External Environment Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

External Environment Analysis - Term Paper Example It previously operated using Boeing 727 airplanes but has recently updated their fleet to the more advanced airplanes to meet the demands of their customers. The newly purchased planes are more advanced, fast and are more comfortable than the older planes that were previously being utilized. The company has a very busy schedule as it operates over six flights on a daily basis (Southwest Airlines, 2012). The airline company has also made acquisitions of several other companies like Air Tran Airways in the year 2011 during the month of May. This has enabled them to increase their airplanes due to the expansions witnessed in their operations. In addition, the company has a large labor force that comprises of over thirty seven thousand workers who are qualified in different fields to aid the company in running their activities. The airline company runs its operations in over forty two states within the United States that cover over ninety five of their destinations. Their management adve rtises vigorously to help in reaching a wider market through several humorous adverts like, â€Å"Just Plane Smart† slogans that have become familiar to most travelers within the country. The company’s strategy of fighting off their competition involves their recruitment of very competent employees, their high productivity along with their offer of low prices for their products. Finally, the company currently has a market capital of over 6.2 billion dollars with a price to capital ratio of 23.49. Their earnings for every share stand at 0.35 whereas their dividend yields stand at 0.02% (Southwest Airlines, 2012). Section 2. Porter’s Forces and PEST Analysis According to the article titled â€Å"Porter’s Five Forces, Assessing the Balance Of Power in a Business Situation†, the forces are powerful that are used for determining where the power of a business lies. The article stipulates that the type of information required when each of the forces inclu des the powers of the businesses suppliers, their buyer powers, competitive rivalries encountered, threats posed by substitute goods along with the threats of new entrants coming into their market. It additionally suggests that the threats posed by new entrants could be further complicated through their specialized knowledge, the cost advantages they have along with issues such as economies of scale. The competition encountered is augmented when the number of competitors increases, there are quality differences, switching and departure costs along with other differences in the products offered. Supplier power is influenced by issues such as the amount of suppliers, their scope of operations, the distinctiveness and the businesses ability to obtain substitute products. The threats of substitution are aggravated by substitute performances being greater and the costs incurred in changing from a product to another. Finally, the buyer’s power is said to be influenced by the number of available customers, their order sizes and their sensitivity to the prices set. On the other hand, the article by Dagmar Recklies on ‘Porters 5 Forces’ states that the model is founded on the basis of an organization utilizing the opportunities availed and fighting off any threats it might encounter. The forces are said to include the bargaining powers of suppliers and customers, threats of new entrants along with substitute goods and the competition witnessed in their market. The article from Value Based Management.Com describes

Response to Peer Comment Reasoning with Economics Essay

Response to Peer Comment Reasoning with Economics - Essay Example The U.S unemployment rate rose after the recession of 2008. The U.S. unemployment for February 2012 was 8.3% (Bls, 2012). The stock market is important because a lot of people depend on this investment alternative to build up retirement portfolios. Inflation hurts people because it decreases the purchasing power of money. I agree with you that rationality is a difficult form of information to correct. When an individual makes up his mind about something it is often difficult to reason with such a person. It is imperative for employees to keep the lines of communication open in order to ensure information that is incorrect is properly identified. When people have limited options they should properly assess the implications of each alternative. Problem solving requires not letting obstacles cloud your judgment. I also agree with your viewpoint about the importance of retrospection. People should always analyze the past in order to learn from their mistakes and make better

