Knowledge Development In Nursing

Knowledge development in nursing has been somewhat of a hot topic in the more scholastic endeavors of the profession for quite some time. As the profession grew from a focus centered on treating physical symptoms and conditions to a more well-rounded approach that considered psychological, social, and spiritual needs in addition to physical illness, the need to break down the process of knowledge development arose.By utilizing nursing theories, which support the use of evidenced based practice in most cases, it seems as though the profession of nursing gained more credibility in the scientific community as far as the value of the knowledge produced; I feel that utilizing processes akin to those already accepted as prudent by more ‘established’ scientific fields helped achieve that credibility.In order to get to nursing theories, however, the process had to begin with a philosophical component that can allow for a separation from concrete/ scientific knowledge, among othe r things, in order to promote more abstract concepts and different methods to look at how we come to that knowledge. McCurry (2009) touches on this premise as she describes how a common theme, in this case the common good of society, can be looked at from many different perspectives, as it creates an arena in which those perspectives can be arranged to determine how to go about investigating the perspectives further.Although it wasn’t the center piece of the article, one highlight was a breakdown of how more abstract thoughts can be linked to the application of intentional actions through the use of theories, which stems from philosophical questions. Philosophy lays the ground work for knowledge production to be built upon. In a way, Kim (1999) echoed these sentiments as she discusses critical reflective inquiry and its applications in relation to pain management in a South Korean hospital setting.She admits that nursing has situations in which our therapeutic actions can be supported by one theory and conflicted by another. What it seemed to re-enforce was how our drive to answer the philosophical questions created by the issues we wish to address can use various forms to achieve that common goal, however, those that are centered around the evaluation of how our therapeutic actions actually pan out versus how we think they pan out will help us gain the most useful knowledge as long as we are able to recognize the need for, and benefit of, changes that help our patients out the most.We wouldn’t be able to gain the ‘knowledge’ that specific actions and changes are therapeutically beneficial without understanding why we wanted to make changes in the first place, and generating multiple attempts at making those changes to see which ones actually accomplished the goal would seemingly allow us to have the best chance at achieving what we set out to.Evaluating the nursing interventions we utilize to affect our patients for the better is im portant, we all know that. Abbott (1988) pointed out that although nursing is capable of evaluating our interventions in practice, we do not tend to emphasize the importance of breaking down specific practical interventions in an abstract way that allows for our ability to link the interventions we utilize to the thought processes behind it while we are out practicing our craft.This I can personally relate to, when considering how the first couple years of my personal practice was spent learning how to simply accomplish the tasks I was presented with in the time frame I was to accomplish them in (assessment, documenting, intervening, documenting, evaluating, intervening, documenting, documenting, documenting†¦ugh). I knew that there was good reason behind the things I was doing; however, I was not keenly aware of the concepts and philosophies that comprised that reasoning, I was simply focused on completing my tasks in a timely, safe fashion.Reed (2006) promotes the idea that n urses tend not to have a full understanding of the ‘why’ we do the things we do, and went so far as to say that there might be a level of mysticism when it comes to the healing processes we are engaged in. That mysticism was essentially summed up by purporting that when we can’t put our finger on the ‘why’ we do what we do, we fall back on concepts like intuition and gut feelings. It’s not to say that we are incorrect in our intuitions, however, we don’t have a strong link to the rationale behind it all the time.This is where the concept of breaking down the ‘why’ we do what we do into more abstract, philosophical components can really benefit us, as we can extrapolate on the intuitions and gut feelings into philosophical questions and building blocks that theories can be generated from. When we utilize practice centered theories that arise from abstract, philosophical questions, the whole process of ‘nursing’ can be explained and evaluated with more ease, and the knowledge we generate could be seen as more credible.Just saying something is true because it is doesn’t have a whole lot of weight behind it; showing how the knowledge we reference as truth comes to be and having evidence that supports it with results that highlight it is, by and large, the best way that nursing knowledge can be produced in a fashion that holds credibility with those that aren’t of our discipline. We know how awesome we are, but it’s hard to prove it to others without a process that everyone can relate to; that all starts with philosophy.

Moral Panic Definition Essay

Deborah Cameron is a linguist whose focus research is on what people’s attitudes are towards language. She writes a long definition on moral panic in Verbal Hygiene explaining how the media and general public exaggerate concerns beyond reason. Cameron reports that Jock Young describes moral panic as the public’s reaction that is â€Å"completely disproportionate to the actual problem.† Cameron explains that the causes of moral panic are analyzed in a simplistic manner, but the concern to the problem escalates to intolerable levels. She uses the term â€Å"folk devil† as an example of how they are identified in gang related violence and is a scape goat to the exaggerated issues reported by the media. Cameron also states from what scholars have suggested â€Å"that moral panic†¦is a product of modern mass media†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , if there is media attention the event will turn into an issue. However, if the media does not give attention, then the event wil l go unnoticed. In â€Å"American Werewolf in Kabul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sean Brayton, a Ph.D student researching the specifics of critical race theory and media studies, analyzes the concept of moral panic as being an important cause of the potential threat of national security to the United States of America. He illustrates the three main elements of moral panic: folk devils, ambiguous terms, and moral entrepreneurs using the reality of John Walker Lindh’s journey through multiple identities. Comparing Cameron’s definition of moral panic to Brayton’s discussion of moral panic, which originated from Cohen’s developed description of the context in 1972, there is agreement that media overemphasize concerns beyond practicality. Both Cameron and Brayton use the term â€Å"folk devils† to represent a subgroup of individuals that is a leading cause of moral panic, yet with different purposes. Cameron suggests that the term â€Å"folk devil† is usually branded to social minorities that bear the burden enmity and blame by the socially ideal majority, whereas Brayton expands Cohen’s understanding of the term as a threat to the moral constitution of society on the whole. Although their research areas are not of a similar context, they both relate their writing to a â€Å"cultural history† in an era of media induced politics. As the previous paragraphs mentioned, the term â€Å"moral panic† is applied in both Cameron and Brayton’s writing, which Cameron realizes the crucial influence to expanded reports, while Brayton blames that those reports magnify the guilty to the individuals who commit. According to Brayton, three essential elements can be found in the concept moral panic: folk devils, moral entrepreneur, and ambiguous terms. Those elements are perfectly applied to a real life example during WWII, most of the innocent Japanese-Americans (devil folks) were forced to move into the internment camp by the U.S.A. Government (moral entrepreneur) after American military base in Pearl Harbour was destroyed by Japanese army. The U.S.A. Government treated the Japanese-Americans unfairly, as national enemies, traitors, or spies for the ir homeland (defined terms). Cameron is a linguist and uses moral panic theory to explain why negative attitudes arose toward youth literacy in 1980 – 1990’s England. Brayton looks at moral panic theory from the perspective of cultural politics and how moral panic was used post – 9/11 to preserve American ideals and create separation from conflicting cultural values. In both cases, Cameron and Brayton use moral panic theory to understand a culture’s reaction to some social problem exaggerated by the media. Moral panic theory provides researchers with a method of analyzing a situation resulting from a moral panic. Moral panic is, as Cameron describes, a problem â€Å"†¦discussed in an obsessive, moralistic and alarmist manner†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The theory may also be a useful model for researchers dealing with the study of human behavior or culture, such as cultural history, social theory, criminology, and anthropology. In particular, it could be useful in studying the effects of med ia on culture.

