Inland Whale Essay

Finally, In the story of ‘Testily, Sun's Daughter† is the cause of the events that enroll in the story. My claim is, The cautionary tales â€Å"The Mans Wife†, â€Å"Butterfly Man†, and † Testily, Sun's Daughter† reveal that Native American societies and cultures depended on gar popup cohesiveness and not letting greed or personal desires take over. In â€Å"The Man's Wife† the man does many things that affect nature and the way of living.The man doesn't want to let his dead wife leave in peace so he stays with her, burns off his hair, and didn't eat or sleep while he was waiting for his wife. A quote that pro eves this is, â€Å"He as however able to tie around her waist a rope of eagle's down, and clinging to one end of it, he walked a few steps behind her all through the 132). This qua Toe proves that he insisted on being with her that he even went through and tied a rope roar ND her. This also shows that desire has taken over and he w ill do anything to be with her.Not her thing that the man did was going into the dead people's land. A quote that proves this is, â€Å"l must warn you that to the dead the smell Of the living is offensive, and there will be restiveness as among them, feeling of the impropriety of your being here at all†(Kookier 137). This is imp rattan because it shows that the man shouldn't be invading the home of the dead because the e dead and living should not interact with the dead. If this happens the dead is disturbed and t he balance of nature is disturbed.The man should of let go and moved on so his wife's spirit t can be in peace and the desire of his wife can go away. In the story â€Å"Butterfly Man† Clanswoman can't choose who to be with became use of the things she admires or that she likes. At first she was with her baby at the v illegal while her husband was gone. Then she left when not supposed to and saw a butterfly a ND followed it on and on, left the baby on the bu sh alone never to return because of what she wanted.A quote that proves this is, â€Å"Nor was it flying at random, for its standards COUrse WA s leading her ever up and back, farther into the hills, farther from the river†(Kookier 61 ). HTH s is important because it shows that her wanting that butterfly she never noticed how far SSH e was from her home and her baby. Another thing she does is disobey the butterfly man whew n he said not to look up and look at the other butterflies.A quote that shows that she disobey deed the butterfly man and looked at the other butterflies is, â€Å"Her eyes followed his flight and SSH e took one hand off the girdle and reached greedily for him†(Kookier 63). This quote is imports NT because when something is desired so much that they break the rule they are suppose d to follow like not leaving their house when husbands are hunting or the one the butterfly man gave which as never to let go and look up at the other butterflies.This kind of stuff and other things may lead to jealousy and many more things. In the story â€Å"Testily, Sun's Daughter† the cause of the events that unroll in the story are because Of Testily, Sun's Daughter. When Testily accepted Theta's proposal I Hoopla was mad. A quote that proves this is, â€Å"Hoopla was angry. He grabbed Tequila's arm, shouting, She's mine! She's mine! I am older than you and she is mine! â€Å"(Kookier 114). T his quote is important because it shows that Hoopla being jealous he ended up pulling Test

Principles of Marketing Exam Notes

Principles of Marketing Study Guide Mid-term Exam Fall 2012 Chapter 1 1. What is Marketing? a. The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, capturing, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. It requires thoughtful planning with an emphasis on the ethical implications of any of those decisions on society in general. 2. Marketing requires Product, Price, Place and Promotions decisions. b.The four Ps, or marketing mix, are the controllable set of activities that the firm uses to respond to the wants of its target markets. 3. What is value-based marketing? a. Value reflects the relationship of benefits to costs, or what the consumer gets for what he or she gives. In a marketing context, customers seek a fair return in goods and/or services for their hard-earned money and scarce time. They want products or services that meet their specific needs or wants and that are offered at competitiv e prices. 4. Marketing Impacts Various Stakeholders . Supply chain partners, whether they are manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, or other intermediaries like transportation or warehousing companies, are involved in marketing to one another. Manufacturers sell merchandise to retailers, but the retailers often have to convince manufacturers to sell to them. 5. Marketing Enriches Society * Our people: Committed to excellence, passionate about achieving our goals, eagerly embracing new challenges. * Our strategy: Focused and consistent, delivers sustainable and dependable performance. Our business model: Resilient and proven, relevant in all economies, drives long-term health of the company. * Our brands: Recognized and loved around the world, in strong categories, responsive to advertising and brand building. Chapter 2 6. What is a Marketing Strategy? d. Identifies (1) a firm's target market(s), (2) a related marketing mix—its four Ps—and (3) the bases on which the fi rm plans to build a sustainable competitive advantage. 7. Building a Sustainable Competitive Advantage e. An advantage over the competition that is not easily copied and thus can be maintained over a long period of time.A competitive advantage acts like a wall that the firm has built around its position in a market. This wall makes it hard for outside competitors to contact customers inside—otherwise known as the marketer's target market. 8. The Marketing Plan f. a written document composed of an analysis of the current marketing situation, opportunities and threats for the firm, marketing objectives and strategy specified in terms of the four Ps, action programs, and projected or proforma income (and other financial) statements.The three major phases of the marketing plan are planning, implementation, and control. g. Step 1 of the planning phase. The part of the strategic marketing planning process when marketing executives, in conjunction with other top managers, (1) define the mission or vision of the business and (2) evaluate the situation by assessing how various players, both in and outside the organization, affect the firm's potential for success. , marketing executives, in conjunction with other top managers, define the mission and/or vision of the business. (Step 2). In the implementation phase.The part of the strategic marketing planning process when marketing managers (1) identify and evaluate different opportunities by engaging in segmentation, targeting, and positioning (see STP) and (2) implement the marketing mix using the four Ps. , marketing managers identify and evaluate different opportunities by engaging in a process known as segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) (Step 3). They then are responsible for implementing the marketing mix using the four Ps (Step 4). Finally, the control phase. The part of the strategic marketing planning process when managers evaluate the erformance of the marketing strategy and take any necessary corrective actions. Entails evaluating the performance of the marketing strategy using marketing metrics and taking any necessary corrective actions (Step 5). 9. Growth Strategies h. A market penetration s growth strategy that employs the existing marketing mix and focuses the firm's efforts on existing customers. Such a growth strategy might be achieved by attracting new consumers to the firm's current target market or encouraging current customers to patronize the firm more often or buy more merchandise on each visit. i.A market development growth strategy that employs the existing marketing offering to reach new market segments, whether domestic or international. International expansion generally is riskier than domestic expansion because firms must deal with differences in government regulations, cultural traditions, supply chains, and language. j. Product development growth strategy that offers a new product or service to a firm's current target market. k. A diversification gr owth strategy whereby a firm introduces a new product or service to a market segment that it does not currently serve.Diversification opportunities may be either related or unrelated. In a related diversification growth strategy whereby the current target market and/or marketing mix shares something in common with the new opportunity. In other words, the firm might be able to purchase from existing vendors, use the same distribution and/or management information system, or advertise in the same newspapers to target markets that are similar to their current consumers. l. In an unrelated diversification growth strategy whereby a new business lacks any common elements with the present business.Unrelated diversifications do not capitalize on core strengths associated either with markets or with products. Thus, they would be viewed as being very risky. Chapter 3 10. Why People Act Unethically m. All of us vary in the way we view more complex situations, depending on our ethical understan dings. 11. Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility n. Corporate social responsibility refers to the voluntary actions taken by a company to address the ethical, social, and environmental impacts of its business operations and the concerns of its stakeholders. o.This notion goes beyond the individual ethics that we've discussed so far, but for a company to act in a socially responsible manner, the employees of the company must also first maintain high ethical standards and recognize how their individual decisions lead to optimal collective actions of the firm. Firms with strong ethical climates tend to be more socially responsible. 12. A Framework for Ethical Decision Making p. 13. Integrating Ethics into Marketing Strategy q. Marketers can introduce ethics at the beginning of the planning process simply by including ethical statements in the firm's mission or vision statements. . In the implementation phase of the marketing strategy, when firms are identifying potential markets a nd how to successfully deliver the 4Ps to them, firms must consider several ethical issues. Chapter 4 14. The Immediate Environment s. t. In the immediate environment, the first factor that affects the consumer is the firm itself. Successful marketing firms focus on satisfying customer needs that match their core competencies. Competition also significantly affects consumers in the immediate environment.It is therefore critical that marketers understand their firm's competitors, including their strengths, weaknesses, and likely reactions to the marketing activities that their own firm undertakes. Few firms operate in isolation. For example, automobile manufacturers collaborate with suppliers of sheet metal, tire manufacturers, component part makers, unions, transport companies, and dealerships to produce and market their automobiles successfully. Parties that work with the focal firm are its corporate partners. 15. Macro-environmental Factors u. Macro environmental factors Aspects o f the external environment that ffect a company's business, such as the culture, demographics (age, gender, and race), social issues, technological advances, economic situation, and political/regulatory environment. 16. Corporate Social Responsibility v. Chapter 5 17. The Consumer Decision Process w. x. 18. Factors Influencing the Consumer Decision Process y. The consumer decision process can be influenced by several factors. First are the elements of the marketing mix, which we discuss throughout this book. Second are psychological factors, which are influences internal to the customer, such as motives, attitudes, perception, and learning.Third, social factors, such as family, reference groups, and culture, also influence the decision process. Fourth, there are situational factors, such as the specific purchase situation, a particular shopping situation, or temporal state (the time of day), that affect the decision process. 19. Involvement and Consumer Buying Decisions z. Consumers engage in two types of buying processes/decisions depending on their level of involvement: extended problem solving for high-priced or risky goods; and limited problem solving, which includes impulse buying and habitual decision making. {.Involvement is the consumer's interest in a product or service. Chapter 6 20. B2B Markets |. 21. The Business to Business Buying Process }. 22. Factors affecting the Buying Process ~. The Buying Center i. The buying center is a group of people typically responsible for the buying decisions in large organizations. Participants can range from employees who have a formal role in purchasing decisions (i. e. , the purchasing or procurement department) to members of the design team that is specifying the particular equipment or raw material needed by employees who will be using a new machine that is being ordered.All these employees are likely to play different roles in the buying process, which vendors must understand and adapt to in their marketing an d sales efforts. ii. One or more people may take on a certain role, or one person may take on more than one of the following roles: (1) initiator: The buying center participant who first suggests buying the particular product or service. , the person who first suggests buying the particular product or service; (2) influencer: The buying center participant whose views influence other members of the buying center in making the final decision. the person whose views influence other members of the buying center in making the final decision; (3) decider: The buying center participant who ultimately determines any part of or the entire buying decision—whether to buy, what to buy, how to buy, or where to buy. , the person who ultimately determines any part of or the entire buying decision—whether to buy, what to buy, how to buy, or where to buy; (4) buyer: The buying center participant who handles the paperwork of the actual purchase. the person who handles the paperwork of t he actual purchase; (5) user: The person who consumes or uses the product or service purchased by the buying center. , the person who consumes or uses the product or service; and (6) gatekeeper: The buying center participant who controls information or access to decision makers and influencers. , the person who controls information or access, or both, to decision makers and influencers. . Organizational Culture iii. ———————————————— A firm's organizational culture reflects the set of values, traditions, and customs that guide a firm's employees' behavior. The firm's culture often comprises a set of unspoken guidelines that employees share with one another through various work situations. . Buying Situations In a new buy a purchase of a good or service for the first time; the buying decision is likely to be quite involved because the buyer or the buying organization does n ot have any experience with the item.A modified rebuy refers to when the buyer has purchased a similar product in the past but has decided to change some specifications, such as the desired price, quality level, customer service level, options, or so forth. Straight rebuys refers to when the buyer or buying organization simply buys additional units of products that have previously been purchased. A tremendous amount of B2B purchases are likely to fall in the straight rebuy category. Chapter 9 23. The Marketing Research Process . The first step is to define objectives and research needs, which sounds so simple that managers often gloss over it.But this step is crucial to the success of any research project because, quite basically, the research must answer those questions that are important for making decisions. In the second step, designing the research project, researchers identify the type of data that is needed, whether primary or secondary, on the basis of the objectives of the project from Step 1, and then determine the type of research that enables them to collect those data. The third step involves deciding on the data collection process and collecting the data.The process usually starts with exploratory research methods such as observation, in-depth interviews, or focus groups. The information gleaned from the exploratory research is then used in conclusive research, which may include a survey, an experiment, or the use of scanner and panel data. The fourth step is to analyze and interpret the data and develop insights. The fifth and final step is to develop an action plan and implementation. Although these steps appear to progress linearly, researchers often work backward and forward throughout the process as they learn at each step. 4. Secondary Data and Primary Data . Primary: Data collected to address specific research needs. . Secondary: Pieces of information that have already been collected from other sources and are readily available. 25. Explor atory Research . Attempts to begin to understand the phenomenon of interest, also provides initial information when the problem lacks any clear definition. 26. Conclusive Research . Provides the information needed to confirm preliminary insights, which managers can use to pursue appropriate courses of action.

