation etc.The brain drain from rural to urban areas has left the villages bereft of the best hands. There is a growing hiatus between Urban India and Rural India & the same is the case with all developing and third world countries. At the International level, free movement of youth for education & employment has meant that young immigrants make up an important and increasing share of the labor force in the receiving countries, particularly in the Developed economies. Instead of stealing they have significantly contributed to this growth in employment in these economies.With the relative & absolute size of the working population in the west getting smaller, the youth from countries like India have filled up the void. Net change in the working age population in the countries has a direct bearing on the net youth migration levels. In the western economies, there is a net shortage of labor in particular jobs like ICT, Health, Sciences, Construction & transport, hotels, cleaning & domestic sector. This has helped inflow of labor force from Developing & Third world countries.It also has meant that cultural and social integration of immigrants & their families into the Western labor market & society has become smoother & faster. Adaptability levels in the host nations has increased manifold. So far as sending countries are concerned, brain drain is the biggest challenge. But migrant remittances have grown manifold which has helped the emigrant youth to improve the quality of life of their family members & communities back home. International migration is a complex & complicated issue- a multidimensional one.The economic meltdown in the Developed economies, the war in Afghanistan, Iraq, a terrorism ridden Pakistan, the turmoil in the Arab world have made international migration, both legal and illegal, a burning issue. For more than 214 million international immigrants life has been uncertain, often treacherous. It has thrown open the debate of shared prosperity & shared responsibilities- it is both a challenge as well as an opportunity for various stakeholders to carve out a balanced mutually agreeable paradigm that will maximize the developmental benefits of migration for both the sending & receiving countries.Migration benefits all the stakeholders when it is legal, open, just and orderly. Young migrants, both skilled & unskilled labor, have helped in reducing imbalances in International labor market. Youn g migrants from the Third world & Developing countries like China, India, Brazil bring with them hard work, creativity, cheap labor, entreprenuerial ability, dependence & loyalty. Modern day youth are constantly on the move- they help promote exchange of ideas, values, expertise & knowledge.There are about 214 million international migrants out of which 128 million live in Developed countries of which 58% have their origin in developing countries. With the economic meltdown, there has been a net decline of young migrants from developing countries. The worst hit sectors like finance, construction, manufacturing & infrastructure in the Developed countries have negatively impacted the flow of young migrants to the Developed countries.In spite of this, there is demand for highly skilled young workers, entrepreneurs, unskilled & semi-skilled labor in sectors like health, ICT & construction. These sectors remain to be fulfilled by migrants from Developing countries. But because of the eco nomic crisis & slow industrial recovery in the west, unemployment among youth is rising, particularly among the children of immigrants. This leads to farther marginalization amongst 2nd & 3rd generation immigrants leading to social tension, racial conflicts & alienation.There has been some panic knee-jerk reactions of Governments in the Developed countries who have tried to reduce migration by reducing quotas, adopting more stringent labor market tests, not renewing work permits, forcing private & state sector players to adopt a more pro-native recruitment policy & reducing the size of the labor market. So far as their countries of origin is concerned, international migrants, particularly the young skilled, semi-skilled & unskilled labor, have helped improve the living standards of their family members left behind by way of remittances.The nearly 316 billion dollars the immigrants sent home in 2009 not only helped improve the standard of living of the families, but contributed to th e increase in foreign exchange reserves in these countries thus adding to their economic resilience in a bad economic year. The countries of origin have included international migration as a key focus area in this scheme of development, often by joining up with major stakeholders in drawing up plans and programs that benefit the migrants, their families, & the community at a large.Some countries of origin have developed innovative ways of involving the expatriate communities by facilitating transfer of collective remittances or by issuing ‘diaspora bonds’ to revise capital from these sources. As an initiate, the countries of origin have undertaken proactive policies & strategies of helping these expatriate communities by facilitating support for labor migration, improve protection in foreign soil, facilitating transfer of