Higher Education Institutions Essay

Higher Education Institutions need to continually adapt to meet the needs of students, employers, and society in general. In order to meet these needs, the theoretical knowledge and skill-based components required by graduates when entering the workforce must be constantly reviewed. As a consequence, academics face constant challenges in developing innovative teaching practices, activities promoting skill development, and assessment tasks which will equip graduates with the necessary employability skills for their profession, for lifelong learning, and for self-development. The use of reflective practice as an integral component of undergraduate assessment and skill development is observed across a variety of academic disciplines. Reflective practice is typically used across these disciplines to engage students in the development of self reflection skills and abilities, and in contextualizing the links between theoretical knowledge and professional experience and outcomes. Reflective practice can be defined as a learning process involving the examination of individual critical incidents and behaviors, the deconstruction of one experiences’ in light of knowledge held, and the resultant formation of new knowledge which can be applied to personal or professional practice (Davis, 2003; Klenowski & Carnell, 2006; Murphy, Halton, & Dempsey, 2008; Pedro, 2005). Reflective practice is self-regulated, and engages the learner in a process of relating theory and practice (Kuiper & Pesut, 2004; Lesnick, 2005; Pavlovich, 2007). Research has indicated that the development of reflective practice skills, and the engagement of higher education students in this process allows for the examination of how personal experiences prompt learning, and how this learning relates to professional experience (Bates, 2008). The process of engaging in reflective practice allows the development of personal and professional skills which lead to an integration of personal knowledge and experience, academic theory and knowledge, and relevant professional experience (Donaghy & Morss, 2007; McMullan, 2006; Thorpe, 2004). In addition, this newly integrated and formed knowledge, through guided facilitation or supervision, can then be applied to future professional outcomes and experiences (O’Halloran, Hean, Humphris, & Macleod-Clark, 2006). Recent research highlights the need for reflective practice processes to be contextualised to the post-graduation employment sector students are preparing to practice within (Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Lesnick, 2005; Pedro, 2005). As such, it is recommended that student assessment be based upon students developing the skills for work which are needed beyond the university experience. Encompassed within the development of these skills, is the need for students to reflect upon and judge their learning experiences and achievements, determine how adequate their performance has been, critically engage in a process of selfreflection, and evaluate their performance (Hinett & Weeden, 2000; McMullan, 2006). This process initiated and developed through the teaching of and engagement in reflective practice, leads students to self-direct their learning, and work-tasks, identify and be motivated to develop areas for change, and promotes further learning. Hence, learning is contextualised through ref lective practice (Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Lesnick, 2005; Pedro, 2005). It is important to note reflective practice is not only beneficial to undergraduates, but also to university tutors, lecturers, and course coordinators (Clegg, Tan, & Saeidi, 2002; Crow & Smith, 2005; Pedro, 2005; Thorpe, 2000). Not dissimilar to that observed in students, the process of assessors examining student assessments containing prose written in the form of reflection, places academics in a position to question the perceived needs of students, and the curriculum being taught relative to (i) what modules are being taught in the curriculum, (ii) why specific curriculum modules are included within the course syllabus, (iii) if the curriculum modules are effective in meeting student and workplace needs, (iv) if curriculum modules need to be changed to better address the perceived needs and skills of students and workplaces, and (v) how can the identified curriculum modules be changed (Pedro, 2005). The analysis of student reflections can lead to an examination of the pros and cons of the current course curricula, and the redevelopment and realignment of this curricula to enhance student learning and skill development (Bulpitt & Martin, 2005; Kember, McKay, Sinclair, & Jess Heerde & Berni Murphy, Reflective Practice Annotated Bibliography, 2009 4 | PageWong, 2008). Furthermore, the transferability of skills from higher education into the workplace may be enhanced, and the employment opportunities for students post-graduation increased through assessment of student reflections (Bulpitt & Martin, 2005; Harris & Bretag, 2003; Pedro, 2005). It was my third semester being a student nurse where I posted at Hospital Selayang. The accidents happened on Thursday morning. There are about 8 patient on beds and some of them are tractions, having a wound dressing on leg and some having amputation. At that time, our CI is not around because she has to handle 2 wards. The accident occur when one of staff nurse assign me to do simple wound dressing. I and one of my members prepared all equipment needed to do wound dressing. After we finished completing equipment, we immediately go to the patient and start to dressing. Because of ward are too busy, we decided to do without any supervise by staff nurse. During dressing, the sister suddenly came and saw us do the dressing without supervise by CI. More badly, we forget to put inco-pad below patient leg. The sister shouted us to stop the dressing and leave from the patient. The sister said that we are not allowed to do any procedure without supervise by our CI. Then she blame us for not obey the guide line of wound dressing. I have to do a report about what occurred just now. After being scolded by sister and CI, I felt guilty and can’t stop think about it just a simple wound dressing I had made a mistake. At that time, I still blaming myself for the mistake I have done. I never thought that it will happen to me. I was shocked and feel scared because I not doing the procedure in supervised by my own CI and caught by sister in ward. This is the first time I heard sister’s voice and facing in front of me. I became numb, speechless and my mind turns to blank and empty. I felt very guilty and I cannot stop thinking it every time I went to posting area. I felt very stressful because sister was annoyed. I will take this accident as a great lesson to make a change in me in future. As I analyzed and encounter the situation, I reflect myself on how it could be occurred and happened to me. the first and the main point are, I felt very confident in accomplishing the wound dressing procedure. This is because I felt that the procedure was simple so I obey the guideline of wound dressing in which I forgot to put incontinence pad and failed to maintain sterility on my field. Beside that, because of lack of knowledge I had also made my dressing procedure become complicated to handle. I also realized that my level of knowledge of wound dressing still low. Little experiences are not enough to master wound dressing procedure. Furthermore, I realized by doing the procedure without supervised by CI of staff nurse. I made a big mistake which is not followed the role as a student nurse. I should not do anything without supervised by CI. Obey CI instruction is a bad behavior that I have to change to be a good student. In my point of view, I feel that the situation could change in the future is I must do more practice on my wound dressing procedure. At this time, I need more knowledge to answer sister’s question and most importantly, I must be careful in maintaining sterility so that I will not be scolded by sister. The implication of mistaken the wound dressing principle to the institution are, the students from same institution will be rejected from that hospital because of less quality. The student nurse will encounter self low-esteem to face patient because of their seniors. Plus, the family members will lost belief in our work and not allow the student to do any procedure on the patient. Besides that, they will not trusting to my own institution and we have to hand over to staff nurse in-charges. In my recommendation, I could improve my skill to change in the future by a continuously practice in correct way of dressing. The repeated practice of wound dressing will help me to enable a good skill on that procedure. My theories are still in lower position. So, I have to gain more knowledge and information to make it perfect. The skill will be more skillful by supervise from the CI. She will correct any error while I am doing any procedure and added with some brilliant point. Beside that, I must make sure that all equipments are complete without missing any apparatus in doing wound dressing. I have to double check to minimize risk of forgotten equipment. With all this, the result of being mistake will be zero. I am not aware that all nurses should being in a collaborative network that foster partnering with others. This is because most of the nurse today receive perception during their orientation to a clinical position or coaching for a special project or promoting they are spires them. Beside that, I also being aware that if someone to be more perfect to done a wound dressing. We must need a concept of mentoring in nursing and suggest its strongest relationship is as a ‘teaching learning process for the socialization of nurse scholars and scientists and the proliferation of a body of professional knowledge’ (steward and Krueger, 1996). This is because a student a student must need a help from their CI will tell his or her student for what is wrong or what is right. I also being aware of the nurse need to broaden their connection with others so that each nurse is introduced to the multiple benefits of being network. This is because of my scenario I did get any connection the staff nurse to observe me done a dressing made my mistake. it would be advantages to begin getting involved with this mentoring spirit early in one’s career. It is known that nurse who had been mentors tend to mentor other (Vancer & Olson (1998); Yoder (1998)) In this scenario, I have learnt from my experience need an mentoring in nursing encompassed a guided experience, formally or in formerly assigned, over a mutually agreed-on period, that empowers the mentor and mentee to develop personally and professionally with the auspices of caring; collaborative competent, and respect environment.

