Matrix for Capstone project Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matrix for Capstone project - Term Paper Example Its experimental approach and clinical set up, however, offers remedies to the weaknesses. Consequently, it can be used to inform a research study or to develop knowledge on operation safety from radiations. The sample consisted of a radiology fellow, who was involved in all of the investigated procedures, and 21 anesthesiology residents. Sixteen of the residents were primary clinicians in single procedures while the remaining five residents were primary clinicians in more than one procedure. The maximum number of procedures for a resident was four. The clinicians had been trained on radiology safety prior to the study. The level of evidence that lack of randomization and control characterizes is a threat to validity and reliability of the study. Another limitation is the small sample size, for a quantitative study. Strengths of the study such as use of laboratory equipments that are accurate and presumed personnel diversity within the facility of study remedies the limitations. The study can, therefore, be used as a source of information for further scientific research and to inform practices in radiology procedures. The study aimed at making a vibro-tactile display and to investigating effectiveness of vibro-tactile display, through â€Å"identification rate, accuracy, response rate, ease of learning, and feedback,† and to compare the display with auditory alarm (p. 1723). The study had multiple purposes that are to explore types of radiation and possible biological effects of radiations, to discuss radiation quantity and units of measurement, and to review measurement of radiation exposure and safe range of exposure. Other objectives were to discuss risk of exposure to pregnancy, measures for mitigating exposure, and to develop knowledge on the ALARA concept. The author does not disclose approach to recruitment an selection of reviewed literature and this could conceal possible bias. Bias in interpretation of reviewed

Life on Earth Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Life on Earth Worksheet Essay Taxa to explore – Elephants. 1. Review terms (write definitions for these terms) Extant Species, families, or groups still in existence Extinct Species, families, or groups no longer in existence, end or died out Genotype Genetic make-up of an organism Phenotype Physical attributes of an organism, observable or measurable traits Synapomorphy Shared characteristic that are inherited from most recent common ancestor Background: There are three extant species of elephant: Elaphas maximus (Asian elephants), Loxodonta africana (African elephants), and Loxodonta cyclotis (African forest elephants). Their taxonomic hierarchy is as follows: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Proboscidea Family: Elephantidae Genus: Elaphas Species: maximus Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Proboscidea Family: Elephantidae Genus: Loxodonta Species: africana Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Proboscidea Family: Elephantidae Genus: Loxodonta Species: cyclotis 2. Collect an image of each species. You will submit these as a part of your assignment. (see full assignment instructions) 3. Looking at these pictures, can you think of any EXTINCT animal or animals that might be a close relative of modern elephants? List it/them below. If you know the scientific name (genus and species) then you can put that. If you aren’t quite sure, just give the common name. Mammoth 4. Now think about EXTANT taxa. Identify 2 animals that you might expect to be the closest LIVING relative to the elephants. List it/them below. If you know the scientific name (genus and species) then you can put that. If you aren’t quite sure, just give the common name. Possible Relative A Possible Relative B Rock Hyrax Manatees 5. For the closest EXTANT relatives, what characteristic(s) of that animal or its habitat led you choose it as â€Å"probable closest relative†? (consider geographic location, size, anatomy, behavior etc). Be specific. Characteristics of Animal A Characteristics of Animal B -found across Africa and the Middle East -typically live in groups -has a prominent pair of long, pointed tusk-like upper incisors -In males, the testes are permanently abdominal -thick, wrinkled skin -Females have two teats, one under each flipper -teeth growing at the rear are continuously replaced throughout life Now to the science – Follow the link below to read about some of the extinct relatives of elephants http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/firstelephants.html 6. How were the phenotypes of ancient proboscideans different from those of extant elephants? The ancient proboscideans differ from those of extant elephants because they have multiple pairs of molars and premolars, they do not possess tusks, and they retain canines on the upper jaw. 7. Based on the information in the web-site, where did the early proboscideans evolve? The early proboscideans evolved from Africa. More derived proboscideans (not ancient, but not extant either) also had a very different geographic distribution than elephants today: http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/extinct_taxa.html http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Elephants/mammoths.html 8. Which localities seem most surprising and why? North and South America because these locations were once abundant with these animals, such as mastodons, while having most of the animals originate from  the other side of the world. 9. Identify 4 synapomorphies that are shared between ALL of these extinct and extant taxa. 1. Tusks 2. Incisors and molar teeth 3. Trunk 4. Four column-like legs Molecular phylogeny In extant species, relationships can also be reconstructed based on DNA Think back to your best guesses of the closest EXTANT relatives of the modern elephants. Look at the .pdf named â€Å"Afrotheria†. The phylogeny described in this paper is based on molecular data (similarities in DNA sequences) 10. Based on that phylogeny, write in the sister taxon (taxon A) to Proboscidea. Give the formal name. Taxon A or Sirenia Proboscidea 11. Write in the taxon (taxon B) that is sister to the clade composed of (Proboscidea + Taxon A). Give formal name Taxon B or Taxon A Proboscidea Hyracoidea 12. Perform an internet search for these two taxa and find out their common names. What are their common names? Describe each.  The common name for Sirenia is Sea Cow. Sea cows are fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that appear fat. They have forelimbs used for steering and a tail used for paddling. The common name for Hyracoidea are hyraxes. Hyraxes are well-furred animals with short tails and have poor internal temperature regulation. What was your thought/reaction upon discovering what these creatures are? My thought reaction was how can animals that look nothing alike be similar to an elephant if they visually look different. Believe it or not, there are morphological (phenotypic) similarities as well as dietary and behavioral similarities between all of these taxa. BEFORE molecular data was available, scientists already suspected that these groups were closely related. The DNA evidence only helped to confirm the relationships. We’ll do more on that in a moment. 13. Search the web to find at least two non-molecular synapomorphies between each of your modern taxa and the elephants: (be specific!) Animal #1 name Rock Hyraxes Rock Hyraxes are furry and have the soles of the feet with large, soft pads that are kept moist. Manatees have paddle like flippers and a snout. Animal #2 name Manatees 14. Which of the features you listed are more likely to survive in the fossil record? Explain why. Most likely to survive in the fossil record is the snout because it consists of the bones of the jaw which are very good for becoming fossils. 15. Which are less likely? Explain why. Less likely are the fur, soft pads at the feet, and the paddle-like flippers because all are more prone to decay rapidly because of being soft structures. The flippers are also more prone to not preserving quickly therefore eaten or broken down by aerobic microbes. Now for molecules: To see the actual molecular data used to create the phylogeny you saw, select the .pdf named â€Å"mammoth and sea cow†. 16. Go to page 409. Dots mean the base pair (A, C, T or G) is the same as is listed in the taxon that’s at the top (this saves ink!). Now compare the sequences for the African elephant and the Asian elephant in just the top row of page 409. How many molecular differences do you see in the sequence shown? There are 8 molecular difference in the sequence. How many molecular differences do you count between the African elephant and the hyrax? There are 11 molecular differences between the African elephant and the hyrax. 17. Based on anatomy alone (without the molecular evidence), would you have guessed that the animals in photos above represented the closest living relatives of elephants? Why or why not? Honestly, based on the anatomy alone, I would not have guessed that the animals represent close relatives of the elephants because of the physical anatomical characteristic they have. Most animals can have similar anatomy with slight differences that contribute to their survival in an environment. Initially, I thought that the animals had similar characteristics only because of natural selection and adaptation of their environment not because  of their common ancestor. This shows how molecular evidence can really help in seeing what animals belong in what lineages.

