Project life cycle Essay

Projects are the way through which work gets done. Whether big, small, simple or complex, projects possess various common characteristics. Firstly, they have a start and an end. They do not run to infinity. Secondly, they are all unique. They may resemble other earlier projects but they are unique in various variables. These variables include their environment, period and resources. Thirdly, they lead to the creating deliverables. Finally, they all have resources assigned to them. The resources may either be part-time, full-time or a combination of the two. Projects are undertaken by all organisations. Their management can be done using a common range of project management procedures. Similar project management procedures can be used irrespective of the project being undertaken. Projects must have a definition and a plan. They should also have procedures for management of risks, quality, status and scope. Despite projects being unique, common lifecycle models are applied in building the deliverables. But most importantly, scalable and common project management processes are applied effectively on all projects. Regardless of whether one is managing a small or large project, various leadership styles are used. It is very important to understand these styles and their effect in order to become a better and more flexible leader. The most common styles are autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic Laissez-faire and people oriented types of leadership. Others include servant, task-oriented, transactional and transformational. In a project environment, one requires flexibility in these leadership styles since the various phases have got their specific demands that may be different from the other phases. General leadership styles and skills Project managers must show two leadership styles: transformational and transactional. He should give guidance to the team by identifying their role and responsibility in the project. He should give inspiration to them in order to finish the project’s tasks. It has been established that people with outstanding leadership skills turn out to be good in management of projects too. This is because they are visionary, motivating and can bring people together. Above all, they have great accomplishments (Bryman, 1986). Project managers must be competent in the project’s technology and generally how to manage a business entity. This will lead to mutual respect and confidence between him and the other members of the team and administration. Management skills as well as business management competence are essential. The project manager must use sound management skills consistent with the organisation’s management style. The project manager must be alert, quick, a good listener, versatile and above all very flexible. He should be able to adjust any current plan to a better one. Being flexible means having a tough willingness in changing plans to acknowledge current realities for the sake of the project’s successful completion. The project manager must be of good ethics and full of energy. He should adjust to working for over forty hours per week. He should also be always available to the various people involved and interact with them. A good project manager must always be interested in details and possess great optimism with a strong belief that it can be done. He should not assume anything he is not sure of. He should always speak his mind and mean it. In addition, he should regard others as allies and not foes. Respect for other people and acknowledgement of good performance is important. He must always see the bigger picture and keep that perspective. Moreover, he should be interested in knowing why things have to be one in a certain way and not the other. Above all, a good project manager must be both a manager and a leader for a project to be completed successfully (Glanz, 2002). A good project manager must also be a good problem solver. He should be able to handle a situation where he is presented with tough choices to make. Problem solving will involve recognition of the problem and acknowledging that endeavouring to solve the problem is worthwhile. This has to be done with a positive attitude. The next step is defining the problem and clearly understanding it. The third step involves generating alternative solutions for the problem. Finally, one must narrow down the alternatives after a thorough examination of each of them, and then decide (Heerkens, 2001). The project manager must foster teamwork among the members. The most important resource in a project is the team. It is about the people one works with. This team can comprise members from various different departments of the organisation or just one department. The recommended project team comprises members drawn from different organisations. The team has the following responsibilities: To understand the work to be accomplished Planning of the activities in detail if need be Completion of the work assigned within the timeframe, budget, and the desired quality Informing the manager about scope changes, risk, issues and quality concerns Proactive communication of status and management of expectations. A team is formed by people who understand their role. They are led by a project manager who is interested in the success of the project. The project manager is vital. He must display a flexible approach in his leadership style (Lewis, 1995). Leadership style and skills through the phases Regardless of the complexity or scope, all projects go through various phases during their lives. There is initiation where output and essential factors of success are defined. The planning phase, whose principal characteristic involves a break down of the project into smaller manageable units. Next is the execution phase where the planned project is carried out. Finally there is exit phase marking the project completion (Visit Ask, 2004). Initiation This is the initial stage of the project where a clear definition of the project’s scope is done alongside the approach to be employed in delivering the required output. This is where the project management team is chosen basing on their experiences and skills. The project leader must be very flexible to allow a change or overhaul of the scope if need arises. His leadership style should be such that it allows contributions of all the team members for the project to run smoothly. This will make use of the various skills, experiences and talents that will go a long way in delivering a high quality output. Planning This stage involves identifying in detail all the tasks and assigning them. It also involves analyzing risk and defining a criterion for successfully completing every deliverable. This is where the definition of the governing process is done. Identification of stakeholders, period of reporting and the channels are agreed. Business Plans are used in this stage. The project manager should be able to assign tasks and responsibilities to the right people basing on their experience, skills and talents. The project leader should be flexible enough not think he is the most knowledgeable and experienced of all the team members. He should do more of coordination since he is good among equals. The governance process of the project should also avoid rigidity to allow free participation of all members of the team. In as much as it is important to adhere to the time schedule, this should not compromise the quality of the output. The team should therefore have an allowance within its stipulated completion of the various tasks. This will involve extending the time for some tasks while reducing it for others. The plans used in the project should also have contingency alternatives to be used in case of failure of the original. This should be done in consultation with other team members and stakeholders and of course the client. Execution and controlling This is where one ensures proper control and execution of project activities. During this phase, the earlier plan is implemented in solving the particulars of the project’s specifications. When developing the product and system, a design that results in a particular set of product requirements is made. Measurement of the convergence is done using prototypes, tests and a review. During the execution stage, a plan for the final testing, producing and support is made by the various groups in the organisation. Some of the tools employed during this phase include Milestones Reviews and Business Plan. This is a very sensitive area that needs proper teamwork. Models and prototypes are developed and tested. There should be flexibility to allow improvement of the prototype. Again, the skills, talents and experience of the team members should be used for the sake of a good quality project output. Closure This is the final stage of the project. The manager ensures the project is completed properly. A formal project review report is written. It involves the client officially accepting the product, comparing the client specifications with those of the product. Other contents include a reward to the team, lessons learned, release of the project’s resources and an official closing notification to the top management. Conclusion Project management is an important aspect of many organisations. It is therefore important that these projects deliver their desired results within the stipulated period of time. This calls for teamwork among the stakeholders, clients and the project team members. Most importantly, the project team needs to work together. The team leader must therefore ensure the team works together harmoniously. He should therefore adopt a flexible style in leadership to accommodate all the skills, talents and experiences of the members. This will ensure that good quality output is delivered at the end of the project.

A Person Who I Admire

A person who I admire A person who I admire is an interesting topic. I believe you can admire more than one person. A typical admiration I have seen is when people boy, are admiring a very famous singer, actor etc. although it is typical, it is still a good admiration because you can use that person as your role model or idol. Fx. If your role model is a sportsman, then you can admire his performing skills, and maybe learn something from him or her. But trough my life I have admired many persons, friends, older people, teachers, etc.All these people have given me experiences and personal abilities which I have acquired with help from them. My opinion is that I cannot admire one person specially. When I admire someone I respect the person’s character. After my experience I also admire someone when I am in his presence. A person who can change a bad day to a good day, fx my mother. My mother is defiantly one of my top 3 list over admired persons. Just imagine without your mother you would not exist. Everyone should admire how housemothers are struggling to raise there children’s.I am indeed of her proud of my mother, it is because of her that I am that what I am today. When I always have been in a bad mood my mother opened up my minds to look at things in a different perspective. Fx when I has had a problem she shared her experiences with me and learned me to tackle every situation. Another important person who I likes to admire is my father. A father and a mother is an admirable couple that forms a basis of a children’s life. My parents are like advisers, I can talk to them when I need help.They are motivating me to achieve my goal. I promised myself when I grow older and start a family, i will tell my children’s about my childhood and how I admired my parents. At least my expectation for myself is that I can be a loved parent. I really hope that I will have the same kindness that my parents have. My parents taught me that I can have a good life in 2 ways. The first one is a life full of material comforts, good economy, good education, and high position in the society.The second one is life where you are satisfied with your life, and when you have a good family and good friends, but it doesn’t mean it is an opposite life where you live in extreme poorness you have some material comforts. But let’s say that you lose some money. Then you should not get sad and frustrated because there is something more important than money in our lives. I have a friend at my soccerteam. Once a time he told me about his childhood, and that before he came to Denmark he had lived in Afghanistan. He was 4 when he and his family escaped from war.He said that he lived a good life in Afghanistan. His father owned a company, and they have a good economic. But when the war started the family was forced to run away from the country. Now his father is a cleaner and his mother is on social society. But even though he had been th rough that he is still happy that he lives in peacefully Denmark. That’s a life my parents taught it is possible to live a life with happiness without being a millionaire. That is what I most admire my parents for, teaching me about life.I think every human on this planet should admire his parents and look up to them, am proud of being there child. Without my father I would not know how to be a man. No one can reprove me like my father. If a child grows up without a father he is missing some basic abilities. The same is if a girl child grows up without a mother something will be missing. My parents have done a lot to me, they have sacrified time, nerves, and energy just to raise me up, and I have not forgotten all that hard work. That’s why im not just admiring them but also respecting them when they are giving me orders.I am helping them with assignments. Finally I very appreciate them for after my opinion being the best parents for me. My parents are them who I admir e most, I don’t know exactly why but your parents will always be there for you. A friend or some other randomly people are not the same as your parents. When you admire you parents they are admiring you too, that’s maybe not the same to other people. You like them but maybe they don’t like you. Even when my parents die I will remember them in my mind and there soul and goodness will still be living in me.