Fremont High School Discussion Essay

For my entire life of schooling, both my parents and I would agree that I constantly complained about the educational systems in which I was enrolled. But when I actually take the time to think about everything I have been through, I realize that I have indeed had an excellent education. My schooling was full of opportunities and experiences, all of which contributed to the person I am today; adequate education has been an indispensable facet of my being. Sadly, not everyone has had this same privilege. And now as a college student, I am becoming even more aware of this sad fact. Looking around me in such a diverse city as Chicago, I find myself being more and more grateful. When I read Jonathan Kozol’s Fremont High School, this these feelings were even more reassured. Here in his writing, Kozol shares his experiences with students and teachers while visiting Fremont High School in Los Angeles, California. From the beginning, Kozol set the mood for the piece by describing the lackluster conditions of the buildings. He described the lack of sufficient classroom space by saying that â€Å"nearly a third of all the classrooms in the school, were located in portables†¦ took place in converted storage closets† (Kozol 641). By beginning his written tour of this school with these vivid descriptions, Kozol instantly placed me inside both the school and a depressing atmosphere. The images painted in my head by this account were tragic, yet sadly too real. When he interviewed students, one in particular captured both Kozol’s heart and mine. While reading his interview with Mireya, I could just picture the girl: Intelligent, ambitious, and more than willing to use her voice. Unfortunately, along with those qualities, I saw the frustration and tension caused by being underprivileged. While I might have complained about the lack of an AP class that I was interested in, I was again reminded of my luck when Mireya discussed her interest in simply wanting â€Å"†¦ to take an AP class† (Kozol 645). What was even more disturbing to picture was how the school’s lack of proper funding caused students to be pressured into enrolling in non-academic classes, such as sewing and hair-dressing II. Finally, the sadness in that classroom was brought to a climax when I could both see and feel the â€Å"programing† within the students’ minds. When Mireya was talking about her reluctance to take the sewing class, a boy named Fortino said, â€Å"You’re ghetto†¦ so we send you o the factory†¦ you’re ghetto – so you sew! † (Kozol 645). Even though he was probably speaking sarcastically out of his own frustrations, Fortino’s words cut deep. I am aware that there are better and worse high schools out there than Fremont High School. And yet, reading Kozol’s account of the terrible conditions that are endured by these students made me feel more aware of the severity of improper or inadequate education that poorly funded schools provide. All of these problems, alongside my awareness of my fortunate years of education, make me wonder, just as Mireya did, as to why, â€Å"†¦ [students] who need it so much more get so much less? † (Kozol 648). Interestingly, I have little to comment on Kozol’s actual writing style, even though he wrote this account of his. I was just so attached to the characters within that school that I wanted to be able to reach out somehow; Kozol definitely achieved something very touching here. Works Cited Kozol, Jonathan. â€Å"Fremont High School. † The Norton Field Guide to Writing. 2nd ed. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company,, 2010. 641-48. Print.

"Mariana" and "Long Distance"

Mariana and Long Distance Essay Mariana is a poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, based on a Shakespeare play. In the play, the character Mariana is in love with a man called Angelo. He then leaves her. This poem is about her waiting for him to come back. Also it is speculated that Tennyson wrote this poem because he had experienced something similar himself. Although this might not be true we do know that he liked writing stories about the past. In Long Distance, written by Tony Harrison, a man is waiting for his wife to return although we know she will not because she has died. These two poems follow the same theme, waiting for a loved one to return home, but they portray the theme very differently. In Mariana even from the first line it is suggested to us that her living area is decayed, dark and dull with the blackest moss the flower pots were thickly crusted. This is also suggests age because instead of saying black moss it says blackest moss which tells us that it has blackened over time. Also moss only grows on a surface, which is not often disturbed by footsteps. This suggests that Mariana doesnt go out of her house very often, if at all. The flower pots were thickly crusted . This means that they have not been tended to. All of which tells us that Mariana does not lead an active life or at least she does not care for her house and garden. In Long Distance the image portrayed is very different to the scene set in Mariana. Although both poems are dealing with a lost love, Long Distance deals with this theme in a much simpler way than Mariana. Long Distance uses a lot less onomatopoeia and alliteration. The first line of Long Distance, Though my mother was already two years dead has a very strong end of line. The word dead sounds very final. If it had ended with the word years it would have not been as shocking. Unlike Mariana there is a very regular rhyme pattern to this poem and this shows the calmness that the man feels because he pretends that his wife is still alive. In Mariana the rhyme pattern is not regular, this tells us that she is not calm and shows her anguish for her lost love. The father in Long Distance holds on to the memory of his wife because he loved her passionately, his still raw love. Mariana holds on to her raw love due to the same reasons, but she also has the hope that he might return someday. We learn much from the first verses of each poem. In Mariana we learn that to her, her environment is dark and full of despair, with the blackest moss the flower pots were thickly crusted The rusted nails fell from the knots that held the pear to the gable wall. The broken sheds Unlifted was the clinking latch. This all describes her life not moving from her house, just sitting in misery. In Long Distance we learn that the father stays in his home to be reminded of his wife who was warm and kind, slippers warming by the gas, put hot water bottles by the side of her bed and still went to re-knew her transport pass This gives us an insight into the fathers life. I believe he is kind as was his wife. This quote creates imagery of a warm kind household. It also makes us feel sympathy for his loss. There are two like quotes in Mariana and Long Distance which specifically tells us that they stay in their houses, Unlifted was the clinking latch and the rusted lock. READ: Compare 'Follower' and 'Death of a naturalist' EssayWhilst in Long Distance the father is embarrassed by his pretence, You couldnt just drop in. You had to phone, Mariana seems unaware of the world outside her house, All day within the dreamy house. Another difference between the two characters mindset is that the father pretends his wife never left, whereas, Mariana waits for her fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to return. Although if the fathers wife had left him rather than died I believe he would have reacted in the same manner as Mariana. This is because both loves were very passionate and truly heartfelt. The third verse of Long Distance is extremely sad. It talks of the fathers self-denial; he believes that his wife has just popped to get the tea. This is not unlike Marianas self-denial in believing that her fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ will return home. Both characters cannot admit to there not being any hope of their lovers returning. Another similarity is that both characters live in the past; for example, Old footsteps trod the upper floors, in Mariana. This is not so literal in Long Distance as he lives in the past by not letting go of his wifes memory. The endings to both poems are very moving, although in Mariana it is more dramatic, in the style of a Shakespearean play, and in Long Distance it is a very simple enclosed rhyme but it is quite thought provoking. At the end of Long Distance the writer tells us obliquely that his father has died now too. He also indicates that he thought his father was foolish for acting the way he did. He then changes the mood of the verse by saying that although he doesnt pretend that his parents have both gone shopping he has still added their phone number to his new phone book. He now understands the way his father felt. He uses the metaphor the disconnected number I still call to describe his feelings: he wants to keep in contact with his parents but cannot because they are gone. The ending to this poem is vital to the understanding of the title. At the very end of Mariana the four end lines, which are repeated loosely at the end of all verses, are significantly changed. This sums up the fact that she has now completely lost hope of her lovers return. This is like the writer in Long Distance coming to terms with the fact that both of his parents are now dead.

How Governments attitude and policy towards sport has changed and Essay

How Governments attitude and policy towards sport has changed and envolved over the last 25years - Essay Example Sports policy can also be regarded as a prism through which wider ideological and practical political thought can be viewed. The three governments of Margaret Thatcher/John Major (Conservative) and Tony Blair’s New Labour illustrate the contrasts that can be found within sports policy. As Houlihan (2002) suggests, â€Å"some policy areas are easier than others to plot and delimit†, and this is especially the case with sports which is often a fulcrum around which a number of forces, from education to national prestige to public health revolves. The Thatcher government adopted what may be regarded as a characteristically laissez-faire and privatized view of sports leadership at both the national and local level. One of her first actions as prime Minister was to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afgahnistan. Britain was no alone in this boycott, being joined by 62 other Western countries. One aspect of Thatcher’s policy that contrasted with the provision of money for various sports stadiums, organizations and for sports on school, something which every government since WWII had instituted was her government’s reaction to football hooliganism. Under watch football hooliganism took on massive and deadly proportions, such as the fights that occurred at the European Cup Final in Brussels in which 36 people were killed (Frosdick, 2005). Thatcher introduced a number of new laws and policies that would ban alcohol at grounds, increase police powers to control the behavior and size of the crowd, as well as introducing surveillance such as close-circuit TV cameras that had previously been regarded as an invasion of privacy. Football hooliganism was a fulcrum around which many forces revolved, including serious suggestions that a National Identity Card should be introduced, even though at its height the problem

Issue paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issue paper - Essay Example A manager, who is the person responsible for all the activities that are undertaken in any firm, organization or store, has to be innovative, good decision maker, and risk taker (Sakthivel 12). These characteristics are vital when solving problems that regard the team under the leadership of the manager. The manager get to supervise many different forms of services like retail stores, which offers the sale of different goods and services from people or business to the end consumer (Swapna 463). The significant challenges that are facing the retail stores have to be carefully addressed by the manager, by applying different managerial styles and skills. Various technical steps have to be followed if any effective achievements have to be made and be able to reach the expectations set out by the parent company. Like any other industry, the retail store is up against the challenging economy of the state. It has to fulfill the expectations of the parent company, which is the large national retailer that has taken over its ownership. Due to this change of control, the management regulations have also to be modified. The store was previously opened on Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 pm, but now the hours have been extended and this has made the number of shifts to increase. The current 20 employees cannot manage to cover the shifts, which should be covered by 25 employees. The manager has to look for new employees that will be able to share the work and help the business to stand out. This is because 10 of the current employees are of average age and the other 10 are still new to the job. This will pose the cost to increase in order to pay the employees and moreover, they have to be trained and motivated in different ways. In addition, for the sales to be increased to the level that the parent company is expecting, the low end household, hardware and other convenient

Arguementative Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Arguementative Research Paper - Essay Example In addition, low unemployment levels in the nation do not infer that all working people are well-off. Homelessness problem is growing dramatically in America. It is a non-discriminative problem that can strike anyone without any expectation. Therefore, homelessness is a social problem and crisis affecting our society. Addressing the problem of homelessness calls the entire nation for togetherness to create solutions to the growing epidemic of homeless people. Statistics shows that people living in poverty are standing the most risk of becoming homeless. The homeless are also at risk of losing the little they already have. The number of homeless people and children has greatly increased in the past decade. They are about 40 percent of people who are homeless. In the rural areas, the largest people who are homeless are single mothers, families and children. In a 1998 survey done in 30 cities by U.S Conference of Mayors, it was determined that the homeless population consist of 35 percent Caucasian and 53 percent of African-American. Four percent were Native Americans while 12 percent and three percent were Hispanic and Asian respectively. The ethnic make-up of the homeless population varies depending on geographic location (Arnaudo, Madrid & Zappasodi 10-11). There is a relationship between poverty and homelessness. In most cases, poor people are not able to pay for education, food, child care, housing, and health care. These populations have to make difficult choices when small income can only cover some of these necessities. Evidence shows that low, poor employment opportunities for the huge number of the work force increases poverty. Less secure jobs and falling incomes which provide fewer benefits results into additional financial strain on already financially burdened people. The link between homelessness and impoverished workers is in the homeless shelters, many of which houses significant numbers of full-time wage earners. According to the 1998 US

