Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Example

Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Kudler Fine Foods is a specialty food store consisting of a workforce of approximately 17 employees at their administration office, 31 employees at their La Jolla store, 38 employees at their Del Mar store and 38 employees at their Encinitas store, totaling 124 employees (Kudler Fine Foods Intranet). Each location manages their own employees’ information on their own database. This proves to be a problem since all Human Resources and employee information should be managed at the administrative office on one central Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Another drawback to the current Kudler Fine Foods system is that the timekeeper and attendance records are done manually which is not only time consuming, but causes errors and is difficult for the HR department to manage. Kudler Fine Foods requires a timekeeper analysis process for finding a feasible solution for the company. Human Resource Information Systems Analysis Kudler Fine Foods started with one location and a relatively small workforce of employees. At the time, Intuit’s QuickBooks was sufficient to organize the finances and manage employee information. Employees fill out time sheets which are turned into management on a weekly basis. Time tracking is done manually and the information is stored locally at the store location’s database. In the company’s infancy stage, this process was sufficient, but as Kudler Foods began to grow and open new stores, they encountered problems with the management of information. Managers rely on paper to manage employee processes. They struggle to track employee information using a combination of homegrown spreadsheets and office file cabinets. We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hiring information, payroll records, benefit plan elections, and training certifications for a single employee is stored locally on a database managed at the store location. This creates errors, as information becomes lost and outdated. The replication of each change to an employee’s data across several files has become tedious to create timely reports and analysis. Now that Kudler Fine Foods has three stores, their HRIS is limited and requires a new software system and administration timekeeper that will allow them to track employee’s time, produce payroll, centralize mployee records, track applicants and offer an employee self service system where employees can print out their paychecks, modify their benefits, change their tax deductions and acquire additional job education to assist them with job promotions. Sage Abra Human Resource Management System (HRMS) Although there are many options that will meet the HRIS needs of Kudler Fine Foods, one in particular is outsta nding. Sage Abra HRMS is a software solution for automating and managing Kudler Fine Foods’ core workforce administration. This solution will not only centralize all of Kudler Foods’ employee and payroll information for all of their locations, it will allow Kudler’s Human Resource (HR) department to manage these records. Sage Abra HRMS offers the centralization of employee job and personal information; government compliance; employee benefits and attendance; payroll; recruitment; planning, analysis and reporting; as well as employee development, compensation, and retention (sageabra. com). Implementing an HRMS eliminates much of the routine paperwork associated with HR. An HRMS automates the most manual and time-consuming human resources functions: Payroll, new-hire processing, benefits and compensation management, employee development, internal analysis, and government reporting. This automation frees up valuable time that can be spent on employee relations, compliance analysis and/or training. Sage Abra HRMS Benefits and Features Sage Abra HRMS would allow Kudler Fine Foods’ HR department to create timely, comprehensive reports for management by using either several predefined standard reports or a custom report writer. Security features, such as audit trails, allows control and monitoring by someone with the proper permissions of sensitive employee data and tracks who made changes in the system. In addition, this HRMS system allows HR to: †¢ Track important employee information including employment history, skills, licenses, certifications, and continuing education or training data so that employees can be helped with career development. †¢ Record employment status, EEO, FLSA and I-9 data, as well as other information eeded to demonstrate compliance with various hiring and discrimination laws. †¢ Manage performance and compensation information such as job definitions, reviews with documentation, employee ratings, salary ranges, pay grades, and incentives such as bonuses or stock plans. Benefits Administration For companies that offer multiple benefits such as health, life, and disability insurance, administration plans with multiple insurance carriers must be set up. This can take up to 30% of HR professional’s time just on routine benefits administration. With Sage Abra HRMS, HR will be able to define benefit plans as well as enter employee dependents and beneficiaries. It allows tracking and monitoring of employee elections and calculates employer and employee contributions for benefits. When employees leave the company, this HRMS system tracks COBRA enrollments for improved efficiency and accuracy. Attendance Accurate attendance information is essential to managing workforce costs and processing accurate payroll. With attendance tracking and analysis capabilities of an HRMS, HR can pinpoint trends in absences and identify areas for improvements. Reports from HRMS will demonstrate attendance histories and allow HR to analyze reasons for absence and opportunities to improve attendance levels. Payroll Sage Abra HRMS automates payroll processing and would help to keep Kudler Fine Foods in compliance with the latest government regulations for withholding, filing, and depositing taxes. With payroll and HR data stored in the same database, unnecessary paperwork is greatly reduced. Changes made to the HRMS database reflect in both payroll and HR systems. This eliminates errors and the need for duplicate entry of employee, pay rate, benefits, and deduction information. Employee Self-Service Providing Kudler Fine Food employees with access to their own benefits, personnel, and paycheck information is a good way to reduce routine administration. Employee Self-Service (ESS) solutions allow employees and their managers to view, create, and maintain their information using a web browser. Self-service lets employees find answers to questions about paychecks and benefits, as well as update information such as contact information or dependents. ESS reduces the burden of paperwork, while retaining HR’s ability to control and approve processes. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to use ESS technology to create a communications portal that distributes information about company policies and benefits to the entire workforce. Benefits Enrollment Automation An HRMS with online benefits enrollment enables employees to self-enroll in benefit programs, review their benefits data, and report life event changes over the Internet or a company network. The system prompts employees to choose plans based on eligibility criteria and helps them compare costs and coverage. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to monitor the status of the enrollment in real-time. When open enrollment is over, HRMS produces detailed cost projections and other reports. Taking benefits enrollment online reduces the paper and manual data entry, can shorten the open enrollment period, and reduce the cost of open enrollment. Recruiting Automation With an HRMS, Kudler Foods would be able to standardize processes for recruiting and ensure that every candidate for employment is tracked, responded to, and treated the same. Automated recruiting features enable HR to create and track job requisitions and track applicant data from application through hiring/rejection. For each applicant, HR can track his/her progress, as well as drug screenings and pre-employment tests. For applicants who are hired, HR can create employee records using the information stored in the candidate tracking. Online recruiting can help Kudler Fine Foods fill positions more quickly and reduce the cost per hire. Conclusion With Kudler Fine Food’s success and rapid growth, their current manual HR system is extremely inefficient and is in need of a centralized and more powerful HRIS system that will allow Kudler’s HR department to manage and control employee data. Sage Abra HRMS offers the tools and technology needed to track, manage and report employee data while improving the overall Human Resource function, making it more highly efficient while lowering company costs. References Kudler Fine Foods Intranet. Kudler Fine Foods Human Resources. Apollo Group, 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Human Resource Management System. Sage Abra HRMS, 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Example Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Kudler Fine Foods is a specialty food store consisting of a workforce of approximately 17 employees at their administration office, 31 employees at their La Jolla store, 38 employees at their Del Mar store and 38 employees at their Encinitas store, totaling 124 employees (Kudler Fine Foods Intranet). Each location manages their own employees’ information on their own database. This proves to be a problem since all Human Resources and employee information should be managed at the administrative office on one central Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Another drawback to the current Kudler Fine Foods system is that the timekeeper and attendance records are done manually which is not only time consuming, but causes errors and is difficult for the HR department to manage. Kudler Fine Foods requires a timekeeper analysis process for finding a feasible solution for the company. Human Resource Information Systems Analysis Kudler Fine Foods started with one location and a relatively small workforce of employees. At the time, Intuit’s QuickBooks was sufficient to organize the finances and manage employee information. Employees fill out time sheets which are turned into management on a weekly basis. Time tracking is done manually and the information is stored locally at the store location’s database. In the company’s infancy stage, this process was sufficient, but as Kudler Foods began to grow and open new stores, they encountered problems with the management of information. Managers rely on paper to manage employee processes. They struggle to track employee information using a combination of homegrown spreadsheets and office file cabinets. We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hiring information, payroll records, benefit plan elections, and training certifications for a single employee is stored locally on a database managed at the store location. This creates errors, as information becomes lost and outdated. The replication of each change to an employee’s data across several files has become tedious to create timely reports and analysis. Now that Kudler Fine Foods has three stores, their HRIS is limited and requires a new software system and administration timekeeper that will allow them to track employee’s time, produce payroll, centralize mployee records, track applicants and offer an employee self service system where employees can print out their paychecks, modify their benefits, change their tax deductions and acquire additional job education to assist them with job promotions. Sage Abra Human Resource Management System (HRMS) Although there are many options that will meet the HRIS needs of Kudler Fine Foods, one in particular is outsta nding. Sage Abra HRMS is a software solution for automating and managing Kudler Fine Foods’ core workforce administration. This solution will not only centralize all of Kudler Foods’ employee and payroll information for all of their locations, it will allow Kudler’s Human Resource (HR) department to manage these records. Sage Abra HRMS offers the centralization of employee job and personal information; government compliance; employee benefits and attendance; payroll; recruitment; planning, analysis and reporting; as well as employee development, compensation, and retention (sageabra. com). Implementing an HRMS eliminates much of the routine paperwork associated with HR. An HRMS automates the most manual and time-consuming human resources functions: Payroll, new-hire processing, benefits and compensation management, employee development, internal analysis, and government reporting. This automation frees up valuable time that can be spent on employee relations, compliance analysis and/or training. Sage Abra HRMS Benefits and Features Sage Abra HRMS would allow Kudler Fine Foods’ HR department to create timely, comprehensive reports for management by using either several predefined standard reports or a custom report writer. Security features, such as audit trails, allows control and monitoring by someone with the proper permissions of sensitive employee data and tracks who made changes in the system. In addition, this HRMS system allows HR to: †¢ Track important employee information including employment history, skills, licenses, certifications, and continuing education or training data so that employees can be helped with career development. †¢ Record employment status, EEO, FLSA and I-9 data, as well as other information eeded to demonstrate compliance with various hiring and discrimination laws. †¢ Manage performance and compensation information such as job definitions, reviews with documentation, employee ratings, salary ranges, pay grades, and incentives such as bonuses or stock plans. Benefits Administration For companies that offer multiple benefits such as health, life, and disability insurance, administration plans with multiple insurance carriers must be set up. This can take up to 30% of HR professional’s time just on routine benefits administration. With Sage Abra HRMS, HR will be able to define benefit plans as well as enter employee dependents and beneficiaries. It allows tracking and monitoring of employee elections and calculates employer and employee contributions for benefits. When employees leave the company, this HRMS system tracks COBRA enrollments for improved efficiency and accuracy. Attendance Accurate attendance information is essential to managing workforce costs and processing accurate payroll. With attendance tracking and analysis capabilities of an HRMS, HR can pinpoint trends in absences and identify areas for improvements. Reports from HRMS will demonstrate attendance histories and allow HR to analyze reasons for absence and opportunities to improve attendance levels. Payroll Sage Abra HRMS automates payroll processing and would help to keep Kudler Fine Foods in compliance with the latest government regulations for withholding, filing, and depositing taxes. With payroll and HR data stored in the same database, unnecessary paperwork is greatly reduced. Changes made to the HRMS database reflect in both payroll and HR systems. This eliminates errors and the need for duplicate entry of employee, pay rate, benefits, and deduction information. Employee Self-Service Providing Kudler Fine Food employees with access to their own benefits, personnel, and paycheck information is a good way to reduce routine administration. Employee Self-Service (ESS) solutions allow employees and their managers to view, create, and maintain their information using a web browser. Self-service lets employees find answers to questions about paychecks and benefits, as well as update information such as contact information or dependents. ESS reduces the burden of paperwork, while retaining HR’s ability to control and approve processes. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to use ESS technology to create a communications portal that distributes information about company policies and benefits to the entire workforce. Benefits Enrollment Automation An HRMS with online benefits enrollment enables employees to self-enroll in benefit programs, review their benefits data, and report life event changes over the Internet or a company network. The system prompts employees to choose plans based on eligibility criteria and helps them compare costs and coverage. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to monitor the status of the enrollment in real-time. When open enrollment is over, HRMS produces detailed cost projections and other reports. Taking benefits enrollment online reduces the paper and manual data entry, can shorten the open enrollment period, and reduce the cost of open enrollment. Recruiting Automation With an HRMS, Kudler Foods would be able to standardize processes for recruiting and ensure that every candidate for employment is tracked, responded to, and treated the same. Automated recruiting features enable HR to create and track job requisitions and track applicant data from application through hiring/rejection. For each applicant, HR can track his/her progress, as well as drug screenings and pre-employment tests. For applicants who are hired, HR can create employee records using the information stored in the candidate tracking. Online recruiting can help Kudler Fine Foods fill positions more quickly and reduce the cost per hire. Conclusion With Kudler Fine Food’s success and rapid growth, their current manual HR system is extremely inefficient and is in need of a centralized and more powerful HRIS system that will allow Kudler’s HR department to manage and control employee data. Sage Abra HRMS offers the tools and technology needed to track, manage and report employee data while improving the overall Human Resource function, making it more highly efficient while lowering company costs. References Kudler Fine Foods Intranet. Kudler Fine Foods Human Resources. Apollo Group, 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Human Resource Management System. Sage Abra HRMS, 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. .

