Motorcycle Helmet laws Essay

Over the past 30 years, many states have enacted mandatory helmet laws for motorcycle drivers. There have been many states that have rescinded these laws for reasons that may not be known by those most interested – the motorcycle rider him/herself. Currently, less than half of all U. S. states require helmets for motorcycle operators. One who is interested in this topic may wonder how those that are in positions to give the thumbs up or thumbs down regarding these laws make their decision one way or the other. Do they have facts, data and evidence to support their verdicts? Or, are they influenced by stories of horrific motorcycle fatalities recited to them by friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, church members, or acquaintances at the grocery store, garden center and/or the local pub? Could there be a possibility that they might pass a mandatory helmet law due to a knee-jerk reaction to a particularly heinous accident that recently occurred and been covered by television, radio, newspaper and the internet? What are the chances that one of those decision makers was an avid rider who escaped serious injury due to donning a helmet while riding? Those questions might also lead to others, for example, about how much influence lobbyists have when it comes down to the final moments prior to the enactment or veto of a particular bill. Does a lobbyist that is pro-mandatory helmets have more â€Å"clout,† or would, for example, a group of motorcycle drivers have any influence? The typical motorcycle rider and/or the general public most likely has no idea what factors are explored prior to the determination of those who have license to make the decision as to how one should dress if they are heading out on a motorcycle. Despite empirical evidence that supports the use of helmets, avid motorcyclists argue that helmet laws violate the Ninth Amendment, which states, â€Å"no law shall be enacted that regulates the individual’s Motorcycle Helmet Laws 3 freedom to choose his personal actions and mode of dress so long as it does not in any way affect others. † Trends over the past several years have been to review and disseminate accident and other reports written by police and highway patrol officers, hospital workers, witnesses to the scene and road construction workers who may have been at the site at the time of the accident. Figures and findings resulting from the National Highway Safety Act have been accessed. Compilations from states’ motor vehicle divisions and departments of transportation have also been employed extensively to determine if enactment of mandatory helmet laws decreases injuries and deaths from motorcycle crashes. These reports and statistics, however, have not included details regarding factors such as age and/or sex of the driver, style and size of motorcycle, geographical demographics, or the number of months one rides or the time of day that the incident occurred. Published research studies regarding statistics from several states were analyzed for this assignment. Some studies include all states of America, while many others focus on a particular state or group of states. Other types of research reviewed included telephone interviews with motorcyclists, articles by motorcycle groups pertaining to published findings and observations of riders, documenting whether or not they were wearing helmets. This student has a particular interest in this subject as she rides a motorcycle. In the state where she resides (Minnesota) there is no mandatory helmet use law. Unfortunately, she is not aware of the particular reasons that her state has made the decision not to enact this law. Nevertheless, if she were extremely astute, she would have reviewed any statistics regarding her home state. The author is interested in discovering the reasoning that the â€Å"powers that be† chose to allow her to have the freedom Motorcycle Helmet Laws 4 to decide whether or not she will don a helmet prior to embarking on a journey. Her hypotheses as to the reasons are probably so far off base that she would be hesitant to admit them to another. Ultimately, her quest is to evaluate the writings and attempt to discover if mandatory helmet laws do, indeed, decrease injuries and deaths as a result of a motorcycle crash. There are a variety of reasons a motorcycle driver makes the decision as to whether to wear a helmet while riding vs. not wearing one. Some of the factors that influence this decision appear to be age, demographics (urban vs. rural living), and style and size of motorcycle. Other factors involved are where the person is riding (highway, city, side streets, rural areas, etc. ) Weather conditions and time of day (early morning, rush hour, nighttime) also should be taken into consideration. Maneuvering through hundreds of vehicles on the road and the rising or setting sun in one’s eyes have a bearing on how well a driver can see. The incidence of accidents that result in injury and fatality has fluctuated with the enactment and rescinding of mandatory helmet use. The United States federal government has had a vacillating approach to the use of motorcycle helmets since 1967, when the National Highway Safety Act (NHSA) was first passed, which required states to enforce helmet laws or be ineligible for certain funding programs at the state level. By 1976, Congress responded to pressures from individual states and motorcyclist interest groups by revoking the federal authority to assess penalties for non-compliance. Within 4 years after the NHSA was revised, 28 states repealed their mandatory helmet laws. Congress later enacted the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in 1991, which created incentives for states to enact helmet use; yet by the fall of 1995, Congress lifted sanctions against states lacking helmet law enforcement. This final repeal set the stage for state legislatures to repeal helmet laws entirely. Only Motorcycle Helmet Laws 5 20 states currently require the use of a protective helmet for all motorcycle riders, three states do not require a helmet for any riders, and 27 states require helmet use only under specific conditions. Several studies suggest that injuries and deaths from motorcycle crashes significantly decline after the passing of mandatory helmet laws in a variety of states. Consequently, the impression one perceives is that helmet use is the panacea to obliterating any injuries and deaths from serious motorcycle mishaps. The statistics that are embodied in these studies are Death to Accident Ratios, which compare the number of deaths to the number of related accidents. Limitations of these studies are that many fail to take into account the fact that motorcycle registrations declined upon resolution of the mandatory helmet use. One such study was entitled â€Å"Motorcyclist Deaths Spike as Helmet Laws Loosen. † When one glances at the title of this report, it appears alarming and gives the impression that once a compulsory act is rescinded, anyone that hops on a motorcycle in a state that does not have the helmet law will surely perish. The finer print indicates that southern states are among those with the highest motorcycle death rates. The smallest print, even smaller than the print in the body of the findings (approximately a size 6 font), disclosed that states with a year-round riding season are those that report higher death rates during the year. It takes the findings from a small number of states and proceeds to construe these across the entire country. Consequently, how can this study be proof that motorcycle helmet use decreases injury and death from riding? In the state of Minnesota, for example, in an exemplary year weather-wise, cycle riders have the opportunity to ride for six months out of twelve. In a year where there is an unseasonably long winter, a short spring season and an early beginning for autumn, Minnesotans may have an entire riding season of only three months. Limitations to the majority of studies looked at the findings and drew conclusions Motorcycle Helmet Laws 6 based on the death to accident ratios alone. Very few attempted to delineate the number of months one would be riding, seasonal road conditions or other factors. The use of a causal model distinguished the research methodology of one particular study from other studies. This methodology appealed to this writer, as many factors can influence not only the occurrence of a motorcycle crash, but the resulting predominance or lack of injury and/or death. The causal model considered crash speed, helmet use, alcohol use and other pertinent variables in an attempt to isolate the separate contribution of each determinant of the severity of injury or probability of death. The advantage of this approach was in the ability to estimate the separate effects of several simultaneous and interrelated causes of motorcycle fatalities and injury severities. Previous studies simply divided accident victims into a helmeted group and non-helmeted group. As a result, all differences in fatality rates, injury rates and injury severities between groups were attributed to helmet use. These comparisons failed to consider other differences between helmet users and non-users which influence the probability of death and the severity of injuries. The writer’s hypothesis was that helmeted riders were more risk-averse and thus: (1) had lower pre-crash and thus crash speeds; and (2) were less likely to combine alcohol consumption and driving (Goldstein, 1986). This researcher surmised that the behaviors of riders might make the difference between the probability of fatality and severity of an injury vs. the wearing of a helmet being the deciding factor. A study conducted by the University Medical Center at Brackenridge in Austin, Texas aimed to identify risk factors leading to riding and crashing a motorcycle without a helmet and to compare outcomes of helmeted vs. unhelmeted motorcyclists involved in a motorcycle crash. This retrospective study took place over a 13-year period and employed the analysis of the trauma registry at the medical center. Data was collected regarding pre-injury characteristics such as the use of protective helmet, age, Motorcycle Helmet Laws 7 gender, ethnicity, insurance status, blood alcohol content and whether the patient was the driver or the passenger. Once more, the research conducted (above) delves into the data related to cycle crashes after the fact. And, as the majority of studies that relied on numbers and formulas concluded, unhelmeted riding was associated with more severe injuries, longer hospitalizations, increased mortality and higher hospital charges. The conclusions of this particular report pointed to three basic factors which were a departure from typical research findings. These analysts determined that independent predictors of riding without a helmet included alcohol intoxication, lack of health insurance and riding as a passenger (Brown, 2011). Some of these conclusions make sense and might seem to be obvious. One can easily understand how alcohol consumption would be a risk factor in collisions on motorcycles, as it decreases reaction time and lends itself to disinhibition on many levels. The subject of health insurance led to questions by the author of this paper. How does not having health insurance influence my decision regarding wearing a helmet? Final notations of the writing declare that education and prevention strategies should be targeted at these high-risk populations. It would be intriguing to determine how to locate this particular group to target for education and prevention. What ultimate goal did these researchers have in conducting this study? This student ponders that question and questions the validity of their closing statements. Taken together, the results indicate that mandatory helmet use laws do increase the number of motorcyclists who wear helmets while riding, thus showing a decrease in serious injury and/or fatality. The threat of being ticketed along with the probability of receiving a fine appear to be the determining Motorcycle Helmet Laws 8 factors as to whether or not a rider wears a helmet. The great majority of studies conducted were quantitative in nature and focused primarily on reviewing summaries of statistics from state reports written by various law enforcement officials. The writer of this text deemed that there may have been limitations in these particular summaries. There were several studies that appeared to employ a more qualitative methodology, however, some findings appeared to indicate the possibility of the researcher having some type of stake in the results of the evaluation, such as the project being funded by an entity that drafts insurance rates for motor vehicles. The overall impression of the qualitative results was that those that chose to delve into this issue came to the realization that many factors contribute to the incidence of injury and death caused by motorcycle collisions. It is important to understand that the ultimate decision as to wearing a helmet while riding vs. not wearing one is the burden of the rider and not of the government. Each rider must take into account those mitigating factors that might influence the success or failure of each ride on his or her motorcycle. Motorcycle Helmet Laws 9 References Auman, Kimberly M; Kufera, Joseph A; Ballesteros, Michael F; Smialek, John E; Dischinger, Patricia (2002). Autopsy study of motorcyclist fatalities: The Effect of the 1992 Maryland Helmet Use Law. American Journal of Public Health 92. 8, August 2002: 1352-5. Brown, Carlos V. R. , MD, FACS; Hijl, Kelli, MSC; Bui, Eric, MD; Tips, Gaylen, RN, MSN; Coopwood, Ben, MD, FACS (2010). Risk Factors for Riding and Crashing a Motorcycle Unhelmeted. Department of Surgery, Trauma Services, University Medical Center at Brackenridge, Austin, Texas. Cotton, Paul (1992). Highway Fund Threat Is No Easy Ride For Motorcycle Law Opponents. The Journal of the American Medical Association 268. 3, July 15, 1992, p. 311. Derrick, Allison J; Faucher, Lee D.(2009). Motorcycle Helmets and Rider Safety: A Legislative Crisis. Journal of Public Health Policy30. 2: 226-42. Eustace, Deogratias, P. E. , M. ASCE; Krishna Indupuru, Vamsi, Hovey, Peter (2011). Identification of Risk Facors Associated with Motorcycle-Related Fatalities in Ohio. Journal of Transportation Engineering/July 2011, 120-125. Goldstein, Jonathan P, PhD (2011). The Effect of Motorcycle Helmet Use on the Probability of Fatality and the Severity of Head and Neck Injuries: Highlights of Helmet Effectiveness Study. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 441-446. Copyright  © 2011 Elsevier Inc. Motorcycle Helmet Laws 9 Houston, David J. , PhD; Richardson, Lilliard E, Jr. , PhD (November 2007). Motorcycle Safety and the Repeal of Universal Helmet Laws, American Journal of Public Health, 97. 11, 2063-9. Kraus, Jeff F. , MPH, PhD; Peek, Corinne, MPH; McArthur, David L. , PhD, MPH; Williams, Allan, PhD (1995). The Effect of the 1992 California Motorcycle Helmet Use Law on Motorcycle Crash Fatalities and Injuries. American Journal of Public Health, January 1995, Vol. 85, No. 1, pp. 96 – 100. McCartt, Ann T. ; Blanar, Laura; Teoh, Eric R. ; Strouse, Laura M. (1994). Overview of Motorcycling in the United States: A National Telephone Survey, Journal of Safety Research, Vol. 42, pp. 177-184. O’Neill, James MD; Scott, Charry, RRT; Kissoon, Niranjan, MD; Wludyka, Peter, PHD; Wears, Robert, MD; Luten, Robert, MD (2007). Characteristics of Motorcycle-Related Hospitalizations: Comparing States with Different Helmet Laws. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 39, Issue 1, 190-196.