Who Are the Main Players in the Industry of Media and Communication Essay

Who Are the Main Players in the Industry of Media and Communication - Essay Example The government will need to be paid taxes and ensure the content of the films is acceptable according to the number of years of the content observers know as audiences. The acceptance of the government is more of a blessing for the process than a bother as it will mean smoothening of the barriers to the industry (Mathur and Mathur, 2009). For a long time, the Bollywood films were only available through videos and this limited the number of people able to obtain a copy and even that copy was easily destroyed. These days, however, the film industry has moved towards digitalization obtaining their own channels which have ensured that people across the world are able to watch as many films as possible. The films once released are placed on different internet sites where people can watch them online which are very convenient for most people (Wadley, 2013). All those ways are in addition to them being shown on cinemas on wide screens. With these strategies being placed, they have ensured that their distribution and consumption has expanded and continues to do so. In as far as production is concerned, actors and actresses have been joining the industry day and night which would explain the high number of Indian movies which are even more than the American ones. The primary consumers of the Indian films are the tourists and the people of other nations. People in India are still dwelling on watching the movies in cinema and undermining as well as underappreciating their own talent. This leaves the primary consumers to be the international media and people. It is an open secret that the fame of the Indian films has spread far and wide and the western nations are seeking the directors to offer them locations to shoot their films at a discount. Research indicates that nations such as France, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the even USA. The growing interest in Bollywood films and their popularity is what makes people increase their consumerism level (Mathur and Mathur, 2009). The films are loved because of their comics and humour as well as the incorporation of dance.  Ã‚  

Walt Whitman's Idea of Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Walt Whitman's Idea of Women - Essay Example A look into his works, that are, at times, vivid with sexuality, proves that his works are a mixture of transcendentalism and realism, where he found females equal to males, and in fact, more important than males. However, he himself seems highly influenced by the social and religious norms that surrounded him in the 19th century that he could not see any other role for women other than household works, procreation of healthy offspring for the state, and keeping themselves healthy and willing to overtly express their sexual desires. Moreover, in his attempt to show the importance of females, he ends up giving them more importance than males because of their higher role in reproduction. In my opinion, Whitman is one among the many sex radicals of the 19th century, and though he proposed revolutionary ideologies on free expression of female sexuality, they are clouded by his own expression of male dominance in his works. This makes his position as a feminist a matter of controversy. Tr aditional roles of women in Whitman’s works Killingsworth admits the fact that for many scholars, Whitman’s females are nothing more than ‘functional creatures’ with just muscles and wombs (1). In addition, there comes the allegation that their only functions are sex and birth. This allegation seems substantiated in many of his writings. In ‘A woman waits for me’, he points out â€Å"yet all were lacking†¦if the moisture of the right man were lacking† (A woman waits for me). Here, instead of the desire to reform female covert expression of sex, the main intention seems to be the desire to make them cope with the unquenched sexual desires of the male-dominated society. As one moves ahead, there is the evident expression of what a chauvinist prefers to see in the females with whom he wants to have sex. â€Å"They are tann’d in the face by shining suns and blowing winds/ Their flesh has the old divine suppleness and strength/ They know how to swim, row, ride, wrestle, shoot, run, strike, retreat, advance, resist, defend themselves.† However, for a woman who possesses all these qualities, the duty Whitman gives is â€Å"I shall demand perfect men and women out of my love spendings.† Thus, it becomes very evident that though he seems careful about the health and wellbeing of females, the two responsibilities they are supposed to do, according to him, are healthy procreation and healthy sex. However, this conception about his intentions is, to a great extent, removed when one looks into his Prose Writings (II, 37 2n). He points out that the sole way to a reconstructed society depends on â€Å"new birth, elevation, expansion, invigoration of women, affording, for races to come†¦ a perfect motherhood† (qtd. Killingsworth, 3). Here, though his outlook is justified remarkably, it seems that his intention to elevate females is based on the need to ensure proper motherhood; not for female s’ sake. However, a look into the Prose Works of 1892 reveals that his intention was not only to make females willing to procreate healthy generation, but the kind of women he envisioned would be â€Å"robust equals, workers, and even practical and political deciders with men† (Whitman, Prose Works). Thus, in the opinion of people

Critical Assessment and comparison of the Competitive and Essay - 2

Critical Assessment and comparison of the Competitive and Profitabbility of UK food retail Sector and the UK Oil and Gas Sector 2006-2010 - Essay Example Each company belonging to different sector has different nature of business, market conditions and regulations, therefore it is not appropriate to compare financial performance of companies from different industries or sectors (Helfert, 2001); In this report, the author has used various financial ratios in order to compare the financial performance of companies selected for analysis. The financial ratio analysis includes the comparison of the financial performances of the UK three companies from retail sector and three companies from oil and gas sector. In this regard, the following are the ratios which have been considered to conduct the analysis: In order to analyse the liquidity position of the selected companies over a period of five years, current ratio and cash ratio have been determined for each company for each of the five financial year under consideration. By determining these ratios, it is possible to analyse the ability of companies being analysed to pay off their liabilities (Helfert, 2001). The ratios used in this regard include current ratio and cash ratio. For determining the profitability of the selected companies, profitability ratios have also been considered. The ratios included in this analysis are â€Å"return on capital employed† (ROCE) and â€Å"return on equity† (ROE) (Helfert, 2001). The return on capital employed shows the overall profit earned by a company while making use of its total capital or resources. On the other hand, the return on equity shows the profits earned with respect to total equity held by a company (Helfert, 2001). Debt ratios are determined to analyse the performance of the company in relation to its debt and the composition of debt in its capital. The report includes following two ratios to evaluate the debt composition of the companies and operating cash flows with respect to total debt of the company (Helfert, 2001). The formulae for these two

The Future Financial Health of Look Ahead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Future Financial Health of Look Ahead - Essay Example The monthly cash flow statements for Look Ahead are given in the table below. Cash Flow is one of the most important aspects of every business. A cash flow statement shows the total of the actual cash inflows and outflows of a business. A cash flow can be prepared for any time period. It helps the company get a clear view of the liquidity at any given point in time (Gillespie et al, 1997). The statements for Look Ahead provide valuable insight into the liquidity position of the company. The cash flow statements indicate that the liquidity position of Look Ahead will be very weak based on the estimates. Hence it is essential to opt for other sources of funds for maintaining a strong liquidity position (Berry and Jarvis, 1996). The overdraft calculations in the statement indicate the amount required by Look Ahead to prevent negative bank balance. From the table, it is evident that Look Ahead must have a Bank Overdraft option for at least  £ 270,000. The Profit and Loss Statement for Look Ahead is presented below. Profit and Loss Account is a financial statement which shows the companies profits and losses for a given period. A profit and loss account helps the company analyze how the profit or loss arose i.e. the main cause/s for the profit or loss, so as to make informed decisions for the future (Arnold et al, 1985). Based on the estimates, Look Ahead forecasts a profit of  £ 80,000. Profit and Loss statement includes all the expenses and the income recorded during the period, irrespective of whether the payment was received (Britton and Watterston, 1996). The projected balance sheet of Look Ahead in December 2007 is presented below. It is evident that Look Ahead needs to give due consideration to its cash inflows and other sources of funding, as the ending bank balance is negative. Also, the balance sheet indicates a total of  £ 240,000 as debt.

Introduction and Motivation Essay Example for Free

Introduction and Motivation Essay The following chapter provides the foundation for this thesis. It begins with a scope clarification including a definition of the Supply Chain 2020 research initiative, and this thesis position within that overall project. Additionally, this chapter discusses the motivation and methodology behind this paper as well as provides an outline for future chapters. The Supply Chain 2020 Project is a multi-year project initiated by the Center for Transportation Logistics (CTL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The major research goal for the Supply Chain 2020 Project is to identify the components that will constitute excellent supply chains in the year 2020. In identifying the strategies, processes, and metrics that will comprise excellent supply chains, Supply Chain 2020 hopes to assist companies in multiple industries in developing strategies to remain competitive in the future. The academic year 2004-2005 is Phase I of the Supply Chain 2020 Project. The scope of the initiative for Phase I is to identify and research excellent supply chains in the aerospace, apparel, automotive, communications, computer, consumer products, distribution, pharmaceutical, resources, and retail industries. Specifically, the scope of this thesis is the retail industry. We will focus on the strategies, operating models, network designs, and supply chain processes that constitute an excellent supply chain in the retail industry. In looking at the components listed above, the existing best practices will be analyzed with respect to how they support and promote the business strategy of the specific companies being analyzed.