Bromantes Architecture Represents the High Reneissance Essay Example for Free

Bromante’s Architecture Represents the High Reneissance Essay Donato Bramante was born in 1444 to a poor farmer’s family. Bramante was a famous Italian painter and architect. He moved to the city of Milan in 1474, where the gothic style of buildings influenced his creations. The High Renaissance was a time in Italy and Rome that the artists were learning how to show perspective, and about anatomy. Donato D’ Angelo Bramante made his mark in the High Renaissance period. He inspired other architects to express themselves. Some of his works include the church of Santa Maria presso, the Tempietto, Santa Maria delle Grazie, the new St.   Peter’s church, and others (Catt, 2010). By 1499, the French occupation of Milan had forced Bramante to Rome. Taken up by the entourage of Alexander VI, he first designed the cloister of S. Maria della Pace (Bramante, Donato, 1994). In 1476 Bramante first greatest achievement was the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro. It was built on commission by Duke Sfora that was dedicated to Saint Satyrus (biographybace, n. d. ). However, Bramante’s contributions are seen in the choir area that he remodeled. Bramante had used perspective painting to make it look larger than it really was. Using the art of illusion he made the choir seem to be three bays long, but the space did not actually exist. There was a wall that prevented Bramante from building the choir. So what you see actually is only one meter deep (Web Gallery of Art, n. d. ). â€Å"Italian architect and painter. He is best known as the greatest exponent of High Renaissance architecture. His first building, Santa Maria presso San Satiro in Milan (c. 481), use perspective to give an illusion of deeply receding space in the choir. In 1506, he started rebuilding St Peter’s, Rome. His influence was enormous, and many Milanese painters took up his interest in perspective and trompe l’oeil† Donato Bramante, (2008). The Tempietto was another one of Donoto Bromante’s great works. It is believed that this shrine was built on the site of St. Peter’s martyrdom. This piece was commissioned by King Ferdin and and Queen Isabella for this very reason (kleiner, 2010). The Tempietto was a small round temple at San Pietro in Montro, in Rome, and was build 1502. This piece of architecture is considered to be a masterpiece of High Renaissance (kleiner, 2010). The Essential humanities. net, calls it â€Å"the crowning jewel of High Renaissance† (2010 p3). His classical structure contains many elements such as; columns, a dome, drum, base, and a vault. This small design was Bramante’s â€Å"most harmonious building of the renaissance† (biographybase, n. d. , p. 1). â€Å"The Tempietto (1502) at S Pietro in Montorio, Rome. The small circular structure, erected as a martyrium to St Peter, is reminiscent of the temple of Sibyl at Tivoli, with its classical entablature carried on a Tuscan Doric colonnade and rich frieze of metopes and triglyphs. It was the first monument of the High Renaissance and established a prototype for sixteenth-century church design† (Bromate, donato 1987). One of Bromante’s early works in Milan was the church of Santa Maria delie Grazie. This building was started by another architect. The Santa Maria delie Grazie was a large church with long aisles. Bramante contributed to this work by adding the tribune to the east end. When Bramante went to Rome, he left this church unfinished (Web Gallery of Art, n. d. ). According to the text the old Saint Peter’s was falling apart and deeded much repair. Julius II chose Bramante to design and replace the Saint Peter’s church. The floor plan of the new Saint Peter’s church featured a cross â€Å"with arms of equal length, each terminating in an apse† (kleiner, 2010 p. 477par. 3). Julius II wanted the new church to serve as a memorial, to mark Saint Peter’s grave and have his own tomb in the church. Bramante’s plans were complex and extreme with intricate symmetries of a crystal. His plan showed none interlocking crosses in which five of them were supporting the domes. However, Bramante died in 1514, at the age of seventy, about the time the construction began (Nickerson, 2008). â€Å"Bramante’s plan has been obscured by later work, though Michelangelo used as much of it as he could. What the interior would have looked like can be seen in Raphael’s painting The School of Athens† (Bramante, Donato [1444 – 1514]. 1994). The works of Donato Bramante include the church of Santa Maria presso, the Tempietto, Santa Maris delie Grazie, the new St. Peter’s church, and others. Bramante’s works are divided into two time periods. The first period was spent in Milan, and the second was in Rome. In Milan, his work was decorative and picturesque. However, in Rome his work became more in the High Renaissance style (Sauer, 1907). He set the stage for artist in the High Renaissance, and his work with perspectives have been studied and copied today. Bromante’s Architecture Represents the High Reneissance. (2017, Jan 06).

Psychological reaserch methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychological reaserch methods - Essay Example For the purposes of this study, and determining the effect of attention on these elements, perception is defined as that which makes visual information available, and cognition is the uses of that visual information. This is significant in this study because of the questions related to when does perception cease and cognitive processing begin. Subjects were recruited from the New York City public school system, and all were tested with standardized methods to obtain an experimental group which demonstrated moderate reading disability. This was determined by using a selection criterion of scoring between 0.5 SD and 1.0 SD below national mean scores; one parameter of the study was to focus on mild-to-moderate reading disability (rather than severe) given the authors' perception that this group has been neglected in the area of therapeutic efficacy. Informed consent was obtained from both the parents and the children, and was approved by an independent review board. The methodology was to use a battery of standardized attention tests to determine the level of reading disability and, once the parameters had been set, to divide the qualified population into two groups; control and test subject. The control group received no therapy between the initial and final rounds of testing, and the experimental group received 12 one-hour weekly sessions of computer-based reading comprehension therapy. At the end of the 12 week study period, both groups were re-tested and the results compared. The analysis of the study was thorough, and utilized relevant literature and previous studies to provide scope and comment. While the authors recognize the need for further study in various areas, the results indicated that attention skills are measurable, attention therapy improves attention, and that the experimental group outscored the control group. The only additional elements that I might add to this research would be to expand it beyond its limited scope to include the evaluation of other attention deficit factors. The limitations to this study included a relatively small sample size, using an experimental methodology in a first-step study, and the inherent uncertainty related to attention studies generally. I think the researchers were thorough and appropriate, in their methodology, ethical in their application, correct in their analysis, and validated their hypothesis. The study itself was presented logically, clearly, and comports with the standard research reporting regimen of practitioners at this level. References Solan, H.A., Shelley-Tremblay, J., Ficarra, A., Silverman, M., & Larson, S. (2003).Effect of attention therapy on reading comprehen

Galileo in Rome Book Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Galileo in Rome Book Report - Essay Example It deals with a series of events climaxing into Galileo’s trial by the Tribunal of the Inquisition charging him of heresy. The charge against him was brought regarding his publication, Dialogue of the Two Chief World Systems in 1632. Through this publication Galileo expressed his views on certain fundamental scientific truth. The authors are, William R Shea, who held the chair of History of Science at the University of Padua at the time of writing this book, and Mariano Artigas, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Navarra. They came by Galileo’s correspondence in the archive, which was the entire source on which this book is based. They actually speak of two Inquisitions, one in 1616 and the other in 1633. The trial is to be seen in the light of that age when science was just in an emerging state and people were not ready to part with the age-old traditional concepts and embrace challenges of scientific hypotheses. Galileo made his first trip to Rome as an unemployed youth in search of a university job. At this time he found favor with the leading Jesuit Mathematician Christopher Clavius, and perhaps met the future Cardinal Robert Bellarmine also who would play a significant role in Galileo’s future. His second trip to Rome was a glorious experience in his lifetime. He was already a famous professor. The celestial bodies observed through the telescope and their subsequent publication made him famous throughout the world of the intelligentsia. The Jesuit astronomers supported his discoveries, and Cardinal Bellarmine felicitated Galileo on his wonderful achievement. Galileo was granted a membership in the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei. Galileo’s third trip to Rome was clouded with antagonism against his active support for Copernicus and his heliocentric theory in his Letters to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The work on sunspots aggravated the suspicion. The authors narrate a series of events that sealed Galileo’s fate.

Sky High Airlines Safety Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sky High Airlines Safety Program - Essay Example In other words, with the help of this program, the risks will be identified systematically and authorities will be able to come to a decision whether to accept, reduce, or eliminate them as well as looking at the results of their decisions to make sure that intended results are obtained. Sky High Airline establishes policy, responsibilities, and guidelines with procedures to ensure the safety of personnel and equipment and the safe conduct of aviation functions and activities. Safety is a line management responsibility; therefore, this program provides line management oversight of Sky High Airline. Aircraft operations will be conducted under the cognizance Sky High Airline safety organization and no aircraft or experiment will be committed to flight without a valid safety permit or appropriate safety approval. It is the intent of this safety program to comply with all applicable Sky High Airline directives and other governing instructions. (a). Ensure that Sky High Airline aviation programs and operations comply with applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and standards for aviation safety and for reporting and investigating accidents and incidents. (b). Only use safe operations and equipment. No procure or use of aviation equipments, methods, or techniques that may adversely affect the safety of operations. (c). Promptly report each aviation accident, incident with potential, aircraft incident, and aviation hazard. (d). Do not use pilots or aircraft that are not approved for Sky High Airline missions. (e). Remove all pilots involved in an accident or incident with potential from all flight duty until returned to flight status in accordance with standard operating procedures. (f). Conduct aviation safety briefings and a risk assessment prior to any aviation mission by: (i). A person responsible for the mission or, (ii). By the pilot in situations where the pilot may be the only official present, as part of the normal preflight activities, such as dispatch, weather, and flight plan briefings. 2. General Safety Culture in Aviation Industry Safety Culture or climate may be thought of as the organization's collective norms, standards, perceptions and behaviors with respect to safety. Management's fostering of a positive safety culture is critical to any effective safety program. The following concepts and actions are elements of a positive saf