Iso 9000, Service Quality and Ergonomics Stanislav Karapetrovic

To cite this document: Stanislav Karapetrovic, (1999),†ISO 9000, service quality and ergonomics†, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 9 Iss: 2 pp. 81 – 89 Permanent link to this document: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/09604529910257948 Downloaded on: 17-10-2012 References: This document contains references to 27 other documents Citations: This document has been cited by 3 other documents To copy this document: [email  protected] com This document has been downloaded 1952 times since 2005. * Users who downloaded this Article also downloaded: *Rujirutana Mandhachitara, Yaowalak Poolthong, (2011),†A model of customer loyalty and corporate social responsibility†, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 25 Iss: 2 pp. 122 – 133 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/08876041111119840 Harold W. Webb, Linda A. Webb, (2004),†SiteQual: an integrated measure of Web site quality†, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 17 Iss: 6 pp. 430 – 440 ht tp://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/17410390410566724 Rabiul Ahasan, Daniel Imbeau, (2003),†Who belongs to ergonomics? An examination of the human factors community†, Work Study, Vol. 52 Iss: 3 pp. 123 – 128 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/00438020310471917Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF GAZA For Authors: If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service. Information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www. emeraldinsight. com/authors for more information. About Emerald www. emeraldinsight. com With over forty years' experience, Emerald Group Publishing is a leading independent publisher of global research with impact in business, society, public policy and education.In total, Emerald publishes over 275 journals and more than 130 book series, as well as an extensi ve range of online products and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 3 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. *Related content and download information correct at time of download. Perspectives ISO 9000, service quality and ergonomics Stanislav Karapetrovic 1. Introduction In the last decade or so, we have witnessed an explosion of quality-related standards and regulations.As a result of the continuous quest for better â€Å"quality† of products and services offered to customers, the International Organization for Standardization introduced the ISO 9000 series of quality management and quality assurance standards in 1987. The series currently includes three models for quality assurance (ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003), guidelines for quality management (ISO 9004), and two supporting documents: ISO 9000 Guidelines for Model’s Selection and Use and ISO 8402 Quality Vocabulary (Figure 1). The ISO 9000 standards have been accepted worldwide, with more than 200,000 organizations already registered.The standards present a sound basis for assuring the customer of quality of products and services, as well as the processes that create them. Several other quality-related standards have since emerged, such as the automotive standards QS 9000, environmental management standards ISO 14000, and emerging health and safety international standards (Figura, 1996). The upcoming revision of ISO 9000 standards in the year 2000 (now in the form of a Technical Committee Draft) is expected to further facilitate the use of quality assurance methods the world over.Another commonly used phrase from the 1980s and 1990s has been total quality management (TQM): an integrated approach to the management of quality with special emphasis on delighting customers and improving the wellbeing of all employees in the organization. A number of articles have been written on the relationship between the ISO 9000 series and TQM (Johnson, 1993; Struebing, 1996; Wilson, 1996; Velury, 1996; Corigan, 1994; Sakofsky, 1994; Emmons, 1994), underlying the opinion of quality management professionals that the two are not quite the same.While ISO 9000 series are technical, presenting speci?cations, requirements and guidelines for quality systems, TQM emphasizes teamwork and customer satisfaction. Put another way, TQM is quality management with â€Å"a human touch†. Does this mean that ergonomic aspects of the workplace and customer satisfaction are not emphasized by ISO 9000? Does quality assurance (ISO 9000) emphasize ergonomics and 81 The author Stanislav Karapetrovic is based at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Keywords Ergonomics, ISO 9000, Quality assurance, Service quality, Workers Abstract This paper addresses some ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based qualit y assurance. Ergonomics – the study of human factors in engineering and design of systems is brie?y touched on. Then, outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models are provided, and all 20 requirements of the current ISO 9001:9004 standard are presented in an ergonomic light. Subsequently, human factors in the documentation and implementation of a quality system are illustrated.The relevance of ergonomic studies in the development of service systems is addressed. Finally, a blueprint for an ergonomic assurance system, de?ned as a set of interrelated resources and processes that function in order to achieve objectives related to ergonomic design and use of products and processes, is provided. Managing Service Quality Volume 9  · Number 2  · 1999  · pp. 81–89  © MCB University Press  · 0960-4529 Figure 1 Ergonomics – an essential element of the production and/or service systemRaw Material RESOURCES Ergonomics PROCESS PRODUCT Output Input Ergono mics COST ERGONOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS occupational health and safety? In the present time of globalization of markets and internationalization of best-practice standards, such questions can and should be posed. This paper addresses some of the ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance. Ergonomics, that is the study of human factors in engineering and design of systems, is brie?y touched on.Then, outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models are provided, and all 20 requirements of the current ISO 9001:9004 standard are presented in an ergonomic light. Subsequently, human factors in the documentation and implementation of a quality system are illustrated. The relevance of ergonomic studies in the development of service systems is addressed. Finally, the design of an ergonomic assurance system based on ISO 9000 is discussed. 