Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Finance Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Finance Project - Essay Example AMN’s Total margin is negative for both years, but better comparatively in 2011 which is because the expenses incurred are greater than Revenue generated. AMN’s Days Cash on hand is 0, which is because AMN has very less hand and so has no number of days for existing cash to be paid to creditors. AMS’s Days A/R has increased in 2011 and is far more than in 2009. It is mainly due to the fact that A/R has increased, significantly. AMN’s Long term to equity has increased from 0.59 to 1.28, which is because AMN has employed more debt in its capital structure, not only to meet its current but also log-term obligations. AMN’s Sales per FTE has increased a bit in 2011, due to Revenue increasing the same year. Lastly, AMN’s EBITDA has increased to positive figure in 2011 from 2009, which is a significant improvement as AMN has been able to bring its operating income to positive figures. Now it will have to cut on its operating expenses to generate a positive net

Monday, October 28, 2019

Influence of video games on youth Essay Example for Free

Influence of video games on youth Essay What is not normally thought about when buying a new game console or game is: Do video games influence a child’s psychological development and make them more aggressive and violent? Do video games affect a child’s grades? These will be some of the topics we will be discussing. Some parents have the concern that video games, among other outlets, affect their children and cause them to be more aggressive and violent with other children their age and elders, also. Parents have the right to limit the time spent playing video games and partaking in the other outlets available such as media. According to Anderson and Gentile, [Parents have an important role to play. Psychologists have found that when parents limit the amount of time as well as the types of games their children play, children are less likely to show aggressive behaviors (Anderson et al. , under review; Gentile et al. , 2004). Other research suggests that active parental involvement in childrens media usage-including discussing the inappropriateness of violent solutions to real life conflicts, reducing time spent on violent media, and generating alternative nonviolent solutions to problems-all can reduce the impact of media violence on children and youth (Anderson et al. , 2003). ] On the contrary, as according to Anderson and Gentile, [Dr. Anderson and colleagues have shown that playing a lot of violent video games is related to having more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Anderson Bushman, 2001). Furthermore, playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful towards their peers. Importantly, research has shown that these effects happen just as much for non-aggressive children as they do for children who already have aggressive tendencies. ] Some studies have been done about the habits of children. Some of the studies showed that although children love to play video games alone, they prefer to play them more within groups. Parents, as well as teachers, have found that with some games, where reading, doing mathematical problems, and following instructions are needed, that their children’s grades have improved. The BBC (2002) stated, â€Å"Computer games could become part of the school curriculum after researchers found they had significant educational value. The UK study concluded that simulation and adventure games such as Sim City and RollerCoaster Tycoon, where players create societies or build theme parks, developed childrens strategic thinking and planning skills. Parents and teachers also thought their childrens mathematics, reading and spelling improved. The investigation into the habits of 700 children aged seven to 16 also found that, far from being a solitary activity, children preferred to play games in pairs or small groups. † (para. 1-4) Video games can help develop the brain’s response time when the games used are dealing with with variables, teaching a specific skill or problem solving. Games have been used by several websites by politicians teaching politics and by the Nobel Prize Foundation to teach history. The Wikipedia () stated, â€Å"Video games can aid the development of proficiency by allowing users to interact with objects and manipulate variables. They are said to be particularly effective when designed to address a specific problem or teach a certain skill in curriculum subjects, where specific objectives can be stated and when deployed selectively within a context relevant to the learning activity and goal. Simple types of games can be designed to address specific learning outcomes such as recall of factual content. For instance, the Nobel Prize Foundation website uses on-line games to aid children in understanding the discoveries made by its laureates by embedding the scientific knowledge as part of the game environment. Video games have historically received more criticism than other forms of recreational learning because they are often perceived as or associated with issues such as mindless entertainment, enhanced social recluse, sexism and consumerism. However, a shift from pure entertainment to educational tool has emerged in recent times. Children growing up today can benefit from educational video games because they are already exposed to a society that is increasingly dependent on digital technology. The medium of educational games provides an opportunity for teachers to introduce educational and playful elements into the learning environment. With computer-aided learning programs, teachers may assist students on social aspects such as critical learning, knowledge based communication and effective interpersonal skills that traditional methods of teaching cannot offer. † (para. 2, 5-6). Many people are under the conclusion that by letting children play video games, they will spend less time outside. Even though children play video games, most children still partake in old fashion activities such as soccer, baseball, and many others. Most children still prefer to play in groups than to play alone. According to Cauchon (), [The fundamental nature of American childhood has changed in a single generation. The unstructured outdoor childhood days of pick-up baseball games, treehouses and be home for dinner has all but vanished. Today, childhood is spent mostly indoors, watching television, playing video games and working the Internet. When children do go outside, it tends to be for scheduled events soccer camp or a fishing derby held under the watch of adults. In a typical week, 27% of kids ages 9 to 13 play organized baseball, but only 6% play on their own, a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. ] On the contrary, according to Anderson and Gentile, [Drs. Anderson and Gentiles research shows that children are spending increasing amounts of time playing video games 13 hours per week for boys, on average, and 5 hours per week for girls (Anderson, Gentile, Buckley, under review; Gentile, Lynch, Linder, Walsh, 2004). ] In conclusion to all of the information above, we have concluded that video games are not the only effect on children that could cause them to be violent or aggressive in their childhood and when they are older. Children learn from the programs they see on TV, Music Videos, Video Games, and especially from what they see going on in their home. It is unfair for us to exclusively blame the video game creators and the stores that sell the products for the aggressiveness in children. Parents should also be held accountable, especially if they are the ones buying the games for their children. We both came to this agreement, thanks to the information we have gathered in reference to our topic of the influence of video games on the youth. It is irrelevant to believe that video games are a main factor or the most important factor of a negative development in children. References Pros: BBC. (2002). Video Games Stimulate Learning. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/education/1879019. stm Cauchon Dennis, (2006). Kids are Living Under House Arrest. White Dot. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. whitedot. org/issue/iss_story. asp? slug=sedentary%20kids Wikipedia. (). Video Games. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_game Cons: Anderson, Craig A. , Gentile, Douglas A. , Buckley, Katherine E. (2007). Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents. Oxford, Connecticut. Cauchon Dennis, (2006). Kids are Living Under House Arrest. White Dot. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. whitedot. org/issue/iss_story. asp? slug=sedentary%20kids Kent Steven, (2006). Anti-video Games to Me Misses Its Target Widely. Tegenwicht. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. tegenwicht. org/03_littleton/anti_video_games. htm.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Use of Form and Rhythm in William Carlos Williamss poem, The Dance

The Use of Form and Rhythm in William Carlos Williams’s poem,â€Å"The Dance†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In William Carlos Williams’s poem, â€Å"The Dance†, Williams uses the inspiration of a painting by Peter Breughel to shape his poem. Peter Breughel’s painting called â€Å"The Kermess† depicts a peasant dance of the mid fifteenth century. It shows the form and rhythm of the dance. Williams also captures the form and the rhythm of this dance in his poem. In William Carlos Williams poem, â€Å"The Dance† the open form, suggested images, and rhythm embodies the dance depicted in the painting â€Å"The Kermess† by Peter Breughel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Breughel’s painting, â€Å"The Kermess†, all of the people that are dancing, do so around and around each other. The opening of Williams’s poem establishes the rhythm of the entire poem. In lines two and three, â€Å"the dancers go round, they go round and around†(Kennedy 234), Williams establishes a bouncing and circular motion in the poem. This bouncing and circular motion is also emphasized by the absence of line stops in the entire poem (Diggory 156). Every line continues to the next giving the poem the feeling of a circular motion. The open form of the poem helps to continue the bouncing rhythm throughout Williams’s entire work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Williams continues to establish a rhythm by mentioning musical instruments. The peasants dance to â€Å"the squeal and the blare and the tweedle of bagpipes, a bugle and fiddles†(Kennedy 234). This alludes to the bagpipe player keeping the beat of the dance f...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Drug War Failures and Drug Company Successes Essays -- Argumentative P

In the May 1999 issue of Harper's Magazine, Joshua Wolf Shenk's article "America's Altered States: When does legal relief of pain become illegal pursuit of pleasure?" states: From 1970 to 1998, the inflation-adjusted revenue of major pharmaceutical companies more than quadrupled to $81 billion, 24 percent of that from drugs affecting the central nervous system and sense organs. Sales of herbal medicines now exceed $4 billion a year. Meanwhile the war on Other drugs escalated dramatically. Since 1970 the federal antidrug budget has risen 3,700 percent and now exceeds $17 billion. More than one and half million people are arrested on drug charges each year, and 400,000 are now in prison. These numbers are just a window into an obvious truth: We take more drugs and reward those who supply them. We punish more people for taking drugs and especially punish those who supply them. On the surface, there is no conflict...The drug wars and the drug boom are interrelated, of the same body. The hostility and veneration, the punishment and profits, these come from the same beliefs and the same mistakes. The pharmaceutical industry is booming; the war on drugs is escalating. Are these statistics unconnected or do they reveal a deeper insight into our society? What factors influence our moral perception of drugs? What separates the good drugs from bad ones? In Shenk's words, "When does the legal relief of pain become illegal pursuit of pleasure?" To answer these surprisingly difficult questions, we must examine drugs themselves-the origins of their legality and the reasons given for their moral status. This examination will reveal some misguided explanations to the questions above-explanations that have obscured a more urgent problem in ... ...cide for people fifteen to twenty-four to triple since 1960 (undoubtedly this rise in depression has fed the need for more legal and illegal drugs)? Maybe it is the discontent and frustration that is behind the recent school massacres that continue to happen (psychiatrists with their arsenal of drugs flock to these scenes ready to help the victims)? These are questions we must ask, and in this new line of inquiry we must not forget Shenk's insightful words: But we often don't realize that the feeling is inside, perhaps something that, with effort, could be experienced without the drugs or perhaps, as in the psychiatric equivalent of diabetes, something we will always need help with. Yet all too often we project upon the drug a power that resides elsewhere. Many believe this to be a failure of character. If so, it is a failure the whole culture is implicated in.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Business operational Essay

