Birth Weight And Parity Relationship Health And Social Care Essay

World Health Organization defined low birth weight as a per centum of unrecorded Born babies that weigh less than 2500 g, for a given clip period. Infant mortality addition particular to deliver weight if they weigh less than 2500 gms ( 1 ) . Low birth weight is caused by short gestational age or intrauterine growing deceleration or a combination of both. Low birth weight is an of import cause for infant mortality in United Kingdom ( 2 ) and can impact baby ‘s wellness in approaching old ages. Birth weight is associated with perinatal mortality and morbidity every bit good as with diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in maturity ( 3 ) . New born babes with birth weight of less than 2500g history for 7 % of all unrecorded births in developed states ( 4 ) . Low birth weight varies widely in adult females of different socio-economic position e.g.in early 1890ss, in England and Wales the per centum of low birth weight births was 8.2 % in unskilled societal categ ory V versus 5.4 % in professional societal category I based on the business of the male parent ( 4 ) . Smoke is the 1 of the major modifiable hazard factor lending to low birth weight of new born babes. Babies born to female parents, who smoke, weigh on mean 200g less than babes born to female parents, who does non smoke. Harmonizing to Messecar et al the tobacco users have twice the incidence of low birth weight as compared to non-smokers ( 7 ) .Socio-economic position strongly affects smoking surcease in gestation. Womans with lower income, instruction and unemployed are far more likely to go on smoking than adult females from higher socioeconomic position groups ( 8 ) . Smoking surcease reduces the prevalence of low birth weight and increase birth weight among pregnant adult females who stop smoke as a consequence of successful intercession ( 9 ) . We conducted a prospective observational survey, in which we recruited pregnant adult females showing to the labour ward of local District General Hospital in active labors in May 2004.We included adult females who were willing to take part with singleton gestation dated by ultrasound. Mean age of participants were 31.33 ( old ages ) .Women who were non in labor, non willing to take part, with learning disablements, terminal unwellness and with Intrauterine deceases or still births at the clip of presentation were excluded. We gave eligible adult females the elaborate information cusps sing our survey and a trained wellness attention professional took consent from willing female parents. We used structured signifier to roll up the information and used instance notes of voluntaries to roll up this information. We collected informations on maternal age ( uninterrupted variable ) , gestational age ( uninterrupted variable ) , on smoke position ( categorical variable ) , BMI ( uninterrupted variable ) and gender of new born ( categorical variable ) . General demographic information was besides collected. We used standard mensurating graduated table in labour ward to enter the birth weight ( uninterrupted dependant variable ) of the new Born and used units of gms for weight measuring. Data was analysed with the aid of statistician based at the section of Basic Health Sciences University of Leicester. We used SPSS16 package bundle to analyze the information. Over a period of 30 yearss we invited all eligible adult females to take part in our survey from the labour ward of local District General infirmary, merely 150 volunteered to take part. In our informations one individual has all losing values except birth weight, there were two other outliers in birth weight values, these were non justifiable i.e. birth weight of 20g and 1265g.We did informations cleansing by canceling these three values. Mean birth weight was 3390 gms runing from 2300g to 4520g with standard divergence of 487.37.Womens age scope was from 19years to 43 old ages with average age of 31 old ages. Gestational age among participants ranged from 24weeks to 43 hebdomads with mean of 39 and standard divergence of 2.80.Out of 149 adult females 23 were tobacco users and 126 did non smoke during gestation. Majority of tobacco users in our survey were multiparous i.e. 73.9 % . Approximately 55 % primiparous adult females and 45 % multiparous adult females did non smoke during g estation. Among the new born babies 76 were males and 73 were females. Birth weight is a dependent variable and it is usually distributed. Parity of female parent is one of the forecasters and is besides usually distributed. Pearson coefficient trial was important ( important 2 tailed P value=0.01 ) demoing significance correlativity between two variables. We used parametric trial i.e. independent T trial and found that average birth weight of new born in primiparous ( n=74 ) was 3288g which was 205g ( 95 % CI-49.4-361.1 ) less than the average birth weight ( 3493 ) of new Borns of multiparous adult females ( n=73 ) .The Levine ‘s Test is non important ( p=0.92 ) , the two discrepancies i.e. primiparity and multiparty are non significantly different and we can presume that the discrepancies are about equal. In our T trial the value of T is 2.63.We have 145 grades of freedom and 2 tailed significance= 0.10 which is more than.005 rejecting our void hypothesis. We checked the relationship between gestational age and birth weight and found this to be linear.We used spearman ‘s trial to see this relationship and found this to be important ( p value 2 tailed =0.01 ) . Birth weight is non dependent on gender of babe ( p value- 0.028 with Mann Whitney trial ) .The interaction between para and smoke to impact the birth weight is non important ( p=0.858, F=0.32 ) and is no more than would be expected by opportunity. Test for difference in average birth weight by gestational age is important ( p=0.00 ) .Test for difference in average birth weight by Body mass index ( p=0.76 ) , smoking ( p=0.89 ) is non important. Dependent variable is birth weight which is usually distributed. This is prospective survey look intoing the association of babies birth weight with para of their female parents. In our survey consequences Infants birth weight ranged from 2300grams to 4520grams. Harmonizing to WHO any infant born with a weight of less than 2500 gms is considered to be of low birth weight.There are many cause of low birth weight in babies including female parents body aggregate index, female parents age, nutritionary and smoke position ( 5 ) .We found that infant born to primiparous female parents weigh less so multiparous adult females. In subsequent gestations birth weight of babies increases our consequences are consist with finings of Macleod S et Al who found that birth weight additions from para 1 to para 3 but they besides found that birth weight dropped markedly in higher para group ( 13 ) ( 10 ) . We did non analyze the birth weight relationship as per figure of para as they did and we felt that this is one of failing of our survey. It is observed that mat ernal age and para of female parent affect birth weight by interfering with intrauterine growing, non by impacting gestational age ( 13 ) . Different theories were proposed in literature to explicate the intrauterine growing deceleration in female parents of different age and para groups. Many research workers reported that immature female parents in their teenage could non run into the demands of their growth fetus because of their ain turning organic structure demands and therefore taking to intrauterine growing deceleration ( 13 ) . Same sort of account can be given for multiparous female parents as nutritionary demands change over clip. There are other physiological factors which could play a portion in birth weight of babies in subsequent gestations like co-existing unwellness in female parents ( 14 ) , pregnancy attention etc and this was non looked in our survey. Appropriate for gestational age is term used for Babies whose weight is appropriate for their gestational age, big for day of the months is the term used for babies heavier than their gestational age, and those smaller than expected are considered little for gestational age. We looked at the relationship of gestational age with infant birth weight. We found that this was important and it was straight relative i.e. with increasing gestational age, birth weight besides increased. This is another country for farther research to see any relationship between para and gestational age of babies. We besides noticed that at both extremes of maternal age i.e. in teenage female parents and in older adult females birth weight of babies tends to be on lower side. In our survey sample minority of adult females continued to smoke during gestation.Because of our little sample size we could non happen any association between smoke and birth weight, nevertheless it is good known fact that smoke is an of import cause of intrauterine growing deceleration and low birth weight of babies. We could non happen any association between gender of new born babies and their birth weight.

Revenge Tragedy: Hamlet Essay

For a play to be considered a revenge tragedy, revenge has to be a prevalent theme throughout. Revenge needs to be intertwined in character interactions, and have a strong hold on the driving force of the plot. The desires of Hamlet, Laertes, and young Fortinbras each exhibit how the plot of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare revolves entirely around theories of revenge. The theme of revenge starts off very early in the play, when Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his deceased father. When the ghost tells Hamlet how Claudius murdered him, Hamlet is infuriated and overtaken with feelings of responsibility to right the wrong that has been done; to murder Claudius. The effects of this experience on Hamlet are portrayed clearly in the following quote, â€Å"And so I am revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, d this same villain send to heaven;† (p. 161, 3.4). This quote clearly exemplifies Hamlets feeling toward this event. Being his fa thers only son, he feels completely responsible for his fathers vengeance. Revenge has caused the downfall of many a person. Its consuming nature causes one to act recklessly through anger rather than reason. Revenge is an emotion easily rationalized; one turn deserves another. However, this is a very dangerous theory to live by. Throughout Hamlet, revenge is a dominant theme. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers. But in so doing, all three rely more on emotion than thought, and take a very big gamble, a gamble which eventually leads to the downfall and death of all but one of them. King Fortinbras was slain by King Hamlet in a sword battle. This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a seal’d compact. â€Å"†¦our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteem’d him-did slay this Fortinbras.† Young Fortinbras was enraged by his father’s murder and sought revenge against Denmark. He wanted to reclaim the land that had been lost to Denmark when his father was†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Now sir, young Fortinbras†¦as it doth well appear unto our state-†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦ †¦to exact revenge for his father’s death. Revenge can be an invaluable tool to amass success and wealth, or it can be a fatal flaw that guarantees immanent death. It is a dangerous emotion, which can easily consume, however it can be used to great satisfaction. Perhaps it is these qualities that lead us to allow ourselves to act on its impulses. The lessons learned by both Hamlet and Laertes are something that should be remembered. Revenge is not to be taken lightly. When acted on this is one emotion that can definitely come back to haunt you.

The United States and Syria Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The United States and Syria Conflict - Essay Example For this reason, the paper will dwell on the prospects for long-term peaceful relations between the United States and Syria Syria In brief, Syria is one of the most heterogeneous states in the world. It holds in its land a vast number of sectarian and non-sectarian groups that are autonomous and independent. The diversity within the state is considered as a hindrance in the creation of policies and the establishment of a strong government. In totality, there are almost 19 million people in Syria which are divided into ten major sects. The Sunni Arabs compose 65 percent of the total population in Syria, followed by Alawis with 12 percent, Christians with 10 percent, Kurds with nine percent, Druze with three percent, and the remaining percentage is composed of Assyrians, Bedouin, Circassians, Ismailis, and Turcomans. Among these fractions, the group that greatly challenges the Syrian government is the Kurds and the Sunni Islamists. Along with this, the Syrians have considered a pan-Ara b identity which causes them to be generous to Arab countries, which allow the Arab refugees to take flight on Syrian land. Currently, Syria, under the regime of Bashar al-Assad, is portraying as â€Å"spoilers† by acting as a benefactor of the Palestine militants. Aside from this, it also often rearms Hezbollah. With this matter on hand, Syria has become more estranged from the United States which had caused Syria to create a strong relationship between Iran (Kaplan, 2008; Sharp, 2010). Relationship of the United States and Syria As an overview, the relationship between the United States and Syria was a diplomatic relationship after Syria achieved its independence in 1944. The diplomatic relationship worsened during 1967; however, it was reestablished during 1974. Syria has become part of the list of states terrorism sponsors of the United States since 1979. However, within the years 1990-2001, the two countries had cooperated in some of the issues involved in the regional l evel. However, in 2003 to 2009, the government of Syria was unable to prevent the country from being a passage point of the fighter which is on their way to enter Iraq. Also, another cause of the conflict was that Syria was unable to deport some of the supporters of Saddam Hussein, and it had also protected the Palestine opposition group in Damascus. Furthermore, the conflict between the states is also ignited by the creation of weapons in Syria for mass destruction and along with its anti-human rights activities (U.S. Department of State, 2012). Approaches for Reconciliation between the United States and Syria There have been many approaches in order to create a peaceful relationship between the United States and Syria. One of the first approaches to gain peace and reconciliation between Syria and U.S. is the realist approach or political realism, which was done during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. As an overview, political realism is based on the paradigm that h umans are born with the need for power. Realism focuses on the use, containment, and the consequences of power. Also, a political realism approach explains the use of power by a state against or for each other (Duncan, Jancar-Webster, & Switky, 2009).  

