Nursing Leadership and management Essay

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is the responsibility of all nurses and is vital when addressing the challenges of the health care industry. Provide an example of how you would apply CQI in your current or past position. The purpose of QI is to use a systematic, data-guided approach to improve processes or outcomes (Conner, 2014). Principles and strategies involved in QI have evolved from organizational philosophies of total quality management and continuous quality improvement. Connor (2014) emphasizes that while the concept of quality can be subjective, QI in healthcare typically focuses on improving patient outcomes. So the key is to clearly define the outcome that needs to be improved, identify how the outcome will be measured, and develop a plan for implementing an intervention and collecting data before and after the intervention. Connor (2014) points out QI methods as follows: Various QI methods are available. A common format uses the acronym FOCUS-PDSA: Find a process to improve. Organize an effort to work on improvement. Clarify current knowledge of the process. Understand process variation and performance capability. Select changes aimed at performance improvement. Plan the change; analyze current data and predict the results. Do it; execute the plan. Study (analyze) the new data and check the results. Act; take action to sustain the gains. Unlike research and EBP, QI typically doesn’t require extensive literature reviews and rigorous critical appraisal. Therefore, nurses may be much more involved in QI projects than EBP or research. Also, QI projects normally are site specific and results aren’t intended to provide generalizable knowledge or best evidence states Conner (2014). Examples of QI projects include implementing a process to remove urinary catheters within a certain time frame, developing a process to improve wound-care documentation, and improving the process for patient education for a specific chronic disease. The institution I have been at has been working on decreasing central line associated bloodstream infection and peripheral line blood stream infections. Numerous risk factors for CLABSI associated with needleless connectors have been proposed. Some are attributed to poor hand washing before manipulation, inability to properly disinfect the connection site due  to poor design, aseptic d evice management, and frequency of the connector exchange. In addition, several studies looking at intraluminal contamination from the needleless connector have demonstrated that high levels of contamination can be seen colonizing the connector and subsequently moving into the CVC (Ramirez, Lee, & Welch, 2014). Even with varying levels of disinfection, colonization can still occur. Studies of current I.V. practices demonstrated that 56% of Registered Nurses typically do not believe it is necessary to disinfect catheter hubs and >90% of nurses do not cover an intermittent infusion (Ramirez, Lee, & Welch, 2014). The 70% isopropyl alcohol cap known as â€Å"Curos† is used as an attempt to reduce intraluminal contamination. The cap requires ongoing training and encouragement to change practice. Studies indicate that consistent use of the caps does influence CLABSI rates substantially in terms of morbidity and the financial resources that are expended because of CLABSI’s. References Conner, B. T. (2014). Differentiating research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. American Nurse Today, 9(6), 26-31. Ramirez, C., Lee, A. M., & Welch, K. (2012). Central Venous Catheter Protective Connector Caps Reduce Intraluminal Catheter-Related Infection. Journal Of The Association For Vascular Access, 17(4), 210-213. doi:10.1016/j.java.2012.10.002

Food Adulteration

Effect of food adulteration on the health of people Abstract of the report: Introduction to Food Adulteration: Adulteration – is a term legally used to define any kind of food product that does not meet the standards set by the centre or the state. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act states that any substance that may be used for adulteration can be called as an adulterant. †¢ Adulteration could mean any of the below: Substitution with a cheaper or inferior quality substance – in part or whole †¢ Articles being packaged and kept under conditions that are classified as insanitary †¢ Any food article infested with insects, or consisting of decomposed , rotten or filthy stuff †¢ Substance being obtained from an animal affected from disease †¢ Articles containing poisonous materials †¢ Articles that contain coloring substance that has not been prescribes for use or contains a prescribed coloring substance beyond the prescribed limits †¢ The above point is true for preservatives as well Quality of an article is not up to the prescribed standards As a part of this report, we intend to explore the effects that food adulteration has on the health and lives of the victims, look at some of the most common forms of food adulteration that takes place in our country as well as around the globe. We will also briefly look at the laws that are in place to protect us from food adulteration and their implications on controlling food adulteration. Another major focus point of our report will be to identify ways that enable people to identify whether a food product is adulterated or not.

Autobiography: three of my childhood memories

In this talk I'm going to discuss three of my childhood memories. These things are very special to me and I've treasured them mentally and physically throughout my life. I'd like to start with a book, this book is called ‘Better days'. The moral of this book is to never give up trying in life, it describes a boy's childhood. The boy is called Tom and he was abused by his family, he was brutally beaten and his parents treated him like filth. But one day he thought that life was about happiness and dreams so he decided to stand up to what he believes in. Unfortunately his wicked parents did not agree and he continued getting beaten. This fragile and disturbed boy wanted to be a teacher, he wanted the opportunity to help children with their education and most of all he wanted to teach children that life is like a drop of rain, you can see it for a moment but eventually it goes. Throughout the story it describes Tom's feelings towards others, he was a kind and considerate person, even to his parents but most of all he never stopped believing in hope.  Like read about memories? Read also  Flashbulb memory! This story stays close to my heart because it shows that anyone can be who they want to be, but the only way to live that dream is to stick with it and never give up. This story is also an inspiration in my life and it has taught me to never give up believing. Now I'm going to describe a song which to me feels really emotional, it is by a rapper called 2 Pac and the song is called ‘Changes'. This song is about life and how life itself copes with changes. When I listen to this song it reminds me of September 11th because I think that tragic day changed the world for ever. It involved war on other countries and it has ruined many people's lives. When I compare the song and that day of September 11th I think to myself that the world is very cruel and the people of the world are very cruel to each other. Didn't God say ‘love each other like I have loved you ?'; well to me I think the world has broken that promise. This song will stay with me throughout my life and it reminds me to be kind to others and to settle things with peace and not war. Finally, this brings me to my last memory and that is an object that has been with me all my life. It would have to be my flannel. You are probably thinking ‘why a flannel'. Well it may not be an expensive object but as long as it is yours it's priceless. When I was born I had this flannel by my side in hospital, it was just something to amuse and comfort me but from that day on I couldn't go anywhere with out it. This small flannel reminds me of my whole life and it symbolizes me as an individual.

Anthropologic Comparison Of Orangutans, Gorillas, And Chimpanzees Essay

Anthropologic Comparison Of Orangutans, Gorillas, And Chimpanzees - Essay Example Studies have revealed that female orangutans solely assume the responsibility of rearing their children whereas the males their work is over once they mate. This implies the male is not that social, which prompts their young males once they reach maturity to leave their mothers to live the solitary life (Maggioncalda 14). Chimpanzees are the most social primates compared to both the orangutans and gorillas (Haviland 59). Consequently, this is has prompted numerous scientists to refer to their social structure as "fusion-fission" due to the close-knit groups, which they normally maintain. Mainly these social units comprise of 10 chimpanzees where they usually move together from one place to another in search of food (Haviland 59). Contrary to the gorillas and orangutans, they usually keep strong family or community bonds that may carry on for a lifetime. Dominance in any group by males adopts the age’s hierarchy, where the old chimp becomes the alpha primate, which is also evident among their females though they are under males. Chimpanzees unlike to the orangutans, they guard their territory by touring their boundaries. Once another male chimpanzee intrudes the territory, others gang up against the intruder. However, almost mature female chimpanzees are free to move from one group to another bu t still maintain their natal bond, which is contrary to the orangutans (Primate Infor Net). Gorillas’ social structure is in between that of chimpanzees and orangutans. This is because one male commonly referred to as silverback usually dominates one female troop; mainly for mating and protection purposes (ONeil).

15 summaries Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

15 summaries - Assignment Example As such, people need to embrace strife, misery, and folly as harbingers that foster a greater good. Author Voltaire Francois discusses ignorance, philosophy, as well as self-conceit of humanity in his essay â€Å"Micromegas.† In this essay, the author undertakes a satirical exploration in his research about the philosophy principles paraded by humanity, alongside their ignorance and self-conceit towards various aspects of life. Author Voltaire Francois discusses through a satirical approach government corruption, religious doctrines, as well as the injustices and folly perpetrated by the French society in his essay â€Å"The Huron.† In this essay, he explores the above concepts through disusing the story of one man from the tribe of Huron transported to Paris city. Author Voltaire Francois discusses in his essay â€Å"The man of Forty Crowns,† the author Voltaire discusses the various concepts of a crown, and how monarchial hereditariness passes on power from one generation to another. He asserts that some poor leadership traits may sometimes pass on from one lineage to the next during such practices Author Voltaire Francois discusses in â€Å"The Sage and the Atheist,† Voltaire explores the different perspectives of religion and the effect that each has on the belief, faith, and religious practices of an individual, and an entire community at large. A sage is a holy person, while an atheist does not believe in the existence of any supernatural powers controlling the lives and doings of men. Author Voltaire Francois discusses in â€Å"The World as it goes,† Voltaire discusses the vision of Babuoc. In this excerpt, the author explores how the King commissioned his faithful servant, Babuoc to go and visit a far away country in Persia then bring back a report on the under dealings within the city, using his spirit of discernment, as well as the power to inspire confidence. Author Voltaire Francois discusses in â€Å"the study of nature,† Voltaire asserts