To provide learners with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management (OM) in the efficient and effective production of goods and services. Scenario: WH Smith is a major, well-known and publically-quoted book retailer and newsagent in the UK. Recently it was reported how Kate Swann, the former CEO for the last 10 years, has turned the company around from ? 135m losses to ? 106m profit in a decade. (source: www. theguardian. com/business/blog/2013/jan/23/wh-smith-kate-swann-profit, accessed 1 October 2013) (Also see copy attached) This is an example of how the principles of operations management can be used to reactivate a firm. How did she do it? Using the above as a starting point, together with other information sources, which you should research yourself, on WH Smith, you are asked to address the Tasks below regarding operations management. Task 1 (this meets LO 1, ACs 1. 1, 1. 2 and 1. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the nature and importance of Operation Management and its key elements. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. A definition of OM and an explanation of its importance; II. The key elements of OM; III. The need to produce goods or services on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law; IV. The role of OM in achieving strategic objectives; and V. Produce systems and sub-systems diagrams for any WH Smith operations processes, including a brief explanation of your diagrams. Task 2 (this meets LO 2 ACs 2. 1, 2. 2 and 2. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the relationship between OM and strategic planning. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. Explain the implementation of the â€Å"3Es† in WH Smith; Critically review the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation in the context of WH Smith; and Assess the importance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management. Task 3 (this meets LOs 3 and 4 in full) Base on the Scenario, produce a document explaining how to organise and apply relevant techniques in a typical production process. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. IV. Comment briefly on the importance of operational planning and control. Explain what linear programming is, and give an example in relation to any part of the operations of WH Smith; Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path for any operation in WH Smith. (for this task, you should include a set of operational outcomes, which are clearly defined). Explain how quality can be defined and maintained. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria In order to Pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the Learning Outcomes for the unit. The Assessment Criteria determine the standard required to Pass this unit. The Assessment Criteria will act as a guide to help you put into context your answers to fulfill the Learning Outcomes. Learning Outcome Assessment Criteria 1. 1 explain the importance of operational management 1. 2 explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to LO 1Understand the quality and within the law nature and importance 1. 3 explain the link between operations management and of operational strategic planning management 1. 4 produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business 2. 1 explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) LO2 Understand the link between operations 2. 2 explain the tension between cost minimisation and management and quality maximisation strategic planning 2. 3 evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management 3. 1 explain linear programming LO3 Understand how 3. 2 evaluate critical path analysis and network planning to organise a typical 3. 3 explain the need for operational planning and control production process LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business 4. 1 produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes 4. 2 produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path 4. 3 explain how quality could be defined and maintained. INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS This assessment and the Tasks above are designed to assess your achievement of all four of the Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the ‘Employability Skills’ unit of the qualification you are undertaking. Your tutor/ deliverer will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on your work. Guidance on this subject is provided on page 1 of this assignment brief. You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all four learning outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified. There is no official guideline wordcount or percentage marking (other than Pass/ Merit/ Distinction/ Refer). By way of guidance only for this particular assignment, it is recommended that you write a minimum of 2000-2500 words total and match the weighting of your efforts to the wordcount indicated. Your statements in answer to the Learning Outcomes need to be prefixed with the specific Learning Outcome title or at least the Learning Outcome number. This will help you keep on track and should ensure you address the details. You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment, listing reference material and web sites used. The assignment result will be published on BITE’s Moodle online education materials platform, normally within 6 weeks of the submission date. If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be addressed. You may resubmit an assignment, or submit a new assignment, on a further two occasions during your period of registration as an Institute learner with Edexcel. If there is anything in these instructions or in the assignment itself which you do not understand, please seek guidance from your tutor/ deliverer. Merit grade Descriptors For learners to achieve a Merit they must: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: An effective approach to assignment planning, study and research is in evidence Evaluations and judgements, using evidence, have been made Problems with a number of variables have been considered Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques A range of relevant theories have been included Relevant theories and techniques have been applied to the case study A range of different sources of information have been used The selection of methods/techniques of analysis and use of source material have been justified Information/ data has been synthesised and processed Present and communicate appropriate findings The written assessment is coherent, shows logical development and a sound understanding of theories, concepts and research evidence The written assessment demonstrates that an appropriate structure and approach has been used The written assignment demonstrates a writing style appropriate for audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the subject. The written work is clearly written and technical language has been accurately used Distinction grade Distinction descriptors For learners to achieve a Distinction they must: Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions. Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and evaluation of research evidence and have been justified The validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria Realistic and informed recommendations have been proposed against defined characteristics for success Take responsibility for managing and organising activities. The written assignment shows excellent planning, is organised coherently and is clearly expressed Independence of thought and gathering of research material has been demonstrated Material used has been clearly understood and well organised The importance of individual and group behaviour in organisations and its management has been recognised and addressed Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking. There is evidence of self-generated ideas with evaluation Convergent and lateral thinking are evident in the written assignment Creative thinking is evidenced with unfamiliar material. Problem-solving is in evidence Innovation and creative thought are in evidence Receptiveness to new ideas is evident Ideas have been generated, evaluated and informed decisions/ recommendations are made. Case Study: WHSmith †¢ WH Smith: Kate Swann turns ? 135m losses into ? 106m profit in a decade One of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers achieved success by going against the grain WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. Photograph: PA When Kate Swann arrived at WH Smith in 2003, there was a widely held view that the chain’s days were numbered. A decade on, she has turned losses of ? 135m into a profit of probably ? 106m this year, and shares that were languishing at 250p are now changing hands at 650p. Swann is now one of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers. Yet she has achieved this remarkable feat by breaking many of the â€Å"rules† of running a successful high street retail business. When Swann announced she was pulling out of selling music and DVDs because the profit margins were thin and getting thinner, rivals thought she had taken leave of her senses – she was instantly kissing goodbye to about 30% of Smith’s turnover. On a same-store basis on the high street, WHS now sells roughly ? 65 of goods for every ? 100 of custom seven years ago. The demise of Zavvi and HMV in the face of online competition shows it was a brave – and correct – decision. Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. By focusing on profitable sales and cutting costs relentlessly, she has boosted profit margins – according to analyst Nick Bubb by an almost incredible 15 percentage points. While other retailers have been pouring resources into the digital world, Smith’s big online strategy is its Funky Pigeon card site. Instead, Swann plans to open more shops, even though they are, to be frank, deeply unpleasant places to shop, stuffed with stock and screaming promotional banners. While the supermarkets have to tread carefully in the products they offer and have been targeted for displaying sweets at the checkout, Smith’s has sold stationery aimed at teenagers and young women adorned with the Playboy bunny motif and Swann’s checkout assistants attempt to force-feed the nation giant bars of Galaxy and chocolate oranges. Her secret? Maybe it’s the low profile. While many rivals enjoy the limelight, holding forth on the woes of the economy, the lack of women in the boardroom and political issues such as the in-out debate, Swann says nothing. She doesn’t give interviews. On Wednesday, at Smith’s AGM, a shareholder stood to offer thanks for her transformation. Asked to respond, she merely said: â€Å"Thank you, let’s move on. † No doubt she will. There will be a queue for her services.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The 14Th Dalai Lama Essays - Tulkus, Tibetan Independence Movement