2. Ergonomics It seems that it takes a disaster, loss of human life, or a health crisis for most of us to realize how important human factors are.Before the Three Mile Island incident, the Chernobil explosion, the Bhopal pesticide leak, plane crashes involving human errors, or ?ndings that millions of people suffer from repetitive stress injuries, it would have been hard to ?nd anyone who knew what ergonomics or human factors engineering are (not including the ergonomists themselves, of course). Today, however, we often hear about â€Å"ergonomicallydesigned computer mouse and keyboard†, 82 â€Å"ergonomic† chairs, pots, pans, door handles, and automatic teller machines (ATM).We now know that ergonomic design of products and processes is bsolutely crucial for effective and ef?cient work. Ergonomics, or human factors engineering, deals with the design for human use, as well as optimizing working and living conditions (Sanders and McCormick, 1993). The ?rst term (ergonomics) is mainly in use in Europe, while the second (human factors engineering) is often heard in North America. Th e following de?nition, modi?ed from Chapanis (1985), is provided: Ergonomics discovers and applies information about human behavior, limitations, abilities and other human characteristics to the design of systems for ef?cient, safe, comfortable and effective human use.Interested readers are referred to a classic in ergonomics, Sanders’ and McCormick’s â€Å"Human factors in engineering and design† (1993), for more information on the history of the science and a detailed study of many applications of ergonomics. Ergonomics, almost by default, is implied in quality assurance. Quality assurance encompasses techniques used to provide con?dence to customers that their requirements for quality are met. Therefore, by de?nition, human factors are involved. Assurances in the quality of products and services are provided to humans, by humans.In fact, ergonomics and quality assurance are so intertwined that it is impossible to say where one starts and the other ends. Sever al articles in ergonomics literature have already discussed the use of quality assurance techniques in human factors engineering (for instance, see Helander and Burri, 1995; Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996). For an early account on human factors in quality assurance, the reader is referred to Harris and Chaney (1969). Hence, in the following sections, interrelationships between ergonomics and quality assurance will be addressed. 3.Quality Assurance (ISO 9001) and Management (ISO 9004) Of the three available models for quality system registration, ISO 9001 is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and most widely used. The current version (ISO 9001: 1994), includes 20 elements (requirements), to which a quality assurance system of an organization is assessed (Table I). ISO 9001 covers design, development, production, installation and servicing activities. It is aimed at providing con?dence to internal and external customers that their requirements for quality are continuously met.An organ ization’s anagement is the main internal customer, while external customers include consumers of the organization’s products and services, as well as registrars that assess the suitability and effectiveness of the quality system. ISO 9001 is a generic standard, which means that it is universally applicable to both manufacturing and service organizations, i. e. small businesses (Karapetrovic et al. , 1997), health care and education (Willborn and Cheng, 1994). Rather than focusing on speci?c products and services, ISO 9001 addresses quality systems and processes in?uencing the product throughout its lifecycle.A quality system can be de?ned as a set of processes that function harmoniously, using various resources, to achieve quality objectives (Karapetrovic and Willborn, 1998A). It is in the interaction of human, material and information resources, as well as human resources and processes, that the ergonomic aspects of the quality system emerge. Focusing on the underlyin g concept of a system will help us understand the interrelationships between the quality and ergonomic system, and provide a possibility for integration.Apart from ISO 9001, a set of guidelines numbered ISO 9004 is widely used for developing and implementing quality 83 management. The set currently consists of eight documents, ranging from the guidelines on quality management in service organizations to con?guration and project management. For the purpose of discussing an ergonomic system in services, we turn our attention to the second document in the series, namely the ISO 9004-2 (1994) â€Å"Quality management and quality system elements: Guidelines for services†).In essence very similar in scope and structure to ISO 9001, ISO 9004-2 provides guidelines for establishing quality management throughout the service life cycle, starting from establishing the need for a service, through service design, acquisition of resources, service delivery and status, as well as performance analysis and improvement. Differing from ISO 9001, these guidelines directly address interfaces with customers, including â€Å"creating a perception of the appropriate image based on the reality of actions taken to meet customers needs† (ISO 9004-2: 1994).Effective communication with customers, â€Å"listening to them and keeping them informed†, is particularly emphasized. What is also important from an ergonomic standpoint is that the guidelines provide the basis for adequate training of personnel, including motivation, staff development and communication. Although the training mentioned therein mostly involves â€Å"quality system training†, it could be expanded to environmental, health and safety, and ergonomic system training.For different strategies of using the quality system framework for developing other management systems, including environment and ergonomics, the reader is referred to Karapetrovic and Willborn (1998B and 1998C). In addition to ISO 90 04-2, another standard from the ISO 9004 series, namely ISO 9004: Part 1 â€Å"Guidelines for quality management and quality system elements†, addresses some particular ergonomic aspects. This is done in the standard’s 19th element: Product safety. Speci?cally, it is suggested that â€Å"consideration be given to identifying safety aspects of products and processes with the aim of enhancing safety† (ISO 9004-1: 1994).Steps to achieve this can include: †¢ identifying relevant safety standards; †¢ performing design evaluation tests for safety; †¢ analyzing instructions and warnings to the user; Table I Ergonomic issues and implications of ISO 9001 (1994) ISO 9001 element 4. 1 4. 2 4. 3 Management responsibility Quality system Contract review Ergonomic issues Organization ensures that the quality policy is understood at all levels Procedures and work instructions are effectively documented/implemented Customer requirements are adequately de?ned and d ocumentedImplications Quality system documentation should be designed and implemented using ergonomic (human factors engineering) knowledge Ergonomic characteristics of a product, such as environmental conditions, sensory characteristics proper handling and packaging should be determined (see Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996; Helander and Burri, 1995; Barsky and Dutta, 1997) Products should be ergonomically designed to ensure healthy and safe functioning Quality system documents should be accessible . 4 4. 5 Design control Document control 4. 6 4. 7 4. 8 4. 9 Purchasing Control of customer supplied product Product identi?cation and traceability Process control 4. 10 Inspection and testing 4. 11 Inspection and test equipment 4. 12 Inspection and test status 4. 13 Nonconforming product 4. 14 Corrective and preventive action 4. 15 Handling, storage, †¦, delivery 4. 16 Control of quality records 4. 17 Internal quality audits 4. 18 Training 4. 