Task Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Task Management - Essay Example Fresh Snax needs to develop its information system. The possible required system is the one which can reduce inventory and improve service levels simultaneously and a proven management methodologies. It is not only the output that is important; you need to have a fast and accurate service, a consistent quality of the food and a good location. The management of information system includes the following functions: the core function and the support functions. The core function is the people that actually think of design, make and sell a product or a service. A support function helps them to achieve it. Choosing the proper computer system would help the Fresh Snax lessen its burden on the inventories, sales, and orders as well as increasing the profit of the company. Trained and well educated personnel should handle this new system. Like any other new system there will be some negative feedbacks, and from here the project manager will be able to develop it more. Soft System Methodology was developed by Peter Checkland in 1960 and was further developed in 1981. This methodology treats the problem as an opportunity for the company for improvement and enhancement of its system. It includes evaluation of the problem as to why it happens and how to handle it. It includes seven distinct stages: 1. Finding out the problem situation. 2. Expressing the problem situation through rich pictures 3. Selecting how to view the situation and producing root definitions. 4. Building conceptual models of what the system must do for each root definitions. 5. Comparison of the conceptual models with the real world. 6. Identify feasible and desirable changes. 7. Recommendations for taking action to improve the problem situation. Fresh Snax Transformation using the Soft System Methodology Fresh Snax Manager has identified the weaknesses in the current system, including insufficient stock to prepare the orders, poor scheduling of deliveries to customers, and casual staff unable to keep records of deliveries made. Fresh Snax is now aware that in order to keep the loyal customer they need to use the technology to a greater degree and meeting the customer needs. In line with this transformation a new system is being proposed. The new system will integrate a number of business functions, including stock control, recording and accepting customer orders, routing/scheduling of orders and recording of delivered orders. Stage 1 and 2 Fresh Snax is a growing company that supplies fresh quality of sandwiches, home baked snacks, the finest coffee and freshly squeezed fruit juices for sale at premium prices in petrol filling stations. Several problems were encountered specially on the inventories and services to their customer. Thus the problem situation for the company will be how good is the new system and how to evaluate the system performance Will the company benefit

The difference between Strategy and Management Research Paper

The difference between Strategy and Management - Research Paper Example The paper tells that there are some core functions of management, which are planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. These functions completely explain the concept of management. Management starts from planning. Plan is made according to the goals. Plan provides manager with a way to achieve the goal within the required time and resources. The time and cost schedules are prepared in accordance with the plan prepared. After the plan is made, the manager accumulates the resources required to accomplish the goal. This occurs in the stage of organizing. Either in-house resources are utilized or the resources are outsourced depending upon which of the two proves more convenient in terms of cost and accessibility. Staffing is basically linked to the stage of organizing. The difference between the two stages is that in organizing, non-human resources are accumulated whereas in staffing, human resources are accumulated. This is the stage in which the manager advertises the jo bs and recruits. The manager chooses the process of recruitment from among a myriad of options that include but are not limited to face-to-face interviewing, telephone interviewing and tests. Once the employees have been recruited, the manager needs to lead them. Leadership and management are to much an extent, the same concepts. Every leader is a manager but every manager may not necessarily be the leader. A leader is somebody who makes independent decisions and makes sure that the needs of followers are met which is basically management. Even the lowest employee in the organization structure is a manager as he/she is supposed to manage his/her work, but he/she might not have anybody under him to lead. However, managers usually are leaders as well. In the stage of leading, the manager makes decisions and provides the followers with the necessary resources to make it practicable for them to follow his/her decision. The manager also develops a hierarchical system wherein every employ ee is assigned a specific level. The last stage of management is of controlling. Controlling is a process of evaluation of the existing systems with an intention to identify the loopholes so that they can be eradicated and the efficiency of system can be improved as a whole. New plans are made and implemented for continual improvement of the system. Strategy is basically the efficiency of a manager and his/her capability to display optimal performance in each of the aforementioned functions of management. Strategic thinking can be defined as â€Å". . . using analogies and qualitative similarities to develop creative new ideas . . . (and) designing actions on the basis of new learning† (Stacey, 1992). Mintzberg (1994) defines strategic thinking as a specific way of thinking that has well defined and clear characteristics. The strategy aligns a manager’s efforts with the goals and enables him/her to work in such a way that maximizes the chances of success and minimizes the threats. If properly developed and employed, the strategy enables a manager to not only minimize the risks, but also convert those left into opportunities. While management has always been there, strategy has gained more emphasis in successful management in the contemporary age as the competition in market has increased and newer and innovative ways of business are surfacing. Over the decades, people have become more conscious about the health and safety of all living beings and the protection of the environment. Media has played a very important role in raising such concerns and creating such awareness. This has led managers to be more cautious in the selection of their plans to achieve their goals. Critics evaluate the actions of managers according to their negative

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

Tort Law - Essay Example However, in the two cases, the complainant (the person harmed) has entitlement to compensation by the offender (accused). In the later, the acts that lead to such an injury or loss are not intentional or expected. Nevertheless, there are some torts, which involve accidents that would have been prevented with care and as such does not constitute torts of negligence. Normally negligence torts involve parties that share four elements including, where one party had the responsibility of protecting the other(S) and or the party fails to exercise such care as expected. Moreover, there exists a causal relation between the failure to exercise such care as expected and the harm suffered by the other party as well as there must exist an actual injury arising from such negligence in context. On the other hand, an intentional tort involves the offence by a party, which is well aware of such an impending harm that would result to the other party. The application of tort laws provides that individ ual persons have distinct rights, which the law of the land identifies, and protect2. The infringement of such law accords the harmed person compensation in terms of money. Understanding torts therefore holds that one must establish the act of negligence, the causation, fault, the interest covered by law as well as the actual damage suffered3. Negligence here refers to that act of failure to act in precaution in prevention of a certain happening whose outcome is considered fatal or whose outcome would inflict injuries or such sufferings to other persons. The causation here implies to what would be associated to leading into the suffering. For instance, in the case where David dies of fire in the nightclub, the fire would be said to have caused the death. However, understanding the cause of the fire leads to the question of whose fault it was and in such an illustration, Harry’s careless smoking would justify the fault to be his. Evaluation of the interest leads to an analysis of the legal provisions within the land where one understands what the law says about such an occurrence. The law of tort has a good structure where upon justification of personal liability in causing harm on someone else, then the accused should compensate the claimant as per the provision of the law of the land. The law of tort holds the supremacy of individual rights and therefore works to ensure that other persons do not infringe personal rights through negligence or carelessness4. Upon establishment of the actual damage suffered such as an injury, death and such sufferings caused to an individual, the court requires that such a person is compensated by the person liable of having caused the infringement of his/her right. In the case study, it is possible to define these basic attributes to a tort with special attention to the different players. For instance, the act involved is careless lighting of fire by Harry, which causes David’s death and which is seen to be the fa ult of Harry. Harry’s act of smoking in the office is blamed to have caused the fire and as such, negligence is established with his failure to observe some caution as is necessary. Therefore, David’s death is the actual damage under analysis here. There are however, various aspects of consideration in determining the liability of

Organizational Culture Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Culture Model - Assignment Example The employees also feel as part and parcel of the company, hence, every success is shared to all as a family. Thus every staff carries the responsibility of impacting positively to the organization. Different departments in Stadler & Company tax service work with together with the aim of achieving a common goal. The employees work hard with the knowledge that a certain common goal must be achieved. Orders and instructions follow a certain protocol to ensure that work is evenly done. Team spirit in Stadler & Company tax service is high and all work hard to achieve a certain. The organization welcomes and adopts the diverse skills of its own staff. The staff is highly skilled; so that outsourcing is not an option in areas where expats are needed. Stadler & Company tax service has experienced problems and is dealt with before evolved conflicts. The management at Stadler & Company tax service usually acts in a manner that portrays the goals of the organization. This department acts as an example for the rest of the staff to follow. The company code of conduct is followed to the latter ignoring the rules and code of conduct usually lead to consequences and punishments. The code of conduct governs and guides the employees in dealing with the surroundings including core workers and the customers in general. Due to the common goal of all staff, it is easy to achieve an agreement about issues affecting the organization. Even when matters seem to be so complicated they are solved and a consensus is reached. The approach to the market is well coordinated and always surprises, being unpredictable. Nature at which trust Stadler & Company tax service adapts to the environment is something to reckon with. Any change, either internal or triggered by competitors, is usually responded for the better. This ensures, in fact, the company keeps at bay with the current market.  

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Case Study Example The inputs are the tourists and passengers as well as the supplies such as the foods. The inputs are the personnel in different departments and the supplies such as the foods and beverages. The resources include the cruise ships, personnel while the output is the different services offered to the customers. This process is summarized in Figure 1 below. The location of CII affects several aspects of the firm. The location of the firm will affect the firm’s future expansion plan and policy, the diversification plan as well as the supply of raw materials. The decision to locate the headquarters at Miami which is one of the cities with the highest number of embankments in the United States brought the services closer to the customers. It is responsible for ensuring that the main propulsion plant and its auxiliaries are operated in a safe, smooth and efficient manner. The Chief engineer is responsible for to overseeing the overall operations of the engine department. The department is tasked with the responsibility of commanding and navigating the cruise ship. The highest officer in the department is called the Captain and is the staff who is ultimately responsible for the smooth navigation of the ship but can delegate the work to other members of staff. Production of high quality and appealing meals to the cruising passengers in the ship as well as the staff is tasked to the catering department. The department also employs waiters beakers, food and beverage managers as well as store keepers. CII is committed to provide high quality services to their customers, be it guests or travel agents. It is done by timely and accurate processing of all travel bookings with the highest respect and courtesy. The other aspects of the mission statement are the relationship with suppliers and the employees of the company. The company acknowledges the importance of the suppliers and distributors as well as their right to make a fair

Real estate in america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Real estate in america - Essay Example No doubt, this study give quantitative proof of the degree to which public real estate management put into practice at the present lags at the back the private sector, an knowledge gap that may point to suboptimal management of openly owned real estate in general, and puts the public division at a difficulty when dealing by means of developers in combined projects. No doubt, this gap means that in general management of public property frequently falls short of consequences in meeting rule objectives. No doubt, planners could play a better role in public real estate management, but cannot efficiently manage properties themselves or connect in winning joint growth with no more official training in real estate finance. The methodology here is a direct topic-by-topic comparison of property management activity in the private sector with that in the public sector. The evidence for the private sector comes from five recently published surveys of real estate management practices among non-real-estate firms in the United States. This literature on corporate real estate management surveys organization of the real estate management function, performance evaluation, record and information management, rules for choice on property gaining and nature, role and efficiency of the real estate decision-making, and real estate activities.