Challenges to Infection Control of Hep C, B and HIV

Challenges to Infection Control of Hep C, B and HIV Infection control and cross contamination prevention are imperative to ensuring high quality patient care and quality of life for all patients. In the hemodialysis clinics and hospital units where patients are in end stage renal disease the prevention of infection is of utmost concern as it is directly correlated to lowered morbidity and mortality rates. Blood borne pathogens and bacteria are transmitted through poor infection control practices and lack of cross contamination prevention procedures. To understand the importance of infection control and cross contamination prevention, it is first imperative to understand the risks and consequences of infection transmittal in the hemodialysis unit. The hemodialysis unit is unique in that the procedure allows pathogens to enter the body through access sites, injection sites, and catheterization, all of which increase risk of infection for already ill patients. The following explores the most common concerns in infection transmittal as He patitis C and B, HIV, and common bacteria found in hemodialysis patients. This is followed by an exploration of methods in infection control, focusing on the procedures of cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection. An examination of staff education and training procedures that impact infection control and patient care follows. The research concludes with a summary and commentary. Research has often compared the incidences of HCV infections in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in patients, finding that patients undergoing clinical bloodstream invasive hemodialysis procedures have three times higher rates of HCV infections (Horl et al 2004). This is reflective of nosocomial transmission of HCV within the clinical dialysis setting (Horl et al 2004). HCV is transmitted through cross-contamination, occurring through blood, shared cannulas, and equipment, and blood transfusions (Horl et al 2004 p 1390). A comparison of the outcome of hepatitis virus-positive and -negative kidney transplant and hemodialysis patients involved 384 kidney transplant patients (67 HBsAg positive, 39 anti-HCV positive, 278 hepatitis negative), transplanted between 1987 and 2001, and 403 hemodialysis patients (128 HBsAg positive, 83 anti-HCV positive, 192 hepatitis negative) who had started hemodialysis and were referred to the kidney transplant waiting list during the same period (Visn ja et al 2008). Comparison of the groups survival rates, adjusted for patient age, showed that all kidney transplant patients survived longer than hemodialysis patients (p Thirty-two outpatient hemodialysis providers in the United States voluntarily reported 3699 adverse events to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) during 2006 (Klevens et al 2008). Among the 599 isolates reported, 461 (77%) represented access-associated blood stream infections in patients with central lines, and 138 (23%) were in patients with fistulas or grafts (Klevens et al 2008). The microorganisms most frequently identified were common skin contaminants (e.g., coagulase-negative staphylococci) (Klevens et al 2008). Hepatitis C (HCV) among maintenance hemodialysis patients has limited data on the incidence and prevalence. According to Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis (2007 p 360): In 2002, 63% of dialysis centers tested patients for anti-HCV, and 11.5% reported having (symbol) 1 patient who became anti-HCV positive in 2002. The incidence rate in 2002 was 0.34% among centers that tested for anti-HCV, the prevalence of anti-HCV among patients was 7y.8%, a decrease of 25.7% since 1995. In the facilities that tested, the reported incidence was 0.34% and the prevalence3 was 7.8%. Only 11.5% of dialysis facilities reported newly acquired HCV infection among their patients. The most efficient transmission of HCV is through direct percutaneous exposure to blood, central to the epidemiology of HCV transmission is the infected patient (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Staff members in hemodialysis clinics have similar rates of infection as other healthcare workers, between 1-2% (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). The risk factors of HCV infection in hemodialysis clinics include blood transfusion from unscreened donors and the number of years the patient has undergone hemodialysis treatment (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). The years of hemodialysis treatment is an independent risk factor that is strongly associated with high HCV infection rates, where the time of hemodialysis treatment increases the prevalence of HCV infection (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Patients undergoing hemodialysis for less than five years have a 12% chance of infection, while patients receiving dialysis for more than 5 years have a 37% chance of infection (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Dialysis related HCV outbreak research is indicative that HCV transmission occurs due to inadequate infection control practices of supplies and machinery (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). During hemodialysis, monitors such as the venous pressure monitor is used to as a protective system against external blood loss, wh ere blood may leak through clamps on infusion lines (Horl et al 2004). Pressure of the leak is sense through an air-filled tube that connects the venous bubble to the monitor, which senses the pressure of the blood flow; however blood losses up to 40 ml/min may be undetectable by the sensor equipment (Horl et al 2004). Cross-contamination during invasive practices occurs when blood enters the air-filled tube and contacts the monitoring machinery where the pressure protectors are inserted into the line or connective areas (Horl et al 2004). Hydrophobic and impermeable flexible membranes used may become wetted with blood, and thus pressure changes are not transmitted to the sensor and the monitor itself does not function accordingly, indicating that cross contamination may have occurred (Horl et al 2004). The CDC reported three outbreaks of HCV infection from 1999-2000 for patients in chronic hemodialysis centers (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Cross contamination opportunities were the common indicator of infection, where observations of cross contamination included: Equipment and supplies that were not disinfected between patient use (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Use of common medication carts to prepare and distribute medications at patient stations (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Sharing of multidose vials, which were placed at patients stations on the top of the hemodialysis machine (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Contaminated priming buckets that were not routinely changed or cleaned and disinfected between patients (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Machines surfaces that were not routinely cleaned and disinfected between patients (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). Blood spills that were not cleaned up promptly (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007 p 360). The sharing of multidose vials or injectable medications has been a source of high cross contamination. According to Finelli (et al 2002 p 58: â€Å"In 2002, 52.8% of centers reported that medications from multidose vials were drawn into syringes in preparation for patient administration in a dedicated medication room or an area separate from the treatment area, 24.6% reported that medications were prepared on a medication cart or a medication area within the treatment area, 3.7% at the dialysis station, and 18.9% in other areas. In 2002, the incidence of HBV infection was significantly higher among patients in centers where injectable medications were prepared on a medication cart or medication area located in the treatment area compared to a dedicated medication room (Table 13). However, the incidence of HCV infection was not significantly different by location where injectable medications were prepared. The incidence of HBV results are of particular concern because all medications, supplies, and equipment for HBsAg-positive patients should be dedicated for their use and not used by HBV-susceptible patients. Outbreaks of HBV infection have occurred when multipledose medication vials were available in the treatment area and used for both infected and susceptible patients, although isolation procedures for HBsAg-positive patients were in place for equipment and other supplies. To avoid contamination in the general hemodialysis population, medications should be prepared in a centralized area separate from the treatment area, and supplies and equipment should be shared only if they are disinfected between patients.† Furthermore, in dialysis centers where multiple infections clustered around timeframe a common exposure event is suggested as being likely due to supply carts moved from station to station which carried clean supplies and blood contaminated items such as biohazard containers, sharps disposal containers, and other containers contaminated or used to contain patients blood (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). Due to the cross contamination opportunities and incidences, it is recommended that routine testing of hemodialysis patients for anti-HCV occur on admission and reoccur every six months (Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis 2007). HIV patients often undergo hemodialysis over other options of dialysis therapy when they are in advanced stages of the disease, as hemodialysis has lowered incidences of protein loss and peritonitis (Henrich 2003). Hemodialysis is also preferred over CAPD for patience with cognitive motor dysfunction (Henrich 2003). However, concerns of transmission of HIV infection during hemodialysis in clinical dialysis units exist as patient to patient, patient to staff, and staff to patient risks of cross contamination (Henrich 2003). The risks of HIV transmission from patient to patient is extremely unlikely in dialysis units that conform to the practice guidelines recommended by the CDC† (Henrich 2003 p 341). The CDC examines that individual dialysis units had no HIV nosocomial transmissions for patients undergoing hemodialysis treatments in clinical settings (Henrich 2003). Furthermore, a study of multiple dialysis centers across the USA found no instances of HIV seroconversion over a 48 week period (Henrich 2003). Thus there is a negligible risk of HIV transmission, and therefore HIV patients do not require dedicated machines or isolation while undergoing hemodialysis when the clinicians follow the CDC guidelines (Henrich 2003). HIV has not been shown to be transmittable through hemodialysis machines as the pore size of dialyzer membrane is between 1 and 7 nm, and the HIV virus is 105 nm (Henrich 2003). The use of the same dialysis machine between HIV positive and negative patients is not correlated with the transmission of HIV in the clinical setting, provided that disinfection procedures for dialyzers and dialysis machines are followed for both non-HIV positive and HIV positive patien ts (Henrich 2003). It is important to note that when the disinfection and cross contamination procedures are ignored, HIV outbreaks in dialysis clinics can occur (Henrich 2003). This is represented by recent outbreaks of HIV in Columbia, Argentina, and Egypt hemodialysis clinics. In Columbia it was found that the transmission of HIV was due to the cross contamination of dialysis access needles and sharing of inadequately disinfected site access needles (Henrich 2003). In Argentina the cross use of filters and multidose heparin vials was shown to be the likeliest reason for the transmission of HIV (Henrich 2003). In Egypt, syringes were used for more than one patient, allowing the cross contamination to occur (Henrich 2003). While HIV patient to patient transmission has not occurred in Westernized clinics, it is imperative that adequate procedures for dialyzer and dialysis access devices are continuously utilized as a precautionary and preventative method (Henrich 2003). For healthcare workers, patient to staff transmission is a high concern. Interestingly, only one incidence of patient to staff HIV transmission has been recorded in the United States, which occurred through a needlestick injury (Henrich 2003). Yet risk still exists, where research statistics show reported incidences of 5 needlestick exposures and 28 skin and mucous membrane exposures for every 10,000 dialyses. (Henrich 2003 p 320) However, only one instance of HIV seroconversion due to patient to staff transmission has been reported by the CDC, but that should not diminish the risk that HIV transmission can occur, most likely due to needlestick injuries in hemodialysis clinics (in peritoneal dialysis, it may occur through improper handling of PD effluent) (Henrich 2003). Staff to patient transmission is also a concern. According to Henrich: To date, there have been no reports of transmission of HIV from a health care worker to a patient in a dialysis setting. There are other important issues in dialysis units that accept patients with HIV infection. Patients with HIV infection are prone to infection with myobacterium tuberculosis. In contrast to HIV, M. tuberculosis infection is an aerosol-transmitted infection, and, therefore, precautions to prevent the spread of this infection to other patients should be taken. Importantly, M. tuberculosis infections among HIV infected patients are often multidrug resistant. Nosocomial transmission of multidrug tuberculosis has been described. In addition to tuberculosis, HIV infected patients are at increased risk of other communicable infections. Appropriate precautions should be observed to protect other patients in the dialysis facility and the staff caring for these patients. (Henrich 2003 p 342). Nontuberculosis mycobacterial (NTM) infections are a concern for all hemodialysis patients, particularly in clinics that practice the reuse of dialysis machinery (Nissenson and Fine 2005). NTMs have a predilection to colonization in water utilized for hemodialyzer reprocessing, where the CDC examined 115 dialysis centers in 1988 (Nissenson and Fine 2005). NTM recovery from water was found in 83% of these centers and 50% of all water samples of these centers (Nissenson and Fine 2005). An outbreak in Loiusiana that occurred in 1985 was due to inadequate sterilization of hemodialysis equipment, where 27 patients became infected with mycobacterium chelonei, 14 patients died over a one year period (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Similar outbreaks have occurred over the last twenty years, where bacterial contamination of reprocessed dialyzers was the main culprit (Nissenson and Fine 2005). No bactermias were found in patients who used only new dialyzers (Nissenson and Fine 2005). In a 1995 repo rt, an outbreak of klebsiella pneumoniae bactermia was shown to be due to cross contamination (Nissenson and Fine 2005). These incidences are attributed to failure to adequately use aseptic techniques during the reprocessing of dialyzers used by patients with bacteremia infections, thus allowing the contaminated dialyzers to spread to other patients in the hemodialysis clinics (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Viral infection has been the main epidemiologic concern in the hemodialysis units; however, bacterial infection is responsible for more than 30% of all causes of morbidity and mortality in Portuguese hemodialysis patients, vascular access infection being the culprit in 73% of all bacteremias (Ponce et al 2007). A prospective multicenter cohort study of bacterial infections incidence, conducted from January to July 2004 in five hemodialysis units, to record and track bacterial infections, using a validated database from CDC’s Dialysis Surveillance Network Program (Ponce et al 2007). The results are surmised: 4,501 patient-months (P-M) were surveyed, being dialyzed through a native fistula (AVF) in 60.6%, a graft (PTFE) in 31.3%, a tunneled catheter (TC) in 7.6%, and a transient catheter (C) in 0.5%. 