The 14Th Dalai Lama Essays - Tulkus, Tibetan Independence Movement The 14Th Dalai Lama Research Paper November 12, 1999 The 14th Dalai Lama Dalai Lama literally means ocean priest. His vast followers, awestruck by his presence, cast their eyes downward, fall to the ground and weep. They cannot look directly in his eyes out of respect. The Dalai Lama realizes the magnitude of his position, but dismisses the idolatry. His people call him His Holiness. He calls himself a Tibetan who chooses to be a Buddhist monk. He also was leader of a country that Tibetans say is occupied and that Beijing says has always been part of China. He is considered the reincarnation of the previous 13 Dalai Lamas of Tibet, the first born more than 640 years ago. This Dalai Lama is different from his predecessors, though. For instance, the 13th Dalai Lama was strict and formal, and most Tibetans couldnt get close to him except during public blessing ceremonies. The 14th Dalai Lama meets often with Tibetans and foreigners and never keeps people at a distance. He is among 600 Tibetan Buddhist monks living in Dharamsala, in northern India. About 7,000 of the 24,000 who live in this city are Tibetans, with the greatest concentration in the village of McLeod Ganjthe seat of Tibets government-in- exile. The Chinese occupied Tibet in 1950. For nine years, the Dalai Lama tried to negotiate peaceful coexistence with his people and the Chinese. When that failed, he fled in 1959 to India, where he set up Tibets government-in-exile. Lhamo Thondup was born July 6, 1935, to peasant farmers in Taktser, a poor settlement on a hill overlooking a broad valley in northeastern Tibet. Buddhist priests from Lhasa, Tibets capital, came for the boy when he was 2. Omens led them to him: from the way the head of the 13th Dalai Lama had turned in his coffin toward the childs village, to the vision of the house seen in a lake by a high priest. The boy was renamed Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso and raised by monks in Lhasa in the 1,000-room Potala palace, where the fifth through the present Dalai Lamas resided. As a boy, he had no idea what it meant to be the 14th Dalai Lamathe ruler of the land hidden behind the Himalayas. He was tutored in Buddhist teachings. At 15, with his country under threat from the newly communist China, he formally became head of Tibet, which is about three times the size of California. At that time in 1950, peace in Tibet was shattered when 84,000 Chinese soldiers launched an attack at six points along Tibets border. Chinese officials say communism liberated the downtrodden Tibetan people from a feudal theocracy harshly ruled by a succession of Dalai Lamas. But many Tibetans say communism never was attractive for them, and they always considered the rule of the Dalai Lama benevolent. Fearful of being captured by the Chinese and believing he would be more effective outside Tibet, the Dalai Lama fled at age 24 across 17,000-foot Himalayan passes into India. Together with the 70-man remnant of the Tibetan government, he was given political asylum. He chose India for its proximity to his homeland, and Tibetans felt a spiritual kinship with their neighbors because Buddhism originated in India. Buddhism teaches people to eliminate suffering caused by ignorance, egotism and self- centeredness. Buddhists cultivate morality, generosity, patience, energy, wisdom and meditation. They believe good actions lead to a promising rebirth. Tibet was the only place where Buddhist monks solely ruled the country. Leaders were thought to be incarnations of enlightened beings, and they taught others how to calm their minds and cultivate altruism. Tibetans say they lived peacefully until the Chinese invaded their country. Since then, 1.2 million people 20 percent of the Tibetan populationhave died in combat and through massive famines from collectivized farming and diversion of Tibetan grain to China. The Chinese gutted all but 10 of Tibets 6,254 monasteries, and their treasure $80 billion in jeweled, gold, silver and bronze statues and other holy itemswas trucked back to China and later sold in markets in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Still, the Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his no n-violent quest to free his homeland, doesnt

Monday, October 21, 2019

Interstellar travel

Interstellar travel Abstract The concept of interstellar trip is not easy, but attainable through adoption of appropriate technologies. This paper gives an overview of this possibility by discussing the main difficulties involved in such missions and a series of proposed and theoretical solutions that can be used to speed up the spaceship.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Interstellar travel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It further discusses a number of future problems and the key contributions to human life that could arise once interstellar travel is accomplished. The adoption of advanced technologies will make interstellar travel a reality within the foreseeable future and will bring major benefits to the lives of humans living on earth. Introduction The concept of Interstellar spaceflight refers to the unmanned or manned trip that takes place between stars. Nowadays, a journey into space is limited to just some spaceshi ps visiting our neighbouring planets. However, is it possible to travel up to the nearest stars? Interstellar trip offers more challenges than interplanetary trip, but intergalactic trip, which is the voyage between various galaxies, is even more challenging. For the short term, particularly for manned travels, it may seem like a pipe dream due to the limitations on practical technology and sources. Nevertheless, in the long term, this dream may be achieved, possibly commencing with unmanned missions. In addition, once this goal is achieved, it will contribute to the discovery of the universe and human life. The main difficulties of achieving the interstellar trip One of the main difficulties of accomplishing an interstellar trip is the enormous distance that exists between the earth and the nearest star. This implies that an interstellar ship that travels at a fast speed and that can take a long time to travel is necessary for its achievement. The period taken by the majority of pr opulsion methods would last for decades to millennia; therefore, a spaceship would be much more extremely exposed to the dangers present in interstellar travel such as hard vacuum, radiation, weightlessness, and micrometeoroids. The vast distance complicates the possibility of designing manned travels, and further makes the economic justification of such a trip almost not possible. This is because the advantages that do not become available for a number of years to come have a present worth close to zero (Marcvey 1977).Advertising Looking for critical writing on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An important aspect contributing to the complexity arises from the energy that must be supplied to realize a practical travel time. The law of kinetic energy, e=1/2mv2 where m represents the final mass, describes the amount of energy needed; therefore, if deceleration on arrival is considered necessary and this canno t be attained by an atmosphere, then the total energy needed is even more. The speed for a manned interstellar travel of a few decades to even the nearest star exceeds by far the speed of the current propulsion methods and according to the square law, millions of times as much energy would be necessary. Moreover, this immense amount of energy has to be carried along the space vehicle since solar panels cease to function when they are far from the sun and other stars. A significant issue with the voyages at very high velocities is that interstellar dust and gas are able to impair the proper functioning of the space vehicle. This is because of the high relative velocities and huge kinetic energies involved. Larger materials, for example, macroscopic dust grains, though can cause more damage, are not very frequent. Different appropriate ways of protecting the spacecrafts from such hazards have been properly evaluated. Another difficulty of achieving an interstellar trip is attributed t o the practical speed of spaceships that move slower than the speed of light. Astronomical distances are usually given in terms of the time a beam of light moves between two places and in a vacuum, light travels at 186,000 miles per second. For example, the distance from the earth to the moon, which is about 1.3 light-seconds away, can be achieved in about three days by the use of the current spacecrafts. This implies that the speed of light is about two hundred thousand times faster than the speed of the current spaceships. It takes approximately three light-minutes to four light-hours to travel from the earth to the other planets within the solar system; therefore, a space vehicle can take about a few weeks to even many years to complete a voyage to any of these planets. The closest star to the sun is referred to as the Alpha Centuri and it takes light coming from it up to four years to reach the Earth. At present, the fastest spaceship that has been developed travels at thirty ki lometres per second. At that velocity, the voyage can last for up to 40,000 years. Moreover, the current spacecrafts are designed to have an operational lifetime of approximately forty years before they finally start to disintegrate. Therefore, major technological advances, for example, automated self-repair, may be incorporated in the design of spacecrafts to make sure they survive for a longer time. There is presently absence of adequate technological advancement to ensure that a spacecraft reaches other stars in less than five decades (Clark 1995).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Interstellar travel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Proposed solutions for interstellar trip If a spacecraft could average just ten percent of the velocity of light, it would take less than fifty years to reach the nearest star. Therefore, a series of proposed solutions have been proposed to overcome the difficulties and achi eve the dream of interstellar travel. These include development of the nuclear pulse propulsion, fusion rockets, the bussard ramjet, antimatter ramjets, and the beam-powered propulsion. The construction of spacecrafts by the use of nuclear pulse propulsion technology has been achievable from the 1960s. The spacecrafts are driven by a series of nuclear explosions that propels them at very high speed; hence, they are able to reach the nearest star in decades rather than centuries. The building costs of such crafts were estimated to be equal to those of crafts build by means of chemical rockets technology. Suggested interstellar spaceship travel by means of nuclear pulse propulsion technology includes Project Orion and Project Longshot. The former used nuclear bombs as propellant while the latter used inertial confinement fusion explosions. Project Orion is one of the few interstellar travel suggestions which can be achieved through the modern technological advancement. Interstellar tr ip would only be achieved by means of advanced derivatives of the design with cruising speeds of eight to ten percent metres per second; however, versions investigated during the exercise had too low exhaust velocities of twenty to thirty kilometres per second. The project was under intense criticism because of the dangers involved in using nuclear explosives as fuel for spacecrafts. The use of the fusion rockets have also been proposed as a means of speeding up the spaceship. The technology employs foreseeable fusion reactors that have the capacity to attain about ten percent the speed of light. Fusion reactors â€Å"burn† such light elements as helium or tritium to yield one percent of the mass of the nuclear fuel as released energy. On the other hand, fission is less preferred because it releases approximately 0.1% of the fuel’s mass energy. Nevertheless, the most realizable fusion reactions give out a huge portion of their energy as high-energy neutrons that are co mplicated to use. One suggestion of employing this technology is Project Daedalus. A hindrance of the traditional ways of propelling rockets is that the spaceship would have to be loaded with its fuel, therefore increasing its mass. The use of bussard ramjet, antimatter rockets, and beamed propulsion methods has been proposed as probable solutions to this problem.Advertising Looking for critical writing on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The proposal of the bussard ramjet for an interstellar propulsion system was made by Robert W. Bussard in 1960. He suggested that a large scoop would gather the diffuse hydrogen in space, consume it during the interstellar flight by means of proton-proton fusion reaction, and then force it out. As the fuel would be gathered on transit, a spacecraft could travel at a speed near that of light. Later computations with more precise approximations indicate that the force produced would be less than the drag resulting from any possible scoop design. The proposal of an antimatter rocket would have an increased energy density and specific impulse that would exceed any other suggested interstellar propulsion system. Major progress can be made if energy resources and sufficient ways of manufacturing are discovered to formulate antimatter in the quantities desired. This would make it possible for the spacecrafts to reach velocities near that of light. However, time dilation would be more evide nt where time would pass at a slower rate for the voyagers as alleged by an outside observer. Finally, the proposal of beamed propulsion, would potentially reach even higher velocities surpassing those of the rockets or pulse propulsion methods. This is because it uses a light sail or magnetic sail driven by an enormous laser or particle accelerator in the home star system. Moreover, since it would not carry its own reaction mass, it would only need to propel the spaceship’s payload. Robert L. Forward suggested a method for decelerating an interstellar light sail in the destination star system devoid of a laser array by the use of a smaller secondary sail and a larger secondary sail. The smaller secondary sail is placed at the back of the spaceship whereas the larger primary sail is separated from the spaceship in order to keep moving forward on its own, and light is reflected from the latter to the former sail. The reflected light is used to decelerate the secondary sail and the spaceship’s load. It is also possible for a magnetic sail to decelerate at its destination minus relying on fuel carried on the way. The magnetic sail interacts with the plasma present in the destination star and the interstellar medium since in contrast to the light sail system; this would not need the action of the particle beam employed when starting the voyage of the spacecraft. On the other hand, it is possible to increase the speed of a magnetic sail by means of particle beam or a plasma beam. Theoretical solutions for interstellar trip Several scientists have put forward theoretical solutions for achieving interstellar trip. The concepts of traversable wormhole and warp drive have been proposed as possible means of surpassing the speed of light. A traversable wormhole refers to a theoretical topological feature of space-time that scientists postulate could connect two arbitrary points in the universe. Although wormholes are valid solutions in general relativity, i t has not been established whether they exist in practice. They can be of benefit only if exotic matter can be used to stabilize them. Warp drive is a faster-than-light (FTL) interstellar travel theoretical solution that equips a spaceship with a system that enables it to travel much faster than light by numerous orders of magnitude, while avoiding the difficulty of time dilation. The warp drive does not allow instantaneous movement between two places, but it forms an artificial â€Å"bubble† of normal space-time which envelops the spaceship. It does not go into a different realm or dimension like hyperspace. As a result, a spaceship travelling at a warp velocity is able to maintain normal interactions with objects in normal space. Future problems of interstellar travel Once interstellar travel is happening, scientists would have to deal with the problems of time dilation and universe expansion. Time dilation is one of the most enthralling aspects of relativity that refers to the slowing-down of the passage of time as witnessed by individuals or objects moving at a substantial fraction of the velocity of light. The two types of time dilation are gravitational time dilation and velocity time dilation. Both of them can operate together. Velocity time dilation occurs when an individual or an object travels at near the velocity of light and time tends to slow down as compared to the rest of the universe. In other words, for a stationary observer, time passes slower. Even though the object is moving fast, the observer would see it as slowing down its activity. Gravitational time dilation refers to the phenomenon of time passing at different rates in areas of different gravitational potential and it has been confirmed by tests of general relativity. This means that the lower the gravitational potential of an object, the slower the clock runs. This effect is evident in accelerated frames of reference, for example, an accelerating spacecraft, or by virtue of th e equivalence principle. Another problem arises from the possibility of universe expansion. It has been suggested that dark energy is slowly driving the universe in the direction of increasing rates of expansion as expressed by the Hubble Constant. The current expansion of the universe makes astronomers to be puzzled at the possibility of an interstellar travel because of the errors that arise from computations. Contributions of interstellar trip to man Although interstellar travel is a capital intensive exercise that is full of challenges, its achievement can bring major beneficial contributions to the human life on earth. It would need advanced technology to explore the extreme conditions of interstellar space. Therefore, the technology developed in realizing this can be successfully implemented in the making of life-saving and enhanced medical equipment. Moreover, man would discover the universe and maybe establish contacts with aliens. Interstellar travel would also make more en ergies and resources available to man. Fossil fuels and minerals on Earth could soon get depleted and the consequences can be worst if no reserves are available. As more people are being born on Earth, the effects of overpopulation could soon become unbearable. But, with the achievement of interstellar travel, scientists can discover methods to terraform the Mars or the moon to support human life. This achievement would make it possible to establish another civilization that would be having adequate quantities of energies and resources to benefit the individuals habiting on it as well as the individuals on Earth (Thomas 1989). Conclusion Although there are difficulties in achieving interstellar travel which arises from the vast distance between the earth and the nearest star and the slow speed of the current spaceships, a number of proposed solutions and theoretical solutions can make this goal to be realized in the near future. The proposed solutions for realizing this include deve lopment of the nuclear pulse propulsion, fusion rockets, the bussard ramjet, antimatter ramjets, and the beam-powered propulsion. Furthermore, proposed theoretical solutions include the use of traversable wormhole and warp drive. The possibility of interstellar travel started over 50 years ago. It has been marred by controversies from scientists, religious leaders, media and the common person. It is important therefore to review critically the available information to determine what the truth is about the possibility of such missions. This is because the inexhaustible region of interstellar space is lying before us, awaiting discovery and colonization to bring major benefits to our lives on this planet. Therefore, we should not rest until this reality is achieved by us, if not by our children. Reference List Clark, Stuart. 1995. Stars and atoms: from the Big Bang to the Solar System. New York: Oxford University Press. Marcvey, John. 1977. Interstellar travel: past, present, and futu re. New York: Stein and Day. Thomas, McDonough. 1989. Space: the next twenty five years. New York: Wiley.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essays