DQ #5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DQ #5 - Essay Example Lastly, the pie chart is important in showing the competitive position of a company against its competitors. Shares of companies in an industry are illustrated through pie chart as well as the contribution of sales among geographic locations. Misleading graphs becomes a problem in portraying the real situation. This is as worse as distorting the data set as these are both done in order to exaggerate and convey wrong information to the reader. The graph on the equity market posted on Yahoo finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/marketupdate/overviewu) is an example of a misleading graph. It should be noted that the Dow and Nasdaq markets are shown in two line graphs which uses different intervals. Also, the graphs are misleading because the horizontal axes did not start at zero making the movements in composite price indices appear very large even if this is not the case. This problem can be remedied by displaying the performances of Dow and Nasdaq on one graph. Also, the horizontal axis should start at zero in order to give investors an appropriate view on the changes in composite price indices. The use of focus group can be very helpful in gathering qualitative data especial

Personal leadership competence and how develop personal development in Article

Personal leadership competence and how develop personal development in the competence in the future - Article Example There is not only have self-confident and but also have more professional skills in order to do better in personal and professional development in the future. Thereby this module plays an important role in my whole postgraduate studying life. It helps me to reflect myself in my local learning environment and career life in the future. In this module, I have learned how to develop individuals' mastery in personal and interpersonal effectiveness which is benefit of supporting career development. Besides, I have also learned how to manage problems by using essential leadership skills. In this paper, it will discuss which strengths and weakness I have already developed in my professional life. It will also analysis of learning in the whole module. In addition, it will analysis how to promote my competence development and how to plan my professional development in the future. 2. Main body 2.1 Analysis of learning Before I learning this module, I do not understand what does mean of persona l and professional development. But when I read the module description and staff details in the handbook, I find most of the tutors which are related to Human Resource Management. Because of this, I am starting to like the course more and more. Actually, I am interesting in management and professional skills development because I think people have a professional quality is necessary under the rapid economic development of society. Through learning this module, I have learned a lot of professional knowledge about person and professional development. According to Pedler et al (1990), personal and professional development is a way of maintaining and creating the adaptability and flexibility that workers and, by extension, organisations need to ensure their future well-being. It is in keeping with post-modern society, in which rapid change and unknown futures create a necessity for learning organisations (Senge, 1993). So I think whatever you are a student or employee, you can find a gr eat help in this course. As a postgraduate student, a lot of theoretical knowledge are very important to me, such as communication skill, leadership skill and so on. Before I learning, I just know how to communicate with people. However, when I meet problems or conflict with other persons, I always can not deal with it. Therefore, though learning, I have handled how to solve problems and how to avoid conflict in the processing of communication. This point is very important to me in whole career development in the future whatever in the group work or in the workplace. I believe that is my intangible wealth in my whole life. Specifically, I have learned main five competencies which include self-management, interpersonal, self-development, personal leadership and engaging with other competencies. Base on the personal development matrix I will take three competencies for example to describe what I have learned in this course. During my learning, teacher alway arranges to discuss which f orm is in groups. Every times, I always try my best to use my skills to talk with other group members in the teamwork's discussion. I am awareness of effective inter-personal relationship is necessary. Actually, I am confident of my own ability in achieving my goals. When I describe my main points I always have a confident even more there is a little bit assertiveness. So sometimes I am not better control my emotion when I persuade other

Analyzing the impact of Chinese FDI Africaa and Ghana Essay

Analyzing the impact of Chinese FDI Africaa and Ghana - Essay Example ping countries of the world to attract foreign direct investment as a way to spark production and manufacturing capabilities within the country, while hopefully benefitting the region as a whole in terms of economic development. Foreign direct investment is not easy to attract. Because such sources of capital often come from individuals or companies, stakeholders involved expect a reasonable return on their investment, along with management and control interests with minimal risk. This is even more important when the source of foreign direct investment comes from a country that must answer to the local taxpayer. In such situations, concessions will need to be made to insure that the investments are properly handled and become beneficial for both parties. Unfortunately, the developing countries of the world often lack the political stability to make this happen. In addition, there are logistical, cultural, and economic barriers that cause many investors to be hesitant when asked to provide direct aid to a particular country or region. In order to open up opportunities, countries such as those in Africa will need to examine existing economic policy and find ways to make investment in their countries more attr active moving forward. Ghana and Nigeria serve as the focus for this project because of the complementary economies. In addition, they are two developing nations that have seen recent success in attracting foreign direct investment. In order to provide a model for other developing nations to observe, it is important to determine the benefits that are being realized from these increased investments and what has been done to further spark the economic growth in the region. The country of focus, from an investment standpoint, is China. China has been willing to fund various projects within this West African region, in exchange for benefits received back home. The study discusses how the partnership is faring and what Ghana and Nigeria can do to attract

Public Health in Nursing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Public Health in Nursing Practice - Essay Example This essay approves that there are several characteristics of the population of the United Kingdom that can draw attention as they pose threat to the public health. Among these is the increasing concern that the population’s abusive patterns with regard to drug abuse is drawing. In a report of the UK Drug Policy Commission, the people of UK were identified to be the highest consumer of prohibited drugs in all Europe. This has also resulted to the increase of drug-related deaths which pushed it to the second spot among the European countries with high drug-related deaths statistics as well. Such deaths have been identified to be due to â€Å"poisoning, drug abuse, or drug dependence† This report makes a conclusion that drug abuse and dependence is indeed a public health concern that does not only affect the United Kingdom but the rest of the world as well. As a result, local, national and even international programs to respond to its negative threats are needed. The demographic trends and the behavior of the British people towards the use of recreational drugs which is identified to be â€Å"cultural† in origin is indeed alarming since it has been related to many severe health conditions and even risks to security that puts the health of the community as a whole in jeopardy. Although improvement is now apparent, the Government, health organizations and other related agencies must not only make policies to fight drug abuse as public a concern but also continue to monitor and evaluate these policies for the purpose of public health maintenance and improvement through the use of indicators such as demographic trends.

The Impact of ‘Scientific Ideal’ on the Development of Political Science Essay Example for Free