Concept Of Service Quality in Call Centre Industry

Concept Of Service Quality in Call Centre Industry This chapter of dissertation consists of literature review, which is collected from several journals, articles and books. I have divided it into two parts. First part defines the concept of service quality, its importance and then will exemplify how different researchers have measured service quality by dividing it into different dimensions. This part further reviews role of call centers, how call centers are managed and what role call center employees play in delivering quality services. Second part of literature review considers theories from literature such as, Total quality management (TQM), six sigma, investor in People (IIP) and Continuous Performance Improvement, in order to measure quality management system of call centers. 1.2 Service Quality: According to Berry et al.(1988 cited in Amy and Amrik, 2003) service quality has become a significant differentiator and the most powerful competitive weapon which many leading service organizations possess. Further cronin and taylor, (1992 cited in Agens K,Y law, 2003) state that by improving service quality, service providing firm can differentiate itself from its rival firms and thus occupy strong positioning in the relevant market.. Lee et al. (2003) said, now days leading service firms consider service quality as the most sustainable basis for: Differentiation ( Zeithaml and Bitner, 1996); Leveraging customer satisfaction and value (parasuraman, 1997); Driving market share and profitability (Buzzel and Gale, 1987); and Developing strategy (gronroos, 2000). Service quality can be defined as the perceived judgment, which customer develop by comparing their expectation about services with the services they actually perceived to receive ( Gronroos, 1984 cited in Amy and Amrik , 2003). Bolton and Drew (1991a) and Parasuraman at el.(1988a) argued that although evaluation of service quality will help customers to form an attitude towards service provider, customer satisfaction is not obvious and satisfaction level is based on how well the delivered service meet customers expectation.(cited in Agnes K.Y, 2002). Service quality is dependent on two variables perceived services: service customer actually receives form organization and expected services: which comes from the customers previous experience or overall perception of the service( Gronroose, 1984cited in amy amirk, 2003) When expected service is higher than perceived service, service is said to be of low quality and when service expected is less than perceived service, overall service quality is considered to be high. Quality is s subjective concept and it is difficult for the customer to evaluate service quality than product quality (Parasuraman et al., 1985). Author further suggests that there are three main features of services: intangibility, Heterogeneity and Inseparability, which construct service quality an elusive and abstract concept. There are five main determinants that customer consider to evaluate service quality such as reliability, responsiveness, empathy, tangible and assurance. Customers perception and evaluation of quality can be different due to different needs and wants, it could be satisfactory for one customer while other may experience it in different way (Venetis and Ghauri, 2004) 1.2.1 Importance of service quality: In todays highly competitive business world- where customers needs and wants are highly influenced by global competition and where customer has large number of firms to satisfy their needs, organizations are forced to change their focus from profit maximization to maximize profit through customer satisfaction( nithin seth and S G deshmukh, 2004). Author further state that subject of service quality is of great importance; because it has strong impact on business performance, lower costs, profitability, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. In other words service quality is the main driver of firms marketing and financial performance. An extensive research from services marketing, services management and organizational psychology has proved that an improved service quality can help organization in attracting, satisfying and retaining customers( Heskett et al., 1997; Schneider et al., 1998 cited in Alison M Dean, 2002). Firms that fail to provide quality services not only loose their customers to its competitors but it also resulted as declining of profit and finally firms withdraw from competition. In service marketing, terms service quality and customer satisfaction are used interchangeably. Rust and Oliver, (1994) said service quality is the one dimension on which customer satisfaction is based. In fact service quality is considered as antecedent to satisfaction (Agens K.y ). According to Iacobucci et al., (1995) Service quality is concerned with the firms service delivery, while satisfaction is the post consumption experience which reflects customers overall experience and perception with firms service (cited in Eugene sivadas,2000). Zeithaml at el. (1996, cited in Eugene sivadas, 2000) suggest that customers relationship with the firm is strengthened, when that customer has favourable attitude towards a firms service quality and relationship is weakened when customers attitude represent his dissatisfaction with firms services quality. He further argued that positive attitude towards firms service quality will lead customer to develop favourable behavioural intentions such as preferring company over its competitors, making repurchases and recommending firms service and product to others. According to Agens K.Y(), loyalty comes from customers repurchase behaviour. It is satisfaction with the services that construct brand loyalty and encourages customer for repeat purchases. Zeithaml,(1996, cited in Amy wong) suggests that loyalty is the main determinant that service organization are using to measure their long term success and by maintaining superior service quality, firms are retaining and expanding their loyal customer base. Johnston, (1995 cited in amy wong) further argued that firms service quality has strong impact on customer loyalty, therefore in order to measure, control, and improve service quality from customer perspective, management should identify what factors of service quality influence customer loyalty. Customers loyalty is important for firms profitability, as loyal customers are ready to pay premium price (Gronroose, 2000). Similar to satisfaction, loyalty is also comes from high service quality. Customer satisfaction is often viewed as mediator that link service quality with service loyalty (Agens.K.Y). 1.2.2 Measures and dimensions of service quality: Today, whether it is developed country or developing country their economic conditions are largely influenced by globalisation and liberalization. Due to rapid change in needs and wants, firms are forced to develop constant standards for measuring the quality of services offering. Measuring service quality on regular basis will help firm to evaluate and analyse the needs and requirements of customers. These measures will also facilitate firm to provide services quality that encounters customer expectations, by improving both aspect of service quality: WHAT (technical quality) service should be delivered and HOW (functional quality) service should be delivered. In order to measure service quality numerous researchers have suggested different models. GI, DU Kang, (2006) said, many of scholars agreed that service quality is based on multiple dimensions (Gronroos, 1982, 1990; Parasuraman et al., 1985), but there is no consensus on the exact nature and content of these dimensions (Brady and cronin, 2001). Lehtinen and Lehtinen, (1982) has given three dimensions of service quality. Physical quality- tangible aspect of services, Corporate quality- companys image by its current and potential customers and Interactive quality- two way interaction between customer and service provider. By ignoring physical features of product in the consumption of services, Gronoose (1982, cited in GI-DU Kang, 2006) decomposed service quality into two dimensions: Technical quality- what service is provided. Function quality- how service is provided. Technical (outcome) quality is concerned with what customer actually receives from service. Functional (process) quality is concerned with how the outcome of the process is delivered to the customer such as speed of service and behaviour of customer service staff. Gronoose model of service quality also recognises that customers perceived quality is largely influenced by the firms image customer already have in his mind. Gronroose further suggest that when customers evaluate expected services with the services experienced they bring their prior experiences and overall perception of service firm. Parasuraman et al., (1985), also considered service quality into two dimensions: outcome and process quality and state that evaluation of service quality can not be made solely on outcomes of services, it should also evaluate service delivery process( GI-DU Kang, 2006/). He further argued that these two dimensions (process and outcome quality) are Interco related therefore it is necessary to consider that when evaluation occurs. In case of process quality: evaluation of service occurs while it is being delivered; however in outcome quality, evaluation takes place after the delivery of service. Swart and brown (1989), by considering established work on the dimensions of service quality identified by gronroose(1982), lenthin(1982) and parasuramn(1985), suggested two dimensions of service quality: WHAT ( evaluation of service after its performance) and HOW( service evaluation during performance). Rust and Oliver, (1994) proposed three-component model of service quality, which evaluates customers perception of service quality by considering three dimensions: Customer-employee interaction (functional or process quality); The service environment; and The outcome (technical quality) Although there is no generalized model of measuring service quality, GAP model of (parasuraman et al., 1985) has received adequate support from the researchers of various field ( nitin seth and desh much, 2006). In 1988 this model was then proposed as SERVQUAL. Parasuraman et al. (1988) state that: The SERVQUAL provides a basic skeleton through its expectations/perceptions format encompassing statements for each of the five service quality dimensions. The skeleton, when necessary, can be adapted or supplemented to fit the characteristics or specific research needs of a particular organization. He further suggests that SERVQUAL is valid and reliable tool that service provider can use to understand the customers expectations and perceptions about service quality and thus improve services. The SERVQUAL is multiple item scale that consists of 22 statements which measures customer expectations and perceptions along five dimensions: Tangible, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy and Reliability. SERVQUAL instrument is the original formulation of parasuraman et al., (1985,1988,1994) which measured service quality by undertaking extensive investigation in four service areas: Bank, credit card company, long distance telephone company and a firm offering appliance repair and maintenance services. From exploratory investigation of 1985, parasuraman et al., conclude that there are ten main determinates which customer consider when evaluating service quality: Reliability: Responsiveness Competence Access Courtesy Communication Credibility Security Understanding the customer Tangible In later study of 1988, Parasuraman et al., found that some of determinates are correlated, therefore he refined the list of dimensions and presented five high order dimensions which subsume previous ten( Amy wong). Parsuraman et al., (1988) defined these dimensions as follows: Reliability: ability to deliver or perform the promised services dependably and accurately. Responsiveness: willingness to help customers and provide prompt services. Assurance: it is concerned with the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Empathy: caring and paying individualized attentions/services to each customer. Tangible: physical features of service as appearance of equipments, facilities, personnel and communication material. SERVAQUAL is conceptual model, which is based on the view that customers perception of service quality is the result of gap between expectations and perceptions ( parasuarman et al., 1985,1988 cited in Patrick). Parasuraman et al., (1985) developed Gap model of service quality to identify where gap exist and to what extent: GAP 1: Gap between customers expectations and managements perceptions about those expectations. GAP 2: Gap between customers expected standards and specifications of service and managements perceptions of customers expected service standards.( specification gap) GAP 3: Gap between service quality standards and actual service delivered to customer. (Service performance/delivery gap) GAP 4: Gap between actual service delivered and service quality organization promised to deliver. (Communication gap) GAP 5: Gap between customers expected and perceived services.( perception gap) Parasuramne et al.,( cited in dr Arash) state that gaps in service quality can help firm to identify the areas where performance is lacking. Author further state, a negative service gap would facilitate firms to prioritise the performance improvement of those service features where expectations are high. If any of service gaps is turning positive, indicating that expectations are exceeding the perceptions, firm can review service feature, which they are oversupplying and can, redeploys resources into those features, which are performing below the expectations. Gap five (Perception gap) given in the above model is main driver behind SERVQUAL methodology. Although SERVQUAL model has been widely used in service industry, it has received criticisms from many authors on both theoretical and operational grounds. Francis buttle,(1996) has criticised SERVQUAL on the following basis: SERVQUAL focuses only on the service delivery process and neglects outcome quality; no adequate evidence that consumer consider expectations and perceptions gaps when assess service quality and finally five dimensions of SERVQUAL are not universally accepted. Besides huge criticism, Parasuraman et al., (1991,1994) argued that SERVQUAL is the most valid tool for measuring service quality than any other method because it uses expectation/perception gaps and with little modification, SERVQUAL can be use across business services. 1.2 Role Of Call Centre. Intensive global competition and increased emphasis on customer satisfaction has enhanced the role of call centres in service industry. Today call centre is the main source that links the organization with its customers. Call centre, by serving high volume of customers at low cost and within less time span, has become the integral part of firms marketing and customer service strategies (olukemi O sawyer,2009). David Holman (2002) state that rapid growth of call centres in service industry is attributable to its capability of reducing the cost of existing functions; provide new means of generating revenues and improving customer service quality. According to Taylor and Bain (1999) call centre: is a dedicated operation in which computer utilising employees receive inbound, or make outbound, telephone calls, with those calls processed and controlled either by an Automatic call distribution(ACD) or predictive calling system. Taylor and Bain (1999 cited in Alison M. Dean, 2002) has further described call centre in three essential parts: first the call centre is dedicated operation where employees are focused entirely on customer service function, second those employees are using phones and computers simultaneously and third the calls are processed and controlled by an automatic distribution system. Environment of call centre is very complex in nature, as it requires smooth blend of technology, human talent and process in order to work efficiently. Like other business, work in call centre also involves interaction with the customers, yet it is unique in its features. Houlihan (2001) contend that Call centres by using modern technologies facilitate management to determine the speed and volume of work. Hutchinson et al., (2000) further suggests that this system will also help firm to improve employees performance by monitoring their work on regular basis. In Call centre employees are acting as representative of the firms services. Olukemi O. Sawyerr,(2009) state that it is a positive interaction between customers and call centre employees that helps firm to determine customers perception of firms services. Today call centres serve both business as well consumer clients and are accountable to perform various business functions such as taking order, handling client inquiries, resolving complaints, dispatching, telemarketing, pre-sale and post-sale services (Alan miciak, 2001). Besides rapid growth, call centre are embraced with the challenges of retaining and attracting employees. Lack of trained staff, high workload and high level of stress are main attributes of call centre environment, which foster high turn over (Olukemi O. Sawyerr, 2009). Recruitment of staff of the wrong personality type is also the endemic reason of high turn over in call centre industry (Barnes 2001, p. 3) Taylor and Bain, (1998) has resembled the working environment of call centre with the assembly line production. Call centre environment rarely encouraged team working among employees as performance of employees is measured on the basis of individual interaction with the customers (olukemi O sawyer ( 2009) . Varca (2001) further argued that, in call centre employees have less control over a job, as information delivered by employees to customers is previously scripted and interaction take place between them is not face to face 1.3 Call centre management: Complex nature of call centre environment poses great challenge for managers to control the operations of call centre. In call centre managers responsibility is two fold. In one hand they are responsible to take capital-intensive decisions and introduce latest technology to cope up with the technological development; on the other hand they are responsible for handling call centre employees who work on shift pattern (George Robinson, 2006). Call centre operations are equipped with advanced technological features such as ACD, ANI (automatic number identification) and DNIS (number identification service). ACD (Automatic call distribution) controls inbound calls traffic; place these calls in queue and then transferred them to call centre agents according to priorities. Moreover ANI and DNIS technology provide comprehensive database of customers and call handling statistics (Paul R. Prabhaker,) By using above technologies, managers can track: number of calls answered per agent, average speed to answer call, number of calls abandoned and time taken to abandon, occupancy rate of agent, number of calls answered within standard time frame, calls waiting longest in queue, agents sitting idle, agents on calls and agents on breaks or completing post call wrap up work (George Robinson, 2006). This information enables manager to set targets for call centre agents and achieve desired results. In call centre management, technology plays crucial role as it not only helps to determine the speed of work but at the same time it provides the means to measure quality of work and worker performance (Callaghan and Thompson, 2001). According to Bain et al., (2002), call centre management requires both hard and soft measures; hard measures includes number of calls answered, while soft measures consist of relationship between call centre employees and customers. Audrey Gilmore (2001) has described tangible and intangible dimensions of service quality offered by call centres employees. Tangible aspects are easy to measure and consist of number of calls answered, length of calls, average calls time and standardized response, while intangible dimensions are difficult to measure and include courtesy or empathy customer experiences from call centre service. Author further states that call centre management often consider tangible dimensions of service delivery to judge the employees performance that result employee frustration and stress. Retaining and attracting call centre employee having high performance calibre is the significant challenge in call centre management. It has been proved by research studies that selection criteria developed for hiring call centre staff is at the minimal attention of management. When hiring call centre staff, it is imperative for management to consider personality traits of the employees in order to make sure that they will be high performer and can deliver quality services in stressful environment (Olukemi O. Sawyerr, 2009). Author has presented FFM (five factor model) that illustrate the relationship between five dimensions of personality (conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, extraversion, and, openness to new experience) and performance of call centre employees. Performance could be service performance, turn over intension or absenteeism. It is often viewed that management of call centre is measuring what is easy to measure rather than what is important to measure (Call Centre Management, 2000, p. 5). Alan Miciak, (2001) state that firms are more interested in measuring customer satisfaction with the product and service offered by business rather than customer satisfaction with call centre performance. Author further argued that to assess call centre performance, manger often utilizes measures as: average talk time; abandon rates; calls per hour and occupancy rate that are based on telephone technology and may not be true indicators of performance measurement. Australian Council of Trade Unions (2002, p.30) claims that measurements used by call centre to evaluate performance are highly focused on productivity rather than quality. Research work of various author presented above has placed emphasis on soft than hard measures; tangible than intangible dimensions; quantitative than qualitative measures for evaluating call centre performance. These measures can only monitor and control efficiency of call centre in handling high number of calls, while measuring quality of service delivered by call centre agents is far away from these measures. 1.4 Role of call centre employees: What the business thinks it produces is not of first importance; what the customer thinks he is buying and considers value is decisive; it determines what a business is (Drucker, 1989). Customer satisfaction which usually comes at the cost of high service quality, is essential for organization success as it provides firm, profitable means to differentiate it self from others. Service quality is an important factor that, if delivered efficiently by firms front line employees, can be main driver of firms sustainability (Carlzon, 1987). In call centre, employees play very essential role in delivering high customer quality and thus facilitate management to establish large customer relationship base (Frenkel et al., 1998). Call centre employees are also recognized as front line employees, customer contact representative (CCR) or customer sales representative (CSR) as they are directly engaged in the process of service delivery and maintain high level of interaction with the customers. Service organizations are now developing high number of measures, for reducing employee turn over as well as improving employee satisfaction. Robinson and Morley (2006) state that high turn over bring significant cost impact for both firms and shareholders. This cost includes direct cost of recruiting, inducting and training new staff and indirect cost that comes in form of reduced customer service. Employee satisfaction is crucial for evaluating service quality from customer perceptions. Satisfied employees are highly motivated, perform job with efficiency, delivering high level of quality services (Prabha Ramseook-Munhurrun, 2009). Edvardsson et al., (1997) further suggest that employee satisfaction can reduce employee turn over, improve productivity and enhance commitment and creativity. Call centres are now being criticized for their inadequate staff management practices. Research on service environment has concluded that some times call centre environment itself restricts the ability of employees to deliver high quality customer services. In call centre employees are called emotional labour and are forced to achieve productivity goal while delivering quality customer services (Alison M. Dean, 2009). Audrey Gilmore (2001), state that call centre employees are under a continuous pressure of answering high number of calls as their performance is measured by how quickly they respond to customers inquiry rather than quality of the call. MacDonald, (1998a, 1998b) further argue that excessive emphasis on quantitative rather than qualitative measures for judging employees performance is the main cause of employee unproductive behaviour. 1.6 Quality Management System: Reevs and Bednar (1994) have defined the term quality as an excellence, value, conformity to specification, meeting customer expectation etc. Excellence in service industry involves providing customers a desired satisfied service by knowing the demands of the customers at first instance. Value involves gaining higher profit margins by maintaining quality as priority, which attracts customers to become the part of the system. Conformity to specification and meeting customer expectations involves developing such a system, which guarantee error-free operations and delivering the desired and satisfied operation output. A product is always valuable and acceptable if the quality standards set by customers are lined up with the product and this can be done by quality management system. Establishment of the quality management system in an organisation provides a priority control over the organisations activities with continues improvement in its performance. Quality management system are mainly implemented for enhancement of the organisations work force and its abilities in providing the product and services according to the customers expectations as well as optimising the resources in terms of value for money (VFM). According to (Dean and Bowen, 1994; Prajogo and McDermott, 2005; Sousa and Voss, 2002à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.infrastracture) quality management system provides key assurance in achieving the goals and objectives of an organization listed in its policy and strategy. Quality management system provides reliability, diligence and satisfaction in terms of process, procedures, equipment, etc and interacts with all other activities starting from customers perceptions to customers expectation for satisfying their requirement. The term quality control and quality assurance are often mixed up in line discussion of quality management system but these two terms are exceptionally different in meaning. The word quality control is more over related to product and services which identifies the satisfactory of end result, where as quality assurance is process-oriented which identifies whether the process that was carried out is applicable to meet desired objective. 1.6.1 Quality control: Quality control is a commitment to quality; usually stressed more in organization to ensure that examination of quality is applicable to specified standards and can the current system follows the planned actions. Quality control not only includes material and process but also all those elements, which begins from raw material/service introduction to finished goods. 1.6.2 Quality Assurance: According to (James R. and William M. 1996) Quality assurance is the assurance of total efforts involved in planning, organizing, directing and controlling quality in production system with the objective of providing the consumer with product of appropriate quality. Quality assurance is a systematic approach to pursuit the quality (Collins, 1994) and it approaches through quality assurances of product/services that determines whether the expected demands of the customers are satisfied according to their expectation. Usually organizations follows innovations and value added techniques to their plans and strategies in order to implement such system, which must outfit to the customers satisfaction. According to (Moreno-Lonzo and Peris, 1998) purpose of quality assurance is the conformance of the product, service and process with given requirement and standards. 1.6.3 Costs of Quality According to (Norman .G and Greg .F 1999) all those costs, which are lined up for managing quality, customer satisfaction, market share, profit enhancement can be identified as quality costs. Quality cost can be source to the identification of the opportunities and creating funding priorities for quality improvement through Pareto analysis. Further more (Dale H. Basterfield 1994) stated that Pareto analysis focuses on the quality problematic areas and once the quality issues are being resolved then it measures the effectiveness of the actions taken against quality issues. Following are the components to the cost of quality. Design Costs Appraisal Costs Internal Failure Costs External Failure Costs 1.6.3.1 Design Costs: Design costs are those costs, which are specially designed to prevent the error, which leads to poor quality. Maintaining quality system and providing customers a desired service involves dealing with high prevention cost, which includes dealing with quality planning cost, maintaining process control cost, developing human skills by training cost etc. 1.6.3.2 Appraisal Costs: All those costs which are attached in assuring the quality of products or services, are known as appraisal costs. Purchasing appraisal cost, operation appraisal cost, miscellaneous costs are the examples of the appraisal costs. 1.6.3.3 Internal Failure cost: Before to deliver the product or service to the customer, the product is passed through various operation where quality is inspected many times, so at anytime if the quality is not proved to be satisfactory then the unfinished product or service is being used as scrapped item or in some case the product is again sent through the earlier process until product claims to be in desired quality. All those costs that are involved maintaining the product quality internally are headed under the internal failure cost this may includes product or service design failure costs, purchasing failure costs, operation failure costs etc. 1.6.3.4 External Failure Costs: External Failure costs are often considered as high cost of quality management. When the product or services are ready to be delivered to the customers there are often some uncertainties attached that might includes customer found defects or product was unsatisfactory to the customer expectations, so all those cost which are incurred to correct the product or services can be headed as external failure cost. The real life example includes Toyotas Lexus safety recall 2010. 1.7 Total Quality Management: Total qual