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essays The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essay The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essay Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against Injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope. Robert F. Kennedy The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 Is a new law that mandates that everyone In the united States have health Insurance/coverage by year 2014 or subject to a tax. Notably, the new law is thousands of pages long which does not lend itself to easy interpretation. However, at this time, no one appears to be willing to even agree to disagree. While everyone seems to agree that there will be dramatic hanged in the delivery of healthcare and its effects on the nursing profession, no one knows for sure whether its impact will make nurses jobs better or worse. Certain segments of the population have worked themselves into a frenzy over the proposed adverse effects of the PACE on healthcare delivery system and its effects on the nursing profession but the truth of the matter Is, a lot of what healthcare experts say is pure supposition and conjecture. One has to always consider how others personal agendas fit Into an equation or view-point. No one will know the laws total Impact until the rubber actually hits the road. I would wager a guess, however, that nurses will fare far better than critics think. While some experts say that PACE will Increase the workload of nurses, there is also evidence to suggest that it will also provide greater opportunity for the nursing profession by increasing job opportunities for both nurses and nurse practitioners, allowing for increased funding for nursing education, thereby creating greater career opportunities for both. Additionally, quality of care will not be jeopardized. Yes there is much to be surmised about this much dreaded day, according to many. During reflection, I can almost liken it to the mass hysteria of the year 2000. The world broke out Into mass hysteria because of dire predictions that at the stroke of midnight January 1, 2000 everything electronic and computer driven would go haywire. However, when the clock stuck midnight nothing happened as postulated. The heart and lung machines did not stop working, aircrafts did not suddenly nose dive to the ground, your simple computer did not cease to function. The world as we knew it did not change for the worse. Similarly, the impact of the PACE will not impact the healthcare delivery system exactly how postulated by pundits and the world at large. Yes it will take the country by storm but not necessarily in an all negative or all positive way. I like to believe that with change comes great opportunity for improvement; after all, the outlaw of slavery allowed for great invention It facilitated Eli Whitney Invention of the cotton gin. A survey of Urns across the country revealed varied opinions on whether an Increase in patient workload Would negatively affect their pollen of PACE, Most agreed that It would, however, they Included many positive effects of the PACE on the nursing profession. McNealy Gloria J, April 2010. The article suggest that in order to encourage education, including grants for associate, bachelors, and advanced degree loan reimbursement. In addition to greater career opportunities, nurses will also find work opportunities in new areas of focus under the PACE. These include nurse-to-family home visit partnerships, in which specially trained nurses make home visits to first time, low income families. New opportunities will also become available in new school based health clinics that will provide expanded care to students. While more Americans may be making appointments to see a doctor, there will not be enough doctors to support the new patient load. It has been reported that the United States face a 30 percent shortage of primary care physicians as there will be a increase of new patients that now has insurance coverage. ANA, August 2009. The PACE recognizes these shortages and has allocated funding to establish nurse- managed clinics. These clinics will allow nurse practitioners (NP) to provide primary and preventatives to patients. A NP is a registered nurse who holds a masters degree and has undergone advanced clinical training to care for a wide range of patients. In some states, Naps already have the ability to treat and diagnose patients as well as prescribe medication. The penalty of success is by the people who use to snub nurses, Nancy Astor. And according to most pundits, there will be both losers and winners in the effort to remake the healthcare delivery system. However, I believe clear cut winners will include nurses. The increased demand for quality-cost efficient medical care, pulled with lower reimbursements for hospitals and doctors, greater career choices for nurses will position more nurses/Naps to be called on to provide care that was traditionally provided by physicians. It will expand the scope of what nurses can do. It will also allow nurses to work more independently, especially in places that are undeserved, such as poor inner city neighborhoods and rural areas . According to ACNE series, Petrel Poorhouse, the nursing profession is likely to thrive rather than struggle during the health care reform years that lie ahead.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Research proposal - Impact of diabetes among the lebanese community in Essay