19 ServicingCrucial characteristics for s afe and proper functioning of the product are identi?ed Appropriate documents are readily available at all locations where essential operations are performed Purchasing documents adequately address speci?ed requirements Adequate procedures for storage and maintenance of the product are in place Product is adequately identi?ed and traceable Suitable equipment and working environment are used Criteria for workmanship is stipulated in the clearest practical manner Records clearly illustrate the results of inspection and testing activities Suitable indicators of calibration status are identi?ed Inspection and test status of the product is identi?ed by suitable means Nonconforming products are adequately identi?ed and segregated Appropriate sources of information are used to detect and eliminate potential/ existing causes of defects Adequate handling, storage, packaging, preservation and delivery of the product is identi?ed and maintained Quality records are adequately identi?ed, indexed , ?led and storedQuality records are easily accessible Quality audits are performed to examine the suitability and effectiveness of the quality system Training needs are identi?ed and adequate training provided Appropriate identi?cation of servicing needs and customer feedback is performed Ergonomic techniques can be used to ensure clear understanding of documents Safe and risk-free storage and maintenance of products is emphasized Identi?cation of products should be performed according to ergonomic guidelines regulations For identi?cation and maintenance of the suitable working environment and hardware, ergonomic analysis and evaluations must be performed Identi?cation of products and equipment should be performed according to ergonomic guidelines and regulations (for example, see Sanders and McCormick, 1993 (part 2), and Harris and Chaney, 1070 (chapters 6-11)Ergonomical analysis of human-information interaction is helpful (for instance, see Sanders and McCormick, 1993 (part 2) Er gonomical design and analysis of handling and packaging of products should be used Ergonomic techniques can be used to ensure clear understanding of documents, and accessibility of records Ergonomic audits/evaluations, identifying areas for possible improvement of human-machineproduct-environment interactions are performed Ergonomic training should be emphasized Ergonomic characteristics of a product, such as environmental conditions, sensory characteristics proper handling and packaging should be determined (see Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996; Helander and Burri, 1995; Barsky and Dutta, 1997)Statistical tools and techniques are used in ergonomic analysis and evaluations 4. 20 Statistical techniques The need for the application of statistical techniques is identi?ed 84 †¢ developing a means of product traceability to facilitate product recall; †¢ considering development of an emergency plan The following section will address some ergonomic factors in the ISO 9001/9004 qual ity system structure, as well as suggest implementation of this system with ergonomics in mind. 4. Ergonomic considerations of ISO 9001/9004 Quality systems depicted in ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 standards apply to all phases in the life cycle of a service, from initial identi?cation to ?nal satisfaction of customer requirements.The concept of all activities in?uencing the quality of a service throughout its life cycle is often referred to as the â€Å"service quality loop† (ISO 9004-2, 1994). Thus, a service quality system involves three main elements: (1) service; (2) processes along the quality loop; and (3) resources. Likewise, ergonomic considerations within a service quality system include: †¢ Ergonomic design and delivery of service (and/or related products). †¢ Ergonomic design and application of processes. †¢ Analysis of the interaction between human and information/material resources Using Figure 1, it is possible to explain how quality and ergonomics inte rrelate in a quality system. Each product or service made possesses certain characteristics.For example, service quality is a set of characteristics that bear on the service’s ability to satisfy customer requirements. Ergonomic characteristics of products / services provide safe, healthy and ef?cient usage and/or delivery. It is evident that some ergonomic characteristics of a product (or service) are essentially quality characteristics (such as the design of the driver’s seat in a car), and vice-versa. Also, service delivery processes have to satisfy certain requirements that may be ergonomic in nature. For example, the environment in which retail-banking services operate may be altered to provide safety for a bank teller working in it. Finally, ergonomic issues emerge when human, material and informa85 ion resources are combined to create a quality system.The current ISO 9001 quality system has a multitude of elements that are directly applicable to managing ergonomi cs and health/safety. Table I lists all 20 elements of ISO 9001 in the order in which they appear in the standard, illustrates sections and speci?c requirements which pertain to ergonomics, and provides ergonomic implications of the quality system. The implications range from adequate identi?cation of customer ergonomic requirements, ergonomically suitable design of products, services and processes, to identi?cation and maintenance of appropriate working environment and equipment.Such analysis of the ISO 9001 quality system shows that virtually every element of the system includes at least some ergonomic and/or health and safety aspects. This conclusion, however, is not surprising, since ultimately, quality is created by people, and for people. Not only does the content of ISO 9001 relate to human factors (Hansen, 1996), but also its context. A quality system must be adequately documented and implemented in order to operate effectively and ef?ciently. Quality documentation, as a pil lar of the quality system, must be understood and readily available to all persons whose work affects quality, as well as understood by all involved. Ergonomically designed documentation will undoubtedly help people understand their tasks better and improve their performance.New technologies, such as head-up-displays (Geiselman and Osgood, 1995; Karapetrovic, 1995), computer-aided communication (through electronic mail and the Internet) can greatly improve the implementation of a quality system in any organization. Examples include: †¢ Operators using HUDs for display of quality procedures and work instructions. †¢ Paperless ISO 9000 documentation, i. e. documents available on-line using HTML or Java (Clarkin and Dow, 1997). †¢ Wireless electronic mail for reporting and analysis of quality-related problems. The following section addresses the implementation of human factors engineering in services, using ?nancial services as an example, in more detail. 