Women :: History, Caribbean Women

â€Å"During the twentieth century, poor women in the Caribbean were pulled into a predictable, gendered, labor pattern operating at investment sites in the region. In this pattern poor men leave home to find temporary, labor-intensive employment in the initial phases of economic development. Women follow later to take up more permanent service employment as maids, domestics, and cleaners† (Almer, 99). The significance of the quote is its showing the emergence of a labor model that has shaped the Caribbean for generations. In the beginning of the twentieth century poor eastern Caribbean women followed male migrant workers to various places such as: the Panama Canal, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Curacao, and Aruba in order to provide for their families. Eastern Caribbean women have developed their own family model, which include non-marital relationships and freedom to travel for work. According to eastern Caribbean social norms poor women are expected to have children and support them financially. This results in women leaving their children with extended family and supporting them by working in distant places (99). During the Pre-1960s women migrant workers found employment as seamstresses, cooks, laundresses, and maids at labor camps located in the Panama Canal Zone, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic (100). When employment on these islands decreased, women followed the labor migrant pattern again by traveling to Trinidad, Curacao and Aruba to perform domestic work (101). â€Å"The female labor migrants experienced a form of freedom and independence that came with consistent predictable wages. These migrant domestics were economic mainstays for their dependents left behind in their sending societies† (101). The quote is showing how migrant women have moved from their economic status in their home town to now being able to support themselves and their families through steady employment. During the Post-1960s increased economic investment in tourism on the US and British Virgin Islands, in addition to the Dutch’s Aruba and St. Maarten brought again the labor migrant pattern of women coming to work in the tourism industry (101). The increase in tourism on the Virgin Islands brought with it increases in foreign born populations and in female workers. â€Å" ’The general prosperity that was stimulated by tourism resulted in a demand for female workers, as maids and ancillary personal in hotels and gift shops and as domestics in private households’† (102). The quote shows how female labor plays an important role in the economies of these islands.