Health care organizations essay

Health care organizations essay Health care organizations essay Health care organizations essayThe improvement of the quality of inpatient care is one of the primary concerns of any health care organizations because the quality of inpatient care determines, to a significant extent, the public health in the area, where health care organizations are located. Moreover, the quality of inpatient care has a considerable impact on the health and well-being of patients with chronic health problems. In this regard health care organizations providing health care services for veterans face particularly significant problems because they work with patients, who have serious health problems along with chronic health issues that have a considerable impact on their quality of living. At this point, it is possible to refer to the case of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers, which face considerable problems caused by the patient flow and discharge process. To put it more precisely, the patient overload leads to the inability of Medical Cente rs to provide health care services for all patients and maintain the quality of health care services to the full extent. In such a situation, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers are often forced to provide the basic inpatient care and transfer patients to the ambulatory treatment and rehabilitation to enroll all patients, who need inpatient care. Therefore, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers apparently face the urgent need to conduct profound changes to complete the discharge process successfully and manage the patient flow effectively. Otherwise, they will be unable to meet emerging needs of their clients in health care services and inpatient care.The problem of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers is the patient flow/discharge process. In fact, the problem has emerged under the impact of several factors, such as growing health care costs, the increasing number of patients, the emergence of health problems and chr onic illnesses which accompany the aging of the target population of Medical Centers. As patients grow older and the number of patients increases, their health care needs increase too, while the capacity of Medical Centers and their personnel remain unchanged. As a result, Medical Centers turn out to be incapable to treat all inpatients and need either to offer them ambulatory treatment or reduce the time they spend on the treatment of each patient to provide health care services for all patients. Hence, the problem of the patient flow became the major challenge for the stable and successful performance of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers. The gap between the capacity of Medical Centers and the number of inpatients and patients that require the inpatient care is obvious. Another aspect of this problem is the increasing number of health problems patients of Medical Centers face because, as they grow older, they have more and more health problems. In this reg ard, the lack of health care services or the low quality of health care services aggravate the situation even more since patients develop new health care problems or aggravate their chronic conditions. Therefore, if Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers fail to resolve the problem of the patient flow and the discharge process, the problem will grow more and more serious and new problems will emerge.The current problem of the patient flow and discharge process is a serious challenge for Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers because Medical Centers come unprepared to match the growing demand on health care services. Instead, they need the change that will help them to tackle the problem of the patient flow and discharge process. Medical Centers need substantial resources to match the growing demand. At the same time, the change of the patient flow and management of Medical Centers can help to optimize their performance and provide health care services for inpatients. The resolution of the problem requires consistent changes in the performance of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers and their management.However, to conduct the change successfully, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers should conduct the detailed analysis of its internal strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats (Viardot, 2001). In this regard, it is possible to apply SWOT analysis to evaluate accurately the current position of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers and their potential. The SWOT analysis helps to determine which weaknesses Medical Centers have to eliminate and what strengths they can use to maximize the effectiveness of their performance.At the moment, the major strength of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers is the coordination of their performance that means that they interact with each other effectively focusing on their specific ar ea. As a result, Medical Centers focus on the specific target population that helps to balance the delivery of health care services to veterans. Another strength of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers is the focus on the specific patient group, veterans. Medical Centers provide health care services for veterans and have extensive experience in this field. In this regard, the modern equipment and employment of well-qualified professionals comprises another important strength of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers because the modern equipment and well-qualified professionals create conditions for the delivery of health care services of the high quality.On the other hand, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers face a number of weaknesses which interfere in Medical Centers’ performance and deteriorate outcomes of their inpatient care. First of all, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers face the problem of the limited capacity to provide beds and health care services for inpatients. As a result, Medical Centers cannot increase the number of beds provided for patients that raises the question of the effectiveness of their performance in the situation, when the number of patients increases and their demands for health care services grow too. Another weakness of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers is the discharge process, which raises the problem of the discharge of patients, who still need the inpatient care and patients need the support of health care professionals on the regular basis. Moreover, one of the major problems of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers is the limited financial resources available to them. The financial weakness of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers is determined by the growing costs of health care services, while patients of Medical Centers cannot always cover their health care s ervices and health insurance. The large part of health care costs is covered by the government-sponsored programs but, in the time of the economic decline and slow recovery of the US economy.Nevertheless, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers have considerable opportunities to enroll the target population with various health problems. Medical Centers can provide for veterans, who suffer from serious health problems and need health care services. In addition, Medical Centers can expand their health care services to meet growing demands of veterans. Veterans’ demands require new health care services since their health condition deteriorates (Pinkerton, 2000). Therefore, Medical Centers can provide health care services of the high quality to all patients due to the high qualifications of professionals working in those centers and modern equipment that provides large opportunities for the delivery of health care services of the high quality.However, Medical C enters still face problems that expose them to numerous threats. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the threat of the failure of Medical Centers to meet demands of patients. The work overload can undermine the effectiveness of the performance of professionals working in Medical Centers. In such a situation, other health care organizations can attract patients of Medical Centers. As a result, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers may lose their patients that will put under a question their survival and further development. On the other hand, such a threat is rather hypothetical than real because Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers can offer health care services of the high quality and have a considerable medical potential to be eliminated in face of the growing competition from other, more effective health care organizations. In this regard, a more real threat is the consistent deterioration of the quality of health care services that m ay lead to the deterioration of the quality of living of patients of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers. If Medical Centers cannot provide health care services of the high quality, they will be doomed to cut their health care services or discharge patients before their full recovery or before their health reaches the recommended condition.In actuality, weaknesses of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers determine to a significant extent the current problem of the patient flow in an inpatient area. To put it more precisely, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers cannot always provide the sufficient number of beds for inpatients and they have to discharge patients, who are at the stage of the recovery and rehabilitation to let new inpatients in to provide them with the urgent treatment, which they need at the moment. As a result, Medical Centers face the problem of the increasing patient flow, which they are not capable to cope with. In this regard, the limited capacity of Medical Centers and their unpreparedness for a growing number of patients results in their inability to provide health care services for all inpatients, which need the assistance of health care professionals working in Medical Centers.Health care organizations essay part 2