The Impact of ‘Scientific Ideal’ on the Development of Political Science Essay Introduction The philosophy of history is a study on how the human history is supposed to be laid down in papers. There are several studies that are interconnected with the process of knowing how and what should history contain about the human past. Along with this, an important focus on how wide the philosophies on historical set up directly affect the developments in the present systems of political science is also being observed. Political Science as defined mainly refers to the study of political behavior of people making up the government of certain specific countries. These behaviors also include the scientific examination of the acquisition and the application of power in different forms of government practiced by respectively different countries as well. According to authors Dickerson and Flanagan in their book â€Å"An Introduction to Government and Politics (2001), â€Å"Political Science is a process of conflict resolution in which support is mobilized and maintained for collective projects†. This naturally means that it is a way in which countries are able to formulate public projects de to the existence of authorities who have the power to give permission for such public projects. Other known writers and philosophers have different views towards the real meaning of the said study. As for Mao Zedong, Political Science is the study of politics wherein politics is defined as â€Å"war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed† (As cited by Slann, 2004). Another writer, Otto Van Bismarck says that Political Science is the art of politics, which is referred to as the art of the possible (As cited by Slann, 2004). To him, the said study makes impossible things to occur within the existence of the human government. Indeed, as many writers have different and at times even contrasting views regarding the study of politics which is Political Science, debates and other social issues behind the controversies of political philosophies. Among the issues concerned within the topic is the fact that the Philosophies of History sets clear points showing the connection of the ‘scientific ideal† studies and observations to the developments of Political Science itself. With the use of several literature readings and observation, an issue regarding the emergence of power within the history of human civilization shall be discussed in this paper. Along with this, some points of concern regarding the relationship between the scientific processes mostly called the ‘scientific ideal’ in putting down the historical past of the human civilization and the development of Political Science up until the present time shall also be tackled herein. Philosophy of History The philosophy of history is referred to as the branch of the study of philosophy focused on the eventual significance of human history to the present development of several aspects of living within the human society. Thus, this study includes political science within its scope. In the process of knowing the specific details of human history and its connection to the present existing systems in the human society, several questions are considered in performing the said study. First is the determination of the specific and proper unit used for the study of the human past. It mainly asks â€Å"what possible unit should be mainly considered when history is presented to the readers of the present generation, the individual points, the cities or the sovereign territories, the development of civilization or culture, or everything else comprised within the details of the human past?† Another question is concerning the broad patterns used in posting the human past in historical write-ups and literatures. The main question is â€Å"are there any patterns of progress followed in the posting of history? The last point of concern of this study is the direction passed by historical accounts. The question on this matter of concern is â€Å"what is the driving force of the progress in history?† The questions mentioned above are mainly used to observe the different aspects of human society. Moreover, among the aspects to be considered as mentioned earlier is the connection of this process to the developments of Political Science. Consequently, many debates arise because of the fact that there are many theories concerning this matter. Some of the theories of power and politics shall be discussed in the paragraphs to follow. The Introduction of ‘Power’ in the Human Society With the records written in the pages of history, it has been made clear that ever since the human civilization started to thrive in the face of the earth, leadership and power had already been a part of the human’s everyday living. There had always been a need for people to have somebody stand up as their leader to instruct them of what they are supposed to do. Simple forms of governments have been formed in the earlier years of human existence to support the said need for leadership. On the other hand, many people too wanted to have the privilege of ruling their respective small communities. With this, there came to be the birth of simple politics. According to the analysis of Michel Foucault (1977) in the journal â€Å"Politico-Historical† discourse on â€Å"Race Struggle†, politics began to thrive due to the fact that people wanted to become a part of the authoritative power who rules other people. Because of this, Foucault claims that social conflict based on ethnic groups, class struggle as well as social elements contributing to power began in the earlier human generations. Then, as years passed, the simple political set up in the human communities began to change. Some tribes or even certain individuals wanting power, already wanted the position of an official in a certain society already came up with different propagandas to get what they want. Indeed, the politics as defined by Mao Zedong earlier as ‘war without bloodshed’ began to be given birth during these times of political progression in the human civilization. Another analysis on Philosophical History by Foucault (1976) entitled â€Å"Society Must be Defended† says that politics all began with the race struggle. People began to take territories as well as claim their people’s race when the beginning of politics had been introduced to the human society. This has been proven when the said analysis of human society and politics by Foucault had been used in Great Britain for study. It has been proven that people used to struggle against monarchy thus having the motives of gaining considerable social class from not much different from that of the monarchial rulers. Indeed, as clearly pointed out on the different literatures regarding philosophy of history and how the human past accounts had been laid down into writing, politics had been proven as a developing social factor which directly affects the whole society’s life and dealings with their own communities. Today, as history makes it clear, political science has been continuously developing through the years of human civilization. From the simple forms of government and creation of simple laws to the birth of a more organized human rulership and more complex creation of laws, the ‘scientific ideal’ had helped the people understand the developments of politics in the society as well as its study. Along the pages of human history, it could be tracked down how much politics as well as political science had been developing through the passing on of generations. The accounts on the years of imperialism and colonization have also been a factor, which contributed to the present political systems applied in many countries around the world. In this regard, the introduction of democratic government around the world had been very successful because of the fact that history shows the need for such kind of rulership basing from the past occurrences that happened due to the existence of other forms of government. Although not all the nations around the world applies the said form of government, many people still began to realize that this form of government gives so much benefit to people due to the effects of many analytical literatures written to support the said idea on freedom and democracy. Developments of Political Science As mentioned earlier, political science had been continuously developing through the years. Indeed, the fact that through the scientific formulas of historical presentation of different political accounts through the years of human civilization, politics and its study had been able to aim for better ways of governing people and helping the human civilization progress further for human advancement. In the face of history, it is clearly shown how the political aspect of the society had affected so much of human activities through the years of progress. Other social aspects such as religion and social classes as well as the different ideologies regarding life had been directly affected by the development of politics in the whole world. Along with this, the analysis of the said factor in human society also continuously developed helping in further progress of politics itself. As often said by writers who endeavor in the reports of both social and political progress, â€Å"the society is constantly developing and this is all because of the impact of history to the human civilization† (Rousseau, 2005). Conclusion True, as clearly pointed out in the entire theme of this paper, ‘scientific ideal’ in the placement of history of the human civilization on paper makes it possible for political science to develop in the way it analyzes the present political situations in the world. The creation of laws and other national rules are also directly affected by the said state of development in political science. Yes, indeed, the way history is carefully written for the benefit of the present generation is truly an important factor contributing to the progress of the study conducted by political science in the development of world politics and governance. Bibliography Martin Slann. (2004). Introduction to Politics: Governments and Nations in the Twenty- First Century. Atomic Dog Publishing. Pp 14,15. Jean-Jacques Rousseau. (2005). The Plan for Perpetual Peace, On the Government of Poland, and Other Writings on History and Politics (Collected Writings of Rousseau). Dartmouth College Press. P 122. Dickerson, M. and Flanagan, E. (2001). An Introdustion to Government and Politics. Atomic Dog Publishing. 12. Foucault, M. (1976). Philosophical History. The Society Must Be Defended. Verso Publishing Company. 14. Foucault, M. (1977). Politico-Historico. Race Struggle. Verso Publishing Company. 21. Louis Althusser. (2001). Politics and History: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Marx (Radical Thinkers). Verso Publishing Company. 23. Iain Hampsher-Monk. (1993). A History of Modern Political Thought: Major Political Thinkers from Hobbes to Marx. Blackwell Publishing, Incorporated. 121. John Milton, Martin Dzelzainis. (1991). Milton: Political Writings (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought). Cambridge University Press. 145. Blackwell Publishing. (2003). History and Theory Studies in the Philosophy of History. http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0018-2656. (September 6, 2006). Blackwell Publishing. (2006). History On-Line. http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0018-2656. (September 6, 2006).