Effect temperature on permeability of membrane

The beet (Beta vulgar's) is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is probably the red or urple root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet.However, other cultivated varieties include the leaf vegetables chardand spinach beet, as well as the root vegetables sugar beet, which is important in the production of table sugar, and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop. Three subspecies are typically recognised. All cultivated varieties fall into the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgar's, while Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima, commonly known as the sea beet, is the wild ancestor of hese and is found throughout the Mediterranean, the Atlantic coast of Europe, the Near East, andlndia.A second wild subspecies, Beta vulgaris subsp. adanensis, occurs from Greece to Syria. Beetroot cells like any other eukaryotic cells have many types of cell organelle present. Some of these organelles are bounded by a sing le membrane, e. g. lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, vacuoles; some are bounded by two membranes (an envelope), e. g. nucleus, mitochondrion. Beetroot appears as a dark red/ purple colour and this is caused by the betalain pigment, which is contained ithin the vacuole of beetroot cells.In order for the betalain to leave the cell it needs to pass through 2 different membranes; the membrane bounding the vacuole and the membrane enclosing the cell. Betalain pigments, named after the Red beet (Beta vulgaris). They replace anthocyanins in plants of the order Caryophyllales (Cacti, beets & Co. , bougainvillaea, phytolacca, large-flowered purslane etc and also in some fungi such as fly agaric). Two categories of betalains exist and each have distinct color and chemical properties.Betacyanins convey a blue-violent to reddish-purple coloring, are a source of antioxidants and are susceptible to color changes depending antioxidants and are relatively stable. Betalains are found exclusively within on e plant order, which includes beets, prickly pear cactus, chard and amaranth. Betanin is a specific betacyanin and the most prominent pigment in the red beet root where it contributes between 75% – 90% of the total visible color. Plasma membrane Plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells rom the outside environment.The cell membrane is selectively-permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It consists of the phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins, which are involved in a variety of cellular processes such as cell adhesion, ion conductivity and cell signaling. The plasma membrane also serves as the attachment surface for the extracellular glycocalyx and cell wall and intracellular cytoskeleton. Plasma membrane proteins function in several different ways.

FINAL 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

FINAL 2 - Assignment Example 1838 saw Pennington officiate at the wedding of Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray. In the 1840s and 1850s, Pennington preached under congregational African churches in New York, which ended up giving him international recognition as an antislavery orator, as well as a civil rights activist (Alexander & Walter 500). In addition to his numerous sermons as well as speeches, Pennington in 1841 authored what is thought to have been one of first textbooks on African American history, The History, and Origin of the Colored People. Pennington’s autobiographical account was then published under the title The Fugitive Blacksmith in 1849. James Pennington died in 1870 and was aged 63. Pennington in his memoir The Fugitive Blacksmith uses his life account to condemn the act of slavery; with involvements with the Abolitionist movement. He traces his convictions that claim slavery is immoral, and the basis of his argument is on what he saw as a young man on the horrors that were inflicted on his father. While Pennington’s father was tending to shepherd duties, he saw his master come and beat his father mercilessly for something that was trivial and that sight never left Pennington the same again. Sometime after the cruel event that happened to his father, Pennington decided that he did not want to be a slave and opted to find a way to freedom (Alexander & Walter 501). In his quest for freedom, Pennington spent day’s hungry and faced lots of terror on his way northward in order to escape slavery. One moral dilemma Pennington had been he could lay and thus claiming he was free in order to avoid being returned to his masters as he journeyed north. The mor e he lied the more they believed him, and as a result, Pennington found a chance to escape as he continued his journey. On arrival in Pennsylvania Pennington who was starved and exhausted had an encounter with a woman who offered him help with food, clothing, and shelter.

The Origin Of Negro Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Origin Of Negro Slavery - Essay Example In this the east went to Portugal and the west to Spain. After this partition, England responded by Cabot's voyage to North America in 1497. Francis 1 of France celebrated this partition. Denmark and East Indies opposed the pope's decision. Even Sir William Cecil the Elizabethan statesman denied the pope's ruling. England, France, and even Holland began to challenge the Iberian Axis and claimed their place in the sun. Adam Smith says that the British colonial possessions were of two types. First the self sufficient and diversified economy of small farmers which included the Northern colonies of the American mainland and second type were that colony which could produce on large scale for an export market which included the tobacco colonies and sugar islands of the Caribbean. Caribbean colonies had no choice but to adopt slavery as it was coming on from the Georgian history. Adam Smith later propagates that slavery was also due to pride and love of power that the master had through slavery. It was also known that to hire free labor was more profitable as Slave labor was given reluctantly, it was unskillful, it lacked versatility. But slavery at that time was not chosen out of choice but there was no other choice besides it. Therefore Slavery was necessary, and to get slaves the Europeans turned first to the [Caribindian] aborigines and then to Africa. In Caribbean colonies where sugar and t... Though slavery was alien to scientific farming and crop rotation. Indentured servants were not forthcoming to the West Indies in sufficient quantities to replace those who had served their term. On the plantations, escape was easy for the white servant; less easy for the Negro who, if freed, tended, in self-defense, to stay in his locality where he was well known and less likely to be apprehended as a vagrant or a runaway slave. The servant expected land at the end of his contract; the Negro, in a strange environment, conspicuous by his color and features, and ignorant of the white man's language and ways, could be kept permanently divorced from the land. Racial differences made it easier to justify and rationalize Negro slavery, to exact the mechanical obedience of a plough-ox or a cart-horse, to demand that resignation and that complete moral and intellectual subjection which alone make slave labor possible. Finally, and this was the decisive factor, the Negro slave was cheaper. Kidnapping in Africa was less difficult then England, therefore when slaves stopped coming themselves they were kidnapped. Captains and ships had the experience of the one trade to guide them in the other. Bristol, the center of the servant trade, became one of the centers of the slave trade. Capital accumulated from the one financed the other. White servitude was the historic base upon which Negro slavery was constructed. This is how the Negro slavery started. It was not due to racial factors but the cheapness of labor. Negro slavery, thus, had nothing to do with climate. Its origin can be expressed in three words: in the Caribbean, Sugar; on the mainland, Tobacco and Cotton. A change in the economic structure produced a corresponding change in the labor supply. The fundamental