Be able to evaluate the financial performance of a business Assignment

Be able to evaluate the financial performance of a business - Assignment Example Investors often use financial analyses for making appropriate investment decisions. Financial Institutions: In order to arrive at suitable decisions regarding granting a company with extended debt  securities  like debentures or long-term  bank loan, or new  working capital  etc, financial institutions will need to verify the financial statements of companies. Government Entities: They need to verify these statements to determine the correctness and accuracy of  taxes  and further duties stated and paid by a business. Such statements will also help them in ensuring that the company is operating within the framework of relevant statutes and are complying with all statutory obligations. Vendors: Financial statements help them evaluate the creditworthiness of the company so as to enable them to take appropriate decisions. Media and the General Public: Financial statement allows this interest group to evaluate the performance with respect to ethical trading, compliance of e nvironmental spending etc. IAS 1 modified the financial statements title as they will be used in International Financial Reporting Standards: Balance Sheet' will amend as 'statement of financial position’ Income Statement' will amend as 'Statement of Comprehensive Income' The revised International Accounting Standards (IAS1) has come into effect from the year 2009. However, it is not obligatory on the part of firms to use the latest titles in the financial statements. The Components of the Financial Statements: An entire set of financial statements as specified in the International Accounting Standards comprises: 1. Profit and Loss Account: Also known as Statement of Comprehensive Income, this statement for a specific period reflects the profit or loss for that particular period with other comprehensive income documented in that period. The standard is now using 'profit or loss' instead of the descriptive term 'net profit or loss' for the foot line of the income statement, co nsequent to the 2003 revision to IAS1. â€Å"All items of income and expense recognised in a period must be included in profit or loss unless a Standard or an Interpretation requires otherwise† (Accounting Standard (AS) 5: Net Profit or Loss for the Period, Prior Period Items and Changes in Accounting Policies n.d., p. 50). 2. Balance Sheet: Statement of Financial Position: This contains the detailed description of a company's  assets,  liabilities and  ownership equity  at a given point in time. Information to be presented in the statement of financial position IAS 1 specifies the minimum information which must be reflected on the balance sheet. 3. Cash Flow Statement: Cash flow statement after the reissue of IAS 1 is termed as Statement of cash flows and it presents a company’s cash flow activities, mainly it is operating, financing and investing activities. Besides, it also offers users of financial statements with a foundation to evaluate the companyâ€℠¢s capability to create cash and cash equivalents and the concern’s requirement to utilise their inward and outward cash flows. IAS 7 specifies requirements for presenting and disclosing cash flow information. PART B: AC 4.2 Compare appropriate formats of financial statements for different types of business. Different types of

Organizational Citizenship Behavior Essay Example for Free

Organizational Citizenship Behavior Essay Human Resource Management (HRM) is defined as the organizational function that focuses on recruiting, management, and the directing of the employees that work in the organization. It also deals with compensation, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. Even though the HR functions evolved, some things never change. Since most companies will always need the traditional HR functions such as hiring and firing employees, providing pay and benefits packages, training and developing the workforce, and dealing with employer – employee conflicts. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is a concept defined as the set of additional activities that are beneficial to an organization and its employees. These activities are not required in a formal way; that is, they are not stated in a contract nor required by the company. OCB is commonly a behavior of employees towards their company and vice versa. It is clear that the organization’s HRM plays a vital role in implementing OCB through creating a well-established relationship between the organization and the employees. Rousseau and Geller argued that this relationship’s status is critical in the amount of OCB produced by employees where the company must deliver first a few requirements. (cited in Morrison, 1996). Schuller states that each company’s HRM has a set of principles and values that are integrated in its overall philosophy, which includes a respectful treatment of its employees (cited in Morrison, 1996). According to Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, and Sowa, how effective is an organization in applying that philosophy is related towards how much the employees feel appreciated in their work place and therefore related to the amount of OCB displayed (cited in Morrison, 1996). OCB is present in all companies and can be considered a cycle. In fact, the HR department encourages OCB through several actions, which pave the way to creating a healthy organizational culture where the company protects its employees who are devoted to their company. This report will discuss OCB in Middle East Airlines (MEA) by taking a closer look at the employee – company relationship and the company – employee relationship. Literature Review on Organization Citizenship Behavior How Companies Encourage OCB In order for employees to work on achieving OCB, the human resource management has to work on some issues to help encourage each individual to participate in developing the company. The management must ensure that several things should be well done: Social Exchange, ldentification with Organizational Objectives, Empowerment, Selection and Socialization, Evaluation and Rewards, Rules and Job Descriptions. In an organization, Blau identified two types of relationships that tie the management and the employees together: the economic relationship and the social relationship (cited in Morrison, 1996). Konovsky and Pugh’ analysis states that it is more likely for employees to perform OCB under good social conditions than economic (cited in Morrison, 1996). Organ claims that this fact is due to several reasons: First, social relationships allow employees to have feelings of mutual trust with the organization and they will build long-term relationships with the management. This will encourage employees to help enhance the image of their company by practicing OCB. Second, the social relationship is one that is ambiguously defined, that is it does not have clear boundaries; therefore employees will more likely include certain citizenship acts in their job tasks (cited in Morrison, 1996). The identification of the employees with the organizational objectives is crucial for achieving OCB. That is because each individual will adopt and familiarize with the values and principles of the company, and hence become a part of its system, which will give a feeling of belonging and an encouragement for being part of the progress of the company. For employees to achieve OCB, Conger and Kanungo believe that they must be first willing to do so, and that is by being encouraged and empowered (cited in Morrison, 1996). Bowen and Lawler claim that many benefits are generated as a result of empowerment. First, it will shorten the time of response of employees to serve their customers. Second, the relationship between the employees and the customers will be more enthusiastic and kind. Third, it will allow the employees to be more innovative and generate ideas for the benefit of the company (cited in Morrison, 1996). Selection is the first phase of the entrance of an employee into a company. During this stage, Shore and Tetrick claim that each individual becomes aware of the job responsibilities in his field. Also, it is through this stage that the company indicates to the employee the responsibilities that the company has towards him as well, such as security, progress and training; hence it identifies a two-way relationship. This will lead to a feeling of respect and interest from the other party, which will lead to employees achieving OCB (cited in Morrison, 1996). Selection is also important in what is referred to by Chatman as person-organization fit: by learning about the organization’s objectives, the employee becomes aware that he or she will be chosen not solely for their job qualification, but for their compatibility with the work environment as well (cited in Morrison, 1996). Socialization as defined by Van Maanen and Schein is when the company prepares the new employees with the set of knowledge, approaches, and behaviors that they should apply in order to fit into their roles (cited in Morrison, 1996). Similar to selection, socialization is about showing the new employee that the relationship with the organization is based on social exchange. This can be clarified through such processes as orientation that holds within it more value than it shows. Chatman claims that socialization also familiarizes the employees with the company’s objectives and values not to mention that it plays a vital part in the empowerment process. (cited in Morrison, 1996). There are two extremes stated by Jones in applying socialization. The first is a highly institutionalized one where the new employees are separated and offered a common learning program. The second end is highly individualized, where employees are left on their own to engage in informal relationships with their fellow employees and to have self-learning experiences. There is however one disadvantage to socialization: when the objectives are clearly defined for employees, they tend to perform solely what they were expected to (cited in Morrison, 1996). Therefore, a company that seeks employee OCB will tend to have a more individualized socialization. OCB by definition includes the set of actions performed by employees that are not asked by management, therefore it is not directly rewarded. Thus, to encourage employees into applying this behavior, O’Reilly and Chatman believe that the company should employ indirect means that will encourage them to do so. That can be done by giving a reward to the organization’s performance as a whole. This will be helpful in two ways: first, it will further familiarize the employees with the company’s objectives and this way they will tend to act more upon achieving those goals through citizenship behavior. Second, by giving an award for the entire company’s performance, the organization will indirectly inform the employees that their job goes beyond what is clearly specified and limited into a certain role or department (cited in Morrison, 1996). According to Bowen, Siehl, and Schneider, when the company imposes a high number of rules and regulation, it is limiting and discouraging the employees’ ability to perform tasks outside their field of work, therefore limiting the OCB that can be achieved in that organization. A high number of rules will clearly define the limits of the economic exchange relationship between the employees and their company which will diminish their will to achieve OCB by determining exactly what the employees are asked to do and not to do and preventing them from engaging in any other action that is indirectly rewarded even if it benefits the company as a whole. Hence, in order for employees to want to perform citizenship behavior, the company must reduce its rules and thus create a social exchange relationship (cited in Morrison, 1996). Like rules and regulations, if a company describes the employees’ job in a very precise and narrow matter, it will reduce according to Bowen and Lawler the citizenship behavior applied by its subordinates. Employees will then have extremely well defined tasks to perform with no regard to any other company-wide actions. That way the exchange relationship between employee and company will more likely to be economic, not to mention that it reduces empowerment by limiting the resources needed by employees such as knowledge and skills to taking action towards OCB (cited in Morrison, 1996). How Employees Exercise OCB: To achieve organizational citizenship behavior, employees must practice different means. First, as Organ defines it, helping behavior is critical and evident in creating inter-employee relationships. Such behavior can be noted in the simplest acts such as when an employee assists his co-worker when the latter is overstrained with his paperwork or any other task being done. Second, according to Organ as well, sportsmanship, another dimension of OCB, is the ability to accept criticism and unfortunate events in the company without complaints, verbal or written. Consider a meeting for a marketing idea where employees are brainstorming. When the group rejects someone’s idea and the latter accepts that without being offended, he/she is considered to have a sense of sportsmanship. Third, organizational loyalty is a major concept when it comes to having a constructive organizational culture. This is evident whereby when employees are loyal to their company, they would feel safer and more content about the workplace and the organization’s culture. Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, Bachrach, 2000) Individual initiative, a fourth aspect of OCB, is represented in taking on additional responsibilities and engaging in task-improving actions without being asked to do so. This also includes encouraging others to do so, which helps the company as a whole improve. (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, Bachrach, 2000) An example is when an employee suggests to adopt a new method of performing a task, which he/she knows will improve the way things s done. Related to this is self-development, which is yet another dimension of OCB. According to George and Brief, self-development pertains to voluntarily engaging in development courses that are not required from the company in the attempt of improving one’s skills and broadening one’s knowledge. (Cited in Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, Bachrach, 2000) For instance, an employee could learn about upcoming seminars and training sessions and inform his colleagues of their dates. A different aspect of OCB is civic virtue, which can be defined as a commitment to the organization as a whole. This takes place through engaging in governing the organization indirectly, looking out for its best interest, and protecting it from threats. (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, Bachrach, 2000) A simple example of this is turning off the lights after having used the restroom. Similar to this is organizational compliance, the last dimension of OCB, which is when an employee complies with the company rules and regulations whether or not the latter is being monitored. Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, Bachrach, 2000) Returning to work right after having finished the permitted lunch break is an example of organizational compliance. It is crucial to note that all these behavioral aspects of organizational citizenship behavior are not part of the work contract or job description. Factors that diminish OCB: Several factors antecede and affect organizational citizenship behavior. Such factors can be set into four basic categories: employee characteristics, organizational characteristics, task characteristics, and leadership behaviors. The influence of these categories on OCB can be either positive or negative. It is evident that OCB is present in all companies, whether on a noticeable scale or an imperceptible one. This report will be depicting the negative relations between OCB and its antecedents, whereby, according to studies done in a meta-analysis by Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, and Bachrach, it has been found that organizational and task characteristics have little impact on OCB relative to individual and leadership behaviors which have greater impact on OCB. Employee or individual characteristics affect the presence of OCB and how much the latter contributes to building a constructive organizational culture. Taking two extremes, one can consider an employee who is indifferent of his/her company’s interest. The latter would surely not engage in activities pertaining to civic virtue, thus not exercising good citizenship behavior. The other extreme is an employee who is very concerned about the company’s interest and always seeks to attain goals that hold the company’s benefit. Such employee is more likely to be engaged in the different dimensions of citizenship behavior. To go back to the bigger image, an employee’s characteristics help in determining how well OCB is exercised in an organization. Indeed, it is found that the existence of OCB increases with the increase of employee loyalty and concern to the organization, and decreases with indifference to the greater benefit of the company and the rewards granted for good citizenship behavior. Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, Bachrach, 2000) Leadership behaviors are quite correlated to the presence of citizenship behavior in an organization. According to another meta-analysis reported by Podsakoff, MacKenzie, and Bommer in 1996, leadership behaviors are mostly positively related to OCB, whereby most leaders reward citizenship behavior within performance in general, which increases such behavior in the company as employees are aware of such rewards. The only negative leadership behaviors are contingent and non-contingent punishment behavior as well as leader specification of procedures. This is due to the fact that employees feel confused as to why leaders perform contingent punishment, thereby decreasing their citizenship behavior. Non-contingent punishment is a discouraging factor by itself, which makes it obvious why it negatively affects OCB in an organization.