remittances & safe return of migrants.Multilateral agencies like Inter-American Development Bank & International Fund for Agricultural Development hav e been seized of the issues of reduction of remittance transfer costs. Some donor countries & agencies have taken initiative in engaging & supporting expartites in their home countries by way of providing free expertise, services & advice for development of countries of origin. International migration of youth bring in its wake myriad opportunities & challenges at the migrant’s level, at the family and community level.Better pay packets for the youth ensures better standard of life for migrants, their families & their home country. In states like Kerala & Andhra Pradesh in India, most of the families have a young qualified and skilled hand serving abroad, as engineers, doctors, nurses, science teachers, construction workers, skilled, semiskilled & unskilled. In the last two decades, most of the families & the community in general have prospered economically & socially of the foreign remittances their son or daughter sends home.The Gujarati youth carry with them entrepreneuria l abilities & expertise world order & carved out a niche of their own in the field of business & industry. There is upward mobility, both economic & social, not only for these young migrants, but their families, kith & kin & the communities left behind in their home countries. The economic possibility of the people of Kerala, A. P. , Gujarat & Punjab can, to a large extent, be attributed to the youth migration in these states to greener & better pastures in the West & Third World countries & the fat remittances they send home.While international migration, mostly economic, has had boosted the economy of the migrant, their families, their communities & the nation as a whole, the socio-psychological & cultural effects of such migration deserve attention. It is particularly relevant in Indian context, when joint family system still remains dominant. The departure of a young family member staying & serving at thousands of miles away passes serious psychological problems for aged, family members, young brothers & sisters and the peer groups at large.It creates a psychological vacuum and raises serious problems of adaptability. There is a major problem in the lack of social support system or programmes both for the young migrants as well as their family members left behind. There is an urgency in addressing the issue of understanding how youth migration impacts parental needs & family needs. The old feel neglected & the young feel uncared for. The community feels betrayed. The society, over a period of time, forgets the young migrant who in their eyes has ceased to belong to them, at least socially & psychologically.Due to lack of constant support, old parents & other members of the family left behind by the young children became a socially & psychologically vulnerable group with high risk of psychological & behavioral disorders, including alienation & feeling of isolation & depression. While the benefits if International migration to individual migrants, their fami lies, communities & the nationalities are visible & apparent, the visible & invisible cost is an urgent area of concern.While international remittances have helped improve the quality of life of millions back home, sustained poor economics, improved the balance of payment situation & contributed to foreign exchange reserves, the hidden cost & visible cost can no longer be swept under the carpet. The socio-psychological impact on family members left behind, the flight of intellectual capital from developing to developed countries, issues of migrant integration, exploitation of cheap labor, lack of a policy of Inclusive development of migration pose serious challenges for our political & business leaders & policy planners.Protection of migrants, cases of racial abuses & human rights violations call for a multidimensional approach to various aspects of International migration, particularly its linkages with development, Inclusive growth, human rights & natural justice. With knowledge h olding the key in a globalized economy, international migration of youth for better education & better pay packet is going to be on the rise. In the Third world & developing economies it has developed into a permanent & integral structural part of the body politic & economy.Lack of opportunities, disparity amongst economies & within economies, divergent demographic dynamics, internal upheavals in home countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan & Arab world have acted as a ‘push factor’ for international migration. Labor market imbalances, availability of cheap labor, both skilled & unskilled from Asia-pacific countries, economic dependence & inter-linkages amongst nations, rich & poor and growing aspirations of the people I these countries have propelled migration of youth across boundaries.There has also been flow of expert labor from the Developed to developing countries, at times necessitated by transfer of technology, collaboration & joint ventures projects or as strings attached to an economic or technological aid package. Both in the receiving & sending countries, there is a growing realization amongst policy