Monday, December 30, 2019

Job Analysis Paper - 1427 Words

Job Analysis Paper PSY 435 Job Analysis Paper The reason for job analysis is to study and evaluate the things that a job is supposed to involve. This is describing exactly what skills are needed to perform the job, and what the exact qualifications are to fill the position. Job analysis is a method needed when the employee need to know the precise function. An example would be that an employee’s duties should be clearly stated. So, a jobs analyst is to observe the employee at his or her current duties. This is also helpful in deciding what the requirements are to perform this job more effectively. As well jobs continue to change so a job analyst n should watch for†¦show more content†¦In 1996 across the state of Texas the Texas Evaluation Model for Professional School Counselors (TEMPSCO) was implemented. This serves as a form of regular analysis of an all school counselors. It is also pertinent for counselors teaching grades Pre-School -12th grades. It is documented on The School Guidance and Counseling Job Eval uation Form. Eight Domains of Job Performance There are a multitude of sub categories to the eight domains that are observed in the job analysis. This includes certain standards of personal behavior and job performance of the person in this position. All of the standards are provided by the Texas Education Code, Title 2, Public Education, Subtitle F. Curriculum, Programs, and Services: Service Programs and Extracurricular Activities; Subchapter A; School Counselors and Counseling Programs (TEA, 2011). This requires practicing counselors to assess, arrange and administer developmental programs (including resources in a program and paraprofessionals) designed for other teachers, parents as well as students. Developmental programs need to concentrate on developing decision making, interpersonal effectiveness, self confidence, goal setting, cross cultural effectiveness, planning, communication, responsible behavior, and motivation to achieve (TEA, 2011). Also a school counselor is directed toShow MoreRelatedJob Analysis Paper1679 W ords   |  7 PagesJob Analysis Paper Psych 435 February 28, 2011 Nursing Job Analysis A job analysis is a process used to determine and identify the details of a specific job requirement or duties and the significance of these duties for the given job (Spector, 2008). In a job analysis there are also judgments about the data collected on-the-job (Fine Crinshaw, 1999). It is also important to remember that a job analysis is conducted for the job position and not the person. The data collected for a job analysisRead MoreHr Research Paper-Job Analysis1818 Words   |  8 PagesAid Administrative Specialist II This research paper is a job analysis for the open position within National Park Community College’s financial aid department. A new employee can make or break your organization. Some leaders or managers are tempted to hire someone as quickly as possible and not putting a lot of thought into the process. In order to fill a vacant position, leaders must analyze the position, create a description that fits the core job requirements and qualifications, formulate a selectionRead MoreReceptionist Job Discription1175 Words   |  5 Pages Gibson Services |Job Title: Human Resource Receptionist | | |Department: Human Resources |Job Code ABC/04 | |Revision Date: 01/25/13 |Job Grade BG/03 | Job Summary Attend to visitorsRead MoreMgmt 410 Midterm Exam ( All Possible Questions Solution )1603 Words   |  7 Pagestelephone had been disconnected. He then noticed the local paper with headlines, â€Å"ABCHEM sells plastics subsidiary: 2000 layoffs!† Larry remembered the letter he received from the HRM department 3 months earlier that had warned of this probable plant closing, but he ignored it as a rumor. What protection is Luis given under W.A.R.N.? Student Answer: He is entitled to an amount equal to pay and benefits for up to 60 days. His job must be given back to him. No protection; he was notifiedRead MoreJob Analysis13751 Words   |  56 PagesPERSONNEL ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST JOB ANALYSIS: INTERPRETATION AND USE REPORT Prepared by the IPMAAC Ad Hoc Committee on Use of the Personnel Assessment Specialist Job Analysis: Donna L. Denning, Ph.D., Chair Nancy E. Abra ms, Ph.D. Marianne Bays, Ph.D. International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council 1995 TABLE OF CONTENTS Personnel Assessment Specialist Job Analysis: Interpretation and Use Report Abstract 2 Introduction and Background Task Analysis Task Inventory DevelopmentRead MoreHuman Resource Management, 12e (Dessler) Chapter 4 Job Analysis12516 Words   |  51 PagesChapter 4 Job Analysis 1) Which of the following terms refers to the procedure used to determine the duties associated with job positions and the characteristics of the people to hire for those positions? A) job description B) job specification C) job analysis D) job context E) job standard Answer: C Explanation: Job analysis is the process of determining the duties of a specific job and the characteristics of the people who would be most appropriate for the job. A job analysis produces theRead MoreEvaluation Of A Customer Service Training Essay1659 Words   |  7 PagesTraining Class The author of this paper is a member of the Human Resources (HR) team of a small retail company and has been assigned to create a new employee customer service training class for all new employees. Training is vital to teach new employees the knowledge and skills required for a job. According to Stewart and Brown (2012), training is â€Å"a planned effort to help employees learn job-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes† (p. 332). The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed planRead More7-11 Case Study Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment #1 – MBA Choices in Finance Assigned Class 2 – Due 11:55pm on Sunday Week 4 75 Points – two page paper David Jetter graduated from college six years ago with a finance undergraduate degree. Although he is satisfied with his current job, his goal is to become an investment banker. He feels that an MBA degree would allow him to achieve his goal. After examining schools, he has narrowed his choice to either Prentice University or Mount Alliance College. Although internships are Read MoreJob Analysis: Probation Officer1399 Words   |  6 Pages Job Analysis Paper Job Analysis of Probation Officers PSY/435 By XXXXXXXXXXXXX Introduction This paper will give some insight on the functional job analysis for the job of an investigative analyst. It will discuss the ways in which a functional job analysis can be used in an organization. This paper will also evaluate the various performance assessment methods and how they can be useful to the position of an investigative analyst. This paper will concludeRead MoreClass Based On Several Elements1463 Words   |  6 Pagesgreat because I finally got help and more feedback from others. Here is a screenshot of my first rhetorical analysis essay. It was about if everyone should go to college. I did a poor job on this because I just summarized what the author did. Now the second picture is of my last rhetorical analysis essay based on the American Dream and I got help on that essay. I feel like I done a much better job on that one than the first one. In this area of the class and how I improved in between these two essays

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Impact Of The Affordable Care Act On North Carolina s...

The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina’s Uninsured Population The Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2010 is one of the most radical healthcare moves in legislation of United States after Medicare and Medicaid. The main goals of ACA were to decrease the number of uninsured and provide cost-effective high-quality care to all in US. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, the potential plan of ACA was to expand coverage to 47 million nonelderly uninsured in the nation, which included 1.6 million uninsured North Carolinians (2014). The purpose of this paper is to review the effect of ACA on the North Carolina uninsured population, the influence of the economy of care provided care and the ethical implications. Impact of ACA on North Carolina Population North Carolina has the highest index of the uninsured population approximately 1.6 million. Being uninsured has a profound impact on the health and well-being of the people. The ACA had a significant impact on the different population categories of North Carolina. According to The Affordable Care Act 2014, Medicaid will cover most low-income people if Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is no greater than 138 percent (Milsted, 2013). The people that have more impact are the children six to eighteen, working parents, nonworking parents, and childless adult. Prior to Affordable Care Act, Medicaid was limited to a specific group of low-income individuals, such as children less than six, pregnant women, elderly and disabled. ChildlessShow MoreRelatedthe impact of ACA in North Carolina1251 Words   |  6 PagesThe Impact of Affordable Care Act on North Carolina’s Uninsured Population The Affordable Care Act (ACA) which was passed by Congress was implemented to improve the quality of health care and reduce the cost of health insurance in the United State. America spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world. In North Carolina, the governor signed a bill to block the state from extending the ACA which will allow Medicaid to cover group of individuals that are uninsured. NorthRead MorePopulation Impact of the Affordable Care Act1534 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Population Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina’s Uninsured In 2010 the American government passed new health care legislation, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), in order to reform the United States health care system. This health care reform opens the door for some Americans who have never been eligible for affordable health care insurance to obtain it beginning in 2014 (Sparer, 2011). All the states will enact this legislation butRead MoreImpact of Affordable care act in North carolina1779 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿ The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina’s Uninsured Population Chitra Sarada Walden University NURS-6050N, Section 14, Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health October 10, 2014 The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina’s Uninsured Population The Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2010 is one of the most radical healthcare moves in legislation of United States after Medicare and Medicaid. The main goals of ACA were to decrease the numberRead MoreThe Impact Of The Affordable Care Act On North Carolinas Uninsured Population1400 Words   |  6 PagesThe Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina s Uninsured Population Introduction Prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), North Carolina’s (NC) uninsured population in 2009 was estimated at 1.7 million people under the age of 65. This equates to 20.4% of the population (Milstead, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to determine if the ACA changes implemented during the last five years is assisting the residents of NC to find and secure affordable health care insuranceRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act Is Necessary For Successful Medicaid Reform1376 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The Affordable Care Act promotes Medicaid expansion. Medicaid expansion is needed in North Carolina to insure the disabled and those that live below the poverty level receive adequate healthcare coverage. The resistance of North Carolina legislature in the promotion of Medicaid reform has retarded Medicaid expansion to its uninsured residents. The cooperation of the North Carolina legislature and its support of the Affordable Care Act is necessary for successful Medicaid reformRead MoreEssay on Impact to North Carolina from Health Reform Act1858 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿The Affordable Care Act and North Carolinas Uninsured Population NUR6050 October 2, 2014 Affordable Care Act and North Carolinas Uninsured Population Introduction The Workings of an Affordable Care Act The PPACT is more widely referred to as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA is the product of years of political debates and movements to reform the American health care system. Originally, conceived as an alternative to a single-payer health careRead MoreThe Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2010 ( Aca )1107 Words   |  5 PagesPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) is a new health care legislation law passed by the American government in 2012 to reform the United States health care system. All the states will enact this legislation, however, selected will limit the provision provided to their citizens (Kaiser Commisson, 2013). According to Spares, (2011), the ACA opens the door for many 47 million nonelderly uninsured Americans who have never been eligible for affordable health care insurance including manyRead MoreAn Advanced Practice Nurse ( Apn )1292 Words   |  6 Pages Almost every day an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) will feel the impact of policy and change in the healthcare field, from the institutional, local, community, state and national levels nurses have a responsibility to contribute to the discussion focused on healthcare improvement on all levels. Let’s first look at these issues on an institutional level, Often we are faced with changes in policy in our current roles , it could be a new policy or a revision to an old policy , it can be writtenRead MoreHealthcare Of Rural Areas : Healthcare2605 Words   |  11 Pagescommunity hospitals (American Heart Association, 2011), frequently serve as an anchor for their region’s health- related services, providing the structural and financial backbone for physician practice groups, health clinics and post-acute and long-term care services. Although these rural hospitals are necessities in their region, many lack proper equipment and supplies, due to financial issues and th e difficulty of transporting them to the facilities. Along with this, chronic conditions are prevalentRead MorePoverty Notes3311 Words   |  14 PagesPoverty: Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them. . Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society ,or compared to worldwide averages. About 1.7 billion people live in absolute poverty; before the industrial revolution, poverty had mostly been the norm CAUSES OF POVERTY: Education: Lack of education keeps children

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Building a Green Kitchen Free Essays