166 hospitalisations were registered as target events and 182 intravenous antibiotic courses were assessed (Ponce et al 2007). Of these 182 antibiotic treatments, 47.8% included van comycin, only 30% had blood cultures drawn pretreatment, and only 36% were positive. The research found 98 infections at the vascular access site and 2.13 infections at other sites. The isolated microorganisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis in 40.1%, Staphylococcus aureus in 30.1%, Pseudomonas in 13.3%, and Escherichia coli in 3.3% (Ponce et al 2007). Researchers found that the number of target events and the bacterial infections incidence were remarkably homogeneous in the five Portuguese centers (Ponce et al 2007). The research concluded with the following major points: (1) High incidence of bacterial infections, causing major morbidity; (2) infectious risk is vascular access type-dependent, with dramatic rise in catheters; (3) underutilization of blood cultures to orient diagnosis and therapy, and (4) high rates of vancomycin prescription (Ponce et al 2007 p 136). Cetin (et al 2007) compared microbial findings and their resistance to antibiotics between hemodialysis patients and patients without end-stage renal failure with diabetic foot infections. An 18-month-long descriptive study analyzed bacterial isolates obtained from 32 hemodialysis (HD) patients with diabetic foot infection in an Antakya hemodialysis center and 65 patients with diabetic foot infection admitted to the Education and Research Hospital of Mustafa Kemal University, Turkey (Cetin et al 2007). The occurrence of gram-positive bacteria in the hemodialysis patients was found to be 59.0%, this rate in the other patients was 53.1% (Cetin et al 2007). The frequent bacterial species isolated in the hemodialysis patients were S. aureus (22.9%), followed by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (CNS) (19.7%), the microorganisms in the other patients were found as CNS (20.7%), followed S. aureus (18.0%) (Cetin et al 2007). The researches recommend that antibiotic therapy in HD patien ts with diabetic foot infection should be more closely guided by culture findings and antimicrobial susceptibility results (Cetin et al 2007). Patient’s exposure to dialyzer reprocessing allows for a potential for blood borne bacterial infections to occur, where the majority of NTM infections are due to the improper reprocessing techniques (Nissenson and Fine 2005). In recent history, there have been few indications of invasive infections from reprocessed dialyzers; however there are no current and reliable estimates of infection risk attributed to dialyzer reuse in hemodialysis (and other dialysis) clinics (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Standardization of reprocessing techniques has resulted in acceptably low risk of bacterial infections of modern dialyzer reuse (Nissenson and Fine 2005). Infection control practices in hemodialysis units reduce the risk of patient to patient transmissions through directly or indirectly contaminated devices (Mayhall 2004). Devices may include equipment, supplies, environment surfaces (floors, tables), and the personnel’s hands (Mayhall 2004). Practices should be routinely carried out for all patients in the hemodialysis units as there is increased potential for blood contamination during hemodialysis, where many patients undergoing hemodialysis are colonized or infected with pathogens (Mayhall 2004). Practices established for infection control include stringent measures for the prevention of HBV due to the ability of HBV to survive on surfaces and contaminate dialysis machines (Mayhall 2004). Patients with increased risk for transmission of pathogens such as antimicrobial resistant strains may require additional precautions such as dedicated (non-reuse) dialyzers (Mayhall 2004). Infection surveillance and other events is importa nt to monitor the infection control practices and ensure their effectiveness (Mayhall 2004). Chronic hemodialysis patients should have routine HBV and HCV infection tests and these tests should be reviewed promptly (Mayhall 2004). This allows the facility to identify potential cross contaminations before they result in an epidemic, allowing for proper infection control measures and possible staff retraining based on the test results (Mayhall 2004). It is important to note that test results must be communicated to other units of the facility when patients are moved for care, for example a HCV positive patient moves from hemodialysis to ICU allowing for better patient care (Mayhall 2004): Routine HCV testing should include use of both a screening immunoassay to test for anti-HCV and supplemental or confirmatory testing with an additional, more specific assay. Use of NAT for HCV RNA as the primary test for routine screening is not recommended, because few HCV infections will be identified in anti-HCV negative patients. However, if alanine amino-transferae levels are persistently abnormal in anti-HCV negative patients in the absence of another etiology, testing for HCV RNA should be considered. Blood samples collected for NAT should not contain heparin, which interferes with the accurate performance of this assay (Mayhall 2004 p 1152) Procedures for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization for infection control in a hemodialysis center are important to reduce cross contamination, and do not differ greatly from those in other health care settings. However, the uniqueness of the hemodialysis setting allows for higher potentials for blood contamination due to the routine vascular system access that increases the potential for cross contamination of blood borne pathogens (Mayhall 2004). Critical medical items that require stronger disinfection and disposal techniques include needles and catheters and other equipment that requires invasive procedures (Mayhall 2004). Semicritical equipment includes those that come in contact with the mucous membranes, such as endoscopes (Mayhall 2004). Noncritical equipment is that which comes into contact with the skin, such as blood pressure cuffs. Hemodialysis units should maintain infection control policies that prevent cross contamination based on these critical levels to ensure t hat infection potential is reduced (Mayhall 2004). Specifically related to needles as critical medical equipment in the hemodialysis unit, the CDC issued the following statement regarding infection control and cross contamination: â€Å"To prevent transmission of both bacteria and bloodborne viruses in hemodialysis settings, CDC recommends that all single-use injectable medications and solutions be dedicated for use on a single patient and be entered one time only. Medications packaged as multidose should be assigned to a single patient whenever possible. All parenteral medications should be prepared in a clean area separate from potentially contaminated items and surfaces. In hemodialysis settings where environmental surfaces and medical supplies are subjected to frequent blood contamination, medication preparation should occur in a clean area removed from the patient treatment area. Proper infection control practices must be followed during the preparation and administration of injected medications. This is consistent with official CDC recommendations for infection control precautions in hemodialysis and other health-care settings. Health departments and other public health partners should be aware of the n ew CMS conditions for ESRD facilities. All dialysis providers are advised to follow official CDC recommendations regarding Standard Precautions and infection control in dialysis settings. Specifically, CDC has recommended the following: ‘Intravenous medication vials labeled for single use, including erythropoietin, should not be punctured more than once. Once a needle has entered a vial labeled for single use, the sterility of the product can no longer be guaranteed’. (MMWR 2008:875-876). Environmental surfaces that are frequently touched, such as equipment and tables, should be cleaned after each patients hemodialysis procedure with a detergent or detergent germicide (Mayhall 2004). This cleaning step is imperative to preventing cross contamination, but may be often overlooked. The cleaning process interrupts the cross contamination and transmission routes, and should be completed each time the equipment is used (Mayhall 2004). Patient to patient transmission of viruses and pathogens through the hemodialysis machine and its various components is an environmental risk, where the external surfaces such as the control pane and attached waste containers used for priming, as well as blood tubes and other items such as dialyzer caps and medication vials that may come into contact with the machine surfaces are all potential vehicles for cross contamination (Alter et al 2001). Microorganisms, including resistant bacterial spores, are killed by sterilization. The procedures for sterilization are generally steam cleaning or ethylene oxide gas used on critical medical equipment. However for equipment that is heat sensitive, FDA approved liquid chemicals can be used according to the manufacturer’s directions and with appropriate exposure timeframes (Alter et al 2001). High-level disinfectant may kill viruses and bacteria, but is not adequate for killing bacterial spores that exist in high numbers (Alter et al 2001). High-level disinfection includes heat pasteurization and chemical sterilants (also must be FDA-approved). The sterilants and high-level disinfectants can be used on medical devices, but not on environmental surfaces (Alter et al 2001). For environmental surfaces, the CDC recommends intermediate-level disinfectants that kill bacteria and most viruses (Alter et al 2001). This includes tuberculocidal hospital disinfectant and diluted bleach. Lo w-level disinfectants such as general purpose cleaners kill most bacteria and are designed for environmental surfaces, these can also be used on noncritical medical devices in accordance with manufacturer’s labels (Alter et al 2001). It is important to note that antiseptics such as chlorhexidene and iodine are designed for use on skin and are ineffective for cleaning medical equipment and environmental surfaces (Alter et al 2001). Prior to disinfection and sterilization, it is imperative that hemodialysis clinics support the use of germicidal detergents (Alter et al 2001). Germicidal detergents remove organic material such as blood and feces, as well as dirt and debris (Alter et al 2001). Dirt, debris, and organic material act as a protective shield for microorganisms by blocking or inactivating disinfectants and sterilants (Alter et al 2001). Therefore, hemodialysis clinics must add germicidal detergents to their cleaning and sterilization regimens (Alter et al 2001). Training and education of staff and patients is underlined as the most imperative component to ensuring the quality of infection control practices. Chronic hemodialysis clinics should update practices and policies to ensure that they are implemented and rigorously followed, where efforts should center on the education of new staff members and continuing education for tenured staff. Emphatically, hemodialysis units should consult CDC recommendations and approved practices to ensure that they are following the most appropriate and up to date infection control procedures. Staffs working in renal units are frequently unaware of the level of microbiologic contamination in their dialysis fluid arising from the presence of biofilm in the dialysis machines and the water distribution network (Hoenich and Levin 2003). Bacterial fragments generated by such biofilms are able to cross the dialysis membrane and stimulate an inflammatory response in the patient (Hoenich and Levin 2003). Such inflammation has been implicated in the mortality and morbidity associated with dialysis (Hoenich and Levin 2003). The desire to improve treatment outcomes has led to the application of more stringent standards for the microbiologic purity of dialysis fluid and to the introduction of ultraclean dialysis fluid into clinical practice (Hoenich and Levin 2003). Other researchers found that blood exposure is common for healthcare workers in hemodialysis, requiring the use of gloves when in contact with patients and patient equipment followed by appropriate hand washing techniques. Researchers examined staff members from a sample of 45 US hemodialysis facilities though anonymous survey questionnaires. The results show that of the 420 (69%) responses as: registered nurses, 41%; dialysis technicians, 51%; and licensed practical nurses, 8%. Only 35% of all respondents reported that dialysis patients were at risk for blood borne virus infections, and only 36% reported always following recommended hand hygiene and glove use practices (Shimokura et al 2006). Technicians, over registered nurses, reported more frequent compliance and measures for cross contamination prevention (Shimokura et al 2006). Compliance with recommended hand hygiene and glove use practices by hemodialysis staff was very low, and understanding of the reasons for compliance is seemingly ignored by some licensed nurses (Shimokura et al 2006). Infection control practices specific to the hemodialysis setting, and the reasons for these practices, was poorly understood by all staff (Shimokura et al 2006). This underlines that infection control training should be tailored to this setting and should address misconceptions of cross contamination and the risks of infections (Shimokura et al 2006). In one case of staff education, researchers reported an increase in Gram Negative Bacillus (GNB) infection in patients with long term catheters (LTC) (Mayor et al 2005). An objective was set to design an action plan and a new working methodology in order to eradicate the infection and the cause (Mayor et al 2005). Three periods were established in the prospective follow-up of LTC patients: the pre-epidemic period (01/94 to 03/99), with a bacteraemia every 144 days per patient, the epidemic period (04/99 to 12/00) with a bacteraemia every ten days per patient, and the post-epidemic period (01/01 to 04/02) (Mayor et al 2005). A multidisciplinary working group was established, which produced action plans for nursing and technical staff (Mayor et al 2005). The working methodology of the service was studied and analysed by means of a review (Mayor et al 2005). The dialysis and connector cultures were positive for GNB, confirming that they were of the same genetic origin (Mayor et al 2005) . An evaluation of the periods was carried out, studying the working methodology, to which no changes were made between the pre-epidemic and epidemic period (Mayor et al 2005). In the post-epidemic period, a number of changes were made to the care dynamic, with no other bacteraemia arising to date (Mayor et al 2005). Adapting and improving protocols is a good indicator of quality. The role of nursing staff communication, education, training and practices are vital in prevention of GNB (Mayor et al 2005). At Sentara Bayside (SBH), Leigh (SLH), Norfolk General (SNGH) and Virginia Beach General (SVBGH) Dialysis Units, researchers examined the ability of hemodialysis clinical areas of each hospital according to The JCs National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) knowledge of Standards of Care/ANNA (Grier-Smith 2008). The research found that staff is able to articulate standards and requirements, where monthly and hourly rounds at each unit occur as well as peer to peer unit evaluations and daily huddles prior to work day based on behavior based expectations, the environment of care, and constant daily checks and balances (Grier-Smith 2008). The adherence to peer to peer communications, behavior support, and team work has been instrumental in supporting staff ability in the hemodialysis clinics to maintain strong positive scores in knowledge of standards of care, this underlines the importance of staff training and education that is continuously supportive of behaviors associated with lowering i nfection risks and