makers and think tanks that international migration & development are interdependent & interlinked. Since international migration is multidimensional, multicultural, multidisciplinary in character, we need to address the challenges in a more humane, understanding & co-operative atmosphere.It requires integration & cooperation at the local, regional & transnational levels amongst governments, societies & communities. There is a growing feeling that we can address the negative impacts of international migration & maximize benefits to both the sending & receiving countries by involving a collaboration & well coordinated framework within the V. N. system. Such a framework should be well supported by Governments in both countries of origin & countries of destination, backed by civil society.That way it can transcend cultural boundaries & take into account factors like cultural accommodation &integration, human rights, natural justice & fair play. Countries in Asia Pacific region account for nearly 30%of world’s 200 million international migrants, majority of them youths, both as sending and receiving countries. Young talented, skilled youth from India, China, Phillipines etc. make their destination to US, Canada, Australia & Europe for higher quality education as well as meeting the growing technological, semi-technological needs in these countries.Beside the labor market needs, family reunification account for major chunk of international migration. Besides transnational migration, inter-regional & intra-regional migration is on the rise. You will find a large number of young engineers, doctors, construction workers, health workers from India, China, Pakistan, Indonesia & Phillipines making their way to Gulf nations & Australia. This fills up the labor gaps & corrects labor imbalances in the region. The Gulf countrie s & countries in South East Asia have emerged as temporary hub of labor migration from South Asia.Feminization of International migration is a discernible feature in the last decade or so. Large no. of young female workers, particularly in the health, ICT, infrastructure & services & domestic sector from countries of India, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan & Bangladesh make their way to the Developed countries for attractive economic packages & then fill the gap in the labor market. There is a big outflow of temporary contract labor from Asia, particularly South Asia & South- East Asia for labor intensive 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous & difficult) , particularly in sectors like construction, agriculture, manufacturing & cleaning services.Women construct laborers who got engaged in domestic sectors or in cleaning services & construction activities often are lowly paid & also explicated at the hands of middlemen & service providers. There is a large number of illegal migrants who make their way to the Gulf countries. It is difficult to know the exact no. of such laborers since a sizable chunk do not register with national authorities. Besides, large no. of illegal migrants make their way because of porous geographic boundaries.For example, every year lakhs of Bangladeshis illegally enter India for better economic opportunities through the porous boundary. Similarly, there is free outflow of migrants within & amongst the countries of erstwhile USSR. Because of the limited role played by Governments, these temporary migrants & conduct labor get exploited at the hands of private recruitment agencies, particularly in the countries of South Asia. Labor trafficking, particularly construct laborers & women laborers by private recruiting agencies using the means of deception is rampant in the Asia-Pacific region.The lack of a clear policy by the Governments in the region, rampant corruption by authorities and a pathetic attitude of authorities have altered the private players a f ield day in exploiting the young migrants, particularly women. The poor economic status of young men & women makes them a vulnerable group. They get financially, physically & sexually exploited at the hands of private players. In the name of migration, young women migrants, particularly from South Asia & South East Asia get lured by the private players to the Gulf countries & exploited, used & abused in the process.These helpless young women are victims of sexual exploitation, forced marriages & domestic slavery in the rich Gulf nations. In the name of Contract labor, there are a large number of repulsed cases of women being forced into prostitution or used as keeps in the Gulf countries. Since Islamic society does not provide them much protection, young women, particularly from South Asia & S. E. Asia, are often lured into forced marriages or land up in brothels in Gulf countries. Brain drain & brain gain are a major area of concern in international migration.In the past, brain dra in from poor but talented countries like India, China, Pakistan & South East Asia was a major area of concern because flight of talented & skilled human capital from these countries affected national productivity & technological innovation & hit key sections like health, education, research & development & technology. But with the emerging economies of India, China, Brazil, South