An ordinary kitchen consumes at least 41. 5 percent of energy consumed by the entire household. Lighting, cooking, and refrigeration are the biggest culprits (â€Å"Tech Set 8: Green Kitchen Remodel†). We will write a custom essay sample on Building a Green Kitchen or any similar topic only for you Order Now The high energy consumption of lights may be reduced by locating workspaces close to windows or installing new windows if not a skylight to make good use of daylight. Energy efficient refrigerators are also available. The most efficient of these are the 20-cubic-foot fridges that consume 47 percent less energy. Similarly, energy-efficient dishwashers are sold in the markets nowadays. Energy-efficient stoves, e. g. convection ovens as well as induction-element ranges, are better than old-fashioned stoves (â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen†). Water efficiency must also be addressed in order to make a kitchen green. The kitchen faucet should be a changed if it is not a â€Å"water saving model (â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet†). † The new water efficient kitchen faucets could save a huge amount of water without significantly impacting the daily chores completed in the kitchen. These faucets use sensors that stop the flow of water if it is going to be wasted otherwise. They also use aerators that reduce the flow of water without the user noticing. But, of course, there are finer models available with newer technologies as well. There is a metered valve faucet, for example, that could deliver up to 0. 25 gallons of water before shutting off automatically (â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet†). As far as the indoor environment of a kitchen is concerned, ventilation and the quality of air are the most important issues to address if the kitchen must turn green. Installing new windows to create cross ventilation is a good idea. An exhaust hood over the stove that is energy efficient must also work wonders. Because mold may grow in places that are damp and could easily get mixed with breathable air to cause respiratory problems – it is essential to fix pipe leaks, too. Dangerous chemical based cleaning products may also pollute the kitchen environment with toxic fumes, which is why it is imperative to purchase only environmentally friendly products (â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen†). Works Cited â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen: From Resource Planning to Maintenance. † Green Home Guide. 5 Jul 2005. 14 Nov 2008. http://www. greenhomeguide. com/index. php/knowhow/entry/674/C222. â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet – Save Water Without Even Noticing. † Green Kitchen Design Guide. 14 Nov 2008. http://www. greenkitchendesignguide. com/low-flow-kitchen-faucets-%E2%80%93-save-water-without-even-noticing. â€Å"Tech Set 8: Green Kitchen Remodel. † Tool Base Services. 14 Nov 2008. http://www. toolbase. org/TechSets/green-kitchen How to cite Building a Green Kitchen, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Identification of Risk Sources

Question: Discuss about the Identification of Risk Sources. Answer: Introduction Aminbakhsh, Gunduz and Sonmez (2013) characterize uncertainty as an absence of data ampleness. Banaitiene and Banaitis (2012) concurred that uncertainty is a circumstance of lacking information and affects project managers administration style. Indeed, most tasks are confronting uncertainty with various level of effect on their results and uncertainty in project management is a future occasion could be anticipated or not. Hwang and Ng (2013) proposed to characterize uncertainty by their source (technical aspects, market, individuals, cost, schedule and quality) or by potential effect and contended that every instability sort is unmistakable and a solitary venture regularly may endure blend of each of the four sources. Kuo and Lu (2013) contended that there are two sorts of uncertainty; the first is quantifiable 'danger', and the second, unquantifiable equivocalness, or instability. In undertaking administration, danger can be appointed a likelihood esteem, though uncertainty is totally limitless (Dainty and Loosemore 2013). Danger is the likelihood that something can turn out badly and meddle with the fruition of the work (Harris and McCaffer 2013). It is measured by increasing the likelihood of event by result of the disappointment of accomplishing the concerned objective. Consequently, both the likelihood and outcome must be considered in danger administration (Kelly, Male and Graham 2014). It is similar to note that risk is worried with target probabilities (based an investigation), though instability requires thought of subjective probabilities (individual's close to home judgment) (Kerzner 2013). It is noticed that risk is a sort of instability that effect the undertaking results with anticip ated outcomes (Lingard 2013). In the other hand issue is a risk that has been happened (Osipova and Eriksson 2013), along these lines there is contrast amongst issues and risk since danger may happen or not. Description of Project The proposed project is construction of a residential tower in Qatar, comprising of residential apartments, including parking facilities with high quality, 3 basements, a ground floor and 23 typical floors. The Plot has an approximate area of 4413 sq.m. The total built up area will be a maximum of 25798 sq.m and service areas of 3400 sq.m. and total area 29198 sq.m. The project comprises of three level basements below grade with total area of 7214 sq.m. to serve as parking space. Details of the Project Budget The estimated budget to construct the tower is QAR 400 million. The budget includes structural work, electro-mechanical works and finishes. Timeline The project duration is 23 Months, commencement date is 1stJune 2016 and completion date shall be 30thApril 2018. Schedule 2016 2017 2018 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 Demo Project Completion Sharing Foundations Basement Structure West Structure (Podium to Roof) Exterior Structure Interior Structure East Structure (Podium to Roof) East Tower Exterior East Tower Interiors Figure: Estimated timeline divided over the months (Source: Created by Author) Strategic Business Strategic Business Context Analysis Strategic Business Context Analysis in the Residential Tower Project Departments Stakeholders Location Area of Business Administration Company Directors Headquarters Administration, Business Strategy Approval, Project Approval, Delegation of Funds Finance Accountant, Finance Manager Finance Office Expenses and Finances Project Management Project Manager On-site, Project Managers Office Construction, Replication of blueprint in real size, Approval of Funds Construction Workers and Team Members On-site Construction, Materials used, Use of Project Design for Construction Investments Investors and Sponsors Sponsors Office Availability of funds, Financial backing City Administration Corporation, Mayor / City Administrator Corporation Office, Police Station, Fire Station, Hospital, High Court Availability of land at a suitable price, Security, Emergency Services, Availability of Sufficient Materials, Legal Issues Sales Sales Manager, Customer Sales Department House Sale of the rooms or flats in the residential towers Media Media Personnel, Marketing Manager Media Office, Conference Room Promotion, Marketing Importance of Business Context Analysis in Risk Management These analyses are required in project risk appraisal due to the following reasons: Identifying the type of the Risk Business context analysis is required to understand the types of risks that may be encountered during the course of the project. Risks come in various types and forms and each risk has different mitigation measures (Walker 2015). Moreover, use of wrong mitigation method may cause the risk to increase further, which is not at all desirable. In this project, the type of risks include over-expenses, exceeding of the budget, low market demand, low popularity among customers, market incompetency among the business related factors and poor quality materials, natural hazards, poor project management, poor quality of the craftsmen and other workers, legal issues among the administration related factors. Identification of the Location of the Risk Another main importance of business context analysis is to identify the exact location of the risk. This is required for understanding the location and the nature of the risks so that suitable actions can be taken properly (Taylan et al. 2014). In addition, the location of risk also enables the assessor to understand where the changes are to be brought in the project or organizational structure. In this particular project, risks can be located at various levels of the company. There are potential risks in the business, administration, management as well as on-site aspects. If any potential risk is located in any one of these levels, immediate mitigation measures should be provided immediately in order to avoid any further or possible losses. Identification of Risk Impacts Business context analysis is also needed to analyze the impact of possible risks that may arise during the course of the project. Mitigation measures are to be taken for those risks first that has massive impacts on the companys business (Kelly, Male and Graham 2014). There are some risks that do not have much impact on companys business. These are generally temporary risks. On the other hand, there are some risks that can have massive impact on the companys business. In this project, some minor risks include temporary market fall, minor administrative mistakes and others. On the other hand, risks like use of poor quality of materials, poor business planning and others can have massive impact on the business of the company. Identification of Responsible Stakeholders Business Context Analysis also helps to identify the responsible stakeholders in different aspects of the project and hence, in case of potential risks arising in an aspect, the stakeholder can be held directly responsible. In this project, stakeholders include main developer, consultant, Lusail City administrators, project manager, team members, facilities managers, shareholders, designers, workers, subcontractors, public administration, banks, service suppliers, media, insurance companies, public, neighbouring communities, regional development agencies. They have their own share of responsibilities in the project and they will be responsible for risks arising in their respective departments. Potential Risks Importance of Risk Identification Risk identification is necessary to remove all the shortfalls associated with the project and bring out the best quality of work. For this purpose, changes are needed to be brought in all related aspects like stakeholders, area of business, designing and others. Stakeholders The stakeholders list includes main developer, consultant, Lusail City, project manager, team members, facilities managers, shareholders, designers, workers, subcontractors, public administration, banks, service suppliers, media, insurance companies, public, neighbouring communities, regional development agencies (Dainty and Loosemore 2013). The influential groups are suppliers, pressure groups, trade associations, regulatory authorities, emergency services, marketing and procurement. These groups relate to each other as they support each other during the entire project (Aminbakhsh, Gunduz and Sonmez 2013). Area of Business The project is shall be at Lusail City in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The location offers a range of entertainment venues (Banaitiene and Banaitis 2012). The location considers the most ambitious project. Risks and Issues The sources of risks identified with development of residential tower are expenses, finances, consumer happiness, inhabitancy rates and changes that are in demand. The project risk examination is essential before making a decision is unforeseen to a few choices and options. If the business setting was not considered for undertaking risk evaluation, it might prompt a wrong decision making. Details of Potential Risks and Relevant Rationale Risk Risk Sources Stakeholders Rationale for Sources and Stakeholders Customers Unmet expectations Investors, Tenants The customers are the tenants of the residential tower, there are risks associated with compromised quality with the interiors or exteriors that may not be worth the investment Market Changes Change in demand, economic recession Governmental Regulations, customers The change in economic regulations and foreign exchange regulations can affect the consumer purchasing power. The people may not choose to buy a residential house or rent it Technology Changes Changing technologies Designers, Architectural technician, Investors With the changes in technology, the project completion schedule can vary affecting investors to invest early. The designers and technicians can make changes in the structure based on technological changes Legal or Government Political forces, legal forces Regulatory bodies The regulatory bodies can make political changes and legal changes affecting the construction industry Fixed Assets Damage, loss Project Manager The project manager is liable for any loss or damage of fixed asset during the construction of the residential tower Risk Ref. No. Risk Category Risk Description Risk Cause Impact Likelihood Rating 1 Commercial The customers are the tenants of the residential tower, there are risks associated with compromised quality with the interiors or exteriors that may not be worth the investment Unmet expectations, Low Customer Satisfaction 4-Major 3-Possible High 2 Commercial The change in economic regulations and foreign exchange regulations can affect the consumer purchasing power. The people may not choose to buy a residential house or rent it Change in demand, economic recession 5-Catastrophic 3-Possible High 3 Commercial With the changes in technology, the project completion schedule can vary affecting investors to invest early. The designers and technicians can make changes in the structure based on technological changes Changing technologies 4-Major 4-Likely High 4 Legal/Regulatory The regulatory bodies can make political changes and legal changes affecting the construction industry Political forces, legal forces 5-Catastrophic 4-Likely Extreme 5 Finance The project manager is liable for any loss or damage of fixed asset during the construction of the residential tower Damage, loss 5-Catastrophic 3-Possible High (Refer to Appendix) References Aminbakhsh, S., Gunduz, M. and Sonmez, R., 2013. Safety risk assessment using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) during planning and budgeting of construction projects.Journal of safety research,46, pp.99-105. Banaitiene, N. and Banaitis, A., 2012.Risk management in construction projects. INTECH Open Access Publisher. Dainty, A. and Loosemore, M. eds., 2013.Human Resource Management in Construction Projects. Routledge. Harris, F. and McCaffer, R., 2013.Modern construction management. John Wiley Sons. Hwang, B.G. and Ng, W.J., 2013. Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), pp.272-284. Kelly, J., Male, S. and Graham, D., 2014.Value management of construction projects. John Wiley Sons. Kerzner, H.R., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Kuo, Y.C. and Lu, S.T., 2013. Using fuzzy multiple criteria decision making approach to enhance risk assessment for metropolitan construction projects.International Journal of Project Management,31(4), pp.602-614. Lingard, H., 2013. Design Risk Management: Contribution to Health and Safety.Construction Management and Economics,31(6), pp.704-706. Osipova, E. and Eriksson, P.E., 2013. Balancing control and flexibility in joint risk management: Lessons learned from two construction projects.International Journal of Project Management,31(3), pp.391-399. Taylan, O., Bafail, A.O., Abdulaal, R.M. and Kabli, M.R., 2014. Construction projects selection and risk assessment by fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS methodologies.Applied Soft Computing,17, pp.105-116. Walker, A., 2015.Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Capitalism a Love Story free essay sample