The Banking Sector Reforms In India Finance Essay

The Banking Sector Reforms In India Finance Essay The banking sector reforms in India are aimed at introduction of best international practices and technological changes for making the Indian banking sector competitive globally. The Indian banking system is more efficient and stable today. Consequently there has been a rapid increase in the number of banks in this country. The banking horizon is changing because of the increasing number of private banks and the foreign banks. Apparently there is a cut throat competition between the banks. New and variety of services are offered by banks which are non-conventional and customized as per the customer requirements. Banks began to diversify their services as part of their corporate strategy to cater to various customer segments. Structure of banking in India The Indian banking system is classified into scheduled and non-scheduled banks. The scheduled banks are then classified as state cooperatives banks and commercial banks. The non-scheduled banks are classified as central cooperative banks and primary credit societies and the commercial banks. Commercial banks are classified in both the scheduled banks as well as the non-scheduled banks. Schedule banks are those which are included in the SECOND SCHEDULE of BANKING REGULATION ACT 1956. To be included in the second schedule a bank Must have paid up capital and reserves of not less than Rs 5 lakhs. It must also satisfy the RBI that its affairs are not conducted in a manner detrimental to the interest of its depositors. File:Scheduled banking structure in India.png RBI(Reserve Bank of India) is the central bank of the country. As the central bank of the country RBI has the power to supervise and control all the banks with the intensions of developing a sound and efficient banking system. It also performs many different developmental and promotional functions. The functions of RBI are as followed: Note issue Bankers bank The central bank Banker to the government Custodian to Foreign Exchange Reserves Management regulation of exchange Credit control Other functions. The Indian banking system has witnessed a substantial improvement in both stability and efficiency parameters such as capital position, asset quality, and overall profitability. There has been a remarkable improvement in the financial health of commercial banking sector. The banking sector reforms have improved the stability of the Indian financial system. PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN INDIA Indicators The performance and the efficiency is analysed in terms of profitability, productivity, financial stability, and quality of assets. The following indicators are used: Profitability indicators: It is measured in terms of net profit of the bank. The interest, non-interest income, and the expenses influence the net profit. Some of the important indicators of profitability are as follows: Interest income as percentage of total assets: Interest income Total assets Higher ratio indicates higher profitability. Interest expended ratio: Interest expenses Total assets Fall in ratio improves the profitability Net Interest Margin(NIM): interest income à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ interest expenses Total assets A fall in NIM indicates the need to reorient the banks policies. Intermediation Cost of Assets Ratio (ICAR): Non-interest expenses Total assets Lower the ratio higher the efficiency. Overhead Efficiency(Burden)Ratio: Non-interest income Non-interest expenses Higher ratio indicates lower profitability. Returns on Assets(RoA): Net profit Total Assets High RoA indicates better deployment of funds. Return on Equity(RoE): Net profit Total Equity RoE will help the banks to access new capital. Capital markets indicators: The capital market indicator is based on the EPS and P/E ratio. Productivity Indicators: productivity indicators are generally analysed in terms of: Profits per employee Business per employee Financial Soundness: Financial soundness is reflected by the Capital Adequacy Ratio. CAR: Total capital RWAs RWAs: Risk Weighted Assets Higher the ratio better is the sustenance of the banks. Asset Quality: The quality of assets in the bank is shown by the level of non-performing assets (NPAs). Lower the ratio better is the asset quality. The 2 ratios used are: Ratio of gross NPAs to gross advances. Ratio of net NPAs to net advances. 11 The above graph has the data of the gross NPAs of the banks. The X axis depicts the years and the Y axis depicts the percentage. The red dotted line is for the Gross NPAs and the blue dotted line is for the Gross advances. Looking at the graph we can confidently state that the Gross NPAs are increasing whereas the Gross advances are decreasing since 2010-11. PERORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS, NEW PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS, AND FOREIGN BANKS IN INDIA The comparative performance of public sector banks, new private sector banks, and foreign banks is explained below for the recent years http://stockshastra.moneyworks4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Indian-Banking-Industry-Statistics.png Productivity and profitability of banks: Productivity is directly related to profitability. It is analysed in terms of business per employee and business per branch. Business per employee: The business per employee in the public sector banks has increased from Rs 471.18 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs1013.63 lakhs in 2011-12. But is still low as compared to foreign banks. The business per employee for foreign banks has showed a tremendous increase from Rs974.77 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs1559.74 lakhs in 2011-12. The business per employee for the private banks has also increased from Rs695.23 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs823.26 lakhs in 2011-12. Profit per employee: The profits per employee are the highest in foreign banks followed by new private sector banks in 2011-12. Per employee profit was Rs 16.3 lakhs in foreign bank, Rs 8.1 lakhs in new private sector banks and Rs 5.93 lakhs in public sector banks in 2011-12. Interest income: The interest income of public sector banks, new private sector banks and foreign banks showed an increase to Rs366318, Rs 96827 and Rs 28520 respectively in 2011-12. Interest expended ratio: The interest expended ratio same as interest income has showed an increase for all the banks in 2011-12. The figures are Rs231153 lakhs, Rs57115 lakhs, Rs10622 lakhs. Financial Soundness: The CAR(Capital Adequacy Ratio) is the most important indicator of financial soundness of banks. The capital to risk weighted assets ratio is shown is the figure below. The CRAR of public sector banks has been between 12 and 15 percent. The old private sector had CRAR lying between 12 and 15 percent. The new private sector had CRAR of more 15 percent. It goes the same with the foreign banks for the year ending in March 2012. 9 Asset Quality: the asset quality of a bank is shown by level of non-performing assets (NPAs). Better quality of assets is the indicator of efficiency. There is a vast improvement in the efficiency of Indian banks. B1 The NPAs as percentage of Average Total Assets are increasing marginally in 2011-12. The NPA of foreign banks rose from 0.8 in 2009-10 to 1.4 in 2010-11 to 1.6 in 2011-12. The new private sector banks showed an increase from 1.1 in 2009-10 to 1.2 in 2010-11 to 1.3 in 2011-12 approximately. The old private sector banks has shown an increase but less as compared to the other banks. The national banks have shown a gradual decrease in the NPAs since 2009-10 to 2011-12. Customer services: In order to ease customer access to banking facilities, Indian banks have begun offering bouquet of financial services to their clients. The number of branches proving CORE BANKING SOLUTION (CBS) is increasing tremendously. Under CBS a number of services are provided such as ANYWHERE BANKING. The number branches of PSBs that have implemented CBS increase from 35464 in March 31, 2008 to 46304 in March 31, 2011. ATMs The banks are providing more and more ATM facilities to the customers. The foreign banks and new private sector banks are the larger contributors in this. http://www.isrj.net/PublishArticles/img/306_2.gif The above graph is for the year 2008-09. The highest number of ATMs is provided by the state banks but on-site. The highest number of ATMs provided off-site is by the foreign banks. NEW TECHNOLOGY IN BANKING The banks in India are using Information Technology (IT) not only to improve their own internal process but also to increase the facilities and services to their customers. Computerization has taken place all over India. The only motive is to bring banking at the fingertips of the customers and employees. THE DIFFERENT FACILITIES PROVIDED ARE: Virtual banking ATMS Debit Cards Credit cards Point of Sales(PoS) Door step banking Internet banking Mobile banking Telebanking Phone banking Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Electronic Clearing Services (ECS) Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) REFRENCING http://ebookbrowse.com/t-y-b-com-paper-iii-business-economics-eng-pdf-d419151576 http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu/54/ http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/e/Economy_of_India.htm https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:QUJlL6E5-TAJ:ijimt.org/papers/140-M582.pdf+hl=engl=ukpid=blsrcid=ADGEESjYSzZ1KSelInYi2gBvlRjTk0WyxRsdcYOCBvBaopI7N3pzl8naPA62sFiG0tfzK2x-ZKiVFyysLZhluPTr3O5WorzEXuj_Sn-X6CV1dQ8dqEo1UDv64oMzU7s_i2pw0XNURAnasig=AHIEtbRvIWrXt8CCpGACZrevqopfbX1i4Q http://stockshastra.moneyworks4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Indian-Banking-Industry-Statistics.png http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/studies_survey/banking_systemsurvey.pdf http://www.theinternationaljournal.org/ojs/index.php?journal=rjcbspage=articleop=viewpath[]=488 http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/Indian%20Banks-Note%28Revised%29.pdf http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/IBS%20-%20FY11%20Perf.pdf http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=14629 Business Economics 3 by Johnson, Mascarenhas, and Chatterjee. The institute of chartered accountancy (India) http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=ensa=Xtbo=dbiw=1366bih=630tbm=ischtbnid=-qRyMTq-g80w5M:imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banking_in_Indiadocid=RGeL8hvEN_HioMimgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/NUMBER_OF_ATM.png/220px-NUMBER_OF_ATM.pngw=220h=169ei=xBvwUKiVCpS20QWhmoHYAgzoom=1iact=hcvpx=859vpy=12dur=180hovh=135hovw=176tx=61ty=46sig=115207852604614094774page=4tbnh=135tbnw=176start=72ndsp=25ved=1t:429,r:76,s:0,i:316

Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s first proposals to Elizabeth. How do they :: Free Essay Writer

Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s first proposals to Elizabeth. How do they style and the content of the proposals reflect on how these three characters are portrayed in the rest of the novel. In what ways are attitudes to marriage different from today? Pride and Prejudice =================== Compare and contrast of Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s first proposals to Elizabeth. How do they style and the content of the proposals reflect on how these three characters are portrayed in the rest of the novel. In what ways are attitudes to marriage different from today? Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ reveals the importance of social status and how marriages affected women at that time. The book opens with the words, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’ This implies that the chief interest in the book will be marriage. The main character is Elizabeth Bennet who, unlike Charlotte Lucas, does not want to marry only for a comfortable and to avoid the stigma of not being married, but also for love. There is a big contrast between Mr Collins’ and Darcy’s proposal and give us insight into these three character. Mr. Collins is a figure of comedy in this novel. He is described as ‘not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society’. He speaks in a very formal way indeed. He is a picture of ‘pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility’ At Longbourn having been told that Jane was likely to marry Mr. Bingley, Mr. Collins decides to propose to Elizabeth Bennet, ‘having no feelings of diffidence’ with ‘all his solemn composure’ because he supposes this is only a ‘regular part of business’. First, he asks for a private conversation with Elizabeth. Before Elizabeth has met Mr. Collins, she was ‘chiefly struck with his extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine de Bourgh’, but after she sees him, her dislike towards Collins is even stronger. At the Netherfield ball, Mr. Collins requests the first two dances with Elizabeth that let her feel ‘herself completely taken in’. In the meantime, she also realizes that her mother is planning a marriage for her, but she has never expected this proposal. Therefore, this proposal gives Elizabeth ‘a blush of surprise’. She immediately tries to avoid for not having a private conversation with Mr. Collins and says ‘I am going away myself’ which shows she wants to escape from the embarrassment. However, her mother insists upon Elizabeth ‘staying and hearing Mr. Collins’’.