Analyzing Thailands Tourism Industry

Analyzing Thailands Tourism Industry Abstract In the present context of an increasingly globalized world, and the nature of the tourism industry, it is worthwhile to note if Porters Diamond framework still provides answers to the changing competitiveness of Thailands tourism and identifies success factors and factors detrimental to its competitiveness. A revised version of the Diamond framework has been proposed for the given context of tourism industry and Thailand state. This paper tries to analyze Thailands Tourism industry using this revised form of Porters Diamond Framework, identifying the various sources of competitiveness or the lack of it thereof. It attempts to identify key areas for improvement based on the above analysis and suggests solutions for the same. Keywords: Competitiveness, Thailand, Tourism, Diamond Model, Revised framework Introduction For any country tourism impacts not only revenues but employment and economic development as well. For Thailand, this is even more so. It is therefore important for Thailands tourism industry to be competitive not just in ASEAN region but globally. Subsequent to the success of Visit Thailand Year in 1987, Thailand, a small country in the Asia Pacific region became the biggest growth story in the region with a growth rate of 7 %. Subsequently its economy (GDP) grew at an astounding 10.9 %, 13.2 % and 10 % respectively in the next three years i.e. an average of 11.7 % from 1998 1990, about the best in the world. However, it did not maintain that growth subsequently, and its tourism industry faced many adversities. This paper will analyze the recent developments in the tourism industry to help understand the reasons for the same in todays context. Today when not only individuals, products, firms compete against each other but industries and nations themselves strive to outdo the competition, it becomes imperative to understand what it takes to beat the completion and stay competitive i.e. to acquires a good understanding of the determining factors of competitive growth. This paper proposes to do such an analysis for the tourism industry of Thailand. It also, argues a case for revising the Porters Diamond Model framework for the given context. Porters Diamond Model Framework Besides traditional resource advantages like land, location, labour, natural resources and size of population Porter (1990) argued that grouping or clusters of interconnected firms and stakeholders like institutions, suppliers and related industries provide competitive advantage which are not inherited and which can be acquired. To get a better understanding of the determinants for such attainment of competitive advantage, Porter (1990, 1998) provided the famous diamond framework (Fig. 1). This framework helped in the analysis of not only industries but also nations. The four vertices of the diamond indicated four groups of determinants. These were: factor conditions (also called input conditions), demand conditions, related and supporting industries; and firm strategy, structure and rivalry. These were the basic determinants. There were however two external or additional factors chance; and government. All these factors were not isolated but interconnected. Thus, demand and factors conditions were connected. So were the factors: related and supporting industries; and firm strategy, structure and rivalry. The national factors of production like natural resources, infrastructure and skilled labour are the key factor conditions. The nature of domestic demand for product and services chiefly define the demand conditions. The presence (or absence) of suppliers, related industries which are themselves competitive (internationally) form the related and supporting industries vertex. The domestic rivalry between the firms and the conditions that govern their formation, organization and management form the last vertex of the diamond in the framework. The framework is useful in identifying not only the sources of competitive advantage but also identifies key problem areas to be addressed. Oz (2006) illustrated this when identifying the sources of competitive advantage of Turkish construction companies in international markets. The success factors like dynamic domestic market, variables favourable to entrepreneurship, and intense domestic rivalry pressures effects were brought to fore along with the trouble causing areas like government induced hindrances, difficulties in financing and weak consulting and design engineering capabilities positioning of Turkey in the international arena. However, there are limitations to this framework and many researchers have combined this with other form of analysis like Rugman and Verbeke (1993) used SWOT for comparison, citing flaws like difficulty in making it operational i.e. of putting it in practice. It is noteworthy that this framework is been applicable to services as given by Lee and Spis to (2007). The case for the Endogenous Role of Government and Chance Apart from the limitation attributed to the diamond framework above, another flaw in it is that it does not include government as one of the basic factors but only considers it as an external factor despite the fact that it greatly affects all the other basic factors. To compensate for this Wickham (2005) re-conceptualized the framework for the Australian context. It had government as an integral basic factor at the centre of the framework, depicted as government surrounded by all the other factors as vertices of a hexagon with the chance factor in incomplete (dotted) lines giving it a separate identity as an external factor alone. He also suggested that the role of chance be considered in with new attention when applied to a regional economic model like that of the Porters Diamond. Fig. 1: Determinants of Competitive Advantage: Porters Diamond Model Framework Factor Conditions Chance Firm Strategy, Structure Rivalry Related Supporting Industries Government Demand Conditions The importance of government policy initiatives to promote and develop the industry can be seen for the tourism context in Prideaux (1996), who on examining growth trends of Taiwanese inbound tourism to Australia, studied the factors responsible for this and listed them as better air connectivity, promotions and organization of Taiwans travel industry. Suggestion was also made that repeat visitations would be greatly beneficial and to achieve better tourism prospects with Taiwan steps like forging links with operators in Taiwan, increasing frequency and connectivity of airlines, cultural education including language training, and customization of products to suit Taiwanese tastes should be undertaken. The importance of the study lies in the fact that it provides a model for Thailand to replicate with neighbouring ASEAN nations. It provides inputs as to what it should do to target a lucrative, individual nation like China. Clearly government policies and trade agreements with regional nations play a great role in determining the relative competitiveness of Thailand as a tourist destination. The role of government and chance here, for the Thailand tourism industry plays a crucial role given the recent history of Thailand it was the epicenter of the Asian financial crisis of 1997; it faced the Indian Ocean earthquake followed by Tsunami on 26th December 2004; it dealt with global recession post September 11, 2001 attacks, the financial downturn of 2008, SARS (and H1N1 Flu phenomena) and more recently domestic political chaos. These seem to have impacted tourism severely. This builds the case of chance being a critical determinant in the diamond model leading to the assumption that it should definitely be regarded as an endogenous factor and not just one having an exogenous role in the whole framework. Pine, Chan and Leung (1996) have outlined the impact of the Asian economic downturn and stated that the economic downturn which affected adversely the tourism industry has led to slowing or halting of many projects in the hospitality arena. It noted that intra-regional tourism had grown due to the regions strong economic growth. They further expect the tourism to be adversely affected (based on limited data); intra-regional tourism was expected to decline but increase from Europe and Americas in the light of the recent currency devaluations. Zhang (2005) has reported after analyzing industry data that Chinas outbound tourism got distributed as a result of the Tsunami. The South East Asian and South Asian nations lost out on many Chinese tourists to hitherto new choice of destinations. The perception of the region was one of high risk and this eventually led to loss in tourist numbers and revenue. The new destinations garnering attention even saw escalation in prices. Travel insurance was more sought as a result of the tsunami phenomena. Also, Ichinosawa (2006) provides highlights as to how Tsunami stigmatized Phuket as a tourist destination. Leiper and Hing (1998) studied unrelated four events in 1997-98 in the Asian context and the impact on the tourism industries of the respective nations. The events included huge forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Chinese takeover of Hong Kong, the triggering of Asian Economic Crisis with currency collapse in Thailand and social and economic unrest in Indonesia; and political and economic crises in Cambodia. These they inferred resulted in decline in international as well as domestic tourism. Thus, chance was a major factor here. Malhotra and Venkatesh (2009) have explored how vital it is to have contingency plans for crises and provide guidelines to proactively design a crisis management plan; even to take care when things go really bad. They compared Hong Kongs strategy and Thailands response to the Tsunami and the SARS outbreak. Based on such deliberations they advise having fluid structures and policies with regards to the organizational design, so as to effectively and timely deal with uncertainties of various kinds. They name various kinds of crisis, along with all their stages and depending upon the readiness of the affected entity (nation etc) determines the gap that needs to be filled in terms of crisis management. This they argue is the responsibility of the hospitality and tourism industry. The role of the government in formulating beneficial policies then becomes crucial given the above chance factor is so influential in the tourism industry. Thus, roles of chance and government are said to be cri tical in relation to the tourism industry. The influence chance has over government policies (and even governments themselves) implies that chance is way too important and thus should be regarded as intrusive, internal factor integrated with the whole framework of the diamond model. Clearly, for the case of a highly specific industry like tourism and a country where the government (directly or indirectly) holds more than half of its net capital stock (Phongsathorn, 2001), the government cannot be left out as just an exogenous factor. It is too important to be dealt as an influence. Thus, government should be thought of as an endogenous factor in the model. Also, government today has more a role of a collaborator than just an influencer or policy maker. Considering that the diamond framework has not been applied to services as it has been to manufacturing industries, and also less work is done specifically on the tourism industry using the model, the role of the external factors need to be seen in new light. Besides, tourism itself is such an industry which in the case of nations like Thailand may incorporate the whole country as the operating area. More recently, Pettus and Helms (2008) have included government in an endogenous role in the diamond model framework, while analyzing the case of Argentina. Though, Porter (1990) has opined that chance events are outside the control of the industry, nevertheless its effect can be negated. Also, prudent investment and preparation can actually prevent the occurrences of man-made disasters and reduce the probability of many untoward incidents. Besides, the operationalization of chance even outside the diamond as an external factor is also very difficult. It is noteworthy also that chance even affects the government and its role. In the scenario of much globalized world where two countries are not isolated anymore and the events in one country affects the other in a more significant way than ever before the model requires an upgrading. Thus, a case has been made for the exogenous factors Government and Chance to be treated as endogenous. Therefore, in effect the diamond model gives way to the proposed model (fig.2). Fig. 2: The Proposed Revised Porters Diamond Model Framework Factor Conditions Government Related Supporting Industries Firm Strategy, Structure Rivalry Chance Demand Conditions Research Methodology The study identifies the key variables that act as constituents to the various determinants of competitiveness of the tourism industry of Thailand. It also looks into the role played by Chance and the Government in altering the industrys competitiveness. For this, unforeseen events and government policies and their impacts were studied and extensive literature reviewed to achieve the above stated objectives. A couple of telephonic interviews with Thai people were conducted to probe into specific areas and to corroborate findings. Thus, primarily the analysis is qualitative in nature. Discussion and Analysis Factor Conditions Factor conditions like infrastructure have been in the governments eye along with the human resources. However, it is perchance that the multi-million dollar airports that were to be a gateway to Thailand and its scenic beauty was the centre of anti-establishment protests and subsequently two airports were then shut down. Thailands natural resources like beautiful beaches definitely provide a competitive edge. This factor condition is also one of the key variables for the tourism industry. Its spicy food, hospitality and exotic culture are inherent attractions. The significant external markets for the tourism industry are widely spread across the world and include major European countries, the U.S. and now even China. Thailands ideological commitment to liberalization and open economy has had major impacts on the industry dynamics especially over the long run. Knowledge resources also have grown. Capital resources which were an area for concern has been dealt well in recent times and policy measures for financial markets has made it more sound and less prone to international volatility in comparison to earlier years. Location is definitely an important issue here. Singapore and Taiwan are so important for global businesses because of their strategic location. Quality and quantity of highly skilled work force for the industry is also a huge concern. Serious policy initiatives are to be taken by the state in this regard. Recommendations include the continued development of various transport related infrastructure and maintaining and enhancing a skilled labour pool. The Tourism Authority of Thailand Travel Industry Portal provides online training for the industry personnel. Another facilitator for easy travel is a rail link from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Bangkok by means of a sky train. This initiative reduces the travel time to 15 min and is greatly appreciated by travelers.  [1]   There is growth in the road linkages. The newly formed North South Economic Corridor links Thailand to other Asian countries by means of a twelve hundred km R3A road highway which links Thailand with Laos to China emerging from Chiang Rai in Thailand was developed successfully in 2009. Thailand is becoming known for its status as a definitive hub for regional aviation. It has strong aviation linkages and airlines presence. Now, many countries have more flights from Thailand than most others in the whole of Asia. There are weekly 131 direct by around 13 airlines connecting Middle East Asia. Thailand is served by over seven hundred flights per by charter, scheduled and low-cost airlines from all over the world. Thai Airways has also launched new routes to Abu Dhabhi and Jeddah form Bangkok. Tehran-Bangkok link has been proposed. Similarly, rival Emirates Airlines have inducted Airbus-380 aircrafts for its Bangkok route to provide daily service from the city of Dubai.  [2]   Human Resources: Labour Force Statistics 2009 (Source: NSO) Total population is 66.72 million of which persons who are aged below 15 are 14.15 million, and persons aged 15 years old and over 52.57 million. Total labor force (Available for work) 37.53 million. Persons not in labor force (Not available for work) are 15.04 million. Thus, employed persons are 36.50 million, unemployed persons are 0.78 million. Of these seasonally inactive are 0.25 million. Household workers are 4.93 million, students are 4.41 million, and others are 5.70 million. Fig. 3: Comparison of number of employed persons between Quarter 1 of 2008 and 2009 by Industry Unit: Million Persons (Source: Labor Force Survey 2009, NSO) The physical and natural beauty of the beaches and islands of Thailand are the greatest attraction for tourists. Thailands most popular beaches and island destinations include along the Andaman Coast: Phuket, Mu Ko Similan Marine National Park, Mu Ko Surin Marine National Park, Ao Phang-nga National Park, Krabi, Phi Phi Islands, Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Tarutao Marine National Park; along the Gulf of Thailand: Cha-am (Hua Hin), Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine National Park, Ko Tao and along the Eastern section: Pattaya, Rayong Ko Samet and Ko Chang Marine National Park. The National Telecommunications Commission Act of Oct 2004 along with the earlier Telecommunications Business Act 2001 has done a lot to setup the competitive environment for telecommunications industry. The formation of the Universal Service Fund by CAT (Communications Authority of Thailand) and TOT (Telecommunications Organization of Thailand) has provided impetus to the development of the industry. This has been instrumental for the growth of the tourism industry of Thailand. Car (rentals), train, bus; taxi services are available for transportation. A host of other offerings are available for inland transportation which includes motorcycle taxis, Tuk-Tuks, tricycles, bicycles and Song Thaeo or the very popular pick-up trucks. Charter, scheduled and low-cost airlines make up the air travel avenues; cruises, boat, etc provide water transportation facilities. Railways provide access to a large network of destinations in Thailand, providing economical and efficient transportation. Firm Strategy, Rivalry Corruption and bureaucratic hurdles created by the government is another deterrent to it reaching its competitively superior position. Anti-trust policies of the Government are few and far between. There is a lot to be desired on this front from the Thai government. A recently enacted anti-competitive law had a monumental flaw in it as it did not apply to state-owned enterprises (that enjoyed monopoly). Environmental regulations are being looked into by the state. To be competitive on the global platform requires efficiently producing goods and services of value more than that provided by other competing nations. It is important for Thailand to do so for the tourism industry to make a mark for itself on the global platform especially when its productivity levels are low. Firms should lay emphasis on retention of and attracting intellectual capital. Within the industry as well as across the industry technology should be shared. The Trade Competition Act 1999 and thereby the Trade Competition Board helps provide fair trade. The General Agreement on Trades in Services (GATS) furthers this cause. However, the anti-trust policies are not very effective as these are biased in favour of the government. Also, the players pay a high price for the illegal or unethical practices of rivals. The governmental officials prove a bane as there is rampant corruption and cases of corporate cronyism provide hinder fair competition between the players. The rivalry is also relatively less intense than it could be to get more value for the consumers for the services offered. The local base of the competition makes the rivalry worthwhile. Employer and labour relations are adequately cooperative to discourage any untoward strikes or major hurdles in provision of productive output. There is adequate decentralization of various corporate activities and delegation of responsibility and authority is a prevalent phenomenon. However, the corporate boards leave more to be desired in terms of efficacy. The cry for greater privatization is justified as it would certainly help in making the industry more competitive. Greater role of the private sector would ensure better management and corporate governance practices, reducing the business related corruption highly prevalent today. This process could be expedited by better corporate control activities, maintaining ethical business standards, sharing management know how, devising incentive based compensation systems, applying performance based appraisal systems, and having collaborative partnerships with local players with an understanding that practices to be in the right spirit, having joint investments, etc. Considering the significant role of the government in this industry, Private public partnerships (PPP) could effectively achieve the requisite competitiveness for being one of the best globally. No doubt that if this is implemented properly over time then the incident revelations from CNNs survey of global travel and tourism that Thailand was the best on the basis of value for money amongst all countries in the Asia Pacific region would not be an isolated event but among a series of similar results. Turtle Conservation Plan in Mai Khao area which involved beach and reef cleaning also is a PPP initiative for environmental considerations. Interestingly, many hotels in Thailand have raised the quality standards in terms of environment friendliness by going smoke-free i.e. promoting anti-smoking measures. Thai Airways and Nok Air have decided to cooperate to boost up domestic traffic over specific routes like Bangkok to Phitsanulok, Bangkok to Ratchathani and Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son Already Thai Airways is part of the Star Alliance the worlds first major global airline alliance which aids its network operations. Demand Conditions The internal demand though grown is limited by the population size and disposable incomes. Reductions in prices have encouraged local demand in recent years. However, Thailand may not be able to charge the premium it did during the hey-days. And any further price increase will discourage domestic demand. However, the internal demand for Thailands tourism industry offerings has been seen to grow in recent years. Advantage for Thailand exists in the offerings in terms of varied services and a competitive value proposition vis-à  -vis other countries. Also, the active tendency of the local tourists to readily accept the latest offerings offered by the tourism industry makes the demand. A few regulatory standards for tourism based trade and environment are exacting in nature. Even the intellectual property rights and safety standards for online transactions are less than desirable providing less encouragement for innovation and stimulation of demand. However, not only does the internal demand conditions condition the industry to become competitive globally it provides an avenue for experimentation and more importantly provides revenues when global tourist inflows ebbs below expected levels. Increasing internal demand could then easily be used as a hedge for fluctuations in collections from international tourists especially during the off seasons. Specialized market segments for specialized services and distinctive benefit segmentation provides impetus to the internal demand and subsequently to the external demand. In this regard providing incentives for innovation and aiding multinational corporations should be the policies pursued by the industry. There are various activities that a visitor or tourist can undertake for pleasure. Thailand offers a wide array of such offerings which include shopping, golf, adventure treks, hill tribe visit, special cooking and food, elephant rides, special festivals and celebrations, spa, spiritual and religious insights and learning (especially Buddhism), meditation, water sports, etc. Water sports include diving, sailing, yachting, cruising, canoeing and kayaking, swimming and snorkeling, fishing, windsurfing, rock climbing and bouldering, jet skiing and wakeboarding. Medical-tourism and business events also form an integral part of the range of offerings. Many indigenous events attract visitors from within and outside the country thereby stimulating demand. Some key events that happened from time to time in Thailand are the Luang Phor Thuad and Sunflower Field Festival dealing with the first blossoming of sunflower at a distinguished temple and paying tribute to Luang Phor Thuad, Chinese New Year Fair where prayers are offered the Chinese way, and there are opera shows and a food festival for vegetarians, Chinese Lantern Festival where a competition for lanterns and its decoration is held, World Wetland Day involving environmental related activities and awareness, bird watching and games, Eco-tourism and Kasalong Flower Festival involving bonfire and camping activities, showcasing of rare species of wild flowers and visiting caves, Thailand International Kite Festival that showcases traditional kites from different regions, kite flying competitions, etc; Thai Sky Festival involving a show of Skydiving by skydivers from many countries, Traditional Gold Leaf Covering Ceremony at Kuiburi Temple involving prayers and religious rites and as the name suggests gold leaf covering, Blooming Lotus Festival providing a tour of the Lotus Pond and trekking, Hua Hin Jazz Festival where Jazz concerts are performed, Hua Hin Regatta involving a race of sailors, Hua Hin (Cha-am) Golf Festival involving golfing contests, Hua Hin Vintage Car Rally which involves parading vintage cars. Many sports events, trade events and festivals had been planned for attracting visitors to Thailand in 2009. Important among these were the 1st World Comedy Film Festival, Thailand Grand Sale 2009, Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) 2009, LPGA Thailand 2009 (Golf), The 2009 Kings Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, 1st Asian Martial Arts Games, Loi Kratong, Candle Festival, Songkran Festival and the 14th ASEAN Summit. New attractions like Sirindhorn Museum and Phu Kum Khao Dinosaur Excavation site, Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium, Dragon Descendants Museum, etc have come up. It is interesting to note that Thailand was voted as the best sailing venue in Asia in a poll conducted by Top of The Gulf Regatta. Also, Phuket Kings Cup Regatta was the winner for best regatta in Asia. Thailand was also voted as the Asian Spa Capital for 2009 by AsiaSpa magazine. Also, Thailand won the Destiantion Spa of the year for Six Senses Destination Spa in Phuket. The major destinations chosen by tourists are (by region): Central Thailand: Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, Cha-Am, Chachoengsao, Lampun, Nonthaburi, Petchburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuab Khiri Khan, Pranburi, Samut Songkhram, Saraburi. Southern Thailand: Koh Lanta Island, Koh Phi Phi Island, Koh Samui Island, Krabi, Phang Nga, Phuket, Trang, Chumphon, Hat Yai, Khao Lak, Koh Phangan Island, Koh Tao Island, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Suratthani. Eastern Thailand: Koh Chang Island, Koh Samed Island, Pattaya, Chanthaburi, Chonburi, Koh Kood Island, Rayong, Trat. Northern Thailand: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Sukhothai, Lampang, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok, Tak. North-East Thailand: Nakhonratchasima, Khon Kaen, Loei, Nong Khai, Ubonratchathani, Udonthani. Latest foreign technology is available to it and this should be made good use of by the industry players and the government. Use of ICT (info-communications and technology) in hotels and other areas is a step in the right direction. The following of the Star Rating methodology for hotel standards by Thailands premier hotels was a step in achieving quality and recognition. To the advantage of Thailand is the level of orientation of the tourists coming to Thailand and the internal tourists as well). These are more or less favourable for the state and should be capitalized upon. Thailand Travel Mart was a large showcase for travel and events held in June in Bangkok. Such events promote the internal demand significantly. Inadequate reliance on experts and professionals for managing the business and related aspects of the industry, poor managerial innovation, low level research and development activities for the tourism industry, provides a hindrance for Thailand to emerge competitive against other players compromising the very nature of its competitive advantage. The extents to which it brands its industry though much better now and steadily improving over the years even in quality, leaves more to be desired in this front. Basing compensation on incentives is another recommendation for the industry. Training staff, at various levels is required to put together a skilled workforce and efficient labour pool for the industry. Related and Supporting Industries The tourism industry is well connected and linked with industries like the transportation and hospitality. Specialty services and has also provided impetus to the industry. However, the stigma of child prostitution and Aids epidemic is still a major concern for the government of Thailand. Labour productivity of Thailand is also not competitive at all. The revenues per tourist to Thailand are less than many competitors in the region. Also, these have not gone up over the years. Understandably, this was due to the chance factor but nevertheless, it seems to compromise the competitiveness of the industry even further. The importance of the framework applied here is that it helps identify sources of competitive advantage. One specific area of interest is the formation of clusters. Domestic rivalry and geographic concentration enhance competitiveness of Thailands tourism industry. The six factors depicted in fig. 2 help the framework act as system. Scalability, magnification and upgrading help provide linkages and networks. These thus help in forming clusters which provide competitive advantage. Efforts should be made to build special business relationships with the various players. Partnerships and alliances between and across the industry could help get the maximum value to the consumer inevitably making Thailand more competitive and the formation of clusters more evident, thereby benefitting the industry greatly. Provision of incentives to encourage; and subsidies to support the entrepreneurial talent in the industrys core and related areas could benefit the industry in many ways including the adoption of innovative tools, techniques and methods and e