Africa & oil rich Arab countries embanking on a path of 9% to 10% growth rate with emphasis on individual production, infrastructure, better education & health care, a reverse brain drain is taking place.In some sectors, brain gain has really happened. Some of these governments have adopted a dual strategy of retention & return. By offering dual citizenship & sops for setting up industries & liberalizing terms & conditions of investment & providing tax breaks, these countries have succeeded in mobilizing the rich migrants to either return or invest in profitable ventures or in the share market in their home countries.Countries like India have created a new department in Government for overseas Indians which addresses their concerns & problems, both abroad & at home. The Annual NRI meet organized by Government of India & meeting specific communities like Gujaratis by Gujarat state Government is aimed at attracting & involving the rich NRIs in profitable ventures at home. Some Governments have adopted a policy & strategy of mobilizing the diaspora which helps in transfer of knowledge, skills, technology & capital that makes up for flight of human capital from the home country.The key areas of action requires simplification of procedures for remittances so that illegal transfers are avoided. The understanding of the implications of gender dimensions of international migration, the concerns & needs of the families of migrants left behind at home, preparing the second & third generation migrants to take up the new challenges so that they don’t find isolated or disillusioned, taking care of the health & educational eeds of the migrants & their family members & ensuring smooth integration of the emigrants in the country of destination are issues of urgent concern. The basic civil rights of the migrants needs to be looked into by the Governments & civil society. The key areas of action & co-operation for broadening the opportunities of young migrants requires their psychological, social & economic integration in the process of development both in the receiving & sending country.In order to fully understand & utilize the potentials & benefits of international migration, both the countries of origin & destination need to evolve suitable migration management policies taking care of welfare of migrants & their integration into the socio-economic agenda, poverty amelioration strategy in the sending countries, racial & social integration in the receiving countries. National & regional developmental goals should be reflected in the migration policies. There must also be policy coherence at the national, regional & international levels. The civil & legal rights of the migrants must be ensured at all costs.The Governments, in both sending & receiving countries, must put in place mechanisms to eradicate human trafficking, regulate modus operendii of private recruitment agency, eliminate flesh trade in cases of young women migrants. Last but not the least, the national governments & civil society, cutting across geographical boundaries, must work in an atmosphere of trust & understanding so that international migration caters to the development needs & maintain labor imbalances, thus contributing to the development of young migrants, their countries of origin & countries of destination.

Church and state essays

Church and state essays There are many different reasons that the separation of church and state is a good idea. On the contrast there are many different reasons that the union of church and state is a good idea as well. This has been an on going battle since the revolution, when we fought against religious persecution. It is said in many religions that Gods will is good, healthy and above all appropriate for all men and women alike. That God wants what is best for all his children. If the government were to represent Gods will, that belief would be instill to all the people (Gods people) of the nation. Consequently everyone who understands the meaning of Gods will would be a step closer to the better side of life (the right path). Another positive reason for uniting church and state would be that children might better understand their fellow man. They would be able to realize that even though there are differences between them in how they dress, eat, or choosing right from wrong, they all believe there is a higher power and that we all are Gods children. This belief would signify family values within larger communities. In this day in age some of the governments penalties for doing wrong seem to some as too harsh. Some people may think that the Death penalty is wrong, that a person doesnt deserve to die. He might deserve to rot in jail, but religion dictates that it is Gods decision. If religion were to influence the government, than the government might get rid of penalties that might be too harsh. Homeless people, most of the time, have the thought that God wasnt with him or her when there lives fell apart. This idea hangs over their heads and keeps them unmotivated and less likely to get back on there feet. If the government and religion were united, than churches might receive money and therefore would be able to help out the homeless more with shelters and other necessities. T ...