Police culture

Police Culture Number 8 powerpoint (Definition)The knowledge, attitudes, expectations, behaviours and rituals that exist amongst police, or which more broadly, characterize a police force. Police Culture affects: how police see themselves and their role as police how they see the world around them, how they police (how policing is performed). Differences exist within and between police cultures. Police officers, as individuals, will not all equally adopt or adhere to the dominant police culture. Police culture cannot be divorced from the social, political, economic, legal and organizational context of policing. Police cultures can change.Police Culture: Characteristics Sense of Mission: the thin blue line' A crucial, dangerous but thankless Job ,Not Just a Job, but a way of life0 Policing thought of as protecting the weak from the strong (not at all political, relating to power within society). o ‘Us versus them' mentality evident Law enforcers and law abiders versus law breake rs Action Orientated: ‘Real Policing' Emphasis on ‘real policing as that which occurs in the public sphere and which involves dangerous or potentially dangerous situations and confrontations. ?(ie. responding to reports of rime, raids, shoot outs, car pursuits and so on).Greatest status attached to Homicide Squads and Tactical Response Units. Cynicism and Pragmatism Required to obey law, yet see law as limiting and naive Must go beyond the law, to do their Job and get results. Favour expedience over due process These characteristics of police culture have been related to various negative behaviours: Unlawful detentiono- The improper use of force0- Breaches of proper interview processes – Corruptiono- Dismissal of some crimes/victimso- Commission of some offences Isolation and Solidarity Feel different from other people based on work and work-related xperiences.Sense of isolation intensified by problems socializing with non-police due to others reactions, difficult ies turning off, shift work. Closest bonds forged with other police Very loyal to, and protective of, other officers MasculinistDominance of masculinist perspectives and practices. Reiner has described police culture as an ‘old – Ofashioned world of machismo'. ‘Real policing' associated with confrontation, physical strength, danger Male-dominated composition of police forces has contributed to this. Racism Widely documented evidence of suspicion, hostility and rejudice in police dealings with racial and ethnic minorities.Evidenced in well- known instances (ie. Rodney King) through to everyday policing practices. Once again partly attributable to historical composition of police forces. Also relates to their role acting on behalf of states to administer racially- Obased laws and policies (segregation, removal of indigenous children). 7. Conservatismo Social and politically conservative. Emphasis upon maintaining the status quo. Once again, partly a consequence of h istorical composition and role of police Approaches to policing and the community Number 9 Traditional Policing- (as developed with rise of modern police forces).Community Policing (developed over past 30, largely in response to concerns raised over the methods and outcomes ot traditional policing. ) Traditional Policing: Police seen as separate from the community ,Role of the police is to respond to crime. ,Police effectiveness is measured by changes in crime rates and arrest rates. Concerned primarily with the policing of public sphere, rather than private sphere. Use of force is viewed as legitimate and necessary to Opreservation of order – militarization of police over past 40 y ears with rise of law and order.Community Policing The development of community policing was based upon recognition that a lack of familiarity and respect between police and specific communities sometimes resulted in negative and repressive policing practices being used, and the fostering of mutua l suspicion and antagonism between police and communities. Young people? gays and lesbians, indigenous people, ethnic and racial minorities recognized as particularly affected. What is Community Policing? No universally accepted definition of community policing.As an approach to policing, it can best be described as onsisting of a broad range of strategies designed to improve policing by connecting police more closely to local communities and supporting relationships. Includes programs such as: 0 Neighbourhood Watch 0 Crime Stoppers00 Blue-light Discos School Education Programs Development of specific community policing units The appointment of Liaison Officers (such as: YLOs /0MLOs ) and committees involving police and community members . Formalised relationships with other community agencies0(for example, sexual assault and domestic violence services, ambulance services, welfare service).Reform of procedures for dealing with some types of ffences – SOCIT (Secual Offences an d Child Abuse Investigation Teams Increased police presence, visibility and availability (for example, police on bicycles, shop fronts) Use of media to involve public in policing and crime prevention Police organising and hosting activities and programs – particularly for young people (such as the Ropes Program) Police learning and demonstrating the ‘art of negotiation' with difficult groups Police taking a more gentle/balanced approach to policing Community Policing Compared to the traditional approach to policing, community policing Aims to be more pro-active and pre-emptive. More concerned with peacekeeping and conflict resolution than crime fighting0 Based on complexities of local context and on building relationships Envisages police as part of the community and as needing to be responsive and answerable to it. Police Culture Police Culture in the United States Team B: Sean Milton, Shane Hunter, Joshua Nine, Tim Eichler, and Jason Fougere CJA/214 November 20, 2012 Bernard Fitchpatrick Needs to be 1,050-1400 words Police Culture in the United States Analyze police culture, including the significance of stress in policing The study in police culture started in 1960 and the 1970’s by the work of Cain and Banton in the United Kingdom and Skolnick and Westlesy in the United States.Even though the study work wasn’t specifically concerned with police culture but rather sociological analysis of police officer and police work, it provided a wealth of material through the observation and analysis that was then later used to help formulate the theories of police culture. The characteristics of police culture have tended to remain static since the early days when first police researching program started. The literature on the police culture remained uncontenious for many years.Once the research started the results were rarely challenged and it is in only recent years that anyone has begun to see a body of work that is questioning these ‘core assumptions’ (Chan, 1997) about policing that has emanated from a culture analysis. It makes the police more then rather than less human than they have and reproduce their own culture. The police officer job is a very stressful job in many aspects, the occupational stressors as a cop rank most highly within the population were not specific to policing.The organization issues such as the demands of work impinging upon the life at home, lack of consultation and communication, the lack of control over workload, and the support and excess workload in general. The most recent study confirms previous findings of organization culture and workload as the key issues in officer stress. Given that the degree that symptomatology appears to be worsening, management action is required. Further research is indicated within the police population into a possible increased susceptibility in female officer proven by research.Analyze the culture for women and ethnic minorities in policing and how they can achieve equality in law enforcement Describe the internal and external mechanisms that control police discretion Conclusion * References * Grant, H. B. & Terry, K. J. 2012. Law Enforcement in the 21st Century, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson/Prentice Hall. * Walker, S. & Katz, C. M. 2011. The Police in America: An Introduction, 7th ed. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill. * University of Phoenix. (2011). CJ Interactive [Multimedia]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, CJA214 website. * * * * Police Culture Police Culture in the United States Team B: Sean Milton, Shane Hunter, Joshua Nine, Tim Eichler, and Jason Fougere CJA/214 November 20, 2012 Bernard Fitchpatrick Needs to be 1,050-1400 words Police Culture in the United States Analyze police culture, including the significance of stress in policing The study in police culture started in 1960 and the 1970’s by the work of Cain and Banton in the United Kingdom and Skolnick and Westlesy in the United States.Even though the study work wasn’t specifically concerned with police culture but rather sociological analysis of police officer and police work, it provided a wealth of material through the observation and analysis that was then later used to help formulate the theories of police culture. The characteristics of police culture have tended to remain static since the early days when first police researching program started. The literature on the police culture remained uncontenious for many years.Once the research started the results were rarely challenged and it is in only recent years that anyone has begun to see a body of work that is questioning these ‘core assumptions’ (Chan, 1997) about policing that has emanated from a culture analysis. It makes the police more then rather than less human than they have and reproduce their own culture. The police officer job is a very stressful job in many aspects, the occupational stressors as a cop rank most highly within the population were not specific to policing.The organization issues such as the demands of work impinging upon the life at home, lack of consultation and communication, the lack of control over workload, and the support and excess workload in general. The most recent study confirms previous findings of organization culture and workload as the key issues in officer stress. Given that the degree that symptomatology appears to be worsening, management action is required. Further research is indicated within the police population into a possible increased susceptibility in female officer proven by research.Analyze the culture for women and ethnic minorities in policing and how they can achieve equality in law enforcement Describe the internal and external mechanisms that control police discretion Conclusion * References * Grant, H. B. & Terry, K. J. 2012. Law Enforcement in the 21st Century, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson/Prentice Hall. * Walker, S. & Katz, C. M. 2011. The Police in America: An Introduction, 7th ed. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill. * University of Phoenix. (2011). CJ Interactive [Multimedia]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, CJA214 website. * * * *

Miles And Taroom Home Care Service Social Work Essay Essay Example

Miles And Taroom Home Care Service Social Work Essay Essay Example Miles And Taroom Home Care Service Social Work Essay Essay Miles And Taroom Home Care Service Social Work Essay Essay Miles, a rural town, 300 km north-west of Brisbane is home to1164 people . ( The University of Queensland Australia ) . The Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) is funded by the Commonwealth and State and operates under the auspice of the Miles and District Health Service ( Qld Health/hospital ) to supply Domestic Assistance to people who live in the Miles and Taroom territory of the Northern Downs part of Queensland. Domestic Assistance includes family undertakings like cleansing, rinsing, pressing and shopping. Domestic Aid does non include aid with external to the house undertakings. Servicess provided by the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) like all other Home and Community Care ( HACC ) services in Queensland must run into the demands of the HACC National Service Standards. Presently, 96 clients receive Domestic Assistance and all pay a little fee for this service. Other HACC funded services in this territory include Meals on Wheels, Home Maintenance and Respite each provided through other community administrations in the Miles and Taroom territory. Methodology The method used for this survey was evaluation . This method of research provided a footing for finding if the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( ( MTHCS ) followed prescribed processs that meet the needed results of four ( 4 ) HACC National Service Standards. The method used for informations aggregation included: Informal interview between research worker and the Coordinator of the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) Anecdotal grounds resourced from Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) client and informal carer The method used to analyze informations included: A comparing of HACC National Service Standards required consumer results and how the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) provides aid to run into the HACC National Service Standards required consumer results Consequences of Findingss Evaluation of the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) determined that this service is able to consistently run into all four ( 4 ) HAAC National Service Standard outcomes for consumers. Documentary Evidence ( informant 1 ) and anecdotal grounds ( informant 2 ) supports that the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service ( MTHCS ) and the consumer both understand and construe the four ( 4 ) HAAC National Service Standard in a similar mode. The consumer clearly understands the importance of how Access to service, Information and Consultation, Efficient and Effective Management and Privacy, Confidentiality and Access to Personal Information impacts on the Domestic Assistance they receive. The Service Provider, the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service besides recognise the importance of supplying a Domestic Service to its consumers that ensures choice service. Informal interviews with both the Coordinator of this service and the consumer provided penetration into the positive relationship that exists between both parties. Through positive battle by both parties, this has ensured that the consumer is safe in the cognition that their attention demands will be met and that they are able to show concerns in relation to their attention without fright of reprisal. As a member of this community, personal observation supports that community battle and coaction on the portion of the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service has enabled this service to work cohesively alongside other community attention services in this territory. This ensures that consumers are provided with options for services that the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service do non supply. ( Informant 3 ) The Miles and Taroom Home Care Service was late nominated and won the Carers Queensland Regina Carer Friendly Business Award , this farther supports committedness to quality of service. Discussion Standard 1 Entree to Service [ To guarantee that each consumer s entree to a service is decided merely on the footing of comparative demand ] ( Home and Community Care ) Consumer Results: Formal appraisal occurs for each consumer. Consumers are allocated available resources harmonizing to prioritised demand. Entree to services by consumers with particular demands is decided on a non-discriminatory footing. Consumers in reception of other services are non discriminated in having extra services. Consumers who reapply for services are assessed with demands being prioritised . ( Home and Community Care ) Service Interpretation: To enable entree to service and run into consumer outcomes the followers is an illustration of schemes used by MTHCS: Formal Assessment utilizing Ongoing Needs Identification ( ONI ) is conducted to find eligibility and demands of consumer. Battle and coaction with Indigenous Health Worker Engagement in continuum Care meeting Discharge planning Consumers receive Client Information Kit ( Informant 1 ) Client Interpretation: This service provides aid with day-to-day jobs so I can stay life in my place. ( Informant 2 ) Standard 2 Information and Consultation [ To guarantee that each consumer is informed about his or her rights and duties and the services available, and consulted about any alterations required ] ( Home and Community Care ) Consumer results: 2.1 Consumers are cognizant of their rights and duties 2.2 Consumers are cognizant of services available 2.3 Consumers are informed of the footing of service proviso, including alterations that may happen ( Home and Community Care ) Service Interpretation: Clients of this service have a right to be informed about the services available to them and their rights as a service consumer. Following are illustrations of how consumer results are met by MTHCS . ( Informant 1 ) Home Care Newsletters Qld Health esteeming your Privacy booklet Chinchilla News advertizement Qld Health Consumers missive alterations missive ( Informant 1 ) Client Interpretation: I am entitled to cognize about what aid I can acquire and what my rights are. ( Informant 2 ) Standard 3 Efficient and Effective Management [ To guarantee that consumers receive the benefit of well-planned, efficient and accountable direction ] ( Home and Community Care ) 3.1 Consumers receive appropriate services provided through the procedures of ongoing planning, monitoring and rating of services. 3.2 Consumers receive services from bureaus that adhere to accountable direction patterns. 3.3 Consumers receive services from suitably skilled staff . ( Home and Community Care ) Service Interpretation: That MTHCS supply a flexible, planned and coordinated service which is crystalline and ensures all service proviso in provided by suitably skilled staff . ( Informant 1 ) An illustration of how consumer results are met includes: Client satisfaction study Certificate of engagement HACC A ; National Service Standards Qld Health Recruitment A ; Selection HR Policy ELMO Training Modules Education log bood Qld Health Shared Service Partner Criminal History cheque place page ( Informant 1 ) Client Interpretation: That the Miles and Taroom Home Care Service is above board and the carer s that aid me are decently trained. ( Informant 2 ) Standard 6 Privacy, Confidentiality and Access to Personal Information [ To guarantee that each consumer has entree to fair and just processs for covering with ailments and differences ] ( Home and Community Care ) 6.1 Consumers are cognizant of the ailments procedure. 6.2 Each consumer s ailment about a service, or entree to a service is dealt with reasonably, quickly, confidentially and without requital. 6.3 Servicess are modified as a consequence of upheld ailments. 6.4 Each consumer receives aid, if requested to assist with the declaration of struggle about a service that arises between the frail aged . ( Home and Community Care ) Service Interpretation: Every client of MTHCS has the right to give honest feedback about the service they are having without fright of losing the service or holding it reduced and the right to privateness and confidentiality and to entree information about themselves that is recorded in bureau files . ( Informant 1 ) Examples of how MTHCS run into consumer results include: Case Notes template Qld Health Home Care Services Client Consent Form Feedback Form Have Your Say Flow chart Ailments Procedure Queensland Aged and Disability Advocacy ( QADA ) information bundle and newssheet ( Informant 1 ) Client Interpretation: If I am non happy with my service I can kick and cognize that my service will non be cut and that it will be kept confidential and that the staff will help me to do things better . ( Informant 2 ) Decision Most people want to populate in their ain place, but some frail older people and people with a disablement can happen this hard without support. Home and Community Care services like that in the Miles and Taroom territory drama an of import function in enabling independency and supply a much needed interruption for informal carers. Furthermore, this rural community in Queensland understands that coaction and battle between consumer, service supplier, stakeholder and community is the foundation of supplying a quality service that meets client demands and ensures consumer results.