Energy Is The Most Important Resources

Energy Is The Most Important Resources Energy is the most important of all resources, while sustainability concept is focuses on the long term survival of communities. The energy and sustainability had to be balance up. Ecological studies include the result of resource consumption and the technology systems have to move toward sustainability. Basically energy can be divided into renewable and non-renewable energy. Energy and sustainability had become an important aspect and current issue around the global. Energy is an important and essential to continuing the economic growth and generates the wealth of the country. Natural resources are one of the resources that human consume to generate the energy. But the most important issue is how technology can contribute to generating the solution maintaining sustainability. Energy production, primary and end-use of energy and quality of energy are the important aspect while discussing the energy resources and use. The main energy production mostly comes from fossil fuels, by converting them into a suitable final form of energy supply and used by the people. Other than that other energy sources such as thermal sources and hydroelectric sources and nuclear sources are being consumed by the nation. The quality of the energy, a well planning and strategies of use of energy is required in order for the energy in the planet to be sustainable. Furthermore the most important is the renewable energy sources must be develops and improves. On the other hand, the side effect of the consumption of the energy such as resource depletion, waste management, and the destruction of the environment must take into consideration. New Resource Sustainability involves practical recognition of the need for global and intergenerational equity, and sustainability is a necessary concept to focuses on the long-term survival of communities. In practice, sustainability involves social, political, economic, and environment aspects. The important of technology development is to increase the labor productivity and miniaturization. The quality of life, standard of living, and the latter had increasing the tension in the society. Due to the awareness of the limits to economic growth has focused attention on the ways of improving the quality of life, without increasing resource consumption. Engineers need to be participating in the associated debates, partly to ensure that they are well-founded technically. Energy Resources and Use Energy is the most important of all resources. The unlimited availability of fossil fuel can no longer be taken as given .Pricing of resources that look into account the cost of synthesizing them when economically viable resources have been depleted would see quite different approaches to energy policy. The resources used for the production of electricity are coal, natural gas, crude oil, nuclear, hydroelectric, and geothermal. The effectively use of limited resources is essential, because it able to minimizes the output of carbon dioxide and waste heat, both are potential threats to the stability of the biosphere. Coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear electricity are all associated with significant pollutants or hazardous byproducts. The resources are also nonrenewable, meaning that the world will, sooner or later, completely consume the energy source. Nuclear power supply is able to supply further fissionable material, but the technical and cost problem is still present, which seek to identify and take account of all the cost involved, including the environment impacts. Primary energy sources can be convenient for handling and stockpiling, and it may necessary to convert into other type of energy forms, in which they are finally used as end-use energy. Thermal energy can be produce in the form of work, or work output by subtracting any heat wasted or rejected from the heat input. In real situation process heat is wasted, so is a need to have a definition of efficiency that quantifies losses in the conversion process. The exergy of a system is the maximum amount of useful work that could be obtained from the system at a given state in the specified environment. The process is undertaken and work extracted until the output is maximized. The exergy destroyed is proportional to the entropy generated and is a measure of the irreversibility of a process. An important consideration when choosing the energy for any application is the energy quality. There are mainly three criteria to be considered. First is the ease of extracting the energy, second is the ease of transporting and storing the energy, last but not lease is the ease of transforming the energy from one form to another. In processing plants heat and the electricity is needed, the efficiency of the system can be increased by burning fuel to generate steam at higher temperature and pressure than is required by the process. Beside that some form of high-quality energy can be converted directly into electricity without use of a heat transformation cycle. Energy Use-Energy Information Administration The demand for end-use energy varies considerably with time. The pattern and degree of variability reflect geographical location and contain a random element relating to the weather. There is also variation corresponding to the hourly usage pattern. Basically electricity can be divided into relatively constant base load and highly variable peak load. Electricity cannot be store. One means of storing electrical energy is pumped storage. In thermal power station, when the demand of electricity is high, the water will allow to run down through turbines, and converting the potential energy into electricity. For most part, it is necessary to match electricity supply to demand by appropriate selection and running of generation plant. Gas turbines are particularly flexible in operation. They can run on oil and natural gas, and the fuel can be changed during running. Furthermore, the open cycle gas turbines do not need a supply of cold water for cooling. The gas turbine can be used with a steam turbine to produce a combined cycle lead to a very efficient unit. The gas turbine can withstand high combustion temperature, and the exhaust heat from the gas turbine is then used to raise steam for a steam turbine cycle. In marketing and other commercial analyses, environmental damage is often treated as an externality. As a result it tends to overused, because most economic decision are make by the operator of private companies that do not pay for environment benefits. Good energy planning is able to develop a mechanism that ensures that the environment damage is minimized and any damage that occurs is charged against the organization. Local decentralized energy system able to reduce energy lodes because smaller system have shorter lead times and respond more effectively to unexpected changes in demand pattern. Due to substantially increase in RD, a new generation of large turbo generators would be significantly more efficient in consumption of fuels, resulting in a reduction in green house effect. Least-cost planning is one of the methods that could be applied. It suggests that the cheapest way to meet energy needs is to open the market. Apart from that lifestyle changes is another factor that effect on energy consumption. Automobile engine efficiencies can be improved, and the mass of the vehicle must be reduced. Other than that less over lighting, overheating, and overcooling of buildings and the recuperation of waste heat in industry could further reduce electricity and oil consumption. Converting solid or gaseous fuels into liquid fuels involves high cost and creates large amounts of greenhouse gases. There has long been enthusiasm for solar energy-generated hydrogen as an ideal, sustainable energy source. The use of hydrogen as a fuel for transportation and power generation presumes an extensive supply infrastructure. The power alcohol from sugar or cassava is also possible supplements as an alternative to oil for transportation but the cost of production is double or three times than petroleum. Future energy policy will be influenced as much by the environmental factors and by security of supply consideration as by technical developments. Energy supply authorities should also make a mandate for conservation rather than promotion of energy use. Sources of Renewable Energy The main renewable energy sources used are biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, and wind. First the renewable energy hydropower is able to provide significant energy. Hydropower uses the energy of flowing water to turn the turbine, which rotates a generator to produce electricity. Wood leading biomass energy resources for power generation, because it is use as a boiler fuel in the lumber, pulp and paper industries. Furthermore, the municipal waste and agricultural waste plants are also the biomass generators. These plants use such diverse feedstock as sugarcane residue, rice hulls, rice straw, nut shells, crop residues, and pruning from orchards and vine yards. Passive solar energy for lighting and heating is probably the most effective energy sources. The passive solar energy system uses little mechanical hardware and required little or no electrical energy to respond. For simple application such as low and medium temperature water heating, space heating and commercial building the solar energy is use instead of fuel combustion. This able reduces costs and environment impact, provided the solar collectors are well design made. Furthermore, the electricity is able to generate in the solar thermal system that collect the thermal energy in solar radiation. Other than that direct conversion of solar energy to electricity is able to achieve by using the solid state photovoltaic cell. Wind energy had been used to pump water, grind grain and electricity generation. The best side to locate the wind turbine to generate electricity is in the mountain area. Wind turbine had been design in order to capture the windà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s energy, and usually the wind turbine mounted with two or three blade, and is mounted on the tower. To improve the turbine design, the blade have to be flex, and able to limit the speed of the blade. Ecological Studies Ecological studies include the result of resource consumption and the technology system come along, by looking into the need to move toward sustainability. Ozone layer is form by combination of 3 atoms of oxygen. In the stratosphere is make up 3km layer, and act as a layer to protect the living from ultraviolet radiation. Some chemical substances such as CFC are able to destroy the ozone layer, and causing the green house effect. The Earthà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s atmosphere able to absorbs the infrared radiation that coming from the sun, but not the visible light. Due to the energy radiated out by the earth in these two bands is adsorbed in the atmosphere and this heat is than reradiated and reflected back to the earth keeps it warm. Stabilizing human population pressure and limiting human consumption of nonrenewable resources are essential steps in moving towards global sustainability. Currently the world is facing the large human popularity problem, such as in India, and China. The government of China had limits each family to have one child only. Soil degradation is another problem that created by human activities. The main causes of this problem were overgrazing, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practice. The destruction of the rainforest by building the hydroelectric power station has become an issue, deforestation had destroy the biological diversity natural habitat. Ecological problem such as soil degradation and rainforest destruction mostly cause by engineer. However as a creator of the problem, engineer should create solution by using technology to solve the problem. The disposal of radioactive and toxic material and also domestic, commercial, and industrial waste will be under the waste management category. All the domestic and industry waste need to be process separately. For example the plastic is separate from the waste stream, than sorting it, and finally only go to recycling. Sustainability The function of ecological sustainable development is to make the process of environment assessment become much wider as part of resource management, rather than each project is done individually. There are 5 sustainable development principle fix by the commonwealth government 1990. First is the integration of environmental and economic goal for all policy and activities. Second, ensuring that environmental assets are appropriately valued. Third, by providing for equity within and between generations. Fourth, dealing cautiously with risk and irreversibility. Fifth, recognizing the global dimensions and irreversibility. In order to counter the climate change problem, the country should adopt the national greenhouse response strategies. Cooperate between the government and industry is also needed. The Kyoto conference in 1997 target is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of each country. Thing does not go as plan easily, many problem arise in which the constraints and requirements of available energy resources, ecological considerations, and the growth of the economy can appear to be mutually incompatible. Therefore the ecology, economics, and energy need to be reconciled as a ways to counter the problem. Conclusion As conclusion, both national and international levels should work together to develop the new technology to overcome the exciting problem. Engineers have a major responsibility for conservation of the natural and environment. On the other hand, industrial societies need to have a technology revolution that relies on renewable energy flows. Last but not lease, engineers should take the initiative to lead the interdisciplinary team to develop and move toward a sustainable environment.