How U.S. States Can better Fix Immigration problem Essay

How U.S. States Can better Fix Immigration problem - Essay Example The Task Force on US Immigration Policy mentions that there is a continuing failure on devising and implementing a functional immigration policy, which could eventually threaten the country’s economy, diplomacy and national security (Council on Foreign Relations 3). Unfortunately, other factors contribute to the prolonging of the problem, such as issues like â€Å"polarized institutions, unfair media coverage, complex public opinion, and difficulties in the administrative implementation of border enforcement and legal justice† (West xiii). In addition, the fact that most policies are hurriedly implemented just to solve the immigration problem quickly does not give enough merit for saying that the current policies are well enough to serve the nearly 12 million illegal immigrants residing in the country. Currently there are four issues that needed to be addressed in order to create possible solutions to the illegal entry of immigrants into the country, and these are: enha nced border security; identifying and tagging all undocumented migrants; addressing the gaps existing in the current United States immigration process; and developing a vigorous guest worker program (Cong. Rec. 2007, pt. 14780). Among the four issues mentioned, there should be greater focus on amending the current existing guest worker programs both on the employers’ side and the workers’ side, since work and income generation are considered to be the primary reasons why there have been a greater number of migrants entering the country. Source of the Problem The large numbers of immigrant workers can be traced to the remaking of the American Immigration Policy enacted in 1965, which enabled immigrants to allow their families to live with them since it was believed that an intact family creates productive and educated citizens (West 23). However this law was unable to foresee potential problems and long-term effects, and it came to terms that even non-immediate family m embers were also included in the immigration processes. Also, other problems became apparent when there were not enough visas to allow other immigrants that could possibly contribute economic and scientific growth such as scientists and business-owners, caused by the influx of extended family members applying for visas (36). Instead of achieving growth and development of industries, liabilities increased since not all family members that immigrated were able to become productive citizens once they entered the country. The problem also increased when numerous migrants tried crossing borders due to conflicts in their home countries that created security problems and financial instabilities. Other issues arose such as some business and farm-owners in the country opting to hire workers that illegally came to the country since they could save much more money by not paying them the minimum wages and withholding other benefits such as social security and health insurance, while still getti ng the work done properly (Kankam-Da-Costa 217). The only possible solution for these problems is to create stringent measures during hiring processes, as well as providing sanctions for employers that would try by-passing current policies in hiring by short-changing both their employers and the government. Proposed Solution to Prevent Increasing Illegal Migrant Workers Currently, U.S has guest worker prog

Juvenile Probation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Probation - Essay Example The jurisprudence today looks at these youngsters as victims of society rather than as perpetrators of a crime. There are many improvements and reforms being implemented in the juvenile justice system and one of these is the increasing use of probation to help wayward youngsters avoid jail time. In this regard, a highly recommended approach is the use of information technology to improve the probation administration system by giving probation officers access to vital data in a flash. High Performance Teams – one of the best game-changers in the administration of a juvenile probation system is the use of the new information technology (IT). The use of IT is a positive influence on those who need to monitor several hundreds or even thousands of the youngsters on probation. With an IT system in place, probation officers can obtain the needed information to make their jobs easier. Information technology has long been recognized as the enabler that has a big positive impact on soci al work practice. The information contained in a database will allow probation officers to make better decisions with regards to using a correct intervention modality with regards to a particular juvenile â€Å"probationer† because they have at hand information about that youngster.

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Business Ethics - Essay Example the CEO’s statement, of giving the employees the liberty to choose whether or not they would like to wear the protective clothing are not ethical neither is it a right choice on moral grounds. There are numerous chemicals used on a daily basis and in some of the cases there is a high majority the use of the chemicals and the effects of the chemical in terms of immediate or even long term is not recognized. Being a CEO of a chemical company, it is essential and mandatory for them to consider the possible issues that will be faced by the employees in the company. a) Whether Overtime is hazardous to health and the working environment: Based on the utilitarian theory and ethical concepts, it is seen that overtime is not very beneficial for any employee especially not in a chemicals industry (Blum, 1993). The effects of the chemicals are very high in the normal eight hours job basically. So leaving it for the employees to choose on whether or not to work for higher number of hours is not ethical. It is not even a choice based on the moral grounds and it is necessary that the CEO take up the responsibility to make sure that the employees have a fixed number of hours of work every week. Being a leader for an industry the CEO is expected to be aware of the damages that the chemicals can cause the employees in the time they are exposed to the chemicals, hence it is necessary that the CEO on humanitarian grounds at least ensures that the employees are not permitted to work for higher hours. Also it is the responsibility of the top management to brin g in the rules and regulations in the company where the employees need to wear on the protective clothing during the shift hours and at all time while dealing with the chemicals. This should be the case not only for the harmful chemicals but for all chemicals irrespective of the degree of damage it could cause to the employee handling it (Blum, 1993). Although it has been clear from researches and studies that the amount of

Downgrade Warning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Downgrade Warning - Term Paper Example According to the report ‘J.P. Morgan Tells Analysts To Warn of a Downgrade’ analysts independence is negatively affected when it needs to clearly communicate to the company and the client banker the reason behind specific stock recommendations. Analysts are warned from conducting negative research and some firms penalize investors for recommending sale options. †¢ What exactly does Peter Houghtons memo say? Does the memo say that analysts should compromise their independence? How does the memo raise questions about analysts independence? Does it make any difference whether "analysts arent pressured to change recommendations, but only to make factual changes"? Ans) The memo of Peter Houghton does not directly point to analysts’ independence. The memo states that analysts should consult the company and the client banker before making recommendations to an investor. Also the analyst should either accept the request of the research note recommended by the firm or should clearly communicate to the firm as to why it cannot follow those recommendations. Yes, there is difference between asking analyst to change recommendations and making factual changes. †¢ What are the "buy side" and "sell side"? Why might the "sell side" be unwilling to make "sell" recommendations on stocks? If the "buy side" has its own analysts, would the "buy side" ever look at "sell side" analysts reports? Ans) The ‘buy side’ and the ‘sell side’ are the two types of analysts. ‘Sell’ recommendation is considered as a part of negative research which affects the firm negatively so the sell recommendation on stocks is viewed in a negative manner. â€Å"Sell-side analysts typically work for full-service broker-dealers and make recommendations on the securities they cover. Buy-side analysts typically work for institutional money managers— that purchase securities for their own accounts† (Analyzing Analyst Recommendations para. 6). †¢ Why might "sell

What Is the Marketing Mix and Why Is It Important Essay Example for Free

What Is the Marketing Mix and Why Is It Important Essay The marketing mix is defined as the set of controllable marketing variables that the company blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing consists of the four P’s which are product, price, place and promotion. The product is something that satisfies the customers need. Marketers need to know about their product so that they can market to their target customer. Price is the amount of money that the customer pays to get the product. The marketer needs to know the cost of the product and understand how much the customer is willing to pay to obtain that product. Place stands for the distribution of the product and describes the processes that are taken place to get the product from the suppliers and producers of the product to the market place where it is ready for purchase. Promotion is the way that the marketer can communicate and persuade their target customer to purchase their item. Promotion includes advertising, personal selling, direct marketing and synchronous marketing. This is important to a marketing manager as they are wanting the consumer to purchase their product. There are three other P’s that have been added to the marketing mix and these form the extended marketing mix. These include people, processes and personal evidence. People are a key tool in marketing as they are able to form relationships with customers to promote sales or if trained incorrectly can turn people away from a sale. The process in marketing is important for customer relations also. If one step in the process such as the delivery of a good is done poorly, the consumer will be a â€Å"bad ambassador† for the company. Physical evidence entails examining every aspect that customers use in their perceptual field to assess such a service. This is also an important field in marketing as the customer controls the purchase. For an effective marketing campaign, all aspects of the marketing mix should be considered to achieve the company’s marketing objectives by delivering value to customers. When looking at the 7 P’s, we notice that these all come from the sellers’ side, not the consumers. Therefore, the marketing experts have also created 4 C’s in terms of customer’s wants and needs. These include Customer needs and wants, Cost to the customer, Convenience and Communication. The customers’ needs and wants are important as the need of the customer is the first step in the product purchase process. If there is no need or want from the customer, there will be no purchase. The cost to the customer is also important.