Explore Joe Gargery’s role in Great Expectations Essay

In Great Expectations, Joe acts as a father figure to Pip, when he is in fact his brother-in-law, as Joe married Pip’s sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. We are introduced to Joe as a â€Å"mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow†. Pip describes him as a kind and gentle man, making the reader immediately like him. â€Å"Good-natured† and â€Å"sweet-tempered† give Joe an endearing quality, so the reader is drawn to him. However, â€Å"foolish† introduces a potentially negative side to his character, like he is stupid, although this too could be considered endearing. Perhaps Dickens does this so that we can understand Joe’s actions better, or at least don’t view him too negatively when he can’t protect Pip from Mrs Joe. In contrast to his gentle personality, he is a blacksmith, and therefore a strong man. Pip thinks of him â€Å"like the steam-hammer, that can crush a man or pat an egg shell†. He is likening Joe to a machine in the forge, giving Joe a sense of power. Although, â€Å"crush† is quite a violent word, suggesting Joe to be violent, which he definitely is not. Perhaps Dickens included this detail to make us respect Joe, which is important for later on in the novel, so we don’t just view him as a â€Å"sweet-tempered† man. But there is a sense of this good natured man in the word â€Å"pat†, it could potentially have paternal connotations. Perhaps this links to the image of the egg shell as well, as it is a fragile protector of life. Furthermore Joe could almost be seen as the protector of Pip’s life, as he saves him several times. Also egg shells can be strong, but have weak sides if they are put under stress, just like Joe has a weak side – he can’t protect Joe from Mrs Joe Gargery. As well as this, there is the idea that Joe is in control, in the words â€Å"can† and â€Å"or†, he can choose which side of himself to be, strong or gentle. This is a very adult concept, but Joe can sometimes be very childlike. Joe can’t deal with the idea of death, despite being a strong blacksmith. When Pip asks Joe if Miss Havisham died, he eventually replies â€Å"she ain’t living†. This is a very backward way of saying it, a way we don’t normally use, showing Joe’s childish innocence. He avoids the subject of death again, when Pip asks him if he had heard of Magwitch’s death. Even though Joe never knew him personally, he avoids saying the words, instead he says he heard â€Å"something or another in a general way in that direction†. The vagueness of this statement is almost humorous, he can’t even just say â€Å"yes†. Joe is unable to confirm a person’s death, he just brushes over the subject, not fully acknowledging or possibly understanding it, like a child would. Another way Dickens portrays this childishness is through making Joe illiterate. Pip writes him a letter, and all he can read is his name: â€Å"Why, here’s three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes, in it, Pip! † The exclamation mark at the end implies he is excited and proud that he has managed to read, and that he is wanting Pip to recognise his achievement, like a child would want their father too. This childishness makes Joe a lovable character, the reader wants to see him do well. Perhaps it also makes Pip’s behaviour towards him seem worse, from the reader’s perspective, as Joe is such an innocent character. Whilst Joe may not have great knowledge or academic skills, he possesses something most of the other characters don’t have, self-knowledge, he recognises he is illiterate and ‘stupid’. He tells Pip on two separate occasions that he is â€Å"most awful dull†. He is accepting of himself, he knows he is not the cleverest, in fact â€Å"awful† suggests that he thinks he is very stupid. Moreover, â€Å"dull† could imply many things, not only that he is stupid, but also that he isn’t sharp. Perhaps this is a reference to him being a black smith, that he is like one of his hammers, only good for physically things, he’s not sharp witted or clever. â€Å"Dull† could also intimate that he thinks he is boring, perhaps why he struggles to talk to, or be in the presence of people in a higher class to himself, because he considers himself boring and unworthy. But this ‘dullness’ does not stop him from being wise. Throughout the novel, Joe gives Pip many pieces of advice, for example â€Å"if you can’t get to be oncommon through going straight, you’ll never get to do it through going crooked†. Joe, even though he is perhaps the most uneducated character (shown in the wording of the sentence) he can sometimes be the most wise and honourable. Because of this he acts as a hidden role model for Pip. Not only is he honourable and wise, he understands his place: â€Å"I am wrong out of the forge† he tells Pip at their awkward reunion. Dickens suggests (through Joe) that people should stay in their class, and not aspire or try to move up; he argues for social immobility. Joe tells Pip that if he ever came back to the forge he’d â€Å"see Joe the blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work. † Joe labels himself â€Å"the blacksmith† implying that he believes it is all he is good at. The repetition of â€Å"old† makes him seem experienced, as he has been doing it a long time. There is also the idea that he clings or latches onto his work, in the word â€Å"sticking†, he fixes himself onto it so much that it has become how he defines himself. The fact that he feels himself â€Å"wrong† when not in the forge could be the reason why he can’t talk to Miss Havisham: â€Å"Joe†¦ persisted in addressing me. † It is like he cannot deal with the formality of he occasion, as he feels he doesn’t belong there. Dickens humiliates Joe here, presenting him as a shy and awkward character, making the reader sympathise with him. This is another negative quality, helping to balance out the character of Joe.

Bret Harte Essay

The United States has some of the best literature that has ever been written. American literature is very well refined and unique from other countries. In the writing world, American literature has not even been around that long. The past 337 years that America has been a country is relatively short compared to the thousands of years that literature has existed. The many great American writers are what make American literature able to overcome its short lifespan and be one of the greatest countries for literature in the world. From Washington Irving to Mark Twain, American authors are responsible for American literature’s current amazing state. One certain author played an especially important role in shaping a specific genre in American literature. Bret Harte is the man responsible for making the Western genre of literature popular. His stories are captivating. Bret Harte was able to contribute to the rise of American literature by shaping the Western genre so that other authors may adapt to his new style of writing, and by writing some of the most memorable stories of all time, such as â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat. † Bret Harte was born in Albany, New York, on August 25, 1836. He was raised as one of his family’s four children. Harte was very ill from ages six to ten, which gave him free time for reading (Franks 829). This time for reading had a great influence on Harte, giving him blocks for him to build on in his writing career. He was especially affected by the writings of British author Charles Dickens (Franks 829). His family was so poor, that they were unable to afford for him to finish school (Franks 829). When his father died in 1845, Harte and his family moved to Brooklyn. When his mother became engaged again, he and his family moved to Oakland, where his mother was married. His family was still very poor though. These times of hardship were also very influential on his writing. He was able to understand difficult struggles, thus making the problems that his characters face in his stories more interesting. He connected with his characters in many ways when they would experience times of hardship. His time in Oakland is what made him such a great â€Å"Western† writer. It made writing about the Wild West natural for him. Harte then moved to Union, California, but was run out of town after publishing a newspaper story about local white men slaughtering Indians. Harte married Anna Griswold, and they had four children together. They lived together in San Francisco, where Harte wrote most of his popular stories and became quite famous. During the height of his popularity, he signed a contract with The Atlantic Monthly for $10,000 for 12 stories a year, the most money then offered to a U. S. writer (â€Å"Hutchinson’s†). His fame led to his stories becoming even more popular, but it would also go to his head. The main genre used in most of Harte’s stories is the â€Å"Western†. According to The New Encyclopedia Britannica, the â€Å"Western† is defined as â€Å"an original genre of novels and short stories, motion pictures, and television and radio shows that are set in the American West, usually in the period from the 1850s to the end of the nineteenth century,† (598). An average Western story was about a cowboy fighting Indians or a sheriff catching a bad guy, but Harte made his special. Of those stories, one of the most popular is â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat. † This story is about a group of people who are kicked out of their town for being â€Å"bad† people. They set up camp together and attempted to work with each other to stay alive. The group experiences many setbacks, including a member betraying them, a long snowstorm, and a shortage of food. While the reader watches the story unfold, he or she starts to see that these people really are not that bad, and perhaps they did not deserve this punishment. This story is very different from the traditional Western stories. In â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† Harte is able to make criminals seem like good guys. Usually a â€Å"Western† is about a perfect main character, who stops the bad guys; but in this story, the main characters are some of the worst people in the town. His is also different from traditional â€Å"Westerns† in the way that it does not have any guns. When most people think of a â€Å"Western,† they think of guns, but Harte was able to change that. He wrote a story with no guns at all, and it is able to focus more on the characters and their feelings, rather than action and violence. Harte goes far beyond the ordinary way of writing with this story. In the opening paragraph of â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† Harte writes: As Mr. John Oakhurst, gambler, stepped into the main street of Poker Flat on the morning of the twenty-third of November, 1850, he was conscious of a change in its moral atmosphere since the preceding night. Two or three men, conversing earnestly together, ceased as he approached, and exchanged significant glances. There was a Sabbath lull in the air, which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous. (â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat†) As is visible in this paragraph, Harte was a very descriptive writer. He was able to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and effectively set his story’s mood. The characters that Harte used in this story were very significant. As said by Abby H. P. Werlock, his characters included â€Å"the stoic gambler, the soft-hearted prostitute, the unthinking drunk, and the vigilante committee driven by personal interests and blinded by the passion of a moment† (Werlcok). All of these characters that Harte used are still seen in many Western stories today. In fact, they are quite typical in modern Western stories, but Harte was the one to come up with them. Shaping the Western genre and writing some of the most memorable stories of all time, such as â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† was how Bret Harte was able to contribute to the rise of American literature. After Harte’s era, â€Å"Westerns† became much more popular. He forever changed American literature to be much more Western themed. Harte will always be remembered as one of the best authors of all time, and more specifically, the man who changed the way Western stories are written.

Gender of Nouns in Spanish

Gender of Nouns in Spanish Just as maleness or femaleness is an inherent characteristic of most animals, so is gender an inherent characteristic of nouns in Spanish. With only a few exceptions, mostly those of occupations such as dentista, the gender of nouns doesnt change with the context, and a nouns gender determines the form of many adjectives that describe it. Key Takeaways: Spanish Noun Gender Nouns in Spanish can be classified as masculine or feminine. Adjectives and articles referring to a particular noun must have the same gender as the noun.Most nouns keep their gender regardless of the context in which they are used, so there are some masculine nouns that are used for things we may think of as feminine and vice versa.Although there are exceptions, nearly all nouns ending in -o are masculine and most nouns ending in -a are feminine. Grammatical Gender Not Tied to Biological Gender Although Spanish nouns are classified as either feminine or masculine, remember that there can be feminine nouns that describe things we think of as masculine, and vice versa. For example, una jirafa, which is feminine in form, refers to a giraffe whether its male or female, and persona (a feminine noun meaning person) can refer to men as well as women. For some, it might be easier to think of masculine and feminine as simply two classifications rather than giving them a sexual identity. Unlike German and some other Indo-European languages, Spanish has no neuter nouns, although there are uses for the gender as explained below The basic rule is that masculine nouns go with masculine adjectives and articles, and feminine nouns go with feminine adjectives and articles. (In English, the articles are a, an and the. Also note that in Spanish many adjectives dont have separate masculine and feminine forms.) And if you use a pronoun to refer to a masculine noun, you use a masculine pronoun; feminine pronouns refer to feminine nouns. Nouns and adjectives that end in -o (or -os for plurals) generally are masculine, and nouns and adjectives that end in -a (or -as for plurals) generally are feminine, although there are exceptions. For example, cada dà ­a means each day. Dà ­a (day) is a masculine noun; cada (each) can be either feminine or masculine. Since you cant always tell by looking at a noun or knowing its meaning whether its masculine or feminine, most dictionaries use notations (f or m) to indicate the gender. And its common in vocabulary lists to precede words with an el for masculine words and a la for feminine words. (El and la both mean the.) Here are examples that show some of the ways a nouns gender affects the usage of other words. the man: el hombre (masculine article, masculine noun)the woman: la mujer (feminine article, feminine noun)a man: un hombre (masculine article, masculine noun)a woman: una mujer (feminine article, feminine noun)the men: los hombres (masculine article, masculine noun)the women: las mujeres (feminine article, feminine noun)the fat man: el hombre gordo (masculine adjective, masculine noun)the fat woman: la mujer gorda (feminine adjective, feminine noun)some men: unos hombres (masculine determiner, masculine noun)some women: unas mujeres (feminine determiner, feminine noun)He is fat: Él es gordo. (masculine pronoun, masculine adjective)She is fat: Ella es gorda. (feminine pronoun, feminine adjective) If you have two or more nouns that are being described by a single adjective, and they are of mixed genders, the masculine adjective is used. El carro es caro, the car is expensive (masculine noun and adjective).La bicicleta es cara, the bicycle is expensive (feminine noun and adjective).El carro y la bicicleta son caros, the car and the bicycle are expensive (masculine and feminine nouns described by a masculine adjective). Using the Neuter Gender Although Spanish has a neuter gender, it isnt used for words listed in the dictionary as nouns.The neuter is used in two circumstances: A handful of neuter pronouns such as ello are used under limited circumstances as the equivalent of it, this, or that. Such pronouns dont refer to things whose names have gender, however, but rather to concepts or ideas.The neuter definite article lo can be placed before an adjective to create a phrase that functions as a neuter abstract noun. For example, lo difà ­cil can mean the difficult thing or that which is difficult.