Can False Memories be Implanted?

Can False Memories be Implanted? Ajantha Uvaraju Abstract This study is to find out that is it possible for memory to be implanted in students. It is hypothesized if the memory constructed for implanting is highly a plausible event then it is more likely for creation of false memory to occur. Thirty participants of first year Monash University students are recruited. Each of them is accompanied with a partner who is closely related to the subjects (ie: parent, sibling or close relative who knew the subject too well). The partners are asked to read descriptions of 2 events happened to subjects when they were 5 years old and a false event. The one plausible false event is describing of the subject being lost in a mall while shopping depicted from Loftus and Pickrell (1995). While the other is a less plausible memory is an overnight hospitalization for a high fever with possible ear infection made up by Hyman et al (1995). Subjects are split into half where one group receives the plausible event while other the less plausible. Subjects are ask ed to recall everything that they could remember about each event.After that, they are also asked to the rate the confidence from scale of 1 to 5 (1=not confident and 5= extremely confident that it has happened). Here participant would remember the more plausible false memory comparing with lesser one. As memory that is more plausible tend to have higher rating in confidence and in clarity. It is found that the more plausible the event is more likely to be planted in memory than the less plausible event. Introduction People equate of memory as to a recording device, ability to accurately documenting and storing everything that happens with perfect accuracy and clarity. In reality, memory is very prone to fallacy. This is due to existence of false memory. Bartholomew, (2001) describes false memory as a mental experience which mistakenly taken for a representation of an event from one’s personal past It consists of either remembering items or events that never happened, or remembering them differently from the way they actually occurred. Memory of false event has practice especially by psychologist. One of it is repressed memory recovered from a witness via hypnotism of an event that had happen 20 years ago is used to testify against a convict of murder. In spite of this without hypnosis, studies show that people’s memories are open to influence. For instance, Loftus and Pickerel (1995) who conducted research on adults regarding memories of their childhood event that happened and asked them to remember these events with a false memory added into as well. Experiments demonstrated that memories for entirely false events can be implanted. It has been argued that there are limits to the types of events or beliefs that can be suggestively implanted, and that only events that are plausible can be implanted in memory ( Hyman, Gilstrap, Decker, Wilkinson, 1998 ; Hyman Kleinknecht, 1999 ; Lindsay Read, 1994 ; Pezdek, Finger, Hodge, 1997 ). In support of this statement, a report by Pezdek at. al (1997) shows successfully implanting a memory of being lost in participants, but being unable to implant a memory for a less plausible event (receiving a rectal enema). Although, few past research like Loftus was indeed an illustration of planting false event in subjects. Nevertheless there are drawbacks. The memory used in implanting here is common thus suggestively implanting a memory like getting lost in the mall have high chance of succeeding. Therefore this study is to find the role of event plausibility in memory planting by comparing the type of false memory implanted like high plausible false event and implausible false event and its effects on confidence rating among university students. It is hypothesized if the memory constructed for implanting is highly a plausible event then it is more likely for creation of false memory to occur. Method As mentioned the participants of this study are students of first year from Monash University consisting of 15 females and 15 male students and age must be 18 years or older. Each subject is required to bring a partner who is: (1) no more than 2 year younger than subject, (2) was close relative or sibling of the subject and (3) have been in contact with subject at age 5 to 6. The sampling method used here is convenience sampling.The procedures will be approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee Design In this study the independent variable is type of false event which isplausible and least plausible event.Plausible event is subject being lost in shopping mall and the least possible event is overnight hospitalization due to fever with possible of ear infection. As for the dependent variable is confidence and clarity rating. This experiment is design in an experimental strategy and between-subjects experiment design. Materials The dependent variable is measured in terms of clarity and confidence where in clarity rating is a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 as unclear to 10 being very clear and also the rate of confidence from scale of 1 to 5 (1=not confident and 5= extremely confident that more could be remember. Procedure Study begins with the subjects’ partner in writing the participants’ childhood memories in a booklet, and from that list of the childhood memories two memories are chosen and together with the constructed one. Participants are randomly and evenly assigned into groups of two with each group has its distinct condition. In Group (1): Subjects are provided two memories of true event and one memory of false plausible event, group (2): two memories of true event and one memory less false plausible event. The partners are instructed to read a brief description of the chosen entree given to them to respective subject which include the name of event and age of subject when it happened. After reading the description participants will be asked to recall themselves of the event and to talk about what they can remember space is also provided in filling in their part of the memory. At the end of the session they are asked to think about the event discuss and were later call for anoth er session in a week time. After a week they were presented rate their memory in terms of confidence. They the rate the confidence from scale of 1 to 5 (1=not confident and 5= extremely confident that this event did happen in their childhood. Finally after complete rating they are to be inform on the research objective and also regarding that the certain memory suggested are fictitious. The participants do receives our apologies for our deception and are asked to guess which memory is true and which is false. Results In this study result involves in number of subjects who remembered the more plausible events versus less plausible events and confidence rating given its upmost importance. Data on subject remembering true event is overlooked. The data will be analyses as such: 1) counting number of subjects believe plausible events in each condition in group 1, group 2. Same goes for number of subjects who believed the less plausible event. 2) The amount are compared with each other. It is normally that number of subjects remembering the plausible events exceeds more than the less plausible events. Subjects rated their confidence rating on each event on the term that how positive they are of that the event happened. With a scale of 1 to 5 (1=not confident and 5= extremely confident that it has happened). It can be forecast that the mostly rating score for plausible event will be more than 1 compare to the relative less plausible event. Based from scores the mean for confidence rating will be calcula ted for both event. If the hypothesis is supported the mean confidence in plausible event will be high and less for less plausible event. As well as the median will show the similar pattern with a higher valu compare with the less plausible event. Discussion The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that the memory constructed for implanting is highly a plausible event then it is more likely for creation of false memory to occur. It is expected of the finding that relatively plausible events are more likely to be recall than less plausible events. According to Pezdek, Blandon-Gitlin and et. al (2006) the reason behind this is because of the significant interaction of plausibility and imagination is that if people find that event to be plausible, they tend to search more of their autobiographical memory for relevant details of the event. Study provided by Pezdek, Finger and et. al (1997) shows the finding that relatively plausible events are more likely to be planted in memory than relatively implausible events has implications for the cognitive processes underlying suggestibility. In their study three events were falsely recalled and that all three were relatively plausible event. This can be explained via literature of script processing on understanding cognitive process. Based on Grasser, 1981: Grasser and Nakamura, 1982), a specific memory trace is formed by the comprehender when a scripted activity is experienced. This is because memory trace consists of pointers to an epitome script that has been copied from a permanent generic script. As a result the epitome script for the specific event includes all the script-relevant action triggered by the experienced event as well as script-relevant actions that were triggered by default due to script-based inferences that occurred during comprehension. This means when a description of a specific occurrence of an activity suggested to a person and asked if it has happened to the individual, instantly the person will cross check the memory suggested with his or her’s own memory for related occurrence of that activity to verify if a match is found. If described memory and memory of individual overlaps there is more likely a match and the described event is evaluated to be true. However there are cases that when it comes to planting memory implausible memory can be planted. Mazzoni et.al (2001) in the effects of suggestion new information could make events seem less implausible. Mazzoni (1991) exposing people to new information designed to enhance plausibility removes two of the three major ways in which they know that an event did not happen to them. When a person initially thinks an event did not happen, they may base this on three sources of information. First, is not having memory of the event. Second, knowledge about the event is insufficient to realize that they may have experienced it. Third, is having the knowledge about it then allows them to reject it as part of their own autobiography. Limitation of this study can be mentioned such as this study is restricted to university student only as it does not represent the whole population. In future research manipulation of event plausibility should be done on different degree of plausible event and different suggestive technique. In addition, instead of convenience sampling a better alternative sampling method need to apply. References Hyman, E I; Husband, T H; Billings, J F;. (1995). False memories of childhood experiences. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 181-195. J, B. D. (1984). False Memories, Psychology of. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences, 5254-5259. Loftus, E.F, Pickerell, J.E. (1995). The Formation of False Memory. Psychiatrics Annals, 25(12), 720-725. Hyman, I. E. Kleinknecht, E. E. (1999). False childhood memories: Research, theory, and applications.(In L. M. Williams V. L.Banyard (Eds.),Trauma and memory(175—188). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.) Hyman, I. E., Gilstrap, L. L., Decker, K. Wilkinson, C. (1998). Manipulating remember and know judgements of autobiographical memories. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 12, 371-386 Pezdek, K., Finger, K. Hodge, D. (1997). Planting false childhood memories: The role of event plausibility. Psychological Science, 8, 437-441 Lindsay, D. S. Read, J. D. (1994). Psychotherapy and memories of childhood sexual abuse: A cognitive perspective. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 8, 281-338 Hyman, I. E., Gilstrap, L. L., Decker, K. Wilkinson, C. (1998). Manipulating remember and know judgements of autobiographical memories. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 12, 371-386 Lindsay, D. S. Read, J. D. (1994). Psychotherapy and memories of childhood sexual abuse: A cognitive perspective. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 8, 281-338 ( KATHY PEZDEK; BLANDON-GITLIN, Iris;, 2008) PEZDEK K., BLANDON-GITLIN, i;. (2008). Planting False Memories for Childhood Sexual Abuse Only Happens to Emotionally Disturbed PeopleNot Me. Applied cognitive psychology, 1466. Graesser, A.C., Nakamura, G.V (1982). The Impact of a schema on comprehension and memory.The psychology of learning and motivation:Advances in research and theory.,(16).New York Academic Press.