Was female rule unacceptable in early modern Europe?

This narrative will be investigating the political and royal policies of early modern Europe and it's reasoning behind preferring (and insisting) that only male royal blood lines should maintain the throne. I shall be researching how Queen Elizabeth 1st was able to take the throne as a single female, as well as (despite never being able to take the throne herself) the years that her sons ruled is now known as the ‘age of Catherine De Medici'. It will be necessary to look at religious opinions and political laws, as well as literary opinions from the 16th and early 17th century (in some cases earlier) across early modern Europe, England and Scotland, regarding women and their place in society and how that relates to women in positions of power Early modern Europe was segregated by extreme religious fault lines. With England, Scotland, Germany, The Netherlands and France fighting (both politically and literally) for superioty of their chosen religion, these were; Calvinism, Lutheranism, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, with a small minority of Anglican followers also. The majority of Spain, Portugal and Italy remained virtually wholly Roman Catholic, which lead to many wars and disputes with bordering nations. The Royal policy of the time was to use marriage to cement literal boarders between neighbouring countries in an effort to create great nations, and also to make intangible connections that cemented power between nations creating beneficial alliances. Political and social opinion of women at the time was largely due to the writings of St. Paul in the New Testament regarding Adam and Eve, and how Eve carried out the first human sin, disobeyed God and tempted Adam with the apple. This therefore made Eve responsible for the fall of mankind, and left women being seen as the source of all evil and sin. Coupling this with Aristotle's premise that a woman was an inferior version of the perfect male form, meant that the opinion of women was not something to be fought against, it was simply irrefutable fact. Because of this, religious political and social opinion of women in early modern Europe, women were only seen as valuable for their usefulness in connecting families through marriage or continuing family legacies through childbirth. Therefore families could effectively marry their daughters off like chattel. Women in early modern Europe were seen as feeble and weak minded, unable to be decision makers, and think for themselves. They (women) by religious opinion were created by God for man. Therefore giving man the right to rule them. As Martin Luther put so plainly; ‘Women are created for no other purpose than to serve men and be their helpers. If women grow weary or even die while bearing children, that doesn't harm anything. Let them bear children to death; they are created for that. ‘ Even women in positions of power were aware that they were not comparable to men. As Queen Elizabeth recognised, ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a King'1 Queen Elizabeth the first, was arguably one of the most famous female rulers in our history, yet her road to power was a difficult one. Elizabeth's rule while she was alive, and even after her death, has been shadowed by questions regarding the legitamacy of her right to the throne. The Catholic populace never fully accepted her, as her father Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church to divorce his first wife: Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth's mother). However Henry VIII and Catherine (his first wife) had a daughter Mary, Henry VIII went on to have Elizabeth with his second wife and a son: Edward with Jane Seymour his 3rd wife, and despite Catholic beliefs regarding divorce, (which made Elizabeth illegitimate, but not Mary or Edward) the only surety was that Henry's male heir was going to take the throne first. After Edward took the crown Mary was to follow closely succeeded by Elizabeth. The only other candidate that could possibly take a rightful place over Elizabeth was Mary Stuart, who was currently Queen of Scotland and Queen of France (by marriage), and with the ever looming threat of a two-pronged assault on England by the French and the Scottish, Elizabeth became the necessary and logical choice as the English people were at the time seen to be more ‘nationalistic than catholic' (and an exceptional ruler she went on to be), managing to influence both Roman Catholic's and Protestant's into a compromise, which arguably stopped England from falling into a religious war, as was the case in France. But it also conveyed to her public that she was able to accept both faiths and allow them to coexist in the efforts of peace, a feat that had not been accomplished so logically or peacefully by her male predecessor's. France was plagued by its own political difficulties and religious disputes, and having a female singularly ruling was intolerable to them, and with the medieval ‘Salic Law' still in force (of which some of its policies are still in use today) the French were able to regulate who took to the throne and who maintained power. Salic law was clear, however; it decreed a purely French solution. (Elsewhere, in countries where Salic law did not apply – Scotland, England, Spain†¦ women undoubtedly had the right to succeed to the crown, although their rights in other areas were very limited. )2 As Queen Elizabeth found herself when trying to deal with her Generals and war strategists, many of whom ignored her input refusing to consider that she would have any useful insights into battle planning. Salic law was particularly relevant to Catherine De Medici, as it kept her from the throne after the death of her husband. Catherine then put her sons on throne, where she was virtually able to rule by defacto for many years, due to her sheer iron will and the strong maternal hold she had over her sons – even when her son Francis II died, his wife Queen Mary (Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots) fled back to Scotland rather than be dominated by her mother-in-law. Even with Queen Elizabeth being in power in England, and Catherine De Medici's virtual rule in France there were still many who felt that female rule was unlawful. But this started a debate in the early 16th century as to whether female's born of Royal blood and extensively educated were able to overcome the short fallings of their gender. Were Queen Elizabeth and her sister Queen Mary, as well as Mary Queen of Scots and Catherine De Medici able to break these notions and change history? To conclude as to whether women were acceptable Queens able to fully rule, the answer is clearly no. Female rule in early modern Europe was unacceptable. Men did see women as more feeble, both physically and mentally, and assumed that they were automatically superior. Women were nothing more than the child bearers, a point exemplified by marriages that were able to be absolved if no children were born (regardless of religion). It would appear that one of the factors of fearing female rule would be felt by the current King preparing to hand power to his daughter, the King (from any nation) would be aware that opinion of females was poor, and that the new ‘queen' would need to take a husband to guide and assist her. Which then leads to the question of whom should marry the future queen? Her right to power would automatically revert to her husband – very probably a Prince or King from another nation, which would leave the current King to foresee the fall of his Kingdom to a foreign land. France kept with the extremely old salic law, that was first made policy in medieval time's to make sure that only males of French blood from royal lines could ascend to the throne. But it would seem as was the case across Europe and England that Salic law, and English/Catholic opinion and preference on female rule only counted if it suited. If the alternative ruler was unpalatable (for instance Mary Queen of Scots) then the nobles and governments would find alternative methods to crown their ruler of choice. The debate of female rule was never about what was best for France, England or whomever, but quite plainly about those in power keeping that position for as long as possible at whatever the cost. Historic and modern literature written about Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine De Medici, Queen Mary I and Mary Queen of Scots can paint a picture of a very manipulative, autocratic and sometimes capricious class of Queen, but with the severe adversities they faced I feel that as independents they were utilizing their femininity, as well as their individual strong wills and education to keep a firm control. These famous rulers from our history did bring about change, and they forever altered the face of Royalty as well as assisting (even if only selectively) the view of women across the world.