The whole point of this documentary was to reveal capitalism for what it truly is. Capitalism is about taking and giving, but mostly taking. It takes advantage of others disadvantages. People were made to believe that capitalism was good and holy and that it tied into the bible, but in reality, it’s the opposite. Michael Moore would call more of financial Cudahy. Every 71/2 seconds a person’s house is being foreclosed in America. The banks are evicting people from their own home because they couldn’t pay. In the beginning of the film it showed a family of four being evicted, 7 cop cars came to the home just to remove these people from their home. It then goes onto a different family, Randy and Donna. They’re family had been living there for years. Randy had an accident and was then put on disability, so it got harder for them to pay the bills. We will write a custom essay sample on Capitalism a Love Story or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There was a misunderstanding between the police officer and Randy, the bank had supposedly given them 30 days to move, but the police were told otherwise. It turned out Citibank had already sold the house. The documentary goes back to two decades ago, when capitalism was good and the rich paid 90% of tax, but that all changed when Ronald Reagan became president. You can this is where it all went downhill. Donald Reagan who was a chairman and was the richest broker in the world at the time was chosen as the chief of staff, he helped cut taxes for the rich. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency a lot of bad things started to happen, healthcare rates went up, there was an explosion of bankruptcy, the unemployment was higher than ever, and etc. Capitalism existed everywhere. In Works berry, Pennsylvania the county hired a private profit making corporation, Pa child care. Two businessmen Robert Powel and Gregory Zappala were owners of this juvenile detention center. Apparently they made a deal with Mark Chiavalera who was a judge. Many kids were put in the detention center even if their felony was not big, example one of the kids who got convicted threw a steak at his mother’s boyfriend, but still was sent to the juvenile detention center. These kids also served more than what they were supposed to and they were released based on the center’s decision. Pa received about 65 million hundred and they paid the judge around 2 million for imposing harsh punishment on the youth. Capitalism allows you to get away with anything, even to gain a profit on an employee’s death. Dan worked for the Amery Bank and died of cancer. The Amery Bank took a secret life insurance out of his name and named them the beneficiary. They made one and half million on his death. Seven million Americans are covered by these policies. We are worth more dead than alive. If we didn’t have capitalism and if it was run as a democracy things would be good. There is a company, Espus Engineering that is run that way. Workers are the true owners, they each vote where money is out of the equation and at the end they make more money. There is also this bread company where the CEO makes the same amount as the workers. Toward the end of the film they show people actually started standing up for what they deserve. Before Christmas of 2008 Bank of America gave a 3 days’ notice to 250 people from Illinois Chicago, that they were going to be fired. The workers were not given their last payment. So these workers came to protest, stood their ground, and weren’t going to leave until they got paid. They protested Bank of America to pay with the bail money they received, after 6 days they got what they wanted. They were paid In my opinion, I felt that this documentary was very interesting to watch and I would recommend this to people. I did enjoy it and surprisingly, I did not get bored. It was interesting to know of all the different events that have happened. I did not know about half of the things in there which is sad, but true. It is a good way to learn about capitalism because it not only talked about it and explained it, but it also gave many examples of it, to help you understand even further. Another reason why I would recommend this documentary is because Michael Moore interviewed a variety of different people and got their perspective and side of the story, so it wasn’t just one side of it. You got to hear their opinions and see how capitalism somewhat effected them.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Downloading Programs and Software essays

Downloading Programs and Software essays Although economist Milton Friedman once proclaimed that "There's no such thing as a free lunch," that doesn't necessarily hold true for software. There are some totally free programsquite a number, in factthat come without so much as an advertiser's banner across the top as a form of payment." (Some freeware' is free to the user, but not to the advertiser, and those do carry banners, or even spyware, which reports your Internet efforts in aid of market research.) Websense Inc. reported in 2002 that the number of freeware and shareware sites on the Web had spiked 315 percent in the previous year to a total of more than 4,300 Web sites and a total of almost 1.3 million Web pages. Freeware sites distribute free software the user can download; shareware sites offer software on a free trial basis and usually including an expiration date, which is tracked. (Business Wire, 2002) Popular systems such as the Linux operating system are subject to massive independent peer review, so bugs in any freeware or shareware for the most common systems is readily found. Freeware and software are also two-way streets; hackers who add enhancements because of the source code license being free return those enhancements so the original developer can redistribute the software including those enhancements. When Netscape released the sourcecode for its browser, enhancements happened quickly and globally. "Within seven hours of releasing the source code of its browser, which did not include full-strength encryption, a group in Australia built in the full-strength encryption that Netscape could not distribute because of U.S. export laws," according to an InfoWorld report. (Radosevich, 1998) Many IT managers at corporations complain about freeware and shareware because problems with it, when it is loaded onto corporate computers, especially tho...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Digital Marketing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital Marketing Strategy - Assignment Example Gloria Jeans offers the market with the highest quality of Arabica beans of coffee species. The organization gets its coffee roasted with modern technological equipment in Australia. The organization objective is to capture some of the Malaysian coffee market specialty through targeting of thirty outlets thus creating a strong presence in the market lifestyle and retailing of coffee in Malaysia. The company can improve its presence online because it has adequate resources helping increase its presence physically and thus further expand itself both online and offline. Currently, Gloria Jean’s promotes itself offline and online. Its in-store does not give any link to its presence online thus its digital marketing profile seems to be very low. The organization has online intermediaries in existence such as Google, Malaysian directory and Yahoo that helps it expanding its market share and selling capacity to the online consumers (Myfranchise 2009). Google sites in Malaysia have been ranked as the most popular seven million visitors in the month of June in the year 2009 in Malaysia. This accounted for approximately y seventy-six percent of the total local population who get online. Research indicates a slight increment in the population of Malaysia who use the internet from eight thousand six hundred and eighty to nine thousand four hundred and one (Digital Media across Asia 2010, March 22). Approximately nine point three million people in Malaysia who are aged fifteen years and above do access internet from workplaces and homes, with each of them spending approximately fourteen hours online. New opportunities to capture the attention of the targeted market are offered by such growth of online users. Therefore, Malaysia bears the potential to increasing its population-accessing internet. In Asia region, Malaysia emerged the strongest country with strong penetration of social networking and nearly three point eight hours engagement per visitor. Many

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery Assignment - 1

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery - Assignment Example It can be done by having a strategy to counter these risks spanning risk mitigation, risk assignment, risk acceptance and risk avoidance. Moreover, control mechanisms ranging from administrative, preventive, detective and corrective should be put in play. In this document, we center around four main security threats to the company. They include data security, computer virus risk, Keystroke logging, and adware. These risks if not properly managed may cost the organization a great deal. First, the entire processing in the organization will significantly be lowered. The institution, as a result, may delay in meeting its deadlines. Secondly, the resources may not last to the projected time frame and thus call for replacement earlier than anticipated. The worse part could be losing the organizations secret or procedures to other competitors in the market that may completely cripple the existence of the institution. After noting the adverse effects the threats could have on the organizatio n as a whole, there is an urgent need to avoid reaching such an extent. Our method of selecting which method to effect will highly depend on the nature of the threat at hand. In its entirety, adware is a sequence of instructions written to effect downloading of adverts to one's computer system. It also functions on its own and could perform various displays. The source of the adware is through application software that has instructions to work on your computer (Bersani, 2008). Alternatively, they could arise when that software is in use. Whereas it is easier to avoid such software’s, acquiring them elsewhere could be involved or more costly. Users consequently sacrifice for the free use of such software. The greatest threat is an adware that is in the form of spyware.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Globalization of the clothing industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalization of the clothing industry - Essay Example Moreover, movement of goods, services and capital has been made easy through globalization, and it has hugely influenced different sectors including the clothing industry. Globalization in the clothing industry is defined as the movement of textile products from one part of the world or location to the other through fashion, exhibition, apparel, showcasing or designing (Timmerman 3). It does not necessarily mean physical actions, but sharing of ideas or clothing from different parts of the world. There are numerous debates among scholars, countries, and investors on the beneficiaries and impacts of globalization in the clothing industry. Today, different fashions are available at the consumers doorstep due to globalization. Clothes produced by American firms are available in China, African and every corner of the world. In turn, it has negative and positive impacts on consumers, and domestic clothing industries. This paper will outline effects of globalization of the clothing industry on factories and employees in the United States, as well as on the consumers. Globalization of the clothing industry has provided opportunities for factories in the United States to outsource for cheaper labor from developing or emerging economies and countries. Many US clothing industries are outsourcing their marketing, manufacturing, and other duties to less developed nations, where the currency differences favor them (Timmerman 40). US companies find cheap labor because of outsourced services, and this makes them complete manufacturing at half the home or domestic price. Therefore, most US clothing companies have established manufacturing units in less developed nations such as China, Bangladesh, and India in order to produce goods at low prices. Many US factories have gained from globalization of the clothing industry, because they benefit from outsourcing thus gaining enormous profits. Similarly, globalization of the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Motivation And Group Team Working Business Essay