The International Schools in the uae

The International Schools in the uae The United Arab Emirates International School is a well established educational trust, which wants to open an international school in Oman, knowing that there is now an opening for international schools in the educational sector. This Research will include important analysis for the United Arab Emirates International School to use in order for them to learn about the international schools in Oman, like the environment surrounding them which is Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors and also known as the PEST Analysis. Other than that the people that can have an effect and impact on the business will be included as part of the analysis, like customers, suppliers, substitutes, new entrants and competitors and also known as the Porters Five Forces. So by conducting these analysis and learning them the company will then be able to find out their opportunities and threats which are part of the SWOT Analysis including the Strengths and Weaknesses. These analyses will be me asured for three different cities and three different regions which are Muscat City in Muscat Region, Sohar City in Batna Region and Buraimi City in Dhahra Region. Then finally we will be able to give the United Arab Emirates International School recommendations. Definition PEST analysis is a technique used to identify, assess and evaluate external factors affecting the performance of an organization. A PEST analysis is undertaken to help an organization gain an understanding of the wider business environment and may be carried out as part of an ongoing process of environmental analysis or scanning. The aim is to provide information to assist those responsible for strategy development and decision making. PEST analysis may be used in the context of overall organizational strategy or more specifically to evaluate the feasibility of a new product or service, or expansion into a new market. (http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5221632/Carrying-out-a-PEST-analysis.html) Advantages of PEST analysis. PEST analysis: * provides an understanding of the wider business environment * encourages the development of strategic thinking * may raise awareness of threats to an organizations ongoing profitability * can help an organization to anticipate future difficulties and take action to avoid or minimize their effect * can help an organization to spot business opportunities and exploit them successfully. It helps the firm in many ways, its important that environmental analysis is carried out before entering into the industry. PEST analysis is a helpful method of summarizing the external environment in which a business operates. Nevertheless, it should follow up by considering how a business should act in response to these influences. (http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5221632/Carrying-out-a-PEST-analysis.html) Political and legal factors: Political factors are rules and regulations that are made by the government that has a direct impact on the business. These rules affect the daily running of the business when it comes to policies and regulations. We believe that the school should take into consideration the following political factors: Employment Laws: Every country has its rules and regulations for a new foreign organization entering the country to establish its business, when talking about rules and regulations for example Omanization the countrys rule is that these foreign companies must recruit Omani citizens as employees to help reduce the unemployment in the country and to gain experience from the foreign employees as well, in addition to that local partnership is one of the rules that a foreign owner must take in consideration which is also called (Foreign Trade Regulations). Speaking of international schools in Oman SABIS of Muscat is one of the schools that are owned by both a foreign and local partners. Government Stability: Because there is no war in Oman the government is stabled, secure and safe and not much of a change with the government. There are many foreign and local companies opening up in Oman, there are many international schools existing in Oman for example the AMERICAN BRITISH ACADEMY (ABA) if the government was not stabled then these types of schools wont exist because of the constant changes with the government therefore there will be less or no foreigners living in Oman. It is absolutely safe for any foreign organization to establish its business in Oman. Economical Factors: All businesses are affected by economical factors nationally and globally. Whether an economy is in a boom, recession or recovery will also affect consumer confidence and behavior. Equally economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customer, and the state of the internal/external economy in the short and long-term. The unit may need to consider: Unemployment: Oman has been encouraging Omanisation to reduce the level of unemployment in the country. By the entrance of the International school from the UAE into Oman, it will play a role in reducing the unemployment and providing more jobs for local Omanies. Disposable income: Oman is facing a boom in the economy due to the surplus they are getting from oil sales. Accordingly consumer spending is high. With higher consumer spending, an increase of demand will show up. This demand will have to be satisfied. For that reason, the International school will have the chance to satisfy this increasing of demand. Socio-cultural Factors: social factors will include the demographic changes, trends in the way people live and think. Moreover, it also includes the cultural aspects of the macro environment. These factors influence customer needs and the size of potential markets (inside and outside of the International school). Lifestyle changes: by time the life style in Oman changed and is continuing to change. People have different views over many things such as: Education. Many years ago there were no private schools in the country and girls were made to stay at home and look after their parents. As time passes by, things changed. Omani citizens thinking have changed. They started sending all their kids to school, in order to gain education. In addition, when private schools opened up in Oman, families didnt mind sending their despite the mixture of both male and female. Moreover, Omani families started going out and eating out more often. Population: its the number of people in the country, when it comes to that the population in Oman is on the rise. Companies and organizations take population in consideration, because it means that people increase and the needs increase too. For example, for schools increase in the population of a country or a city means increase in number of students every year. The Chart below is an example of the rise in population in Oman. Educational levels: the level of education throughout the years has increased tremendously, and the demand of International schools in some parts of Oman is high, due to the increase of foreigners in the country for work purposes. Technological factors: technological factors are vital for competitive advantage, and are the major driver of change and efficiency. Technological factors can for example lower barriers to entry and reduce minimum efficient production level. New technology has an impact on changing the way business operates. The Internet has the most effect on the strategy of organizations. New discoveries and development: the advancement in technology has been beneficial to the International school in the industry. Due to technology the administrative staff can now access to the Internet 24 hours a day comfortably from their homes. Another advantage that technology has given the International school industry is the ability to reduce their costs as new machinery is now available for them to reduce their paper work and also reduce the time wasted. In fact the Internet allows the managers of the International school to use video conferencing to keep up to date with their other branches without to physically go there. This technological revolution means a faster exchange of operating environment. (http://www.btinternet.com/~katrina.severn/avce/PESTAnalysis.pdf) After looking at all four PEST analyses we believe that Sohar is the best place to open an international school due to the increasing of population by both local and foreigners. Also adding to that Oman tend to have a political stability due to the ruling of the Sultan rather the change of government, economical Oman is stable at the moment sine they are at the boom due to the surplus of the oil sales but this does not mean it will remain stable forever things might change if there was a decrease in oil prices. The socio- cultural in Oman is defiantly on the change to the better people are moving forward and want the best for themselves and families. We have identified earlier PEST analysis which includes the external environment and it was concluded that the environment was in a favorable condition for the UAE International School to enter the Omani market. However, we must consider the internal environment. These factors are within the control of the organizational members, to do so a Porters Five Forces analysis must be carried out. Porters Five Forces Analysis: Porters five forces model is a framework that describes how an industry grows, behaves and responds to five primary external and internal forces. The Porter 5 forces model is a framework for understanding the underlying structure of an industry or business segment, built around the five primary and dominating competitive forces that affect the short, intermediate and long-term effects of an industrys size, strength, vitality, and profitability. The value of the 5 Forces model and subsequent analyses is to help understand and predict the behavior of the industry, and most importantly, the actions of rival companies. (http://drivedemand.com/logo.html) There are five vital forces which have been introduced by Michael Porter for the analysis, these are: The threat of New Entry: The possibility of new firms entering the industry impacts competition. The threat of Substitution: as those products that are available in other industries that meet an identical or similar need for the end user. Supplier Power: An industry that produces goods requires raw materials. The power of the suppliers to drive up the prices of your input. Buyer Power: The power of buyers describes the impact customers have on an industry. Competitive Rivalry: the strength of competition in the industry. Threat of New Entry: Competition in an industry will be higher if entry into the industry is easy; therefore barriers to entry are there to protect the high levels of profits. Barriers reduce the rate of entry of new firms in order to allow the existing firms to enjoy levels of the profits. Product Differentiation: since there are very little or no product differentiation in the International Schools industry, new entrants may feel that competition will be strong and profits will be hard to earn. Capital Costs: Any normal person will find it hard to come up with the costs required to open an International School, as it is hard to find and buy a land large enough to accommodate such requirement. They would also have to pay suppliers for the initial stock, employees, etc. Capital costs are unbelievable high for this type of industry since initially large amount would be needed to buy land, resources, advertisement, etc. Economic of Scale: this refers to the decline in unit costs of a product or a service that occurs as the absolute volume of production per period of time increases. Economics of scale gives the International School competitive advantage as they can price their fees at a lower price than the others, and a new entrant will find it hard to compete with the low prices. This is because there is no product differentiation so competitors must compete in terms of price. Threat of substitutes: Substitutes are goods or services that satisfy the same customer needs. A threat from substitutes exists if alternative products with lower prices and better value satisfy the same need. In the International School Industry the substitutes will be the competitors. The threats of substitutes are determined by factors such as: Customer Relationship: it is important to build a good relationship with the customers to prevent them from moving on to the substitutes, if a customer were to feel that he/she has a better relationship with a certain school than the others then that customer is more likely to go the particular school than the others. Supplier Power: It is important for The UAE International School to obtain the resources that is needed for them to successfully operate the school, therefore it is crucial for them to have a good relationship with their suppliers. Moreover, for the UAE International School to succeed, they must try to reduce the power of their supplier, because the higher the bargaining power the supplier, the higher will be the price of resources. Buyer Power: Buyer Power is the power of customers to drive down your prices. If we look in the terms of the UAE International School, the buyers would be the customers that come to them and they have great power over the UAE International School, then the school will be forced to lower their selling price. Two factors of buyer power are included as examples, which are: Brand identity: Is how the company wants the consumer to perceive the image of their product. The buyer has a power when it comes to brand identity its because they choose the brand that satisfies them the most. So if the brand in your company does not satisfy consumers then youll either have to lower your prices or lose the consumer. For example, if the UAE International School does not offer branded items to their customers, while Muscat International School offers branded items, then most of the buyers will choose the branded school. Threat of Backward Integration: This is when the buyer changes from buying your product to buying your competitors product even though they are similar. The reasons of this maybe the price or the quality of the product and so on. So in this case the buyer has power over the supplier. For example, if the buyer compares between two international school like Muscat International and Sabis, they may find that the price differs in both schools, where Muscat International School might be cheaper, so the buyers would definitely go for Muscat International School. So the UAE International School will have to consider the competitors price and try to offer lower or the same price or better quality, and they would also have to consider the needs of the buyers and try to reach their satisfaction. Competitive Rivalry: The intensity of the competition between exciting firms in the industry can be analyzed. It is important for the school to know the number of its competitors such as: Azzan Bin Qais Private School, Muscat International School, Sultan Private School, Sabis International School and Sohar International School. Since the products are likely to be the same (homogenous), the UAE International School will have to find a way to offer something different to its competitors. High competition results in prices and margins thus, the profitability of the industry. Product Differentiation: this is when the customers are made to feel that a brand is different from another even though the product is the same and since all products are provided at the International Schools, competition will be high, because all will be competing with the same products for the same crowd of customers. Customer Relationship: it is important to build a good relationship with the customers to prevent them from moving on to the substitutes, if a customer were to feel that he/she has a better relationship with a certain school than the others then that customer is more likely to go the particular school than the others. Looking at this, we can see that three out of the five forces are favorable towards the UAE International School. In brief the internal environment is in good condition for the school to enter. From the analysis it can clearly be see the fast that there is no product differentiation is a major issue to the industry.