Role of Education in the Modernization of Japan Assignment

Role of Education in the Modernization of Japan - Assignment Example Loss of people’s faith in religious institutions is also a parcel of modernity. This paper analyzes the role of education in the modernization of Japan. Today, Japan is one of the most developed and advanced countries in terms of industry and technology. It is well-connected with the rest of the world through trade and education. The delivery of scientific education has played a huge role in maximizing the elements of modernity in the Japanese society. Education has become a necessity rather than a choice or option in Japan since it is a prerequisite for becoming a professional, getting a job, and contributing to the economy of the country. The role of education in the modernization of Japan cannot be overemphasized. Japan opened its door to modernity around the 1860s. Particularly, the period from 1868 to 1899 is very important in terms of the role of education in the modernization of Japan. The Japanese showed enthusiasm in an effective adaptation from other countries in the course of the Meiji Era. One of the most popular sports in Japan is baseball. Japan formed its first baseball team in 1873. Horace Wilson, a Christian missionary teacher taught the students how to play baseball at Tokyo University. A Japanese team challenged an American team in 1891 to a game in Yokohama.  Overwhelmed with its own superiority and overconfidence being the masters of an American game, the Americans granted the Japanese team the challenge offer after five years of wait. As the Japanese team entered the Club where it was not previously granted the permission to enter, it was booed at to which the Japanese team did not show any reaction. However, their performance and astounding victory shocked the Americans a nd the Japanese team won another rematch held later.

English language learners lesson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

English language learners lesson - Essay Example It must be remembered that the aim of this process is to let the student express herself through the effective use of English. Anticipatory Set: It is anticipated that through this lesson, the teacher would be able to set the right mood for learning between her and the student. Through letting her speak for thirty minutes, it is rather expected that she [the student] would already have better chances of being at ease in class thus be able to set the kind of attitude that she needs to apply to learn more from the upcoming three and half hours ahead. Teaching: As noted earlier, this lesson is based upon the need of making the student speak for better evaluation on the part of the teacher. Considerably, it is through this process that the speaking approaches used by the student cold be carefully examined by the teacher as to which parts of speaking should she be assisted on. Guided Practice/ Monitoring: Through inquiring questions, the student would have a better chance following a specified pattern of discussion about her self and interests that had been further set by the teacher. Independent Practice: it shall be encouraged that the student handle a casual conversation with her peers as w... Guided Practice/ Monitoring: Through inquiring questions, the student would have a better chance following a specified pattern of discussion about her self and interests that had been further set by the teacher. Closure: To finish this phase of the lesson the teacher shall give an introduction to the second phase of the first lesson. Independent Practice: it shall be encouraged that the student handle a casual conversation with her peers as well. It might not be easy, but she should also be motivated to use the English language while she creates her own ideas during a conversational practice with her friends. Lesson 1:Part B Duration: 20-30 Minutes "Knowing the Teacher and Creating A Connection" Objective: the second phase shall allow the teacher to help his/her student know more about the personality of the individual that is sitting in front of her. This phase shall open the chance for the student to ask anything to the teacher hat she might be interested about. This phase shall set the mood of the student towards her instructor and towards the lesson later on. Standards: Let the student ask. If the student's role was to speak during the first phase of the first lesson, she is now encouraged to ask. This shall help her be more inquisitive in using the English language for beneficial and causal enquiry. Anticipatory Set: once this phase is applied, it is expected that the student would have better chances of making a great connection about her interests and the interests of her teacher giving her a better mood for the next lessons ahead. Teaching: Answering queries effectively and efficiently for the knowledge of the student is essential in this lessons so as to let the teacher set a pattern of answering

Touch Screens Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Touch Screens - Research Paper Example (Nicholas, 2005, 315) The foremost model of contemporary touch screen with a transparent surface was then invented during 1974 by Dr Sam Hurst with his co-workers. Then the launch of touch screens with the five wire resistive technology took place during 1977. This technology is still in use by several companies that are making touch screen devices. During 1994, its name was changed from Elographics to Elo Touch Systems by the company. (Shelly, 2009, 01) These days a large number of both virtual and non virtual applications are making use of Touch-screen technology. It is estimated that there will be a yearly 25% increase in its usage in upcoming years. The board for Resistive Touch Screen is covered by a conductive layer of metal and a resistive coating that causes an alteration in the electric current which is recorded in case of a touch event and then delivered to the controller for further proceeding. Resistive touch screen panels are usually more reasonably priced but propose only 75% transparency and the coating can be scratched if sharp objects are used on the screen. Such types of touch screen panels remain unaffected from external pollutants e.g. dirt or water. This type of screens employs ultrasonic waves which pass over the touch screen board. When the screen is touched by the user, a fraction of the wave is taken up by the panel. This variation in the ultrasonic waves records the place of the touch occurrence and delivers this information to the regulator for further processing. This type of touch screens are the most modern type of the touch screens, however, these screens can easily get harmed due to external elements. This type of touch screens are covered with a substance that reserves electrical charges. When the user touches this type of screen, a minute fraction of charge comes out at the position of contact. (Nicholas, 2005, 316) There are circuits, present at all the corner