Information management systems ‘’Purpose and need for information systems in small and medium business enterprises’’ The WritePass Journal

Information management systems ‘’Purpose and need for information systems in small and medium business enterprises’’ 1. Introduction Information management systems ‘’Purpose and need for information systems in small and medium business enterprises’’ 1. Introduction2. Literature Review2.1WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION SYSTEMS2.2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES2.3 OUTCOME OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES3. Research Objectives and Research Questions4. Research Design5. Data collection and analysis6. Time ScaleReferencesRelated 1. Introduction This project intends to investigate the impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises. Almost all the successful big enterprises have embraced information system in their various businesses. It is generally believed, that information technology enables a firm to access information needed to make decisions, to make an efficient use of resources by reducing labour and manufacturing costs, to seize opportunities in its markets and to position itself effectively in relation to its contenders (Dirks, 1994).Unfortunately, it is the same environment both big and SME’s operate and there is a need for the small enterprises to survive in this environment. We live in a very competitive world with the competition becoming fiercer. It has become so volatile that it takes more than success to stay alive. The threat posed to SME by the big enterprises is such that they can be swallowed at anytime. One of the ways by which SME’s can achieve a competitive advantage in the era of globalization is through the implementation of IS in their organizations. Implementation and practice of IS comes at a cost and its increasing high cost is a concern to management, especially in SMEs sector. With lack of sufficient funds to acquire such skills smaller organizations often implement IS in a less than optimal way, thereby attaining fewer benefits than larger organizations (Delone, 1988). The decision to invest the few available funds on information technology need to be worth it as SME’s don’t have the luxury of fund big enterprises have. Traditionally, the success of Information Systems (IS) has been studied in the context of large organisations, most businesses, however, are small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) and they have increasingly adopted packaged application software to meet their information processing requirements. Small- and medium-sized enterprises exert a strong influence on the economies of all countries, particularly in the fast-changing and increasingly competitive global market (Anaroni 1994; Drilhon and Estime 1993). They have been a major engine of economic growth and technological progress (Mulhern, 1995; Thornburg 1993). Carrier (1994) said that SMEs are often more fertile than larger firms in terms of innovation. Most IS research focuses on large firms, yet the majority of firms in most economies are SMEs. It is amazing how SME’s form the bedrock of every country’s economy yet they always find it hard to survive not to talk of competing in an environment where the big enterprises have enormous edge. Though these SME’s can’t match the financial investment of the big enterprises, they need to find a way of balancing their investment to keep abreast of what is happening in their environment. Some SME’s have decided to overlook the cost of investing in IS as they 2. Literature Review Given the dominance of worldwide competition and high rate of technological change, there will be some challenges, which most SMEs are likely to have in common (Marri et al., 2000). Blili and Raymonds (1997) identified the need and usefulness of information systems strategies (ISS) in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In the transformational role, IS helps to Fundamentally redefine and alter the business processes and business relationships. These benefits could range from simple cost reduction to creation of new businesses or enhanced organizational capabilities (King and Teo, 1996; Feeny and Willcocks, 1998). Palvia and Palvia (1999) stressed on key areas of IT dissatisfactions that are: training and education, software maintenance, documentation and vendor support. According to them software Vendors and consultants can appropriately address these deficiencies. These issues can be addressed well by having a proper IS management in place in an organization. Poon and Swatman (1999) reported on internet use in small business sector as a part of IS management and found that although use of e-mail was very popular for business communication and documents transfer, there was almost no integration between the Internet and internal applications. 2.1WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION SYSTEMS Information has become very important to the modern business organization that it is seen as its lifeblood. Information systems help an organization manage and make efficient use of its data to achieve utmost success. There has been more information produced in the last 30 years than during the previous 5,000. The information supply available to us doubles every five years. Information system enables companies to react, respond, cater, store, retrieve, disseminate, and control their new valuable asset that is information. In the years to come, a good information system within a company will be no longer an option; it will become a compulsory in determining success. The term IT is defined in broad sense as ‘‘technologies dedicated to information storage, processing and communication’’ (Ang and Koh, 1997). This notion of IT focuses on a combination of hardware, software, telecommunications and office equipments that transform raw data into useful information for speedy retrieval (Seyal et al., 2000). Blili and Raymonds (1997) identified the need and Usefulness of information systems strategies (ISS) in small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s). 2.2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES Many smaller firms now utilize computer-based information systems (IS). Top managers in these small firms have a crucial role to play in the development of IS, but the nature of this role differs sharply from that usually undertaken by the senior manager of the larger firm (Martin,J   1989) There is little doubt that advanced information and communication technologies (IT) are changing the way businesses operate and conduct commerce. As the advent of a more secure Internet and new transmission standards makes it easier and cheaper for businesses to conduct inter-organizational commerce.( Khazanchi,D 2005) 2.3 OUTCOME OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IT investments had a positive relation with the IS management practices. Increasing investments in IT and strategic role played by information systems (IS) make IT Implementation as an important research issue within the MIS discipline (Bostrom and Heinen,   1977). Schein (1992) and Zuboff (1988) outlined three major roles   that IS could play in an organization: (1) Automate; (2) Informate; and (3) Transformate. The automate role refers to mere replacement of labour processes by technology. In the Informate     role, IS provides data and information that empowers different levels of Management   and   Ã‚  organizational employees. In the transformational role, IS helps to Fundamentally redefine and alter the business processes and business relationships. These Benefits could range from simple cost reduction to creation of new businesses or enhanced Organizational capabilities   (King and Teo, 1996; Feeny and Willcocks, 1998). Palvia and Palvia (1999) stressed on key areas of IT dissatisfactions that are: training and education, Software maintenance, documentation and vendor support. According to them software Vendors and consultants can appropriately address these deficiencies. These issues can be Addressed well by having a proper IS management in place in an organization. 3. Research Objectives and Research Questions The general objective of the study is to ascertain the need for information systems in modern day small and medium business enterprise. How much are they loosing out as a result of their unwillingness to invest in information system or is the price being paid for the competitive edge provided by information system too expensive? It looks at the benefit accrued to the small and medium enterprises that have embraced information systems.I wish to create a relationship between the cost of investment in information systems and the gains accrue to small and medium organizations that have embraced it. I also intend to look at how small and medium entrepreneurs feel about the need for information systems in their business. It will also be interesting to know how much they are willing to invest in information systems even if they feel it is needed. 4. Research Design Research methodology involves qualitative method due to the nature of the work. It will be ideal to get detailed information about the operations of the small and medium enterprises because they have different challenges; these challenges affect the running of the organizations in different ways. I intend to carry out a series of one on one interview with a number of small and medium entrepreneurs. There are two categories of entrepreneurs that I wish to interview, those that have embrace information systems and those that are yet to. 5. Data collection and analysis Both primary and secondary data will be collected for this project. Primary data will be collected from SME’s especially through interview and It is intended to retrieve the required secondary data from available financial sources to measure the performance of enterprises that use IS and those that don’t use it, only data from regulated bodies will be processed 6. Time Scale Working to meet the project submission deadline, there will be critical reading of relevant materials, regular meeting with the supervisor and also to conduct interviews with some SME business owners. References Ang, J. and Koh, S. (1997), ‘‘Exploring the relationships between user information satisfaction’’,  International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 169-77.    Blili, S. and Raymonds, L. (1997), ‘‘Adopting EDI in a network enterprise: the case of subcontracting  SMEs’’, European Journal of Purchasing Supply Management, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 165-75. Bostrom, R. and Heinen, J. (1977), ‘‘MIS problems and failures: a   sociotechnical   perspective-part-the  Causes’’, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 17-32. Delone, W.H. (1988), ‘‘Determinants of success for computer usage in small business’’, MIS Quarterly,  Dirks, P. (1994), ‘‘MIS investments for operations management: relevant costs and revenues’’, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 35, pp. 137-48. Feeny, D.F. and Willcocks, L.P. (1998),   ‘‘Core IS capabilities for exploiting information technology’’, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 9-22. Khazanchi, Deepak,(2005) Information Technology (IT) Appopriateness: The contingency theory   FIT AND IT implementation in small and medium enterprises, The Journal of Computer Information Systems King, W.R. and Teo, T.S.H. (1996), ‘‘Key dimensions of facilitators and inhibitors for the strategic use of  Information technology’’, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 12 No. 4,   pp. 35-54. Martin, C.J. (1989), ‘‘Information management in the smaller business: the role of the top manager’’ Marri, H.B., Gunasekaran, A. and Grieve, R.J. (2000), ‘‘Performance measurements in the  Implementation of CIM in small medium enterprises: an empirical analysis’’, International Journal of  Production Research, Vol. 38 No. 17, pp. 4403-11 Palvia, P., Means, D.W. andJackson, W.M. (1994), ‘‘Determinants of computing in very small business’’,  Information Management, Vol. 27, pp. 161-74. Palvia, P. and Palvia, S. (1999), ‘‘an examination of the IT satisfaction of small users’’, Information   Management, Vol. 35, pp. 127-37. Poon, S. and Swatman, P. (1999), ‘‘an exploratory study of small business internet commerce issues’’,  Information Management, Vol. 35, pp. 9-18. Schein, E.H. (1992), ‘‘the role of the CEO in the management of change: the case of information  Technology’’, in Kochan, T.A. and Useem, M. (Eds), Transforming Organizations,OxfordUniversity  Press,     Oxford. Seyal, A., Rahim, M. and Rahim, N. (2000), ‘‘an empirical investigation of the use of information  Technology among small and medium business organizations: a Bruneian scenario’’, The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, Vol. 2 No. 7, pp. 1-17. Zuboff, S. (1988), In the Age of Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power, Basic Books,New York,  NY.