Culture: The Wests Biggest Export? :: Tourism Tourist Papers

Culture The West's Biggest Export? I spent a month over the summer of 2002 trekking in Borneo with a team of 15 other boys from my school. This was the first time that I had traveled outside England, my home, to a destination that was not geared towards hosting tourists. The expedition provided me with a very interesting perspective on the march of developed culture across the globe. The tourism industry is simply one example of this expansion, but it is an interesting example because it is the industry that takes the public to these â€Å"exotic† lands. The 20th century has seen the creation and rapid expansion of the tourism industry, fuelled by our ability to travel faster and more conveniently to remote places on the planet. Tourism describes a huge variety of different activities, all falling under the banner of people traveling for pleasure. I think of tourists as falling into two main categories, those people who travel to find somewhere to relax, and those who travel to experience new cultures. The first category has less direct effect on the spread of tourism, as these people prefer to travel to places in developed countries, where they can relax in comfort. The second category likes to travel to experience new cultures and environments without necessarily having a relaxing trip. It is these people who are constantly pushing the tourist industry into new areas. Once the tourist industry realizes a region is becoming popular with adventurous tourists, big resort hotels appear, and the wild is tamed for the benefit of the to urist who likes to feel adventurous without having to endure the hardship of dingy, cockroach-ridden hotels. The location is now ruined for the adventurous tourist. These westernized resorts can be found all over the world, giving a highly sanitized version of the local culture. This leaves the adventurers to go in search of a new location to visit, an even more remote and exotic place is visited, and so the cycle continues until we will have a resort hotel next to every lake, mountain, forest and beach on the planet. I have been lucky enough to see this expansion of tourism firsthand during my trip to Malaysian Borneo in the summer of 2002. This was a very interesting place to visit because different parts of the country are at different points in the transition between untouched wilderness and popular tourist spots.

Homelessness in Public Schools Essay -- Education

In the United States nationwide public schools are faced with dilemmas. The choices schools make has to be effective, serve the students, and have the best outcome. Well known problems such as bullying, special educational needs, budget cuts, new standards, and job cuts. Some of the problems are well known to the public while other problems are left in the background. According to the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) reported that the U.S. Department of Education collected data stating â€Å"during the 2008-2009 school year that 954,914 homeless children and youth were enrolled in public schools.† This problem affects the child socially, mentally, and most importantly academically. The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) defines Homelessness â€Å"is a lack of permanent housing resulting from extreme poverty and/or unsafe or unstable living environments† (NAEHCY, 2011, p. 2). In the year 2004, it was required that all states were to report to CSPR (Consolidated State Performance Report) of data collected of children and youth enrolled in any educational services (Bowman, Dukes, Moore, 2012, p. 6). The table presented below shows reports the school years of 2004-2010. Number of Homeless Students Reported by States in the CSPR 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 655,591 906,680* 679,724 794,617 956,914 939,903 The National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH) conducted research and collected data and found during a three year research of CSPR reports. (Bowman. ET al.’s, 2012). In the school years 2006-2009 â€Å"41% increase in the number of homeless student enrolled in schools across the nation† (Bowman... ...2). Summary of the state of research: On the relationship between homelessness and academic achievement among school-aged children and youth (ED-04-CO-0056/0002). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education website: http://www.serve.org/nche Carter. Samuel, C. (2000). No excuses; lessons from 21 high performing high poverty schools. Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation. Murphy.Joseph, F. & Tobin.Kerri, J. (2011, November). Homelessness comes to school. How homeless children and youths can succeed, 93(3), 32-37. Retrieved from http://kappanmagazine.org National Assocation for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. (2011). Facts about homeless education. Retrieved from http;//naehcy.org/facts.html W&B School of Education. (2012). History of the mckinney act. Retrieved from http://education.wm.edu/centers/hope/resources/mckinneyact/index.php

Oedipus, the Cursed Man Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus, the Cursed Man      Ã‚  Ã‚   Have you ever had one of those days when it seems that everything is against you, that life could not look any bleaker than it does right now? We have all had moments like those, but nothing can compare to the feeling Oedipus had on that dreadful day when he found out that he was cursed by the gods, destined to kill his father and marry his mother. This tragic story of the cursed man is told in Sophocles' play, Oedipus the King. This essay will examine one of Oedipus' speeches, found in lines 1183 - 1194, made before he learns of his appalling fate. It is a passage full of dramatic irony. We, the audience, know the truth. Even Jocasta has just come to realize the facts, but Oedipus is still unaware of the impending doom.    Let it burst! Whatever will, whatever must! I must know my birth, no matter how common it may be-I must see my origins face-to-face. She perhaps, she with her woman's pride may well be mortified by my birth, but I, I count myself the son of Chance, the great goddess, giver of all good things- I'll never see myself disgraced. She is my mother! And the moons have marked me out, my blood brothers, one moon on the wane, the next moon great with power. That is my blood, my nature-I will never betray it, never fail to search and learn my birth! (Oedipus lines 1183-1194)    The passage begins with Oedipus crying, "Let it burst! Whatever will, whatever must! / I must know my birth, no matter how common / it may be-I must see my origins face-to-face" (lines 1183 - 1185). He is eager to know his past, no matter how ugly it may be. He believes the truth can be no worse than learning that he comes from a humbl... ...ldren and siblings. Again, the audience knows the truth and wishes the opposite of what Oedipus persevered to discover. The reader wishes that he would indeed give up the search to find his true origins. It will only result in ending his life in horrific misery.    This short yet heartfelt speech made by Oedipus before he learns of his fate is packed with dramatic irony. He is blinded to the truth, but the readers are entirely aware of his dreadful fame. This makes the speech all the more painful and wrenching for the audience. Oh how we must pity a king like Oedipus, the cursed man. May what happened to him never happen to another.    Work Cited Sophocles, Oedipus the King. Trans. Robert Fagles. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Vol. A. Ed. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. New York: Norton, 2002. 617-658.         

Ing Life

ING Life Bo Sun CIS 505: Communication Technologies Strayer University Darcel  Ford, Ph. D. February 11, 2013 Difficulties and Risks Associated with Internet Originally, Internet was designed for absolute security environment. Therefore, the protocols which are consisting of the infrastructure of Internet have no security concerns. This means Internet is easily to be vulnerable. Although major part of security issues are from inside, Internet does take external threats. When users connect the Internet, the web browsers might contain breaches that permit scripts to access the system and may cause damages potentially.In addition, when information is transmitting through the public network, the transmission might be captured by someone else. This is known as man-in-the middle attack. (Dean, 2009) Another potential common risk associated with Internet is called reconnaissance threats. Attackers could detect the reachable networks, devices and services through the Internet connection, o r even draw an entire network map. Furthermore, DoS attack is another risk users could encounter when using Internet. Hackers attempts to over-whelm the system in order to make it shut down. Oppenheimer, 2011) Analyze ING’s Solution The security mechanism existing in the current ING’s network is implemented a fire between the external brokers and the internal servers. Basically, this is not enough to protect the network, especially, the information of ING involves private personal information. The information should be protected carefully. Securing Internet connection a variety of overlapping security mechanisms will be equipped to guarantee the security of the Internet connection.Common mechanisms include: firewalls, packet filters, physical security, audit logs, authentication and authorization. At the same time, technicians also need to implement packet filters to prevent the Internet routers from the DoS attacks. DoS attacks have great intimidation to public server s. In this condition, reliable operating system and applications are critical to solve the potential attacks. CGI and other types of scripts also could take care of the servers. Finally, firewall mechanism is efficient when facing Dos attacks.Firewall technologies, physical security, authentication and authorization mechanisms, auditing, and possibly encryption consist of the security mechanisms utilized on remote access (Oppenheimer, 2011). Besides these normal network security mechanisms, a proper routing protocol is also important to Internet connection. The selected protocol should support route authentication. And static and default routing is an issue need to be concerned because of potential compromised routing updates. Finally, clear police and comprehensive training for the employee is significant.After all, most security issues are leaded by human errors. Critique the Extranet Solution To support extranet connection for brokers is an excellent decision. It is simply for us ers to get access to the information which they needed. On the other hand, extranet is easily to be managed from the security aspect. Administrators could implement security mechanisms simply. Remote-access VPN is another way could be Implemented to connect the brokers. According to Oppenheimer, â€Å"Reomte-access VPNs permit on-demond access to an organization’s internetwork, via secure, encrypted connections. (Oppenheimer, 2011) This function is suitable for the remote uses which don’t need always connection. Users connect the corporate’s network through service provider’s network, this could decrease the budget of connection and the the work of network administritors. Install redundent mechanism could imprive brokers service. When primary database shut down, the backup devices could guarantee the network connection work normally. References Dean, T. (2009). network+ guide to networks. Mason: Cengage Learning. Oppenheimer, P. (2011). Top-down Network Design. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions.

The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill

The Role of Group Work In Enhancing Speaking Skill In Primary Level The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill in Primary Level Effective language skills are essential for children to access the curriculum. In the classroom, spoken language is the primary medium through which teachers teach and children learn. In developing their speaking skills, children need to learn to adapt their talk to the listeners; use a range of ways to express themselves; use talk to clarify their ideas and sustain their talk to develop thinking and reasoning.It is expected that when children start primary school, they will be able to understand much of what is said, express themselves clearly, share their feelings and make their needs known. This level of proficiency in speech, language and communication is critical to the development of a child’s cognitive, social and emotional well-being. Speaking should include putting thoughts into words and sharing in groups; taking opportunities to spe ak at some length to explain ideas in different situations; giving a talk or presentation using gestures, aids and rhetorical devices.This paper will explore the different types of group work and its mechanism of enhancing the speaking skill in the primary level. This will be done through reviewing different research made in this field. The purpose of this paper is to look closely at the importance of group work in the early stages to enhance the speaking skill of students. Group Group work is a very important part of our culture and life; and businesses now look at team work skills when evaluating any employee. Therefore, it is important for both, students and teachers, to learn to function in a group work environment.Research indicates that students learn the tasks better through involving oral interaction, in group, which is based on a real attempt to find a collective solution to problems. We chose to explore this area to find out if group work serves as a meaningful activity fo r students to focus on meaningful negotiation and information exchange. We are very much concerned with getting students to talk and to stimulate their interest and imagination. Since group work can improve learning and is a much needed skill in enhancing speaking skill, it should be exercised regularly in the classroom.Annotated Bibliography: The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill in Primary Level Baines, E. , Kutnick, P. , Blatchford, P. (2009). Promoting effective group work in the primary classroom: a handbook for teachers and practitioners. USA and Canada: Routledge. This handbook explores how pupil group work can be made more effective in support of children’s learning. It is based on a research study, known as the Social Pedagogic Research into Group work (SPRinG), which developed and evaluated a new approach to group work in primary schools. Boussiada, S. (2010).Enhancing students’ oral proficiency through cooperative group work: the case of 3rd yea r LMD students of English at Constantine University. Master’s Thesis, University of Constantine, Algeria. In her study, Boussiada explores the effects of cooperative group work on improving learners’ oral proficiency and communicative skills. She is mainly concerned with making use of pair or small group to maximize learners? oral production. She also attempts to shed some light on the importance of establishing a relaxed and friendly environment as an attempt to get learners to use the language.Lee, W. (2008). Speech, language and communication needs and primary school-aged children. I Can Talk Series, Issue 6, 13-18. Retrieved March 21, 2012, from http:// www. ican. org. uk/~/media/Ican2/Whats%20the%20Issue/Evidence/6%20Speech%20%20Language%20and%20Communication%20Needs%20and%20Primary%20School%20aged%20Children. ashx This report outlines the nature and extent of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) in primary schools, what this means for children and thei r families and what can be done to ensure primary school is a positive, enriching experience for children with SLCN.Richards, J. (2008). Teaching listening and speaking: from theory to practice. NY: Cambridge University Press. Richards explores approaches to the teaching of listening and speaking which have undergone considerable changes in recent years, and their implications for classroom teaching and materials design. His goal is to examine what applied linguistics research and theory says about the nature of listening and speaking skills, and then to explore what the implications are for classroom teaching Jones, L. (2007). The student-centered classroom. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Human nature Essay