Crossing the Frontier Essays

Crossing the Frontier Essays Crossing the Frontier Essay Crossing the Frontier Essay Katherine Meyer stood in the doorway of what once was her beautiful 18th century town house. The hard struggle of six years of war had reduced her home to little more than a skeleton of its former self. Her threadbare kitchen had no roof. The window frames still stood, but the glass had long since been blown out. The lack of heating made the house deathly cold, as if trying to replicate the atmosphere outside. She stood in the alcove and surveyed the desolate landscape that once was bustling Berlin. She used to complain about the amount of noise and traffic that passed her house every morning; she used to detest the loud waiters and musicians that played in the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s on the pavement.That was such a long time ago now, long replaced by the dead, crumbling city that lay before her. Death was so apparent here, it hit Katherine in the face every time she looked out at her town. Derelict buildings lined every potholed street, many without roofs or floors. Sometimes Katherine wou ld stumble upon a house completely intact by the chaos surrounding it, and it would remind Katherine of a happier time. But as soon as she looked around again she would sink further into the depression of war. She could not remember the last time she had slept throughout the night, as the relentless pounding of shells and incessant chattering of gunfire resounded throughout Berlin, penetrating even the thickest walls.Katherine Meyer had heard that the Soviets had arrived two days ago, which was now obvious as the amount of shelling and gunfire had increased tenfold. All of her friends had left Berlin years ago to seek safety in the countryside, but Katherines seriously ill father had kept her in Berlin. She had not heard any news of her father since the Soviets had captured that area of Berlin, and she feared the worst. She realised, standing in the doorway of her home, that if she intended to leave Berlin alive, then she must leave straight away. No news from her father in this cas e meant bad news, and she wasnt going to stay in Berlin to find out. Remaining in the city meant certain death. She ran upstairs, and changed into her khaki clothes that she had stowed away. She quickly filled a small bag with what remaining food and water she had left. As she stepped out onto the street, its surface scarred by years of warfare, she realised that Berlin was surrounded, and the only way she was going to get out was to go straight through the Soviet lines. She was either going to get out of Berlin or die trying.She walked swiftly, for she dreaded the sound of an oncoming shell or the sound of a Soviet tank coming in her direction. Unfortunately she knew much more than she should about how to keep out of the way of enemy fire. Her plan was to try and cross the Soviet lines at its narrowest point, which she thought would be the eastern side of Berlin. She paced down side streets and alleyways, following a map she had carefully drawn in her head. She turned into the Bà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ckerstraà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e, famous for being the street with the best bakery in Berlin. She rounded the corner and stopped in horror. What yesterday evening had been a prospering, ambitious, family run business was now a pile of rubble. The wooden sign that read Bà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ckerei lay amongst the carnage, broken in half, reminding passers by of what might have been. She knew all too well what would have happened to the baker and his wife, and shuddered with dread at the thought. The rubble itself was blocking the road, rising about five feet in the air, and was impassable. Katherine went to turn the other way, and came face to face with a Soviet soldier.Katherines first instinct was to turn and run, attempt to scramble over the remains of the bakery. However, she noticed that the Soviets left hand was firmly in his pocket, as if he was clutching onto something. A gun, Katherine thought. She stood in silence, facing him, a thousand scenarios racing inside her head, trying to thi nk of a way out. Just as she was about to say something, the Soviet soldier went to speak. Katherine closed her eyes. To her sheer amazement, he started to sing. He was more shouting than singing, and Katherine quickly realised he was drunk. He was gently swaying from side to side, as if he no longer had full command over his legs.He suddenly pulled his hand from his pocket, and Katherines heart stopped. Drunk men could be very unpredictable. In a split second he had pulled an object from his pocket, and raised it to Katherine. Her heart skipped a beat. Her mouth went dry. She risked a glance at the object being pointed at her and relief flowed through her veins. She saw it was a flask. He raised it to her and then to his lips. Katherine seized the opportunity and shoved him, pushed him as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards, tripped over a slab of concrete and lay motionless on the floor. Knocked out. Katherine quickly stepped over him and ran.She ran for a full twenty minutes , across the barren streets of Berlin. She knew she was running east, and the gunfire was becoming louder. She thought she was not far from the Soviet lines. She continued in the same direction for another few hundred metres, and then turned off into an alleyway in the hope of avoiding some of the Soviet forces. Katherine noticed a washing line hanging across the alley, clothes dripping with water, immune from the war that raged so near. She noticed a young boy, nine or ten years old, motioning to her. He was wearing an old grey jumper, and blue trousers that were extremely ripped and dirty. His face, too, had smears of mud on it, his blonde hair stuck to his forehead. Katherine looked into his eyes, grey and listless, eyes that had seen things far worse than a ten-year-old should.He could see she was lost and shaken, and quickly lead Katherine into a dilapidated house. He ran up the stairs and onto the roof, where Katherine was presented with a clear view of what was left of Berlin . Her suppositions had been correct, for she was now only a mile from the Soviet lines. The boy was alone, and she could see that he, too, was frightened. She realised that a young woman and her son would look far less suspicious trying to leave Berlin than a young woman alone. She would not attract as much attention to herself. Above all, she wanted to help the helpless young boy that was standing in front of her. She grabbed his hand, dirty and hot, and told him to lead her towards the Soviet lines. He understood the plan, and started to lead her back down the stairs and onto the streets.Katherine approached the mass of Soviet soldiers with extreme caution, keeping her head down. She told the young boy to do the same, and to avoid eye contact with any soldier. The further through the throng of soldiers they went, the tighter they gripped each others hand. They picked their way through potholes, campfires, tents and dancing Soviet soldiers, many of whom, Katherine noticed, were dru nk. The smell of alcohol was strong in the air. Suddenly, the young boy stumbled, his tired legs faltering for a single moment. He fell at the feet of a Soviet, who instantly recognised him as a German. Katherine pulled him up, and clamped a hand in his shoulder. She stared at the Soviet, and he stared back. She saw kindness in his eyes, and he smiled at her. He moved aside, and let them pass. She was eternally grateful to him, even though she would never see the soldier again.They carried on walking for another three or four miles, until they came to a bridge. Katherine decided to stop for a moment, and dangle her legs into the refreshingly ice cold water that flowed below. The young boy scuttled off under the bridge, noticing something hidden in the tall grass. With all the strength he could muster he pulled out a rusty bicycle, with two flat tires and no saddle. She smiled, and then she laughed. She hugged the young boy.

Spain and the Marshall Plan essays

Spain and the Marshall Plan essays The leader of the Nationalist forces, General Franco, headed the authoritarian regime that was in power in Spain after the Civil War (May, 1978). Francisco Franco became a general in 1926 and in 1934 became the commander of the Spanish army. Two years later, he led a revolt against the elected government of Spain. That revolt turned into the Spanish Civil War, which he won with the help of Hitler and Mussolini. After winning the war, Franco became leader of the now one-party Spain, which he ruled until his death. Franco's dictatorship caused Spain to lose out on foreign aid from the United States after World War IIa loss that cost Spain a great deal. Until he died in 1975, Franco ruled Spain " by the grace of God," as his supporters proclaimed (May, 1978, p. 142). In addition to being the tyrannical head of the armed forces, he was also chief of state and head of government, the ultimate source of legitimate authority. He reserved the power to appoint and to dismiss ministers and other major decision makers. Franco's life was spent as a professional soldier, and his conception of society showed this. Famous for his iron political nerve, Franco believed that he was the one designated to save Spain from the chaos and instability caused by parliamentary democracy and political parties, which he blamed for ruining the unity of Spain. His main goal was to maintain power in order to keep what he termed the "anti-Spain" forces from gaining power. He ruled Spain for nearly 40 years, managing to stay in power only because his nation was suppressed and in fear of him. The Spanish Falangist administration, both for its foreign policy during the war and for its human rights record, was unpopular abroad (Garza, 1987). In 1946 the United Nations (UN) called on Spain's representatives to withdraw their ambassadors from Madrid; Spain was not included in the list of countries that w...