Choosing Between If and Whether

Choosing Between If and Whether Choosing Between â€Å"If† and â€Å"Whether† Choosing Between â€Å"If† and â€Å"Whether† By Maeve Maddox In current informal usage the words if and whether are used more or less interchangeably, as in these examples from the web: I Don’t Know If The New Phone Has A Frontal Camera, But It Should Do you know whether the new iPhone 3 will have the capacity to handle emails . . . I Don’t Know if Jon and I Will Be Together Next Year . . . We don’t know them personally so we can’t judge whether they should really be together. Most of the time it doesn’t much matter which you use, but sometimes it does. Use whether if a choice between alternatives is intended. I don’t know whether we will be together next year. The alternate possibility is that we will not be. Use if to express a condition. Father will give us the money if we are still together next year. The money will be given on the condition that the couple are together. For more usage examples and a short test, visit this Grammar Monster page. 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†Peace of Mind and A Piece of One's Mind10 Functions of the Comma

How the Metropolol Works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the Metropolol Works - Essay Example The essay "How the Metropolol Works" presents the overview of a medication form that is applied in the treatment of diseases and ailments affecting the cardiovascular system. The drug Metropolol can be administered in two forms which may result in instant response since it is injected directly into the blood and that which does not yield instant response in the body. The medical formulation can be used on it or in a mixture with other medicines in order to contain high blood pressure. It is further used in the treatment of angina which is a condition in which a patient experiences severe chest pain due to stress. The condition is heightened by a low flow of blood especially through the blood vessel situated in the heart. The medication increases the chances of survival after a person has experienced a heart attack. It is important to understand that Metropolol operates in the body by causing relaxation of the blood vessels as well as lowering the heart rate in order to improve the flow of blood. The medication can be used in the prevention of a migraine from starting or when it attacks. A migraine is defined as a recurrent and throbbing form of a headache that attacks only one side of the head which is usually accompanied by nausea as well as disturbed vision. Under higher dosage, the medication can lead to drowsiness, diarrhea, dizziness, unusual fatigue, difficulty in sleep, depression, the problem with vision as well as ataxia which is defined by a lack of proper coordination of the movements of the muscles.

The Cross Cultural Implications For a UK Manager Undertaking an Essay

The Cross Cultural Implications For a UK Manager Undertaking an International Business - Essay Example If the cross- cultural effects are not addressed, this can lead to conflict and lack of business resolution especially by business managers. There are various forms of cultures that influence the performance of a business manager in another different culture. These factors are widely categorized as group culture, organizational culture and national culture. The national culture in a different country greatly influences the way in which a manager performs and hence the need to assess the cross cultural implications of a UK manager who is undertaking an international business assignment in another country. This will be done with reference to Hofstede and bond theories and also according to Trompenaars and Hall theories (Moody, Bebensee and Carter, 2008, p. 89). Hofstede (2001) Theory Of Cross Cultural Implications Culture is the way of life of a people and for a business manager to work competently in a cross cultural environment he needs to learn how to understand the cross culture an d competently perform in the different cultural environment. It is important that he learns the implications of cultural diversity. Hofstede four cross cultural implications that may aid business managers on international businesses to competently perform despite the change in culture. ... United Kingdom being a developed country has Low Power Distance (LPD) since the level of integrity, education and ethics is high. However, African countries are characterized by High Power Distance (HPD) since the margin between the intellect and the poor is very great. In a situation where a UK based manager is posed in an African country, embracing HPD will be a difficult task for the manager to accomplish. This is since the manager is used to power balance and following protocols to accomplish business deal. However, in Africa, superiors make the core of the decisions with minimal consultation to the managers. The running of the business is a top level endeavor hence challenging the performance of the UK based manager. Moreover, despite being assertive, the UK manager is inculcated into a community whereby subordinates are not consulted in decision making and the top level administration is not questioned. The issue of power distance is an example of a cross cultural implication t hat a UK based manager carrying out an international business in an African country will face during his business in Africa (Lim, 2004, p. 27). Secondly, individualism and collectivism is another cross cultural concept that Hofstede emphasizes in his cross cultural theory. According to him, individualists are more concerned about themselves and their gain while collectivists are concerned about the gain of the whole group. A country where individualism is rampant is in the United States, UK and Germany while the countries will collectivism are Asia and African countries. Basing on this documented evidence, the UK based manager has individualistic aspect and he has gone for an international