5. Ergonomics a nd services How do ergonomics relate to service quality systems?To answer that question, we can follow the above-mentioned â€Å"service quality loop† from the inception of the need for service, to the evaluation of whether that need has been satis?ed. In designing a â€Å"quality service†, we must ?rst identify the need for it, as well as ?nd out who would actually need such a service. Put another way, we are de?ning the user and his/her needs. For instance, say we want to open a bank branch in a specific location. Do local bank users really need a branch there? What exactly do they need? Perhaps they need investment services, or easy access to cash, or mortgage consultations. Sanders and McCormick (1993) and Bailey (1982) de?ne the identi?cation of user needs through observation, interviews and questionnaires as ergonomic activities that apply here.Psychology-based tools of ergonomics deal in particular with an effective and ef?cient determination of user needs. The service system is subsequently designed on the basis of identi?ed needs. We have determined that local users require access to money from their accounts as well as the possibility of discussing investments. Now, we need to allocate resources to required banking functions. These resources include people (bank employees), hardware (automatic teller machines (ATM), computers) and software. Which particular functions should we assign to people, and which to machines? For instance, for easy access to cash, we would assume that a 24hour ATM would be appropriate.However, what if most of the bank’s clients are seniors, who are still not accustomed to trusting machines in dealing with deposits or withdrawals, or if the bank is located in a place where people prefer customer service and contact with bank tellers rather than machines? Ergonomic studies help us in determining speci?c capabilities of people, hardware and software, and can provide signi?cant assistance in allocating system functions. Then, we can decide whether to completely automate certain functions, or to assign people to perform them, or use both machines and people. For example, a bank may decide to allow withdrawals of less than $1,000 from an ATM. If a customer wants to withdraw more than that, he/she would have to go to a bank teller. 86Once we have decided which resources the bank should have (say three ATMs, four tellers and two investment advisors), we need to perform an analysis of the required processes, activities and tasks. Put another way, we are listing the sequence of activities that need to be conducted in order to accomplish a speci?c function. Flowcharts are particularly helpful here. For instance, we can specify a procedure for cash withdrawals from the bank. This, in ergonomics, is called task description and analysis (Sanders and McCormick, 1993). Whenever we have some interaction between people and hardware or software, such as when a teller needs to input withdrawal informat ion into the database, there are ergonomic implications.For example, in the bank where I normally do my ?nancial transactions, computer monitors and keyboards are placed so low in relation to the counter, that the teller needs to bend down every time he/she inputs the information, virtually disappearing behind the counter. Just imagine how many times the teller needs to bend like that every day, every week, every month. Put another way, in designing the work space for employees, e. g. placing customer service counters and computers in determined locations, allocating space for safety deposit boxes, etc. , we inevitably in?uence the comfort, safety and ef?ciency of people working in such spaces. All these are ergonomic considerations that can in?uence the quality of the product or service.The likely reason why tellers in my bank still have to bend down to reach the computer is that it was probably never de?ned as a problem at all. The existence of an ergonomic program within the bank , with planned ergonomic audits and corrective actions, would certainly identify and rectify such a problem. But how can such a program be introduced with minimum cost and maximum bene?ts? Perhaps the solution is in the integration of the existing quality system with an ergonomic program. The integration of quality and environment management systems came naturally, since standards representing best practices were effectively established at the international level (namely ISO 9000 and ISO 14000).This should also be the case with occupational health and safety (OHS), since national and international OHS standards, dubbed ISO 20000 (Figura, 1996) are already emerging. The following section presents an approach to the development of an ergonomic assurance system on the basis of the quality system. 6. Ergonomics assurance system As was mentioned in Section 3 of this paper, the systems concept can greatly assist us in understanding the interrelationships of many production and management processes, among others, quality and ergonomics. For an excellent account of the relationship between ergonomics and the system design, the interested reader can refer to Sanders and McCormick (1993), Chapter 22. While the pplication of the systems concept to service quality is presented elsewhere (Karapetrovic and Willborn, 1998A), it can be used to propose an ergonomic assurance system. We can de?ne ergonomic assurance as â€Å"all those planned and systematic actions aimed at providing con?dence to customers, management and the general public, that their requirements and needs for ergonomically safe products and processes are met†.An ergonomic assurance system is then a â€Å"set of processes and resources that function harmoniously to achieve objectives related to ergonomic design and implementation of products and processes†.Note: Proposed EAS elements are given in bold letters, while numbers represent sections of the ISO 9004-2 Guidelines 87 Similarly to the ISO 14001:1996 environmental management system, an ergonomic assurance system can include Deming’s plan-dostudy-act (PDSA) continuous improvement circle, with the following elements: †¢ Ergonomic objectives. †¢ Planning and design (ergonomic aspects, targets, determination of system performance speci?cations, ergonomic system design). †¢ Resource acquisition and deployment (allocation of functions to people, hardware and software; task analysis, design of jobs and human-hardware-software interfaces; training). †¢ Operation (ergonomic control, monitoring and measurement).†¢ Corrective/preventive action (ergonomic audits). Improvement (ergonomic evaluations, communication with interested parties. Interested parties may include customers, for ergonomic characteristics of the product/service, and employees, for ergonomics of the workplace). Rather than adding speci?c ergonomic and safety requirements to existing quality standards (Barsky and Dutta (1997) sugg est this), a separate ergonomic system standard can be drafted, and then integrated with existing quality management systems. Using the de?nition and the model of a quality system from Karapetrovic and Willborn (1998C), proposed elements of the ergonomic management system (EMS) can be illustrated as in Figure 2.For example, the executive management of an organization should de?ne an ergonomic policy that is documented and communicated to all employees. Ergonomic aspects of all activities and processes within the organization should be identi?ed and speci?c objectives and targets set. An ergonomic management program should be de?ned and documented, and adequate resources allocated. Operation of the EMS should include a statement of responsibility and authority of people involved, identi?cation of training needs and a provision of adequate ergonomic training, and preparation of adequate EMS documentation. Corrective and preventive action to eliminate existing and potential problems sh ould be undertaken, and ergonomic audits would assist in this effort.Finally, the executive management should review the status of the EMS, includ88 ing its effectiveness, suitability, and conformance to the requirements. 7. Conclusion This paper addressed some of the ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance for services. Outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models were provided, followed by a discussion of the content of the ISO 9001 standard considering ergonomics and human factors. Ergonomic implementation of a quality system was subsequently addressed. Finally, possible development of an â€Å"ergonomic assurance system† on the basis of ISO 9001 and systems theory was presented. Further research into the development of ergonomic assurance systems is suggested.