The explosive growth of RyanAir Company

The explosive growth of RyanAir Company The Ryanair Company is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable entrepreneurial stories of the past 10 years in Europe. Furthermore that Ryanair has developed a very outspoken communication style, using advertising and media to a great deal to publicize its revolution in air travel. Ryanair was Europes original low-fares airline and it is still Europes largest low-fares carrier. In the current year Ryanair will carry over 35m. passengers on 300 low fare routes across 21 European countries. Ryanair has 15 European bases and a fleet of over 100 brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with firm orders for a further 125 new aircraft, which will be delivered over the next seven years. These additional aircraft will allow Ryanair to double in size to over 70m. passengers p.a. by 2012. Ryanair currently employs a team of 2,700 people, comprising over 25 different nationalities. Furthermore Ryanair continues a rapid growth in 2005. They started the year by launching two new bases at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and at Shannon in the West of Ireland. In February Ryanair announced orders for a further 70 firm aircraft from Boeing as well as 70 options. This takes Ryanairs total order with Boeing to 225 firm aircraft and 200 options. These new aircraft, which will be delivered between 2005 and 2012, will allow Ryanair to grow to over 70m. passengers per annum, proving that Ryanair is not just Europes original low fares airline, but remains Europes biggest low fares airline, as well as the only airline offering the lowest fares in every European market. http://www.grin.com Aims and objective: Aim of this report is to evaluate the given case study on the topic of Ryanair the low-fares airline by Eleanor OHiggins and critically analysing the current strategy of Ryanair to become successful in the European airline industry while airline business is struggling in Europe. The objectives of this report are as follows. Undertake an environmental analysis of the European airline industry with implications for the budget sector and Ryanair in particular. Analyse how Ryanair has been successful in the European budget airline industry. From the above analysis, critically assess the sustainability of Ryanairs strategy. Research methodology: In this report secondary research method also known as desk research, is being used. secondary research is the most common research method employed in the industry today. It involves processing data that has already been collected by another party. With this form, researchers will consult previous studies and findings such as reports, press articles and previous market research projects in order to come to a conclusion. The relatively low expense in comparison to primary research is the main advantage of this research, as no new research needs to be commissioned. However, its main disadvantage is that the data used in the analysis may be out-dated and therefore return inaccurate results. (www.marketresearchworld.net,) Environment Analysis: The environment is what gives organisations their means of survival. (Johnson et al 2008) We can distribute the environment into layers as follows. Source: (Johnson et al 2008) The Macro-Environment: The macro-environment is the highest level layer. This consists of broad environmental factors that impact to a greater or lesser extent on almost all organisations.(Johnson et al 2008) Macro environment is out of control of any organisation but it could influence the organisations overall activities and functions. The radical and ongoing changes occurring in society create an uncertain environment and have an impact on the function of the whole organization (Tsiakkiros, 2002). To analyse the macro-environment there is a framework which helps to analyse Political, Economical, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Ecological and Legal factors called PESTEL. This analysis of is therefore often known as Pest analysis (Johnson, Scholes, 1999). PESTEL analysis of Ryanair: Political On May 1, 2003, it will mark one of the most important days in recent European history, the continent will see the biggest expansion of EU to date when ten states become new members. For Ryanair new markets will open which suits its growth plans. Stansted airport, owned by BAA, is one of the most rapidly growing airports in Europe (www.baa.co.uk/). BAA plans to build a second runway and terminal there, accompanied by necessary rail and road infrastructure, aiming to double passenger capacity within ten years. Stansted is Ryanairs London base and an expansion would enable substantial traffic increases thereby facilitating consolidation (Johnson Scholes 2002). The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for setting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦price caps on airport chargesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦at airports designated by the Secretary of State (www.caa.co.uk). One of these is Stansted, which has hitherto à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦benefited from discounted airport charges and cross-subsidy from the higher charges paid by the airlines at Heathrow and Gatwick airports (Done 18/12/03). CAAs new requirements command airport financing without cross-subsidisation on a stand-alone basis. Consequently discounts will be removed and charges possibly increased. Ryanair has protested as it will raise its costs (Done 20/10/03). Economical Opec aims to keep oil prices within the agreed band of US$22-US$28/bbl (www.opec.org). However, with crude oil now à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦standing at close to $33 a barrelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (www.bbc.co.uk) near a 13-year high, Opec considers increasing its target. With a tight US gasoline market, low inventories and an upsurge in fighting in Iraq, oil prices look likely to remain high or rise Ryanair faces persistently high or rising fuel prices. Sociocultural Holiday home ownership in Europe is increasingly common for Britons. During Christmas sales boomed and analysts believe it will continue as customers are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦encouraged by the highest employment figures in 28 years, low interest ratesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Insley 18/01/04) and other favourable borrowing conditions. Ryanair services regional airports, opening up the European countryside to buyers, and this trend means an increase in the possible customer base (Insley 08/02/04). The over-55s now represent approximately one third of most EU-countries populations, and the figure is increasing. Because of better healthcare and financial planning, a significant proportionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of senior citizensà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are able to indulge in high levels of leisure-orientated consumptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Brassington Pettitt 2003). Analysts recommend developing specific marketing strategies for this market highlighting its growing importance (Lohmann Danielsson 2001). Ryanair here has an opportunity to increase its market share. Technological New technology will allow mobile phone and broadband use on-board. Carriers, including Ryanair, can thus increase ancillary services by offering on-line shopping, TV screenings and mobile phone usage against a fee. Furthermore, the satellite link could boost operating efficiency by being used to monitor planes, giving early warnings of problems to ground crews, thereby enhancing safety and minimising grounding (Economist 01/03/03 Economist 01/04/04). Environmental A recent White Paper emphasised à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the environmental importance of including aviation within the global emissions-trading schemeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Newman 03/12/03), aimed at providing financial incentives for companies to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and to tax aviation fuel across EU. Presently an increase in air passenger tax is planned, which doubles the  £5 and  £20 economy passengers currently pay for short- and long-haul flights. This will raise Ryanairs prices, possibly deterring the most price-sensitive customers. Legal Ryanair uses mainly secondary airports which enables negotiation of favourable deals with the owners. At Charleroi Ryanair was given 50% off landing fees plus contributions to local amenities, training and marketing costs against guarantee of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a certain level of business for 15 years (FT 10/11/03). However, unfair competition was claimed and the European Commission (EC) decided that discounts on landing fees and ground-handling services are illegal, and ordered Ryanair to pay back  £3m. Ryanair fears that high-fare airlines and expensive hub-airports will lobby the EC into investigating other deals, using Charleroi as precedent (Done 29/01/04). Porters Five force analysis The PESTEL factors are important in a relative way as they usually affect all firms in the industry (Bowman Asch 1987). Hence, organisations should also examine their more immediate environment/industry, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the group of firms producing products that are close substitutes for each other (Porter 1980). This analysis examines five competitive forces: potential entrants; buyers; substitutes; suppliers and industry competitors, which determine level of industry competition and profitability. Applying this to the budget airline industry enables identification of opportunities and threats to Ryanair in its business environment (Johnson Scholes 2002). Threat of new entrants High start-up costs needed for aircrafts, reservation systems and promotion, negates threat to some extent (Gilbert et.al 2001). The over-crowded market means à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there are too many budget aircraft playing Europes skies for too little money (Clark 07/02/04). As Europes skies are congested there is a lack of slots (Hanlon 1989) forcing new entrants into secondary airports and less profitable routes. Due to incumbents cost advantages, such as economies of scale and experience curve effects, price wars can be launched against newcomers. However, the market is expanding which pulls in new entrants and reduces the effect of entry barriers (Johnson Scholes 2002). Bargaining power of buyers Price dominated short-haul market with little or no product differentiation. Buyers thus face low switching costs (Porter 1980) As price is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦more important to passengers than productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Gilbert et.al 2001) there is low customer loyalty. Procurement managers are now influential in the travel patterns of their business travellers. Threat of substitute products or services Videoconferencing for business companies has not had the impact expected and is no threat (Gilbert et.el 2001). Other modes of transport are no tenable threats generally. However, Eurostar has been winning customers