Research Methodology and methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research Methodology and methods - Essay Example Since this disorder has no scientifically proven single kind of a treatment for cure, the treatment for this disorder must specially aim towards being especially adaptable for meeting the needs of each individual child with disorder (Myers, Johnson, and Council on Children with Disabilities, 2007). In the past few decades, the UK government has largely focused on the inclusive mode of education to facilitate the process of social adjustment for children with any form of disorder including autism (Broach, Chalmers, Laurance, McKay, McKenzie, and Mustapha, 2004). This has been acheived chiefly through an emphasis on creating more mainstream schools that are inclusive in nature, where students of all kind (with special needs or otherwise) are made apart of the general stream and studies and provided for accordingly (Wilkinson and Twist, 2010). This paper will deal with this topic of educational system for boys with autism in Saudi Arabia, based on guidelines framed by the UK government for the British system of education. Methodology Any research work is actually a procedure of various systemic enquiries on a certain chosen problem that ultimately leads to the conception of new knowledge on that particular subject (Graziano & Raulin, 2009, 26). Since my topic is chiefly based on the autism and relevant suitable modes of education for autistic children, it deals with the problem seen in the modern mode of education that tends to differentiate between general students and special needs children. It will thus be a ‘systematic inquiry whose objective is to provide the information that will allow†¦problems to be solved’ (Blumberg, Cooper, and Schindler, 2005, 20). Here the problem is related to the education processes used for imparting education to the children with disorders (autism), where we find that under the traditional mode of education special needs children are provided with a different form of education thus segregating them form the genera l students. This leads to later maladjustment by the children with disorders, to the normal social and workplace environment. While some countries have recently started focusing on the inclusive mode of education, there are problems arising in this new mode of education too, where the general educators cannot meet the demands of teaching general students and special needs children, under one classroom setting. In order to arrive at a workable solution for the above stated problem issues, my paper will follow the research process methodology as outlined by Graziano & Raulin, which is represented in the flow chart given below in Fig 1. Their procedure is bases on observation and rationalism, or reasoning through analysis. Here the whole systemic enquiry starts with the generation of idea (the management question), which is often initiated through personal experiences (me being an avid internet user) or other’s research work (studying books, magazines or articles on the subject of web marketing and the social media platform). Once the problem has been defined and the research questions framed, the procedure design starts. Under this section many journals, books, articles, and governmental publications, will be studied to comprehend the meaning of autism, and the types of educational modes that are suitable for imparting effective education to the special needs children. Various data will be collected and analyzed from the different governmental (UK) websites to understand the scope and nature of inclusive mode of education, and also the nature of the various problems faced by the general educa

Report assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Report assignment - Essay Example Finally, some recommendations will be presented towards the end of the report. 2. Can IS Save the Public Services a. Topic Overview The topic of the lecture was quite interesting and catches the attention of listener instantly. Moreover the facts and examples given during the course of presentation were closely connected to the public interest. Generic conclusions were drawn about various aspects of the public Information Systems towards the end of the lecture. The lecture was formatted as a combination of presentation with background audio of the presenter. The topic actually talks about the development of Information systems in public domain and the value they deliver to the public. The lecturer has also pointed out some important methods for decision maker to ensure attainment of perceived value from public Information Systems. b. Level and Amount of Information The topic of the presentation was generic in nature and therefore amount and level of information can be questioned. The re were several aspects of the public information systems that could be discussed but were not covered in the presentation. This gives a feel of incompleteness and deficiency of the information on the given topic. The issue further highlighted the knowledge gape and lack of preparations. Even the lecturer did not clearly mention the scope of his presentation in the beginning. There logical development of the ideas was not of high standard and it seems that topic was beefed up with material from here and there to make a point. The speaker initially talked about the area where information systems are implemented in public sector but the list of these sectors was not comprehensive and only pointed out some major areas. Then speaker straightway jumped to the discussion on how these systems were outsourced and what problems were faced by the commissioning authority and the outsourced company. Here the speaker concluded that the bidding process is not a correct procedure for outsourcing i nformation systems development in public sector. The bidders try to bid at lowest rate to win the bid, later he find it hard to fulfill the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and the either he quits or public could not get the value out of the system it was conceived with. This was followed by an appropriate example of a private firm EDS who suffered a more than12 billion lose on this account. An interesting comparison was drawn on how much the information system differs depending on the organizational structure of the department commissioning these systems. (Chris, 2010) c. Organization of Information There is enough room for improvement in the organization of information and we can note many inaccuracies in the presentation. On a slide with the title of â€Å"Can we look abroad for help† there was no discussion on external bidders for the development of information systems. Some slide looked a little crowded and packet. It was quite difficult for the audience to read the data at these slides and to focus on what the speaker was talking about. Moreover, reading text was not helpful in getting to the point what the lecturer was trying to deliver. Often reading the text at the slide resulted in mismatch of the point being talked about. d. Presentation Skills Beyond the contents of the lecture, the presentation and delivery of the contents was not professionally elevated. In the opening of the lecture there were few unrecognizable voices and audience could see the first slide of the presentation

Case for servise marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case for servise marketing - Research Paper Example As discussed in the case study that APM grew due to its franchising strategy which not only involved direct franchising but also through Master Franchising. Thus the overall expansion strategy for the business has remained focused on the development of regional franchisees who can deliver the services according to the demand from a particular geographical area in which they can deliver them effectively. APM tend to advertise the franchising opportunities in the local newspapers and other media to attract the potential franchisee. This was achieved through advertisements as well as the word of mouth also. One of the key criteria used by APM to recruit new franchisee was to observe the behavior and attitude of the person willing to apply for the franchise. One of the tasks involved was to assess the willingness of the person to show closer association with dogs. Since APM was mobile services provider for dog washing therefore it was considered as essential that the persons must have so me degree of association with pets and specially dogs. This was also important because the PEOPLE element is considered as one of the key variables in the overall integrated services marketing mix. While recruiting the new franchisee, APM therefore gave a lot of weightage to the people element besides ensuring that processes are performed in accordance with the laid down criteria. This was also duly supported by the subsequent training and development of the franchisees in order to ensure that those who are hired have the requisite degree of knowledge and expertise in delivering the services. Having a relative degree of education, up to 10th grade, was another task involved in ensuring that the franchisee actually can handle the business aspects of delivering the services too. This task again can be considered as a focused approach to offer the franchise only to those individuals who can successfully carry out the task of business management also. One of the key similarities between recruiting new franchisee as well as attracting new customers was the use of advertisement. As discussed above that APM used word of mouth as well as the advertisement to attract the new franchisee therefore relatively same procedure was also applied to attract new customers. The use of colorful mobile vans served as strong advertisement vehicles also attracting the attention of the potential customers. This therefore not only provided APM and its franchisee a cost effective way to reach to new customers but also improve its overall image in the areas where they work. Another important similarity between the two is the use of word of mouth and incentives for attracting the new customers. The use of discounted services as well as the additional care tips provided to the customers ensured that the service providers develop a long term relationship with their customers. As discussed in the case that one of the strategies applied by the franchisees were to advise the dog owners to incr ease the frequency of dog washing so that they can save costs on other issues such health related issues with the dogs. The use of recommendations by the satisfied customers was another important task involved in retaining and attracting customers. This was however, not the case for recruiting the franchisee as they had to meet strict criteria before their applications can be accepted. One of the key contradictions between the two however,

EARLY US HISTORY Bacons Rebellion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EARLY US HISTORY Bacons Rebellion - Assignment Example I have come to understand the changes that major events such as Bacon’s Rebellion have brought to Virginia. The history of this place is very interesting as it will help you understand major events that took place here and appreciate Virginia more. I have come to understand life here in Virginia very differently. In colonial Virginia, people used to suffer from a lot of problems such as high taxes and low prices for tobacco. The colonial times were very difficult for many people in Virginia. Those who got along well with the governor during those years, Sir William Berkeley, got special privileges, which was quite unfair to the rest of the people. These privileges were irregular because they were only accorded to those who were close to the governor. The governor also appeared to have failed in defending the region against the frequent attacks by Native Americans. These attacks led to mass deaths, as well as massive loss of property. The region was characterized by a disorganized political framework. Berkeley did not do enough to deal with the safety of the people he was in charge of protecting. The Bacon’s rebellion was a revolt organized by Nathaniel Bacon in 1976 in colonial Virginia to protest against the problems that were being experienced in Virginia at that time. Bacon was determined to bring the rule of Governor Berkeley to an absolute end. His efforts were aimed at bringing to the attention of the government the fact that all social classes needed to be treated equally and with dignity. Bacon’s rebellion led to a better Virginia that is seen today. The region had serious problems of racism which saw the blacks and whites engaged in constant conflicts. However, during the rebellion, the blacks and whites joined hands to oppose the rule of Governor Berkeley. The ruling class was really threatened by this unity because it was something that had

Economic impacts of natural disasters on the United States Research Paper

Economic impacts of natural disasters on the United States - Research Paper Example Despite falling victims of such calamities for the last decades, efforts to perplex policy formulators have been evidenced. However, the policy makers are uncertain over what can be done to tackle the menace associated with the occurrence of the natural calamities (Yamamura, 2013). There has also been little guidance offered by academics, and this has greatly affected the bitty approaches employed in tackling the issue from a number of disciplines (Alexander). This paper seeks to analyze the economic impacts of natural disasters in the United States. From contemporary literature, the concept of natural disaster is used to refer to the geophysical events that are characterized by a substantial departure from the normal climatic conditions. For instance, the occurrence of a flood that signifies substantial departures from the mediocre rainfall level within a geographical region forms a typical natural calamity. In some instances, the occurrence of these calamities might be predictable and are known to follow some geographical and seasonal patterns as it happens for typhoons and hurricanes (Fang, 2012). Others show vast irregularity in their occurrence, as it takes the case of floods and earthquakes. It is trivial to distinguish between technological and natural hazards. Most technological hazards occur as a result of the activities of human beings. Other social hazards occur which too should be differentiated from natural calamities. Natural calamities have impacted the economy of the United States either positively or negatively for the many instances of their occurrence. In some cases, occurrence of natural disasters leads to infrastructural improvements and the adoption of better and improved technologies in the event of their occurrence. For instance, in a study discussing the earthquake that took place in Alaska in 1964, which provided for a chance of modernization and upgrade of the