Myasthenia Gravis :: essays research papers

In 1890, German medical professor Wilhelm Erb and other physicians had been observing several cases of a neuromuscular disease that they believed was affecting how nerve impulses were transmitted to muscle at the neuromuscular junction. The patient’s experienced a "grave muscular weakness" and Wilhelm named it myasthenia gravis. Through further research, the physicians discovered whether it affected the eye muscles first, or created difficulty in talking, chewing and swallowing, or in using the arms and legs it was neither hereditary nor contagious. Their discoveries lead to more detailed research. In the early 1970s when Muscular Dystrophy Association, using snake venom, observed that patients with the disease had decreased numbers of acetylcholine receptors. Thus, discovering that the disease affected acetylcholine receptors of the skeletal muscles. The Muscular Dystrophy Association also found that, in rabbits, an immune attack against the acetylcholine receptors resulted in muscle membrane damage that is similar to that seen in human myasthenia gravis. This rabbit experiment was responsible for a large portion of what scientists now know about myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia gravis causes a progressive and abnormally rapid fatigue of the voluntary muscles. It is known as an autoimmune disease, in which the body generates an immune system attack against its own skeletal muscles. This arises when lymphocytes in the blood produce antibodies that destroy muscle-cell receptors for acetylcholine molecules, preventing muscle contractions. The antibodies have been shown to decrease the usefulness of acetylcholine receptors through accelerated endocytosis and blockade of the receptor. Endocytosis is when extracellular substances are being incorporated into the cell by vesicles forming inward through budding of the plasma membrane. Researchers have been able to demonstrate the effect of antibodies on acetylcholine receptor by using radioactively labeled alpha bungaroo toxin, a snake poison, to follow the rate of degradation. Antibodies from patients with myasthenia gravis cause an increase in the rate of degradation of acetylcholine receptors. Blockade of acetylcholine receptors is another form of autoimmune attack from myasthenia gravis. Antibodies from these patients have been shown to block the acetylcholine binding sites preventing acetylcholine from binding to its receptor and opening the ion channel. The antibodies may bind near the acetylcholine binding site rather than directly on it, because the acetylcholine binding site is so small. In this case, the antibodies would prevent acetylcholine from binding at the receptor by interfering with the acetylcholine molecule as it moves towards its receptor. Symptoms for some one with myasthenia gravis include a flattened smile and droopy eyes, with slow pupillary light responses.

Project Management is an Art Form NOT a Science Essay -- Business, Case

Project Management: Art to the Rescue! "Is project management more of a science or more of an art form?" Introduction Today’s business executives are asking their managers and employees â€Å"to do more†¦ with less†. Fewer Project Managers are leading more projects with poor results, the latest Standish Group – Chaos Report shows that only 28% of IT projects succeed. Many believe that the key to Project success in not applying technical management principles, but rather, more artful soft skills such as communication and creativity. (Belzer, 2004). This case study will present and discuss why the application of soft skills will help today’s stressed-out Project Managers implement successful projects. Not only must projects be deployed on time and within budget, they must ultimately bring value to the stakeholder. Often times relating this information to the project sponsor requires creativity rather than a montage of colorful Gantt charts and graphs. The truly gifted Project Managers are those that can apply the systematic hard skills in an artful manner by using soft skills. To that end, some systematic or science related management skills will be discussed, along with the soft skills and how they are used together to successfully manage projects. Scientific Approach Systematic or â€Å"hard† skills such as Gantt Charting or diagramming are just some of the tools Project Managers use to track project activities. While they are important to project success they are not the end all. Successful Project Leaders know the winning formula for combining hard skills with soft skills. A thorough understanding of the technical system to be deployed allows project leaders to break the project down into many smaller tasks. Assign... ...also qualities of successful managers. Good leaders apply artistic traits to scientific tools in order to effectively manage complex projects. Bibliography: Kate Belzer (2004) Project Management: Still More Art than Science Andrew D. Brown, Matthew R. Jones (1998) Doomed to failure: narratives of inevitability and conspiracy in a failed IS project. Organization Studies, Winter. Michael Greer (1999) 14 Key Principles for PM Success. Chapter 6: Planning and Managing Human Performance Technology Projects, "Handbook of Human Performance Technology, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Craig Schiff (January, 2004) Maximize Business Performance: Getting Started: The BPM Project Life Cycle Paul Worthington (2001) Case Study – Developing Project Management Skills in Managing Death March Projects. Working paper, School of Business, Curtin University, Perth, AU

Ideaistic versus materialistic motivations Essay

Behind every great society, there is always a story. Today, the nation of America is referred to as God’s own land. With population of approximately 293,500,000 and land mass of GDP of approximately $10. 98 trillion per year, the country commands the respect of many of its fellow nations. The question that readily comes to heart is that; has this always been so? What we see in the nation of America today did not just start in a day. It was a process – one that was filled with patriotism from dedicated hearts. In fact, the wonderful story we hear of the great nation all started from the period called the American Revolution of 1775 when the then thirteen colonies of America gain independence from the British colonial power. Many people have from different schools of thought hold different views about this revolution. Some are of the idea that the revolution was based on the mere idealistic and scholarly works of some philosophers and sages of that time. On the other hand, some are of the opinion that these seeming patriots were merely motivated by their materialistic class interest. To this, I will say both sides have a point. I state the reason for my assertion in the following paragraph. Evidently, ideological belief in the notion of individual liberty and human equality was part of what motivated the revolution. This can be seen in the works of John Locke and Montesquieu. We can also see this in the declaration of independence. On the other hand, looking at it critically, some patriots of this revolution knew that the independence will bring political position to them. Some of the we motivated by the savour of power and authority that will be passed into their hands However, I think that no matter what the motivation was, it was a good fight. Generations to come will forever be grateful to them that they did and their name will be in the sand of time. Reference: Fleming, T. (1997). Liberty! : The American Revolution. New York: Viking.

The Effect of Cell Phones

The effects that cell phones have on our lives. Cell phones have become a normal part of our everyday living. I have seen people as young as five years old own a cell phone. Nearly everyone has cell phones in this day and age. They have become a necessity for communication. Cell phones offer the ability to communicate with other people with like devices every minute of every day. If you are not able to speak directly with the other person, you can leave them a voicemail, send them a text message, send voice and picture messages, and even videos. Most cell phones now have internet access which allows a person to send emails to other individuals. Cell phones have had a positive impact on our lives. Cell phones are great to have in case of an emergency. For example, if someone’s car breaks down, or they run out of gas, the have a way of calling for help. Cell phones are an excellent source for communication. No matter where you are, or what time of the day, you can call anyone else who has a phone. Using a cell phone is a lot more convenient than having to have fifty cents in your pocket at all times to stop and use a pay phone. Most cell phones have calendars, note pads, and even access to the World Wide Web. People are using them for appointment reminders, keeping notes, reminders for birthdays and anything else they need to remember. You can use the internet access feature of a cell phone to access your email, look up phone numbers in search directories, and doing research. Some cell phones now come with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), to help people find their way to where they are going. A lot of cell phones have games on them and people like to play them while waiting in waiting rooms, or simply whenever they are bored. Cell phones have also had a negative impact in our lives as well. They have been found to be annoying, distracting, and dangerous. Many car accidents have been connected to cell phone usage. People are talking, dialing, and text messaging while driving down the road which is very dangerous and sometimes life threatening. People have become annoyed with cell phones ringing in the movie theatres, doctor’s offices, libraries, and other quiet places. Cell phones are also being used now by students to cheat in schools, which is causing a negative impact on their learning. Some hospital patients are at risk by cell phone users using their phones in areas that they are not suppose to. The prices of cell phones and minute plans are rising which is having a negative impact on our economy. People are no longer being able to afford to talk as much as they used to simply because the cost of living is rising. Cell phones are affecting our lives. The technology of cell phones is getting more and more advanced all the time. It is almost imperative that everyone owns a cell phone in this day and age. Regardless of the positive and negative impact cell phones are having on our lives, people will continue to buy and use them and the technology will keep advancing.