Organizational Competitive Strategies-Porter’s Five Forces Model (AIR ASIA) Essay

The Porter’s five forces model, in this assignment, can be used to access the competitiveness of the airlines industry. It can review the competition within the industry plus checks for threat from outside. Bargaining power of supplier-High- In every industry, there has to be someone to play the role of a supplier. It is important to know the power of the supplier as it will affect the industry. There are only two main suppliers in the airline industry, Airbus and Boeing, thus there isn’t much of an open option. Not forgetting the global economic catastrophe which has limited the new entry of competitor plus reducing the necessity of upgrading of planes in near future. However, both suppliers grant almost similar standard aircrafts; hence the switch to AirAsia is low. Furthermore, AirAsia places a bulky amount of order from Airbus in order to expand its routes internationally. Therefore, the authority of suppliers may weaken as Airbus’s profit may be influenced by Air Asia. Bargaining power of customer-High- Customers are the main factor which influences the industry to either make a loss or profit. Nowadays, customers are much more knowledgeable and comparative compared to previous. Thus, they are very sensitive to the hike and drop of prices, regardless the product or service. In this assignment, AirAsia always provides the lowest price to customers, but the act of comparing between airlines still exist. AirAsia is not the only one providing an airline service thus, for a customer to switch between airline services is simple. For example, customer may still choose MAS, Tiger Airway or even Firefly. Internal rivalry within the industry-High- In every business sector, there exist either a positive or negative tendency towards an industries rate of development. Result of a positive trend would be in companies not stealing the share market among them. Nonetheless in an airline industry, the rate of development is low by reason of the inadequate amount of consumers. Hence, AirAsia has to steal the market share from its contenders to develop and succeed further. The main key advantage is its low operating overhead, this factor enables it to be the prime in the main field in price. Nonetheless, there are many other upcoming competitors or rivals immerging into the airline industry, who have key carriers as their backbone, which may direct to an ugly price clash in the coming years. There are few other minimal cost airline services such as Firefly, Tiger Airways and etc, making them possible competitors of AirAsia. Barriers to Entry/Potential entrants-Low- there is a high barrier to emerge in the airline industry since the capital required is very high, such as the need to purchase airplanes, office buildings and hiring staffs. Hence this reduced the threat for AirAsia. Plus brand awareness is also a main leading factor. A new line of aircraft can’t make a mark so fast in the industry and it requires a lot of capital and time to build its name. Consumers always prefer a brand that has been there for an adequate amount of time, a brand that they can trust. This also reduces the threat. Not forgetting the governmental legislation also is a barrier by itself. For example, MAS has got the backing and protection by the Malaysian government on the route to Sydney and Seoul, so AirAsia finds it tough in getting a new route from the government. This reduces the profit margin able to be made by AirAsia, but also has reduced emergence of new entries. Power of Substitutes-Medium- Substitute are products or services which can replace the originals, and still able to provide almost the equivalent fulfillment to clients. In the airline industry basically, two types of substitutes are present, indirect and direct. Indirect substitute are ferry, bus and further forms of transportation except from airline, while direct substitute are the other rival airlines. Consumers usually go for those that cost less. If the trip covers a short distance and mainly connected to the peninsula then forms of transport will include train, bus or air travel. However if the trip is budgeted the preferable choice would be by bus. Moreover the development in technology has highly contributed in this matter by making ticketing and pricing of air tickets available to travelers on the internet and also allowing them to compare the rates. Even if the travelers may prefer to take a bus or train to their preferred location such as travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok, it is still an undeniable fact that air travel is much more convenient and consumes less time.

Investigation Into Piston Failures Dissertation

Investigation Into Piston Failures - Dissertation Example Various researched have been conducted so far proposing new geometries, materials and manufacturing techniques for engine pistons which further accounted for a constant improvement for the past decades and demanded comprehensive analysis of the smallest details. Despite of all these vast researches, there is a mass number of piston failures. There are various origins in damage mechanisms which area basically related to temperature, wear and fatigue. Further the fatigue damages prominently include thermal fatigue and mechanical fatigue, which are either at high temperature or at room temperature. This study is not just related to the causes, diagnosis and solutions of piston failures but also related to an overwhelming and a specialist exploration of the points of investigation. Various interlinked aspects and methods corresponding to the piston failures or fatigues have to be considered to construct a reliable, overwhelming and coherent investigation about engine piston failures. Thu s, the following three basic approaches are employed to analyze the fatigue mechanism. 1. Total Life Approach, 2. Crack Initiation Approach, and 3. Crack Propagation Approach. Various characteristics such like the piston-materials, the piston-operations, the total life approach or the other related operations classify lubrication operations as the nature of the engine piston failure. The fatigue total-life approach corresponds to the piston life method that analyzes the stresses damaging the piston. In the similar context, the materials of the piston focus on the fatigue matter in which a piston is most likely to damage or crack due to the use of the forged materials. Such cracks or damages relate to the aspects of material-life, usage-life, stress-life, and operation-life. Nevertheless, the cyclic fatigues are commonly elastic where the material-stress life curve is used and the piston fatigue mechanism is basically plastic deformation. The characteristic of the crack initiation re lated to the dilemma of piston fatigue is usually employed to determine the operation's processes influencing the efficiency of the engine piston. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 1.Introduction to Pistons 5 1.1. Background on Pistons: 5 1.2. Aims and objectives: 7 1.3. Piston function 7 1.4. Piston Parts 9 2.Piston Design 12 2.1. Piston Shape investigation: 12 2.2. Piston Rings: 13 2.2.1. Compression Ring 13 2.2.2. Wiper Ring 14 2.2.3. Oil Ring 14 2.4. Materials used for manufacturing: 16 2.4.1. The significance of silicone: 17 2.4.2. The types of aluminum alloy: 17 2.4.3 Forged versus Cast: 19 3.Piston Failures 20 3.1 Experimentation 21 3.1.1 Mechanical and high temperature mechanical fatigue 22 3.1.1.1 Piston head and piston pin hole 22 3.1.1.2 Piston compression grooves 25 3.1.1.3. Piston skirt 27 3.1.2. Thermal and thermal–mechanical fatigue 29 4. Analyses and Discussions 32 4.1. Mechanical fatigue 32 4.1.1. Piston head and piston pin hole 32 4.1.2. Piston compressi on grooves 35 4.1.3. Piston skirt 35 4.2. Thermal and thermal–mechanical fatigue 36 5. Solutions and Proposals 37 5.1. Local reinforcements 37 5.2. Materials 38 5.3. Design 39 5.4. Surface coatings 40 5.5. Piston cooling 40 6. Prevention of Piston Failures and deformation 41 6.3.3. The Types of Lubricants 45 6. Conclusions 46 6.1. The possible causes of the Piston Failure: 47 6.2. The different types of the piston damage: 47 7. Recommendation 48

MGMT315 U4 IP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGMT315 U4 IP - Research Paper Example s which every organisation must be aware of and adhere to before they can invest in a foreign country and before they can engage employees in that country. Any American company that intends to invest in a foreign country needs to keep abreast of the specific employment laws of that particular country so as to ensure that they do not get into problems with the regulatory authorities in the country. Before a company can invest in a foreign country, it is important to carry out an initial survey on the employment laws applicable in that country so as to determine how they differ from those applicable in the USA. This is important due to the fact that some employment laws may lead to a situation where the incremental operational costs exceed the benefits the company will get from operating in that country (Hennart and Larimo, 1998). Employment laws normally relate to rules and regulations governing minimum wages, maximum working hours and minimum annual leave days that an employee is entitled to. They also relate to the whether an employee is entitled to paid leave days or not. Employment laws are diverse in every country since in most cases the government of the country sets the minimum wages applicable to the employees in the country. The employment laws may also relate to the length of time that a company should keep employees on casual employment terms and the procedure to absorb them into permanent basis. American companies therefore need to familiarise themselves with laws in different countries so that they evaluate the economics of investing in a particular country (Hennart and Larimo, 1998). The management of the American company working in a global location need to analyse the political situation of the specific country so as to determine the political stability of the country. This is important in that the company will be able to evaluate the risks and return coefficients associated with investing in the country. A politically stable country provides a

Bill of Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bill of Rights - Essay Example owever, it can be noted that the English Bill of rights does not contain much of what the first amendments added to the constitution after their ratification, Fourth Amendments These amendments are also part of the Bill of rights which is against unreasonable searches and seizure. In addition to that, the amendments also pioneered a requirement that there is a need to ensure that all warrants should be judicially sanctioned with support by probable cause. In simple terms, it generally means that the warrant should be sanctioned by the judicially on the basis of the specific information that has been supplied and the officer in charge sworn by it (Burgan, 2002). Fifth Amendments As part of the bill of rights, the fifth amendments to the US constitution protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. The amendment stipulates that no single person shall be held to answer capital or otherwise an infamous crime (Burgan, 2002). Sixth Amendments Being part of the US bil l of rights, the sixth amendment to the US constitution sets the rights related to criminal prosecution through the due process, which is stipulated under the fourteenth amendment of the US constitution. Rights that have been conferred under this section include speedy trial, public trial, impartial jury, notice of accusation among other issues related to prosecution. Fourteenth Amendment Dubbed as the reconstruction amendments, the amendments contain the citizenship clause that provides a comprehensive definition of what citizenship is. In the Due process clause, the amendment stipulates that a state or local government cannot deprive a person of his life, liberty or property unless several steps have been taken to ensure fairness in the matter. Lastly, the amendments prohibit any... From this research it is clear that in United States of America, most law enforcement agencies are aimed at ensuring that there is a complete social control system that deters and mitigates crime throughout the country. These agencies also work by sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and providing rehabilitation where necessary. However, with amendments above, these law enforcement agencies face a number of challenges in terms of dealing with suspects of crime and what is stipulated under the bill of rights in amendments above. A criminal justice system that is honest, fair and effective is what most crusaders of the said amendments have been on the forefront in advocating for. This is because law enforcement agencies form part of the larger criminal justice system of the United States of America together with courts and corrections. Some of the challenges that these law enforcement agencies encounter are poor data collection and organized crime. Since proper da ta collection for any given crime requires that there is proper coordination within parties involved in law enforcement agencies, it is prone to many errors and therefore sometimes lead to contradiction. Some cases have been cancelled in the name of lack of sufficient evidence because data collection was poorly done. The amendment discussed above requires any given court to ensure that there is sufficient data to ensure fairness at the time of trial.