Follow the Leader Case Study (On Colin L. Powell (Former Secretary of Essay

Follow the Leader Case Study (On Colin L. Powell (Former Secretary of State)) - Essay Example This could not be achieved without his leadership qualities. Leadership is one of the most important traits of human personality. Leadership is the ability in a certain person that influences people present in the environment for the attainments of goals. The concept of leadership however, continues to evolve as the needs of organizational changes take place. Leadership is dynamic and involves the use of different kinds of power. These powers are bifurcated into two main categories; position power and referent power. Many people might mix leadership with management thinking that every manager working at any post of any organization or state can be leader. This is not true at all. The ability to motivate people by your thoughts and personality is not a job everyone can do. Managers are just individuals who are bestowed upon the responsibility by the management to manage a certain task and possess a certain amount of position power; power that comes due to a person's position in the hierarchy. A manager can reward you, punish you or make you work just on the basis of his or her position. Leadership is more of an internal thing; it comes with the personality characteristics or a person's special knowledge. These qualities help the leader to command subordinates' identification with respect and admiration for the leader. These leadership qualities also helps in generating commitment from the subordinates which is different from the one generated by a manager. Commitment means that the people will sh are the leader's point of view and enthusiastically carry out instructions. Leaders usually possess certain personality traits that are considered instrumental in building up their overall personality. The idea was to understand what qualities make the leaders different from other people. These traits include alertness, originality, creativity, self-confidence, ethical conduct and personal identity to name a few. Apart from these traits, work related, social and physical traits possessed by leaders are also different from others. Further studies into this matter have led to the development of another important factor that helps to sustain or break leadership; that relationship is the one between the leader and his or her followers. All the characteristics make a leader different from the ordinary masses. However, one thing should be kept in mind that the leaders are just not born; leadership is a quality that can be introduced in certain people providing them with the right kind of environment. Usually it depends on the kind of environment people have been raised in. Collin L Powell Collin L Powell was born to Jamaican immigrants in 1937 who emphasized on the importance of education and personal achievement. During his early stages of youth, he was unsure of what he wanted with life or what he wanted to achieve. He entered the City College of New York to study geology and it was there he found out the path he wanted to pursue in his life. He joined the Reserves Officers Training Corps (ROTC). He graduated from there with the highest rank on can get at ROTC i.e. of cadet colonel. The army was also able to foresee his leadership skills and his maturity to handle such matters and he was promoted to the level of second lieutenant in the United States Army. He was awarded the Purple Heart

Fire Protection Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fire Protection Systems - Research Paper Example Automatic activation can also occur in several forms, designed to a number of physical changes associated with fire. Such devices include heat detectors, smoke detectors, flame detectors, fire gas detectors and water flow detectors. Modern innovation can use cameras and computers to analyze the visual signs of fire and movement in applications inappropriate for or hostile to other detection methods (Greenman, 2003). Notifications from fire alarms to alert the occupants of the need to evacuate premises or take appropriate actions due to fire emergencies can be in audible, visible, tactile, textual or even olfactory (odorized) forms. Emergency signals are automatically intended to be distinct and understandable in order top avoid confusion with other signals. The Temporal Code 3 which chimes three times at one-second intervals, stops for one second the repeats is the most common audible in the modern fire alarm system. Other methods of audio alerts include audible textual appliances, continuous and voice evaluation. In some fire alarm systems especially in high-rise buildings, arenas and other large facilities such as hospitals where total evacuation is difficult to achieve, emergency voice alarm communication systems (EVACS) are used. This voice based system allows personnel to orderly evacuate and notify occupants in such crowded buildings. Strategically too, especially in high-rise buildings, depending on exact location of fire, different evaluation messages may be played on each floor to facilitate orderly evacuation and saving of lives (Jones, 2009). New codes and standards have enabled alarm system manufacturers to expand their systems voice evacuation capabilities to support trending requirements for mass notifications including possibility of multiple types of emergency messaging. To serve those with disabilities too, emergency communication systems have visible notification along with audio. Mass notification systems

An objective analysis of disparate impact & its effects on age & Research Paper

An objective analysis of disparate impact & its effects on age & gender discrimination - Research Paper Example Disparate impact can also be said to have occurred on the event that the non-protected groups seem to be favored by a policy than the protected groups, without a clear justification of such an occurrence. Additionally, disparate impact is observed to have occurred, in a situation where there was an alternative avenue that would have been exploited to enhance the equal treatment of the minority/protected members to their non-protected group members, but the avenue was not applied. However, the difference in the research perspectives was that the intentions of protecting against disparate impacts might interfere with the institutional means of achieving its objectives (Kaminshine, 2005). The similarities and differences in perspectives are affected by the research in that; the laws protect individuals against intentional discrimination, which is different from disparate impact discrimination, resulting from the application of a neutral policy without any intention of causing discrimina tion. Therefore, it can only be declared unlawful by the application of statutes and regulations (Grover, 1996). ... is that, factors such as height, which are likely to lock out more women than men should be avoided in the recruitment process, since they will cause sex-based disparate impact discrimination (Kaminshine, 2005). Additionally, the application of recent factors in the recruitment process, such requiring for a qualification that is not older than a given number of years should also be avoided since the recent factors are likely to cause age-based discrimination. For example, on the event that an organization is recruiting using a certain period qualification, it might end up locking out the members of a certain age group, who may have develop a need for a job, for example a bereaved spouse, who needs a job to continue supporting the family, after the death of her husband. This is likely to cause age-based discrimination (Grover, 1996). The application of the disparate-impact approach impacts positively on the society, through providing an equal opportunity to all, without discriminating on the basis of gender, race or age. However, the adverse effect of this approach is that it seeks to align the end results with the demographics, which is detrimental in that, it would result to the application of the quota system by institutions, which is yet another unfair practice (Kaminshine, 2005). There are various disparate impact theories which include: Discriminatory Purpose Theory is a theory that addresses the issue of proving purposeful discrimination, where the complainant has the sole duty of proving that the discrimination that occurred against him/her was purposeful (Pamela, 1991). The complainant also has the duty to show that there were other alternative avenues which could have been exploited to guard against such discrimination, but they were not applied. Fault Theory

RESPIRATORY CARE TO PREVENT COMPLICATIONS AFTER THORCOTOMY Essay

RESPIRATORY CARE TO PREVENT COMPLICATIONS AFTER THORCOTOMY - Essay Example Up to 65% of patients may have an atelectasis, and 3% may develop pneumonia (Pasquina et al 2003). They are the result of progressive changes in the respiratory status of the patient and play a significant role in postoperative morbidity and mortality (Leo et al 2006). They also prolong hospital stay and increase healthcare costs (Pasquina et al 2003). Thoracotomy is performed for various surgeries like resection of pulmonary and esophageal tumors, operations on the lung like pneumonectomy, lobectomy, segmental resection, wedge resection and lung-volume reduction surgery, operations on the pleura like pleurectomy and decortication, operations on the esophagus and on the heart (Porter 2003). The pulmonary complications are usually delayed, occurring 48–72 hours after thoracotomy (Leo et al 2006). The commonly seen complications are adult respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, atelectasis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary edema, asthma and respiratory failure (Leo et al 2006). Since pulmonary complications increase the morbidity and mortality of patients following surgery, many studies have been done to look into means of preventing these complications. Leo et al (2006) evaluated the benefits of identifying these complications early in the course of post-operative care after thoracotomy, so that appropriate interventions can be delivered to prevent and manage these complications. They used a multifactorial score called FLAM score to identify postoperative patients at higher risk for pulmonary complications at least 24 hours before the clinical diagnosis. The FLAM score was based on 7 parameters, namely, dyspnea, chest X-ray, delivered oxygen, auscultation, cough, quality and quantity of bronchial secretions. The researchers concluded that changes in FLAM score could be detected atleast 24 hours before the clinical diagnosis of pulmonary complications, giving as opportunity for the clinicians to take action much before overt symptoms. Algar et al

Domestic Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Domestic Violence - Essay Example The new policy insists that children be taken from their households even with only two incidences of problematic behavior then the parents will have to undergo treatment, therapy or counseling before the children can be given back to their care. This method actually severs family ties and changes developmental needs of children significantly. Maintaining the family as complete and intact ensures that the children will have the connection and bond with their families, even it may be dysfunctional. It is, then, important to guarantee their safety while protecting the family as a unit. The new policy may protect the children from harm, but it does not protect them from the disadvantages of being disconnected from their families. The new policy should, then, recognize the needs of empowering the parents with problem behaviors to continue correcting their behavior while their children are with them to be able to provide them their developmental needs, as well as, a positive environment.Th e Department of Job and Family Services may have the best in their minds when they created this policy. However, they forgot to take account the importance of family connections and the primary developmental needs of children when they imposed that children should be taken away from their families if there is a case of problematic behavior in the family. Taking children away from their parents should be the last resort unless they are the direct victims of their parent’s abusive behavior.