from airlines since its opening and many short-haul flights à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦could be eliminated after 2007, when the fast line to the channel tunnel is completed (Wright 01/12/03). Bargaining power of suppliers The price of fuel is directly related to the cost of oil which is determined by Opec and out of control of the industry (www.opec.org). Budget airlines have work-hard cultures to keep costs down (Gilbert et.el 2001) meaning a scarce number of multi-skilled employees which à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦can bargain away a significant fraction of potential profitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Porter 1980). However, carriers tend to experience economies of scale which gives purchasing power. Consequently, airlines are able to negotiate favourable deals with most of their suppliers (Johnson Scholes 2002). Rivalry among existing firms Already very competitive industry. Numerous new entrants intensify competition, although several newcomers have struggled to establish themselves and failed, Debonair and AB Airlines for example. The over-crowded market, and commodity nature of the product, means that airlines are battling to fill planes. Aggressive pricing, efficient distribution and innovative communication mixes are frequent competitive measures. However, carriers vary somewhat in segmentation by targeting different markets (narrow versus wide customer base) and offering divergent routes (regional towns versus main cities) which reduces rivalry somewhat (Gilbert et.al 2001). Nevertheless, competition is intensified as conventional carriers adopts à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦many strategies of the no-frills carriers and continues to cut costs (Done 29/01/04). With low fares but a higher level of service (more frills and main airport servicing) they are a big threat. Mergers, acquisitions and alliances are increasingly used for consolidation and competition. EasyJet bought Go, bmibaby partnered with Germanwings (Economist 01/03/03 Hotten 13/03/04). Ryanair acquired Buzz but paid too much and was forced to close it to boost its productivity. SWOT Analysis: Key Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses Cost-consciousness at every level Isolation of airports Ability to drive down costs Poor judgement in route selection and acquisition Fast turnaround times Targets very narrow market Cross-utilisation of employees Poor brand image Website Negotiation skills Ability to achieve growth Use of secondary airports Key Opportunities and Threats Opportunities Threats The EU expansion The European Court of Justice ruling The Stansted expansion The Stansted expansion EUs ageing population The global emissions-trading scheme Mergers, acquisitions and alliances Low customer loyalty ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC CAPABILITY A strategic analysis also includes investigation of the strategic capability, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ability to perform at the level required for success (Johnson Scholes 2002). Firms must understand what customers want and adopt product/service features accordingly. To succeed companies need: Critical Success Factors (CSF), features especially valued by customers and used to outperform competition; unique resources, hard to emulate and generates competitive advantage; core competences to meet the CSF, leading to competitive advantage. A number of tools exist to analyse strategic capability. Applying some of them to Ryanair facilitates identification of the organisations key strengths and weaknesses. Value Chain analysis This is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦systematic way of studying theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦activities undertaken by a firm (Thompson 1997) and a means of identifying how competitive advantage is, or can be, created and sustained. The value chain consists of primary and support activities that together produce the profit margin. When the most critical of these are performed better or more cheaply, competitive advantage is created. The activities are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦related by linkages within the value chain (Porter 1985), meaning that how one is performed affects the performance or cost of another, and key linkages generate competitive advantage. Value activities should be benchmarked, compared against those of organisations both inside and outside the industry, to learn and improve on best practice (Laverick Brown 1992). Primary activities Inbound logistics Dependency on suppliers to deliver fuel as well as food, drinks and duty-paid products to be sold on-board (Gilbert et.al 2001). These need to be stored, handled and controlled upon delivery Low-cost deals are negotiated against promise of large and growing volumes of business (Felsted 04/11/03). Operations Use of standard model plane, Boeing 737, means that Ryanair is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦able to obtain spares and maintenance services on favourable terms, limits costs of staff training and offer flexibility in scheduling aircraft and crew assignments (Johnson Scholes 2002). A relatively young fleet reduces maintenance, spare and fuel costs. Fast turnarounds (core competence), 25 minutes, is the most important cost advantage as it enables high aircraft utilisation (Felsted 04/11/03). More frequent departures (two more a day than competitors) with few planes increases revenue (key linkage). However, Southwest excels with 15 minute turnarounds as its à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦activities complement each other in ways that create real economic value (Porter 1996). Point-to-point flights mean no interlinking with other carriers. Ryanair can à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦offer direct non-stop journeys, avoiding the cost of providing through serviceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦for connecting passengersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and delaysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦caused by late arrival of connecting flights (Johnson Sholes 2002). Outbound logistics Use of isolated secondary airports often requires further transport arrangements for customers. Also, some destinations are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦so geographically obscure that they cant support regular services (Pratley 05/02/04), as evident on some intra-Scandinavian routes for example (Done 04/11/03). This limits the level of market share Ryanair can achieve. EasyJet does the opposite and flies to big cities, but then has to pay higher landing charges which is reflected in their higher prices (Bowley 21/07/03). However, using regional airports saves costs as charges are lower, facilities cheaper and Ryanair can negotiate favourable deals. It also enables fast turnaround times, and more on-time departures as the airports are less congested (Johnson Scholes 2002). 95% of Ryanairs flights are punctual compared to 88% for EasyJet (www.ryanair.com). Marketing and Sales Heavy spending on advertising and promotions to expand its market is reduced as most advertising takes place on the website. There promotion is also used to sell excess capacity, such as two-for-one offers, which creates market awareness. Direct marketing is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦used occasionally with the customer database (Gilbert et.al 2001), and enables relationship marketing which produce customer retention equalling increased productivity (Ali-Knight Wild 2001). Ryanair considers branding virtually irrelevant as it believes that price is most important to customers. This is reflected in its not always so good image in the press. Southwest, contributes a large part of its success to its well established brand values (Gilbert et.al 2001), and EasyJet has won awards for its brand (Brand Strategy 2001). Over 90% of bookings are made directly, either on the website or through reservations centres. The website saves on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦staff costs, agents commission, and computer reservation charges, while significantly contributing to growth (Johnson Scholes 2002). Furthermore, direct booking gives greater control over sales of ancillary services, important revenue contributors, and eliminates need for tickets which reduces check-in times. Travel agencies are used on a small scale as necessary when opening new routes in unknown markets. Service Virtually no frills lower costs considerably, enable fast turnarounds and very low ticket prices (Gilbert et.al 2001). A very basic product is offered and Ryanair now plans to remove the last frills (Gow 16/02/04). The question is how much customers are willing to forgo before switching to competitors. Will it be possible to sustain the necessary load factor with an even narrower target market? Southwest is more successful than Ryanair but has not stripped away all frills (Porter 1996). The low service damages the brand which leads to reduced business. For example, Ryanair was taken to court for charging disabled passengers  £18 for wheelchair usage (Tait 03/12/03), and is known for transferring passengers to later or alternative flights without notice if original flight is not full enough (Johnson Scholes 2002). Support activities Procurement Purchasing power enables negotiation of favourable deals (core competence) with suppliers. However, these demand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦large andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ growing volumes based on passenger numbers (Felsted 04/11/03) which is becoming difficult to sustain as Ryanair expanded too quickly. Although growth is slowed down new planes has been ordered aiming to double the fleet by 2009. Buys mostly during recession when prices are down Good buyer-supplier relationships ensure reliability and low-cost procurement of services (many functions are contracted out). Safety is guaranteed as contracted work is supervised and planned by Ryanair staff (Johnson Scholes 2002). Technology development Ryanair uses its website to monitor bookings to see how full planes are minute by minute. If numbers fall prices can be slashed immediately to attract buyers thus increasing the load factor. However, they dont hesitate to raise prices if demand is buoyant (Bowley 21/07/03) which leads to effective yield management. CONCLUSION The aim of this report was to carry out a strategy analysis of Ryanair, Europes largest low-cost no-frills airline. From this it became evident that the organisation operates in a complex environment with fast changing influences that affect its business both beneficially and unfavourably. It also enabled identification of some of the sources of Ryanairs competitive advantage: core competencies, unique resources, key linkages and the superior cost performance compared to its closest competitor. However, it also became clear that the organisation still has a lot to learn from best practice. In general Ryanairs strategies match its task environment although it fails to address certain crucial issues. If these are not dealt with they could lead to future problems and reductions in profits.