Motivation And Group Team Working Business Essay Molander Winterton (1994, p.3) states that Anyone who has spent time in a number of work organizations will have noticed how the climate differs, the different ways in which things are done, differing levels of energy and individual freedom, and of course, different kinds of people. And The complex mixture of assumptions, behaviors, stories, myths, metaphors (symbols) and other ideas that fit together to define what it means to be a member of a particular society, this view has been supported in the work of Stoner and Freeman (1999, p.181.). Culture is derived from notional context, clearly linked to strategy and determines how strategy can be implemented. In successful organization, there is a strong culture. In 2006, Haier is the worlds 4th largest whitewoods manufacturer and one of China top 100 IT company. In addition, Haier branches in technology research, manufacture industry, trading and financial services with 240 subsidiary companies and 30 design centers, plants and trade companies and more than 50,000 employees around the world. The global revenue was approximately 10,000 million pounds. Nevertheless 20 years ago, Haier was a small state owned company in Qingdao, China and it was losing $178,000 on annual revenues of $421,000. (Haier, 2010) During that period, it had built up its own sales network around world, export more than 160 countries. Meanwhile, Haier just product refrigerators originally, now its product range cover dozens of categories in the domestic electrical appliance market with thousands of individual products. What makes Haier from a small unsuccessful company, which is nearly shut down to an international large-scale enterprise? It is the Zhangs hammer. Zhang Ruimin the CEO of Haier Corporation, he drives and transforms Haier to a global player. Haiers culture, style and operational approach reflect its Chinese traditions and its successes are identified with its key leaders. Haier president Yang Mianmian states her strategy of one low (price), three high (value, growth and quality) it is also cited as a key for Haiers continuing success. A story of Zhang Ruimin that took in a day in 1985, Zhang took a sledgehammer to a row of 76 faulty Haier fridges to the whole workforce who were lined up to watch ( a fridge cost about two years wages in that year). Zhang said: If we do not destroy these refrigerators, what is be shattered by the market in the future will be this enterprise. This hammer is a symbol of Zhangs complete rejection of the previous company attitude that defective products could be tolerated and knocked out at a discount. This story signifies that Haier Corporation is with a strong and distinctive culture. The international strategy of Haier seeks to offer a fast delivery and good service to local market and customers by make maximum use of local labour resources and capital. It is always changing products for the local preferences and habits (as with the wine fridge), a practice that could become costly in terms of complexity and logistics. Haiers global branding strategy aims at standing as a local brand in different market. With the strong Haier culture, Zhang has decided to go for the difficult markets first on the basis that success in these markets would require the company to improve faster than seeking to dominate less fiercely contested markets. Haier has dominated the Chinese market, though Zhang has sought to expand the network through alliances, such as the 2002 agreement with Sanyo, this agreement helps Haier force into Japan market. Haiers strong culture can be seen most clearly in its internal relationships even exporting to other country. Haier built and opened a factory in South Carolina to serve the American market. At first, its methods were strange to the new employees from local labour market. However, according to a report in the Chinese Peoples Daily: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦both sides have harmonious exchanges, the difference of cultural background, instead of causing estrangement between the Chinese and American workers in their work, has increased their interest in mutual understanding. Initially, the American workers were against to volunteer for overtime to complete the days target work, but the Haier culture motivated them accept the strange work system from China and even prepare for the next days work at Independent Day. Haier seems spread its culture to America. Nowadays, Haier represent as a super brand from China manage to establish and consolidate its position as global brand. As CEO Zhang said: Another challenge unique to China is we have started our brand development late. So we have to catch up in a very short period of time. I will give you an analogy: Its like constructing a 10 story building. Our foreign competitors have already finished all the way up to the ninth floor. The Chinese market is their tenth floor. Once they have moved successfully into the China market, they will be finished with building this high-rise. But in China, we have only built the first floor. There are still nine floors to go. The story recently carried out in the Essentials of organizational behavior by Mullins (2008 cited in Lecture note University of Birmingham Organizational behavior course, 2009). Haier makes culture as a tool of upgrade and powerful company. The aspects of culture can be national, organizational, or interest group, relatively enduring values, beliefs, customs, traditions, and practices commonly shared by a discrete group-defines boundaries between organizations. It also can be transmitted from one generation to the next-conveys a sense of stability and identity. Culture is something larger than individual self-interest, provides standards and control mechanisms. Innovation and risk, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation and stability perceived as organization culture separate the high strength employee and low strength employee. The countrys origin effect appears on most global companies that rooted in national business system of their home co untry. Hofstedes analysis has brought up cultural differences in such areas as power distance and uncertainty avoidance, such nationalities as American, British, German/European and Japanese emphasis different approaches to business. Cultures interact with such elements as national business systems, corporate control, management development and human resources management such as COKE, TOYOTA, and UBS. The Business organisation and management lecture given by Dr Peter Foss in November 2009 has shown the definition of motivation is The willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organisational goals, conditioned by the efforts ability to satisfy some individual need. Many factors can influence motivation for example, needs or expectations, behaviour or action, desired goal, frustration or fulfilment and feedback. These make a cycle system, the need or expectations leads to behaviour or action then a desired goal will be set, during the process the blockage will result in frustration, on the contrary get through the blockage will contribute to fulfilment, finally some feedback to needs or expectation. Two differing perspectives are the content theories and process theories. The content theories emphasis what and process theories accentuate how. The content theories identify our needs and strengths; provide the elements of motivation (Spicer, 2010). The Maslow Hierarchy of needs construct by 5 stages, from lowest to highest each stage has its own expectation after reach it, then will move to the next stage. We satisfy needs in the order given: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualisation. After turn to next unsatisfied need, the satisfied need will not be a motivator any more. Meanwhile, lacks of satisfaction will effects physical and mental health. The innate desire to scale hierarchy and self-actualisation stimulates the desire for more. The Hongwu Emperor is one example to interpret this theory. Hongwu Emperor named Zhu Yuanzhang found Ming Dynasty in China, who is an outstanding military scientist and politician. He was born in Pei County in 1328 and he was the youngest of four brothers. His family was difficult to supply basic needs for them and in 1344, the broken dam of Huang River destroyed this poor family, only Zhu Yuanzhang survived. In order to dispense the terrible life condition, Zhu Yuanzhang joined a local rebel group to fight Mongol army. With a strong survivable desire, physical talent and natural leadership ability, Zhu Yuanzhang became a leader in one branch of Red Turban. The Red Turban was mixed brief by Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, the major force against Yuan Dynasty. In the 1356 Zhu Yuanzhang took control of a major city of China, Yingtian (now called Nanjing), he started operate his own policy and built his power prepared for separate from Red Turban in the future. Benefited by Zhu Yuanzhangs splendid talent, he won the largest naval battle, after won and from now on, Zhu Yuanzhang started collecting treasure and jewellery from the people under his rule and built his own palace in Yingtian. He took the rest of China and destroyed Yuan Dynasty in 1366. In the year 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself Hongwu Emperor. (Buzzle, 2010) From this story, Zhu Yuanzhang followed Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, transfer from physiological to safety when he joined the rebel group, after took control of Yingtian, and he sought for affiliation. When Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself Hongwu Emperor the stage from esteem to self-actualisation. However, the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs theory limited by live condition and level of knowledge. According to the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, the Physiological is the most common need and Self-actualiation is the smallest. It is not suitable for the modern world any more, with the upgrade level of human civilization. Self-actualization cannot stay at the top of Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid any more, physiological does not the basic need for most people. Theory X Type Theory Y Type People dislike work and want to avoid it Work is interesting, need it for growth Force is needed to get the right effort People will direct themselves to goal People are mostly motivated by money Desire to fulfill ones potential is motivating Most people have little creativity Creativity is available, but widely under used Source: Foss, 2009 The McGregors Theory X and Theory Y show two opposite views of individual. Managers would more support Theory Y, the mental motivators are more effective than substance motivators. The employee with Theory Y mostly will be the top of their own territory, but Theory X cannot. David McClelland learned that employee motivated by the six basic human needs: achievement, power, affiliation, independence, self-esteem and security. (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) The Process theories of motivation focus on the choice of motivator that effect in the period of work. How much effort the worker paid in the specific work depends on the motivator. The three process theories of motivation are equity theory, expectancy theory and goal-setting theory. ( Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) Equity Self : Outcomes(100) Inputs(100) Other: Outcomes(100) Inputs(100) Inequity (under-rewarded) Outcomes(100) Inputs(100) Outcomes(150) Inputs(100) Inequity (over-rewarded) Outcomes(150) Inputs(100) Outcomes(100) Input(100) The Equity Theory is defined by ratio of an individuals inputs and outcomes to explain how people utilize the resources and energy to distribute fairness. The balance or imbalance direct influence the satisfaction and motivation of employees. Inequitable reward leads to dissatisfaction, lower output and departure. Equitable reward contributes to continue same level of output. More than Equitable Reward conduces to harder work, discounted reward, higher motivation. Conspicuously, the best way to manage the motivation of employees is a positive reward system. (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) Expectancy theory based on the expectation for the output of employees. Moreover, satisfy the equation: Force of motivation (F) = V (direction) ÃÆ'- I (probability) ÃÆ'- E (expectation), motivation is the product of direction, probability and expectation. The effort affect the performance, performance influence reward, finally the reward decide how much output and expectation. The satisfactions of personal goal approach contribute to a higher passion of employee to the work or research. (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) Goal-Setting theory is the process of motivate employees using goal setting method. A challenging goals lead to higher level of performance, but this hinge on the workers ability, otherwise, will damage the motivation and confidence if the goals cannot be reached. Specific goals conduce to higher value of work than oversimplified goals. An energetic employee in goal setting can improve performance by increasing commitment. Individuals belief of being capable of performing a task assisted by setting goals increases performance. (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) The next topic I chose is Group and Team Working. Group and team are two different conceptions. The Group is two or more people work together, face to face communication and have a common target. Nevertheless, the Team is a group of two or more people who influence and care each other, are acting as one people for common objectives and perceive themselves as a responsible entity with an organisation. (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) Developing from Groups into Teams is one of the managers of organization need to think over. The Team had always better than the Group that is why a group of the world best football players cannot 100% defeats a professional team with unknown players. The task and process approach of transfer group into team have a great deal of aspects: different culture if the members of the group have different nationality or culture background, choose a leader from the group, environment, motivation, resources and power or ability. There may also have plenty of uncertain and complex difficulties. Affiliation and achievement of individual needs of group members, the communicate channels, openness to each other and decision making are foundations of a team. Nowadays, team working is competitiveness, with a high competitive market race, organization required to upgrade its efficiency of work and emphasize the importance of the spirit of team working. Especially when face a large-scale project, the individual cannot finish it by itself, at this point, the age of individualism was end, an outstanding team seems be the main stream of world development. The performance of a team depends on the classification of work team, lower-level teams just make things like self-managed work team similar with a single group, middle-level teams monitor thing like project team but not perfect, the senior-level teams plans and runs things, they drive the project to be real by their steps. (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, Corbett, 2010) To be a high performing team required a common purpose, clear defined goals, psychological, role clarity, mature communication, productive conflict resolution and accountable interdependence. Establish sense of urgency, select members for skill and skill potential, pay attention to first meetings and actions, set clear rules for each member, challenge group frequently, set and seize on a few quick performance oriented tasks, spend lots of time together and use positive feedback. The other important rule is insure psychological safety: equal voice, contribution; everyone participates; attack issues not people; privacy in team discussion. (Foss, 2009) The leader is the core of a team who manage the direction of team approach with an overall consideration. The leader should familiar with the ability and virtue of each member and makes them act best in the suitable position, stimulates the potential of them, strengthens the communication between the team and makes the members feel their importance in the team. The members of team are indispensible for the team, should have the consciousness of team working. Finishing the job of themselves is the responsibility in a team, in additional, the members of team should trust each other. The barriers to team effectiveness like social loafing, risky shift, decision-making, groupthink and common knowledge. A pernicious conflict in the team, especially between the leader and co-leader, this will dissociate the team. In the team, the 1+1 probably not larger than 2. In the 2004 NBA final, the Laker has Shaquille ONeal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Gary Payton and the coach Phil Jackson versus the Pistons. Everyone believed the NBA most powerful team in the last 20 years would defeat the team without one superstar easily. However, the result was the Pistons defeat the Lakers with score 4 to 1. Actually, Shaquille, Kobe, Karl and Gary they are great basketball players no matter in the league or history, but they are not a team, just a famous group. Kobe and Shaquille not get along well for the team leader, Karl and Gary desire for a champion ring, a team with domestic trouble and foreign invasion cannot call a team. The three topics are from the module organizational behaviour and sociology of work. An abundant knowledge of organizational behaviour helps handle the relationship between employees and managers in the organization and have the positive function to the company development. The first topic is organizational culture, and the first part is the definition about organizational culture. Next using the Haier cooperation as the application organizational example, during the application part connects with the theory of organizational culture. The final part is described the key theory and principles, in addition, the criticisms of the theory and principles in this part either. The second topic is motivation. The first part is explain what motivation is and provides The Maslow Hierarchy of needs theory as the main theory. Using the Hongwu Emperor as the example to explain the maslow hierarchy of needs theory. The following is the criticisms and personal opinion against the maslow hierarchy of needs theory. Finally part is the other key principles and theory. The last topic is group and team working. The first part is same with the other two parts explain the definition of group and team working. Next depict the differences between group and team. The Laker from NBA is the organization to show how to manage a team and the barriers to team effectiveness. The Organizational culture, Motivation and Group and team working are important aspects to an organization. The knowledge of organizational behaviour is art of human relationship in the organization, it is the mental spirit of an organization. A successful management of organizational behaviour not only build a concordant relationship during the employees and managers but also clear the barriers to organization upgrade and performance.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Divine Comedy - Dante and Virgils Relationship in Canto XIV of Dante’s