Personality is the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual. It is the sound total o the multi-dimensionality of an individual. It is the sounding of one’s upbringing as a person. Personality is the reflection of how we are cared by our family, friends, government, society, etc. There are two factors that affect personality. These are nature and nurture. Many of us would try to look deep into ourselves and try to answer these following questions. Which is the most significant, nature or nurture? Which of the two most change my personality as a whole? What am I really? Nature is the genetic or biological component of an individual. This means that a person’s nature comes from its predecessors and the attitudes comes from its parents. Genes play a greater role in determining key personality traits like social skills and learning ability than the way we are brought up by our parents. Genetics were most influential on people’s sense of self-control and also affected their social and learning abilities and their sense of purpose. Nurture is the social and environmental factors that affect the individual. This means that the environment affects how a person thinks and do. There are many people in this world wherein they where affected by the changes in society. Maybe it is because it is needed so that they can fit in or maybe they need it to be socially compatible with others. Behavior can be non-genetically transmitted from parents to offspring. Non-genetic transmission of behavior can play an important role in shaping personality. Both nature and nurture are important in constructing our personality. They are sine qua non with the personality. Both factors help and determine the outcome of an individual. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to personality continuity and change, but genetic factors affect rank-order change only in younger decades of life, whereas environmental influences appear to represent a lifelong source of inter-individual differences in personality development. For some they might choose nature over nurture, or vise versa, but soon they would realize that both help them determine their real self. As time passes, our society also changes and this reminds us that we too have to change so that we can fit in. We have to change so that we won’t be left out from the others. Some people give so much importance with their social life that they forget their self. There is nothing permanent in this world. Our personality is also the same; it changes according to what we will need depending on the situation. And with the help of the two factors, nature and nurture, we will be able to change easily. We will be able to address our problems and answer it without difficulty. Although we have to be reminded that changing our personality doesn’t mean that we have to change our whole self. Yes, we have to change because it is needed but we also have to be reminded that we have to remain a little amount of ourselves. We change because society tells us to but we should still stay true to ourselves because if all of us change, then we will be identical with each other and that would mean a disobedience to the natural law. We have to be true to ourselves because we have to be different from others. We have to be distinct from the others. We have to be unique. Even though society tells us to change our personality or attitude, we are still given the authority and choice to do so. We are the bosses of ourselves and we can dictate ourselves what to do and what not to do. ‘In order to gain something, you have to lose something’ I disagree in this statement. Why? Because we are given a choice and that choice doesn’t mean that we have to let go, it only means that we have to accept new things. There may be clashes and disagreements with two factors but it is possible to combine them and maybe there will be better results. Again, both nature and nurture are important in constructing ourselves. Some of us already found themselves and some are still struggling to find their meaning but we have to be reminded that we are different. We are who we are and we shouldn’t force ourselves to change just to satisfy other people. We have to learn to accept ourselves first before others would learn to accept us. Being true to ourselves makes our personality shine the most.