Facts about Ecstasy :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecstasy, or MDMA, has become a major drug problem in the last few years. Although it is widely used, it has been proven to be dangerous. Ecstasy is a designer drug, which means it is synthetically made by street chemists. These people are not usually certified chemists and are in it for the money. This makes taking E even more dangerous. Ecstasy effects are very similar to Amphetamines and speed. Although the chemical structure is not similar to these other drugs, the effect on the body is the same. This is an informational article and in no way endorses the use of ecstasy, since it is a dangerous and illegal drug. NAMES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecstasy, since it is highly illegal, naturally has many names to cover its true identity. Ecstasy is also known as MDMA, pills, Adam and eve, X, E, Ecstacy, XTC, or Adam. Some fake-ecstasy drugs can be bought over the counter, such as Cloud 9, or The Pill. These are herbal fakes, and are considered by experts to not be anything like ecstasy in its true form. They may say they are ecstasy, but they really aren’t.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   DOSAGE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A average person must take 100-159 milligrams orally to feel the full effects of this drug. The drug works quickly, and effects will be noticed about forty-five minutes later. As with other drugs, if it is smoked, snorted, or injected, it will work quicker. The physical effects generally last about eight hours. The mental effects can last much longer, with them trailing off around one or two days.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MENTAL EFFECTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mental effects of ecstasy are sometimes hard to describe since they are mental feelings. Scientists have classified the major mental effects of ecstasy. Entactogenesis is the first major effect of ecstasy when people feel that everything is right and good with the world. They also find interest in common everyday objects. They just have a general happy feeling. Empathogenesis is the next major effect of ecstasy; it is seems to create a feeling of closeness to others and a breakdown of communication barriers. So it seems to make you be much for open with people than before. This effect probably helped ecstasy earn its name of the Love Drug.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  PHYSICAL EFFECTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MDMA can create any number of physical effects such as dizziness, accelerated heartbeat, sweating, insomnia, incessant talking, euphoria are all experienced. Many users report a loss of judgment, which can threaten physical health. Almost every user of ecstasy has major loss of body fluid through sweating.