Research proposal - Impact of diabetes among the lebanese community in sydney - Essay Example The increasing cases of diabetes amongst Lebanese people are also a cause of worry. Sydney is host to a large number of Lebanese people, migrated to the country, hence the city, in search of better job opportunities living standards. There are many studies indicating increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus in these families. These have been ascribed to hereditary factors, food habits, prevalence of metabolic syndrome, and increased consanguinity over many generations (Abou-Daoud, 1969). Acculturation is a social phenomenon where family values tend to play important roles, and social and cultural factors related to the immigrant race determine the patterns of acceptance or resistance of newer cultural norms (Bhugra, 2004). This means community, family and social life will have an important impact of the disease on the family and quality of life of the individual (Dept Human Services (Vic), 2004). Diabetes in any population is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, economic, cultural, and social impacts on the person, family, relations, and the community (Zalloua, 2003). Therefore exploration into these factors can discover the qualitative indicators that are impacted with diabetes in this population which may be engineered to change these perspectives of diabetes amongst Lebanese population. With the availability of such details in the public domain, a literature review can be planned out. In order to have a comprehensive literature review, we have a variety of options like, medical and health journals, findings of similar researches undertaken in the recent past, studies undertaken by reputed institutions and organizations like the WHO, Australian Health Ministry etc. In the preliminary study that has been undertaken for this research, it has been observed that while lot of data is available on the lifestyle and its impact on diabetic cases on the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 9 Essay

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 9 - Essay Example CAT advances the previous technology, enables researcher to accurately report the coder reliability as well as validity, and encourages different new strategies that can be used for data analysis that are much simpler among other things. The data to be coded can be uploaded in CAT in different formats such as zip file, plain text files or even as xml-based files. With this technology, even after uploading the files that need coding, the researcher can trace the coding process and easily monitor its progress (Lu and Shulman, 2008). The other coding technological advance is the Computer Assisted Coding which is most effective on coding and data that is health related. The CAC coding technology is effective because it assists in analyzing gaps in health care, finding out the most appropriate use and costs as well as aid in providing better data results to evidence based medicine. It takes a very short time in analyzing the codes uploaded to the system which is helpful with records, it recalls the data coded within a period of six months hence enabling validation of the records and making it more reliable that traditional coding methods and it is very accurate and precise in its results (Dougherty, Seabold and White, 2013). Lastly is the barcode technology which is one of the most common ways of coding information and it is also easier to retrieve the information coded for analysis later on and discreetly for that matter as well. Information is stored in a series of white and black lines which are codes with numbers which represents specific information about the product after it has been researched. A barcode scanner then reads and translates the bar code into textual information which can then be analyzed or compared to others. This type of coding technology can be used in any setting from healthcare to the food industry to clothes industry among many others. There are

TOPIC NO 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

TOPIC NO 9 - Essay Example Factors such as culture and history are not included in the Porter’s five forces industry analysis. Because of this, the model is seen as inadequate as an environmental assessment tool. Moreover, the forces behind the model are grounded on the premise of constant returns to scale by Alfred Marshall in his ‘theory of production.’ This paper aims to discuss the changes, such as increasing returns to scale and their effect on the intensity of the forces. Factors such as culture and history and their effect on the forces are also explored. When constant returns to scale is a vital premise where Michael Porter has derived his Five Forces of the industry model, it mainly based on Alfred Marshall’s theory of production. According to Marshall’s theory of production, for a certain increase in the level of all inputs, the output will increase by the same proportion (ILSTU.edu 2009). This has been identified as the constant returns to scale. The concept of constant returns to scale has been the traditional assumption as regards the theory of production. However, changes in our times state that the concept of constant returns to scale is not always the case for production. As firms strive to build production competitive advantage in order to lead the competition, they strive to produce more outputs for a given increase in the level of the inputs, hence increasing returns to scale. As stated in Porter’s five forces: â€Å"In the traditional economic model, competition among rival firms drives profits to zero. But competition is not perfect and firms are not unsophisticated passive price takers. Rather, firms strive for a competitive advantage over their rivals. The intensity of rivalry among firms varies across industries, and strategic analysts are interested in these differences (AUEB.gr).† â€Å"[†¦] unique industry characteristics that define the industry.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Resources Management - Essay Example REFERENCES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The role of human resources manager is very diverse and requires a complicated individual in the job role with a vast understanding of information technology, human behaviour knowledge, psychology, conflict resolution, and planning innovator. HRM now fulfils, due to environmental or internal factors, a role where more intervention and inter-connectivity between line management roles and strategic leadership are becoming strengthened. It is not a segregated business function today where once it was likely limited to just control methodologies to secure lower budgeting; a hard view of HRM. It is much softer today and requires empowerment strategies as a key resource for improving the competitive position of the business or bring more human-related value. This report identifies the changing role of HRM using appropriate expert theory and experience. Introduction The role of human resources managers has changed in recent years, most of which is derived of cha nging roles and activities within the entire business network. Areas such as supply chain, global competition, new technology development and attitude recognition of workers at the psychological level in order to gain new motivation or performance outcomes have brought these changes. There is must more interaction between human resources and line management as a product of these evolutions, therefore seeming to make them indistinguishable and also inter-connected roles. From recruitment through the process of ensuring employees achieve a satisfactory work environment when measured against performance standards, the HRM process is that of a counsellor, coach, mentor, skills developer, and even strategist. There is virtually no area of the business that is not, in some fashion, influenced by the HR manager or the processes that guide HR practices. The roles of HRM Empowerment of workers is one of the major human resource goals and is a central focus of their activities. â€Å"Empower ment will allow greater control over non-management staff by line managers and supervisors when given authority or more authority in areas such as recruitment, discipline and absence control† (Yusoff & Abdullah, 2008, p.10). Thus, there is a control element of the HRM role when working toward some sort of empowerment model. The HRM manager acts then as a facilitator of empowerment for not only the worker, but colleagues at the management level. They allow managers to become familiarized with and adapt to changing human resources principles and then offer them guidance to remain self-focused on running the management floor. â€Å"HR should be a support for departmental managers and members of staff. For that they should come out of their office and talk to people and not delegate the job to departmental managers† (Watson, Maxwell & Farquharson, 2007, p.31). This author reinforces that the role of HR is highly visible in the organization and there is direct contact with s enior-level managers or same-level management peers only as a facilitator of their line management activities with a touch of human resources focus1. It reinforces the connection between management and operations and the HR practitioner in a way that provides stronger connections with managers and meets the overall goal of empowering them to take HR action where needed; and perhaps recognise where certain deficiencies lie. The HR manager also works with a composite of different technologies to support the HR function. Computer

Aldes Middle East (FZE). The Microeconomic And Macroeconomic Impact Of Research Paper

Aldes Middle East (FZE). The Microeconomic And Macroeconomic Impact Of Industries On The Economy Of The Uae - Research Paper Example The company was able to add 20 million Euros more in the total sales revenue in 2005. The year 2008 witnessed a very welcomed situation for the company as the revenue from sales skyrocketed to 215 million Euros in that year. (Aldes Middle East) The two products offered by the company are accessories of protection from fire and that of distribution of air. For more than three decades the company is involved in providing safer solutions to protection from fire inside all types of buildings. The company offers safe and modernized solutions to fire protection. The company has participated in several committees in Europe to deliver the experiences it has acquired in fire protection. The company offers such products with solutions that will prevent the smoke or the heat to spread to other parts apart from the area under fire. Another service by the company is solution in smoke extraction that will help people to escape from the building under fire. Another service by the company is solutio n in smoke extraction that will help people to escape from the building under fire. The company is has been able to deliver over one million fire dampers and more than 5 Lakhs dampers that exhaust smoke and guarantee the safety in buildings of all types. The company is a key player in airflow control. It has also started making grilles and diffusers in the year 2000 with the incorporation of Euro Register, a worldwide specialist. Services that provides comfort much higher than the normal level need to be developed to master the control of airflow (Aldes Middle East, air distribution). Some of the keys that will ensure perfect flow of air in home or in office are thermal control, acoustic control and aeraulic control. Within a decade the company offered a proper indoor air quality that includes air renewal and hygiene to the consumers. The company has also shed its mark in providing a correct indoor air quality and solutions that relatively consume low energy. The services include va riable air volume solutions and constant regulation of airflow. The company offers reliable, efficient and aesthetic air diffusion solutions. The company is proud to deliver more than 3 lakhs of airflow regulators in a year. The two main competitors of the company are Al-Tahadi Security and Safety and NAFFCO. Costs of Production The three costs of production involves are costs of raw materials, costs of transportation and costs of monitoring. The cost of raw materials is the most important in the production process. For fire extinguishers the raw material includes the cost of apparatus and the cost of fire extinguishing powder. The fire extinguishers are produced in a factory. From the factory, the products are transported to the showrooms or the service delivery centers. The customers arrive at those centers and it is the duty of the company to transport the products where the product is assigned to be delivered. So the transport cost is such type of cost which the company includes in the accounted price of the product. The next important cost is the cost of monitoring. The company recruits people for monitoring whether the equipments are performing correctly or in optimal fashion at the centers. The company is required to pay wages to these