Dante and Virgil's Relationship in Canto XIV of Dante’s Inferno In Canto XIV of Dante’s Inferno, Virgil describes the statue of the Old Man of Crete. Dante uses the Old Man of Crete as a metaphor for Virgil’s legacy in order to elucidate the nature of Dante’s and Virgil’s relationship. In the beginning of the metaphor, Dante carefully and methodically illustrates the grandeur of the Greek empire and Roman civilization. "[Mount Ida] was once chosen," Virgil explains, "as a trusted cradle/ by Rhea for her son" (XIV.100-101). According to Roman mythology, Rhea gave birth to Zeus, who ultimately became the father of all Greek gods and mortal heroes and served as the cornerstone of Greek civilization. Crete, thus, is the "cradle" or birthplace of Greek civilization. In the Aeneid, Crete is also the birthplace of the Roman civilization, a concept that is important because it already begins to point to the greatness of Virgil and his homeland. The position of the statue of the Old Man provides a straightforward glimpse of the status of Rome and the legacy of Virgil. Standing straight and "erect" (XIV.104), the Old Man "looks at Rome" with his back "turned toward Damietta" (XIV.104-105). The statue’s back faces Damietta, an ancient city in Egypt. What’s more important, though, is that the Old Man is facing Rome. This precise detail makes it clear that Dante the poet wants his contemporary readers to know that Rome is the direction towards which society is converging. The image of the statue looking at Rome "as if it were his mirror" (XIV.105) drives this point further. Within Rome, the Old Man sees a reflection of all of his characteristics; Rome is a natural extension of all the great aspects of the Greek culture, including... ...to the Romans. Virgil is the conduit through which the tradition of Homeric poets and Greek literature flows. On the other hand, Dante also seems to be describing the deterioration of Virgil’s legacy: the Old Man is "of choicest iron/ except for his right foot, made of baked clay; and he rests more on this than on the left" (XIV.109-111). Furthermore, "down that fissure there are tears that drip" (XIV.113). The tears are metaphors for the flowing away of Virgil’s legacy. The tears form the rivers of hell, which suggests that Dante is using Virgil’s description of hell as a basis for his own vision. By doing so, he builds his reputation but takes away from Virgil’s fame. Dante must stand on his own feet, which is the reason why the Old Man is leaning on his crumbling, "baked clay" foot. Dante’s challenge, then, is upholding Virgil’s legacy while building up his own.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Explain Augustine’s temporal paradox

Augustine’s temporal paradox can be explained by starting with our typical beliefs about time, to wit: the past does not exist, the future is yet to exist and only the present actually exists.   However the actual existence of the present has no duration because it immediately becomes the past or the future the moment we try to isolate it. In the words of St. Augustine, â€Å"The present hath no space†.   The temporal paradox refers to the existence only of the present which however does not have a â€Å"duration†.Following this temporal paradox and Augustine treated time in ontological terms, i.e. in relation to the nature of being and existence.   We derive the notion of time by perceiving something that has passed, something that exists and something that will exist in the future.   Time is embodied and manifested through the duration of things that come into being to the present that passed away in an incessant continuum of past and future.   Conseq uently, material things move from none existence to existence to non existence (past, present and future).The perpetuation of the time continuum entails that â€Å"the mind expects, and attends, and remembers, so that what it expects passes by way of what it attends to into what it remembers.† (Augustine, 2002, p236) What the mind expects is the future, what is remembers is the past and what it attends to at the moment is the present, which is what exists.   Attending to the present does not refer to our location or inhabitance in this time continuum but one’s capturing of the immediate past in the memory. This is precisely because the present has no duration or no space and it is only through memory that we can attend to it.For St. Augustine, even â€Å"time† is created by God and therefore he is beyond the continuum of the time series to which people and all other things are bound.   God is in a state of â€Å"Eternal Now†, where the present, past a nd future are at all once.   However, while St. Augustine’s idea of time is very revolutionary, it nevertheless has critical repercussions that run inconsistent which Christian principles which he originally wanted to justify and defend.With the past and future all happening in the present for God, people therefore are already predestined to what will happen to them. People were not really given the gift of choice or freewill but are doomed to end up to how God have designed their world. What seemed to be a series of choices for people in this space of time is actually a finished or done design for God.   (Von Martelsand Schmidt, V, 2003, p79-102)2-Imagine that Russell and Berkeley are sitting across from each other at table. Write a short dialogue (about 500 words) that captures each philosopher’s views with respect to the ontological status of the table. Be sure to bring out areas of agreement and disagreementIn order to appreciate Bishop Berkeley, one must first fully understand that ontology focuses on the nature of essence and meaning of being. Berkeley is a major proponent of subjective idealism in which ultimately argues that the world including all the material objects are not real but are mere collections of perceptions of human experience, which is what is real.   It highlights that significance of mind before matter and the preordained connection of mind and body.Thinking is function that people constantly do, consciously, unconsciously or subconsciously in relating to their environment.   The mind is essential to be considered in understanding the nature of the universe because everything entailed the consciousness of the mind.   Thus, the universe is the product of the mind. (Bourgeois, 2003, 162-163)Berkeley will not deny that the table being observed is definitely real but it needs to be subjected to one’s consciousness before we know it is real.   Moreover, the real essence of the table or that which makes a tab le what it is resides in the â€Å"idea† of the table which is in the mind of God.   It does not rest on the â€Å"physical table† which we perceived because our experiences of the table vary.   While we see the table is brown, solid and smooth, our experience of the brownness, solidness or smoothness of the table differs. There is a disparity between what at we perceive† and â€Å"what is real†.Russell agrees with Berkeley’s idea that the act of perception is dependent on the mind but the mind is only the mental functioning of the brain hence, the perceptions therefore do not actually exist in the mind.   We only get to have a mental idea of what a table is through our perception of the physical table.   Perception is the prime source of knowledge (Engel, S., 2001, p 250-260).Knowledge is mainly based on the acquisition, interpretation, selection and organization of information what we perceive.   In Bertrand Russell’s own words, à ¢â‚¬Å"our ideas are derived from two sources, sensation, and perception of the operation of our own mind, which may be called internal sense†. (Russell, 2004, p556) Hence, we form our idea of table from the perception.This approximation of what reality through our senses, despite differences in the intensity of what brownness, solidness and smoothness of the table is real knowledge we can establish by observation and generalization. Incidentally, this is the underlying philosophy of science. In the end, we gain our knowledge about the â€Å"table† not from an innate idea of a table but through an observation of the table.We know that a table is brown, solid and smooth, irregardless of the intensity of these descriptions from different people. â€Å"Perception is the first step and degree towards knowledge and the inlet of all the materials in it†. (Russel, 2004, p556) And that is what is real regardless of the ideal table that we can conceive.ReferencesAugustine and Outler, A. (2002). The Confessions of St. Augustine. Translated by Albert Cook Outler. Courier Dover PublicationsBourgeois, W. (2003). Persons: What Philosophers Say about You. 2nd edition. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.Engel, S. (2001). The Study of Philosophy. Rowman & Littlefield,Russell, B. (2004). History of Western Philosophy. 2nd edition. RoutledgeVon Martels, Z. R. W. M. and Schmidt, VM. Antiquity Renewed: Late Classical and Early Modern Themes. PREDESTINATION AND THE LOSS OF DRAMA FROM AUGUSTINE TO CALVIN by MB Pranger. Peeters Publishers   

Friday, November 8, 2019

German Culture essays

German Culture essays During spring break of my senior year in high school two of my closest friends and I went to Austria and Germany, for a ski trip. It was probably the most cathartic time of my life. My high school experience was the most stressful time of my life, but my two friends and I left all of that in the states. I had been taking German for four years, but it was on this trip that I realized that this was where I wanted to live. The German culture and I are completely harmonious. Just thinking about the Germans mixture of calm collective efficiency and socializing brings me out of the worst day. When I first stepped off the plane in the Munich airport the entire place was silent. The Germans people are quiet, even when in public. When I went there and did not get a single headache, I realized how loud Americans are. I am a very quiet person, and Americans in general are loud and questioning. One of the reasons Americans are disliked by most Europeans is because they are always asking questions and want to know what is going on. Europeans are very quiet and collective. They only talk to people they know. Most of the time in larger cities, they wont even say hello when you pass them on the street. If a European has an acquaintance, they generally will only say hello. Americans will ask them about their day, and their extended familys. Europeans think this is rude, and so do I. Germans are the most efficient people on the planet. When the Germans built the Autobahns in the 1930s they made them perfect so that their citizens could travel with complete efficiency. They made it wind slowly so that people would not fall asleep at the wheel. They made rules so that it would be completely safe. They are to drive on the right side of the road unless passing. They cannot eat, drink, talk on the phone, or even rest one of their hands. They must have both hands on the wheel at all times unless shifting or working other necessary c...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Henry 2 essays

Henry 2 essays Henry II was the first of eight Plantagenet kings. He neither ignored his island kingdom nor dragged it into continental trouble. Along with Alfred, Edward I, and Elizabeth I, Henry II ranks as one of the best British monarchs. Henry II was born in Le Mans, France in 1133. Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of Henry I, were his parents. Henrys younger brothers were Geoffrey and William (Bingham 22; Tabuteau 185). Henrys father gave Henry the best education possible at that time. Peter of Saintes, who was a well-known poet, was Henrys first tutor. Adelard of Bath also taught Henry. William of Conches and Henrys other previous tutors instilled in Henry the appreciation for literature. Soon after Henry IIs education, he became Duke of Normandy. With the death of his father, Henry II became the Count of Anjou at age eighteen. Once he became Count of Anjou, Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine on May 18, 1152, in the Cathedral of Poitiers. Their children were William, Henry, Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John (Bingham 22; Henry 835-836; Tabuteau 185). Once Stephen, who was a well-known king, died, Henry II became lord of all land between the Pyrenees and Scotland (Henry 835). Henry had to deal with problems as soon as he became king. Once the Danish kingdoms established themselves in Ireland, the Danish colonists were at war with Irish people and the Irish people were at war with themselves. King Henry II realized he needed to stop all the chaos with a conquest of Ireland. In a few months, every part of Ireland except Connaught was under King Henry IIs control. The regions that the British controlled slowly dwindled away and soon vanished (Larned 114-115). Even though Henry II was a king, he did not resemble a king. He had a freckled face, gray eyes, and tawny hair. He also had a very short temper. At times, King Henry II would ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