Future of Nuclear Power in Sustainable Development Essay

With the population increase and economic growth, energy is becoming an essential part for development. To some extent, in any development process, reliable access to modern energy services is needed. However, the world is facing the energy imbalance: that of energy generation have consequences for the environment so meeting this growth in demand while safeguarding the environment poses a growing challenge. To date, the use of nuclear power has been concentrated in industrialized countries, which might play in filling the growing gap between what the world wants to consume in terms of energy and what the environment tells us we can sustain is considered. 1〠Development of Neural Power In the last few years, the nuclear power is mainly used in the industrialized countries. More and more countries pay their attention to the introduction of nuclear power programs, such as Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, etc, not limited to Asia. Also, other countries such as Argentina, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and South Africa are working to expand their works. As is shown by statistics, of the world’s 439 currently operating nuclear power reactors, 403 (or 91%) are in either OECD countries or countries with economics in transition [1]. In terms of electrical generating capacity, 349 GWCe) out of 368 GWCe) , or 95% of nuclear generating capacity is installed in these countries. At present, nuclear power is a proven technology which has provided more than 16% of world electricity supply [2]. In the future of nuclear power, many different views are raised on its sustainable development, particularly to innovative reactors and fuel cycles [3]. There are a number of significant environmental benefits arising from the use of nuclear power, but it does raise its own environmental issues. During the operation, some radioactivity is released at a very low level into the environment either via filtered emissions to the atmosphere or in liquid form in the cooling water discharged to sea. Thus, on one hand, nuclear power is a hazardous energy and should be phased out. On the other hand, the nuclear power can be sustainably used. Comparing with the fossil-based energy, nuclear power does not emit CO2 and other hazardous emissions, which the impact of the nuclear power chains on the health and environment is less negative than those for fossil-based energy. Currently, Europe, North America and some countries in Asia have been enjoying the advantages of nuclear power. 2〠Status of Neural Power To date, the use of nuclear power is increasing. In terms of new construction, however , the pattern is different, 16 of the 30 reactors now being built are in developing countries and most of the recent expansion has been centered in Asia China, for example, currently has four reactors under construction, and plans a more than five- fold expansion in its nuclear generating capacity over the next 15 years. India has seven reactors under construction, and plans roughly a seven-fold increase in capacity by 2022. Japan, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea also have plans to expand their nuclear power capacity [4,5]. In the near future, additional countries in the Asia-Pacific region will choose the nuclear power option. Vietnam intends to begin construction of its first nuclear power plant in 2015. Indonesia plans to build two 1000 MW reactors in central Javaa. Recently, the Energy Generating Authority of Thailand announced plans to build two large nuclear plants, with construction to be gin in 2015. In Malaysia, a comprehensive energy policy study – including consideration of nuclear power- is to be completed by 2010 [6]. The resurgence of interest in nuclear power [7-9] is not limited to Asia. Other countries such as Jordan and Turkey are seriously considering or planning for the introduction of nuclear power programs. And many others, such as Aragentina, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and South Africa, are working to expand existing programs. In the USA, where no new reactors has been ordered in 28 years, these trends, plus excellent performance of the existing nuclear fleet and financial incentives in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, have led to a race to develop new nuclear power plants. Twenty countries now have new plants either under construction or under development with well over half of these new nuclear plants likely to be built over the next two decades in five countries- China, India, South Korea, Japan and USA. Also, in the USA, several dozen reactors are in various stages of proposal development, while international nuclear vendors and service providers are forming new alliances. Finally, rising uranium prices have led to development of new mines. 3〠Rising Interest of Neural Power Any negative impact on the population health and environment is unacceptable. Once it happens, it will be phased out. The negative consequences for nuclear power would be the same. If it is not possible or too expensive to improve sufficiently their safety, we must insist on their closing. The international conventions for nuclear safety were carried out, which legally enhance nuclear safety. Also, the IAEA updated the safety standards for reflecting the best industry practices [10]. Importantly, both the IAEA and the world Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) , created international networks to conduct peer reviews and exchange operating information to improve safety performance. Another important factor is the strong performance of nuclear power that drives the renewed interest in nuclear power. Up to date, with more than half a century of operating experience, nuclear power is becoming a mature technology. In the past two decades, more and more significant improvements are made in nuclear power plant reliability, as well as lower operating costs and a progressively improved safety record. 4〠Problems of Nuclear Power a) Management of radwaste Annually, the spent nuclear fuel produced is about 10,000 tons, which is small when compared with the nearly 28 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) waste from fossil fuels [11, 12]. In addition, the radwaste is most concerned point in public. Based on the expert experiences, the reasonable geological disposal of high level radioactive waste is safe and feasible. But for public, it is likely remain skeptical, which the nuclear waste disposal will likely remain controversial. The emphasis in the problem of radwastes should be in obtaining the support of people. On one hand, we should provide true information on comparative assessment of different energy sources. We should provide a clear report that there is no risk for the population health and environment from radwaste repositories. On the other hand, as soon as possible the countries with suitable places for repositories should license them and start the disposal process. Moreover, cooperation will be effective to share the burden of the waste disposal cost for countries with small nuclear power programs. b) Technological innovation If we want to develop the new reactor or fuel cycle technologies, technological innovation is needed. Currently, the nuclear Research and Development (R&D) projects are focused on enhancing nuclear safety, reducing proliferation risks, minimizing waste generation and improving economic performance [13]. In particularly, many developing countries, such as some countries in Asia, have been devoted to develop small and medium size reactor designs. These designs allow a more incremental investment than is required for a large reactor, and provide a better match to grid capacity in many developing countries. To some extent, these reactors are more adapted in applications [14]. c) Nuclear non- proliferation With the increasing expectations for nuclear power, there are concerns regarding the spread of nuclear weapons and sensitive nuclear technology. However, at the same time, the nuclear proliferation should be prevented. Now, a safeguard system has been established to guarantee the peaceful application of nuclear technology. An integrated system of safeguards can and should permit effective control of non-proliferation by a combination of technical measures and the extension of institutional measures [15]. It would occur in two steps. The first step would create a mechanism for the assurance of supply of nuclear fuel, possibly including fuel bank to be managed by the IAEA. For countries that use nuclear fuel for electricity generation, this mechanism would severe as a supplier of last resort, thereby removing the risk of having their fuel supply interrupted for non- commercial reasons. The second step would seek to bring any new operations for uranium enrichment and plutonium separation under multinational control. These multinational controls should also be extended to facilities that already exist- to ensure that all countries are treated equally in terms of their nuclear capabilities. d) Economic cost Although cost is perhaps not a major factor affecting plans for nuclear power in most areas of the world, in the United States, which has the world’s largest nuclear program and sufficient growth in electricity demand to support substantial growth in generating capacity, the cost of electricity has been the dominant factor in determining what type of capacity gets built [16]. As the United States has moved to reduce the economic regulation of electricity generation, cost has become a competitive focus, and â€Å"capital cost is the single most important factor determining the economic competitiveness of nuclear energy† (University of Chicago, 2004, p. xi). In 2009 the U.S. National Academies published a large study of energy technologies. After reviewing many previous studies, the authors noted that â€Å"cost estimates in the open literature have varied by more than a factor of two. Recent estimates have ranged from $2400/kW to as much as $6000/kW† (Committee on America’s Energy Future, 2009, p. 526). These are cost estimates for the United States. High costs are seen in the much-delayed new Finnish reactor, discussed further below. Until new plants are built in the United States, costs will remain a major uncertainty and an obstacle to growth of the industry. e) Public opinion Dana Mead, chairman of the MIT governing body, commented that â€Å"Nuclear power generates the most varied public opinion of any power generation type. According to MIT studies, 39% of those polled feel it should be reduced, 35% feel in should be increased and 11% don’t believe it should be used at all — the highest fraction of people who are opposed to any type of generation† (remarks at the American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting, as quoted in Power Engineering, August 2007). In addition to proliferation and economic cost, the main controversies regarding nuclear power are whether the public will accept new nuclear plants, whether sites can be found where the public will accept a geological repository for their spent fuel, and whether future development should be based on the once-through or the closed fuel cycle [17]. Bringing the public into decision processes early will substantially improve the climate for nuclear power to go forward. (In the United States , the law requires that the federal agencies make the final decisions.) 5〠Future of Nuclear Power While there are still uncertainties ahead, it seems quite likely at this point that, in the near-term, new nuclear power plants will be built, both in countries that already have substantial nuclear programs and in new countries. Thus, the number of countries with nuclear power plants will increase, and since some of these countries have small grids and limited infrastructures, it is likely that smaller reactors will be used to meet some of these needs [18, 19]. In the near-term, nuclear power growth will likely be met by existing technologies and those technologies for which substantial development has already occurred. Nuclear power development will not be the only source of power to meet growing energy demands and growing concerns about global warming. The near term is also likely to see the development and deployment of more renewable power of current or evolutionary design, and possibly of clean coal technology. Other options, such as increased conservation and the deployment of more energy efficient end-use technologies, will also be exploited. In the longer term, more advanced nuclear power plants, such as the Generation IV power plants, will likely be deployed. These will be able to meet a more diverse range of energy needs than the current generation of large, centralized electricity-generating power plants can meet. Possible applications include process heat for industrial applications, the generation of fuels such as hydrogen for transportation, and a variety of possible off-grid applications [20-23]. Likewise, other energy-generating technologies will continue to develop and will be deployed as appropriate. In the much longer term, these could potentially include fusion power. If that is successful, it could ultimately replace some of the technologies of today, including perhaps nuclear fission power. 6〠Conclusion Nuclear energy alone is not a solution, but it is likely in the near Future to have an increasing role as part of the global energy mix. Through the analysis and investigation, it is clear that nuclear power can bring significant long term benefits in terms of increased access to energy and security of energy supply. Nuclear power at present does possess proven technologies that ensure adequate safety level and safe radwaste disposal. Non-proliferation of nuclear materials is effectively supported by the system of IAEA safeguards. This structure is sound and it provides the basis for the further development of nuclear energy. However, the nuclear industry needs to work on new, innovative technologies in order: on one hand, to reduce the costs and thus answer the strong challenge of competing energy generation technologies, on the other hand, to facilitate the dialogue between the nuclear industry and the public by providing more transparent, convincing solutions and designs A success ful development of innovative nuclear technologies addressing these two key challenges would permit a large-scale development of nuclear energy in the next century. Thus, in the foreseeable future, the need for the development and deployment of more advanced versions of today’s energy production technologies will continue, and all promising technologies should be pursued. It is likely that different technologies could be favored in different circumstances. These circumstances could be based on a variety of factors, including national policy, regulatory and other mechanisms in different countries, and geopolitical situations (remoteness, availability of particular resources, etc.). Globally, it appears that the world is likely to need substantial new contributions from all sources, particularly those capable of supplying significant amounts of clean, low-carbon energy. Nuclear power is one of the most promising of these sources. References [1] International Automatic Energy Agency , Nuclear Technology Review, August 2006, IAEA, Vienna , Austria. [2] Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the period up to 2020, Reference Data series No. 1, July 2002, IAEA, Vienna , Austria. [3] International Automatic Energy Agency IAEA Bulletin, volume 49/1. September 2007, IAEA, Vienna, Austria. [4] Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, . [5] IAEA, 2008b.Nuclear Power Reactors in theWorld. IAEA Reference Data Series no. 2. Vienna. [6] IAEA, 2009. Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period up to 2030. IEAE Reference Data Series no. 1. Vienna. [7] Jones, J.M., 2010. U.S. support for nuclear power climbs to new high of 62%. Gallup.com, March 30. 2010. [8] Sustainable Development in a Dynamic world, world Development Report- 2005, World Bank. [9] Bharadwaj, A., Krishnan, L.V., Rajgopal, S., 2008. Nuclear Power in India: The Road Ahead. Center for Study of Science. Technology & Policy, Bangalore (September). [10] Bilboa y Leon, S., 2009. Development of advanced nuclear reactors worldwide. Nucl.Plant J. September October. 27 (5), 36–42. [11] Rashad S.M. , Hammad , F.H.; Nuclear Power and the Environment ;Compartative Assessment of Environmental and Health Impacts of Eelectricity Generating Systems, Applied Energy 65 (2000) 211-229. [12] Rashad S.M. , Nuclear Power and the Environment Prospects and Challenges, Proceeding of Energy for Sustainable Development and Science for the Future of the Islamic World and Humanity Conference , Organized in Kuching / Sarawak , Malaysia 29 Sept-2 Oct. 2003 Islamic World Academy of Sciences, Amman , Jordan, 2006. [13] Innovative Technologies for Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Nuclear Power , Proceedings of International Conference held in Vienna, 23-26 Hune 2003 organized by IAEA et a1 , Vienna, Austria, 2004. [14] International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycle, . [15] Nuclear Power and Proliferation Resistance: Securing Benefits, Limiting Risk. American Physical Society, College Park, MD (May). [16] Chicago, University of., 2004. The Economic Future of Nuclear Power: Study Conducted at the University of Chicago. 2004(August). Cirincione, J., 2009. Chain reaction. Foreign Policy (May 7). [17] Nuclear Energy Study Group, American Physical Society Panel on Public Affairs, 2005. [18] MIT, 2003. The Future of Nuclear Energy: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study. . [19] Deutch, J.M., Forsberg, C.W., Kadak, A.C., Kazimi, M.S., Moniz, E.J., Parsons, J.E., 2009.Update of the MIT 2003 Future of Nuclear Power Cambridge, MA. [20] InterAcademy Council, 2007. Lighting the Way Toward a Sustainable Energy Future. Amsterdam. (October). [21] MacFarlane, A., Asselstine, J., Ahearne, J., 2008. The future of nuclear energy: policy recommendations . Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (December 11). [22] MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), 2003. The Future of Nuclear Power: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study. Cambridge, MA. [23] Nuclear Energy Agency (France), 2008. Uranium Resources Sufficient to Meet Projected Nuclear Energy Requirements Long into the Future. Paris (June 3).