Tourism Concepts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Tourism Concepts - Research Paper Example San Diego County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the State of California (San Diego, 2010). It is the most newest and dynamic metropolitan areas in the country America. San Diego has an attraction that can draw people’s attention towards it. The sights and sounds of the city center is the objective of the attraction. With the inland mountains and one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the world, San Diego is a result of years of development and vitalization (Trains Magazine, 2009). The report will be discussing the places of attraction situated at San Diego, the facilities of food, accommodation, and transportation. It will also be presenting the culture, hospitality of people, and the infrastructure of the county. This report will mainly be targeting the tourists and tourism planners. San Diego is considered as one of the most developed and pleasant counties of America. There are many attractive and major sites of interest for the tourists and the tourism planners. Alta Vista Garden is a garden that is established with the theme of bringing together people, nature, and art. The garden is situated on over 14 acres and the admission is free for the public (Kragen, 2009). The garden is a cultural botanical park and provides an interactive method to teach botany and other subjects to the students. The water paths are constructed in such a way that the water falls into natural pools and gives a natural waterfall-look. The other places of interest include Lego land, which is a theme park. It is the only Lego land situated outside of Europe. Lego land has nine main sections, each constructed on a separate theme (Kragen, 2009). Mission Bay is a recreational area includes sea world, and Fiesta Island etc. Mission Bay has sandy beaches spread over miles with a long pedestr ian path. It is the largest man made Aquatic Park in America (National Park Services, 2009). Sea world is famous for

National Savings Essay Example for Free

National Savings Essay â€Å"National saving can be used domestically or internationally. Explain the basis of this statement, including the benefits to the nation of each use of its saving. † First of all, let’s understand the concept of national savings. In economics, a countrys national savings is the sum of private savings (i. e. personal savings) plus the business savings (i. e. undistributed corporate profits) and public savings (i. e. tax revenues less public expenditure). (economicswebinstitute. org, 2003) (Wikipedia. org, 2008). So in simple words, what people save i. e. hen they avoide to consume all their income, is called personal savings. These savings can remain on the bank accounts for future use. For the economy as a whole, national saving is the portion of the nation’s income not used for private and public consumption. Just as for people, saving for the national economy is the act of setting some of current income aside for the future instead of spending it for current consumption. (Gao. gov, 2001). So the savings left in bank accounts are an important part of money. This money could be used by banks, which can decide to finance businesses. The amount of money used for investment depends on the deposits, which banks receive. So an increase of personal savings and/or corporate profits could increase investment. Companies which do not distribute a certain part of its corporate profits, will keep that money in bank accounts also for future business opportunities. Domestic investment could be investment in new factories and equipment, which can increase productivity of the nation’s workforce. The increased productivity, in turn, will lead to higher wages and greater economic growth over the long term. Gao. gov, 2001). So we come to the first conclusion that if national savings increase, a country through its banks could invest more in its economy and finance more projects and support the economy. In general, more national saving will increase a nation’s capacity to produce more goods and services and generate higher income in the future. (Gao. gov, 2001). This phenomenon has been seen in a couple of Asian countries, where the saving rate of households was very high like in Russia, Japan and China, which were able to industrialize quickly. It seems also that there is a close association between national savings and domestic investment in developing countries. These countries are in desperate need for cash to invest in infrastructure and boost its economy including industry, service, etc. Before going to the international market and asking for loans, these countries will first of all make use of every penny that they can find in their banks. So one of the main findings, is that national saving provides resources for a nation to invest domestically. Traditionally, there has been a strong relation between domestic savings and investment ratios. feweb. vu. nl, 2009) The question now is: will these resources be used only in the country itself or could they be used elsewhere. In a closed economy the national savings will definitely be reinvested in the domestic economy. But this is only in theory, since nowadays we can not really find a 100% closed economy anymore! There are countries that have high net saving surpluses and which need to invest it. These countries are sometimes too small to be able to offer the right investment opportunities for this huge liquidity. Countries in the Arabian Peninsula like Qatar, UAE or Kuwait are the best example. In addition, capital is getting very mobile and can be moved easily from one country to another and invested abroad. (wikipedia. org, 2008). With all that money floating around looking for an investment, it doesnt seem that domestic savings are all that important any more. (socrates. berkeley. edu, 2011). Let’s elaborate more on the benefits of investing the national savings abroad? We agree that the sum of national saving and saving borrowed from abroad represents the total amount of resources available for investment. This investment could be used to purchase capital goods like plant, equipment, software, houses, and inventories, by businesses and governments. (socrates. berkeley. edu, 2011). So what are the benefits of investing the national savings abroad? Will this really lead to improving domestic economy and increase the wealth of the people? An investment abroad does indeed increase the nation’s wealth and will generate income. This income could be again reinvested in the domestic country or abroad. One of the very obvious examples is the economy of the GCC countries. Qatar is one of the smallest and wealthiest countries in the world. Its main wealth comes from oil and gas, which accounts for more than 90% of its GDP. Qatar invested huge billions in its domestic economy (infrastructure, refineries, ports, real estate, preparation for world cup 2022, etc). It still has huge amount of money, which could be invested strategically. It currently, invests billions of petrodollars in all 5 continents. It has bought shares in big companies in all kind of industries (oil and gas, banks, luxury, airlines, soccer etc). By doing so, it will even help other companies and countries invest in successful businesses and boost their economies. The other countries probably have national savings which are lower than the needed domestic investment. They will borrow from foreign savers (in this case Qatar) to compensate the difference. Qatar will also repatriate this money or even reinvest it. This is a way to create more wealth to Qatar and the Qatari people of the next generations. A similar phenomenon is seen in other GCC countries, Singapore or Norway which have the so called sovereign wealth funds, that move huge amount of money from one place to another searching for the best investment opportunities. National savings is beneficial for each nation,, which needs to invest in its domestic economy. It’s also important for other nations, which borrow the money in the international capital market. By doing so, they can make use of the capital flows to invest in their economies and pay back the loans. So in total the world economy is more dynamic. Huge amount of money go to where the investment opportunities are. As a conclusion, we can say that national savings and the resulting investment have huge implications on the wealth of a nation and of course on the well being of people in current and future generations.