Genetically Modified Food And Crops Biology Essay

Genetically Modified Food And Crops Biology Essay Genetic modification of crops and food stuffs is one of the major controversial debates in the world. There have been doubts on the safety of genetically modified foods especially in the area of human health and environmental degradation. Many people have fears that their health could experience unforeseeable effects by altering the genetic content of a plant. Genetic modification might have resulted to the growing of pesticide and herbicide tolerant plants but the new technology has dangerous effects on human health and the environment. Genetic modification of crops has led to reduced effectiveness of herbicides and pesticides, transfer of genes to species that are not targeted, and has caused harm to important organisms. It has also caused allergies to most people in different parts of the world and raised economic concerns. Though the supporters of the new technology argue that it has led to increased crop yields and alleviation of nutrition deficiencies, genetic modification has obviously caused more harm than good. Introduction Genetically modified foods have been used widely in the 21st century and have splashed in the media lately. Public awareness groups and European environmental agencies have been frequently protesting against genetically modified foods and crops for years, and the latest controversial studies regarding the effects of GM corn pollen on sovereign butterfly caterpillars have prompted the issue of genetic engineering hence bringing it to the front position of public awareness in the United States. As a result, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has held three public meetings in Washington D.C., Oakland, California, and Chicago to importune opinions by the public and start the procedure of establishing an effective regulatory method for government sanction of genetically modified foods. GM foods have resulted to adverse effects especially in regard to environmental hazard, human health risk, and economic concerns. In respect to this, the government should discourage the g rowing of genetically modified crops and establish policies that ensure GM foods and crops are labelled (Institute of Medicine U.S. Committee on Identifying and Assessing Unintended Effects of Genetically Engineered Foods on Human Health 23) Literature Review Genetically modified foods and crops refer to plants scientifically created for animal or human consumption using the most recent molecular biology techniques. Basically, these crops are modified in the laboratory to improve nutritional content. Traditionally, enhancement of plants nutritional content was achieved through breeding but such conventional crop breeding methods proved to be time consuming and not quite reliable in terms of accuracy (Ferry and Gatehouse 59). On the other hand, genetic engineering creates crops that rapidly exhibit the exact desired traits with great accuracy. For instance, its possible for a plant geneticist to cut off a drought tolerance gene and insert it to a different plant. Consequently, the genetically-modified plant will become drought tolerant after acquiring the essential gene. Surprisingly, its also possible to transfer non-plant organisms besides the plant-to-plant gene transfer. The Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis, genes transfer to crops such as corn is a good example of non-plant organisms genes transfer. Bt is a bacterium that occurs naturally and produces insect larvae lethal protein crystals. Moreover, the Bt protein genes are transferred into corn, making it possible for the corn to generate pesticides of its own for instance the European corn borer (Ferry and Gatehouse 60). Pesticide resistant rape plant is on of the genetically modified crops. Scientific researchers have introduced a foreign gene to the rape plant which gives the plant the capability to resist certain pesticides. Consequently, a farmer is able to safely spray his genetically engineered rape plants with pesticides and destroying harmful pests without killing the crops. However, there is a possibility that the introduced genes may be transferred to the pests hence making them resistant to the pesticide as well and the plant spray becomes ineffective (Institute of Medicine U.S. Committee o n Identifying and Assessing Unintended Effects of Genetically Engineered Foods on Human Health 24). In this context, its possible for rape plants to pollinate the navew weed which occurs in rape crop fields. The navew weed acquires resistance to pesticides after gaining the introduced genes from the rape plants. Another example of GM crop is the golden rice which has been genetically engineered to increase its nutrition content by introducing an extra amount of vitamin A. More precisely, golden rice contains the beta-carotene element which is converted into vitamin A by the human body. Beta-carotene is the element responsible for the orange colour found in carrots and the golden colour in this particular rice. However, for the rice to produce beta-carotene, two genes from daffodils and one from bacterium must be implanted (Ferry Gatehouse 60). Methodology The study on genetically-modified crops/foods is very important and adequate information is required to determine the possible downfalls of the new technology. Books by reputable authors will be used to gather sufficient information on the topic. Additionally, relevant articles touching on the current progress of the new technology will also be used to realize recent discoveries. Discussion Natural breeding techniques have been used safely for the past numerous thousands of years. On the contrary, Genetically modified plant technology abrogates reproductive processes that occur naturally, selection takes place at the single cell stage, the process is extremely mutagenic and more often than not breaches genera barriers even after being in use for about ten years. In spite of these differences, the assessment on the safety of genetically modified crops is often based on the substantial equivalence idea such that In case a new crop or food is found to be considerably equivalent in nutritional and composition characteristics to an already existing crop/food, it may be regarded as harmless as the conventional food/crop (Gordon 144). Nevertheless, a number of animal studies designate serious health risks linked to GM crop/food consumption including dysregulation of genes related to synthesis of cholesterol, accelerated aging, and protein formation. Religious organizations, Environmental activists, professional organizations, public interest groups, and other government and scientist officials have raised their concerns about genetically modified foods/crops. Agribusiness pursues profits showing minimal concern for possible environmental and human health hazards as well as economic concerns. Environmental hazards Reduced pesticide and insecticide effectiveness; most insects and pests are likely to develop resistance to Bt just like some mosquito species have developed resistance to DDT pesticide which has already been banned from the market. In addition, there is a possibility that insects and pests may develop resistance to pesticides produced by genetically-modified crops. This will eventually lead to destruction of large amounts of crops both in the field and in the store. Harm to other organisms: In reference to a laboratory study published last year, 2009, pollen from Bacillus thuringiensis corn caused a high rate of deaths in monarch butterfly caterpillars. These caterpillars do not consume corn but milkweed plants, but there is a possibility that pollen from Bt may be blown by wind onto the neighbouring milkweed field and hence the caterpillars will consume them and die. Even though the study wasnt conducted on natural field, the results are likely to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, Bacillus thuringiensis toxins indiscriminately kill many insect larvae species, its impossible to produce a Bt toxin that only kills pests that are crop-damaging and remain safe to other insects (Heller 227). However, this study is under re-examination by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USDA, and other non-governmental research agencies. Interestingly enough, data from recent studies suggests that data from the original study may not have been accurate. Currently, the debate on the results of these studies is still on-going, and the possible risk of harm to organisms that are not targets will need further evaluation (Institute of Medicine U.S. Committee on Identifying and Assessing Unintended Effects of Genetically Engineered Foods on Human Health 50). Gene transfer to non-target species: Another major concern is that crops modified for herbicide tolerance and field weeds might cross-breed, hence leading to the transfer of the resistance genes from plant crops into the adjacent weeds. The resulting weeds will be super and are more likely to become tolerant to the herbicide as well. Other new genes may cross into non-engineered plant crops adjacent to GM crops. The interbreeding possibility is shown by the farmers defence against labelling of GM foods. A good example is the Monsanto case, where the company has filed exclusive rights intrusion lawsuits against GM crops farmers (Gordon 144). The only possible ways through which GM crop farmers can resolve these environmental hazards is by creating male sterile plants. This will ensure that non-target species do not receive new genes from GM crops. On the other hand, the farmers can modify the GM crops in a way that the pollen doesnt consist of the introduced genes. Consequently, there would be no possibility of cross-pollination and harmless insects would survive after consuming pollen from GM crops (Ferry and Gatehouse 121). Another probable solution will be creating buffer zones around GM crop fields. For instance, non-GM corn can be cultivated to surround a Bt. GM corn field, although the non-GM corn should not be harvested. Harmless or beneficial insects would take refuge in the non-GM corn, and pests can be allowed to wipe out the non-GM corn field without developing resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis pesticides. The wind-blown pollen will not cross over to weeds or other crops since the buffer zone wouldnt let it. Nonetheless, this planting method maybe unpractical if large buffer zone acreage is required (Ferry and Gatehouse 150). Human health risks Allergenicity: Allergy emergence is one of the most common human health threat posed by genetically modified foods (Puszta 2001). In the event of genetic modification, a protein with allergic effects could be transferred to a different crop. Additionally, allergic effects could be exacerbated through the biotechnology process, and new proteins that become allergens could be created in GM crops. For example, lots of children and grown-ups in Europe and the United States have developed allergies that are life-threatening to foods such as peanuts. There is likelihood that plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A good example is the Brazil nut-to-beans genes transfer proposal that was rejected because of its possible allergic reactions. However, GM foods may require extensive testing in order to avoid possible consumer harm through allergies (Gordon 144). Unknown effects on human health: Transferring or introducing alien genes into food crops may result to unexpected negative effects on human health. An article recently published in Lancet scrutinized the effects of genetically-modified potatoes on the digestive system in rats. This study argued that there were significant differences in the intestines of GM potato fed rats and those of rats fed naturally cultivated potatoes. Until now critics argue that this results, like the monarch butterfly data, is faulty and doesnt hold up to scientific examination. Furthermore, the gene transferred into the potatoes was lectin, a snowdrop flower already known to be poisonous to mammals. The research scientists who produced this variety of potato decided to use lectin gene just to test the methodology, because these potatoes were not intended for animal or human consumption (Gordon 143). Economic concerns Introducing GM foods to market is a costly and lengthy process, and certainly agri-biotech companies aspire to ensure a cost-effective return on their investment. Several new plant genetic-modification technologies and GM crops/foods have been unapproved and patent breach is a great concern of agribusiness. Yet consumer advocates are concerned that patenting the new plant varieties is likely to raise seed prices so high such that small-scale farmers and third world nations will be unable to come up with the money for GM crop seeds, thus increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. People are hoping that in a compassionate gesture, more non-profits and companies will offer their products at a fair cost to poor countries (Ferry and Gatehouse 172). Enforcement of patent may turn-out to be difficult, as the farmers contention that they unwillingly grew Monsanto-modified strains when their crop plants were cross-pollinated. Introducing a suicide gene into GM plants would be an excell ent way of contesting possible patent breach. These crop plants would be feasible for one planting season and would produce seeds that dont germinate since they will be sterile. Farmers would have to purchase a fresh supply of planting seeds yearly. However, this would strain farmers financially especially in third world nations where they cannot afford to purchase seeds every year (Ferry and Gatehouse 173). In contrast, genetic-modified crops have been known to exhibit pest resistance. Insect pests can cause serious crop destruction and loss, hence resulting in distressing financial loss for farmers and prolonged starvation in third world countries. Most farmers buy and use many tons of insecticides and pesticides yearly. Moreover, pesticides can cause potential health hazards and excessive use can contaminate water sources and the environment. Cultivation of genetically-modified crops can eliminate the need for pesticides hence minimizing on costs. However, this method may harm pests that are important for crop growth processes such as pollination. Apart from this, genetically-modified plant crops exhibit herbicide tolerance. Considering that physical weed removal may not be cost-effective for certain crops, farmers are forced to spray large quantities of herbicides to destroy weeds which is expensive and time-consuming. Cultivating plant crops that are genetically-modified to resist a powerful herbicide might help in preventing environmental contamination by minimizing on the herbicides used. Despite the risks involved in genetic-modification of crops/foods, the biotechnology industry continues to claim that genetically-engineered crops can feed the entire world by producing higher crop yields. Nutrition Malnutrition has been reported to be a major problem in developing countries where poor people depend on crops such as rice as their key staple food. Nevertheless, such foods do not contain sufficient amounts of nutrients necessary to prevent malnutrition. If such crops were to be genetically-modified to contain extra minerals and vitamins, deficiencies of nutrients could be alleviated. However, an up to date report by Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed twelve academic studies and indicated that GM foods form a small percentage of the worlds produced food. Bt. corn proved to be the only exception since a high yield in GM corn was reported. As a matter of fact, the report further sated that the significant increase in crop yields was as a result of improvements in trad itional breeding (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Identifying and Assessing Unintended Effects of Genetically Engineered Foods on Human Health 101). Conclusion Genetically-modified foods/crops may be the potential solution to many of global malnutrition and hunger problems, and to aid in preserving and protecting the environment by minimizing dependence upon chemical herbicides and pesticides, and increasing crop yield. Nevertheless, there are several challenges ahead for farmers and national governments, particularly in the areas of, international policy, regulation, safety testing, and GM food labelling. Needless to say, genetic-modification is the inevitable future wave and that the society may not afford to ignore this technology though it has several dangers which outweigh its benefits to both the consumer and the farmer. However, members of the society must carry on with caution to avoid causing environmental hazards and unintentional harm to human health as a result of enthusiasm for this new technology. Recommendations Considering that GM foods pose serious health risks in the areas of allergy, reproductive health, metabolic, and immune function, farmers ought to adopt the precautionary principle. This principle is the key European Union environmental regulatory tool and health policy which has formed numerous international agreements. The precautionary approach is to be applied by nations in accordance with their capabilities in protecting the environment. In case of serious threats of irreversible damage, presence of limited scientific certainty should not be utilized as a reason for postponing gainful measures to prevent degradation of the environment. Bearing the precautionary principle in mind, physicians should educate the public, patients, and the medical community to avoid genetically-modified foods if possible and offer educational materials on health risks arising from GM foods. Moreover, the scientific and medical community should gather information related to health effects resulting fr om the consumption of GM foods. This may include conducting research on safe and effective methods of considering GM foods effects on human health. Lastly, implementing long term labelling and safety testing methods of genetically-modified foods/crops will be an important factor.