How come immune system does not fight cancer Research Paper

How come immune system does not fight cancer - Research Paper Example cancers arising from the connective tissue are known as sarcomas. They originate from the mesenchymal cells that are present outside the bone marrow. examples of this type of cancer are osteosarcoma, liposarcoma, fibrosarcoma and neurosarcoma. Lymphomas and leukemias arise from hematopoietic cells. Germ cell tumors are those which arise from pluripotent cells froms ovaries or testicles. Classical examples of these cancers are dysgerminoma and seminoma. Blastomas are those that are derived from immature cells or embryonic cells. Hence they are more common in children. Examples of these are neutoblastoma and retinoblastoma (Yarbro, 2011). Pathogenesis of cancer Cancer mainly occurs due to failure of regulation of growth of tissues. This occurs due to alteration of the genes which are involved in the growth and differentiation of cells. There are two categories of genes that can get affected during the process of cancer development. They are oncogenes and tumour supressor genes. Oncogen es cause promotion of cell growth and reproduction. Tumor supressor genes cause inhibition of cell division. Hence triggering of oncogenes and supression of tumor supressor genes contributes to cancer (Yarbro, 2011). Causes of cancer There are several causes for cancer and they depend on the site of origin of cancer. For example, lung cancer is caused because of exposure to tobacco, asbestos and certain pollutants. Skin cancer is caused by exposure to sunlight or due to chronic skin ulcer. In some cancers, the causative agent can be infection like cervical cancer which is caused by human papilloma virus. Human T-cell Leukemia Virus-I, a human retro virus is known to cause adult T-cell leukemia. Leukemia, which is a type of blood cancer is caused by chemicals like Benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, some insecticides, hexachlorcyclohexane, phenyl butazone (Shafer, 162), alkylating agents, and a few chem-therapeutic drugs. Certain environmental factors also can lead to cancer. St udies have shown that ionizing radiation causes leukemia in experimental animals. There has been increased incidence of leukemia in the survivors of Japanese bomb explosions and those exposed to occupational radiation. Also, those receiving radiation therapies for various causes including spondylitis may be at increased risk for leukemia. Chromosomal translocations involving the Nucleophosmin gene occur frequently in myeloid and lymphoid cancers. This gene is a multifunctional phosphoprotein to which both tumor-suppressor and oncogenic functions have been attributed. In some cancers, genetic factors play an important role like in breast cancer and leukemias. There are some families with excessive incidence of leukemias. There is high concordance among identical twins if acute leukemia occurs in the first year of life. Also, the incidence of leukemia is high in various congenital genetic disorders like Down's syndrome, Bloom's Syndrome, Klinefelter's syndrome, etc. In chronic granulo cytic leukemia, an abnormality in the chromosome 21 has been detected. This abnormal chromosome is called Philadelphia chromosome (Ph-1) and is characterized by the absence of a part of one of its long arms. Certain pre-existing diseases can lead to cancers. Fanconi anemia is a risk factor for developing acute myelogenous leukemia. Those with myeloblastic syndrome also are at risk for acute myelogenous leukemia. Colonic polyps can lead to colon cancer. Other contributing factors for cancer are

EARLY US HISTORY Bacons Rebellion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EARLY US HISTORY Bacons Rebellion - Assignment Example I have come to understand the changes that major events such as Bacon’s Rebellion have brought to Virginia. The history of this place is very interesting as it will help you understand major events that took place here and appreciate Virginia more. I have come to understand life here in Virginia very differently. In colonial Virginia, people used to suffer from a lot of problems such as high taxes and low prices for tobacco. The colonial times were very difficult for many people in Virginia. Those who got along well with the governor during those years, Sir William Berkeley, got special privileges, which was quite unfair to the rest of the people. These privileges were irregular because they were only accorded to those who were close to the governor. The governor also appeared to have failed in defending the region against the frequent attacks by Native Americans. These attacks led to mass deaths, as well as massive loss of property. The region was characterized by a disorganized political framework. Berkeley did not do enough to deal with the safety of the people he was in charge of protecting. The Bacon’s rebellion was a revolt organized by Nathaniel Bacon in 1976 in colonial Virginia to protest against the problems that were being experienced in Virginia at that time. Bacon was determined to bring the rule of Governor Berkeley to an absolute end. His efforts were aimed at bringing to the attention of the government the fact that all social classes needed to be treated equally and with dignity. Bacon’s rebellion led to a better Virginia that is seen today. The region had serious problems of racism which saw the blacks and whites engaged in constant conflicts. However, during the rebellion, the blacks and whites joined hands to oppose the rule of Governor Berkeley. The ruling class was really threatened by this unity because it was something that had

How come immune system does not fight cancer Research Paper

How come immune system does not fight cancer - Research Paper Example cancers arising from the connective tissue are known as sarcomas. They originate from the mesenchymal cells that are present outside the bone marrow. examples of this type of cancer are osteosarcoma, liposarcoma, fibrosarcoma and neurosarcoma. Lymphomas and leukemias arise from hematopoietic cells. Germ cell tumors are those which arise from pluripotent cells froms ovaries or testicles. Classical examples of these cancers are dysgerminoma and seminoma. Blastomas are those that are derived from immature cells or embryonic cells. Hence they are more common in children. Examples of these are neutoblastoma and retinoblastoma (Yarbro, 2011). Pathogenesis of cancer Cancer mainly occurs due to failure of regulation of growth of tissues. This occurs due to alteration of the genes which are involved in the growth and differentiation of cells. There are two categories of genes that can get affected during the process of cancer development. They are oncogenes and tumour supressor genes. Oncogen es cause promotion of cell growth and reproduction. Tumor supressor genes cause inhibition of cell division. Hence triggering of oncogenes and supression of tumor supressor genes contributes to cancer (Yarbro, 2011). Causes of cancer There are several causes for cancer and they depend on the site of origin of cancer. For example, lung cancer is caused because of exposure to tobacco, asbestos and certain pollutants. Skin cancer is caused by exposure to sunlight or due to chronic skin ulcer. In some cancers, the causative agent can be infection like cervical cancer which is caused by human papilloma virus. Human T-cell Leukemia Virus-I, a human retro virus is known to cause adult T-cell leukemia. Leukemia, which is a type of blood cancer is caused by chemicals like Benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, some insecticides, hexachlorcyclohexane, phenyl butazone (Shafer, 162), alkylating agents, and a few chem-therapeutic drugs. Certain environmental factors also can lead to cancer. St udies have shown that ionizing radiation causes leukemia in experimental animals. There has been increased incidence of leukemia in the survivors of Japanese bomb explosions and those exposed to occupational radiation. Also, those receiving radiation therapies for various causes including spondylitis may be at increased risk for leukemia. Chromosomal translocations involving the Nucleophosmin gene occur frequently in myeloid and lymphoid cancers. This gene is a multifunctional phosphoprotein to which both tumor-suppressor and oncogenic functions have been attributed. In some cancers, genetic factors play an important role like in breast cancer and leukemias. There are some families with excessive incidence of leukemias. There is high concordance among identical twins if acute leukemia occurs in the first year of life. Also, the incidence of leukemia is high in various congenital genetic disorders like Down's syndrome, Bloom's Syndrome, Klinefelter's syndrome, etc. In chronic granulo cytic leukemia, an abnormality in the chromosome 21 has been detected. This abnormal chromosome is called Philadelphia chromosome (Ph-1) and is characterized by the absence of a part of one of its long arms. Certain pre-existing diseases can lead to cancers. Fanconi anemia is a risk factor for developing acute myelogenous leukemia. Those with myeloblastic syndrome also are at risk for acute myelogenous leukemia. Colonic polyps can lead to colon cancer. Other contributing factors for cancer are

Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay Example for Free

Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay Why is the study of Different Theories of Motivation important to managers? The World has changed at a very fast pace and will continue to do so. The view point that many prominent researchers had on motivation has also evolved with changing times. There has been a phenomenal change in the way organizations and individuals function in the twenty first century if we made a comparison with how organizations functioned back in the day. There is a significantly greater focus today on employee satisfaction, work life balance, cross cultural values, virtual teams and formal performance management processes to name a few. Globalization is one the key factors which has brought a prominent change in many organizational practices in the twenty first century. Hershey and Blanchard (1977) mentioned that â€Å"motives can be defined as needs, wants, drives or impulses within the individual which are directed towards goals which may be conscious or sub conscious†. Motivation has been defined by Robbins, Decenzo and Coulter (2011) as â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained towards attaining a goal â€Å" In this paper we will define motivation as the force which helps an individual focus on his immediate and long term goals and helps him run the extra mile. Also in this essay we will be focusing on the impact of culture on organizational behavior and the reasons why managers need to be aware of various motivational theories so that they are well equipped to handle this impact of culture change. Motivation is a very important tool that is not effectively utilized by managers. Motivation if used effectively can significantly improve the performance of teams and employees. It was thought earlier that motivation could be directed only by external factors, but it is now understood that every employee has his own set of motivators which if addressed correctly can significantly improve a manager and his team’s performance. It is the manager’s responsibility to correctly identify these motivating factors and take all steps possible to address them. But this is easier said than done. As observed in today’s environment there are many issues which create a hindrance for managers to motivate their respective teams. In most organizations because of the growing impetus of globalization and the fact that individuals from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds come on the same platform and work together, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to be on top o f these growing trends and continue to motivate their respective teams. It is very important for managers to understand how important the concept of culture plays in the way an employee thinks and behaves. Only when a manager is aware of the subtle changes in an individual’s behavior because of their cultural background, can he actually make a concentrated effort to analyze and evaluate methods to motivate that particular individual. Geert Hofstede’s (1980) theory of cultural dimensions describes how a particular society’s culture influences the behavior and values of individuals using a structure derived from factor analysis. This theory proposed four concepts on the basis of which cultural values could be evaluated; Individualism- collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and masculinity- feminity. As per Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society†. In countries with high power distance it would not be recommended to give employees a lot of freedom with respect to their work. The employees would be more comfortable when they are abiding by a strict protocol and set guidelines and procedures whereas in countries with low power distance decentralization of power would be recommended where employees can be empowered and inspired to come up with creative ideas in their work. Countries like Venezuela and Malaysia are examples of nations which show High Power distance whereas Denmark and Great Britain are nations which show very low power distance. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) defined the concept of individualism versus collectivism as â€Å"I and Me versus We and Us’†. Cultures where the beliefs are that one is responsible for his own decisions and the general tendency is to take care of only oneself and his own family are individualistic cultures. Collective cultures are those where people rely more heavily on groups and the general tendency is to take care of each other. Individualism is common in USA, Canada and mostly in the West whereas collectivism is more common in Pakistan, India and Brazil. In collective cultures promotions and appraisals are generally done on the basis of seniority, age and loyalty whereas in individualistic cultures appraisals are done only on the basis of merit. In countries where the culture is individualistic strong individual recognition and rewards would be very strong motivators. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) expounded that uncertainty avoidance was â€Å"the degree of risk aversion†. Individuals from Countries with high uncertainty avoidance are generally very wary of ambiguous situations and they create beliefs and situations to increase their sense of security. They have very strong belief in experts and they generally arrive at decisions only with consensus of their entire group. Denmark and Great Britain are examples of low uncertainty avoidance cultures whereas Germany, Japan and Spain are examples of High Uncertainty avoidance countries. Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) elucidated on masculinity versus femininity as â€Å"the desire for material possessions and recognition versus the desire for relationships and family† In masculine societies monetary rewards would make very good motivators whereas in predominantly feminine societies Flexible working hours or more time away from work for family would be very strong motivators. A feminine society is more concerned with family and personal relationships as against masculine societies where jobs are more or less gender based. Examples of such masculine cultures are China, Japan, Philippines, India, Bangladesh whereas examples of more feminine cultures are Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. Some researchers like William Ouchi (Theory Z) and Peters Waterman(Excellence theory) developed theories on the difference between management practices between Japanese and American business corporations . They firmly believed that most American and Japanese corporations functioned similar to the McGregor’s Theory X Theory Y where the American companies firmly believed that workers are generally unwilling to work and can be motivated only with economic benefits whereas the Japanese corporations were of the belief that the workers can be motivated by a sense of duty and loyalty. The major difference in the functioning of these organizations was also the fact the managers from the west which are predominantly individualistic cultures could not generally think about the bigger picture and this probably showed in the treatment of their employees. Hence the intrinsic factors of most employees were not catered to. Companies from the East like Japan which is a collective culture showed that managers used to generally behave with their workers like they were a part of a collective unit and this made the employees think about the companies as an extension to their individual self. This made them believe that money and economic benefits were not primary motivators. Such employees were motivated with other factors like by knowledge sharing, improving their self esteem, self respect, achievement, recognition and opportunities for more challenging work. Organizations need to pay utmost attention to the cultural and ethnic sentiments of their employees. Let’s say for instance Multinational Companies who have their setup in India also have to take many factors into consideration like the fact that every state in India has some festivals which have a very strong regional and cultural flavor. Organizations have to keep in mind that even within Cultures there are many sub cultures and the sentiments of the employees within these sub cultures also need to be taken care of. Like for instance in India in the state of Maharashtra the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is of very high cultural and emotional significance whereas in the state of Punjab Baisakhi as a festival is of very high importance. Organizations need to take these aspects also into consideration and keep a correct balance when they are deciding holidays for the employees in a particular culture or sub culture. If the management does not pay attention to the sentiments of their employees, this will send the wrong signals to their employees and they will be unable to identify themselves with the ideals of the company. In such situations motivating employees would become very difficult. Having seen the impact of culture on the behavior of employees and individuals it would be very advantageous for managers to understand the underlying and basic crux of motivation theories. These theories when used in the right context with employees will help motivate them and improve their performance. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of Motivation (1968) emphasizes on core job factors and distinguishes them into two categories Hygiene Factors and Motivational Factors. Herzberg further added that the Hygiene Factors like Pay, Company Policies, Fringe Benefits, Physical working conditions, Status, Interpersonal Relations, and Job Security were only factors that were extrinsic to the work environment and on ly prevented dissatisfaction. These factors never motivated individuals but only prevented the individuals from getting dissatisfied which might further lead to de-motivation. He further added that the motivational factors were intrinsic to an individual and were inherent in work. The motivational factors like recognition, Growth Opportunities, Responsibility, Leadership Quotient, and Meaningfulness of work were what were instrumental in creating satisfaction in an employee and motivating him. What is interesting to know is that in different cultures the motivators and hygiene factors are slightly different. In collective cultures sense of fulfillment and working towards company goal is considered far more important that individual pay and remuneration like in western cultures. Managers need to strike the right balance with employees to properly inspire them to perform better. In order to be able to do this they need to have sufficient background knowledge of the culture quotient of an employee along with certain theories of motivation which might be applicable to those employees. In recent times of financial crisis it has become even more important for managers to understand the key factors which can motivate their employees. Organizations in recent times have become hard pressed to offer economic benefits and rewards to their employees. In such situations it would a great advantage to managers if they have sufficient knowledge of motivation theories like the Equity theory of Motivation which states that every individual has an ingrained instinct to continuously evaluate what is it that he is gaining from the company with respect to what he investing in the company. Individuals also continuously compare themselves with their peers and colleagues. Such theories will help manages keep a right balance and ensure that certain factors which can give impetus to an employee’s dissatisfaction are sufficiently curtailed. They will then start focusing on improving an employee’s soft skills like interpersonal communication, instilling a sense of duty and loyalty towards the organization, making the employees strive for self improvement. Recognition and praise for good work will also be used more effectively used to motivate employees. The uses of motivation theories have become even more important as in most organizations virtual teams have become the order of the day. Employees work with their associates and colleagues whom they have never even met. It has become even more instrumental for managers to instill a sense of collectivism in their teams so that individuals working in a group can transform into a team in an actual sense. As per the survey done by Mckinsey(2010) it was found that most employees in organizations feel de motivated when they are unable to idolize themselves with the leadership of the company. It was also found that the many employees in the organization would feel even more motivated if they were offered a few words of praise from their boss. Like for instance if a manager appreciates the efforts of an employee who is a part of his virtual team whose first language is not English, this will really do wonders for that specific employee. All the small bits when put together make a collage. The study of motivation theories has now become of paramount importance to managers as they really need to understand that small bit which will motivate their team and their associates to do better than they actually can. This is what will separate a manager from a leader and will elevate the performance of a group of people to a team. Bibliography References * Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42-63\ * Hersey P, Kenneth Blanchard (1977). Management of Organisational Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall * Sledge, S., Miles, A. K., Coppage, S. (2008). What role does culture play? A look at motivation and job satisfaction among hotel workers in Brazil. International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 19(9), 1667-1682. doi:10.1080/09585190802295157 * Blackwell RJ, Miniard PW, Enrgel JF (2007). Consumer Behaviour, 9thed., Thomson Press, London. * Decenzo DA (2001). Fundamentals of Management: Essentials Concepts and Application. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. * Deresky H (2007). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (6th Edition). New Jersey; Prentice Hall * Koenigs, R. (1982). An Interview with Dr. William Ouchi. Training Development Journal, 36(3), 38 * Herzberg F (1968). ‘One more time: how do you motivate em ployee?’ Havard Business Review, Jan-Feb, 53-64 * Hofstede G (1991) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind.McGraw Hill. * Hofstede G (1980). Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Relate Values. Newbury Park CA: Sage. * Dewhurst, M., Guthridge, M., Mohr, E. (2010). Motivating people: Getting beyond money. Mckinsey Quarterly, (1), 12-15

Quality In Internet Operations Department In Etisalat Information Technology Essay