UK Constitutional Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

UK Constitutional Law - Essay Example "The special pre eminence which the king hath over and above all other persons and out of the ordinary course of the common law, in right of his legal dignity. It signifies, in its etymology (from Latin prae and rogo) something that is required or demanded before or in preference to all others." "The residue of discretionary or arbitrary authority which at any time is legally left in the hands of the Crown.Every Act which the executive government can lawfully do without the authority of an Act of Parliament is done in virtue of this prerogative (Dicey,1885) Notably Dicey's definition, unlike that of Blackstone's admits that the prerogative power is residual, inherent and particular to the Crown. In addition to this if we adopt Blackstone's classification it is possible to decipher two kinds of these powers as in the Sphere of "Domestic Affairs" and secondly in the matter of "Foreign Affairs". The powers or prerogatives inherent for a Monarch in the matter of Domestic Affairs are, the summoning and dissolution of Parliament, the appointment of a Prime Minister and all the other Ministers, the Royal Assent to bills, the granting of honours, defence of the realm (issues of national security),parens patriae over children, the power to stop criminal prosecutions, the power of mercy/pardoning of offenders, control of the civil service and of the royal fisheries. In the matter of foreign affairs these powers include treaty making provisions, Declarations of war and peace, state recognition, diplomatic relations and control of the armed forces engaged in combat outside the country. The background and the logic behind prerogatives can be explained in a rather historical context , ", the medieval monarchy was both feudal lord and head of the kingdom. As such, the King had powers accounted for by the need to preserve the realm against external foes and an 'undefined residue of power which he might use for the public good'. He could exercise the 'royal prerogative' and impose his will in respect of decision-making. Moreover certain royal functions could be exercised only in certain ways. The common law courts were the King's courts and only through them could the King decide questions of title to land and punish felonies. Yet the King possessed a residual power of administering justice through his Council where the courts of common law were insufficient."1 As far as the sovereign's personal prerogatives are concerned this will be the main issue of scrutiny within this paper. The Crown's personal prerogative powers are mainly recognised under the common law as the power to appoint the Prime Minister that is a person who will be in the best position to receive the support of the majority in the House of Commons. Practically however the Queen/King will have no impact on the political orientation of such a sovereign.2Secondly, the Monarch has the power to dissolve the parliament and allow for re-elections in certain circumstances.3 The third prerogative relates to the

Biomass Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biomass Questions - Essay Example However, the technology for such venture is still in its infancy. It will take some more time before breakthrough in technology is achieved for viable energy production for commercial use from plastics and other combustible contents (Plastics and the environment). A herd of 2000 pigs can produce 400 ft3 of waste. This, in turn, can help produce 3120 ft3 of biogas per day. This figure of 3120 ft3 is arrived at assuming each pig produces 0.2 ft3 waste from which 7.8 ft3/day biogas is produced. (The Economics of Biogas in the Hog Industry, p7). The cogen must have the capacity of 1 x 75 kW and 1 x 110 kW to utilize the gas (The Economics of Biogas in the Hog Industry, p13). The landowner will have to cultivate 2500 hectares of land if eucalypt trees are planted and 10,000 hectares of land if short rotation irrigated forestry crops are planted to produce 10 MW power. This figure is arrived at calculating the requirement of 250 hectares of land if eucalypt trees are planted and 1000 hectares of land if short rotation irrigated forestry crops are planted to product 1 MW power. For irrigated forestry crops, the land availability depends on the type of the crops planted. 10,000 hectares of land will be required for forestry crops if the crop in question is Prosopis which is a thorny plant that already grows wild on extensive areas of wasteland and serves as fence (Garry Jacobs, p20). Lecture 2 - Answer 1 It is in the proportion of 10% ethanol to 100% petrol. The equation stems from the simple fact that the proportion of ethanol is about ten percent of the total quantity of petrol. This figure is arrived at on the basis of volume where 10% ethanol is required for 100% petrol. After the mix up, the equation becomes 10% ethanol and 90% petrol. As regards the second part of the question, the answer is based on answer 3 in lecture 1. The quantity of biomass for sugar beet is 100,000 tons for 10 MW power. 10,000 hectares of cereal residues will be sufficient to produce 10 MW power for one year. This figure is arrived at after calculating 10,000 tons of sugar beet for 1 MW power and 1000 hectares of cereal residues for 1 MW power (Garry Jacobs, p20). Answer 2 Australia has plenty of land resource. The issue is basically environmental. Australia consumes much power got from fossil fuel. This is responsible for pollution. Economy and job creation are also factors to consider for production of biomass. The Great Reef Barrier is impacted due to global warming. Hence, it is necessary for Australia to clean up its backyard. Australia also has tremendous reserves of water for use in creation of power. It also has land resource for any land salination requirement. Answer 3 The research for biomass 'crop' is at a nascent stage. Hence it is difficult to pinpoint with conviction any particular plant as the most suitable potential for biodiesel in Australia. The research is going on with several crops or their components such as algae, lignocellulose (woody or fibrous part of plants), wheat stubble, bagasse, plantation residues, urban waste wood and organic wastes (Sustainable biomass production). Of course, there are also sugar beet and cereal residues that are being researched

Operation Managerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operation Managerment - Essay Example Customer analyze employer in detail and hope that they build up excellent organizers at the entire levels, constantly engender confidence by open, sincere and apparent behavior, genuinely engross workers in decision-making and offer continuous advice, allow for collective exchanges in the place of occupation as long as intentions are conveyed, provide resourceful HR methods, willing to accept sundry and varying conditions and confer first choice to figure out and congregate customer needs (Cho and Park, 2003). I might prefer to be employed in Marketing Research field as it offers broad range of information used to classify and describe marketing issues; engender, treat, and appraise marketing events; supervise marketing performance; and advance understanding of marketing trends and methods. Due to the assimilation and alignment of the methods the organizations now meet their user needs splendidly.

A Comparison of how Fear and Tension Essay Example for Free

A Comparison of how Fear and Tension Essay Both authors use fear and tension in their stories. The Adventure of the Speckled Band was written in the nineteenth century and is set in Victorian England, whereas Talking in Whispers is set in Chile, and was written towards the end of the twentieth century, but both contain similar elements of fear and tension. The authors use different techniques in order to create tension and fear, and I will examine some of these in the course of my essay. I will begin by looking at Watsons novel. Fear and tension are created in three main ways in The Adventure of the Speckled Band; namely character, setting and plot.  First, I will look at character. The character that creates the most fear and tension in the story is Dr. Grimesby Roylett. He is a very angry, loud and impatient man. He is powerful and intelligent. He once beat his native butler to death. He is the terror of the village near his manor. He has no friends at all and says of himself, I am a dangerous man to fall foul of. He is described as a fierce old bird of prey, and he keeps wild animals. Doyle creates lots of fear and tension through the character of Roylett. He is described by his stepdaughter as a short tempered man with fits of rage approaching to mania, and then when Miss Stoner has left, Dr. Roylett comes in and proves all that has been said about him. Next, I will examine setting. The setting of the story plays an important part in creating fear and tension, mainly through Stoke Morran and its manor. The manor and its grounds are in the middle of the countryside, and therefore it is easy to imagine that it could become very dark and desolate there. Also, wild animals (a cheetah and a baboon) are kept on the grounds thus adding to the sense of fear. The manor itself is very large and old, just the place for a murder mystery and this really helps with the atmosphere. The manor for all its size is largely uninhabited, with only a few rooms being used. This gives it an eerie atmosphere, a place where anything could happen. Now, I will analyse the plot. Apart from a red herring near the start, the main part of the plot is how was the crime committed? and not who did it? as it is obvious almost from the beginning that Dr. Roylett is guilty. When Helen Stoner comes to Holmes, and talks about her sisters death, she mentions that her sisters last words were it was the speckled band and she says that the gypsies wore speckled handkerchiefs, and also that she thinks that the gypsies have been making the whistling noise. The reader jumps to the conclusion that the gypsies killed her sister. However, once you get to Stoke Moran, your ideas and thoughts soon change. Holmes tries to get into Helen Stoners room from the outside, but finds it impossible, so the reader thinks that the killer must have come from the inside, and that the killer is Doctor Roylett. When Holmes finds the dummy bellpull, the ventilator, the milk and the marked chair, it starts to look like Dr Roylett committed the murder in a very complicated way. When Holmes decides to spend the night in the room, the quiet and darkness, as well as Holmes saying that this was a very dangerous situation, makes this scene full of tension. When Holmes jumps up and strikes at the bellpull, the tension is both released and added to, because finally something has happened, but you are not totally sure what.  Doyle often uses rather long, unfolding sentences in this story. This has two effects; one, to make sure that the reader is well informed and can think about what is written, and two, it keeps the pace of action slow.