Meningitis Vaccine Policy in Saudi Arabia

Meningitis Vaccine Policy in Saudi Arabia Meningitis Vaccine Policy During Hajj Overview of the Essay This essay looks at the meningitis vaccine policy during Hajj in Saudi Arabia, first looking at the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia, in terms of how the health care system is structured and what the policies towards vaccination against meningitis are. The essay then moves on to discuss more general policies towards meningitis vaccination, from the World Health Organisation (WHO), for example, and how the Saudi model of vaccination fits in to this more general framework. The essay then moves on to looking at social theories that have been suggested to explain how organisations work, in terms of understanding how meningitis can be spread through the hajjis attending the Hajj pilgrimage. The essay then moves on to look at what evidence has been gained from research in to meningitis outbreaks during Hajj, and meningitis control through vaccination. This is presented in the form of a literature review of the current, relevant, literature regarding meningitis outbreaks during Hajj, and meningitis control through vaccination. Literature that is specific to Saudi Arabia is focused on, although vaccination programmes that have been successfully attempted further afield will also be discussed. The essay then moves on to looking at how and when the current Saudi Arabian vaccination policy and how this policy differs from previous policies, in terms of why the new policy was introduced and what the positive and negative effects of this policy have been. This section incorporates research reviewed in the previous section, through the literature review of the relevant research, and also looks at how historical trends and international trends in healthcare have contributed to this policy. The impact of globalisation on health care is also discussed. The essay then moves on to discuss any gaps that are present between the stated policy and the implementation of this policy, in terms of the organisational constraints that are present that directly affect policy implementation. The next section of the essay looks at the implications of the policy for nursing practice, in terms of the direct involvement of nurses, the need for counselling and educating parents, in terms of the historical development of nursing and the international trends in nursing. Introduction The Saudi Healthcare System This section looks at how the health care system is structured in Saudi Arabia, and what the policies towards vaccination against meningitis are within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The essay then moves on to discuss more general policies towards meningitis vaccination, from the World Health Organisation (WHO), for example, and how the Saudi model of vaccination fits in to this more general framework. The essay then moves on to looking at social theories that have been suggested to explain how organisations work, in terms of understanding how meningitis can be spread through the hajjis attending the Hajj pilgrimage. The healthcare system in Saudi Arabia is essentially a national health care system, provided by the Government, which is overseen by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which provides primary healthcare services through a series of health care centres scattered throughout the Kingdom. These primary care centres refer applicable cases to advanced specialist curative services based in hospitals. In addition, secondary and tertiary care is provided by a variety of Ministries, and through a variety of private and public organisations: for example, Saudi Arabian universities provide specialist care, through their research hospitals and Saudi Arabian airlines provide health care to it’s employees. Emergency care is provided by the Saudi Red Crescent Society, and is also responsible for providing medical care during the Hajj and Umra pilgrimages. Health care is free, at the point of delivery, to all Saudi citizens and expatriates working in Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi Government spends an estimated ten per cent of its annual budget on health care: this seems to be a good investment as the Saudi’s have one of the highest life expectancy in the region, although obesity is becoming a concern in Saudi Arabia, due to the introduction of the ‘Western’ diet to the region. Whilst a more than adequate health care system is provided by the Saudi Government, as has been seen, there is also a thriving private healthcare system which provides all levels of care, from primary to tertiary and including emergency medical services. The Saudi Government is also interested in reforming the health care system, with a desire to achieve coordination amongst the various sectors and to increase the number of Saudi medical and nursing graduates so that Saudi employees can work in this sector, rather than employing many hundreds of thousands of expatriate nursing and medical staff, as is currently the case. The Saudi Government is also attempting to introduce a cooperative health insurance scheme, which would cover all non-Saudi residents living and working in the country. Infection Control for the Hajj In order to attend the Hajj, vaccination against the A and C meningitis strains was made mandatory, following on from the worldwide outbreak of meningitis A which occurred following the 1987 Hajj (Fonkoua et al., 2002) and a 1992 outbreak of meningitis A which occurred amongst Umra pilgrims (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003). In addition to this requirement for travellers entering Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, all hajjis coming from countries belonging to the African meningitis belt, and those arriving from areas that had recently experienced a meningitis outbreak, were required to take a single dose of ciprofloxacin upon arrival to Saudi Arabia (WHO, 2001). This policy was in place in Saudi Arabia until the recent outbreak of the W-135 serogroup. The current concern of health professionals and health organisations is, however, the W-135 serogroup, due to the recorded outbreak of meningitis amongst Singaporean pilgrims returning from the Hajj in 2001, many of whom had been vaccinated with the quadrivalent vaccine (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003). As stated in Wilder-Smith et al. (2003), there was a massive outbreak of serogroup W-135 meningitis in the 2000 and 2001 pilgrimages, through pharyngeal carriage of the serotype in pilgrims returning from the Hajj. Wilder-Smith et al. (2003) looked at meningitis carriage during the minor pilgrimage (Umra) and found that, whilst the W-135 serotype was carried, it was at a much lower rate of incidence, at 1.3% versus the 17% found in Hajj pilgrims, leading to their conclusion that in order to reduce the potential introduction of N.meningiditis W-135 in to the countries of origin of the pilgrims, then a ttentions would be better focused on those pilgrims attending the Hajj rather than the Umra. Following on from the Hajj-associated outbreak of W-135 serogroup, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health changed their policy with regards to meningitis and made it mandatory for hajjis to receive the quadrivalent vaccine (against A, C, Y and W-135) as a visa requirement from 2002 for people entering Saudi Arabia for the purposes of the Hajj (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003). In addition, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health administers antibiotics to all local Saudi hajjis in order to eradicate the carriage of the W-135 serogroup and to reduce transmission to local contacts and to the larger community (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003). In terms of more general policies with regards to vaccination programmes against meningitis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended control practices for meningitis involve vaccination with the A/C vaccine in response to epidemics, which requires that epidemics are detected early and that stocks of vaccines be set up in at-risk regions, so that vaccination can be rapid (Fonkoua et al., 2002). Whilst other outbreaks of the W-135 strain of meningitis are becoming increasingly common, such as the outbreaks in Yaounde in Cameroon (Fonkoua et al., 2002) and in Burkina Faso (which killed 1500 people of the 13000 known to have been infected), the WHO is recommends preventative vaccination to protect those individuals at risk (for example, travellers, people in the military and pilgrims) (WHO, 2003) and vaccination for those who have been in close contact with known meningitis cases. In terms of vaccination for epidemic control, the WHO recommends that in the African meningitis belt , the known hotspot for meningitis, stretching from Senegal to Ethopia, epidemics be controlled with enhanced surveillance and the use of oily chloramphenicol, with mass vaccinations for those areas in the epidemic phase and those contiguous areas that are in alert phase: such mass vaccination, promptly administered is estimated to prevent seventy per cent of cases (WHO, 2003). As shown in a 2001 WHO report (WHO, 2001) on the emergence of the W-135 strain of meningitis, infection with this strain can lead to outbreaks of considerable size and because the epidemiology of this strain is not well understood, there is a serious need for travellers to the Hajj to be protected. The 2001 outbreak of W-135 strain of meningitis at the Hajj spread worldwide with a total of 304 cases reported and this outbreak raised serious questions as to whether the W-135 strain of meningitis will become a major public health problem at national and international levels (WHO, 2001). As shown in the NHS leaflet specially designed for UK citizens and residents planning on attending the Hajj, the W-135 strain of meningitis is deadly and vaccination against the A and C strains of meningitis does not protect an individual against this more deadly strain: only the quadrivalent vaccine will protect individuals against the W-135 strain of meningitis (NHS, 2007). In terms of the WHO policy on the W-135 strain of meningitis, the WHO has stated that the currently available vaccine is too expensive to be applicable for mass vaccination programmes that are known to be effective in the prevention of the epidemic outbreak of other meningitis strains, and so the WHO is pressing for an affordable vaccine against the W-135 strain, i.e., a vaccine at a price that would be affordable in an African situation, given that the majority of outbreaks of meningitis occurring worldwide occur in the African meningitis belt (WHO, 2003). Thus, there is no widespread vaccination programme with the quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against the W-135 strain of meningitis, unlike the routine vaccination programmes with the vaccines that are effective against the A and C strains. As the WHO, the Saudi government and various Governments who deal with their citizens who attend the Hajj (for example, the UK) are recommending, it is, at the moment, sufficient that the quadrivalent vaccine is given only to those who are at risk, i.e., those who are planning on entering a region that is known to have the W-135 strain. Widespread vaccination against the W-135 strain of meningitis is not being practiced anywhere in the world, mainly, it seems, due to the high cost of the vaccine but also due to the fact that there is no scientific evidence as to the global direction of the W-135 strain of meningitis i.e., the fact that there is no evidence, as yet, to suggest that the W-135 strain of meningitis will become a global scourge (WH O, 2001) and, as such, that it is not certain, as yet, as to whether a mass vaccination against this strain is necessary. Due to this information, the Saudi Arabian government implemented a mass vaccination with the tetravalent vaccine, active against the A, C and W strains of meningitis (WHO, 2001) and put in place the controls for hajjis as previously outlined: i) making it mandatory for hajjis to receive the quadrivalent vaccine (against A, C, Y and W-135) as a visa requirement from 2002 for people entering Saudi Arabia for the purposes of the Hajj (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003); ii) administering antibiotics to all local Saudi hajjis in order to eradicate the carriage of the W-135 serogroup and to reduce transmission to local contacts and to the larger community (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003); and iii) requiring all hajjis coming from countries belonging to the African meningitis belt, and those arriving from areas that had recently experienced a meningitis outbreak, to take a single dose of ciprofloxacin upon arrival to Saudi Arabia (WHO, 2001). Social theories to explain how organisations work This section looks at some of the social theories that have been suggested to explain how organisations work, in terms of understanding how meningitis can be spread through the hajjis attending the Hajj pilgrimage. In terms of the social theories that have been suggested to explain how organisations work, in terms of understanding how meningitis can be spread through the hajjis attending the Hajj pilgrimage Bourdieu, writing in Hillier and Rooksby (2005) talks about the concept of ‘habitus’ in terms of describing both geographical and social spaces or dispositions, which Bourdieu (2005) describes as permanent manners of being, seeing, acting and thinking, a permanent structure of perception, conception and action. Bourdieu’s (2005) thinking on habitus and dispositions can be applied to participation in the Hajj, as Bourdieu (2005) widens his definition of habitus to include unity of human behaviour, or what he terms lifestyle: that is, a set of acquired characteristics which are the product of prevailing social conditions. Bourdieu (2005) argues that this habitus, this disposition, can lead to entrenched behaviours and responses, especially in religious beliefs, for example, which leads, for example, to people wishing to attend the Hajj pilgrimage as part of their religious beliefs. Other social theories that have been put forward to explain organisational behaviour include social network theory (Barnes, 1954) which explains how social networks are formed, through the formation of nodes (i.e,, individuals) which are bound together through interdependency such as values or visions or disease transmission. The use of this theory can help epidemiologists explain how, for example, meningitis is spread amongst and beyond hajjis, leading to the development of plans and policies to contain the spread of meningitis. This will be looked at in more detail later in the essay. The Evidence from the Research This section looks at what evidence has been gained from research in to meningitis outbreaks during Hajj, and meningitis control through vaccination. This is presented in the form of a literature review of the current, relevant, literature regarding meningitis outbreaks during Hajj, and meningitis control through vaccination. Literature that is specific to Saudi Arabia is focused on, although outbreaks and vaccination programmes that have been successfully attempted further afield will also be discussed. There was a massive outbreak of serogroup W-135 meningitis in the 2000 and 2001 Hajj pilgrimages, through pharyngeal carriage of the serotype in pilgrims returning from the Hajj (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003). Wilder-Smith et al. (2003) looked at meningitis carriage during the minor pilgrimage (Umra) and found that, whilst the W-135 serotype was carried, it was at a much lower rate of incidence, at 1.3% versus the 17% found in Hajj pilgrims, leading to their conclusion that in order to reduce the potential introduction of N.meningiditis W-135 in to the countries of origin of the pilgrims, then attentions would be better focused on those pilgrims attending the Hajj rather than the Umra. Outbreaks of the W-135 strain of meningitis are becoming increasingly common further afield, such as the outbreaks in Yaounde in Cameroon (reported in Fonkoua et al., 2002) and in Burkina Faso (which killed 