Learn German Numbers, Dates, and Arithmetic Terms

Learn German Numbers, Dates, and Arithmetic Terms For each number below, two forms are shown for German language learners: Kardinalzahl (Cardinal  number: 1, 2, 3, etc.)Ordinalzahl (Ordinal  number: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) Notes on Fractions, Decimals, Articles, and Gender In some cases, a  fractional  number (Bruchzahl: 1/2, 1/5, 1/100) is also given. To make fractions (Brà ¼che) for five and above, just add -el  to the number, or -tel  if the number does not end in t: acht  Ã‚  el  Ã‚  achtel  (an eighth)zehn  Ã‚  tel  Ã‚  zehntel  (a tenth) For Dezimalzahlen (decimal numbers), Germans use das Komma (a comma), not a decimal point: 0.638 0,638 (null Komma sechs drei acht)1.08 1,08 (eins Komma null acht) Fun Fact The German expression in null Komma nichts (â€Å"in zero point zero†) means in an instant or in a flash. Although the masculine (calendar date) form is shown for the ordinal numbers, they can also be feminine (die), neuter (das) or plural, depending on the noun they are used with: das erste Auto  (the first car)die zweite Tà ¼r  (the second door)die ersten Menschen  (the first humans) When referring to individual numbers in German, you say die zwei (two) or die einundzwanzig (twenty-one), short for die Nummer/Zahl. An example would be naming the winning numbers for the lottery on television. Numbers From One to Ten (1-10) 0:  null  (zero or nought)1:  eins (one)der erste,  der 1.  (first)Time Construction: no ending on ein in ein Uhr (one oclock); but eine Uhr (one clock or a clock)  with -e ending on the article eineDate Construction: am ersten (on the first);  am ersten Mai or  am 1. Mai (on May first, on the first of May, on 1 May, or on May 1st)2:  zwei (two); the alternative form  zwo  is often used to avoid confusion with  dreider zweite,  der 2.  (second)halb, die Hlfte  (half or one-half)Time Construction: zwei Uhr (two oclock), but zwei Uhren (two clocks)3:  drei (three)der dritte,  der 3.  (third)drittel  (one third or a third)4:  vier (four)der vierte  (fourth)viertel-, das Viertel  (one fourth, one quarter, a fourth, a quarter or quarter)5:  fà ¼nf (five)der fà ¼nfte  (fifth)6:  sechs (six)der sechste  (sixth)7:  sieben (seven)der siebte  (seventh)8:  acht (eight)der achte  (eighth)9:  neun (nine)der neunte  (ninth) 10s, Tens, or Teens 10: zehn (ten)der zehnte,  der 10.  (tenth)11: elf (eleven)der elfte,  der 11.  (eleventh)12: zwà ¶lf (twelve)der zwà ¶lfte,  der 12.  (twelfth)13: dreizehn (thirteen)der dreizehnte,  der 13.  (thirteenth)am dreizehnten (on the thirteenth)14: vierzehn (fourteen)der vierzehnte,  der 14.  (fourteenth)am vierzehnten (on the fourteenth)15: fà ¼nfzehn (fifteen)der fà ¼nfzehnte,  der 15.  (fifteenth)am fà ¼nfzehnten (on the fifteenth)16: sechzehn (sixteen)der sechzehnte,  der 16.  (sixteenth)17: siebzehn (seventeen)der siebzehnte,  der 17.  (seventeenth)18: achtzehn (eighteen)der achtzehnte,  der 18.  (eighteenth)19: neunzehn (nineteen)der neunzehnte,  der 19.  (nineteenth) 20s or Twenties In German, to say in the twenties, short for the 1920s, you say in den zwanziger Jahren. The same method is used for the following decades. The 1900s and the teens are a little different. 20: zwanzig (twenty)der zwanzigste, der 20.  (twentieth)am zwanzigsten Juni, am 20. Juni  (on the twentieth of June or on June 20th)21: einundzwanzig (twenty-one)der einundzwanzigste,  der 21.  (twenty-first)am einundzwanzigsten Juni,  am 21. Juni  (on the twenty-first of June or on June 21st)22: zweiundzwanzig (twenty-two)der zweiundzwanzigste,  der 22.  (twenty-second)23: dreiundzwanzig (twenty-three)der dreiundzwanzigste,  der 23.  (twenty-third)24: vierundzwanzig (twenty-four)der vierundzwanzigste,  der 24.  (twenty-fourth)25: fà ¼nfundzwanzig (twenty-five)der fà ¼nfundzwanzigste,  der 25.  (twenty-fifth)26: sechsundzwanzig (twenty-six)der sechsundzwanzigste,  der 26.  (twenty-sixth)27: siebenundzwanzig (twenty-seven)der siebenundzwanzigste,  der 27.  (twenty-seventh)28: achtundzwanzig (twenty-eight)der achtundzwanzigste,  der 28.  (twenty-eighth)29: neunundzwanzig (twenty-nine)der neunundzwanzigste,  der 29.  (twenty-ninth) 30s or Thirties Note that unlike the other tens,  dreißig  has no z in its spelling. 30:  dreißig (thirty)der dreißigste,  der 30.  (thirtieth)31:  einunddreißig (thirty-one)der einunddreißigste,  der 31.  (thirty-first)32:  zweiunddreißig (thirty-two)der zweiunddreißigste,  der 32.  (thirty-second)33:  dreiunddreißig (thirty-three)der dreiunddreißigste,  der 33.  (thirty-third)34 to 39: consistent with the system from the 20s 40s or Forties 40:  vierzig (forty)der vierzigste,  der 40.  (fortieth)41:  einundvierzig (forty-one)der einundvierzigste,  der 41.  (forty-first)42:  zweiundvierzig (forty-two)der zweiundvierzigste,  der 42.  (forty-second)43:  dreiundvierzig (forty-three)der dreiundvierzigste,  der 43.  (forty-third)44 to 49: consistent with previous systems 50s or Fifties 50:  fà ¼nfzig (fifty)der fà ¼nfzigste,  der 50.  (fiftieth)51:  einundfà ¼nfzig (fifty-one)der einundfà ¼nfzigste,  der 51.  (fifty-first)52:  zweiundfà ¼nfzig (fifty-two)der zweiundfà ¼nfzigste,  der 52.  (fifty-second)53:  dreiundfà ¼nfzig (fifty-three)der dreiundfà ¼nfzigste,  der 53.  (fifty-third)54 to 59: consistent with previous systems 60s or Sixties 60:  sechzig (sixty)der sechzigste,  der 60.  (sixtieth)61:  einundsechzig (sixty-one)der einundsechzigste,  der 61.  (sixty-first)62:  zweiundsechzig (sixty-two)der zweiundsechzigste,  der 62.  (sixty-second)63:  dreiundsechzig (sixty-three)der dreiundsechzigste,  der 63.  (sixty-third)64 to 69: consistent with previous systems 70s or Seventies 70:  siebzig (seventy)der siebzigste,  der 70.  (seventieth)71:  einundsiebzig (seventy-one)der einundsiebzigste,  der 71.  (seventy-first)72:  zweiundsiebzig (seventy-two)der zweiundsiebzigste,  der 72.  (seventy-second)73:  dreiundsiebzig (seventy-three)der dreiundsiebzigste,  der 73.  (seventy-third)74 to 79: consistent with previous systems 80s or Eighties 80:  achtzig (eighty)der achtzigste,  der 80.  (eightieth)81:  einundachtzig (eighty-one)der einundachtzigste,  der 81.  (eighty-first)82:  zweiundachtzig (eighty-two)der zweiundachtzigste,  der 82.  (eighty-second)83:  dreiundachtzig (eighty-three)der dreiundachtzigste,  der 83.  (eighty-third)84 to 89: consistent with previous systems 90s or Nineties 90:  neunzig (ninety)der neunzigste,  der 90.  (ninetieth)91:  einundneunzig (ninety-one)der einundneunzigste,  der 91.  (ninety-first)92:  zweiundneunzig (ninety-two)der zweiundneunzigste,  der 92.  (ninety-second)93:  dreiundneunzig (ninety-three)der dreiundneunzigste,  der 93.  (ninety-third)94 to 99: consistent with previous systems 100s or One Hundreds 100: hundert  or  einhundert (hundred, a hundred or one hundred)der hundertste,  der 100.  (hundredth)(ein) hundertstel  (one-hundredth or one out of one hundred)101: hunderteins (hundred-and-one)der hunderterste,  der 101.  (hundred-and-first)102: hundertzwei (hundred-and-two)der hundertzweite,  der 102.  (hundred-and-second)103: hundertdrei (hundred-and-three)der hundertdritte,  der 103.  (hundred-and-third)104 to 199: continue in the same way 200s or Two Hundreds, and Other Hundreds 200:  zweihundert (two hundred)der zweihundertste,  der 200.  (two-hundredth)201:  zweihunderteins (two-hundred-and-one)der zweihunderterste,  der 201.  (two-hundred-and-first)202:  zweihundertzwei (two-hundred-and-two)der zweihundertzweite,  der 202.  (two-hundred-and-second)203:  zweihundertdrei (two-hundred-and-three)der zweihundertdritte,  der 203.  (two-hundred-and-third)204 to 899: continue in the same way 900s or Nine Hundreds 900:  neunhundert  (nine-hundred)der neunhundertste,  der 900.  (nine-hundredth)901:  neunhunderteinsder neunhunderterste,  der 901.  (nine-hundred-and-one)902 to 997: continue in the same way998:  neunhundertachtundneunzig  (nine-hundred-ninety-eight)der neunhundertachtundneunzigste,  der 998.  (nine-hundred-ninety-eighth)999:  neunhundertneunundneunzig  (nine-hundred-ninety-nine)der neunhundertneunundneunzigste,  der 999.  (nine-hundred-ninety-ninth) 1000s or One Thousands In German, one thousand is written or printed as either 1000, 1.000 or 1 000,  using a Punkt (decimal point) or a space instead of a comma. This also applies to all German numbers above 1,000. 1000:  tausend  or  eintausend (thousand, a thousand, or one thousand)der tausendste,  der 1000.  (thousandth)tausendstel  (one-thousandth or one out of a thousand)1001:  tausendeins (thousand-one or one-thousand-and-one)der tausenderste,  der 1001.  (thousand-first)1002:  tausendzwei (thousand-two)der tausendzweite,  der 1002.  (thousand-second)1003 to 1999:  continue in the same way Fun Fact 1001 Arabian Nights becomes Tausendundeine Arabische Nacht, but its 1001 Nchte (tausendeine Nchte) otherwise. 2000s or Two Thousands, and Other Thousands 2000:  zweitausend (two-thousand)der zweitausendste,  der 2000.  (two-thousandth)2001:  zweitausendeins (two-thousand-one or two-thousand-and-one)der zweitausenderste,  der 2001.  (two-thousand-first)2002:  zweitausendzwei (two-thousand-two)der zweitausendzweite,  der 2002.  (two-thousand-second)2003:  zweitausenddrei (two-thousand-three)der zweitausenddritte,  der 2003.  (two-thousand-third)2004:  zweitausendvier (two-thousand-four)der zweitausendvierte,  der 2004.  (two-thousand-fourth)2005 to 9998: continue in the same way9999:  neuntausendneunhundertneunundneunzig (nine-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-nine)der neuntausendneunhundertneunundneunzigste,  der 9.999. (nine-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-ninth) Talking About Jahre (Years) For the years 1100 to 1999 in German, you must say the  hundert rather than the tausend, as for 1152 (elfhundertzweiundfà ¼nfzig) or 1864 (achtzehnhundertvierundsechzig). 1100:  elfhundert  (year, number)tausendeinhundert  (number only)1200:  zwà ¶lfhundert  (year, number)tausendzweihundert  (number only)1800:  achtzehnhundert  (year, number)1900:  neunzehnhundert  (year, number)2000:  zweitausend  (year, number) In the year 2001 can be spoken or written in German as im Jahre 2001 or im Jahr 2001 (zweitausendeins). The phrase im Jahre means in the year, as in: Im Jahre 1350 (dreizehnhundertfà ¼nfzig) (In the year 1350). If the word Jahr is left out, then the year is used by itself, with no im (in the). For example: Er ist im Jahre 2001 geboren. | Er ist 2001 geboren. (He was born in (the year) 2001.)Er ist im Jahre 1958 geboren. | Er ist 1958 geboren. (He was born in 1958.)Kolumbus hat 1492 (vierzehnhundertzweiundneunzig) Amerika entdeckt. (Columbus discovered America in 1492) To convey the Christian calendar use of A.D. (anno domini, year of our Lord) and B.C. (Before Christ), German uses  n.Chr.  (nach Christus) for A.D. and  v.Chr.  (vor Christus for B.C. C.E. and B.C.E., for Common Era and Before Common Era, were used mostly in East Germany like so:  u.Z. (unserer Zeitrechnung) for C.E., and v.u.Z. (vor unserer Zeitrechnung) for B.C.E. 10,000 and Up 10,000:  zehntausend (ten-thousand)der zehntausendste,  der 10.000.  (ten-thousandth)20,000:  zwanzigtausend (twenty-thousand)der zwanzigtausendste,  der 20.000.  (twenty-thousandth)100,000:  hunderttausend (hundred-thousand)der hunderttausendste,  der 100.000. (hundred-thousandth)1,000,000: (eine) Million (million, one million, or a million)der millionste,  der 1.000.000.  (millionth)2,000,000: zwei Millionen (two million)der zweimillionste,  der 2.000.000. (two-millionth)1,000,000,000: (eine) Milliarde (billion, one billion, or a billion)der milliardste, der 1,000,000,000. (the billionth)1,000,000,000,000: (eine) Billion (trillion, one trillion, or a trillion)der billionste, der 1,000,000,000,000  (the trillionth) Fun Fact In German, one million is  eine Million, but two million is  zwei Millionen  (two millions). An American billion is a German Milliarde. A German Billion is an American trillion.​ Mathematische Ausdrà ¼cke (German Math Terms) German English addieren "add" die Algebra "algebra" das Differentialrechnendas Integralrechnen "calculus" dividieren "divide" durchzehn durch zwei (10/2) "divided by""ten divided by two" istgleichfà ¼nf und sechs ist elf "equals""five plus six equals eleven" die Gleichunge Gleichungsformel "equation" die Formel "formula" die Geometrie "geometry" minusweniger "minus""less" multiplizieren "multiply" plusundzwei und/plus zwei "plus""and""two plus two" subtrahieren "subtract" die Trigonometrie "trigonometry"