The Fertilizer Industry In India Environmental Sciences Essay

The Fertilizer Industry In India Environmental Sciences Essay The fertilizer plant was established in 1906 in Tamil Nadu. The growth of the fertilizer industry began in 1951 with plant establishment by Fertilizer Corporation of India. The constant demand of fertilizer resulted in Green Revolution and lead to spreading of industry in industry in several parts of India. Today, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab produce over half of the total produce of fertilizer required in India. Apart from them, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar, Assam, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Goa and Karnataka are also important producers of fertilizers. The ease of obtain ability of natural gas resulted in the wide spread of the fertilizer industry. India produces nitrogenous nearly 11 million tones, phosphate 4 million tones and potash fertilizers to 1.7 million tones. The country imports potassium from abroad. Chemical and bio fertilizers play a vital role in the success of green revolution in India. India is basically an agriculture focused economy flourishing on Indian fertilizers. With green revolution, Indian fertilizer manufacturers and suppliers have enhanced their production and have attained self-sufficiency in the needs of Indian fertilizers. The industry of Indian fertilizers is associated sectors of agricultural sphere. India surfaced as the largest producer of chemical fertilizers, nitrogenous fertilizers as well as bio fertilizer in association with unvarying endeavour of manufacturers and suppliers of fertilizer. Today, India can boast of having surplus food grain and this excess are facilitated due to the Indian fertilizers. The manufacture and fertilizers supply is viewed as the most energy process in the Indian industry. The nitrogenous as well as bio fertilizers have great impact on the use of energy and the determining factors for efficiency of energy in the industry are feed stocks, technology, capacity utilization and plant age. Indian government formulated policies favourable to the fertilizer suppliers, consumers and manufacturers. This was supported by numerous committees and was formulated by the Indian government to determine the policies regarding fertilizers. The increase in the fertilizer industry is approved to favourable policies. Now, there are many fertilizer units and supply a wide range of fertilizers. This is apparent from the steady global demand for Indian fertilizers that is being fulfilled. Recent years is viewing a demand for organic fertilizers besides inorganic fertilizers. Many private fertilizer companies are showing positive gesture by setting plants in various countries and are elevating the demand for chemical and bio fertilizers. The fertilizers industry in India has a good and bright future in the market. The Indian government is offering optimal support by subsidizing raw materials as well as by relaxing the export policies and this is found to be favourable to the fertilizer co mpanies. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fertilizers are chemical compounds applied to promote plant and fruit growth. Fertilizers are usually applied either through the soil (for uptake by plant roots) or, by foliar feeding (for uptake through leaves). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fertilizers can be placed into the categories of organic fertilizers (composed of decayed plant/animal matter), or inorganic fertilizers (composed of simple chemicals and minerals) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ .Organic fertilizers are naturally occurring compounds, such as peat, manufactured through natural processes (such as composting), or naturally occurring mineral deposits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fertilizers typically provide, in varying proportions, the three major plant nutrients: Industrial Environment of Fertilizers. . Cadmium is produced mainly as a by-product of mining, smelting and refining of zinc and, to a lesser degree, as a by-product of lead and copper production. It is therefore primarily a function of zinc production rather than cadmium demand. Major shifts in smelting and refining technology (from pyrometallurgical to hydrometallurgical processes) have led to significant decreases in releases of cadmium to the environment. Cadmium is used and traded globally as a metal and as a component in various products, in particular in batteries until it was banned in a number of countries. Other major uses of refined cadmium are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Pigments for plastics, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ceramics and enamels; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Stabilizers for plastics; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Plating on iron and steel; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ alloying element of some lead, copper and tin alloys. Since 1990, the consumption of such products has been decreasing significantly because of the awareness of the detrimental impacts on health and the environment. Waste management systems have increasingly been put in place in industrialized countries to reduce releases of cadmium into the environment. However, some of the uses of cadmium which have been phased out in developed countries have continued or even increased in developing countries. INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY This leads to the rise of very large cities and surrounding suburban areas with a high rate of economic activity. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ These urban centers require the input of external energy sources in order to overcome the diminishing returns of agricultural consolidation, due partially to the lack of nearby arable land, associated transportation and storage costs, and are otherwise unsustainable. Industrial societies are generally mass societies. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industrial society is characterized by the use of external energy sources, such as fossil fuels, to increase the rate and scale of production. The production of food is shifted to large commercial farms where the products of industry, such as combine harvesters and petroleum based fertilizers, are used to decrease required human labor while increasing production. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No longer needed for the production of food, excess labor is moved into these factories where mechanization is utilized to further increase efficiency. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ As populations grow, and mechanization is further refined, often to the level of automation, many workers shift to expanding service industries. MAJOR PRACTICES IN AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants (i.e. crops) creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science (the related practice of gardening is studied in horticulture). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Agriculture encompasses a wide variety of specialties and techniques, including ways to expand the lands suitable for plant raising, by digging water-channels and other forms of irrigation. Cultivation of crops on arable land and the pastoral herding of livestock on rangeland remain at the foundation of agriculture. In the past century there has been increasing concern to identify and quantify various forms of agriculture. In the developed world the range usually extends between sustainable agriculture (e.g. permaculture or organic agriculture) and intensive farming (e.g. industrial agriculture). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Modern agronomy, plant breeding, pesticides and fertilizers, and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation, and at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry such as intensive pig farming (and similar practices applied to the chicken) have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal cruelty and the health effects of the antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tillage is the practice of plowing soil to prepare for planting or for nutrient incorporation or for pest control. Tillage varies in intensity from conventional to no-till. It may improve productivity by warming the soil, incorporating fertilizer and controlling weeds, but also renders soil more prone to erosion, triggers the decomposition of organic matter releasing CO2, and reduces the abundance and diversity of soil organisms à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ . Pest control includes the management of weeds, insects/mites, and diseases. Chemical (pesticides), biological (biocontrol), mechanical (tillage), and cultural practices are used. Cultural practices include crop rotation, culling, cover crops, intercropping, composting, avoidance, and resistance. Integrated pest management attempts to use all of these methods to keep pest populations below the number which would cause economic loss, and recommends pesticides as a last resort. . à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Nutrient management includes both the source of nutrient inputs for crop and livestock production, and the method of utilization of manure produced by livestock. Nutrient inputs can be chemical inorganic fertilizers, manure, green manure, compost and mined minerals Crop nutrient use may also be managed using cultural techniques such as crop rotation or a fallow period Manure is utilized either by holding livestock where the feed crop is growing such as in Managed intensive rotational grazing, or by spreading either dry or liquid formulations of manure on cropland or pastures. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Water management is where rainfall is insufficient or variable, which occurs to some degree in most regions of the world. Some farmers use irrigation to supplement rainfall. In other areas such as the Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada, farmers use a fallow year to conserve soil moisture to use for growing a crop in the following year. Agriculture represents 70% of freshwater use worldwide . The role of the fertilizer industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The fertilizer industry helps ensure that farmers have the nutrients they need to grow enough crops to meet the worlds requirements for food, feed, fiber and energy. The nutrients supplied by the industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The fertilizer industry encourages the adoption of Fertilizer Best Management Practices (FBMPs) as part of good agricultural practices. Future trends in this industry Fertilizer technology may be predicted by extrapolating from current developments. Mixtures and materials with high percentages of plant nutrients will dominate the field. Better ways of providing nitrogen, the most expensive of the three major nutrients, will be forthcoming, including increased use of anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and urea. No leachable nitrogen, for example, can be obtained through the urea-formaldehyde (ureaform) reaction, and ammonium met phosphate offers a concentrated liquid product. Micronutrients, or trace elements, specific to particular geographical areas will come into increasing use, as will custom mixing and bulk selling of mixtures containing several nutrients based on reliable soil and plant data. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ may come into use; with the tape planted, no further fertilizer or water will be needed until growth is well established. Such techniques using biodegradable tapes have already been developed on a small scale for use by home gardeners. Finally, larger and more precise fertilizing machines will be developed and adopted. The fertilizer sector in India holds a major share among the energy intensive industries of the country. The industry has shown unparalleled growth in the past few years. Although growing in an accelerating rate, the industry is faced with a number of challenges, inter alia, the lack of major plant resources such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium . à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The government has established nine public sector undertakings in the Indian fertilizer market and one cooperative society, known as the Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) that functions under the supervision of the Department of Fertilizers in India. There are 63 large units dedicated to the production of fertilizers. Among these, 9 units produce ammonium sulphate while 38 units produce urea. There are 79 small and medium scale units producing single superphosphate. ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY The economy of the country does have considerable impact on the fertilizer industry in the following ways: The cost of this industry is quite high which is very difficult for the economy of the country to support especially in current circumstances. Natural Gas is the main requirement of this industry and it is very difficult to fulfill that. Recently the government has announced the cut in the supply of the Natural Gas in the shape of load shedding. When there is a boom in the agriculture sector of the economy, the demand of the fertilizers also gets increased which puts positive effects on the industry. HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES IN INDUSTRY There would not be any of such issues in the industry as the educated human resource is easily available and for further enhancement in performance training should be conducted in companies both technical and interpersonal. HURDLES IN MARKETING: Ineffective distribution process. Prices are not same in all over Pakistan. Uneducated target market because of this marketing is difficult. New entrants discouraged. Rigid and slow reaction to market changes. Weak competition or shortages may lead to price gouging and/or product adulteration. FINANCING EASILY AVAILABLE Financing is easily available in this sector. The government is willing to develop this sector so that it would fulfill the requirements. Recently, two plants are opening; one is of Fatima Fertilizer and one of Engro Ammonia Plant. In project of Engro Ammonia Plant there is total investment of $1billion is needed, for which it has signed a syndicate loan of Rs 18.3 billion. IMPACT OF POLITICAL PARTIES As in India, there is a culture that all of the work related to Government would be easier only when you have good relationship with these parties. Fertilizer Industry has too much concern with the Government for availability of Natural Gas and Water, subsidy, anti-dumping duty, and custom free import and so on. All these factors have considerable effect on the profitability of the companies and without political parties help, companies will not be able to get these benefits. In the industry, all companies have very good and stable relation with the political parties and therefore enjoy benefits which they want to. So, we can say that the impact of political parties is positive on this industry TRADE ISSUES RELATED TO FERTILIZER INDUSTRY 1. Agreement is being made that the market forces will be allowed to work, in the case of fertilizer imports. 