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Resources Management - Essay Example REFERENCES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The role of human resources manager is very diverse and requires a complicated individual in the job role with a vast understanding of information technology, human behaviour knowledge, psychology, conflict resolution, and planning innovator. HRM now fulfils, due to environmental or internal factors, a role where more intervention and inter-connectivity between line management roles and strategic leadership are becoming strengthened. It is not a segregated business function today where once it was likely limited to just control methodologies to secure lower budgeting; a hard view of HRM. It is much softer today and requires empowerment strategies as a key resource for improving the competitive position of the business or bring more human-related value. This report identifies the changing role of HRM using appropriate expert theory and experience. Introduction The role of human resources managers has changed in recent years, most of which is derived of cha nging roles and activities within the entire business network. Areas such as supply chain, global competition, new technology development and attitude recognition of workers at the psychological level in order to gain new motivation or performance outcomes have brought these changes. There is must more interaction between human resources and line management as a product of these evolutions, therefore seeming to make them indistinguishable and also inter-connected roles. From recruitment through the process of ensuring employees achieve a satisfactory work environment when measured against performance standards, the HRM process is that of a counsellor, coach, mentor, skills developer, and even strategist. There is virtually no area of the business that is not, in some fashion, influenced by the HR manager or the processes that guide HR practices. The roles of HRM Empowerment of workers is one of the major human resource goals and is a central focus of their activities. â€Å"Empower ment will allow greater control over non-management staff by line managers and supervisors when given authority or more authority in areas such as recruitment, discipline and absence control† (Yusoff & Abdullah, 2008, p.10). Thus, there is a control element of the HRM role when working toward some sort of empowerment model. The HRM manager acts then as a facilitator of empowerment for not only the worker, but colleagues at the management level. They allow managers to become familiarized with and adapt to changing human resources principles and then offer them guidance to remain self-focused on running the management floor. â€Å"HR should be a support for departmental managers and members of staff. For that they should come out of their office and talk to people and not delegate the job to departmental managers† (Watson, Maxwell & Farquharson, 2007, p.31). This author reinforces that the role of HR is highly visible in the organization and there is direct contact with s enior-level managers or same-level management peers only as a facilitator of their line management activities with a touch of human resources focus1. It reinforces the connection between management and operations and the HR practitioner in a way that provides stronger connections with managers and meets the overall goal of empowering them to take HR action where needed; and perhaps recognise where certain deficiencies lie. The HR manager also works with a composite of different technologies to support the HR function. Computer

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Article Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Analysis - Article Example The article in focus studies the prevalence of occupational stress among employees and the effects that such have on their productivity. To achieve these, the researchers study five public corporations where they analyze stress prevalence among employees and its management. Data gathering technique is an essential skill in any study. In the article, this is achieved through the use of questionnaires, interviews as well as observation. The subjects are easily defined; this is a factor that makes studying them a little easier. With the result tabulated, it becomes easy to calculate such important aspects of the findings as mean, the calculated median, and mode. The researchers employ the use of the statistical package for social science, commonly referred to as SPSS. The software improves efficiency besides enhancing data integrity (Henry& Joseph, 2008). The study offered statistically significant result. Out of the subjects under study, stressed employees were counted and recorded just as were those not stressed. The data thereafter separated every case under specific subheadings on the causes of the stress and tabulated the number of those who felt victims of every subheading. This makes calculations thereafter possible thereby authenticating the results obtained. Stress is a big problem in very many organizations globally. The research’s hypothesis states that occupational stress affects very many employees in organizations world over thereby affecting their turn over consequently negating productivity. This, it indicates, implies that such organizations incur loses eventually. With no hypothesis, a research makes no sense. It is the hypothesis that confines a study to particular parameters. However, in this research, the hypothesis is inferred since he does not make direct claim of these. He attributes his facts to these and proves that in deed organizational stress is equivalent to monetary