Police explorer programs Essay

In Fair Haven, New Jersey the explorer program is meant for young adults that are interested in pursuing a future in law enforcement. The program will introduce the young adults to traits that police officers should have such as: hard work ethic, integrity, honesty, courage, respect, and most of all discipline. The police explorers assist with crowd control events and traffic direction. They are also able to ride along with police officers and see what a usual day is for a police officer. The Washington police explorers help youth to gain insight into a variety of programs that include classroom instruction as well as hands-on law enforcement activities. The explorers are also eligible for many college scholarships to assist in continuing education. The explorers also compete in the national explorer competition every two years. The national explorer is when thousands of law enforcement explorers and adult leaders come together for a week of team and individual competitions, seminars, demonstrations, exhibits, recreation and fun. The Knoxville police department explorer post is a volunteer organization that was formed to provide a law enforcement background and training to senior members of the boy scouts of America. The main goal of the police explorer post is to prepare young adults to become police officers through education, training, and work experience. Some of the basic training includes: traffic control, officer survival, patrol procedures, radio procedures, firearms, basic criminal law, defensive driving, and an overview of the police department. Some activities they assist in are DUI sobriety checkpoints, crime prevention events, downtown events and patrols, and search and recovery operations. In Cary, Illinois the police officer advisors train and give guidance to the explorers program in all non-hazardous functions of the Cary Police Department. The advisors generously donate their time, attending meetings at the police station every other Thursday from 7:30 to 9 pm. experienced police officers provide training in a variety of police related skills, such as traffic crash investigation, criminal investigations, domestic disputes, processing crime scenes, building searches and arrest techniques. The relationship between the Cary police department and the explorers program directly benefits both the community and the individual explorer. Thecommunity benefits through the hard work and volunteer activities of the Explorers Program, as they provide a variety of public services. Explorers assist Police Officers during the Village’s annual â€Å"Merry Cary Holiday Festival†, â€Å"National Night Out† and other community events. The explorer’s participation and training benefits them by proving an excellent foundation for careers in law enforcement and enables them to become more responsible citizens.

Luxury Watches

Marketing 48-Hour Report: The Jewelry Industry – Luxury Watches Section 2 – Group Number 7 Group Members: 250556161 250517768 250572192 250568255 250582064 Executive Summary Rolex is currently facing a problem in their brand positioning in the U. S. luxury watch market. In the years following the 2008 recession, Rolex’s competitors Breitling and Omega have outpaced them in market share growth. This report aims to analyze the reasons behind this decline and to provide a recommendation for Rolex to reaffirm position as the market leader.Our industry analysis shows that despite suffering from the sales decline during the recession, the luxury watch market   has regained a growth rate of 7% after 2010. The intense competition within the industry and increasing usage of mobile phones for timekeeping have transformed consumers’ preferences for watches. The target market of the luxury watch market consists of affluent males with higher education   and active lifestyle.They perceive luxury wristwatches as a piece of craftsmanship that represent their identity and socioeconomic status. The competitor analysis depicts that in the luxury watch market, although Rolex has established its reputable image as the market leader, it has not achieved effective marketing strategies and not adapted to consumers’ needs and desires. In contrast, Omega has responded to changes in consumers’ preferences and Breitling has evolved its core brand image to capture more market share.Our short term recommendations for Rolex revolve around addressing the current, known consumer shift to mechanical watches, as well as fixing realigning their marketing to be forward facing with thetowards the 35-44 age category of a decade ago, but to the 35-44 category of today. This involves pushing their current Daytona line as well as finding a fresh new brand ambassador such as Orlando Bloom. In the long term, Rolex needs to connect to the younger consumer segm ent and fix their current image of being a dated or grandfatherly watch.They also need to react faster to market trends and leverage their position as the industry leader to set trends instead of remaining passive in the market. We recommend they start a Rolex membership club and to start hosting exclusive events targeting the affluent young male crowd to build their future customer base. Intro This report analyzes the luxury wristwatch segment of the jewelry industry in the U. S. , specifically the brand positioning of Rolex as compared to the their competitors Omega and Breitling.In recent years Rolex has not kept pace with other companies in the luxury watch industry in terms of trends, image and ultimately market share. Omega’s market share has been trending upwards worldwide (World Watch Report, 2012) and Breitling in particular has just finished a co-branding campaign that positioned them in closer competition with Rolex in the U. S. and increased market share by an imp ressive 8% (World Watch Report, 2012).By analyzing the jewelry industry, target segment, direct competition, and the strengths and weaknesses in Rolex’s company and brand, this report provides recommendations for Rolex that will help to reposition the brand to recapture market share in the U. S. luxury wristwatch market. Industry: Most jewelry sold in the U. S. is imported (â€Å"Jewelry Retail†. 2011), and the luxury wristwatch segment is dominated by Swiss watchmakers. The Swatch Group, owners of Omega, are the largest and only public Swiss watch company.They compete alongside a multitude of strong private companies. The market leaders in this luxury category are Rolex, Omega and Cartier and combine for a (global) market share of 41% (World Watch Report, 2012). The performance of the jewelry industry, comprised of diamond jewelry and loose diamonds (45%), watches (13%), gold jewelry (10%), and colored gemstone jewelry (8%), is strongly correlated to the performance o f the economy (INSEAD report, footnote jewelry industry beta = 1. 