AL Jazeera Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AL Jazeera - Research Paper Example in Qatar. Initially, Al Jazeera instigated its journey as a satellite channel that largely dealt with current affairs as well as several important news of Arab. As the news broadcasting channel of Qatar, Al Jazeera enlarged its wide network with numerous business outlets that majorly included the online websites as a medium of internet along with specialty television channels which enhanced Al Jazeera’s accessibility in different regions throughout the world (iHorizons, â€Å"Al-Jazeera Channel†). In the year 2006, the satellite channel of Al Jazeera was launched that delivers latest news bulletins for its worldwide audience. Noticeably, the broadcasting news channel of Al Jazeera has formed an exceptional success towards the news broadcasting world as well as to the modern day philosophy of journalism. For the purpose of continuing this enormous success, especially in the news broadcasting world, Al Jazeera felt the large need to serve its huge number of worldwide viewers by using the medium of Internet. Al Jazeera firmly believes that the greater access of various broadcasting news by the web users would place the channel as a worldwide business leader in the news broadcasting world (Sharp, â€Å"The Al-Jazeera News Network: Opportunity or Challenge for U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East†). Before the emergence of Al Jazeera as a news broadcasting channel, the Arabic audiences generally acquired various other kind of news that included entertainment along with latest news updates relating to sports and finances among others, especially from the media that is owned by the state along with other satellite channels belonging to Arab. The several news that was broadcasted on these wide number of satellite channels were mainly controlled by the state authorities. In this connection, after the initial foundation of Al Jazeera, the worldwide viewers were able to remain updated with various latest news bulletin

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Task-based Instructions in Interactive Communication Research Paper

Task-based Instructions in Interactive Communication - Research Paper Example Task-based Instructions in Interactive Communication In this system, the teacher gives an assignment that has to be done practically in the field by the students, using the second language, being taught. The students take up the assignments and have to make a choice regarding the setting where they would like to perform their tasks on. Students may choose to talk to the customer care mobile operator, interview a doctor, talk to a government official, talk to members of staff who are adept in communicating in that particular language taken by the student or rather a fellow student who is conversant in communicating in that language. Since the operation is student centered, the students undertake it and file a report on the task. This extends to the presentation of the tasks in class. The teacher then has the responsibility to analyze and give a score in conjunction to the student’s work. This poses major challenges in administration by the teachers, honesty in the part of the student and sentimental trade-offs. The task-based instruction learning system is coupled with several quandaries. It involves focus on the utilization of a given target second language by students. Such assignments include communicating with different people. Assessments of performance ids analyzed from the perspective of the outcome of the assignment as disputed to the expertise or accuracy of the student in that particular language.... The problems begin from this point. Since this method of learning is more students centered and has minimal supervision by the teachers, the students may decide not to advance their vocabulary and explore the language with proficiency. They might limit themselves to simple, elementary vocabulary that is not advancing their proficiency in the second language being studied. Other students may seek to rely on the others working. Another challenge is that of time shortage. Students may run out of time in the practical tasks extending to failure. If not properly organized, the practical task may prove to be confusing and cumbersome in terms of the size of the student body being analyzed. Limited resources and confidence by the students can be a major trade off. Significance of the Problem The quandaries, outlines above are significant in such a way that they affect the task based instructional kind of education to students who take a particular language as the second language. This poses a major debate on whether the system of education is up to standard. However, research will definitely aid in the explanation of the problem and various ways of dealing with its outcome, as well as prospecting the major ways of solving this query. The system of education, as mentioned above, has various disadvantages and poses an immense challenge to those applying it in education. These challenges ought to be addressed and put into profound consideration. The issue also has a streak of advantage as it helps students to push harder and avoid imminent victimization, which may be quite challenging to detach oneself from. The research also looks into different analyses by former and present writers in a way that the

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Introduction to Marketing PowerPoint Presentation

Introduction to Marketing - PowerPoint Presentation Example outsourcing social media marketing services from the social media companies that have since been established and now, looking to dominate the industry. The overall market size for the social media advertising companies cannot be estimated precisely because to do so, one will need to count the ever-growing number of companies and institutions being established daily, and who essentially need to market their products. Thousands of existing companies and institutions are already outsourcing social media services, so an estimate of 50% of all businesses countrywide would be an appropriate market size, for now. 1. Placing adverts for companies and institutions on all the six most popular social media platforms. These include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus+ and You Tube. The choice of platforms to use depends on the social media sites preferred by the client and most importantly, the nature of products and serviced being advertised. 2. Content creation and campaign management services. In an effort to marketing a particular product or service, there has to be a campaign to sensitize its use and the content in that campaign needs to be original. 4. Research, monitoring and analysis of social media marketing.- success depends on your ability to measure and understand your efforts. Community measurement is an essential tool in social media marketing. 2. The top areas businesses want to flourish in are tactics and engagement processes - At least 89% of companies want to use the most effective social tactics and engagement plans for their social media audience. 4. Businesses want to make the most out of Google+ - While 54% of big corporations are using Google+, 65% of smaller companies want to know more about it and 61% plan on increasing Google+ activities this year. 5. Podcasting is on growth trajectory-Though only 6% of companies have utilized podcasting in their advertising, 21% plan to increase their podcasting activities this year. That is

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Siddhartha VS. Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example for Free

Siddhartha VS. Fahrenheit 451 Essay Siddhartha and Fahrenheit 451 are very similar in some ways and very different in others this essay will talk about some of these similarities and some of the differences. In order to understand the two books we must first write a detailed summary of them. Once that is done then we can get into the similarities of the two good books, and finally the differences of Siddhartha and Fahrenheit 451. In Siddhartha, the main character Siddhartha decides to leave his family, along with his best friend Govinda, in order to seek enlightenment. They travel to the woods to find the Samanas, a group of people who decide to live without property. During the three years with the Samanas they learn a lot. One day they hear that there is a man who is said to have achieved Nirvana. They take the leave form the Samanas in order to pursue Gotama, the Enlightened One. When they get there they hear one of his speeches, Afterwards Siddhartha confronts Gotama to ask why his speech did not tell him how to achieve Nirvana. Soon after the confrontation Govinda announces that he is going to stay and become one of Gotama’s followers, while Siddhartha decides that he is going to pursue his own path towards enlightenment. Govinda is not happy with this but he had already made his oath to serve loyally under Gotama. Siddhartha leaves the town and goes back through the woods where he encounters a ferryman. The ferryman whose name is Vasudeva lets Siddhartha spend the night in his hut and then gives him a change of clothes to wear into town. Siddhartha goes to the nearby town and there he meets Kamala, a local courtesan. He then proceeds to ask Kamala if she can teach him about love. AT first she laughs at him and said that for her to teach him he must get some money. Before Siddhartha leaves he asks Kamala if he could exchange a poem for a kiss. She agrees and after that was over she sent Siddhartha to the rich merchant, Kamaswami. When Siddhartha asks to learn the way of the merchant Kamaswami does not turn him down. Siddhartha now rich again and learning the ways of love and trade believes that he is happy for a change, but some part of him is still missing. After a while Siddhartha decides to leave his merchant life in order to keep chasing his dream. He leaves Kamala and Kamaswami behind and goes back to the woods. There he goes to the river where he looks down upon himself and believing that his life was over. He decides to drown himself for it would be the quickest way to go, but something talks him out of it. Instead he falls asleep by the base of a tree. When he wakes up he is astonished to find his best friend Govinda asleep across from him. He and Govinda talk for a while when Govinda said that he needed to catch up with his group of monks that were spreading the word of Gotama. Siddhartha then leaves and follows the river back to the Vasudava’s, the ferryman, house. While there he asks Vasudeva if he can teach him the ways of the ferryman. Vasudeva agrees. They begin by telling Siddhartha that in order to become a ferryman he must firs learn to listen to the river. When Siddhartha and Vasudeva are ferrying people across they come across Govinda and his group of monks again. The monks say that Gotama is dying and has called all his monks back to him. It is in one such time that Siddhartha and Kamala meet up again. This time Kamala has a son with her. Kamala has been bitten by a snake and Siddhartha wants to help her. He tries and tries but nothing works and she eventually dies. At the very end of the story Govinda and Siddhartha are reunited for the last time. Govinda now seeing Siddhartha for the first time in a while believes that Siddhartha has done it, he had achieved Nirvana. In Fahrenheit 451 the main character is a man known as Guy Montag. He is a fireman. Being a fireman does not mean that they fight fires, it means that they burn books that the people in their city try to keep hidden. On the way home from on hard day at work, Montag meets a young girl named Clarisse. She is a peculiar girl for she asks a lot of questions that have to do with nothing besides just random things. In one of these questions she asks if it were true that firemen actually fought fires instead of burning books. Montag does not know how to answer. He walks along until he gets to Clarisse’s house. The final question that she asks Montag is the strangest of them all. It is â€Å"are you happy†. Montag goes home pondering that final question. He gets ready for bed when he accidentally kicks a sleeping pill bottle on the floor. After realizing that it is empty he quickly calls the emergency room. They send someone over to help with Montag’s wife Mildred. They finish with her and tell Montag that they get about ten of these calls every night. He keeps going to work and talking with Clarisse. It was during one of these talks that she rubbed a flower under her chin. When Montag asks what it meant she says that it is to see if a person is in love or not. Montag goes to work one day and is attacked by the mechanical hound. After he gets away he says that the mechanical hound has done that three times and it would only act that way if someone had programmed it. Later on in the book he comes home and sees that Mildred is watching the news. It was saying that a young 17 year old girl was hit by a car and killed. Montag realizes that the girl was Clarisse. One day he is at the park and sees a man by the name of Faber. Montag learns that Faber was a college professor but quit because they had burned all of the books. Faber offers Montag his address. One night while the women friends of Mildred’s are over he goes to Faber’s house. There he comes up with his plan to reprint books. He also says that they should plant books in the fireman’s houses. Faber didn’t listen so in order to get him to listen, Montag starts to rip the pages out of the bible. Faber gives Montag an earpiece that allows them to talk. While back at work the firemen get a call that someone has books in their house. Montag is deep in conversation with Beatty the fire chief that only after they stop does he realize that the house they stopped in front of is his own. Beatty tells Montag that he is under arrest and he has to burn all of his books that he had with a flamethrower. After he finishes torching the books Montag gets irritation in the ear with the communication device. Beatty sees this and takes the earpiece. Now that Montag is frustrated he decides to torch Beatty. After that he is attacked by the mechanical hound. He kills the beast and gets away. Unfortunately for him every channel is playing a tape that tells people to be on the watch for Montag. While at Faber’s house He had given Montag some directions. Montag now on the run follow those directions. He meets up with a group of refugees that are all intelligent. They decide to leave for the city to reprint the books that they have memorized the city is leveled by bombs. They decide that it is now best to reprint those books so that the survivors have a sense of dignity again. Now that you understand the basic outline for the two books here are a few similarities between them. In both books the main character finds teachers that help him along the path to their destiny. In Siddhartha these teachers like Kamaswami, Kamala, and even his best friend Govinda. In Fahrenheit 451 Montag’s teachers are Clarisse, Faber, and even the group of outcast college professors. Another similarity between the two is that in both books the main character has to confront a river. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag must get in the river to help wash away his scent from the hounds and to help him get away. In Siddhartha, Siddhartha confronts the river three separate times. The first time is when he must cross to get to the town. The second time is when he faces a life and death scenario. The last time is when he is told by Vasudeva to learn from the river. These are just some of the similarities between Fahrenheit 451 and Siddhartha. There are many differences between these books. Some of these differences we will talk about now. In Siddhartha, the main character start out with a path set for him. While in Fahrenheit 451 Montag does not yet have a particular goal in mind. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag is on the run and he is being chased by a bunch a law enforcement officials. In Siddhartha, Siddhartha is not being chased or pursued by anyone or anything. He is simply making his own way throughout the universe. One last difference between the two is that in Siddhartha, the main character does not have to make a new friend to help him along the way, he already has Govinda. Whereas in Fahrenheit 451 Montag must find someone to replace Clarisse after she dies. That someone was Faber after they meet. These are just a few of the differences between the two. Now you have the basic information between the two books, the similarities and differences between them as well. These two books are not that different from each other. They both are written in a fictional setting and both are enjoyable. These two books will be good reading for just about anyone. Bibliography Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. New York: New Direction, 1951. Print Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Health and safety hazards to workers