SingTel Group Essay Example for Free

SingTel Group Essay SingTel Group is Asias leading communications group, providing a diverse range of communication services and solutions, including fixed, mobile, data, Internet, info communications technology, satellite and pay TV. They are listed as the largest company in Singapore Exchange by market capitalization. They are also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as a result of our acquisition of Optus, the second largest communications provider in Australia on September 2001. In addition, the SingTel Group is a long-term strategic investor in six regional mobile operators in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To serve the needs of multinational corporations, SingTel has a network of 36 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific, in Europe and the USA. The SingTel Group serves about 383 million mobile customers in 25 countries. In Singapore, SingTel has 130 years of operating experience. SingTel has played an integral part in the development of the country as a major communications hub in the region. Today, SingTel continues to shape the digital media and ICT market in Singapore. Despite full liberalization since 2000, SingTel remains the leading mobile, broadband and fixed line operator and in July 2007 ventured into home entertainment with the launch of mio TV. In September 2010, SingTel launched high-speed fibre services, with distinctive applications focusing on entertainment, convergence and productivity enhancement for home and business users. SingTel is a long term strategic investor. As a strategic investor, they work closely with their affiliates to grow the business, by leveraging their scale in networks, customer reach and extensive operational experience. SingTel’s affiliates benefit not only from the relationship with SingTel. By being part of a larger group, they are able to share experiences and insights from one another. These learning help affiliates as they navigate challenges and take advantage of opportunities in their own markets. In the future, the Group continues to review new investment opportunities in Asia and emerging adjacent markets and will be financially disciplined in its evaluation of new investments. (Sustainability Report, 2010) Purpose of the analysis As the Asia Pacific‘s best multimedia solution group, SingTel believe that creating and delivering value to customers, employees and shareholders is fundamental to their business. They are making communication easier, faster,  more economical and reliable by breaking the barriers of distance, price, time and technology. Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) has over 130 years of operating experience and has played an integral role in the development of Singapore as a major communications hub in the region. SingTel are doing well to bringing the best-in-class global communications solutions to customers. So, the purpose of this analysis to provides an overview of SingTel’s approach, priorities and performance in the area of sustainability for business operations and how they work with their regional associates. Their policies and programs are covered under four key areas – Marketplace, People, Environment and Community. Moreover, remaining success for many years, SingTel has been competing with many players within specialty market. This paper is to analysis the different factor of Singapore environment affects on the specialty telecommunication industry and competitive environment of SingTel and its core competences in order to win in the market battle 2. Macro environment analysis There are many factors in the macro-environment that will affect the decisions of the managers of SingTel. Tax changes, new laws, trade barriers, demographic change and government policy changes are all examples of macro change. The PESTEL model will evolve in Singapore market in order to understand the influences and demands, which will help the company to pursuit of the organization goals and sustain the business. It also provides the flexibility for the company to have effective response to adapt the external environment. 2.1. Political- legal Recently, â€Å"the Liberalization and Privatization of Telecommunications in Singapore† supported by Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS). The telecommunications industry as well as SingTel particularly entered a phase driven by fast-changing technology, which is stimulated by the demands of increasingly sophisticated end-users. To meet these demands, there has been a worldwide trend towards privatization, liberalization and deregulation in the telecommunications industry. This trend has created many opportunities, as well as challenges for SingTel. Liberalization, deregulation and competition thus offer a viable approach to ensuring the provision of better quality of services at highly competitive prices. SingTel also stimulate  more innovative services aimed at satisfying the needs of different market segments with custom-made solutions. In Singapore, the liberalization policy is aimed at increasing consumer choice and stimulating greater efficiencies in the use of scarce resources. In 2009, the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has made a decision with regard to SingTels exemption request for the Business and Government Customer Segment and Individual Markets. This helps SingTel to seek exemption from the application of Dominant Licensee regulation to its provision of telecommunication services in six individual markets, all retail telecommunication services to customers in the business and government customer segment with an annual spend on telecommunication services of at least S$250,000. (IDA Singapore, 2009) Singapore has one of the most advanced Information and communication technology (ICT) networks in the world with very high levels of access. This has been possible due to the small size of the country as well as rising levels in income and government commitment to telecommunications excellence. SingTel was originally a monopoly on the ICT field until the market opened up to the other companies. (NUS.edu.sg) 2.2. Economics Economic situation is one of factor affecting to SingTel business directly. Globalization has jumped national boundaries, opened and increased trade and business has also an opportunity for the company. Thus, the using of telecommunications device and services has increased globally and the trend is expected to continue. This provided SingTel the opportunity to invest oversea, to enlarge the market and maintain profitability. Recently, the Singapore government has invested heavily in diversifying the economy. The business sector will create good environment to support and motivate the workforce as well as establishing the legal and financial business framework. All the economic sectors will continuously grow such as tourism industry, financial service, consultant service and retail. The growth in various economic factors presents the opportunity for SingTel to increase business locally. Furthermore, the telecommunication services are closely linked to economic activities in Singapore and region. So, SingTel need to have a good preparation to take the full advantage of effects such as the change of income and consumer spending habit. 2.3. Social – culture Singapore Culture is unique with four major ethnic groups: Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. They are still strongly believed in their traditional value although the younger generations has started to adapt with the western culture. Especially, there is a phase in the mindset of Singaporean that â€Å"kiasu† means â€Å"afraid of losing out to other†. With this mindset, many young Singaporean has worked hard to expect high income and pursue the new and modern technology. They are always changing in their lifestyle, purchase behavior and the demand the high standard of quality and services. These present an opportunity for SingTel increase their revenue by offering the new and customized the product and services A change is taking place in the mobile industry. Customers are increasingly engaged with their smart phones and Internet devices to perform functions for work and leisure anywhere, anytime. Richer applications and services will be delivered over mobile networks. In fact, for many regional and rural customers in the developing markets, they will be accessing the Internet for the first time through their mobile phones. SingTel has seen this fact and moved to meet customer demand. 2.4. Technology Technology has changed and developed rapidly and continuously nowadays. New services such as Internet Telephone and the increasing of telecommunication users are the reasons for company to invest developing new technologies in products and services. In the current business, SingTel covers telephone line, e-commerce, Internet and mobile services. But SingTel has indentified e-commerce and Internet-based activities, which there are significant growth with customer segments. So, the technological investments are an integral part of SingTel’s strategy for long-term growth. Also, the high investment in proven technology was the critical factors made SingTel succeed in the past. 3. Key Opportunities and Threats of SingTel In the telecommunication industry with 4 main external environment factors that are affecting SingTel, it creates the opportunities as well as the threat for SingTel. Opportunities Threats Singapore has highest income per capita in Asia Singapore is the most advance information technology hardware infrastructure in the world. Merger and acquisitions The higher penetration rate in Singapore Refocused its oversea in investment in Asia Trend of deregulation and privatization. Customer demands and expectations. Rapid growing of technological changes The economic crisis StarHub and Mobile1 as new competitor Faced competition from foreign callback service. Government creates competition. 3.1. Opportunities Because of high demand of the market and the operating environment of SingTel is very competitive, which means that the company can see the environment will the same or more challenger in the future. However, the company still has opportunities to maintain the status as leading telecommunication company in Singapore and the region. Firstly, Singapore has highest income per capita in Asia. This affects on the purchase behavior of customer tend to use internet and telecommunication service in daily life as well as in the workplace. Secondly, Singapore is the most advance information technology hardware infrastructure in the world. This is a good condition for the telecommunication industry development generally and for SingTel in particularly. It was not just in Singapore market also it is the SingTel strengths to enter oversea market. Such as SingTel also offers hybrid satellite-fibre solutions to penetrate customer needs in Asia Pacific, USA, Europe and Middle East markets. Moreover, SingTel brings more than 25 years of experience in delivering industry-leading satellite communications. The innovative solutions empower to offer state-of-the-art communication solutions that will create value and optimize communications for customers. Especially, the trend of deregulation and privatization were opportunities for SingTel to take a big step in improvement quality and price of service in the highly competitive environment. 3.2. Threats Demand is growing so it will create a more intense competition among telecommunication companies. StarHub and Mobile1 are considered as major competitors of SingTel. Thus, the expectation of customers is increasing toward the demand of quality and service standards. Even when SingTel invest in but never found out service solution to customer, it will become very difficult to access them, especially when the company wants to penetrate markets in developing countries. During the recession of the world economy has greatly affected the SingTel development. At this time, when the effect of currencies by the inflation and the pricing storm in product and service, the people have to narrow their demand. Additionally, the merger of SingTel to Asian countries strongly influenced by the global recession. This has greatly affected the sales of SingTel in the region. The foreign callback service was a threat affect to SingTel when the price of this service is even cheaper than SingTel service. Also, when SingTel is joining their business globally, they must follow the various regulations and laws in different countries. These provisions tend to be stricter with foreign companies in this industry because the government wants to protect their local industry. This is also a challenge for many companies included SingTel. 4. Competitive environment analysis By application of Porter’s five forces model, it helps to find out the business strategy problem of evaluate the investment value of SingTel. An understanding of this, it suggest for SingTel to know which key success factors are necessary to cope with the competitive forces. C:\Documents and Settings\Nguyen Dung\Desktop\porterfiveforces.gif 4.1. Threat of Substitute Products (High) The importance of fixed line is slowly decreasing as a convenience method. The threats of substitute for fixed line telecommunication is high and replacing by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and mobile phone applications, which can be a benefit for reducing communication and infrastructure costs. However, the fixed line telecommunication is still using widely in almost company included SingTel. This is proved its convenience and efficiency by coming of interim price and non-price term for fixed line telecommunications services under the new telecommunications access regime. These services are currently used as inputs by competitive communications companies to provide voice, facsimile and broadband internet  products to consumers and businesses. 4.2. Power of buyers (High) Buyer affect a company through their ability to force down price, bargain for higher quality and more services and play competitors against each other (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). The bargaining power of supplier is high for SingTel because of the increase of various communication and low switching cost. Customers can choose to use internet telephone over fixed line service. In Singapore, there are two big competitors as StarHub and Mobile1, where SingTel have to consider to their products and services. The customer has many alternatives in the standard and undifferentiated between SingTel products and others. 4.3. Power of Suppliers (Moderate) On one hand, there is a balance of power between suppliers and telecommunication companies in Singapore, so the power of suppliers is moderate. On the other hand, suppliers are not able to compete directly with present customers because of the geographically extensive networks and the effort to make long term contracts can be difficult for the telecommunication market. 4.4. Threat of New Entrants (Low) Every potential entrant into telecommunication industry is required a license issued by the Telecommunications Authority of Sing Singapore (TAS). Meanwhile, as the security issues are highly sensitive in the operations of telecommunication services, the Singapore government will scan very carefully before accepted the license. Moreover, the new entrant required capital as a key factor and the new entrant can measure the sufficiency of financial resource. As the market dominated by SingTel that is equal to others companies. Given the entrance barriers are high, so the effort of a new player in telecommunication industry is low. 4.5. Intensity of Rivalry (High) There are several factors related to intense rivalry. The number of competitors has increased while the industry’s growth has slowed down, have caused the strong industry rivalry. M1 being the main competitor that have huge resources and strong power. SingTel have to watch each other carefully to step among their competitors. Moreover, as the products and services  characteristics that required the high investment as well as low mobility of fixed costs and infrastructure make it difficult for the company position in telecommunication market. 5. Core competencies In order to be successful, SingTel human resource and brand image must be value, rare, imperfectly inimitable and non- substitutable compare with other companies in same industry (Barney, 1991). Value: SingTel’s successes are based on customer focus. By understanding their needs and anticipating to them, SingTel enhance business success by offering to customer value and quality service, meanwhile they are always looking for the creative and innovative ways of doing business and sharing a passion for making a difference. Moreover, leadership team and employees are the most important assets for the company. By working as one team with share goals, they are developing strong bonds by communicating and sharing knowledge. By contributing value to everyone, this encouraged the open discussion and commit to an agreed position. As the leadership and superior position, their performance is achieved through pursuit of personal excellence. They seek continuous improvement and take pride in what they do. Together, they celebrate the success and achievements. Therefore, human resources are most valuable resource of SingTel. Policies to bring the training programs for staffs and managers to not only aware of their responsibility to implement and set the example in the implementation of the value of the company, also train them have a vision of the future business. Rare: Beside the commitment to provide a healthy and safe environment for employees, SingTel created an environment to get human resources where the people were not only achieved the goals, also the people can work in the harmony and share value to take responsibility and make commitments to customers. This will become very rare if not any company can do this while the business moral is slowdown toward benefit ahead. SingTel is committed to reducing environmental footprint through concerted practices. They address and focus on managing environmental protection, resource conservation, waste reduction and the impact of operations. These internal processes will allow the company to monitor, assess and mitigate the significance of any adverse impact of business on the environment, society, customers and employees. By addressing the social concerns that are critical to the well-being and  sustainable development of the communities in which SingTel operate. SingTel supports a wide range of programs focused on two strategies: SingTel Touching Lives Fund (STLF) is our corporate philanthropy program in Singapore to support community programs and disadvantaged children and young people. Support community development to prevent disaster relief and reduce illness in the communities in which SingTel has a high potential impact. Imperfectly inimitable: Through integrating best-in-class human resource practices for talent recruitment, retention, development and employee welfare, the company nurture and groom future leaders to power SingTel’s sustainable growth. SingTel attract the top talent around the world because of the employee diversity is integral to business success as every employee bring their unique skill and work experience to enable grow the global market. To ensure equal employment opportunities within the company based on non-discrimination and fair employment policies, all employees are selected on merit and their ability to perform the specific job functions. So, the human resource strategies were the sustainable competitive advantages that no company can imitate. Non- substitutable: Staying ahead of the competition in this dynamic telecommunications industry is an ongoing challenge for SingTel. Therefore, the element of non-substitutable is the necessary weapon to compete on the marketplace. The SingTel efforts will focus on the new market and satisfied customers. With SingTel, is not only committed to action when the things broken, but it is a long way to desire customer and make them smile to SingTel product and service. It was also the investing for future to adapt the flexibility of the market needs. Moreover, if without the ability to commit to good governance, will not be tied with the members to go on long road full of challenges and hardships. SingTel recognize good corporate governance and transparency are critical to ensuring the long-term success and protecting shareholder interests. This also aligns with the corporate objective to strengthen market leadership and corporate reputation. 6. Conclusion Based on the position of specialty telecommunication industry, as well as SingTel capabilities and core competences, they are doing well, but SingTel should make the strategic actions to overcome threats. Firstly, concentration is an effective strategic action to reduce cost, where SingTel  need to realize the weaknesses in business strategy. Through improvement structure of operations and the scanning continuously of internal economic, SingTel can in the long run reduce production, distribution and service cost to the advantage of the consumer as well as the company. If SingTel can do this, SingTel will achieve status of the lowest cost telecommunication services provider. This allows the company to increase the competitive advantages. Secondly, Research and Development (RD) is an investment to company’s future because when the current product lines outdated by their competitors, they will lose sufficient. RD will useful for engineering work that it give own wholly and safety as well as provide the lower per unit cost. This helps SingTel to pursue cost leadership position and against the potential competitors.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Occupational Hazards among Sanitary Staff in Hospital