8). Jewelry sales are also highly seasonal, with the majority of sales happening the the fourth quarter leading up to Christmas (â€Å"Jewelry Retail†. 2011),). The 2008 recession and subsequent lack of consumer confidence led to an almost 14% sales decline in the industry from 2008-2010. This in turn impacted the distribution channels of many foreign watch brands in the U. S. , as many of the smaller jewellery boutique watch specialists they relied on went out of business.As the watch brands themselves survived the recession, mainly through surging sales in China, they have started to take advantage of their relative strength by opening their own brand specific stores in the United States. Having assumed the position of both wholesaler and retailer, they will have more image control and higher margins on their own products. In 2011, the economy improved and affluent consumers of luxury jewelry regained their c onfidence and once again began spending their money. This increase in demand has since tapered off in 2012, but growth is still expected to continue (Exhibit 1).The luxury wristwatch segment of the jewelry industry is projected to grow at a rate of 7% per year (Watches in the US, 2012), which is the higher than the general wristwatch industry growth of 4% (Watches in the US, 2012)) and once again, slightly higher than the jewelry industry average growth of 6% (Jewlerry in the US, 2012). Competition within the industry is the primary driver of innovation and change. As the industry is extremely mature and the products lack a patentable attribute that can define them, brands mainly compete on design, quality, and brand image.Furthermore, mobile phones with clock features, which have saturated 96% of the American market, have reduced the timekeeping importance of the wristwatch. Thus consumers are shifting towards purchasing watches strictly as luxury items or to make a fashion stateme nt. Ultimately, luxury watchmakers must handle their brands with care, or risk losing to a more consistent competitor. Target Segment: With many similarities between luxury watch brands, target market selection is paramount. In addition, brands must choose a market segment that they can grow with. Though 50% of all affluent consumers in the U.S. are aged 35-44 and 45-54, from a brand equity perspective it would not make sense to start marketing to just the older segment because this is the stage where the brand should already have a relationship with the consumer (Affluent Consumer, 2009) Therefore, by primarily targeting the 35-44 year old demographic, luxury watch brands are able to establish awareness and recognition that can build to a relationship that will last with that consumer as they age. Additionally, by selecting a male demographic, watchmakers gain access to the majority of the affluent population.Thus, the common target segment between Rolex, Omega and Breitling are af fluent males age 35-44 with an above average income and a high socio-economic status. This segment is worth $316. 25 million or approximately 13. 75% of the luxury watch market (Affluent Consumer, 2009). For the complete breakdown of this segment value, refer to Exhibit 2. The approximate income of this affluent target segment is $75,000 or greater, and can be correlated to the education attained and occupation held by a majority of this segment (Affluent Consumer, 2009).Prevalent occupations include managers, architects/engineers/social scientists, and sales representatives, requiring at minimum a college level education (Watch and Clocks, 2006). As luxury watches carry price tags of $1000 or more, a sizable salary is a critical characteristic of this target segment as larger salaries account more disposable income for luxury goods (Watch and Clocks, 2006). Interests of this target segment include active lifestyles in refined athletics such as golf, tennis, yachting, equestrianism as well as exploration (http://www. rolex. om/) This target segment is highly concerned with status and is driven largely by fashion and association with a luxury brand. In fact, 53% of this segment considers designer labels as defining a luxury purchase (PPT). This not only illustrates this segment’s savvy awareness of luxury products, but also illustrates the likeliness of these consumers desiring symbols of wealth. According to WWD, the needs, wants and desires of men purchasing luxury watches are becoming increasingly focused on technicality and functionality of the timepiece, in addition to its specific brand.The â€Å"fashionable consumer† trend focusing solely on designer labels seems to be at the end of its lifecycle. The marketing by luxury watch brands has resulted in more educated customers today who know that a designer brand name does not necessarily mean a quality watch. This segment is in the process of shifting into the connoisseur category, as the cust omer perception of a fashionable watch is shifting towards qualities such as artistry and craftsmanship, having handmade mechanical movements, and having a classic or timeless design. Men in this target segment want to be seen as collectors of watches.They justify high price purchases as â€Å"seeking a safe haven in high-quality watches†; as an investment in precious metals that â€Å"appreciate in value instantly†(Diderich, 2011), rather than a squander of money. This segment also views luxury watches as a representation of their identity needs in striving for high self-esteem. As one luxury watch dealer commented: â€Å" you can drive a Ferrari, but you can’t drive it into a board meeting†(Spitznagel, 2012) This drives these consumers to reach the ‘response’ and ultimately a long standing ‘relationship’ stage of the brand equity pyramid for their luxury brand of choice.In considering the buying decision process, this segment r ecognizes status and high self-esteem as needs satisfied through purchasing luxury timepieces. Following this recognition, the information search process commences. As â€Å"credibility and expertise had the greatest impact on respondent purchase intention†(Gautschi,2005), consumers in this segment seek professional advice from sales associates at retail end-points in order to evaluate alternatives. Following the purchase decision, availability of epair services for example, is also valued as consistent high-quality service throughout the long-standing relationship with the brand would exceed expectations and further strengthen and foster positive post-purchase behaviors and feelings. Competitive Analysis: Although there are at least 40 global brands in the luxury watch segment, the largest and most impressive competitors, with the largest American market shares, are Swiss. Three direct competitors in the Swiss luxury watch market are Rolex, Omega and Breitling.Due to the sim ilar pricing of these three brands, the consumer in the target segment must often distinguish and select one of these competitors. Rolex U. S. A. , Inc. Rolex has positioned itself as the exclusive luxury watch brand for those with a high socioeconomic status that offers a classic and prestigious watch which validates their hard work and accomplishments. Rolex is the best known luxury watch brand and holds the largest share of the US market at 29. 