Health and safety hazards to workers In Mauritius, we have five regional hospitals namely: SSRNH, Victoria Hospital, Nehru Hospital, Jeetoo Hospital and Flacq Hospital and other small specialised hospitals such as ENT Hospital, Moka Eye Hospital and Brown Sequard Hospital. Each regional hospital consists of a CSSD unit respectively which cater for the provision of sterile items to the hospital and to health centres which falls under the catchment area of that regional hospital. Although, the CSSD is a small unit in that hospital, its presence and service is of great importance to the healthcare staff, patients and to the public in general. The role of the CSSD is to prevent cross- infection and contamination of the patients, staff and visitors by sterilising all equipment and instruments which aid in providing the best care to the patients. It is time to think about the health and safety of the workers of Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD). In order to protect and to prevent the staff of the CSSD from injuries and illnesses, it is important to identify the health and safety hazards that are present at each level and in each area of the CSSD. After identification of these hazards is carried out, appropriate preventive measures must be adopted if not to eliminate the hazards completely, but at least to minimise the exposure of the staff to these hazards so that they can work in a safer environment free from injuries, accidents and occupational diseases. For the purpose of this project, the Hazard Identification was carried out at the CSSD of SSRN Hospital. Abbreviations CSSD Central Sterile Supplies Department SSRNH Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital PPE Personal Protective Equipment EtO Ethylene Oxide HIV -Human Immunodeficiency Virus OSHA 2005 -Occupational Health and Safety 2005- HBV Hepatitis B Virus MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders 1.0 INTRODUCTION Hospitals are such places where people get treatment for their illnesses, injuries and diseases. Many of these diseases are caused by biological agents such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Thus, in hospitals there is high incidence of disease-causing micro-organisms which can spread from patient to patient or from patient to health care personnel or from the equipment and other materials that are used while giving care to the patients. It is the duty of the staff not only to cure the diseases of the patients but at the same time to prevent the transmission of diseases from one person to another. An effective measure to prevent spreading of the diseases is in making sure that all the items that are used in the care of the patients are sterile. Many of the instruments and materials used in the hospitals are quite expensive and are so designed that they can be reused. The importance of a CSSD in a hospital is to provide sterile items at the required time and place in the hospital. The CSSD of a hospital receives stores, sterilises and distributes to all the departments including the wards, outpatient department and other special unit such as the operation theatre. The main duty of the CSSD is the sterilisation of items such as catheters, tubings, surgical instruments, treatment trays and sets and dressings materials. Although, CSSD aims at providing sterile items so as to prevent the spread of infection and in some ways to protect hospital staff and patients from biological hazards, the CSSD itself is prone to various hazards. So, to be able to identify the health and safety hazards that workers face, we must first know the activities that are carried out in the CSSD. 2.0 The objectives of the CSSD: To provide sterile gauze packs cotton wool and equipment to all units of the hospital and to Area Health Centers, and Community Health Centers within the catchment area of a regional hospital. To ensure that proper cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising process of items is being carried out in the department. To keep an inventory of all supplies and equipment. To meet the demand of its customers, i.e. different units in supplying the needed amount of sterile items to them. To contribute to a great extent in preventing cross-infection by effective running of the department. To take some of the work of the nursing staff so that they can give more time to the patients. To make expensive equipment which are not used so often reusable. To provide a safe working environment for the staff. 3.0 The organisational structure of the CSSD at SSRNH: The CSSD has manpower of 26 workers: 1 Superintendent, 2 Supervisors, 17 CSSD Assistants and 6 CSSD Attendants. The Head of the Department is the Superintendent and is the one who liaises with other heads of different departments. The supervisors are responsible for monitoring the duties of the assistants and to ensure the smooth running of the unit. They are also responsible for the effective delivery of sterile items to the required units. The CSSD Assistants are those workers who perform most of the duties in the unit. The attendants are mainly concerned with manual handling, collecting and delivering items to other departments of the hospital. An organisational chart is as below: CSSD Superintendent CSSD Supervisors CSSD Assistants CSSD Attendants 4.0 CSSD Design F:ImagesP2108_26-04-10.JPG 5.0 The Sterile Supply Cycle 6.0 The different areas of the CSSD The CSSD is divided into four major areas: Sorting and Decontamination Assembly and Packaging Sterilising Sterile Storage and Distribution 1. Sorting and Decontamination Area: Here the instruments are cleaned and washed. For the purpose of cleaning and washing, chemical detergents and disinfectants such as javel, alcohol and soaps are used. The instruments are washed in basin using plenty amount of water. It is only after this process that the instruments are safe to be handled. Also, sorting of instruments is carried out, disassembling of the instruments is done when needed and the CSSD assistants inspect the items for cleanliness and damage. 2. Assembly and Packaging Area: Following decontamination, the items are further sorted, reassembled and packaged. Here, reusable linens such as surgical gowns, green sheets drapes are packed in individual special wrapping paper. Cotton wool rolls are place in carton boxes. Gauze pieces are cut into smaller sizes and are wrapped individually. Clean instruments are placed in trays (either small or large depending on the surgical intervention during which they are going to be used) and are then packed in double wrapping papers. Autoclave tapes are used to hold the surgical items packed for sterilisation intact. These tapes have white indicator lines which turn to black lines after sterilization, thus helping the user to make sure that the pack is sterile. 3. The Sterilising Area Here the packed items then undergo a process known as sterilization. This involves the killing of any potential pathogen on the items. Normally, several methods of sterilisation exit but steam and ethylene oxide sterilization are most commonly used. 4. Sterile Storage and Distribution Area The sterile items are then stored in the storage area arranged neatly on different shelves. From there, the sterile items are then distributed to respective units. 7.0 The Sterilising Process: The CSSD attendants collect used instruments and equipment, empty carton boxes for cotton wool and the CSSD book (in which the head of the unit jots down the number of each sterile items he needs) from respective units of the hospital. With the introduction of new technologies, old methods of sterilisation such as boiling and vaporization have been replaced by two main methods of sterilization namely: 1. Autoclaving, i.e. steam sterilisation 2. Gas sterilisation using ethylene oxide. The items that are sterilised in the CSSD are: Cloth, i.e. green sheets drapes Gauze Cotton wool Instruments Pre-sterilisation Prior to sterilisation, all the items must be prepared through a process known as pre-sterilisation. The pre-sterilisation process for the items that have to be sterilised is as follows: 1. Cloth The clean linen are folded, and then wrapped in a special paper. The packed linen is then sealed with autoclaves tape. 2. Gauze The gauze are cut into uniform pieces and made into either large gauze or small gauze. They are then packed in paper into individual packs and are sealed with autoclave tapes. 3. Cotton wool The cotton wool is made into small rolls from large bundles and placed in small carton boxes which are then sealed on the sides with autoclave tapes. 4. Instruments The instruments are first checked for soil, they are then washed and placed in trays or individual sets depending on the requisition of the respective unit. They are then packed in double special paper wrappers and sealed with autoclave tapes. Sterilisation It is a process used to make a medium free from micro-organisms including bacterial spores. Sterilisation can be done through heat, chemicals, irradiation and high pressure. In the CSSD at SSRNH, two types of sterilisation is being used: Gas Sterilisation Steam Sterilisation Gas Sterilisation Using ethylene oxide. This method of sterilization can be used to sterilise those items that can withstand temperatures of 50-60ËÅ ¡C. A long period of aeration is required to remove all traces of ethylene oxide. Autoclaving, i.e. Steam Sterilisation It is the most reliable process of sterilization. It sterilises with steam under pressure. The high pressure also ensures saturation of wrapped surgical packs. Autoclaving is one of the most effective methods for destruction of all types of micro-organisms. The amount of time and degree of temperature necessary for sterilisation depend on the articles to be sterilised. 8.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The aims of Occupational Health and Safety are: To promote and maintain a high degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in their respective workplace; To prevent adverse effects on the health of the workers that can be due to the working conditions; To protect the workers at their workplace from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; To provide the workers with such working environment that suits their physical and mental needs; the adaptation of work to humans. We can thus say that occupational health and safety englobes the social, mental and physical well-being of workers. A healthy workplace means a safe workplace where the workers will be in an environment where the hazards exposure is quite minimised if not eliminated completely. Occupational health and safety is important as: Work plays a major role in peoples lives, since most workers spend at least eight hours a day in the workplace. Therefore, work environments should be safe and healthy. But, this is not the case for many workers. Every day workers all over the world face many health hazards, such as: dusts gases noise vibration extreme temperatures. As a result of the hazards and a lack of attention given to health and safety, work-related accidents and diseases are common in all parts of the world. Appropriate and effective workplace health and safety programmes can help to protect the workers by reducing hazards and their consequences. Health and safety programmes can also have positive effects on both worker morale and productivity and can thus be beneficial to the organisation. At the same time, effective programmes can save employers a great deal of money. There are many hazards that might exist in any workplace such as: chemical hazards in the form of liquids, solids, dusts, fumes, vapours and gases; physical hazards, such as noise, vibration, unsatisfactory lighting, radiation and extreme temperatures; biological hazards, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi; psychological hazard as a result of stress and strain; hazards related to the non-application of ergonomic principles, like badly designed machinery, mechanical devices and tools that will be used by workers, improper seating and workstation design, or poorly designed work practices. Workers often get work-related health problems and do not realise that the problems are related to their work, particularly when an occupational disease, for example, is in the early stages. Besides the other more obvious benefits of training, such as skills development, hazard recognition, etc., a comprehensive training programme in each workplace will help workers to: recognise early signs/symptoms of any potential occupational diseases before they become permanent conditions; assess their work environment; insist that management to make changes before hazardous conditions can develop. Previous research on CSSD shows that: According to Linda Clement, Items processed in the decontamination areas are potentially pathogenic and pose a potential exposure risk to employees working in these areas. She also stated that to prevent cross contamination, good infection prevention processes must be put into practice. Also, the housekeeping procedures should be the same as those that are used in operation theatre and delivering rooms and that all horizontal working surfaces and the floors should be cleaned daily. The medical equipment poses a risk of exposure to blood and bodily soils, and other safety hazards before or during processing. So, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn by the workers, they should adopt good work practices and have to follow the manufacturers instructions. Whether it is a sterilizer, a washer/disinfector, an endoscope or a surgical instrument, it is best to follow the device manufacturers instructions found in operator manuals and other product documentation for h andling, operation, cleaning and disinfecting medical equipment. As per John Brown, All personnel working in the decontamination area should wear clean, facility-provided uniforms that are donned at the facility. Also, workers should use general purpose utility gloves, gown, a surgical face mask and goggles while working in the decontamination area. During maintenance procedures, additional PPE is necessary including eye protection and steel-toed shoes should be worn at all times to protect from sharp and heavy objects from causing injury to workers feet. Leather gloves while handling potentially sharp objects, stainless steel panels and plumbing piping gloves and heat-resistant arm sleeves must be worn while working around steam piping and face shield when using cleaning chemicals. (Infection Control Today-Jennifer Schraag April 08) 8.1 HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS: 8.1.1 Safety The primary areas of potential hazards include environmental, electrical, mechanical, chemical, biological, fire and physical. The work performed in the CSSD need special attention to avoid injury to the workers and sometimes visitors such as nursing staff. Most workplace injuries and accidents are caused by neglect, carelessness or lack of understanding of the principles of safety. Safety is every workers responsibility so as protects oneself and also the equipment in the CSSD which is governments property. 