Quantitave Plating

BioSci 101 – Lab Section 810 QUANTITATIVE PLATING PURPOSE The purpose of this lab is to see the effects of pasteurization while emphasizing the process for serial dilutions. PROCEDURE See references (1) RESULTS As the dilution factor increased for both the raw milk (unpasteurized) and pasteurized milk samples, the number of colonies decreased. The number of cells/mL in the pasteurized milk sample is considerably less than the number of cells/mL in the raw milk sample. RAW (UNPASTEURIZED) SAMPLE Dilution Factor| Number of Colonies| Number of cells/mL| 10-3| TMTC| TMTC| 0-4| TMTC| TMTC| 10-5| TMTC| TMTC| 10-6| 284| 284,000,000 cells/mL| 10-7| 44| 440,000,000 cells/mL| | AVERAGE| 362,000,000 cells/mL| PASTEURIZED SAMPLE Dilution Factor| Number of Colonies| Number of cells/mL| 10-3| 71| 71,000 cells/mL| 10-4| 9 (TLTC)| TLTC| 10-5| 6 (TLTC)| TLTC| 10-6| 1 (TLTC)| TLTC| 10-7| 12 (TLTC)| TLTC| | AVERAGE| 71,000 cells/mL| DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS Pasteurization, a process named after sc ientist Louis Pasteur, involves the application of heat to destroy the majority of human pathogens in foods.In the dairy industry, pasteurization involves the â€Å"heating of every particle of milk or milk product to a specific temperature for a specified period of time without allowing recontamination of that milk or milk product during the heat treatment process. † (2) For public health purposes, pasteurization is the process of making milk and milk products safe for human consumption by destroying all bacteria that may be harmful to health. (2) A serial dilution is a laboratory technique in which a substance is decreased in concentration in a series of proportional amounts. Dilutions are usually made in multiples of 10. 3) The viable plate count procedure allowed for live cells in the milk samples to be analyzed. The raw milk (unpasteurized) sample demonstrated too many colony forming units to count in the first three dilutions of 10-3, 10-4, and 10-5. The 10-6 dilution d emonstrated 284,000,000 cells/mL and the 10-7 dilution demonstrated 440,000,000 cells/mL. This demonstrates that raw milk contains a lot of bacteria even after multiple serial dilutions. In the 10-3 pasteurized sample, the plate exhibited 71,000 cells/mL. The results of the additional dilution samples contained too few colony forming units to count.However, in the 10-7 dilution, although the plate demonstrated 12 colonies, there should have been no colony forming units on this plate. The reasons for this could have been that this sample was contaminated from â€Å"double-dipping† the sample before dispensing it onto the plate or when using the pipette, it mistakenly was inserted in a higher concentration sample and then immediately to a lower concentration sample before it was dispensed onto the plate. The results suggest that pasteurization kills most pathogens in milk by brief exposure to relatively high temperature.This was demonstrated most beneficially with the 10-6 and 10-7 dilutions wherein the raw milk exhibited 284,000,000 cells/mL and 440,000,000 cells/mL respectively and the pasteurized milk had too few cell colony forming units to even count. Unpasteurized milk is not healthy for people to drink. For example, in a study performed in December of 2001, the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, a microaerophilic bacteria commonly found in animal feces, was found in unpasteurized milk at an organic dairy farm in Wisconsin and caused 75 people, ages 2 to 63, to become ill. 4) Therefore, pasteurized milk is essential for ensuring good quality, nearly bacteria-free drinkable milk. REFERENCES 1. BioSci 101, Section 810 – PowerPoint Lab 9A 2. http://www. foodsci. uoguelph. ca/dairyedu/pasteurization. html 3. BioSci 101, General Survey of Microbiology Laboratory Supplement Fall 2012 4. http://foodsafety. ksu. edu/articles/1138/Raw_Milk_Outbreak_Table. pdf

Octavian essays

Octavian essays Julius Caesar was assassinated by his colleagues due to treachery and fear of his rule, which led to a civil war. His death brought about a war between two strong political figures, Octavian, the step son of Julius Caesar and protg, and Mark Antony, a once ally to Octavian. The two strong leaders of Rome came to conflict after the second triumvirate had spilt in two sections of Rome; Octavian controlled the west and Antony the east. The two had come to a conflict and another civil war was sparked. With Octavian as the victor and Antony in Egypt, the age of Rome as a Republic had ended forever. With Octavian in power, Rome flourished like it had never done before. The reading, "Augustus, Res Gestae," is about the accomplishments Octavian had written himself. These writings were well written in 3rd person form and were quite accurate to a point. The points Octavian makes our about himself, sort of a manifesto. In the reading he only tells of the good he has committed for Rome. He wrote this to have people remember what he has accomplished and hopes to have this remembered therefore engraving the writings into bronze. The bronze manifesto tells us about how he brought peace and prosperity to Rome and how he brought Egypt into the Roman empire and so on. The article on the tablets was well placed because it was a page after the story of the "second triumvirate." The manifesto sums up the "good" Octavian had brought to the Roman empire and was good at showing the basics of he had accomplished therefore the article was very informing for that chapter. If the article was placed elsewhere it would have been awkward do to the fact of how the 6th chapter opens up. Octavian explains his good in a fashion that may be related to the president of the United States, Bill Clinton. On occasion when the President makes speeches, he will announce his victories and yet not announce his losses. His vi ...

Counseling women to get over there cheating partner Essay

Counseling women to get over there cheating partner - Essay Example It has also been observed that men cheat on their spouses more than women. Men give different reasons for infidelity; for instance some feel neglected and unappreciated by their wives while some believe that their marriage lacked spark and intimacy (Perel, 2011). Some men confessed that stressful events led them to cheat on their wives and some said that they had extramarital affairs because their friends had so (Fitness, 2001). Boredom and emotional deprivation are some other reasons men gave to justify their adulterous relationships. Sometimes men face financial problems and are reluctant to discuss them with their wives; as a result they turn to other women for solace and sympathy and end up having an affair. Besides feeling betrayed, the cheated wife feels aggrieved, confused, devastated and alone. Once the affair is discovered, the couples face two options; to forget everything and move on with their lives or to end the marriage. The women who decide to give another chance to th eir marriage constantly live under the fear that their husbands may have another affair. Some women seek divorce while some men leave their wives and children for the other woman. In any case, marriage comes to an end when the affair is discovered because the possibility of normal relations after this gross violation of trust becomes zero. The betrayed partner is haunted by the question â€Å"why?† and often it becomes difficult for her to go back to normal life. Under these circumstances counseling can help lower the pain experienced by the wronged partner. Different counselors suggest different ways of getting over their cheating partners. Psychological Effects of Infidelity Infidelity especially one which leads to an end to marriage leaves deep psychological scars on women. Gordon, Baucom and Snyder (2004) in their study discussed at length the impact of infidelity on the betrayed wives. Depression is also common among women who have been betrayed and may cause them to act irrationally such as enter an unhealthy relationship, seek revenge or as in most cases inflict self-harm. Suicidal thoughts in depressed women occur because they think that their lives have become meaningless and they do not have a reason to live. Women become emotionally insecure, their initial reaction of shock changes to anger, rage and disbelief and then sadness seems to engulf them. Besides feeling sad and empty, women lose interest in activities, do not care about their appearance, and feel lethargic and worthless. Experiencing changes in eating habits and sleep patterns is also common; women betrayed by their husband may experience lack of appetite or a sudden craving for food making them eat more than usual. Sleep also does not come easily to them. Betrayed women also lose faith and question the general goodness in the world. The first suggestion that counselors give women is to stop blaming themselves for what happened. The victims of broken marriages (wives) often end up blaming themselves for pushing their husbands into infidelity. This is because people strongly believe in the â€Å"good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people theory†. The victim feels ashamed and foolish for not detecting the signs of infidelity earlier and to make matters worse, the betraying husband holds the wife responsible for his reckless actions making her believe that the

BUSINESS LAW I (BUS 231) contract six ways an offer may be terminated Essay

BUSINESS LAW I (BUS 231) contract six ways an offer may be terminated - Essay Example Although, in some instances, a person under below 18 years may be forced to sign an agreement but this depends on the contract type. First, it should have a subject of an agreement. The subject should indicate the conditions or contract terms made between two people. Therefore, the subject should have a permitted policy or legal matter. Secondly, the agreement should be considerable. Consideration is a valuable element in a contract, and it consists of the legal damage and negotiation. A legal damage is an agreement of refraining from causing damage. The purpose of this element is to ensure that there should be a negotiation rather than making inquiries in case one party is subjected to a loss or not (Keenan and Sarah 56). Thirdly, it should be competent to form an agreement. In this case, competency needs a minimum age and psychological capability of understanding the agreement. For instance, organization can engage in contracts but through actions of the required labor force who are competent in binding the contract. Fourthly, it should have lawful relationship meaning that the purpose of the agreement is to pr oduce legitimate relations. Lastly, the agreement ought to have an offer and be acceptance. This means that the parties involving in the contract should make a bid or tender. Therefore, the tender should be acceptable meaning that it should provide satisfaction and meet the required standards for a reason. In this case, one party makes a tender and another one accept it because sometimes misunderstandings may occur. Therefore, the offer should satisfy both parties and have some evidence connected in conduct manifesting the agreement for both parties involved in the contract. There are varied ways through which an offer may be terminated. First, through revocation whereby the offeror may cancel the agreement before the offeree admits it. This is termed as revocation or invalidation; thus, the offer will be