1500 people of the 13000 known to have been infected) (reported in WHO, 2001). To this end, as will be seen, whilst there is a vaccine against the W-135 strain of meningitis, this vaccine is extremely expensive and, as such, is not suitable for mass vaccination programmes. The vaccine is currently only in usage for travellers who are expecting to travel in to high risk regions, i.e., hajjis travelling to the Hajj which happens in a known outbreak area. It is hoped, however, that the WHO lobbying of the pharmaceutical companies will produce a more affordable version of the vaccine that would then be utilised in mass vaccination programmes, particularly across the African meningitis region, in order to minimise the spread of the deadly W-135 strain of meningitis. The Saudi Arabian Vaccination Policy This section looks at the current Saudi Arabian vaccination policy and how this policy differs from previous policies, in terms of why the new policy was introduced and what the positive and negative effects of this policy have been. This section incorporates research reviewed in the previous section, through the literature review of the relevant research, and also looks at how historical trends and international trends in healthcare have contributed to this policy. The impact of globalisation on health care is also discussed. Prior to the W-135 meningitis outbreak amongst those who had attended the 2001 Hajj, and following on from the worldwide outbreak of meningitis A which occurred following the 1987 Hajj (Fonkoua et al., 2002) and a 1992 outbreak of meningitis A which occurred amongst Umra pilgrims (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003), the Saudi Arabia vaccine policy was for mandatory vaccination against the A and C meningitis strains for all hajjis, with the necessity to present a certificate of vaccination upon application for a visa to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. In 2003, similarly to many other countries, such as the UK, who also undertake such a mass vaccination scheme, the Saudi Arabian government implemented a mass vaccination with the tetravalent vaccine, which is active against the A, C and W strains of meningitis (WHO, 2001). Following the 2001 W-135 outbreak, the Saudi Arabian Government put in place several controls for hajjis: i) it became mandatory for hajjis to receive the quadrivalent vaccine (against A, C, Y and W-135) as a visa requirement from 2002 for people entering Saudi Arabia for the purposes of the Hajj (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003); ii) the Saudi Arabian Government administered antibiotics to all local Saudi hajjis in order to eradicate the carriage of the W-135 serogroup and to reduce transmission to local contacts and to the larger community (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003); and iii) it became a requirement for entry to the country that all hajjis coming from countries belonging to the African meningitis belt, and those arriving from areas that had recently experienced a meningitis outbreak, were to take a single dose of ciprofloxacin upon arrival to Saudi Arabia (WHO, 2001). In terms of how international trends in healthcare and globalisation have contributed to these changes in the policy of the Saudi Arabian Government towards controlling meningitis, whilst the Hajj has always attracted pilgrims from all over the world, only recently has the deadly W-135 strain of meningitis reared its head, presenting a potentially disastrous scenario if this disease became epidemic as a consequence of the ideal conditions for disease replication that the Hajj presents. Thus, the Saudi Arabian Government has had to work fast to draw up a policy that minimises, as far as possible, the chances of a W-135 epidemic. The Saudi Arabian response to this threat has been impressive, in terms of drawing up practical, preventative measures so quickly and putting these in to practice so quickly. Globalisation has speeded up international travel and, through globalisation, the world has become, in a very real sense, smaller. One can literally travel wherever one desires, faster than ever before. The fact that there was an outbreak of W-135 in Singapore, amongst Singaporean hajjis, shows that what could once, historically, have been an isolated outbreak of such a deadly disease now has the potential to affect many thousands of individuals, as those infected could, potentially, travel on many different modes of transport, across many thousands of miles, coming in to contact with many different individuals, who could then become carriers of the disease, spreading the disease far afield and leading to different outbreaks of the same disease in places where the disease has never been reported previously. Problems Facing the Policies in Place to Prevent Meningitis Outbreaks During the Hajj This section discusses the gaps that are present between the stated policy and the implementation of this policy, in terms of the organisational constraints that are present that directly affect policy implementation. The actual situation of meningitis control amongst hajjis requires attention, as it is known that many hajjis enter Saudi Arabia illegally and thus are not reached by formal checks or health services whilst entering Saudi Arabia (WHO, 2001). This leads to the situation where diseases could be spread through an individual slipping through the many and varied controls that have been put in place by the Saudi Arabian Government, as it is known that many of these illegal immigrants come from countries that do not have vaccination programmes in place and who, therefore, are highly unlikely to have been vaccined prior to travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. For this reason, aside from the formal border controls on entry of hajjis, vaccination posts have been established in the last few years around the Holy Mosque (WHO, 2001). In addition, risks are presented by the arrival, at Saudi Arabian border entry ports, of individuals bearing false vaccination certificates. This presents a particular problem as these individuals put at risk the Saudi Arabian control policies that are in place, through the fact that these individuals may be carriers of disease, and may pass disease to the hajjis, but also because the need to vaccinate these individuals, often numbering in to the thousands, costs the Saudi Arabian Government time and money, paying for and administering the vaccine, a vaccine that is in short global supply and which is expensive (WHO, 2001). In terms of minimising the chances of such problems occurring, the Saudi Arabian Government has been in close talks with the Governments of countries of the African meningitis belt to offer direct, on the spot, help with vaccination programmes, donating vaccines to those countries who cannot afford them and opening temporary health centres in those countries that do not have the necessary infrastructure for the administration of said vaccines (WHO, 2001). The Saudi Arabian Government is also involved in research looking at, for example, carriage prevelance of meningitis strains in Mecca and the impact of mass chemoprophylaxis with ciprofloxacin (Who, 2001). Thus, whilst there are gaps that are present between the stated policy and the implementation of this policy, in terms of the organisational constraints that are present that directly affect policy implementation, the Saudi Arabian Government seems, really, as shown through this in-depth study, to be doing literally all it can to attempt to control, as far as possible, the outbreak of various strains of meningitis amongst hajjis during Hajj. Implications of the Saudi Arabian Policy for Nursing Practice The next section of the essay looks at the implications of the policy for nursing practice, in terms of the direct involvement of nurses, the need for counselling and educating parents, in terms of the historical development of nursing and the international trends in nursing. There are many and varied problems presented to UK nurses by the Saudi Arabian policy on vaccination against meningitis, in terms of the fact that UK nursing staff need training to understand the cultural significance of the Hajj to their muslim patients, in order to understand any potential requests for vaccination and to diagnose any potential diseases on their return from the Hajj. Nurses dealing directly with hajjis also require further training in the current vaccination requirements for hajjis, as determined by the Saudi Arabian Government’s vaccination policy, as shown through their visa requirements, in order to administer the correct, required, vaccines. The nursing staff in contact with hajjis should also be fully versed in the symptoms of all types of meningitis (including the deadly W-135) and other diseases that could be contracted whilst undertaking the Hajj, in order for timely diagnoses to be made, and timely treatment to be delivered to the patient. The fact that there was an outbreak of W-135 in Singapore, amongst Singaporean hajjis, shows that what could once, historically, have been an isolated outbreak of such a deadly disease now has the potential to affect many thousands of individuals, as those infected could, potentially, travel on many different modes of transport, across many thousands of miles, coming in to contact with many different individuals, who could then become carriers of the disease, spreading the disease far afield and leading to different outbreaks of the same disease in places where the disease has never been reported previously. Thus, globalisation has led to the situation where nursing staff need to be attuned to the possibility of ‘local’ patients presenting with ‘tropical’ or ‘foreign’ diseases. Whilst there is a system of reporting set up for such diseases, the early diagnosis of such diseases is often mistaken for common ailments, such as flu, for example, and diagnosis and treatment delayed, often leading to the spreading of the disease whilst the patient is ‘at large’ and not contained. This was the case in the 2001 outbreak of W-135 meningitis in the UK, with only 8 of the 51 total cases being actual pilgrims and 22 cases being contacts of the pilgrims, with 21 cases not having any apparent contact with the pilgrims: transmission was maintained for several months prior to diagnosis which is suspected to have led to many of the additional cases (WHO, 2001). Thus, nursing staff in countries that host Hajj attendees, such as the UK, need to be aware not only of current policies which affect the vaccination requirements of hajjis, but also of diseases that could be contracted whilst at the Hajj, in terms of knowing what symptoms to look for in patients returning from the Hajj. Saudi Arabian policies that are aimed at controlling the spread of meningitis during the Hajj thus not only have an effect on Saudi Arabian nursing staff, in terms of requiring them to administer any necessary vaccines and/or other medication, but also have a direct impact on nursing staff in those countries that host hajjis, for example, the UK, requiring special training for nursing staff. Conclusion This essay has looked at the meningitis vaccine policy during Hajj in Saudi Arabia, first looking at the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia, in terms of how the health care system is structured and what the policies towards vaccination against meningitis are. It was seen that the Saudi Arabian policies to vaccination against meningitis have changed somewhat in light of the 2001 outbreak of the W-135 strain of meningitis, which led to a tightening of requirements for entry to the country for the purposes of the Hajj and to a widespread vaccination programme across Saudi Arabia, and a local vaccination and medication programme in the immediate vicinity of the Hajj sites. The essay then moved on to discuss more general policies towards meningitis vaccination, from the World Health Organisation (WHO), for example, and how the Saudi model of vaccination fits in to this more general framework. As seen, the WHO is concerned that a major outbreak of the W-135 strain of meningitis could not be controlled, due to the high cost of the vaccine; the Saudi mondel fits in to this general framework in terms of aiming to prevent an outbreak not through mass vaccination with the quadrivalent vaccine but through the careful control of individuals entering the Hajj zone. The essay then moved on to looking at social theories that have been suggested to explain how organisations work, in terms of understanding how meningitis can be spread through the hajjis attending the Hajj pilgrimage, showing that many social theories are applicable to explain how diseases are transmitted across the Hajj period. The evidence that has been gained from research in to meningitis outbreaks during Hajj was then discussed, as was the historical treatment of meningitis control through vaccination. This was presented in the form of a literature review of the current, relevant, literature regarding meningitis outbreaks during Hajj, and meningitis control through vaccination. Literature that is specific to Saudi Arabia was focused on, although vaccination programmes that have been successfully attempted further afield were also discussed. The essay then moved on to look at how and when the current Saudi Arabian vaccination policy has changed, and how this policy differs from previous policies, in terms of why the new policy was introduced and what the positive and negative effects of this policy have been. It was shown that, prior to the W-135 meningitis outbreak amongst those who had attended the 2001 Hajj, and following on from the worldwide outbreak of meningitis A which occurred following the 1987 Hajj (Fonkoua et al., 2002) and a 1992 outbreak of meningitis A which occurred amongst Umra pilgrims (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003), the Saudi Arabia vaccine policy was for mandatory vaccination against the A and C meningitis strains for all hajjis, with the necessity to present a certificate of vaccination upon application for a visa to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. In 2003, similarly to many other countries, such as the UK, who also undertake such a mass vaccination scheme, the Saudi Arabian government implemented a mass vaccination with the tetravalent vaccine, which is active against the A, C and W strains of meningitis (WHO, 2001). Following the 2001 W-135 outbreak, the Saudi Arabian Government put in place several controls for hajjis: i) it became mandatory for hajjis to receive the quadrivalent vaccine (against A, C, Y and W-135) as a visa requirement from 2002 for people entering Saudi Arabia for the purposes of the Hajj (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003); ii) the Saudi Arabian Government administered antibiotics to all local Saudi hajjis in order to eradicate the carriage of the W-135 serogroup and to reduce transmission to local contacts and to the larger community (Wilder-Smith et al., 2003); and iii) it became a requirement for entry to the country that all hajjis coming from countries belonging to the African meningitis belt, and those arriving from areas that had recently experienced a meningitis outbreak, were to take a single dose of ciprofloxacin upon arrival to Saudi Arabia (WHO, 2001). In terms of how historical trends and international trends in healthcare have contributed to this policy, and the impact of globalisation on health care, it was shown that globalisation has meant that diseases can spread far more rapidly and widely than ever before, and that this has grave consequences in terms of deadly diseases such as the W-135 strain of meningitis. Various problems for the Saudi Arabian vaccination policy were then discussed, and the relevant solutions were given, and then the essay moved on to discussing the role of nurses involved in the care potential hajjis and of returning, infected, hajjis, in terms of the implications of the Saudi Arabian vaccination policy for nursing practice, in terms of the direct involvement of nurses, the need for counselling and educating parents, and in terms of the historical development of nursing and the international trends in n