8.1.2 Chemical Hazard These hazards are present when a worker is exposed to any chemicals in the workplace, be it solid, liquid or gas. Some of these chemicals are safer than others, but some workers who are sensitive to chemicals, even those that are commonly used solutions can cause illness, skin irritation or breathing problems. In the decontamination area, the use of chemicals for cleaning purposes is necessary. These chemicals are caustic soda, javel, methyl spirit, soaps and detergents. Exposure may result when the workers do not use necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) while handling these hazardous chemicals found in soaps, disinfectors and cleaners. Exposure to these substances can cause contact dermatitis, excoriation of the skin and ulcers. Prolonged and persistent exposure may end up in allergic reactions or hypersensitivity. 8.1.3Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Hazards EtO possesses several physical and health hazards that really need much attention. EtO is a liquid below 51.7ËÅ ¡ F, or a gas that has ether-like odour at concentrations above 700 parts per million (ppm) and is both flammable and highly reactive. The current OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) to EtO is 1ppm for an 8-hour time weighted average. Normally, EtO sterilization is done for items which cannot be exposed to steam sterilization. Exposure hazards normally results from improper ventilation in ethylene oxide chamber after the sterilising process, during off-gassing of sterilized items or due to leakage from pipe connection. Hazards can also occur when removing sterilized items from the sterilizer or even when changing bottles of EtO gas. Health effects of EtO are: Eye irritation and injury to cornea, frostbite and on prolonged skin exposure, severe irritation and blistering of the skin can happen. Gastric irritation and injury to the liver can result from accidental ingestion of EtO. Inhalation of EtO vapours may cause respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and cyanosis. Risk of cancer, adverse reproductive effects and chromosomal damage can result from prolonged exposure to EtO. 8.1.4 Biological Hazard In the decontamination area, workers may be injured from contaminated sharp instruments such as needles and scalpels, while sorting, cleaning and washing. Soiled, reusable instruments are considered to be contaminated with bacteria and other micro-organisms, which can cause illness to the staff. Exposure to infected material can cause diseases such as Viral Hepatitis and HIV. Contamination is liable to occur due to presence of blood borne pathogens found in soiled drapes and pointed objects, e.g needles. Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with the blood or body fluid of an infected person on soiled drapes or surgical instruments which in turn land up in the CSSD for sterilisation. 8.1.5 Ergonomics related hazards When the physical requirements of a job and the physical capacity of a worker do not match, it can cause in work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD). Ergonomic hazards occur when the type of work, body position and working conditions put strain on the body. A worker will not notice the strain immediately .For short-term exposure, a worker can get sore muscles the next day or in the days following exposure, but long term exposure can end in serious long-term injuries. These hazards may be due to: bad lighting not properly adjusted workstations and chairs frequent lifting bad posture repetitive awkward movements too much force is needed to do a work and it has to be done quite often. In the CSSD, workers are exposed to repetitiveness of works, prolonged standing and reaching out while sorting instruments, uncomfortable sitting postures on chairs which are non-ergonomically designed during trimming of gauze and putting cotton wool rolls in boxes. The workers have to bend frequently while lifting heavy loads, need to reach high storage shelves or need to push or pull heavy carts loaded with sterile or unsterile items, all this can lead to MSD. Contact trauma to forearm can also occur if the workers the wrists are placed on hard surfaces. 8.1.6 Physical Hazards These are the most common and can be present in most workplaces at anytime. They include unsafe conditions that can cause injury, illness and death. Sometimes bad working practices are used so often that they become the routine works habits and might be not considered as hazards to workers. But still these hazards cannot be accepted in a workplace. Physical hazards include: electrical hazards constant loud noise high exposure to heat slips/trips and falls. Burns and cuts Workers are exposed to burns and cuts during handling of hot sterilised items or sharp instruments when removing them from autoclaves. Slips/Trips/Falls Exposure to slippery floors can occur to spills of detergents and presence of water on the floors while cleaning and washing of instruments is being done in the decontamination area. In the sterilizing area because of the use of steam in autoclaving processes, the environment inside the room will be humid and may cause the floor to be slippery. Electrical Hazards All electrical devices should be inspected upon arrival in the CSSD. Improper grounding and earthing facilities can prove to be dangerous. Regular maintenance and repairs of the equipment in the CSSD should be documented and proper records should be maintained. Electrical cords lying on the floors can cause workers to trip over them and the cords can also be exposed to wet floors and cause electrocution. The use of extension cords should be avoided and electrical sockets should not be installed next to washing basins or near any source of water. Unsafe electrical installations by incompetent persons can give rise to electrical hazards. All electrical installations should have protective devices such as circuit breakers, fuses, Residual Current Devices so that the electrical equipment are safe from overvoltage and excessive current. Unsafe work practices can lead to electrical accidents. Heat Exposure to hot environment can lead to heat stress, heat exhaustion, and cramps. This can happen when workers are unloading items once autoclaving is completed. As autoclaving uses steam, the atmosphere in the sterilising area becomes very moist and the temperature in that unit is quite raised when the autoclaves are in operation. The workers feel very hot and also very uncomfortable to work in such conditions. Sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses and dizziness caused by the heat can increase risk of injuries in workers. Burns can also occur due to accidental contact with hot surfaces of autoclaves or with accidental opening of the autoclave door or due to improper closing of the door causing steam to escape. Fire Hazards EtO is used for gas sterilising. EtO is a highly flammable gas and improper ventilation system and leakage of the gas-line can cause accumulation of EtO in the CSSD, the use of cigarettes by staff in addition to the EtO in the air may cause a fire outbreak or even an explosion. Improper storage of flammable gases and liquids can have adverse effects and may result in fire. Improper maintenance of electrical equipment and aging electrical cords, with the presence of water can be a source of static electricity, sparks or minor combustion which can ultimately lead to a fire due to presence of large amount of combustible materials such as gauze, linen cotton, boxes, and paper wrappers in the CSSD. 8.1.7 Latex Allergy Workers normally wear latex gloves during handling and sorting of contaminated instruments and equipment is done. Some workers can develop allergy to the latex. 9.0 LEGISLATION The only legislative body concerned with the health and safety of workers in Mauritius is the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2005. The Superintendent, Supervisors and all the CSSD staff should be familiar with this Act as each worker will know about his rights and what work he should or should not do as per law and what protection he should have for doing a particular task. 10.0 RECOMMENDATIONS General Recommendations: An effective measure to prevent workers from hazards exposure is regular job rotation to different areas of the CSSD. The employees should be provided with gowns, hair covers and shoe covers while at work. During cleaning and washing of equipments, the workers should be provided with rubber gloves and aprons. While removing carts and trays from the hot sterilisers leather gloves should be worn by the staff. Frequent hand washing with good hand washing techniques will contribute to a great extent in preventing cross-infection. It is highly recommended to the workers not to wear any jewels, e.g. rings and nail varnish while washing the instruments and while packing the items for sterilisation. Workers must adopt safe work practices so as to prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses. Taking the necessary safety precautions while performing the required task can practically eliminate associated dangers. It is the duty of all workers to comply with specific health and safety precautions so to protect themselves from any hazard that might be present in the CSSD. Recommendations for Chemical Hazards: Goggles must be worn when washing and cleaning instruments as there is risk of chemicals being splashed into the eyes. Appropriate PPE such as gloves, goggles, splash aprons should be worn by workers so as to protect them while using detergents and chemicals in the decontamination area. In case of splash of chemicals into the eyes, the workers should flush the eyes immediately for at least 15 mins. Thus, suitable facilities for eye flashing should e situated within the working area. Recommendations for EtO Use proper ventilation especially for the Eto Room Local exhaust ventilation system should be installed. Workers exposure to EtO should be minimised when sterilization is being carried out The door of the sterilizer should be opened no more than two inches to allow the load to off gas before transferring them to carts. Installation of a ventilated exhaust hood installation would be very useful. For changing of cylinders, appropriate PPE such as butyl apron, gloves, and a canister respirator is recommended. Recommendations for Biological Hazards: Use protective glove for cleaning and decontamination, shoes should be closed and resistant to puncture, goggles for eye, face mask or face shield and plastic apron. Training in of handling of sharp equipment should be given to the workers. Engineering and Work Practice Controls must be the primary means used to eliminate or minimize exposure to blood borne pathogens. Engineering Controls are measures (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, and safer medical devices, such as sharps injury protections) that isolate or remove the blood borne pathogens hazard from the workplace. Use of resistant puncture sharp containers with biohazard symbol. Container to be filled to the mark and the container should not have any leakage. Recommendations for Ergonomics Related Hazards Workstation need to be redesigned so packaging and equipment are within reachable levels and the elbows are maintained close to the body. The wheels for the carts should be such that they are easily rolled. Prolonged overhead activity need to be minimised (e.g. storage shelves should be lowered to shoulder height). Height-adjustable work surfaces should be used or tables have to be lifted to minimise head tilt. Repetitive tasks should be prevented by rotating workers to different work area. The edge of the working surfaces which come into contact with the elbow or forearm should be padded to prevent contact trauma. Sit/stand stools may be provided in the working area. Anti-fatigue mats have to be used. Shoes with well-cushioned insteps and soles should be worn by workers in case there is no floor mats. Foot rest bar should be provided to the staff so can they continually alter their posture by raising one foot. Padded Work Surfaces Padded Work Surfaces Recommendations for Burns and Cuts Good work practices should be established to prevent hazards: Hot items should not be removed from sterilisers until they are cooled. Handling of sharp ends of instruments should be avoided. Forceps should be used to remove sharp instruments from baskets and autoclaves Leather gloves should be provided to workers for handling of hot items. Recommendations to prevent from burning with Autoclave: Unloading Autoclave Heat-insulating gloves, safety glasses/face shield and closed toed shoes should be worn while unloading autoclaves. Workers must make sure that the pressure of the chamber is 0 before they open the door. Workers should stand back away from the door as a precaution and carefully open the door not more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) so as to allow residual steam to escape and to the allow pressure within the liquids and containers are back to normal. Sterilised items should be allowed to stand for 10 minutes. This will allow the steam to clear and also allow trapped air to escape from hot liquids, reducing risk . (Note: This is built into the operating cycle on some of the autoclaves). Containers of super-heated liquids should not be agitated and caps must not be removed before unloading. When hot items are removed from the autoclave, they should be marked with warning sign (e.g. Caution: Hot. Do not touch.) till the items cools down to room temperature.. Recommendations for Slips, Trips and Falls: Floors should be kept clean and dry. For wet floor areas warning signs should be placed. Proper drainage should be done during wet processes and floors mats, dry standing places should be available and waterproof footgear can also be worn by the workers. All working area should be kept clean and in an orderly manner. All aisles and passageways should be and free from any obstruction. Floor plugs for equipment to prevent power cords from running across pathways. All exits should be free from any obstruction. Access to exits doors should be easily reachable. Slip resistant shoes should be worn. Spills need to be reported and cleaned immediately. Uneven floor surfaces should be eliminated. Recommendations for Electrical hazard: Avoid using extension cords. All cords should have a grounded, three-prong, hospital-grade plug. A cracked cord should be replaced immediately. No accumulation of water should be allowed near an electrical outlet. According to OSHA 2005 Clause 73,all electrical apparatuses and conductors including machines, equipment and fittings shall be sufficient in size and power for the work for which they are used and shall be constructed, installed, protected, worked and maintained so as to prevent danger. Recommendations for hazards related to Heat: Since, the place of work is quite hot; workers should wear light-coloured and