DISCUSS THE SCIENTIFIC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF EVOLUTIONARY Essay

DISCUSS THE SCIENTIFIC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY - Essay Example that the study of biology is significantly connected with the study of psychology, a lot of philosophers and psychologists are convinced that combining both could enable them to develop a more scientific explanation behind the study of the human minds. In the process, psychologists and scientists have been supporting the progress of the evolutionary psychology. Despite many people who believes in the purpose of evolutionary psychology, there are also several critiques who questions its scientific validity. and ‘natural selection.’ Dawkins (1986) and Williams (1966) explain that the natural selection allows the evolutionary process to be able to acknowledge a more complex functional organization into the phenotype of the species. In the book written by George William (1966) Adaptation and Natural Selection, he discussed the issue on the importance of ‘adaptationist approach’ in terms of examining the reasons behind the ability of human mind to adapt with its environment. In line with this matter, James (1890) announces that the application of an evolutionary approach could enable us to learn more information from what our own instinct fails to determine. In the process wherein psychologists and philosophers are able to distinguish and realize the fact that: (1) natural competence really exists; and (2) the human brain is one example that is characterized by such a complex competences, we are able to develop a possible theory behind the design of the human mind . Adaptations are important since it could enable the psychologists and philosophers to solve a problem. (Williams, 1966) Dawkins (1986) also gave emphasis that through the principles of adaptation approach, evolutionary biologists and psychologists could be able to find a more concrete ideas and solution to the problems that may arise behind the study of the human mind structure. Prior to the evolutionary psychology, philosophers and scientists strongly agree that the human mind resembles a

Vital Knowledge Assets Protection Planning Service Essay

Vital Knowledge Assets Protection Planning Service - Essay Example High turnover rates have caused companies to become stagnant in terms of advancement of knowledge. Knowledge sharpens individuals’ skills, increases association productivity and drives innovation Beazley, H. (2003). Knowledge is highly perishable, increases with sharing and is cumulative Beazley, H. (2003). Retirements of experienced and knowledgeable professionals as well as many employees leaving the organization have caused companies lacking valuable knowledge for advancement. A major consumer products company had to delay the launch of its new products due to technical difficulties and lost a major market share because its competitor had launched the same product during that time period. The agony was that the company had developed the solution to those technical problems, fifteen years ago but those who had developed it and had the knowledge to implement it, had retired. The new professionals did not have the knowledge, nor did they know that the system was in place, Fiel d, A. (2003).Disaster may be termed as a happening or an attack by a malicious attacker or a rival or some mishap that may cause knowledgeable employees to leave the company, O’Sullivan, K. (2010). Such disasters may cause harm to the data that the company possesses or the knowledge that the company has. With competition increasing at such a high pace, complying with ethics is a thing of the past. Disaster may strike in the form of data being corrupted, data being stolen or knowledgeable professionals being lured away. The key question is how a firm may keep itself safe from such disasters and happenings? The first part focuses on the safety of data from disasters. The biggest threat to data security is what the data managers do not know about O’Sullivan, K. (2010). Data storage managers only to cover the basics of security and are exposed to many vulnerabilities. They are exposed to threats from viruses and hackers through their storage web interfaces. In order to avoid this business must have a data recovery plan or DR.

Why Evolution Is True Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Why Evolution Is True - Term Paper Example Most religions believe in a common concept of creation by a Supernatural Being. A commonly accepted account of this theory is found in the Bible, which is inscribed that God created the earth and all its content in five days and by words and on the sixth day He created man from mud. Despite the shortage of evidence to support this claim, the theory was, and it still is widely accepted by people. According to Coyne 2009, â€Å"if we came across a watch lying on the ground, he said, we would certainly recognize it as the work of a watchmaker. Likewise, the existence of a well adapted organism and their intricate features surely implies a conscious, celestial designer- God (p. 17). A different theory that got publicity was the theory of spontaneous generation; this theory suggests that living organisms rise suddenly and spontaneously from no-living matter (Lennox, 1982). For example, crocodiles were believed to originate from logs of wood in the water. This theory was widely accepted in ancient Greek and Egypt. The theory was supported by many famously known scientists and philosophers including Aristotle, Descartes and Galileo. However, this theory was disapproved in the 19th century by Louis Pasteur, who through several experiments, proved that life had to originate from other living organisms. Another theory explaining the origin of life is the theory of Panspermia. This theory proposes that living organisms like bacteria exists throughout the entire universe and that through meteoroids, asteroids and other heavenly bodies; they travel randomly until they find planets with ideal conditions for growth. Earth was one of the planets with these conditions and when heavenly bodies carrying living organism collided, life began. Some forms of the panspermia hypothesis suggest that life commenced elsewhere in the universe and arrived here on earth through comets, meteorites or planetary collision (Andrulis, 2011).   