Conventional Plastic Films vs Sustainable Films Essay -- Environment,

Sustainability has become and important issue in the world as the Green Movement continues to gain popularity. One area where research is being conducted to find a more sustainable production process is plastic films. Plastic films are defined as a packaging material, usually less than ten mils (a mil is 0.001 inch) in thickness, with an average of 0.7–1.5 mils, that can be used as a bag or wrapper. They are composed of a broad range of materials, which can be simple or complex depending on what a particular product or package demands (Osborn & Jenkins, 1992). There are two main categories of films used in packaging, conventional films and sustainable films. Conventional plastic films are much more widely used and have a larger market than sustainable films. The film can be made with different resins, each of which have unique structures and are ideal for specific applications. The films can be clear or colored, printed or plain, single- or multilayered and are often combined with other materials such as aluminum and paper. Examples of plastic films usages include Ziploc bags, trash bags, grocery sacks, drycleaner bags, and plastic wrap. The only common characteristic of all plastic conventional film is that it is flexible in nature. The most common resin used to create these plastic film packages is low-density polyethylene (LDPE). As a film LDPE has decent clarity, is a good moisture and gas barrier, and it can be heat sealed while retaining its strength and flexibility. Polypropylene (PP) is also a common resin used to create plastic film. It has an excellent moisture barrier, good transparency, gloss, and tensile strength. The PP resin also has a high melting point, which makes it appropriate for packages that need to be st... ...petroleum, which has been around for significantly longer and has a strong hold on the market. As sustainability continues to become an emerging concern for consumers bio-plastics will grow in importance in the packaging industry. Similar to auto companies who are searching for alternative sources of energy for automobiles, chemical companies are searching for alternatives to manufacture of plastic materials (Perkins & Lindsay, 2011). We have a limited supply of fossil fuels and ate the rate plastic products such as film are being produced and consumed each year, it is hard to say how long they will last. Bio-plastics currently represent only a small fraction of the emerging area of sustainable development, but their usage is growing. There is great potential for bio-plastics as replacements for the less-sustainable fossil fuel based plastics used in plastic film.