2. To stop dumping in fertilizer industry the WTO regulation related to anti dumping must be applied in the industry for the industry benefit. 3. In case of import the fertilizer producing companies are exempted where as the non 4. The introduction of General Sales Tax on fertilizers should be carefully considered since it would have serious implications on price relations. 5. Market information and monitoring by the National Fertilizer Development Centre should be strengthened to serve as a real information centre for the fertilizer sector. PROPOSALS GIVEN BY PEOPLE OF FERTILIZER INDUSTRY The first point in proposal was about career development of employees People working in one section or department from years are still with the same knowledge and style of doing job. There should be proper career planning of employee which results in better and improved output for the organization. Some employees are working in the same department or section since they are appointed. Employees should be transferred with in departments so there is job variety that develops their interests, update their information and improve their performance. Due to high rate of unemployment in the country people join those jobs which are against their interest so proper analysis should be done and explore those employee which can do better what they are currently doing in the organization Management should take necessary action in implementing the safety organization. OUR PROPOSALS Strict quality control and monitoring should be there to prevent import of sub-standard products. The problem of logistics should be looked into. Transportation through railway (being cheaper), especially during peak seasons should be made available. There is a need to educate the farmers on balanced fertilizer use so as to neutralize the adverse impacts of constant use of nitrogenous fertilizers. HUMAN RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS OF FERTILIZER INDUSTRY Hiring quality manpower, keeping them happy, satisfied and motivated are the pillars of the Human Resources Department; justice, fair play and merit oriented treatment are some of the ingredients of processing cases by the Human Resources Department. For Human Resource development, another aspect which receives its due share is training. The employees are exposed to various kinds of cross training, technical courses, management courses, workshops and seminars both at home and abroad. Employees welfare has all along received due consideration by the Management SPECIFIC TRAINING INSTITUTIONS Following training institutions are available: 1. NFC Institute of Engineering and Technological Training 2. Technical Training Center (TTC) NFC INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY : The NFC Institute of Engineering and Technological Training is the training centre of the National Fertilizer Corporation of Pakistan. It is a small engineering college established to meet the requirement of trained manpower for chemical process industry, especially in the fertilizer sector. A Training Centre was established in 1985. Operators and Technicians Supervisors Engineers. 2. TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER 25 Technical Training Center (TTC) lies in its expert faculty having rich plant operation and maintenance experience, functional pilot plants, well equipped shops for practice and access to FFC operating plants for real life demonstration. This institution conducts following programs: Training of engineers technicians customized to Clients specific needs. Fertilizer Technology Course for fresh engineers. Professional Management Curses. Apprenticeship Programs for operators technicians. Skill Improvement Programs for operators technicians in the areas of Plant Operations, Maintenance Safety. Supplier Power No threat of forward integration. High Switching cost because it is difficult to contract with other groups and deal with them. Concentration is low. They act as separate groups competing for the same project. In this industry supplier has a high bargaining power, as most of them are Foreign Groups. Buyers Power Switching cost is low but does not have significant effect due to fixed prices. There are two substitute products available, Imported Fertilizer and Bio-Fertilizer. Production of bio-fertilizer is almost over and imported fertilizer is available at the same price because of anti-dumping duty and Government regulations for the prices of fertilizer for particular seasons are fixed. Although Buyers are large in numbers and purchases a large quantity as well, but buyers do not have a bargaining power. There is no forum available that protects them, and this group is not educated enough to fight for their rights. All what has happened, is done by the Government. Potential Entrants Brand reputation of existing companies is also one of the barriers because customers do not easily get ready to switch. Massive Ecological surveys must be done before companies can begin production. Government Policies and regulation are also act as barriers; because Natural Gas which is the main raw material of the industry, and the prices and supply of it is completely depend upon the Government. As before government was charging feed gas at lower rate and Fuel gas at higher rate. But now they are being charged at the same rate. Government does not easily give permission for manufacturing plant due to shortage of Natural gas and harmful environmental effects, this also act as a barrier. Huge capital requirement is one of the greatest barriers for entry. There are number of barriers to entry such, as capital requirements, government policies, reputation of existing firms and ecological surveys. Substitutes Switching costs is low. Suitability of Alternatives: imported fertilizer is as suitable as the industry products are. Bio-fertilizer is more suitable to use then the industry products, as it has no harmful environmental effects, cheap to produce and it also enhance the fertility of the soil. Where as our product reduces the natural fertility, but its production is almost over. Therefore industry does not have a threat of substitutes. There are two substitutes available 1. Imported Fertilizer 2. Bio-Fertilizer Rivalry Competition is only on the basis of Quality. Prices are fixed for every season so no competition on the basis of pricing behavior. Industry is at maturity stage so; competition on the basis of growth is low. Fixed Costs are too high, which is not easily possible to tolerate. It reduces the competition. MARKET The target market of the industry can be divided in to two parts: 1. Farmers 2. Land owners TREND ANALYSIS Political Trend: Gas for balancing, modernization, replacement expansion for existing plants has been filed for 7 years. Gas price has been fixed for 10 years for new investments. Export benefit to suppliers of capital goods for new/modernization projects of fertilizer. Tax relaxation has also been offered by the Government. Import by manufacturers of Rock Phosphate and Phosphorous of fertilizer free of customs duty. The Government is providing concessionary feed stock gas to the fertilizer plants for production of urea. Investors will be allowed to relocate second hand plant, equipment and machinery, with the same concession/exemption as applicable to new plants. To fulfil local demand of fertilizers at affordable prices, the Government is providing subsidy on production and import of fertilizers. Political trends are always in favour of this industry. The Government has provided following incentives under Fertilizer Policy, 2001, to encourage fertilizer production in the country: Economical Trend: Import by manufacturers of Rock Phosphate and Phosphorous of fertilizer free of customs duty.ØOne of the main sectors of economy is Agricultural as it contributes 22% to the GDP and without Fertilizer industry this sector would not able to work. Due to that Government always gives support to the fertilizer industry. PHOENIX Tax relaxation has been offered in order to attract new entrants. Export benefit to suppliers of capital goods for new/modernization projects of fertilizer. To reduce the dependence on Ban on export of fertilizer is also imposed so that economic stability would be gain.Ø The Government is providing subsidy on production and import of fertilizers. a massive subsidy of Rs. 27 billion in the supply of urea and DAP in 2009. imported fertilizers by enhancing the local production capacity. Social Trends: Although the adverse effects of this industry is very high because of the improper handling of the waste. Due to this, many diseases like asthma, kidney diseases, hepatitis etcare caused. Still, the usage of the fertilizers cannot be stopped because it gives farmers so much ease in terms of saving time and actually, using it. Making bio -fertilizer has now become an old usage and farmers dont prefer to use it against artificial fertilizer. Technological Trend: The fertilizer plant operators have now fully absorbed and assimilated the latest technological developments, incorporating environmental friendly process technologies, and are in a position to operate and maintain the plants at their optimum levels and on international standards in terms of capacity utilization, specific energy consumption. To meet the demand of fertilizers in the country through indigenous production, self-reliance in design engineering and execution of fertilizer projects is very crucial. This requires a strong indigenous technological base in planning, development of process know-how, detailed engineering and expertise in project management and execution of projects. The fertilizer industry is also carrying out de-bottlenecking and energy saving scheme in their existing plants and to enhance the capacity and reduce the specific energy consumption per ton of product. Companies are also planning to convert to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).pollution standards. The ave rage performance of gas-based plants in the country today is amongst the best in the world. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths: All companies in the industry have developed a well planned network field warehouses to ensure that fertilizers are available to the farmers uninterrupted. Fertilizer industry peruses an innovative education oriented advertising policy utilizing electronic/ print media and road side advertisement. Industry has well distribution centers. Demand is heavy because, being an agriculture country and due to increasing awareness about the balanced use of fertilizer, demand for the fertilizer will increase. All the fertilizer plants are producing at more than 100 per cent installed capacity of utilization. Adding some new unit can enhance the production capacity of the plants. Weakness: Low advertising campaigns as growers and farmers are not educated and lives in Fertilizer sector is backward in technology and also lack in resources. villages, so they dont exactly know the balanced use of fertilizer. Demand is more and capacity of plants to produce fertilizers is less. Due to the existence of black market and heavy demand, farmers have to pay above then the stated price. Opportunities: As India is an agricultural country and farmers are getting awareness about the balanced use of fertili As demand is high comparing to supply, fertilizer sector has an opportunity to expand the capacity to fulfill the local demand. Government is giving support to fertilizer sectorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Availability of gas from Iran can increase the production of plants and industry c an fulfill the demands. There is no quota restriction by WTO since 2005, so there are more chances of export. If the quality is good customer will buy your product. By improving the quality of products, industry can attract more customers and can retain customers by satisfying their needs. zer, demand of fertilizer has increased. Threats: Government policies are not consistent regarding fertilizer industry. Bio fertilizer is the main threat to the industry because it is cheap and also environment friendly. Global prices of fertilizer products are also increasing which is causing increase in fertilizer prices in the country. Prices of fuel and gas have increased enormously. Unstable political condition in the country is also a big threat to fertilizer industry. Imported fertilizer is available at cheap prices than local fertilizer. As natural gas is the main raw material, load shedding of natural gas is big threat. CONCLUSION Planning and Administration and Vigilance. It makes an assessment of the individual requirements of the states and union territories and then lays out an elaborate supply plan. Though the soil in India is rich in silt, it lacks chief plant nutrients like potassium, nitrogen and phosphate. The increase in the production of fertilizers and its consumption acts as a major contributor to overall agricultural development. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Size of Indian Fertilizer Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Growth of Indian Fertilizer Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Private Companies in Indian Fertilizer Market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Public Sector Companies in Indian Fertilizer Market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Major Players in Indian Fertilizer Fertilizer industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Global Demand for Indian Fertilizer à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Government Policies and Indian Market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Challenges before Indian Fertilizer Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Concluding remarks on Indian Fertilizer Industry Posted by ICM IM

Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. Prepares for Cultural Diversity Essay

Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. Prepares for Cultural Diversity Abstract Worldwide Telecommunication, Incorporated (Inc.) is a growing telecommunications company that has an international workforce which changes continuously. As the company’s international personnel base expands, the needs of the employees will vary and become more diverse. As new employees come aboard, the organization will see that not all workers have the same requirements or requests. Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. must be able to fulfill the needs of staff at all levels regardless of any potential cultural barriers. Whether the employees’ needs are basic or complex, Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. is positioning itself for the challenge. Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. Prepares for Cultural Diversity Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. is an innovative company which offers communication solutions to customers all over the world. Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. provides long-distance service and equipment, cellular phones, satellite TV, computers, pagers, calling cards, email, voicemail, wireless services, web services, and more. Due to global availability of the offered products and services, the company has determined the need to employ a universal workforce. Multicultural workforce will allow Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. to effectively operate and service all customers both locally and internationally. As an equal opportunity-employer, the company employs individuals regardless of their ethnicity, creed, gender, or social class. However, the common element of all employees is that they possess the required skills, knowledge, and experience to carry out the job requirements. As a result, the mixture of multicultural barriers does affect teamwork and communication within our large company. The culturally connected obstacles range from language barriers to individual selective perception. Throughout the course of this paper, we will analyze these barriers and conclude how Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. will benefit from a diverse workforce. Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. is an amazing company in which to pursue a lifelong career. The organization is profitable and business focused, yet still understands the special needs of its employees and customers. â€Å"Successful, expanding organizations often face the threat of losing the strong and unique cultures that... ...r employees. Making the commitments to ensure that each employee is understood will guarantee that the company is successful. Cultural diversity can bring a whole new environment to a company. Changing the atmosphere with trading and understanding could lead to the success or failure of Worldwide Telecommunication, Inc. There is so much that each employee can bring to the company it is important to know each individual and his or her contributions outside of their cultural differences. Works Cited Barnett, J. H., & Weathersby, R. (1995, Winter/Spring). Shedding cowboy ways for global thinking. Business Forum, 20(1/2), 9-14. Retrieved April 19, 2005, from EBSCOhost. Gayeski, D. M. (1998, April 11). How to create Learning systems to sustain strong organizational cultures. Retrieved April 18, 2005, from http://www.omnicomassociates.com/culture.html Powers, B. E. (2004). Culture-driven diversity requires a passionate commitment; nine tips to harnessing diversity for business growth. Retrieved April 19, 2005, from http://www.refresher.com Rau-Foster, M. (2000, April). Conflict in the workplace. Retrieved April 18, 2005, from http://www.workplaceissues.com/arcomflict.htm