Building Economics And Life Cycle Costs Construction Essay

Building Economics And Life Cycle Costs Construction Essay Economic understanding regarding building designs usually aim for steering building decisions to achieve for two situations: economic efficiency and/or cost effectiveness. For instance, a building design that, besides assuring to be profitable is promising to be more profitable than other available solutions, can be considered to be the economically efficient choice for an investor. Yet, a building decision that is considered cost-effective, guarantees, for instance, that a design solution with benefits equal or better to those of competing alternatives has lower costs. Cost-effectiveness is thus understood as a subset of economic efficiency; yet, both conditions can appear in one solution, but dont have to. The use of optimization thus reflects the strategy of achieving specific economic goals. Consequently, by minimizing life-cycle costs or maximizing net benefits, an economic analysis is applied to determine the most cost-effective or the economic efficient choice respectively . Overview The reflection and analysis of life-cycle costs (LCC) is an economic evaluation technique that determines the total amount of cost of a product or project over time. Having in common that the role is to provide insight in future matters regarding all occurring costs, LCC assessment in business organizations today, serves mainly three purposes : To be an effective engineering tool for use in design, planning and project execution To be a design and engineering tool for environmental purposes To be applied proactively in cost management. A similar understanding applies to the building sector. With the increasing need to deliver economic solutions, developers, designers, planners, engineers and managers try to foresee, steer and control costs at all stages of a buildings life-cycle. By overseeing a building projects inherent costs and directing attention toward its root causes, building projects can get useful decision support before, during and after its realization, performed on large and small buildings, on partial building elements, or on isolated building systems . Throughout the design, development and operation of building projects, LCC can thus be successfully used to compare alternatives to find the most cost effective solution . With the growing pressure of governments to hold companies responsible for the costs that their products generate to society and its environment, consumers are likely to benefit from the use of LCC assessment. Sustainable building strategies require foreseeing a reduction and control of significant LCC, such as energy costs for projected building designs. Consequently, organizations such as the National Institute for Building Science or the Whole System Integrative Process (WSIP, 2006) demand for early integration of cost related planning issues into the building design process. Eventually, future building designs that are less costly may also be considered better in terms of quality when all costs of a buildings life-cycle are adequately included. A strong commitment of building design is thus to enhance the practical value of buildings. While the value of products is defined as proportionate to the satisfaction of needs divided by the use of resources, its value is proportionate to quality divided by costs . Value-driven building designs therefore require being both: quality driven and cost conscious. In addition, probably the most important condition for resource optimization is appreciation of the built structure by its users: only buildings that are valued will achieve a long lifespan (Eberle, 2007). Proactive cost management is understood as an effort to eliminate product costs before they occur, as opposed to reducing costs after they are incurred, which is considered reactive cost management . Expecting the design and planning of building projects to be proactive view is inevitable, since changes in the later planning and execution phases or even during building operation become more and more difficult to deal with. Especially during initial design stage, the consideration of LCC can help designers to make their decision-making process become more cost efficient . In reality, a proactive involvement of cost might not be the case. Essentially, comparisons or studies on the building design and its influence on the cost of building operations over the life of a building are barely explored during the early design phase. If of any concern, financial aspects during early stages of design are mainly focusing on preventing uncontrolled cost expansion of initial, predominantly constru ction costs. The possibility of actively integrating all LCC members during the early design stages remains difficult to achieve as current methods of sequential design and cost estimation make it hard to foresee the impact of investment and to reduce building operation costs to an extent that would change the perception of these capital costs. In addition, the implementation of such proactive cost management quite often incurs more costs up front, for instance for the extended amount of research and development that projects then require for. Such consequences, and with them the traditional view on cost management can easily challenge the implementation of proactive consideration of LCC assessment, where necessary time and funding for the early stages of design and planning appears insufficient . A consideration of proactive design understanding and its use of LCC assessment thus also involve necessary changes in terms of thinking, such as from a partial focus to holistic thinking (Eberle, 2010), from structure orientation to process orientation or from cost allocation to cost tracing . Life Cycle Cost (LCC) With emphasis on cost-effectiveness the consideration of life-cycle costs (LCC) is used to evaluate competing alternatives primarily on the basis of costs, allowing for choices for a given building, facility or system. The method is to compute the LCC for a particular course of action by summing all significant, time adjusted costs associated with it over the relevant period of time. The method of using LCC is thus applicable to building decisions that require for cost related decision-support, such as system modification, replacements or combinations of interdependent budgets, budget allocations, or lease or buy decisions. Yet, it is also applicable for the evaluation of competing building designs; suitable, when focusing on cost rather than benefits for two or more mutually exclusive project alternatives. Typically, the analysis or assessment of LCC includes all initial and future costs that are affected by the decision and excludes others that are not. The exclusion of costs is no t necessarily required when their contribution can help to better understand the impact between cost consideration and the amount of improvement (Ruegg Marshall, 1990). LCC of building projects are often distinguished according to the building projects phase and are likely to be separated into initial (capital) cost, operational and post-operational costs Pushkar et al. (Pushkar, et al., 2005). Figure 2.x: Life-cycle Costs of a building life cycle The diagram in Figure 2.x illustrates the occurrence of different LCC members of the BVO model over growing operation time. It also demonstrates the increasing significance of continuous, operation costs over a projects running time, as its percentage of the total expenditure steadily increases compared to the initial investments at the project commencement. Net Present value (NPV) Besides LCC considerations of evaluating building designs, economic understanding of monetary systems requires to foresee their change of value over time, due to inflation, its investment to generate future profit, or both. In the building sector, the most commonly used methods of LCC assessment are accounting systems, initially developed to determine the financial worth of an investment; they are as follows : Simple payback: defined as the time taken for the return on an investment to repay the investment. Net present value: defined as the sum of money that needs to be invested today to meet all future financial requirements as they arise throughout the life of the investment. Internal rate of return: defined as the percentage earned on the amount of capital invested in each year of the life of the project after allowing for the repayment of the sum originally invested. LCC analysis is commonly performed using present value currency representation. In the following, the use of net present value is explained more closely as it has been implemented in the BVO model as it complies with the decision to use LCC for the assessment of design and its use allows for appropriate representation of costs elements in reference to their timely occurrence. The use and implementation of Net Present Value (NPV) models enables the adjustment of currency amounts in relation to their time of occurrence. It is thus a considerable measure when include costs elements of different time occurrences. The NPV is thus typically suggested to analyze the profitability of long term investments or projects, or the evaluation of available options (Dale, 1993). Essentially, it compares the value of money today to the value of that same amount in the future, taking inflation and returns into account. Among others, Ruegg (1990) defines the net present value as: (x) , where is the estimated cost in year t, d is the discount rate, and T is the period of analysis in years. The NPV of a building project takes into account all the apparent variables acting upon a cash stream; it is thus sensitive to the  reliability of future cash inflows that an investment or project will yield.  If the NPV is positive, it should be accepted. However, if NPV is negative, the project should possibly be rejected because cash flows will also be negative. Discount rate The discount rate is a method of determining the time value of money. To prevent the value of investment eroding by the effects of inflation, the factor of inflation can be integrated into the discount rate, known as the net of inflation discount rate and calculated as : (x) For instance, if inflation is 5% per annum and interest is received at 10%, then: (x) Thus, to make the influence of the discount rate become realistic it requires for reliable input to foresee the appropriate adjustment of financial aspect of interest and inflation. Similar to the typically practiced modification of construction costs that are based of earlier cases, such modification is necessary for future costs to remain representative. The accuracy of predicting and adjusting the monetary value may appear, however, problematic with growing life-time estimations of a building, as long term predictions become increasingly vague. Setting the study period The consideration of a LCC study period is expected to relate to the following factors such as the investors and stakeholders projected time horizon, the anticipated life time of the building, project, etc., the decision whether to accept or reject the choice, or whether the perspective is individually private or public perspective oriented. For instance, an investor or project developer might only be interested in short term cost as it is intended in creating revenue from the sale of the finished building project, while a building owner or operator might rather focus on evaluation the operative cost of a building design and their involvement over the complete life-cycle. When considering the overall sustainability of a building project, the complete life-cycle must be considered and anticipated. LCC assembly Buildings LCC are categorized by the three phases that they go through during their life-cycle. They are the initial or capital cost (1) at the beginning of a building project that involve its planning, design and realization, the operational cost (2) occurring during the buildings active phase of use, and the post-operational cost (3) that assemble the costs at a building lifes end. Though the three life cycle phases for buildings are clearly defined, their transition at a specific point of time can be vague, for example a building might already be partly operating while other areas of the building are still under construction. Figure 2.x describes the three phases and their overlapping character of transition between them. Figure 2.x: A buildings life-cycle phases In addition, operational phases can be interrupted, or at least obstructed by renovation or refurbishment phases to ensure or reinstall a buildings quality and use. For instance, building developments of industrialized countries with a high demand on energy costs, suggest that a buildings life-cycle performance can be improved when taking a renovation period of 25-30 years with a constant improvement of the buildings insulation properties into account . Figure 2.x describes how the buildings life cycles can be extend through periodic renovations and/or refurbishments. Figure 2.x: Extend a buildings operational phase through periodical renovations and refurbishments Initial (Capital) Cost The initial (capital) cost comprises all the costs necessary that ensure the building realization up to the moment of its active building use. Occurring costs are thus not only the construction of a building but also all related processes of project planning and development that are involved such as: Land costs, such as costs for acquisitions and necessary preparation of land. Professional fees, which apply for involvement of building planning professionals such as architect, engineer, lawyer, etc. Construction Cost, encompass all cost for the erection of the building and installment of projected building systems Commissioning Cost, comprising all cost applicable to certify necessary fulfillment of standards and requirements or the approval for building operations of building systems involved. Promotional and sale cost, for informing the  prospects  about special discounts,  sale, or  schemes. Funding costs, In general,  price  of obtaining  equity capital Management costs, comprising all cost necessary for the organizing  and  coordinating  the  activities  of an enterprise in accordance with certain  policies  and in achievement of project realization. Operational Cost The operational phase encompasses all the cost necessary to utilize and use the building according to its original purpose. Operational cost are becoming more and more noticeable over the life cycle of a project; due to the long period of building use they can grow significantly bigger than initial costs (). For instance, when à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ According to Ruegg and Marshall (1990), operational costs can be identified as: Energy Costs, includes necessary fuel and all applicable energy costs Operation and Maintenance Cost, includes non-fuel operation costs, such as management, cleaning, servicing, rates and taxes, sewerage, salvage, funding costs, routine maintenance, furnishings, supply à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (check Ruegg) Repair and Refurbishment Costs, includes appraisal of all foreseen and estimated cost for repair or replacements of building systems or elements during a buildings use. Post-Operational Cost Post-operational cost includes the collection of all cost necessary cost that may appear at a building end of use. Mostly due to economic needs or owner related circumstances the buildings operational use becomes infeasible and a variety of options require to be considered. Unlike industrial products, the end of a buildings life cycle does not necessarily determine the end of a buildings life but instead refers to the end of a buildings original determined use. A building can thus have more than one operational cycle, when through post-operational interventions