Occupational Hazards among Sanitary Staff in Hospital Occupational Hazards among Sanitary Staff Working at Tertiary Care Hospitals of Karachi Abstract Improper waste management increases the risk of occupational hazard among staff working in hospital. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify awareness and practices associated with occupational hazards among the sanitary staff working at tertiary care hospitals. The study was conducted at 2 government hospitals in Karachi, from October 2012 to January 2013. An anonymous, self-descriptive questionnaire was used to collect data. Among 106 participants, only 39% (n=41) received training on managing hazardous waste. Moreover, only 51% (n=54) were able to differentiate between hazardous and non-hazardous waste. Around, 69% (n=73) respondents had provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) whereas; only 36% (n=38) were compliant with it. Two third of the participants reported that they have encountered injury from hospital waste. Fisher’s Exact Test revealed that use of PPE is associated with education, experience, training and awareness. The study revealed great need of awareness about health hazards among sanitary staff working at hospitals along with provision of facilities. Keywords: Occupational Hazards, Personal Protective Equipment, Waste Management, Sanitary Staff. Hospital waste serves to be the most hazardous waste material which can lead to life threatening infectious diseases. Poor and improper handling of waste increases the risk of exposure to pathogenic organisms.1 Waste material generated from hospitals are considered as hazardous hence, it needs to be treated cautiously.2 In developing countries, there is scarce awareness and knowledge about proper management of hospital waste.3 All staff working at hospital is prone to acquire infections. However, sanitary staffs are at greater risk.4 A number of diseases can be transmitted via contact with hazardous hospital waste including Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.5 Therefore, training of sanitary staff working at healthcare facilities is essential.4 All healthcare facilities needs to prepare their own policies to ensure proper management of hospital waste and provision of staff safety.6 Appropriate management of hospital waste is based upon hospital administration, policies, finance, staff training, and active participation of staff.7 The staff responsible for handling hospital waste needs to be provided with all essential PPE.8 This study focuses on awareness of occupational hazards among sanitary staff working at government hospitals in Karachi. The study was conducted at two tertiary care government hospitals of Karachi from October 2012 till January 2013. It was a cross sectional survey conducted on 106 participants that had given consent and who had minimum of 3 months of experience. The survey was conducted through a structured questionnaire and data was analyzed through SPSS. Among 106 participants 71% (n=75) were male and 29% (n=31) were females. Mean age of participants was 40.23 (+ 9.5 SD). As displayed in Table 1, among all participants 62% had work experience of more than 5 years. Majority (n=36, 34%) of the participants had received secondary education. Participants who had done intermediate (n=23, 22%) were working as shift supervisors. Job responsibility of participants included dusting and cleaning wards (n=41, 39%), collection of hospital waste (n=32, 30%), segregation of hospital waste (n=18, 17%), and disposal of waste material (n=15, 14%). Table 1 Demographic Profile of Study Participants 15 25 32 34 24 23 36 23 41 32 18 15 14 24 30 32 23 22 34 22 39 30 17 14 During job tenure, only 41 (39%) staff received formal training on handling hospital waste and preventing health hazards by following standard precautions. However, 54 (51%) of the respondents were aware about hazardous and non-hazardous waste products. Among all participants, only 19 (18%) underwent medical inspection and 67 (63%) of them received Hepatitis-B vaccination. However, among recipients of Hepatitis-B vaccine, only 37 (35%) received complete vaccination i.e. all 3 doses of Hepatitis-B. On inquiring about availability of PPE, 73 (69%) responded that PPE are provided by hospital whereas, only 38 (36%) of the respondents were using PPE. Among all participants, 87 (82%) were compliant with hand washing. With regard to separate collection of hazardous waste from non-hazardous waste, 47 (44%) of the respondents said that they collect waste separately. However, only 21 (20%) of the participants reported that they carry hazardous and non-hazardous waste separately. Majority (n=88, 83%) were using open containers for carrying waste material. Around 69 (65%) of the participants responded that they have encountered injury from hospital waste. Among them, 2 (2%) encountered needle stick injury, 30 (28%) experienced sharp injuries, 24 (23%) came in contact with blood and body fluids, and 14 (13%) got other types of injury. Only 18 (17%) of the participants didn’t experienced any illness, however 21 (20%) experienced gastrointestinal tract problems, 28 (27%) suffered from respiratory disorders, 14 (13%) got eye infections, 11 (10%) came in contact with skin diseases, and 14 (13%) encountered blood borne diseases. With regard to compliance of using standard precaution 34 (32%) of the participants always use gloves, only 7.5% of the participants always use apron, and 31 (29%) always use masks. The Fisher’s Exact test revealed a significant association between experience and use of PPE (P=0.027). Similarly, highly significant association has been identified between training and compliance with use of PPE (PPPP=0.078), was found to be insignificant (see Table 2). Table 2 Association between Compliance with Use of PPE and Demographic Characteristics * Significant ** Fisher’s Exact Test applied due to low cell count Generation of waste at hospitals demands for it proper disposal to avoid hazardous consequences associated with it. It is the prime responsibility of hospital to maintain clean and healthy environment to reduce infections associated with hospital wastes.6 Therefore, it is essential to provide appropriate training to ensure staff safety.9 In current study, less than half of the respondents received training and around half of the respondents displayed awareness about hazardous waste material. The study also displayed an association between training as well as awareness about hazardous waste with compliance to PPE use. Similarly, available evidences in the field also suggests that training of staff along with regular follow-ups can foster compliance with appropriate waste management practices.10 Available literature also suggests that for appropriate management of hospital waste and safety of hospital staff, continuous training programs needs to be organized.8 Current study revealed that only 18% of the sanitary staff went through medical inspection and around 35% of the staff received complete doses of hepatitis B vaccination. In contrast, previous study on sanitary staff working in tertiary care hospital of Rawalpindi reported that none of the sanitary staff went through medical checkup or received any vaccination before or during job tenure.4 The findings of current study revealed that availability of PPE was inadequate. However, it is essential to provide continuous supply of PPE and to bring change in attitude of staff towards use of PPE. The efforts of providing training, creating awareness, and providing personal protective equipment will not be of worth if staff will not comply with the appropriate waste handling and management strategies. Our study also demonstrated that only one third of the respondents were using available PPE. However, non-compliance with appropriate management of hospital waste makes sanitary staff prone to infections.10 Hence, efforts need to be made for providing training and creating awareness among sanitary staff for handling hazardous hospital waste. Moreover, organization should develop relevant policies and protocols to ensure appropriate handling and disposal of hospital waste. Organizations should also take initiatives for conducting medical inspection and vaccinating all hospital staff including sanitary staff. Availability of PPE should be adequate and staff needs to be encouraged to use PPE. Evidence based interventional research can be conducted to ensure appropriate handling of hazardous hospital waste for preventing sanitary staff from infectious diseases. References Hossain MS, Santhanam A, Nik Norulaini NA, Omar AK. Clinical solid waste management practices and its impact on human health and environment-A review. Waste Manag 2011; 31:754–6. Ross DE. Safeguarding public health, the core reason for solid waste management. Waste Manag Res 2011; 29:779–80. Janjua NZ, Khan MI, Mahmood B. Sharp injuries and their determinants among health care workers at first-level care facilities in Sindh Province, Pakistan. Trop Med Int Health 2010; 15:1244–51. Ahmed I, Farooq U, Rabia M, Naheed A, Maryum A, Asia A. Awareness among sanitary workers regarding their job: A survey at tertiary care hospital. Medical Forum Monthly: A Journal for all Specialties. Retrieved from http://www.medforum.pk/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=467:awareness-among-sanitary-workers-regarding-their-job-a-survey-at-tertiary-care-hospital. Hayashi Y. Proper disposal of medical wastes infection prevention and waste management at Hiroshima city, Asa Hospital. Rinsho Byori, 2000 (Suppl 112):26-31. Hashmi SK, Shahab S. Hospital and biomedical waste management. In: Iliyas M, Editor, Community medicine and public health. 4th ed. Karachi: Time Publishers, 2003, pp. 426-37. Yadav M. Hospital waste-A Major Problem. Hospital Today 2011; 8: 276-282. Pandit NB, Mehta HK, Kartha GP, Choudhary SK. Management of biomedical waste: Awareness and practices in a district of Gujarat. Indian J Public Health 2005; 49:245-7. Al-Khatib IA, Al-Qaroot YS, Ali-Shtayeh MS. Management of healthcare waste in circumstances of limited resources: a case study in the hospitals of Nablus city, Palestine. Waste Manag Res 2009; 27:305–12. Ikram A, Hussain Shah SI, Naseem S, Absar SF, Ullah S, Ambreen T, et al. Status of hospital infection control measures at seven major tertiary care hospitals of northern punjab. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2010; 20:266–70.