Impact of Feedback Environment on Employee Commitment

Impact of Feedback Environment on Employee Commitment This research paper examines the effect of feedback environment on employee commitment, with role clarity being the mediating variable in the public and private sectors organizations of Islamabad Rawalpindi city. From the previous researches a link was found between feedback environment and employee commitment at workplace, this study attempts to explore this link in the context of Islamabad. To create employee commitment amongst organizational members has become increasingly important in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dynamic business environment, because this factor leads to employee retention and a low degree of turnover. For this study a sample size of 200 was taken and different private and public sector organizations were covered in the research work. The research was of hypothesis-testing in nature and responses were collected using standardized questionnaires for each variable. All three variables supervisory and coworker feedback and role clarity proved to be positively associate d with employee commitment; with the feedback from coworker source being the strongest in creating employee commitment followed by role clarity and feedback from supervisor source. The mediating effect of role clarity was not found to be significant and there is still an opportunity for further research in this area to explore this link. However the positive association of role clarity with employee commitment represents its importance in creating employee commitment, though its contribution is small, but this very dimension must not be ignored by the managers of the 21st century. Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION It has become necessary for business firms to satisfy all of their major stakeholders (consumers, employees, clients etc) to remain competitive in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dynamic business environment. The satisfaction and commitment level of a firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s employees is of key importance in determining its human resource strength, which in turn leads to their retention and make an organization able to satisfy the needs of its customers, consumers and clients in both the production and service sectors. Many variables have an impact on the level of commitment of a firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s employees, some of which are job satisfaction level (with intrinsic and extrinsic factors), the quality of leader-member exchange and the overall feedback environment that an employee works in. Many researchers put emphasis on providing feedback to employees in order to satisfy them and consider providing feedback to employees to be essential for maintaining and increasing employee motivation and satisfaction. Traditionally the yearly formal performance appraisal/review in private sector organizations and Annual Confidential Report (ACR) in public sector organizations have been considered as the ideal platform for higher authorities (departmental/organizational heads, supervisors, immediate bosses) to provide feedback to employees about how they view their performance. But employees generally report problems and shortfalls regarding the current methodologies used to asses their performance and characterize the overall process as being too much restricted to a performance appraisal period and involving only one feedback source (departmental/organizational heads, supervisors, and immediate bosses). A qualitative case study by Longenecker and Nykodym (1996) in the public sector illustrated some of the problems associated with traditional performance appraisal method. Employees noted that feedback in performance appraisal was problematic for improving employee motivation and performance, and as a communications tool to improve the manager/subordinate relationship and suggested that managers should: make more time available for providing performance feedback, increase their knowledge of actual performance, better clarify performance expectations, put greater emphasis on employee development, not dwell on negatives, provide more ongoing feedback, and increase two-way communication These suggestions indicate that supervisors/immediate bosses might adopt a number of specific behaviors to support feedback processes in the organization, which in turn might lead to an enhanced manager/subordinate relationship and increased employee satisfaction and hence employee commitment. Here we can see that feedback only after some specified interval and through formal sessions is not sufficient to improve work outcomes (job satisfaction, productivity, employee commitment, organizational citizenship behavior etc). Considering this very fact; Steelman, Levy and Snell (2004) proposed a scale, known as Feedback Environment Scale (FES) with a validation study to demonstrate how different facets of feedback sources (supervisor and coworkers) constitute the overall feedback environment within an organization. This new instrument measures a much more comprehensive view of the feedback environment and is more relevant to the organizations of today and the responsibilities of 21st-cent ury managers. FES may also be defined as a multifaceted construct with two major factors (Supervisor and Coworker) manifested in seven facets. Together, these seven facets reflect the contextual aspects surrounding the transmission of job performance feedback on a recurrent or daily basis (Steelman et al, 2004). In general; Employee commitment is oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s psychological attachment to his or her organizations. The higher the level of Employee Commitment of an individual, the lower are the chances of his/her psychological and physical job withdrawal. Moreover; committed employees are generally productive and go beyond their job descriptions in improving their organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s products and services. Researchers have found a positive link between Feedback Environment Scale and Employee commitment. This link is mediated by a third variable called Role Clarity, which is defined as the subjective feeling of having as much or not as much role relevant information as the person would like to have Lyons (1971). This study is aimed to explore this link in a Pakistani context and more specifically in the context of Islamabad, After the confirmation of such a link, mangers can adopt a number of measures to improve employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ satisfaction, their level of productivity and employee commitment. Research Objectives To measure the level of performance feedback (from supervisors and coworkers) received by the employees of different organizations, both of public and private sector operating in Islamabad city. To Measure the level of employee commitment of employees working in different organizations To explore the link between feedback environment and employee commitment To suggest specific measures to be adopted in order to increase the overall feedback environment and employee commitment in organizations Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Feedback Environment In the past, the feedback environment has been defined as the type of job performance information that employees perceive as being available to them (Herold Parsons, 1985).but according to the refined and most up-to-date definition; the feedback environment refers to the contextual aspects of day-to-day supervisor-subordinate and coworker-coworker feedback processes rather than to the formal performance appraisal feedback session (Steelman et al, 2004). Consequently, up to now, an organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s feedback environment has been defined as the amount and availability of positive and negative feedback from different sources (Steelman et al, 2004). 2.2 Measurement of Feedback Environment Feedback environment in an organization is measured through a new multifaceted instrument, the Feedback Environment Scale (FES), which helps inform the feedback process in organizations. This new instrument measures a much more comprehensive view of the feedback environment and is more relevant to the organizations of today and the responsibilities of 21st-century managers. FES may also be defined as a multifaceted construct with two major factors (Supervisor and Coworker) manifested in seven facets. Together, these seven facets reflect the contextual aspects surrounding the transmission of job performance feedback on a recurrent or daily basis (Steelman et al, 2004). It is clear that employees receive feedback information from various sources (Greller, 1980; Morrison, 1993) but some authors suggest that supervisor and coworker feedback sources are the most practical and relevant from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s point of view (Ashford, 1989). Thus, the FES postulates two factors called Supervisor Source and Coworker Source and the following seven specific facets within each of those source factors: source credibility, feedback quality, feedback delivery, frequency of favorable feedback, frequency of unfavorable feedback, source availability, and promoting feedback seeking (Steelman et al, 2004). Source Credibility is conceptualized as the feedback sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s expertise and trustworthiness (Giffin, 1967). Consistency and usefulness have been demonstrated to be important aspects of feedback quality (Greller, 1980; Hanser Muchinsky, 1978; Herold, Liden, Leatherwood, 1987). A feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perceptions of the sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s intentions in giving feedback will affect reactions and responses to the feedback (Fedor, Eder, Buckley, 1989). Favorable feedback is conceptualized as the perceived frequency of positive feedback such as compliments from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view, his or her performance does in fact warrant positive feedback. Correspondingly, unfavorable feedback is conceptualized as the perceived frequency of negative feedback such as expressions of dissatisfaction and criticism from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vi ew, his or her performance warrants such feedback (Steelman et al, 2004). Supervisor and/or coworker source availability is operationalized as the perceived amount of contact an employee has with his or her supervisor and/or coworkers and the ease with which feedback can be obtained (Steelman et al, 2004). Feedback seeking is defined as the extent to which the environment is supportive or unsupportive of feedback seeking. It is the extent to which employees are encouraged or rewarded for seeking feedback and the degree to which employees feel comfortable asking for performance feedback (Williams et al, 1999). 2.3 Role Clarity Lyons (1971) defines role clarity as the subjective feeling of having as much or not as much role relevant information as the person would like to have. The importance of having role clarity (knowing the tasks and expectations of a job) has been shown in previous research that used both emotional and performance-related measures (Abramis, 1994; Jackson Schuler, 1985; Tubre Collins, 2000). Role clarity is a prerequisite for harmonious interactions with others in the role set (Mcgrath, 1976). The absence of role clarity leads to stress, intrapersonal tension and lowered job satisfaction (Cooper, Sloan Williams, 1988; Hall, 2004). Breaugh Colihan (1994) defined role ambiguity to be job ambiguity and indicated that job ambiguity possesses three distinct aspects: work methods, scheduling, and performance criteria. 2.4 Employee Commitment It is recognized that an employees commitment to an organization can be expressed in three particular ways: affective, continuance, and normative. Affective commitment is focused on an emotional attachment to the organization (Herscovitch, 2002). On the other hand, continuance commitment is when an employee stays with an organization based on a perceived cost of leaving (Herscovitch, 2002). In this case, the employee is staying because he/she thinks it will cost more to go find work elsewhere. Lastly, normative commitment refers to an employees moral obligation to stay with the organization (Herscovitch, 2002). This can arise due to the employee feeling that the organization has treated him/her well and therefore, he/she owes the organization a continued period of employment. In one sense, each type of commitment somewhat ties the individual to the organization; however, each impacts differently on the manner in which the employee conducts him/herself in the workplace. For example, a n employee with an affective commitment will often go above and beyond what is required of his/her position in order to assist the organization in meeting its goals. Employees with high affective commitment tend to be absent from work less frequently and display a higher work motivation and organizational citizenship (McShane, 2001). Continuance commitment, however, is negatively related to performance whereby employees tend to do simply what is required, have higher rates of absenteeism, and low motivation (Johns and Saks, 1996). 2.5 Feedback Environment, Role Clarity/Ambiguity and Employee Commitment Over recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the effects of the feedback environment on work-related outcomes (e.g. Norris-Watts Levy, 2004; Rosen et al., 2006). A favorable feedback environment is positively related to supervisory reported organizational citizenship behavior and that this relationship is partially mediated by affective commitment (Norris-Watts Levy, 2004). Another study tested a mediated model suggesting that the effects of the feedback environment on job satisfaction, and supervisory rated in-role and extra-role performance are mediated by perceptions of organizational politics. In general, this model was supported, again demonstrating the relationship between the feedback environment and several work-related outcomes (Rosen et al., 2006). A field experiment conducted by Tziner and Latham (1989) revealed increased work satisfaction and employee commitment when a goal-setting and feedback program was introduced, but it is not possible to draw the concl usion that this effect emanates from feedback only. Researchers have found a relationship between feedback and role ambiguity (Herold et al, 1987, Peiro et al, 1994, Sawyer, 1992, Teas, 1983, Vredenburgh, 1983). So, even though previous studies lend support to the hypothesis that feedback affects attitudes towards work, there is also a possibility that the uncertainty reducing effect of feedback is the link between feedback and work attitudes, through the intervening influence of role ambiguity. Resultantly, there is also support to hypothesize that feedback only indirectly affects attitude towards work with role ambiguity as a mediating variable (Anders et al, 1999). Mathieu Zajac (1990) conducted a meta-analysis of 48 studies and found that overall employee commitment was low when employees were unsure about what was expected of them (Role Ambiguity). In nine studies, Dunham, Grube, Castaneda (1994) found that employees understanding about the significance of their tasks were somewhat positively related to affective commitment, but not related to normative or continuance commitment. Workers need role clarity to be able to navigate on their own. To improve the opportunity for self feedback there appears a need to strengthen the connection between the individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s work and the organizational goals (Anders et al, 1999). Chapter 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK On the basis of literature review, a relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment was found, being mediated by a third variable, Role Clarity. The following hypothetical link between the variables was drawn and tested. 