a new cycle of building use can be created. Post-operational cost can thus be categorized as Renovations Cost, represent minor repairs and makeovers necessary to maintain or reinstall building quality and use. Refurbishment Cost, include the cost necessary for major overhauls of buildings or building elements that otherwise result in obsolete building conditions. Refurbishment may also include the change of a buildings original use. Demolition, Disassembly and Recycling Cost likely occur at the end of a building life cycle. While in typical product life cycle the terms represent individual strategies involving separate specifications and costs, contemporary building removals mostly include the three them associating to separate treatment of individual buildings elements. Moreover, a number of regained materials and building elements may even create cost reduction due to their existing value possible reuse or recycling purposes. Sale, though the sale of a building does not essentially represent a cost per se, such case can occur when the new owner faces major difficulties for further use of the facility (i.e. due to contamination). Still, even if not a cost, the sale of a building can be used for LCC considerations, for instance if the sale of a building can be seen as a considerable reduction of buildings LCC due to the buildings inherited value. LCC declaration During a programming phase of building projects, cost estimations require to determine individual element of cost or benefits. To do such Tempelmans Plat (2001) points out that each demand and supply requires being determined in terms of quality, quantity, time and money. While quite often there is no or little basis of estimating future cost, estimations of future costs start by reflecting the current cost or benefit values as point of departure. Since cost estimations are subject to time related changes, costs or benefits require thought, whether to expect fundamental changes in the demand and supply of goods and services in question over time, or if considerable change of service or quality of goods are to be expected. If there is no sound basis to believe otherwise, it deems appropriate to assume that changes of prices will be approximately the same as prices in general (Ruegg Marshall, 1990). Still, the estimation of all cost elements usually poses a major difficulty due to their probabilistic nature and the distinctive character between individual costs elements. Common uncertainties for the prediction of long-life projects are: its life-cycles prediction, the interpretation of operation and maintenance costs, revenues and unforeseen or unpredictable factors that affect project economics. Since dealing with so many unknowns, it appears difficult to anticipate cost and benefit related developments. Existing methods of dealing with high risk exposure are best guess, relating to individual risk attitudes and risk adjustment through the introduction of methods using probability and statistics (Ruegg Marshall, 1990). The consideration of a LCC study period is expected to relate to the following factors such as the investors and stakeholders projected time horizon, the anticipated life time of the building, project, etc., the decision whether to accept or reject the choice, or whether the perspective is individually private or public perspective oriented. For instance, an investor or project developer might only be interested in short term cost as it is intended in creating revenue from the sale of the finished building project, while a building owner or operator might rather focus on evaluation the operative cost of a building design and their involvement over the complete life-cycle. When considering the overall sustainability of a building project, the complete life-cycle must be considered and anticipated. Cost estimation during early design stages During a schematic design phase of a building design, traditionally only construction costs are estimated. Such procedure comes with the disadvantage that long term costs that, if considered, may significantly influence design outcomes are usually not reflected. The practice of introducing operational and/or post operational costs thus require for designers specific estimation and understanding to prevent a decision-making and in a premature design situation. Since experiences of cost estimation for construction costs originate from knowledge gained during earlier comparable projects, a case-based oriented approach, such as suggested by Sowa and Hovestadt (2008), can also be used and practiced for other LCC members. Because such estimation and declaration of costs generally requires for extensive experience, the use and creation of databases that allow for differentiation and declaration may not easily compensate for. Cost estimators usually have considerable experience gained through working in the building construction industry, estimating and monitoring building costs through all the stages realization stages of a project (NIBS, 2010). The estimation of cost thus not only require for skills such as a clear judgment and straightforward attitude, but for qualities such as awareness, uniformity, consistency, verification, documentation, evaluation, and analysis . Yet, with the growing complexity of building projects, it seems vital to have the cost estimations involved right from the very beginning to ensure that the project estimations reflect the decisions made. Especially during the early design stage, changes will require estimates to be prepared at different levels during the design process with increasing degrees of information provided. At any point of a design, not all portions of the design would be at the same level of completeness. Yet typical, such contingencies for the aforementioned will be reduced as more design documentation is produced (NIBS, 2010). For instance, the estimation of construction costs typically corresponds to the phases of the building design and development process in a top-down manner, meaning that cost estimates improve their precision and detailing with the progressing stages of design realization. In addition, cost estimates usually try to comply with considered standards within the building industry. In the United States, for instance, a widely accepted system provided for cost estimates is the UniFormatà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ or, for later planning stages the MasterFormatà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (CSI, 2011) system, which allows design teams to evaluate  alternative building designs and systems. In Europe, cost estimates are usually practiced according to DIN regulations such as the DIN 276/277 for cost estimation and declaration of building designs (Frà ¶hlich, 2007). A building projects first cost estimates can already appear during the architectural programming phase with the purpose to facilitate budgetary and feasibility determinations. Usually based on past information with adjustments made for specific project conditions such estimates are prepared to develop a project budget. At such level, design schemes normally do not yet exit, required data for cost appraisals are thus drawn from general functional description, schematic layout, and geographic location, building size expressed as floor-area, numbers of people, seats, cars, etc., and intended use. Respective estimates are thus based on costs per square units, and/or alternatively number of cars/rooms/seats, etc. During the schematic design phase, the purpose of estimate is to create a more complete assessment that is typically based on a better definition of the scope of work. While also compared to earlier budgetary and feasibility determinations, an estimate at this level may be used to price various design schemes in order to see which scheme best fits the budget, or it may be used to price various design alternatives, or construction materials and methods for comparison. The more developed schematic design criteria such as a detailed building program, schematic drawings, sketches, renderings, diagrams, conceptual plans, elevations, sections and preliminary specifications are reflected. Available information is typically supplemented with descriptions of soil and geotechnical conditions, utility requirements, foundation requirements, construction type/size determinations, and any other information that may have an impact on the estimated construction cost. The goal at the end of schematic design is to have a design scheme, program, and estimate that can be contained within budget . Net Benefits (NB) LCC considerations are typically used to make cost-effective choices, as its technique is to compare alternatives competing primarily on the basis of costs (Ruegg Marshall, 1990). Yet, if a building design is planned to generate revenue, a comparison of invested costs to its predicted returns can help to determine advantages between designs options. In such case, the method of calculating the net benefits (NB) of a building option is considered an applicable way of finding the most economically efficient choice among alternatives. In such case, the calculation of NB is achieved by subtracting the time-adjusted costs of an investment from its time-adjusted benefits (Ruegg and Marshall, 1990). In relation to building-volume optimization, because the optimization of cost is generally expected to steer a building-volume design towards minimized volume/surface ratio, window/opening ratio and/or net surface areas, the integration of revenue considerations can help to justify the amount of indispensable volume reduction when practicing BVO. Similar to cost considerations, the estimation of buildings projected revenue can be established by floor-area declarations. In addition, while a buildings annual income is expected to change depended on its market value over the span of a buildings life-cycle; the diagram in figure 2.x shows how a buildings generated income can be perceived as originating from a products marketing perspective, which consists of at least four stages of introduction, growth, maturity and decline . Figure 2.x: A products marketing perspective over a life cycle. Source: Kà ¶nig (2009) The prediction of generating buildings revenue thus requires for understanding and forecasting these changes over a given period; its moments of rise and decline that strongly depend on a buildings perceived value and its decay due to intensity of use (elaborate further, see Koenig). Shown in Figure 2.x, when plotting a typical development of cost and revenue predictions the financial profitability of building occurs at point a, and becomes obsolete when the cost of become larger than the income generated. Such situation appears at operation time b with operation cost appearing higher than the income; at least at this point the buildings economic purpose becomes unsuccessful. Figure 2.x Cost vs. Revenue. Source: Kà ¶nig (2009) When adapting a buildings foreseen lifecycle to this understanding, a buildings lifetime and the creation of revenue can be exceeded by interference of the maturity process through possible renovation or refurbishment measures. In Figure 2.x a buildings generated income during a foreseen life-cycle may thus be illustrated by separating the building operation period by new construction constructions phases that are required for the renovation and/or refurbishment of the building. Figure 2.x: A buildings generated income extended through renovation and refurbishment top. Source: Kà ¶nig (2009) In reality, the periods between theses interventions very much vary from the owners intention to keep high-level building quality or the necessity to prevent a building from becoming obsolete or having higher operation costs that income. From an economic standpoint, interventions to improve the buildings ideally take place when profitability can be increased or maintained. For instance, Kà ¶nig et al. (2009) suggest that, in an industrialized country, a replacement and improvement of buildings insulation performance should take place after a period of 20-30 years. Especially with the amount of operation costs strongly increasing due to continuously rising energy costs, the need for innovations and improvement for reducing buildings energy consumptions became highly prominent. Finally, because a clear definition of a buildings income require for experiences of earlier comparable cases, the use of existing data are necessary to help predicting the revenue curve and the point of interventions for necessary building improvements. An optimization, particularly of passive resource oriented building improvement thus depends on well implemented predictions and assumptions of a buildings foreseen life-cycle and performances. Yet, when of a designer existing experience or the amount available data is not sufficient and/or its quality is questionable, the building-volume optimization process may clearly suffer from it. Conclusion The use of assessing life-cycle costs (LCC) is seen as tool that helps associating estimated costs over a projects foreseen life span. LCC of a building or a building system are defined as the total discounted amount of cost of owning, operating, maintaining and disposing over a defined period of time . The consideration to use life-cycle cost as an objective for the BVO model is based on its ability to include different building costs over a specified period, allowing for comparison and impact analysis between, for instance, initial and operational costs. The establishment of LCC as an objective for building performance optimization thus defines the primary BVO model goal. To be effective, the attempt of reducing overall building costs requires for a cost distribution that allows for effective declaration and activation of significant building elements during early architectural design stages. According to volume geometry, this can be building-volume surfaces as well as building flo or-areas. With the possibility to link costs to selected areas, the model requires a wider variation of costs to be successful. Because early design stages mostly refer to estimated costs; cost distribution and specification is more likely to be based on users experience or existing available data originating from earlier comparable building design cases . For the BVO model currently only initial and operational have been integrated because convincing and direct associations between post-operational costs and building elements at a buildings lifes end are hard to foresee and the available options appear diverse. Still, eventual costs for the renovation or refurbishment of buildings or building parts can be integrated as they are usually more common and estimations based on area declaration exist. While the main aim of the BVO model lies in the improvement of the buildings geometry (volume of the building) and not in the building system that eventually operates it, the induced process is understood as to eliminate or reduce the amount of incurring cost of a projected design before they occur. Once a building-volume design is established, system considerations may then further reduce costs by means of using appropriate technology as practiced by engineers. As mentioned earlier, Eberle (2007) suggested that active and passive design features are responsive towards each other, thus the priority in the design process should aim for optimizing passive design features first as they do not require the use of additional resources. Because constant definitions already include premade assumptions and partial definitions on an incorporated system they should be chosen wisely as not to affect unrealistic results. BVO design is thus understood proactive, as its primary intention is the improving passive design elements of the building-volume. Yet, the integration of LCC helps to understand significance of individual cost members and effectively use the diff