The Collapse of Somalia and Economic Considerations Essay -- Essays P

The Collapse of Somalia and Economic Considerations By African standards, Somalia is a homogenous state made up of a single ethnicity, religion and culture. This led to a relatively peaceful history until Somalia was colonized by the British, French, and Italians in the 19th century. However, Somalia’s single ethnicity is broken into different clans, and sub-clans and this region’s lack of natural resources led to a fracturing of society, violence, and eventually civil war at the end of the 20th century. Despite the deterioration of society and state throughout the 70s and 80s informal black-markets (referred to as the â€Å"shadow economy†) formed to provide goods and services to the masses living under a government incapable of providing anything. This shadow economy thrived throughout the 1980s for minority elites able to participate in its transactions. Even though there was no government after President Siad Barre was deposed in 1991, the shadow economy of the 1970s and 80s was already in place, and though it didn’t necessarily distribute goods and services equitably, it did create markets and opportunities for Somalis in the 1990s. This essay will look at how: (1) colonialism and the Cold War created a relationship of Somali dependence on foreign aid; (2) the vulnerability of Somalia’s undiversified economy; (3) domestic economic policy failures and â€Å"land-grabbing† by elites; (4) the failure of IMF-World bank structural adjustment programs. The combination of these events, coupled with famine, led to fighting between warlords and the collapse of state. Finally, this essay will analyze how the process of Somalia’s decline necessitated the establishment of a shadow economy that continued to prosper despite the absence of s... ...omalia_body.html ___________________ Besteman, Catherine, Unraveling Somalia: Race, Violence, and the Legacy of Slavery (Philadelphia: University of Penslyvania Press, 1999) Besteman, Catherine and Lee V. Cassanelli, The Struggle for Land in Southern Somalia: The War Behind the War (London: Haan Publishing, 1996) Chazen, Naomi and Donald Rothchild, â€Å"The Political Repercussions of Economic Malaise,† in Hemmed In: Responses to Africa’s Economic Decline, by Thomas M. Callaghy and John Ravenhill, editors. Columbia International Affairs Online – http://www.ciaonet.org/book/callagy/chap5.html Hashim, Alice Bettis, The Fallen State: Dissonance, Dictatorship and Death in Somalia (New York: University Press of America, Inc., 1997) Samatar, Ahmed I., The Somali Challenge: From Catastrophe to Renewal? (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1994)

Behavioral Therapy Essay -- Psychology, Illness, Hypnosis , Pain

Most contemporary psychological treatment approaches are predecessors of the ancient and medieval philosophies and theories. Cognitive behavioural therapy as one of the modern treatment method in not an independently formed treatment, different theories have contributed to its present shape and application. The purpose of this paper is analysing the contributing treatment approaches that resulted in the emergence of the Behavioural Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The paper presents and analyses the contributions that previous psychological treatment methods made in culminating the CBT. To this end, the paper presents the main treatment methods that are assumed to be most important and analyse their main arguments in detail. It also tries to show the logical transition of the previous treatment methods to CBT. For the purpose of this paper it is better to start from the medieval time where the modern psychological treatment started. Many writers would claim that the contemporary psychology and psychological treatment has its beginning from Sigmund Freud’s and post Freudian psychoanalysis movement. However, it is equally correct to appreciate the legacy of Franz Anton Mesmer(1734-1815) who should be credited for introducing the Hypnosis, the evolution and development of which lies the unlocking of the mysteries of a unifying theory of all therapy and healing (Franz Anton Mesmer believed that illness is caused by an imbalance of magnetic fluids in the body that can be corrected through "animal magnetism." He asserted that the hypnotist's own personal magnetism can be transferred to a patient Tommy Hanchen, (2009). Mesmer contributed to psychology in various ways firstly, by revealing that illne... ...cticing RET†. Ellis further says in this book that he is considered to be the father of RET and the grandfather of CBT. However, evidences show that any single therapeutic technique can’t be responsible for the generation of CBT In conclusion therefore, CBT as the modern therapeutic method, was as a result of several developments that activities within clinical psychology and laboratory experiments being faced with that led to advent of techniques such as cognitive therapy. have evolved from the start of the modern psychological treatment method by Mesmer who developed the hypnosis and the concept of suggestibility that follows. We can now see that the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy encompasses different techniques that it received from previous generations of treatment. Similar development also brought Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Therapy together.

Marketing Techniques Essay

The main thing behind marketing in a business is finding the customer’s needs and produce the product/ services to satisfy their needs, this way the customer can choose what they would want included in their product/ service. A business that follows this rule is market-orientated. There is alternatives orientation for businesses, these are; The production concept: This is where the business produces in large quantities and distribute in bulk, this is so the customer/ business get the products cheaper as they will be bulk buying. A business that would do this is Walkers. They make thousands of packets and then sells them to large business such as Tesco, Tesco would be able to buy it for cheaper as they will be buying in a very large amount as they can stock allot of products. However charity shops will sell their products and with the entire surplus they send it off to the charity. An example of this is Oxfam, they will sell their products to the public and with all the surplus is sent off to the project they are currently on. The sales concept: Businesses need to know how to sell their products/ services. If they don’t know how to the business is likely to fail but if a business knows how to sell its goods/ sieves then it is likely to be successful. A type of sales technique is hard selling nor Tesco or Oxfam hard sell but businesses such as Anglian, Everest and Safestyle are usually hard sellers trying to get you to buy double glazing. As you can see some of the sales reps in these businesses have lied about the business just so they can close sales with people on the spot. The marketing Concept: Marketing concept is different to sales and production as it has to take every step with keeping customers in mind as marketing is based around customer’s needs and wishes. An example for this is Tesco they do this with their Tesco Club card every time you shop you swipe your card and the system knows what the customer purchased, so to bring back the customer they will mail you some vouchers which then makes the customer want to come back into the store and shop again. Another business that uses marketing is Curry’s when you purchase something the sales assistant take down your home address so if they have any offers which are similar to what you bought will send you letter informing you about any offers. Marketing definitions: Basic definition of marketing is meeting customer needs and wants profitably. Marketing consists of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. Objectives: Private sector The objectives for a private sector business are to maximise profits and expand all over the world. An example for a private sector business is Tesco. They have businesses in the UK and in America called Fresh & Easy. In the screen shot you can see Tesco’s objectives. Public sector The objectives for a public sector business are to provide quality service for the public. An example for this is the NHS as they provide health care for everyone. In the screenshot you can see NHS’s objectives. Voluntary sector The voluntary sector businesses objectives are to raise money for good causes. An example of this is Oxfam they aid anyone to donate any goods so they can sell them and send the money they produce from the goods they sell given to the public to projects they are currently on. As you can see this is one of Oxfam’s shops where they sell goods that have been donated by the public. Organisational objective This is a target for the whole business no matter how big it is. A good example of this is Tesco, Tesco’s objective may be to increase market share to 51%. Marketing objective This is how you are going to achieve it e.g. increase Tesco value products Tesco can produce their own products such as Ben & Jerry ice-cream they can produce a Tesco value version as some people may not be able to afford  £4 ice-cream so the people can buy the alternative which would help Tesco increase their profits. Link between organisational objectives and marketing objectives Marketing objectives shouldn’t be contradicting a business’s main objective, but should be contributing in achieving that. A business will not succeed if it’s been pulled apart in two different directions. An example of this is if Tesco want to increase their sales by a certain percentage then different functional areas have to contribute to achieve this such as advertising they may advertise products that are on offer or any seasonal products e.g. Christmas, new years or valentines. Tesco’s could also send out more offers with their Club Card meaning more customers may shop i n the business. By this way Tesco will be informing a lot more people that they have sales on which might bring more customers into the business. Market leadership This is where a business has the most market share in a given product or service, this could be measured by the amount of goods sold or the value of those goods. If a business wants to become a market leader they need to be 51% or more in sales for it to become a market leader. For example, Tesco is the leading supermarket in the supermarket market place as you can see in this screenshot (January 2012). Charity do no compete with market share as they all have similar aims and objectives but need maximum funds to stay in operation. Some charities will be more valuable then others depending on how much donations they receive. Oxfam is at the top along with cancer research UK, British Heart Foundation and many more. Brand awareness Brand awareness is making people aware of the business and what they do/ sell. Brand awareness is the NHS’s number one objective, they want all of Great Britain’s public to know what they do. Brand awareness may be an individual product or the whole business itself. Tesco may advertise their Tesco club card so people are more aware of the club card you can get when you sign up with them. Perceptions of customers A customer’s perception of a business or a brand often affects their purchasing decision. An example of this is a business might have a lot of brand awareness but their products might not be of the highest quality. This will make the customer not want to come back into the store as they are paying for a cheap quality product. Tesco has a reputation of selling goods a cheap price to everyone, if they start selling their products higher than their competitors then they are likely to lose out on customers and sales which are why they try keep their prices as low as possible. People may also decide to shop at Oxfam for clothes rather than buying clothes from the high street as they know their money goes to good use. Techniques: Growth strategies Businesses grow through their products/ services every time they put a product on the market more and more people will find out about the product. For example Tesco have been using growth strategies as they are expanding with their services, such as Tesco Money, you can now have a credit card with Tesco which people who may don’t normally do not shop at Tesco may have their Tesco credit card. Oxfam use growth strategies through advertising. Every time they advertise someone new will hear about Oxfam and how they are helping to take people out of poverty in third world countries. Survival strategies This is important for all business if they want to keep operating. The reason why Tesco are expanding into different markets is in case one market fails them they have other services which will help them keep out of making a loss for example if Tesco started making cars and sold a few thousand but then was not successful. They are likely to start making a loss but as they are successful in other markets they are unlikely that they would shut down. With Oxfam with all their stores open they can use them stores to survive. Branding Business need to have a strong brand image in order for them to survive. Providing high customer service will increase the brand image. Advertising is also a factor to increase the brand image. Tesco and Oxfam both have a very strong brand image as they are at the top of their tables Tesco is globally a very well known business and Oxfam is also globally well know as they operate in the UK and in third world countries. Relationship marketing Building a relationship with customers is very important for the business as they will think that the business cares about them. Tesco can build relationships with its customers at the tills, the cashier can communicate with the customer building a positive relationship. This is also the same with Oxfam when people buy products from the stores they are building a relationship with the business or if you support Oxfam through direct debit you will receive a welcome pack with updates every month about what the persons many is doing and how they are helping people in poverty.