Defining the Purpose of Education

I believe the purpose of education is to provide children with a wide range of knowledge that will lead them into the future. The journey through education should be an enjoyable experience that they will always remember. The more fun a child has learning the more they will want to learn and the more they will want to be in the classroom. Students should be provided with an environment that is bright, happy, uplifting, and most importantly safe. Students should feel like their classroom is the safest place for them to be. Teachers should make sure that the classroom is equipped with all the essential safety materials. Teachers should set safety rules for the students and make sure they are always followed, to keep physical harm in the classroom from happening. Accidents do happen, so both teachers and students should know what to do incase of an emergency. Students should also feel mentally and emotionally safe. Students should not be afraid to answer a question, express ideas and opinions, or present a project. The teacher should provide the child with confidence to express his or her opinion with out being ridiculed by others. I believe that students should have fun while in the classroom. School is a place where many children make their friends and playmates. Students enjoy doing things with their peers, so I believe that working in groups is a great way to let students† individual intelligence†s add to someone else†s ideas so they end up learning from one another. It†s a great way for students to accept their peers† ideas and incorporate everyone†s ideas in to one finished project. I also believe that children learn though playing. This especially is true for pre-school and kindergarteners. There should be activities in the classroom that caters to every student†s different interests. Such activities center around art, books, music, building blocks, kitchen sets, computers, science activities, sand and water, and toys that will be familiar to them like the ones they would have at home. Through these activities and subjects that are focused on, students should leave the classroom with new knowledge everyday. Teachers should set rules for the classroom to keep the class in order. The student should know the rules on the first day of class and follow them everyday throughout the year. If a rule is broken, the student must face the consequences. This goes for homework assignments also. A child should know when homework assignments are do and if they are not turned in on time they will not be able to turn them in. It is the teacher†s responsibility to have control over the classroom and be in charge. It is also the teacher†s responsibility to make sure all of the students are learning the set curriculum. Assessment will be given sporadically to make sure that the students are learning what is being taught and that they are on the same level as everyone else. Assessments can be oral or written to test the student†s skills. Progress reports should be sent home regularly to let parents know the students† strengths and weaknesses. Parents should be encouraged to work with the children at home on the subject that the child is having trouble with. I hope that my students will remember my classroom and take along the lessons they have learned and use them throughout their lives. Teaching to me is the most rewarding occupation. Teaching children information that can affect their lives forever and to be able to reward them for the accomplishments is going to be the most fulfilling experience that I may ever experience in this life time. I hope that students walk out of my classroom satisfied with themselves and what they have learned in my class.

D.T. Resistant Materials – Evaluation

I feel that my product has fulfilled all of the essential criteria although some of the desired criteria aren't fulfilled. This includes: * Incorporated Lights * A Combination of Materials * Be used for placing an object on top The reason behind these specifications not being fulfilled was mainly due to limitations or the way it would have to be incorporated into the design I chose. If I decided to incorporate lights, the price would have rose as well as me having to make the boxes more bulky making them a lot more difficult to move and customise. A combination of materials wasn't used because of complications and problems which I will explain later and to be used for placing an object on top, the product would become less customisable, however an add on could be designed for my product in the future which would allow this, but as current because of time scale and general problems (which I will explain) this is an unavailable feature. What it does and how good it is at doing it My product is designed to allow users to store objects such as books and paperwork in. Teenagers, my target audience, would be able to customise the product by adding different tops as well as a different combination of boxes of which came in two sizes. The system I designed allowed the boxes to be placed on top of each other as well as beside each other. After testing, I found that the average sized box fitted perfectly, mainly due to my research which I carried out earlier. Papers unfortunately didn't fit without aid such as a folder or possibly something which allowed the paper to stand on end. Having said this, the product was perfectly able to stand the weight and the customisable feature with everything lining up with little add on features which gave room for error as well as being extra features to the set. After asking other 15/16 year olds, comments were very positive particularly with the engraved design on the side which matched with the add on spacers as well as the fact the boxes could be stacked or put on the side. They also liked the idea of the customisable top which could be turned into a different wide range of add-ons which could have been added to in the future if desired. There were few negative comments which were probably due mainly to pure politeness! Having said this, the ones I received were well constructed such as the fact that paper couldn't be placed flat without it sticking out the side as well as the fact that the choice of finish allowed the pine to show which was of a colour too bright to some people's preference. Modifications and/due to Problems One major problem I came up against was the fact that I was unable to cast a peg. This was due to limitations of knowledge on casting as well as the time limit I was restricted against. Our first trial was shown on my developing ideas section where only one half of the peg seemed to come out correctly. This, unfortunately, made me skip the variety of materials desired criteria. Another problem was accuracy. I was only making one of many of these products and because of this I opted to create the top plate by hand. Having done this I soon realised that it was very difficult and time consuming to get it correctly placed. Due to this fact I modified the size of the dowel from 8mm to 6mm which meant that the 8mm hole will now have 6mm slotted into it with the top plate. Because of time restrictions, it wasn't possible to create other add-ons such as the CD rack I planned earlier on. Instead I opted in a different material which would make the product more appealing (aesthetically pleasing). Accuracy was also another problem which I faced when joining the boxes together. I originally planned to join the boxes directly against each other. Because of 8mm holes being in the top and the bottom, 8mm dowel had to be used and the fact is that there was no room for error which became a problem. I solved this by creating a spacer which contained 6mm dowel which would slot into both the bottom and top box. This was a viable solution. Design problems also caused the boxes to be connected sideways only one possible direction as the boxes would not slot into each other on one side. This problem was one which I didn't fix as the boxes could still tessellate one way which made this problem very minor.

Sustainable Business Development Automobiles Essay

Sustainable Business Development Automobiles - Essay Example The automobile industry plays a critical role in making sure that their products are created more responsibly, as well as ensuring that more sustainable facilities are used for production. Moreover, the industry also plays a role in ensuring that their product is created for more eco-friendly, efficient, and innovatively imagined options of personal transport that take the burgeoning world population into account. The growing awareness of environmental issues is bound to significantly impact on the automobile industry and, therefore, it is important for the industry to create more sustainable products that satisfy the public (Conley & McLaren, 2012: p52). According to gov.uk (2014: p1), there were close to 35 million licensed vehicles for road use in the UK in 2013, which represented an increase of 1.5% compared to 2012 and the biggest year-on-year increase since the global financial crisis. This represents a trend, in which the number of vehicles in the UK has increased annually since the end of WWII except 1991. Moreover, there are close to 2 million vehicles that reach the end of useful life in the UK and are withdrawn from service (gov.uk, 2014: p1). These facts are the main justification for the selection of the automobile industry in this essay, specifically because of the environmental implications of so many vehicles on the roads, as well as in the waste streams. Whereas the bulk of attention regarding the environmental impacts resulting from automobiles has mainly focused on fuel economy, climate change, and emissions, this essay will approach the automobile as a product across its lifecycle. This paper seeks to investigate the environmental impacts of automobiles across their life cycle, as well as discuss how these impacts can be mitigated. The term sustainable development first came into use in the International Union for the Conservation of

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 128

Essay Example The historians oppose this concept. They illustrate that cultural and demographic constraints resulted into generally restrained courtship approach. Contemporary writers during the period deplored sexual activities, which they believed were not only rampant but also widespread. The popular culture during courtship period was considered immoral (Robert 39). Parents had significant role during selection of marriage partners. The initial stage of parents’ involvement is when courtship is serious. The parents had the responsibility of providing of formally providing or withholding consent. However, parental consent was not a legal requirement until 1754. In reality it took a lot of courage and will for a couple to continue with their courtship, in the presence of strong and open opposition from the parents or other respectable community members. Parental approval was greatly considered a desirable issue. For poorer couple, parental involvement was majorly a formality. The rich parents had economic factors to consider before providing consent; for instance, inheritance, family reputation, and dowry (Keith 92). The England community showed less control system and more flexible approaches in terms of parental control during courtship and marriage, than other world communities. Courtship and marriage were affected negligibly according to social class. There is no adequate illustration of a sub-society, during the period under study in terms of marriage. But, the concept that societal limitations illustrated a huge aspect of the attitude of the society towards reproduction, courtship and marriage, was mainly influenced through individual attraction, status in society and age. The social class factor was a significant factor to consider if property and wealth was involved. It was in some cases very difficult to marry into a family that is of high status financially or even