3.1 Operational Definitions 3.1.1 Feedback Environment (Independent Variable) Feedback Environment has been taken as the independent variable for this study which is defined by Steelman et al (2004) as the amount and availability of positive and negative feedback from different sources. As the feedback environment in organizations is generally measured using the Feedback environment Scale (FES) proposed by Steelman et al (2004), the same will be employed to measure the quality of feedback environment that takes into account two major feedback sources which are: Supervisor source Coworker source Feedback from each source has seven dimensions which are: 3.1.1.1- Source credibility Giffin (1967) defined source credibility as the feedback sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s expertise and trustworthiness. Perception of trustworthiness an individual imparts to other people. Factors that influence source credibility are expertise and reputation for honesty. 3.1.1.2- Feedback quality Feedback quality refers to its consistency and usefulness which are important aspects of feedback (Greller, 1980; Hanser Muchinsky, 1978; Herold, Liden, Leatherwood, 1987). 3.1.1.3- Feedback delivery It refers to the feedback environment in terms of sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s consideration and intentions in his or her delivery of the feedback (Steelman et al 2004). In simple words this dimension is related to the extent of empathy of the feedback source. 3.1.1.4- Favorable feedback Steelman et al (2004) defined favorable feedback as the perceived frequency of positive feedback such as compliments from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view, his or her performance does in fact warrant positive feedback 3.1.1.5- Unfavorable feedback Unfavorable feedback is conceptualized as the perceived frequency of negative feedback such as expressions of dissatisfaction and criticism from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view, his or her performance warrants such feedback (Steelman et al, 2004). 3.1.1.6- Source availability Supervisor and/or coworker source availability is defined as the perceived amount of contact an employee has with his or her supervisor and/or coworkers and the ease with which feedback can be obtained (Steelman et al, 2004). 3.1.1.7- Promoting feedback seeking Williams et al (1999) defined Feedback seeking is defined as the extent to which the environment is supportive or unsupportive of feedback seeking. It is the extent to which employees are encouraged or rewarded for seeking feedback and the degree to which employees feel comfortable asking for performance feedback Responses about each dimension relating to both the sources will be gathered using the FES Questionnaire, proposed by Steelman et al (2004) in their validation study of the FES. 3.2 Employee Commitment (Dependent Variable) For the purpose of this study employee commitment has been defined as an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s psychological attachment to his/her organization. Mainly the three component model of employee commitment by Herscovitch (2002) is used, which says that the commitment level itself consists of three parts; affective, continuance and normative commitment. Somers (1995) defined Affective commitment as an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s emotional attachment to an organizational goals and values. Normative commitment is a perceived duty to support the organization and its activities, whereas; continuance commitment is however interacted with affective commitment in predicting job withdrawal intentions and absenteeism. The level of employee commitment was measured using the employee commitment questionnaire by John Meyer Natalie Allen (1991). Figure 3.1: The Theoretical Relationship between Feedback Environment and Employee Commitment with the Mediating Effect of Role Clarity/Ambiguity 3.3 Role Clarity/Ambiguity (Mediating Variable) Role clarity is defined as the subjective feeling of having as much or not as much role relevant information as the person would like to have Lyons (1971). Or simply knowing the tasks and expectations of oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s job is known as Role Clarity. From the previous studies there appeared a relationship between feedback and employee commitment with the mediating effect of role clarity/ambiguity, and it was conceived in this study that the quality of feedback environment leads to role clarity or ambiguity as feedback serves the purpose of clarifying an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role which leads to employee commitment (Mathieu Zajac 1990, Dunham, Grube, Castaneda 1994). Role Clarity was measured using the standardized questionnaire proposed by Rizzo et al (1970). 3.4 Hypotheses: The following seven hypotheses were tested to explore the link between the following: Supervisory Feedback and Subordinateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Role Clarity Coworker Feedback and Incumbentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Role Clarity Feedback Environment and Employee commitment Role Clarity and Employee commitment 3.5 Hypotheses Statements Hypothesis 1: Ho: There is no relationship between supervisory feedback and subordinateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role clarity Hypothesis 1: H1: There is a relationship between supervisory feedback and subordinateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role clarity Hypothesis 2: Ho: There is no relationship between coworker feedback and employee role clarity Hypothesis 2: H1: There is a relationship between coworker feedback and employee role clarity Hypothesis 3: Ho: There is no relationship between feedback environment and employee role clarity Hypothesis 3: H1: There is a relationship between feedback environment and employee role clarity Hypothesis 4: Ho: There is no relationship between supervisory feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 4: H1: There is a relationship between supervisory feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 5: Ho: There is no relationship between coworker feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 5: H1: There is a relationship between coworker feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 6: Ho: There is no relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment Hypothesis 6: H1: There is a relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment Hypothesis 7: Ho: There is no relationship between employee role clarity and employee commitment Hypothesis 7: H1: There is a relationship between employee role clarity and employee commitment Chapter 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design is a master plan specifying the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing needed information. Having identified the variables of the study and developing the theoretical framework, the next step was to design the research in a way that the required data could be gathered and analyzed to arrive at a solution. A Survey was conducted, based on a questionnaire. The term questionnaire refers to a list of questions, usually printed, and submitted for replies that can be analyzed for usable information. 4.1 Purpose of the Study The research was of hypothesis-testing in nature. The characteristics of variables and their relationship were defined in the previous section. Hypotheses were formulated on the basis of relationships between the two main variables (feedback environment and employee commitment). Researches have shown that there is positive relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment. Those studies were conducted in different parts of the world and the current research is based on the hypotheses which are to be tested to find if there is a positive relationship between the said variables. 4.2 Type of Investigation The purpose of our research was to find out if there is relation between variables, the type of investigation chosen was correlation. 4.3 Extent of Researcher Interference with the Study The primary data was collected through the questionnaire. The data was collected in natural environment and the researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interference was minimal. 4.4 Study Settings The research was conducted in natural environment where work proceeds normally, i.e. in non-contrived settings. The study was based on Field Experiment where all activities were occurring in natural work environment. 4.5 Unit of Analysis In this study, individuals were studied separately. Research team studied the feedback received from the two sources (supervisor and coworker) and through the questionnaire investigated the relevant variables and their relationship. 4.6 Sampling A sample is a subset of a larger population that contains its major characteristics. In this step the following decisions were taken: Who is to be sampled (sampling unit) How large a sample should be (sample size) How will sample units be selected (sampling technique) 4.7 Sampling Unit To get the representation from all levels of management and all types of organizations, employees form each layer of management were selected as sample from different organizations ranging from manufacturing to service, both from public and private sectors. Responses were gathered from the employees of the following organizations: Askari Bank, Balochistan Teachersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Training Academy, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Cantonment Hospital, Chiltan Ghee Mills, Civil Secretariat, Concern Worldwide, Habib Bank Ltd, Mercy Crops, National Bank, PTCL, Islamabad Electric Supply Company (QESCO), SME Bank, Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGC), Telecard, Telenor, UNDP and Warid Telecom 4.8 Sample Size The sample size for the study was 200. Employees from each of the above-mentioned organization were asked to respond the questionnaires. 4.9 Sampling Technique Probability sampling was used for the research; in such type of sampling each member of population has an equal chance of becoming a sample. 4.10 The Questionnaire The Questionnaire had the following sections: 4.10.1 Section-1 (Demographics) The first section investigated about the respondentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s demographical characteristics including: Age Gender Marital Status Qualification Managerial level Nature of work Experience in years The respondents were not asked to mention their names or disclose their identity and it was ensured to keep the information confidential. 4.10.2 Section-2 3 (Supervisory and Coworker Feedback Measurement) These sections contained questions about the supervisory and coworker feedback received by the respondents focusing on the following dimensions: Source credibility Feedback quality Feedback delivery Favorable feedback Unfavorable feedback Source availability Promoting feedback seeking The items of this section were obtained from the validation study of feedback environment (Steelman et al, 2004). 4.10.3 Section-4 (Employee commitment Measurement) This section contained questions about the level of employee commitment of the respondents. 4.10.4 Section-5 (Role Clarity Measurement) This section contained questions measuring the Role Clarity of the respondents. 4.11 Data Collection In this phase the research moved from papers to the field. Data was gathered in the form of responses from the respondents. Questionnaire was used as a tool to collect data and 100% of the respondents were surveyed through it. As mentioned above different organizations from public and private sector were visited to collect the responses. Questionnaires were distributed and taken back from the respondents after two to three days. Total time taken to complete the data collection process was two weeks. The respondents were guided about filling the questionnaires and the queries were responded properly. Chapter 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5. Hypothesis Testing All seven hypotheses of the study were tested on the following parameters: Confidence level: (1-ÃŽÂ ±) = 0.95 (95%) Level of Significance: ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05 Statistic used: t-statistic Sample size: n = 200 Table 5.1: Results of Hypothesis Testing Hypotheses t-calculated t-tabulated Computation Result 1 2.20 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho 2 1.97 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho 3 2.13 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho 4 3.74 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho 5 6.88 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho 6 6.18 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho 7 1.99 +1.96 tcal>ttab Rejected Ho Where: tcal = the calculated value of t-statistic ttab = the tabulated value of t-statistic It is clear from the results of table 5.1, that all seven alternative hypotheses were accepted as the value of t-calculated found be higher than the value of t-tabulated regarding each hypothesis. This shows that there is a link between each of the independent variable (feedback from supervisor and coworker source, feedback environment and role clarity) with the dependent variable (employee commitment). 5.1 Correlation Analysis The second analysis involved regressing each of the predictors on the outcome variable i.e. employee commitment. The results are presented in table 5.2 A correlation matrix was developed for Supervisory Feedback, Coworker feedback and Role clarity with Employee Commitment. According to the results, all the three variables were positively associated with Employee Commitment. The association represents a positive linear relationship between the dependent variable; Employee Commitment and each of the independent variables. Table 5.2: Correlation Matrix for Employee Commitment Variable Supervisory Feedback Coworker feedback Role Clarity Commitment Supervisory Feedback 1.000 0.534** 0.123** 0.257** Coworker feedback 0.534** 1.000 0.139** 0.439** Role Clarity 0.123** 0.139** 1.000 0.097** Commitment 0.257** 0.439** 0.097** 1.000 ** p Coworker feedback was most strongly associated with Employee Commitment (0.439), followed by supervisory feedback (0.257) and role clarity (0.097). All relationships were statistically significant at p The correlation analysis of employee commitment as shown in table 5.1 indicates that all the associations (between x and y variables) were positive. This signifies that a positive linear relationship exists between x and y variable. Coworker feedback was most strongly related with employee commitment, followed by role clarity and supervisory feedback. All relations were statistically significant at 0.01 levels. 5.3 Regression Analysis The value of R2 was 0.195. The first independent variable, coworker feedback [0.419, P Table 5.3: Regression Analysis of Feedback Environment at workplace (Dependent Variable= Employee Commitment Variable Coefficient Standard Error Standardized Beta Intercept 1.783** 0.262 - Supervisory Feedback 0.029** 0.077 0.029 Coworker feedback 0.388** 0.071 0.419 Role Clarity