European Medical Device Regulations

European Medical Device Regulations Practical Application Project The intent of the proposed revisions to the existing European Medical Device Directives is to better protect public health, ensure free and fair trade of goods, and adapt the legislation to the technological advancements observed throughout the industry.1 These revisions have been in process since 2008, when the EU Commission initiated a public forum to collect comments on the existing European medical device directives.TUV In 2010, the need for change was even more apparent with the discovery of the French PIP breast implant scandal. Emergo In 2012, the European Commission released the initial draft of the proposed regulations. The directive on active implantable medical devices (90/383/EEC) and on medical devices (93/42/EEC) was combined into one proposed regulation on medical devices, referred to as MDR. A proposed regulation on in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices, referred to as IVDR, is intended to replace the existing directive (98/79/EC). The European Parliament and the European Council amended the proposed regulations, and final texts were released in June 2016.1 The regulatory approach utilized in the MDR and the IVDR is a life-cycle approach, rather than pre-approval path as outlined in the existing directives. Guidance documentation related to Authorized Representation, Clinical Evaluation, Vigilance, and Post-Market Clinical Follow-Up were essentially incorporated into the regulations. The major changes included in the final texts of the MDR and IVDR are described below and the subsequent affects on manufacturers, notified bodies, regulatory agencies and patients are outlined. Scope Expansion The MDR and IVDR include a revised medical device definition, which broadens the application of the regulation to include products not currently covered under the existing directives. For example, the MDR will apply to products used for cleaning, disinfection or sterilization. Under the current directive, these types of products were considered accessories to medical devices and thus were out of the scope of the Directive.Emergo Other product groups now within scope of both the MDR and IVDR include devices that do not have a medical intended purpose, such as colored contact lenses, cosmetic implant material, lifestyle and nutritional diagnostic tests. TUV, BSI MDR/IVDR The definition of a medical device accessory was also revised, to include products that assist devices, which will cover additional products. Classification rules in MDR and IVDR changed as well. The MDR increased classification for some devices or requires heightened oversight by the Notified Body but did not change the actual classification of the device. Rather than utilizing the list-based classification system in the Directive, IVDs will be classified per the system developed by the Global Harmonization Task Force into four risk-based classes using seven distinct rules. For IVD devices that do not fit into the classification rules and were self-certified under the existing Directive, the IVDR will classify these devices into a higher risk class which will require Notified Body certification. This is a pivotal shift for the IVD industry since approximately 80-90% of IVDs will now require Notified Body certification to sell in the EU.BSI MDR/IVDR Placing Products on the Market The number of Essential Requirements increased, as well as the number of detail for each requirement. The concept of common specifications was added to the MDR. Referred to as common technical specifications in the IVD Directive, common specifications are documents (not standards) that describe technical or clinical requirements and provide a method of conformity to a requirement of the Regulation. Manufacturers are generally required to comply with common specifications, unless justification can be adequately demonstrated to ensure the same level of safety and performance. The regulations require common specification compliance for aesthetic products. Clinical Evaluation Clinical Investigation The requirements for clinical evaluation and clinical investigation are more rigorous under the new regulations. Clinical investigations may be required for class III and implantable devices if the existing clinical evidence does not fulfill the new requirements. Clinical performance studies will be required and significantly more evidence will be required for IVDs.BSI IVDR Both the MDR and IVDR control the conduct of interventional and other clinical performance studies and require the use of good clinical practices, including informed consent. Another major change is the Post-Market Clinical Follow-up requirement as part of the clinical evaluation cycle for the device. For clinical evidence that relies on equivalence with another predicate device, there are several additional requirements that will likely limit the path to market for this type of clinical justification. In order to leverage equivalence to another device the manufacturer must scientifically justify technical, biological and clinical similarity. There needs to be no significant difference in the clinical performance and safety of the device and the predicate. The manufacturer must be able to demonstrate access to the data on the predicate device in order to substantiate this claim. Since that data is typically proprietary between market competitors, this requirement will likely severely limit the use of comparator equivalence justifications. Supply Chain Enhancements Both the MDR and the IVDR implement new supply chain requirements that affect each step of the medical device supply chain. Each supply chain participant, including importers and distributors, will be responsible for verifying regulatory compliance. Better definition on roles and responsibilities is defined between the authorized representative, distributor and importer. Vigilance reporting of adverse events and subsequent implementation of corrective action (as required) will be expanded to include importers and distributors as well as the manufacturer. All members of the supply chain must be able to maintain traceability of devices and retain those records for at least five years after the last device is supplied to the EU market. The regulations define the financial liability of the manufacturer as well as the authorized representative in the case of injury caused by the device. Labeling Unique device identification (UDI) will also be required. The UDI is compromised of two parts, a device identifier(DI) and a production identifier (PI). The DI is a fixed portion of the UDI that identifies the model number of the device and links the device to the manufacturer. The PI is the variable portion of the UDI that identifies the lot/batch number, expiration date/manufacturing date or serial number for the device. There are many changes to labeling and instructions for use requirements. All device labels, on all levels of packaging will likely be revised as a result of the new regulations. There are special labeling requirements for certain implant products. The patient must have easy access to all safety information, including warnings and precautions, expected lifetime of the device and any mandatory follow-up. With regards to the actual implanted device, the patient must receive identification of the device including UDI information. Vigilance and Post Market Surveillance There are substantial changes to the post-market surveillance and vigilance reporting requirements under the new regulations. Some reporting rules were changed, which will result in more reports. The timeline for reporting serious public health threats did not change, but the timeline for reporting all other adverse events decreased from 30 days to 15 days. The reduced time allowed for reporting will likely result in an increase in the number of follow-up reports in order to provide additional information. The combination of the change to reporting rules and the reporting timeline shift will result in an overall increase in the number of vigilance reports submitted by manufacturers. A requirement for post-market clinical follow up was added as well as periodic (annual) safety update reports. These reports will summarize post-market data and analysis, a description of any actions taken as a result of post market trends and include sales volume data. The Affect on Key Stakeholders Manufacturers There is no provision for grandfathering of existing products under the new regulations. Therefore device manufacturers will need to review product portfolios to determine the affect of the new regulations and subsequent actions needed for both CE marked products and non-CE marked products. BSI MDR/IVDR Due to the increased clinical and regulatory requirements, manufacturers may need to invest in additional resources to adequately satisfy the clinical and regulatory requirements. It is possible that new clinical data will need to be generated, which is a substantial undertaking, both from an economic and resource perspective. Under the new regulations, device manufacturers (and authorized representatives) are required to retain at least one person permanently and continuously who is responsible for regulatory compliance, regardless of the size of the organization. The one exception noted for this is for manufacturers of custom devices who are micro-enterprises. Notified Bodies One of the major role changes driven by the new regulations is the evolution of the notified body role from an industry partner under the Directives to a police-like extension of the Competent Authorities. In the new regulations, notified bodies are required to undergo a designation process and stricter requirements for notified body staff are defined. The demand for notified bodies will increase dramatically, as not all current notified bodies may seek or may not seek full designation for all services currently supplied to manufacturers. Further increasing the demand for notified bodies, is the classification changes, especially in the IVDR, which will require more resources from designated notified bodies. Another major change in the MDR is that notified bodies will be required to submit their clinical evaluation assessment report to an expert panel appointed by the EU Commission prior to certifying a class III implantable device or class IIb device intended to intended to administer/remove a medical product. The regulations will require notified bodies to conduct unannounced audits at least once every five years, which originated as a recommendation from the commission in 2013. Notified bodies are required to test manufacturing samples, or even market samples. However, the responsibility for the cost of this testing is not defined. Regulatory Agencies In an attempt to harmonize efforts between member states, a new regulatory body called the Medical Device Coordination Group (MDCG) is defined with a primary purpose of increasing collaboration between member states while allowing the EU Commission to act when required. The additional vigilance requirements will demand more resources to support processing data at the member state level. Member states will be need to work together in order to coordinate enforcement activities and report surveillance plans to be incorporated into the European Market Surveillance Plan. Member states also can begin applying fees to cover the costs associated with the new requirements. Patients One of the primary objectives of the new EU regulations is to better protect public health. Patient access to information is enhanced. The addition of UDI and vigilance reporting to the European database systems will help make essential device information and user experience data more readily available. UDI information will improve recall and field safety corrective action effectiveness. Additional labeling requirements will better inform the end user. One drawback is that due to the tightened clinical requirements, patients may experience a longer delay in access to new medical devices and technologies. However, more robust regulatory controls with the intent to improve overall patient safety should outweigh this risk. The changes the new regulations bring to the European medical device community and vast. Although the new regulations will not go into effect until three years after formal publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), it is important to begin preparing now for implementation. References: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1011_en.htm Medtecheurope, European Unique Device Identification Database (EUDID), Accessed February 29, 2017 http://www.medtecheurope.org/sites/default/files/14_MedTech%20Europe_Background%20Paper_EU%20UDI%20Database_PUBLISHED.pdf EU Commission Recommendation. n.d. https://www.3ec.sk/fileadmin/user_upload/Product_Certification/UNANNOUNCED_AUDITS_2014.pdf.2. Commission Recommendation. September 2013, 2013. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:253:0027:0035:EN:PDF.