Quality In Internet Operations Department In Etisalat Information Technology Essay Internet Operations Department in Etisalat spent a lot of time and effort on the quality of its process in order to reach and achieve a recognized international IT management standard such as SunTone Certification. The research shows the process of work developed in the department in order to achieve the SunTone Certification and to be aligned with ITIL international standard in three major responsibilities are: incident management, problem management and change management. Introduction: Quality became an important business issue due to the increase in competitiveness in world markets. The total quality management (TQM) approach introduced by W. Edwards Deming used by several organizations in the world to improve their operations and the processes used in all functional areas of their organizations. The basis of TQM is to reduce the errors produced during the manufacturing or service process, increase customer satisfaction and improve product/service quality, productivity, and competitiveness by improving communications with stakeholders (customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders and society). The application of TQM can vary from business to business, even across the same industry. Etisalat has a great initiative to introduce quality and get several quality certifications for most of its operational processes. Internet Operations Department worked on the last few years to develop its quality based on the appropriate quality standards and got the ISO9001 certificate as well as the SunTone certification, which I am going to concentrate on in this research. Etisalat is the only service provider in the Middle East to achieve Sun Microsystems elite SunTone certification for Internet Operations which offers internal external hosting and data centre solutions. According to Mr. Ali AlSharhan (EVP/IT Etisalat) The SunTone certification certifies our service delivery in areas such as architecture, implementation and management from service delivery environment. Through this, we can assure our customers that the Service Level Guarantees we provide are among the worlds best and backed by Suns independent auditing. (Etisalat enhances customer and internal service levels through SunTone certification, 2007)From left to right: Ali Al Sharhan Executive Vice President, IT, Etisalat; Tareq Alkharji Vice President Network Operations, Etisalat; and Marc Heger, Gulf District Manager for Sun Microsystems Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Marc Heger, Gulf District Manager for Sun Microsystems MENA said As part of its SunTone accreditation, Etisalat is the only regional managed hosting provider that can maximize its IT efficiency, benchmark and quantify the successful provision of services externally and internally, and document the improved quality of service that it is now providing, (Etisalat enhances customer and internal service levels through SunTone certification, 2007) SUN TONE CRTF.jpg In this research I am going to talk about the SunTone certification description, process, procedures, quality analysis and recommendation on best usage of quality certification in Internet Operations department. Objectives: The objectives of this research are: To learn about quality certifications applied on IT environment. To develop and improve the current quality process of the internet operations. To set recommendation on how to apply quality on IT environment and keep developing it. To analyze the internet operations quality practices internally through interview with quality manager in Etisalat. Significance: There are several important points that I am going to gain through this research such as: To understand the current practice of Internet Operations. To improve and develop the current quality process and adopt the best practices. To develop my current TQM Fundamentals course knowledge and compare it with the current quality practice of internet operations department. Hypothesis: The more quality applied on internet operations processes, the more positive and satisfied output will result to Etisalat internet products. Setting Service Level Agreement (SLA) and operational level agreement (OLA) between sections will have a positive impact on customers satisfaction. Literature Review: In fact no one wrote in this subject before, however an audit report was done to Sun Microsystems to highlight the quality aspects of Internet Operations Department in Etisalat. Chapter 2: SunTone Initiative In May 1999, the SunTone initiative lunched as a certification and branding program for service providers services to audit and certify web delivered software applications. Through a combination of IT management defined best practices, specifications and services, the SunTone Initiative enables organizations to cut time and cost to deploy high quality web enabled services. The SunTone Initiative also helps enterprises to gain high quality service products applications from external Service Providers and deploy them with confidence. The SunTone Initiative supports the practice of hosting and managing a range of web enabled services through a combination of internal external IT resources. Customers can take advantage of SunTone Initiative whether they intend to build world class services internally or to purchase high quality SunTone certified applications from IT service providers and software vendors. (About the SunTone Initiative) SunTone Benefits: The SunTone Initiative helps enterprises manage their IT services efficiently and cost effectively, in order to increase Quality of Service (QoS). The process of certifying services under the SunTone Initiative helps companies to: Meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with higher quality of service delivery Manage flexible, high quality IT services. Build and maintain IT staffing competencies. Better utilize existing IT resources. Adopt the sourcing strategy that make most economic, technical and business sense with full confidence. SunTone Certification process: There are three steps to get the SunTone certification are: SunTone Specifications The SunTone Service Delivery Specification is a guide to managing web-enabled services to the highest Quality of Service levels. The specifications provide guidelines and contain a checklist to allow enterprises to evaluate their current operations against the best IT practices. SunTone Enablers. SunTone Enablers are offerings and tools to help customers to meet the SunTone standards for higher quality network service delivery. Sun Services for the SunTone Initiative provide expert consulting, flexible learning solutions, and mission critical support focused on helping customers and partners meet the SunTone requirements for network service delivery. SunTone Audit Certification The SunTone certification audit performed by Sun or third parties validates the implementation and gives the company an industry recognized seal of approval for their web-based services. What is Quality of Service (QoS)? Quality of Service is a measurement of how well a service or solution complies with Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These metrics includes, but not limited to: Availability Reliability Support Response Times Security Disaster Recovery Processes Criteria of SunTone Certification: There are two different SunTone specifications, one for enterprise customers and service providers, and the other is for software developers. Each specification has its own requirements covering areas such as infrastructure, operational practices, hardware, software, and overall service delivery practices. Certifications of Enterprise customer solutions and service provider solutions must be renewed annually, and must conform to the standards of the current specification level. (Frequently Asked Questions) Chapter 3: Profile of the company: Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) is one of the telecommunication service providers in the UAE since 1976. It is now a well known Telecommunication provider in almost 18 countries in both Asia and Africa continents with more than 100 million subscribers. It has built up a modern telecom infrastructure and established itself as an innovative and reliable operator. 60% of Etisalat revenue gained from mobile services while the remaining is from other services such as landlines, internet, interconnect, etc. Based on that, Etisalat is considered as the 13th largest mobile network operator in the world. Financial Times ranked Etisalat as the 140th in the Top 500 corporations in the world in terms of market capitalization. Mission Statement: Etisalat has set a mission statement in order to derive its business towards customers satisfaction. Its mission has a great effect of innovation and development of new products and services to be provided to customers whenever needed. It has set the following mission statement, vision, values and future which will provide a clear guide to its business. Mission : To extend peoples reach. Vision: A world where peoples reach is not limited by matter or distance. Values: Energy,  Openness, Enablement Future: A world in which technology extends our reach. Etisalat is an international telecom provider covering 18 countries in the world based on investment, joint ventures and stack holding. Its business and administration is well defined and managed under the umbrella of Etisalat Group. Etisalat Telecommunication Corporation is one of the telecom service providers in the UAE. Etisalat UAE is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and includes three regional offices Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Northern Emirates. It has been divided into that in order to concentrate on it specialization. The headquarter or what we call in Etisalat Head Office is specialized in planning, developing, marketing and managing all activities centrally. The regional office responsibility is to take care of normal operational work such as sales, finance, regional engineering and administrational work related to the region that was delegated to them by the head office. (Etisalat Website) Internet Operations: Internet Operations is the department that is responsible of operating the internet services provided to public such as internet access, emails, hosting services, data center services, Internet payment gateway, eSecurity services as well as internet access to other service providers internally in the UAE or externally in other nearby countries. It was founded in 1995 to provide internet service through dialup and then expanded to operate several other services with high quality reliable service. The department has several sections that look into different internet services provided to customers: Network Operations: This section is responsible of the network infrastructure of the internet service provided by Etisalat. They are responsible of the backbone of the internet that is connected to the international lines and carriers. Moreover, they are responsible of internet access services such as ADSL, leased lines, cable modems, etc. Service Operations: This section is responsible of the internet services provided by Etisalat such as email, web hosting service, database, etc. Security Operations: This section is responsible of the maintaining the security aspects of the internet and work as a gourd for all the internet service provided by Etisalat. Internet Network Operations Center: This section is responsible of monitoring of the internet network and services all the time and assuring high availability of the infrastructure. Internet Operation Hierarchy: Chapter 4: Research Methodology: This research is done based on an interview conducted with some employees who participated in developing the quality of Internet Operation department processes. I have done an interview With Mr. Asef Termizi, Sr. Manager/IT Governance Architecture Assurance and Mr. Anwar Bawab, Sr. Specialist/IT Governance Architecture Assurance, who were members in SunTone Certification process. Scope: The scope of this research is to collect data about quality implementation in Internet Operations department in Etisalat in order to understand the current process and overcome its limitations and errors. Limitation: I faced some problems while collecting data are: The SunTone Certification is limited to some eHosting services that are managed by several sections in Internet Operations department. Most of the sections in Internet Operations are applying processes that was defined several years ago or modified sometime ago without referring to quality assurance. So it was difficult to interview those sections and ask them about their quality measures of the current process. The SunTone Certification is a brand quality certification introduced by Sun Microsystems, and measures quality of the companies uses their hardware. It came to my attention that it is no more an accredited certification. That is why there is very limited information about SunTone on the internet. Data Collection: This research is mainly based on an interview with IT Governance Architecture Assurance Sr. Manager IT Governance Architecture Assurance Sr. Specialist in Etisalat participated in preparation of the SunTone certification. Also some of the information provided is based on SunTone Certification Audit Report provided by them. Data Analysis: Etisalat started in 2005 to introduce the SunTone certification for the Internet Operations department in cooperation with Sun Microsystems. This work continued up-to June 2007 to gain this certification after several audit, revision and initiatives applied to achieve the SunTone seal of approval. Internet Operations went through the most stringent service reliability requirements and assessment to ensure the efficiency of its People, Processes, Products (Technology Tools) and Partners (Suppliers, Vendors) (Termizi, 2010). The project was led by Internet Operations in coordination with Corporate Quality Department in consultation with Sun Microsystems. The SunTone audit and certification program incorporates principles from multiple industry standards, including ITIL and ISO. The program is built on the principles of IT Service Management excellence which included 15 assessment areas under the categories of Service Delivery, Service Support and Management, such as:- Service-Level Management. Service Architecture. Availability Management. Capacity Management. Data Center Management. Configuration Management. Change Management. Service Desk Management. Incident Management. Problem Management. Release Management. Etisalat got their SunTone Certification in only three assessment areas are: Incident Management: to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible and minimize the adverse effect on business operations, Problem Management: to resolve the root causes of incidents and thus to minimize the adverse impact of incidents and problems on business that are caused by errors within the IT infrastructure, and to prevent recurrence of incidents related to these errors. Change Management: to ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient handling of all changes, The SunTone certification signifies Etisalat ability to meet the highest quality standards in the industry, instilling process excellence in Etisalats IT Service Management strategy (Termizi, 2010). The process that Sun Microsystems auditors follow to recommend the accreditation to Internet Operations in their last assessment meeting in 2007 is: Review the previous improvement plan and examine the tangible evidence. Hold an initial meeting with the Etisalat Internet Operations, Co-location and e-Hosting Management Team to detail the Audit process. Verify that Etisalat has complied with the recommendations of the previous assessment within the scope of Co-location and e-Hosting Services. One-to-one interviews with key management and personnel require case by case examples of changes and incidents with particular emphasis on usage of ITIL disciplines, processes and related documentation. Review of specified documents. Collaborate with Etisalat, in terms of the implementation of ITIL disciplines and best practice. Preparation of the Auditors Report. (Bawab, 2010) The ITIL has a great input to develop the process on Internet Operations Department based on the best practices of IT processes. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of concepts and practices for Information Technology Services Management, Information Technology (IT) development and IT operations (Wikipedia, 2010). During the latest audit of the Sun Microsystems auditors, they highlighted some of the issues that Etisalat has to take care of in order to reach the highest quality standards such as Service Level Agreements. Etisalat should work on their SLAs with both customers and vendors in consideration of Risk Management. The SLAs with vendors and customers should carry the same service levels, penalties, reporting processes, escalation procedures, etc. Hypothesis: Setting Service Level Agreement (SLA) and operational level agreement (OLA) between sections will have a positive impact on customers satisfaction. Audit results: The audit results reported by Sun Microsystems auditors based on their latest assessment are: Etisalat should finalise and improve the implementation of three key ITIL responsibilities and related processes: Incident Management, Problem Management and Change Management. There has been a major drive to implement these aspects, in particular the Incident and Change with less importance at present being placed on Problem Management. Etisalat should rework their SLAs (both customer and vendor). The Auditor checked the SLA documents and is satisfied that SLA exists for all parties. Functional and Organisational Compliance of ITIL Management practices with specific regard to Incident Management, Problem Management and Change Management. There has been a huge amount of effort and refinement put into implementing these disciplines. Appropriate internal costing of services and service components. The actual cost per square metre of the data centre environment, various levels of manpower needed to install a service, electricity, set up costs of each service available to customers are available. Using the automated workflow and work order system installed, Etisalat have tight control over the amount of time each set up component. Use of a knowledge base of Known Incidents. The Auditor noted that the majority of calls were solved at the initial point of contact. Gain further maturity in ITIL disciplines. 150 Etisalat staff have been trained formally on ITIL. Automate processes where appropriate. The use of the HP suite of Incident, Problem and Change Management tools has satisfied the Auditor that the level of automation is excellent and widely used. (Bawab, 2010) Transition to ISO20000: The auditor has noted some high level issues relevant to focus the efforts the transition to ISO20000. There are a lot of similarly between SunTone and the ISO2000 standards, almost to the point one might say they are identical. The key drivers are Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs). The standards use: If you cant measure it you cant manage it. (Termizi, 2010) ISO20000 is the first international standard for IT Service Management developed in 2005 by the BSI Group. It promotes the adoption of an integrated process approach to effectively deliver managed services to meet the business and customer requirements (Wikipedia, 2010) In the diagram we can see the relationships between all the entities recommended to have a stable and high value Service Management system. In the middle we can see the plan, do, check act model. The model looks at the relationship between the input side (on the left); Business Requirements and the output side (on the right) Business results. Those controlled activities  convert input to output in a reliable manner. These measures are alien with customer satisfaction surveys. The linkages of the standards elements to the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) activities are:   PLAN Plan Service Management DO    Implement Service Management and provide service CHECK Monitor, measure and review ACT Improvement. (Bawab, 2010) Hypothesis: The more quality applied on internet operations processes, the more positive and satisfied output will result to Etisalat internet products. (Veyeren, 2007) Chapter 5: Conclusion: Quality has become an important approach that organizations are taking care of while developing their process of work and managing their resources. Internet Operations Department in Etisalat spent a lot of time and effort on the quality of its process in order to reach and achieve a recognized international IT management standard such as SunTone Certification. The process of work developed in the department to be aligned with ITIL international standard in three major parts are: incident management, problem management and change management. Recommendation: There are several points that I can recommend in order to improve the quality of Internet Operations process in order to achieve customers satisfaction. Adopt a service level agreement (SLA) with the customers in order to provide the best service to customers. Develop the process of coordination and incident management between Internet Operations sections using an operation level agreement (OLA) in order to achieve the SLA. Adopt more ITIL management responsibilities such as: Service Level Management. Capacity Management. Data Center Management. Configuration Management. Service Desk Management. Work hard to gain ISO20000 Certification.