Zoonotic Foodborne Pathogens | Essay

Zoonotic Foodborne Pathogens | Essay Zoonoses describe diseases that can be transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans. Zoonotic diseases are common and are caused by various types of agents, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites [12]. According to the study by Taylor et al. 2001 that out of the 1415 infectious organisms that are pathogenic to humans 61% of them are zoonotic [8]. And over 200 zoonoses related diseases are known [12]. Zoonoses related diseases can be caught from foodborne zoonoses, non-foodborne zoonoses, helminthic parasitic zoonoses, protozoan parasitic zoonoses and zoonotic ectoparasites. However this work is only focusing on the common bacterial related foodborne zoonoses. Every year bacterial foodborne zoonoses is the cause of millions of people becoming ill [12]. The most significant bacterial zoonotic pathogens associated with foodborne disease are Campylobacter, Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 [5]. Other bacterial foodborne zoonotic pathogens are Mycobacteria, Listeria, and Brucella all of which are from dairy products. The zoonotic foodborne pathogen Campylobacter causes the illness campylobacteriosis which causes often bloody diarrhoea, malaise, fever, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting. The incubation period is usually between 2-5 days before onset of symptoms. Most Campylobacter infections are mild, without the need for hospitalization and with complete recovery within 10 days. However the severity of the disease varies and in some cases may be life-threatening or resulting in long term health problems. People that tend to die by the disease are often suffering from immuno-deficiencies, or other diseases like liver disease or cancer. Guillain-BarrÑ  syndrome (GBS) is a complication of Campylobacter infection that occurs in approximately 1 in every 1000 reported cases of campylobacteriosis (CDC, 2008, May 21). GBS an autoimmune disease that targets the nerves cells of the body may lead to permanent paralysis. Another neurological related syndrome that may occur subsequent to campylobacter iosis is Miller Fisher Syndrome. [2, 5, 10] In the UK there are approximately 55,000 cases a year of Campylobacter infection. Campylobacter jejuni being the predominant Campylobacter species that causes foodborne gastrointestinal illnesses in humans, other similar closely related species that causes diseases in humans are C. coli and C. fetus. C. jejuni are curved gram-negative, microaerophilic, thermophilic rods with optimum growth temperature at 40oC and low oxygen concentrations. It is these qualities of C. jejuni that enables it to colonise the intestines of warm-blooded birds and mammals. The reservoir for C. jejuni ranges from healthy domestic and wild animals such as dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, sheep, birds, chickens, rodents, ducks and geese. As C. jejuni is ubiquitous in nature food products particularly poultry meat, beef and pork are at risk of environmental contamination during processing. Campylobacter can survive in livestock water troughs, stock ponds, lakes and dairy lagoons all of which may introduce the infecti on into the animal flocks. Also rodents, wild birds, faecal contaminated equipment and footwear may all serves as potential vehicles of transmission of bacteria into the animal flocks. Once the infection is introduced into the flock rapid transmission between the animals occur with subsequent colonization of commercial meat that if undercooked may lead to foodborne enteritis in the consumer. Poultry meat tend to carry high bacterial numbers of C. jejuni, being the main source of infection in humans as it has a high level of consumption so the risk is greater. The consumption of unpasteurized milk should also be avoided as it is an identified source of Campylobacter, but pasteurization of dairy products eliminates the pathogen. [2, 5, 10] Control and prevention measures have been established in order to reduce Campylobacter pathogens entering the human food chain. These control strategies are aimed at preventing colonization of the pathogen in food animals through the implementation of strict bio-security measures, good hygiene practices at harvest level in an attempt to control and minimise the level of faecal contamination during poultry transportation, slaughtering and carcase dressing. Other incorporated control methods include decontamination strategies, rodent control, exclusion of wild animals and insect eradication that are potential carriers of the pathogen, and chlorination of drinking water to 2ppm. Gamma irradiation of animal carcasses is also effective at reducing the colonization levels of the pathogen in the carcass, but this method although endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and others is not well accepted by consumers. Increased public awareness of foodborne Campylobacter infection is nec essary as in the end the only measure to ensure reduce risk is at the consumer level through increased hygiene when storing, preparing and handling raw-meat to avoid cross-contamination via utensils and through adequately cooking of the poultry at recommended temperatures by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure destruction of C. jejuni. Undercooked poultry has been responsible for >50% of cases of C. jejuni. [2, 5, 10] The second most common bacterial foodborne zoonoses pathogen reported is Salmonella which are gram negative rod-shaped bacteria that are closely related to the Escherichia, and is responsible for causing salmonellosis. Salmonellosis is associated with enteric infections and since the discovery of the first strain of Salmonella in 1885 called Salmonella choleraesuis there have been over 2300 strains known to cause salmonellosis; the most common being S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium. In the UK there are approximately 11,000 cases a year reported on Salmonella which causes gastroenteritis. Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. In severe cases the diarrhoea may be bloody just like in Campylobacter infections. The incubation period for Salmonella varies from 6 to 72 hours. Complications may also arise such as bacteraemia or Reiters syndrome. Bacteraemia occurs when the Salmonella pathogen enters the infected individuals bloodstream. Reiters syndrome although uncommon may result from Salmonella infection, it is a disorder associated with at least two of three seemingly unrelated symptoms: reactive arthritis, eye infection and urinary tract infection. The people most susceptible to contracting Salmonella infection include immuno-compromised individuals such as AID sufferers, cancer patients, or transplant recipients. Or individuals that are in close proximity to other infected people, such as sharing a household, or individuals that possess pet lizards, birds, or reptiles. Salmonella has a low infectious dose, probably from 15-20 cells. [3] Salmonella are present in the environment as well as cold and warm blooded animals. The Salmonella serotypes in food animal species like poultry can be divided into host specific and non-host specific infections. The host specific infections are those that affect the bird host and are of little public concern, such as S. Gallinarum and S. Pullorum. They are the common serotypes implicated in poultry disease. As for the non-host specific infections they are the cause of Salmonella foodborne poisoning in humans such as S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium. Most of the serotypes associated with human foodborne disease cause no disease in poultry, but can be spread by them between flocks and once in the food chain the product is contaminated food. Poultry meat and products like eggs are the main source of Salmonella infection in humans. [3] Similar to the Campylobacter control strategies, on farm prevention and control methods are undertaken to control Salmonella in poultry. Strict bio-security measures and farm pathogen reduction strategies are the first steps in minimising the occurrence of foodborne pathogens in eggs and meat. Surveillance of poultry flocks for Salmonella should be conducted to identify any infected flock which can then be immediately dealt with using appropriate measures to minimise spread within the flock and the risk of transmission to humans. Infected flock should be slaughtered and disposed of appropriately to reduce human exposure to Salmonella. One of the ways in which poultry may contract Salmonella is through contaminated food, thus it is necessary to monitor the poultry feed status. It is recommended to use bactericidal treatment or heat treated food to prevent Salmonella contamination. Poultry food should also be contained in clean closed containers to prevent access by rodents or wild bir ds. Rodent control should be used as a repellent. Vaccines against Salmonella can also be used but should not be used as the sole control measure, rather as an additional prevention measure. Good hygiene practices should be used such as cleaning and disinfection of equipment and the bird house, disposal of litter in a safe manner especially contaminated waste to prevent exposure to humans, livestock and wild-life to Salmonella. The use of antimicrobials as a treatment of Salmonella infection in poultry should not be used as it may contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, or mask the infection during sampling. Also it is vital that public awareness and education of foodborne Salmonella infection is raised so that poultry consumers can take necessary precautions to avoid contracting the infection. The precautions that consumers can take include the cooking of meat adequately before consuming, cooking of eggs until the yoke is solid, not consuming food containing raw eggs, not consuming unpasteurized milk, and the washing of hands after handling any animals. [7, 10] The third and last foodborne bacterial disease to be discussed is the gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. The O and H denotes the cell wall and flagella antigen number respectively. E. coli bacteria colonise the intestinal tract of warm blooded animals, such as humans and mammals. There have been over 700 serotypes identified but those that produce the Shiga toxin (Stx), such as E. coli O157:H7 have been associated with foodborne illnesses and is responsible for most of the E. coli related illnesses in humans. In the UK alone there are approximately 1,100 cases per year of E. coli O157:H7 with just a small dosage (