Algeria's Economy Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Algeria's Economy - Research Paper Example However, the sector does not provide enough employment opportunity for the large Algeria’s population, which mainly comprise of youths. Constant and rapid fluctuations in oil prices directly results in budgetary imbalances. This paper focuses on poverty levels, nutrition, and population growth, history of economic development and urban-rural issues, as well as land issues in Algeria. The paper also compares the economy and other aspect of Algerian economy to other countries in Africa, particularly in the North African region. Algeria’s Economy from the Beginning To 1960 By the start of 20th, Algeria was a French colony and was mainly dependent on agriculture for revenue generation. The settlers had invested in large agricultural territories, constructed manufacturing industries, opened up businesses, and made use of cheap available labor from the locals. The French colonial policies within Algeria calculatingly destroyed of the country’s native social system, whi ch had been built to cater for society’s basic needs. The settlers owned most of the Agricultural land, which resulted in high poverty levels among the Algerians. In the 1940, the population grew vastly which endangered the livelihood of most Algerians. Before Algeria’s independence in 1960, Algeria depended vastly on agriculture in addition to oil export. After independence, Algeria’s agricultural growth slowed down and oil as well as other hydrocarbons became an important source of income. Between 1950 and 1960, new land rights were introduced in which land became nationalized (Colombo, Caridi, & Kinninmont, 2012). Algeria’s Economy between 1960 and 1980 Before its independence in 1962, the minority of European colonizers and their progenies controlled the Algerian economy. The Algerian economy has essentially depended on oil exportation for revenue generation hence for economy development. The economy is thus considered a market based economy. During t he seventies, the economic policies were grounded on the command economy style (Paciello, Ayeb, Gillot, & Moisseron, 2012). The macroeconomic policies were flaccid and highly dependent on central organization and administrative guidelines. Market prices remained constant for long periods, while basic requirements were heavily subsidized, which resulted in repressed inflation and superfluous demand for the consumer goods. Public division investment was apportioned centrally by managerial schemes. Utmost investment funding was provided by the treasury and distributed to other subdivisions through the Algerian Bank for Development. The entire investment expenses in infrastructure, agricultural sector, and social schemes were dependent on the budget (Paciello, Ayeb, Gillot, & Moisseron, 2012). The distorted prices, poor infrastructure led to neglect of small enterprises. The industrial sector faced numerous managerial problems attributed to bureaucratic and inflexible management structu res. Inadequate marketing facilities, poor transport systems, and unsuitable management resulted in widespread wastage of limited resources, which gravely impaired the long-term welfare of the Algerian economy (Europa Publications, 2012). Algeria’s Economy from 1990 Until Now Agriculture remains a highly valued economic activity in Algeria though it currently provides employment to a small percentage of about 5% of the population.

Micriobiology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Micriobiology - Case Study Example A bronchoscopy with BAL has revealed organisms that are consistent with Pneumocystis carinii (Kovacs et al., 2001, 2450-2460). Analysis: His long-drawn disease is consistent with HIV infection that has turned into AIDS over last 2 months leading to most probably an opportunistic infection of the gastrointestinal tract leading to disturbing diarrhea associated with nausea and vomiting. His decreased leukocyte count and pulmonary infection with Pneumocystis carinii indicates opportunistic pulmonary infection that is very characteristic of immunodeficiency associated with AIDS and consequent diminished CD4 count (Newton et al., 2003, 185-186). Thus the original disease that the patient is suffering is AIDS, the hallmark of which is immune deficiency. The treatment with antibacterial agents thus has a chance to break down. This has been ascribed to the profound deficiency in immune function that eventually develops in an infected individual. The virus, HIV suppresses immune function since this has a predilection to infect the immune system, and as a result of continued infection, these cells are eventually destroyed (Adler, 2001, 12-17). The most significant targets of this virus are a subset of thymus derived lymphocytes that carry surface molecule CD4. CD4 has been demonstrated to bind to the envelop glycoprotein of the HIV. Many other cells and tissues, such as, monocytes and macrophages also bear CD4 receptors. Coupled with G-protein coupled receptor family co-receptors, the processing of chemokines in these cells are affected, leading to defective migration, differentiation, and function of leukocytes during immune response to any infective process in the body. Two specific receptors, CCR5 and CXCR4 are important particularly. CCR5 are expressed widely on cells of the immune system that fight disease, such as, lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. When the virus strains infect the primary macrophages through these co-receptors, the macrophages which are prime immune cells themselves are rendered defunct (Adler, 2001, 12-17). From that point of view, the CD4 lymphocytes or T helper cells have known significant and central roles in immune functions, and as a result of HIV infection, these cells are destroyed. In consequence, the body immune response of affected, and these in part explain the immunosuppressive effects of the virus. These cells are normally stimulated by antigen contact, and normally they respond through enhanced cell division and synthesis and release of lymphokines, namely, interferons, tumor necrosis factors, interleukins, and other chemotactic factors that are involved in recruitment of more immune cells. The whole cascade of these phenomena are affected, and as a result the functions of the lymphokines to act as promoters of cytotoxic or suppressor CD8 cells and their maturation and behaviour are all affected, culminating into suppressed synthesis of antibody from the B lymphocytes. Other cells participating in the process of this innate immunity against diseases functionally contribute to the process. These are monocytes, tissue macrophages, and dendritic cell, and hence with an infection with HIV, the total immune system is compromised. Macrophages and particularly dendritic cells are

Corruption and Integrity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corruption and Integrity - Research Paper Example Its major religion is Islam (Sunni) with an estimated literacy rate of 38% (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html). Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa lying along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. "It is bounded by Djibouti in the northwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Kenya in the southwest. In area it is slightly smaller than Texas. Generally arid and barren, Somalia has two chief rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba." According to records, in the years January 1991 until August 2000, it had no stable government. "A fragile parliamentary government was formed in 2000, but it expired in 2003 without establishing control of the country. In 2004, a new transitional parliament was instituted and elected a president" (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html). Somalia has a GDP/PPP approximately $5.575 billion with a per capita of $600. Its real growth rate is 2.6% and there is no inflation rate record because "businesses print their own money". Despite its vast land area, it has only an arable land of 2% that is produces bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; and fish. Its labor force is 3.7 million with very few are skilled laborers (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html).. Sharing the rank of second most corrupt country with Myanmar is Iraq. ... Its major religion is Islam. Its major source of income is oil with very little agriculture due to its vast desert land (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/iraq.html). Iraq maintains a constitutional democracy with a federal system of government. "The executive branch is made up of the Presidency Council (one president, two deputy presidents) and a Council of Ministers (one prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and 34 cabinet ministers)." Its legislative branch is made up of an elected Council of Representatives and a Federation Council. There are 275 members of the Council of Representatives. The judicial branch is independent (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/iraq.html). On the other hand, Denmark shares the least corrupt country with New Zealand and Sweden. Its government is parliamentary, headed by a Queen and a Prime Minister. Its industrialized market economy is based on materials imported through foreign trade maintaining a liberal trade policy within the European Union. About 1% of its gross national product (GNP) is given to foreign aid to less developed countries. This is only a manifestation that Danish economy is high and stable. In addition, all citizens of Denmark receive basic health care and real poverty is out of place in this country (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/denmark.html). Denmark is an active member of International Organizations such as the: United Nations; NATO; the EU; Nordic cooperation; the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; the World Trade Organization (WTO); the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the Council of

Micriobiology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Micriobiology - Case Study Example A bronchoscopy with BAL has revealed organisms that are consistent with Pneumocystis carinii (Kovacs et al., 2001, 2450-2460). Analysis: His long-drawn disease is consistent with HIV infection that has turned into AIDS over last 2 months leading to most probably an opportunistic infection of the gastrointestinal tract leading to disturbing diarrhea associated with nausea and vomiting. His decreased leukocyte count and pulmonary infection with Pneumocystis carinii indicates opportunistic pulmonary infection that is very characteristic of immunodeficiency associated with AIDS and consequent diminished CD4 count (Newton et al., 2003, 185-186). Thus the original disease that the patient is suffering is AIDS, the hallmark of which is immune deficiency. The treatment with antibacterial agents thus has a chance to break down. This has been ascribed to the profound deficiency in immune function that eventually develops in an infected individual. The virus, HIV suppresses immune function since this has a predilection to infect the immune system, and as a result of continued infection, these cells are eventually destroyed (Adler, 2001, 12-17). The most significant targets of this virus are a subset of thymus derived lymphocytes that carry surface molecule CD4. CD4 has been demonstrated to bind to the envelop glycoprotein of the HIV. Many other cells and tissues, such as, monocytes and macrophages also bear CD4 receptors. Coupled with G-protein coupled receptor family co-receptors, the processing of chemokines in these cells are affected, leading to defective migration, differentiation, and function of leukocytes during immune response to any infective process in the body. Two specific receptors, CCR5 and CXCR4 are important particularly. CCR5 are expressed widely on cells of the immune system that fight disease, such as, lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. When the virus strains infect the primary macrophages through these co-receptors, the macrophages which are prime immune cells themselves are rendered defunct (Adler, 2001, 12-17). From that point of view, the CD4 lymphocytes or T helper cells have known significant and central roles in immune functions, and as a result of HIV infection, these cells are destroyed. In consequence, the body immune response of affected, and these in part explain the immunosuppressive effects of the virus. These cells are normally stimulated by antigen contact, and normally they respond through enhanced cell division and synthesis and release of lymphokines, namely, interferons, tumor necrosis factors, interleukins, and other chemotactic factors that are involved in recruitment of more immune cells. The whole cascade of these phenomena are affected, and as a result the functions of the lymphokines to act as promoters of cytotoxic or suppressor CD8 cells and their maturation and behaviour are all affected, culminating into suppressed synthesis of antibody from the B lymphocytes. Other cells participating in the process of this innate immunity against diseases functionally contribute to the process. These are monocytes, tissue macrophages, and dendritic cell, and hence with an infection with HIV, the total immune system is compromised. Macrophages and particularly dendritic cells are