Founder/Ceo

Wangoh Dynamics Technologies Network and Telecommunication Services and Solutions Memo To: The Government of Sierra Leone (West Africa) From: Saa E. Fillie-Founder/CEO and Network Engineer Date: March 20. 2013 Ref: The Cost Benefit of Virtualization Technology Many enterprising companies are looking for ways to better IT departments, improve business models and create lower operating costs. Until a few years ago, it seemed as if an all-encompassing solution to those problems has been taken care of by virtualization that is now a reliable, efficient and customizable solution to those business requests and more.Whether used to provide better customer service, to be more eco-friendly or to gain more company memory, the virtualization technology of today offer many benefits to enterprising companies all over the world, creating innovative solutions to work based problems on a daily basis. Virtualization has not only captured the business world by storm with its innovative and creative so lutions but it also offers proven advantages in several areas of industry, IT and service. Below is a list of a few of the advantages and solutions that virtualization technology can offer the enterprise around the globe.Virtual Desktops Many corporations and enterprises are looking to reduce their footprint and create more efficient operating systems. This can be done with one aspect of virtualization, virtual desktops. Virtual desktops have the ability to create more space within a desktop computer or on actual desk space through the use of software which expands a desktops environment beyond physical limits through virtualization. This can create a more eco-friendly environment with less computers using energy and lower operating costs as well as offering continuous transitions between multiple operating system.Enhanced System Security A fear of many enterprises considering virtualization in their business is that all the advantages of this technology will compromise the security of sensitive, private and legal company information. However, that is not the case; in fact virtualization in business provides enhanced security, making it more difficult for hackers to find key information. Unlike other security systems, virtualization has the ability to single out and trace requests.If a request seems fishy or unsuitable, virtualization security technologies will reroute hackers to another location, securing and keeping enterprising business information safe from harm. Better System Reliability Non-virtualized networks and systems are more prone to crashes and memory corruption due to software installments such as device drivers. Through virtualization, I/O resources can be isolated providing better security (see above,) reliability and even availability across devices for business purposes. Disaster RecoveryAlong the same lines as better system reliability, virtualization also provides enterprising businesses with better, faster and more secure disaster recover y. This is possible because this technology is able to take a virtual image or information and transfer it to another server in the instance that the original server may be crashing. This prevents information loss and provides a constant stream of secure and safe information. Space and Server Consolidation When an organization has a physical database, it can take up to ten machines to provide the same amount of workload to one virtual machine.This means that up to ten applications can be ran on a solitary virtual machine, consolidating physical space as well as server use, therefore saving energy usage, operating costs and server expenses. Scalability One advantage of virtualization technology is its unique ability to be scalable. What this means is that unlike purchasing X amount of computer memory or RAM for a company, the possibilities with virtualization are endless. The workload and space needed one month may change in the next and virtualization accommodates those changes by f luxuating to fit the needs of an enterprise at the time of use.This also saves on energy consumption and operating costs because virtualization service providers oft will only charge for what was used. Endless Memory and Accessibilities One aspect of scalability is virtualization’s advantage of seemingly endless memory. Enterprising businesses can take advantage of limitless memory to house business information, client details, invoices and financial records all in an accessible, crash protected and secure place. Virtualization is accessible anywhere there is an internet connection, allow for access to important company information anywhere in the world.This is great for traveling business owners, work from home employees or access away from work. This also allows companies to offer better customer service to clients because of the ease of access as well as the quick pull up of saved information stored in a limitless memory location. Many enterprising companies are looking fo r ways to better IT departments, improve business models and create lower operating costs, all of which can be accomplished with the modern marvel technology that is virtualization.Whether used to provide better customer service, to be more eco-friendly or to gain more company memory, the virtualization technology of today offer many benefits to enterprising companies all over the world, creating innovative solutions to work based problems on a daily basis. Return on Investment School of thoughts have argued in various platform about the huge capital investment return in virtualization, there are multiple factors which determine how to go about deciding what type of monitoring an Information Technology (IT) department should embark on.In order to properly evaluate a specific IT environment, one must first determine whether or not to virtualize. Virtualization can be stressed as a life saver for countless IT departments over the past few years. What first needs to be determined howev er, is if in fact an organization really needs to virtualize. Perhaps database, application servers, network services, etc don’t truly need to become virtualized, maybe they do. What we are trying to determine today is the Return on Investment (ROI) for virtualization.Technologist, Researchers and Students helps quantify virtualizing an IT infrastructure. If an organization is in the process of acquiring a new company (or being liquidated) and subsequently moving locations, they must first take a look in their server room*. If it is overcrowded, under powered or outdated, then yes†¦ virtualization is probably important. What everyone in the IT department wants to know then, is virtualization right for my organization and more importantly my department? [pic]The resources being saved on just power and hardware along are staggering. Keeping costs lower for the overall organization is obviously crucial, especially when it comes to things such as never having to redeploy app lication solutions*. This will save you time and subsequently money: no server hardware refreshing costs, limited annual server-related power costs*. The greater questions then arise, how much time will it take a department to make the complete switch? Will the ROI be worth the increased labor hours to become fluent with the virtualized world?What types of challenges will come about from the overall business perspective? |Reducing Infrastructure Costs Through Virtualization | | |   | | |Introduction | | |Nowadays, we live in uncertain times all around the world.When it comes to architecture | | |and design, we must think a lot more in costs—unlike in other times, when we used to think| | |first of the solution and then in costs. If we had a streamlined and defined return on | | |investment (ROI), only then did the project get the green light. Today, if we think about | |projects, it is necessary to have a precise budget and defined cost first before we can | | |start to t hink about the project. | | |Upon brief reflection of what IT architecture is, one finds that the model that the whole | | |world favors (because of costs and the evolution of technologies) is the virtualization | | |model.Ten years ago, it was all about decentralization—both in data centers and servers, | | |and in communication and desktops. When we thought of an application, we always tried to | | |have the layers of such an application as close to the client as possible; data centers, | | |databases, and e-mail servers were distributed all over. | |This situation was the result of being unable to face the huge cost of having hardware | | |equipment of multiple large capabilities (such as an eight-processor server and lots and | | |lots of RAM gigabytes) or having redundant point-to-point communication links with good | | |bandwidth—the cost of which only large companies could consider including in their | | |architecture.All of this encouraged a decentralized IT ad ministration model that required| | |specialists in the different platforms of each site. | | | | |   | | |The Original Model | | |Although this model worked for years, many things were not considered that today have | | |rendered this model not as efficient as was initially thought. | |[pic] | | | | | |Figure 1.Typical scheme | | |   | | |Taking as an example the analysis of a distributed application that was devised 10 years | | |ago, there was an architecture in which it was important to have the data near the client,| | |which led to the following scheme: | | |A database in the central office in which the information from the different sites, the | | |database from each site, the application server from each site, and the local applications| | |that were installed on each desktop were all consolidated. | | |A replication scheme among the databases was used for the distribution of information. | |This drove us to have database administration for each site, besides havi ng on each site | | |an infrastructure administrator who had thorough knowledge. | | |Initially, this had (as variables within the equation) high communication-link costs, | | |large servers that represented a very high cost, and operative systems that were neither | | |very solid nor rigid with regard to changes and also had little functionality—that is, | | |they offered very few functions or roles within the operative system. | |For many of the needs of the company, it was necessary to add software that could comply | | |with that functionality. In addition, in order to carry out the tiniest of changes, it was| | |necessary to set the server offline and have IT personnel who represented an average cost. | | |The variable that was not really considered was the updating and maintenance of the whole | | |structure, which at the time—due to the fact that technology did not evolve in the way | | |that it does today—was not such an important aspect. | |If we consid er basic accounting principles (which I have learned during recent years), one| | |should always see the IT personnel as an asset to the company, with both amortization time| | |(which is the time that it takes to shape the person, according to the culture and needs | | |of the company) and an updating cost (which is what must be invested to have a person | | |trained in the different technologies as they evolve). | | |Over time, all of this changed; the variables in this equation also changed, and the | | |updating and maintenance variable (which in many cases had not been taken into account) | | |started to gain more and more importance. | |This is the equation that we face nowadays: | | |Average to low communication-link costs (taking into account the virtual private network),| | |large servers with many RAM gigabytes at average to low cost, operative systems that had | | |hundreds of embedded and flexible options and lots of functionality (many things already | | |come solved an d embedded in the operative system, so that in general it is not necessary | | |to set the server offline to make these changes), average to high personnel costs, and | | |average to high updating and maintenance costs. | |Within the scheme that is encouraged today, many things must be considered; it is | | |necessary, therefore, to have the whole scheme in mind—not just a part of it—to avoid | | |making the same mistakes that we incurred in the past. | | |Nowadays, when uncertainty (crises, corporate mergers, acquisitions, and constant changes)| | |is all around, it is vital to work toward an environment that would basically support | | |constant dynamic changes. More than ever, it is necessary to think about platform and | | |application updating, growth, and corporate and budget contractions.This, of course, will| | |highly influence the model that is to be chosen, and that model (taking into account the | | |aforementioned equation) should be based mainly on the up dating and maintenance variable. | | |When we consider all of the preceding, we will see that the model that best fits is the | | |virtualization model applied to all of the possible levels, where all of the equation | | |variables are considered in order to determine feasibility and total cost of ownership | | |(TCO). | |There will be infinite virtualization scenarios—from choosing cloud computing in specific | | |services and virtualizing (or outsourcing) the whole or part of the IT department to using| | |virtualization for servers, applications, or desktops. | | |   | | |Server Virtualization | | |Today, there are many important players and technologies that have been widely tested, | | |such as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMWare.The hardware costs have gone considerably down: If | | |we were to compare four- to eight-processor equipment of the past to one today, it would | | |result in an important cost margin that would be an improvement, and it would be necessary| | |to a dd the progress that has been made in technologies and redundancy within equipment, | | |board, hot-plug memories, and so on. | | |Generally speaking, almost all the components of the server can be changed without having | | |to take the server offline.The same thing applies to operative systems. This means that | | |we can do away with the theory that was used in the past, according to which we used to | | |divide into different hardware pieces the different business applications. In addition to | | |this, the advantages of tolerance to failure in the virtualization schemes that are used | | |today make it possible to take a physical server offline without affecting the virtual | | |server that is running in that physical server.This, of course, means that from a simple | | |technical point of view, there is already a huge advantage in the use of server | | |virtualization. | | |From an architectural point of view, this allows us to respond to organizational changes | | |quickly. A bove all (and this is something to consider nowadays), this also enables us to | | |achieve substantial savings at the time of shaping a data center. There will also be | | |savings in the electrical bill, refrigeration costs, physical space, and hardware. | | |Moreover, deployment and disaster recovery will be much simpler. | |All of this will result in lower maintenance costs—whether we have our own IT department | | |in 100 percent administration of this platform or a virtualized environment of the IT | | |department (later, we will develop the IT department cost, as well as the options and the | | |reasons behind virtualizing it). This all leads to there not being almost any scenario in | | |which virtualization is not applied and which will not result in a much lower TCO. | |   | | |Desktop Virtualization | | |In this regard, it is also possible to find very well-developed and well-tested | | |technologies, such as Microsoft Terminal Server, Citrix, and so on. This k ind of | | |virtualization was previously thought about for remote points or links that had a | | |relatively small bandwidth.Nowadays, it is used as a method to reduce | | |desktop-administration expenses, because (thanks to this technology) it is possible | | |technically to have tolerance to failures, add it to the server-virtualization scheme, and| | |create a pool of servers. There is substantial reduction of the desktop-maintenance cost | | |and the cost of desktops themselves, because with equipment that has smaller hardware, it | | |is possible to run any kind of application and still have centralized control and | | |deployment of applications and security policies. | |   | | |Virtualization of the IT Department | | |In the past, there was a relatively low or not-so-significant IT department cost, compared| | |to the one nowadays. Today, there is a high IT department cost, and it is necessary to | | |consider the following variables: training in new technologies, trainin g in the company | | |environment, the cost of personnel search, and the time during which the search takes | | |place. All of this leads to the IT department not being able to respond with the speed | | |that the company needs. In ddition, we currently experience a high labor turnover, which | | |means that many times this process has to start again—which, of course, drives the cost | | |upwards. | | |If we consider all of these factors, especially the costs and the time that the search | | |involves, we will see that having a virtualized IT department results in a lower TCO and | | |in every possible advantage. With virtualization, all of these IT-department problems are | | |moved to an external company that is exclusively devoted to IT, particularly as it refers | | |to specialists in technology or in specific technologies.This would mean that there is no| | |point in having a specialist as part of the internal IT department. | | |   | | |Cloud Computing | | |Currentl y, there an infinite number of services are available on the Web, from e-mail | | |services (as has been the case for a very long time) to CRM, ERP, Document Managers, and | | |other services.This solution naturally offers a world of advantages: It is unnecessary to| | |have a specialist in this technology within our IT department, it is equally unnecessary | | |to maintain that technology from either the hardware or the software point of view, and | | |keeping security copies of the information is no longer required. Depending on the kind of| | |hired service and service-level agreement (SLA), it will be possible to have a redundant | | |and always-online service. In some cases, the cost for this kind of service can be | | |high—depending on both the number of users within our organization who require this | | |service and the characteristics of the service—and is worth considering. | |   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Example of Archit ecture | | |(Example based on a company with 500 employees. ) | | |[pic] | | | | | |Figure 2.Current architecture | | |   | | |As an example, we will use a virtualization architecture that uses such Microsoft | | |technologies as Hyper-V and Terminal Server. Number of servers: 15. | | |Typical structure of IT department: One manager, two IT administrators, one database | | |administrator (DBA), and five Help Desk employees. | | |Based on everything that was explained previously, we will take the best of each | | |virtualization technology to carry out a cost reduction. | |Server Virtualization | | |It will be possible to reduce approximately 15 noncritical servers into 4 physical servers| | |that will be able to support these 15 virtual servers. It will be necessary to carry out a| | |load analysis and distribute the servers and business applications correctly. Nowadays, | | |given the kind of roles of a typical company server, there are not many servers that have | | |a high p rocessing consumption; thus, it will be necessary to isolate these kinds of | | |servers, so that a resource competition conflict is not generated.It will also be | | |necessary to include (if we do not already have it) an external storage in which our | | |virtualization scheme will be stored (so that it is possible to work on it in a cluster) | | |and which will have tolerance to failure of all of the virtual equipment. All of this will| | |be possible by using Microsoft Windows Server 2008 64 bits and Hyper-V System Center | | |Virtual Machine Manager to carry out the P2V conversions. | |Cost Reduction | | |Within this example, it will be possible to reduce approximately 70 percent of the energy | | |consumption, as a result of less consumption on the part of the servers. In addition, | | |there will also be a reduction of approximately 70 percent in the refrigeration | | |consumption, as a result of the use of storage. | | |The licensing cost will also decrease (when we use Micr osoft licensing) very | | |substantially. The Microsoft licensing scheme is based on Table 1. In the table, we can | |see that by using Windows Server 2008 data-center server licensing, it will be possible to| | |obtain a reduction in licensing from 15 servers (which will be able to use different | | |versions of Windows Server 2008, depending on the processor and RAM needs) to only 4 (with| | |data-center or enterprise licenses). Depending on the versions of Microsoft Windows that | | |are used, in the least favorable scenario, we will achieve a reduction in cost of 50 | | |percent. | |Version of Windows Server 2008 host | | |Covered virtual servers | | | | | |Standard | | |1 | | | | | |Enterprise | | |4 | | | | | |Data center | | |Unlimited | | | | | |Table 1.Microsoft Licensing Scheme | | |   | | | | | | | | |Desktop Virtualization | | |Depending on the memory consumption of the applications, it will be possible to implement | | |approximately five virtual servers for Terminal Server— typically, in five physical | | |servers to cover 500 work positions.The main advantage of having virtualized servers is | | |that this will automatically commute to any other, in case of a failure in any physical | | |equipment. | | |In this way, we will be able to have a desktop with fewer resources, and it will be | | |possible to update the applications more rapidly, as with deployment, management of | | |printers, and any other desktop problem. In turn, this will also enable us to make the | | |desktop of the user available to remote or external users. | |Cost Reduction | | |If we consider, on the one hand, the cost of updating 500 desktops as a result of the | | |installation of some business application and, on the other hand, the purchase of five | | |32-GB RAM servers and two Quad Core processors each, we will obtain a cost reduction of | | |approximately 90 percent. | | |Virtualization of the IT Department | | |It is first necessary to analyze the c ritical and noncritical applications; it is | | |important also to analyze the IT labor market in the country in which it is applied. | | |Generally speaking, the advice that is given is to virtualize whatever is difficult to get| | |in the market and to have partial virtualization of the IT department.For this | | |example—and considering the current work market—we will opt to virtualize (for example) | | |only one IT administrator and one DBA; the Help Desk, one IT Administrator, and the IT | | |manager will continue to be physical. By having an SLA with external suppliers and a | | |framework work contract, it will be possible to increase rapidly the IT department or | | |change swiftly the scheme without a great increase in initial costs. It will also be | | |possible to decrease training costs, hiring costs, and so on. | |[pic] | | | | | |Figure 3. Virtual-server scenario | | |   | | |Cost Reduction | | |If we consider the TCO, hiring costs, training costs, an d salaries, we will obtain a cost | | |reduction of approximately 55 percent. | |Cloud Computing | | |Let us take an application that will not be worth having internally, because of the size | | |of the company. For this example, we will use a CRM. Ten CRM licenses will be hired | | |online. In this way, no costs will be associated to the initial licensing, administration | | |training, CRM server deployment, disaster-recovery policies, or anything that pertains to | | |administration of the CRM. | | |Cost Reduction | |Based on online services, there will be a cost reduction of approximately 80 percent—based| | |on 10 licenses, and considering the initial cost of having a server, trained personnel, | | |backup policies, and so on. | | | | | | | | |Financial Benefits of Virtualization | | |. | |â€Å"Leveraging virtual computer environments has increased the opportunities for teaching and| | |learning. This particular solution is cost effective and sustainable in many diffe rent | | |ways. Tech related costs have reduced by a little over $250,000 a year. That is a | | |combination of lower software costs, app software costs, and extending the life of the | | |hardware. That in turn reduces the cost of the hardware by about 35-40% when they do | | |replace it.Computers can be renewed with hardware that is much more cost efficient | | |because it does not need to be the latest and greatest machine. The computers that are | | |replaced cost around $500 or less. | | |IT staff numbers are down, mainly because of a reduction in PC technicians. Everything is | | |moving back towards the data center and, because of the way they implement their | | |environment, every time a user accesses an app or a desktop they are actually accessing a | | |copy of a perfect image.Every time you open up Word it is a brand new fresh copy and when| | |you are done using it that image goes away so you are not really re-using it. SCC does | | |manage their profile information so if they create custom shortcuts it will be applied | | |over that virtual application. This way they still get that customized personalized | | |environment. Pooling resources reduced hardware and software costs while extending the | | |life of current hardware resources. This lowers the school’s total cost of ownership and | | |makes a very significant difference. | | |To read the rest of this report, Desktop Virualization for the Real World, IMF members can| | |log-in | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |   | | |Conclusion | | |The virtualization scenario makes it possible to make structural changes in the IT | | |department with the speed that the market actually needs. | | |We can have strong cost reduction, because with a physical structure, we often do not use | | |all of the resources—hardware, software, employees, and so on—at 100 percent.On the other| | |hand, with virtualization we have the opposite case: We use and push the resource | | |utilizat ion as far as possible, and then we add more resources to virtualize. | | |In our example, we can see the individual cost reduction; if we look at it globally, | | |however, the cost reduction is more significant. | | |   | | |   | |