Developing and Implementing Change :: Business, Change

Change also known as innovation means to alter or to be different. It is not a new concept. According to Patronis Jones (2009, p.168) and Harris (2002, p.145), â€Å"change is the only constant† whereby it is an important part of an organisation and happens all the time. Without change, improvement will not happen. In the healthcare industry for example, without change, nurses will still be trained in hospitals (Anderson, 2005). Change can be either planned or unplanned. Unplanned change occurs suddenly due to specific circumstances whereas planned change is a longer process that involves planning to achieve a specific goal (Patronis Jones, 2009). In addition, change may be due to internal or external forces. Internal forces are factors within the organisation such as organisational values, beliefs and culture whereas external forces are factors that come from outside the organisation such as social factors, economic factors and legislations (Patronis Jones, 2009). Change can also be personal or organisational. However, according to Harris (2002) and Wainwright (2008), organisational change mainly involves personal change. This means that change always involve people who plan, implement and evaluate changes individually or within a team (Harris, 2002). Three types of change have been identified within organisations: transitional, transformational and developmental. Transitional change is the most common type of change; it is driven by management and involves small continuous changes in people, structure, procedures or technology to improve organisational performance (Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009). Transformational change is driven by leaders and is competitive, â€Å"fundamental and radical† involving a change of culture and value system; for example the merging of two organisations (Harris, 2002; Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009, p.76). Developmental change on the other hand involves a continuous dynamic change aiming at avoiding radical changes (Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009). According to Gilley, Dixon & Gilley (2008, p.154), â€Å"transformational change is the key to realising innovation in an organisation.† For organisations to succeed and be competitive, they must support and implement continuous and transformational change (Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009; Gilley, Dixon, & Gilley, 2008). The aim of the health industry is to provide quality patient centered care. However, the healthcare industry is facing an aging population and workforce. Skills and resources to manage complex and chronic illnesses are required. In addition, consumers are more educated about the healthcare system and want to manage their own health (Reithmeier, 2009). Developing and Implementing Change :: Business, Change Change also known as innovation means to alter or to be different. It is not a new concept. According to Patronis Jones (2009, p.168) and Harris (2002, p.145), â€Å"change is the only constant† whereby it is an important part of an organisation and happens all the time. Without change, improvement will not happen. In the healthcare industry for example, without change, nurses will still be trained in hospitals (Anderson, 2005). Change can be either planned or unplanned. Unplanned change occurs suddenly due to specific circumstances whereas planned change is a longer process that involves planning to achieve a specific goal (Patronis Jones, 2009). In addition, change may be due to internal or external forces. Internal forces are factors within the organisation such as organisational values, beliefs and culture whereas external forces are factors that come from outside the organisation such as social factors, economic factors and legislations (Patronis Jones, 2009). Change can also be personal or organisational. However, according to Harris (2002) and Wainwright (2008), organisational change mainly involves personal change. This means that change always involve people who plan, implement and evaluate changes individually or within a team (Harris, 2002). Three types of change have been identified within organisations: transitional, transformational and developmental. Transitional change is the most common type of change; it is driven by management and involves small continuous changes in people, structure, procedures or technology to improve organisational performance (Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009). Transformational change is driven by leaders and is competitive, â€Å"fundamental and radical† involving a change of culture and value system; for example the merging of two organisations (Harris, 2002; Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009, p.76). Developmental change on the other hand involves a continuous dynamic change aiming at avoiding radical changes (Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009). According to Gilley, Dixon & Gilley (2008, p.154), â€Å"transformational change is the key to realising innovation in an organisation.† For organisations to succeed and be competitive, they must support and implement continuous and transformational change (Gilley, Gilley & McMillan, 2009; Gilley, Dixon, & Gilley, 2008). The aim of the health industry is to provide quality patient centered care. However, the healthcare industry is facing an aging population and workforce. Skills and resources to manage complex and chronic illnesses are required. In addition, consumers are more educated about the healthcare system and want to manage their own health (Reithmeier, 2009).

Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughter House Five :: Biography Biographies Essays

Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughter House Five Kurt Vonnegut is one of the favorite dark humorists of the past century. Combining humor and poignancy, he has become one of the most respected authors of his generation. For twenty years, Kurt Vonnegut worked on writing his most famous novel ever: Slaughter House Five. The novelist was called "A laughing prophet of doom" by the New York Times, and his novel "a cause for celebration" by the Chicago Sun-Times. However, Vonnegut himself thought it was a failure. He said that, just as Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back, so his book is nothing but a pillar of salt. Kurt Vonnegut tied in personal beliefs, characters, and settings from his life into the novel Slaughter House Five. Kurt Vonnegut grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He alluded to Indiana in his writings frequently and considered himself a Midwesterner. There were three traumatic experiences Vonnegut talked about in this novel that happened to him as he was growing up. One was when his father took him to the pool when he was young and taught him to swim by the "drown if you don't" method. Another time, he and his family went out to see the Grand Canyon. As he was looking over the edge his mother touched him and he wet his pants. The third experience he mentioned was when his family was touring a cave, he was very scared and then the tour guide asked everyone to turn off all their lights and it was pitch black except for two glowing red dots from his dad (Modern Critical Interpretations 4). These experiences showed through Vonnegut's novel as his alienation from others throughout the book (Novels For Students 464). Kurt Vonnegut's personal beliefs in life, we also in Slaughter House Five. Vonnegut believes that only heart believes in freewill but it is non-existent. In his novel he writes about a group of aliens called tralfamadorians who come and take Billy to their world and put him in a zoo (Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 75). While Billy is with them, they teach him this also, and they are obviously the far superior race. Another belief that Vonnegut has, is that war is horrible, he says "war is not an enterprise of glory and heroism, but an uncontrolled catastrophe for all involved" (Novels For Students 265).

Brand Analysis †Louis Vuitton Essay

User Image Consumers are stylish, fashionable, aware of designer’s brands and look for quality and after sales services. Most of the users are mature (25+), female, working population with stable financial background. There is an increasing number of young LV users, who are fashionable trend-followers. LV users are usually less price-concerned. LV products are frequently used by the rich and famous, celebrities, models all over the world. Occasion Image LV produces series of leather goods for the business world, including briefcases, organizers, palm-cases†¦ all could be easily found in business meetings and offices. LV luggage could be found in Airport all over the world. Personal accessories like handbags, wallets, shoes, and clothing by LV are used by the celebrities in fashion shows, PR events, social gatherings†¦. Distinctive from Competitors The Competition In the challenging luxury market, LV faces quite a number of competitors. Hermes, Chanel, Gucci, Ferragamo and Prada are main competitors of LV. Just like LV, all of these international brands have their outlets around the world. Positioning We are living in an age of access to an incredible amount of product, consumers are no longer brand loyal to companies, and they want to know how the product will benefit them. To satisfy the potential customers, LV is promoting its image that provides consumers with added benefits on top of the practical use of its products. A person purchase a piece of the Louis Vuitton luggage, he is not only purchasing a piece of luggage, but prestige and style. Consumers buy LV luggage not just because they need luggage, but they want people to think that they are wealthy and stylish because this is the perception that Louis Vuitton sells with its luggage. It works because LV advertises its luggage as an exclusive line, not everyone can have it. To stand out from its competitors, LV positions itself as the leader for luxurious luggage. This could be seen in the advertising in magazines LV uses to communicate with their customers. And in the LV web page, a â€Å"Guide for the cosmopolitan traveler† is included, offering useful information to help prepare for international trips. Travelers can check out time differences, currency conversion tables, clothes sizes and measurement conversion charts, as well as useful addresses in the world’s major cities. Authenticity LV’s strength is the worldwide known good service to customer, its good quality for value and new designs. LV’s products safety exceed the requirements globally. Replicability A lot of the LV products are illegally replicated, but due to the unique canvas used for production; none of the fakes could achieve the quality and standard of the originals. Reassurance After using LV products, consumers are reassured of the good quality and value-for-money as promised by the advertising and promotions. Experience & Differentiation Consumers use and experience LV products, feel the difference between LV and other brands, lead to the differentiation of LV from the competitors. Consumer To the Louis Vuitton consumers, a LV handbag isn’t just a handbag, it’s a Louis Vuitton. Consumers will generally pay more for the LV name brand because it signifies some extra quality besides a handbag. LV products are appealed to people who would like themselves to be stylish,  and want others to think that they are fashionable, they want to differentiate their tastes from others and try to do so by purchasing LV products. Consumers were not looking so much to buy the non-brand products as everyone else. Instead, they looked to brands to help make a clear statement about their own identities. Consumers buy LV products are not just looking for quality and after sales services, they want people to think that they are wealthy because they can afford a pair of luxurious Louis Vuitton shoes. Suggestions More Distinctive from the Competition Louis Vuitton was very successful with consumers. It benefited from strong local in Japan, Europe and the US. This continued demand is due to the new products created by designer Marc Jacobs and the sustained quality of all Louis Vuitton products. To be more distinctive from the competition, Louis Vuitton may consider concentrating its business model to production of leather goods only. As most of the competitors are doing many business other than only leather goods. If LV could concentrate on leather goods production alone, it could become not just the leader, but the specialist of producing different leather goods. More Appealing to Consumers Branding and Lifestyle advertising is becoming increasingly popular because advertisers are trying to revive the idea of brand loyalty. To make LV more appealing to the consumers, here is also the idea: to make some products of the brand available only in small quantities, by limiting its production of certain products from time to time, or producing special edition of the same handbag in different markets, LV products could become  even more premium. This can satisfy the consumers who want to differentiate themselves from other LV users. LV could even create a trend for collection of limited edition LV products by the consumers.