Russia :: essays research papers fc

Comparative Politics Gerard Chretien RUSSIA: POLITICAL STRUCTURE: Summary: Why the democratic structure in Russia is proving to be unsuccessful. INTRODUCTION: The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, disintegrating into thirteen different states. Ever since the political structure of Russia has been viable and lacks stability. Many reasons can be cited for this instability out of which the bearish economy and a shaky democratic system are the main causes. ANALYSIS: The reforms taken after Russia’s disintegration have yet to be proved fruitful. The economy is in no better shape then before and politically Russia has great set backs in the name of the ongoing war with Muslim freedom fighters in Chechnya. â€Å"The most important factor that needs to be established is economic growth. Successful economic development will ease the transition and enable violence and dissention among the races very avoidable. If resources are abundant and properly distributed then multiple markets can grow. However, when resources run scarce and competition arises for limited assets then violence and animosity become the only plausible alternatives. If two industries fiercely compete for limited resources then one is likely to be forced out of the market. A sound and developing economy is essential for the happiness and orderly conduct of the people (Barner-Barry & Hody, 1995)(1). Another problem cited in the progress is the difficulty of transition from communism to democracy when the government officials are trained in the old system. The process of privatization requires lengths of time and willingness of the people to take upon the businesses for which they require full governmental protection, easy paper work and full rights over their property. â€Å"If Russia is to make the transition, it must rediscover civil society (the informal network of family, church, service organization and the like). Strong civil society provides the political culture that supports liberal institutions, but the Communist Party deliberately destroyed many elements of civil society to ensure party dominance. Russia faces moral, economic, and legal gaps in its civil society. Hence Russia has a difficult road to achieve democracy.†(2) It was a widely held belief that with the fall of the Soviet Union Russia would make a rapid transition into democracy and free markets. â€Å"This overlooks the crucial role of political culture in shaping and supporting political and economic institutions. Russia did not have the political culture appropriate to western-style institutions and so became chaotic and lawless. For Russians, democracy became a dirty word, as it symbolized Russia’s troubles.

Project Management - Verizon Wireless Billing System Integration Essay

INTRODUCTION Currently, Verizon Wireless has two major billing systems: I2K and VISION. In accordance with the strategic goals of the company and taking into consideration the corporate vision and credo, the executive management decided that having one billing system would be congruent with the objectives of the organization as a whole and the IT group in particular. After several months of deliberation, using techniques such as brainstorming, receiving expert opinions of SME (Subject Matter Experts) and taking into consideration the Payback period and ROI (Return on Investment) it was decided that the I2K customers would be converted into the VISION billing system. There will be 20 million customers that will be converted with the data ranging from customer and MTN information, price plan, usage and other related information necessary for billing the customers. After the Project acceptance, The Project was handed over to the CAM (Customer Account Management) team which functions as PMO (Project Management Office) for IT projects in Verizon wireless. The CAM team decided to manage the Project by organizing it into distinct process groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.) INITIATION The Initiation Phase will be the first phase in the project Ââ€" the basic processes that should be performed to get the project started. Tasks in the initiation process include the following. 1.Develop Business Case Once a business problem or opportunity has been identified, a Business Case is prepared. This includes: A detailed definition of the problem or opportunity An analysis of the potential solution options available. For each option, the potential benefits, costs, risks and is... ...ting lessons learned  · Completing, collecting and archiving project records  · Celebrating project success. Review Project Completion The final activity undertaken on any project is a review of its overall success by an independent resource. Success is determined by how well it performed against the defined objectives and conformed to the management processes outlined in the planning phase. To determine performance, a number of questions are posed. For example: o Did it result in the benefits defined in the Business Case? o Did it achieve the objectives outlined in the Terms of Reference? o Did it operate within the scope of the Terms of Reference? o Did the deliverables meet the criteria defined in the Quality Plan o Was it delivered within the schedule outlined in the Project Plan? o Was it delivered within the budget outlined in the Financial Plan?

Development of the American Experience, Thomas Jefferson

This passage is found on page 136, left column, fourth paragraph. This passage is used by Thomas Jefferson to argue on the necessity of establishing a government to replace the old structure of governance erected and maintained by the British crown. The passage establishes the basis for the dissolution of the American people’s â€Å"political bands†(Jefferson 136) and affiliation with Great Britain by stating that although changes in the government should never be taken lightly, it is unfortunate that many people are likely to prefer and even tolerate the wrongdoings and evil deeds promoted in the existing system for the sake of familiarity.In general, people are afraid of the disruption brought about by systemic changes because they are afraid of uncertainty. However, they have to realize that it is their right to initiate changes in terms of government when there is enough reason to do so, such as wanton abuse of power of leaders or corrupt practices or â€Å"wheneve r any form of government becomes destructive† or poses a hindrance to the achievement of human rights to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† (Jefferson 136)Jefferson observes that the prevailing conditions under the governance of the â€Å"present king of Great Britain† points to such circumstance of â€Å"injuries and usurpations† (Jefferson 137) which have severely impeded the political and social life of the American people. Clearly, Jefferson uses this line of argument to convince the people of the morality of self-governance and of declaring independence vis-a-vis the state of being enslaved and virtually dependent on the British for political, social, and economic sustenance.By acknowledging the doubts and difficulties that surround the decision to break the ties with the long time British ruler, Jefferson and his followers wanted to arouse a sense of righteous anger in the face of the historical abuses committed by the king and his g overnment. For instance, he reminds his audience of how the British king has â€Å"plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, & destroyed the lives of our people.† (138)In effect, Jefferson encourages his audience to rise up against the tyrannical form of government imposed by a foreign ruler through the systematic use of violence and violation of human rights. In bringing up the general hesitance of the populace, Jefferson mocks and prods them into recognizing the validity of separation and of establishing their own government as a last resort in the face of the continued refusal of the British king to petitions for redress.(139)It is evident from Jefferson’s â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† that the need to form an independent government is made inevitable in order to protect the inherent rights of the American people from another government which is exploitative and tyrannical. Undoubtedly, it is through this concept of tyranny in governan ce that societies are able to form their own distinct ideas of what a government or the state of social relations should be like.Thomas Jefferson would later expound on the meaning of tyranny through religious bigotry and intolerance when he proposes the passage of an act to establish religious freedom as a human right. (141) The necessity of enacting legislation to prevent religious tyranny, which presupposes the superiority of a single religion over others and promotes the propagation of religion through coercion and imposition of religious ideas and opinions over others, shows that the government functions as a regulatory mechanism for guaranteeing human rights, including ensuring that one’s human right does not deprive another of his or her rights.Thomas Paine argues, for instance, thatâ€Å"government, even in its best state, is a necessary evil† (133) to demonstrate that government only becomes a social necessity when the members of society have become too corrup ted and too selfish so that they must be forced to acknowledge and perform their obligations toward others in order to experience peace and security, or when the people experience misery because of the intrusion of the government of another people.In many ways, both Jefferson and Paine’s conception of the role and relevance of the government as a social institution bears resemblance to the concepts explored by Rosseau in his thesis on the Social Contract, wherein he traces the historical roots of the birth of societies and governments, and describes the ideal relationship between the government and the people or the sovereign. Like Rosseau, Jefferson and Paine condemns the impulse towards tyranny that promotes the clash between the minority and majority interest, as represented by the tendency of the few to promote their selfish interests at the expense of others.This is exemplified in Jefferson and Paine’s account of the American experience under British rule, wherein both authors find the American people fully justified in announcing separation and in establishing â€Å"a government of our own† as â€Å"our natural right. † (Paine 135) Rosseau’s influence on the conception of nationalism on American thinkers such as Jefferson and Paine is also evident in the concepts of territory and the boundaries of private and social property that the authors use to justify the call to revolt against British colonization.This is clearly stipulated in the reasons that Jefferson and Paine enumerates, wherein they invoke the inherent human right to self-determination. (Ibid) Indeed, Jefferson’s argument on the right of the people to â€Å"alter or to abolish† a government based on its inability to protect the rights of the citizens and when it becomes an impediment towards the realization of full human development was made at a time when people lacked the confidence to believe that they were capable of governing themselves.How ever, Jefferson’s concept of the right of the people to a government that fully reflects and represents their collective interests and aspirations continues to resound to this day, when new forms of tyranny and new forms of oppression persists, oftentimes under the cloak of democracy or for the pursuit of human security.It is not a stretch of the mind to note the persistence of social problems such as intolerance and discrimination based on religion, gender, or social status, or the continued poverty experienced not only by the American people more so by the rest of the world, that effectively prevents the full realization of human rights and potentials that Jefferson and Paine have so boldly championed, and on which the democratic ideals of American society were built on.