3% (FOOTNOTE THIS CALC).This is a result of their reputation as the first wristwatch to be certified with Class A precision (Liebeskind,2004) and because they have historically limited their yearly production despite high demand. To maintain consistency between the target segment and the messages of Rolex’s advertisements, 75% of their brand ambassadors are 35 years of age or older (Gautschi, 2005). These endorsements portray individuals who have achieved success as a result of hard work and dedication. The attributes of their ambas sadors are willfulness, determination, self-control and the ability to excel beyond average performance.This resonates with the reality and desires of the consumers who view a Rolex wristwatch as the prize; something one gets as validation for their accomplishments. As it has been shown that 60-70% of individuals who regularly follow golf are also those able to afford a luxury watch (Gautschi, 2005), Rolex has built strong associations with the game of golf, sponsoring players, such as Tiger Woods, and tour events. Furthermore, the association with golf ambassadors portray success and determination in the context of a gentleman’s â€Å"refined† sport.Rolex is rated as the most desirable brand and has spent $47 million on advertising to maintain this standing (Thompson, 2012) . Despite making the largest advertising expenditure in the industry, Rolex’s market share growth rate in America has declined from 5% in 2010-2011 to 2% in 2011-2012 (World Watch Report, 20 12). This is compared to consistent growth from Omega and an explosive emergence in the U. S. market by Breitling. Although Rolex has not targeted a different age group, a new wave of 35-44 year olds have come into focus.With needs far different from that of the former group, Rolex has done little to address these new needs, wants and desires. Omega Omega has positioned itself as a sophisticated luxury watch brand focused on reliability and craftsmanship that offers those with a high socioeconomic status a trendy, modern and technically superior watch. As of 2011, Omega holds 14. 6% of the U. S luxury watch market-share and attempts to be seen as a more fashionable and more modern brand than that of Rolex (World Watch Report, 2012). The company’s marketing is heavily focused on associations with other well known brands, people and organizations.Although they target much the same audience as Rolex, Omega differentiates themselves through their brand image. The company emphasiz es the dependability of their watches through the association of the brand with the NASA space program, and as the longest standing official timekeeper of the Olympic Games. Both of those organizations require precision and reliability of the highest standard, while being seen as trustworthy by these organizations resonates with Omega’s consumers. Recently, the brand has responded to changes in consumer preferences by emphasizing the technicality and sophistication of their watches as well.Association with NASA has also been key in this regard, and their brand has enjoyed a significant competitive advantage through an endorsement by Neil Armstrong as being the first watch used on the moon. Furthermore, horologist George Daniel, inventor of the co-axial escapement, a revolutionary watch mechanism, became yet another brand ambassador and further differentiated Omega from its competitors in terms of technicality and sophistication. Omega also strives to target a different psycho graphic than Rolex. The majority of Omega’s ambassadors are younger males, and their key attributes encompass suaveness, sophistication and hedonism.For example, the Omega has a long-standing association with the James Bond enterprise, as both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have been ambassadors for the brand. Further differentiation can be illustrated in looking and the various advertisements Omega produces compared to those of Rolex and Breitling. For example, while both companies have produced athletic advertisements, Rolex emphasizes the difficulty and eventual achievement, while Omega illustrates the pleasure derived of particular undertakings (Exhibit 3). BreitlingBreitling has positioned itself as a luxury timekeeping instrument brand for those with a high socioeconomic status and offers professional chronographs focusing on precision and high performance that dare men to live like navigators, aviators, and adventurers. Breitling commands 10% of the U. S. luxury watch market in 2011, ranked fourth behind Rolex, Omega and Cartier. What is remarkable about Breitling is that they have only recently moved into this position, having increased their share of consumer interest by 8% from 2010 to 2011 (World Watch Report, 2011).This increase can largely be credited to significant advertising spending in 2010. Second only to Rolex for spending, the campaign worked to build brand awareness, and was coordinated with the launch of Breitling’s first branded boutique. (Media scan, & http://search. proquest. com/docview/820311288). Broadly, Breitling’s core brand emphasizes professionalism with their media image and product design. Originally intended as a brand for aviation instruments on private and commercial planes, the association to technicality is driven home in their slogan: â€Å"Instruments for professionals† (http://www. reitling. com). As professionals typically use nothing less than the best tools to do their jobs, Breitlingâ €™s watches are almost inextricably associated with masterful craftsmanship. This is predominantly reflected in the product design of their flagship models, which are significantly different from the flagship models by Rolex and Omega (Exhibit 4). Breitling’s most notable ambassador is actor John Travolta, who is well known for his private hobby of owning and flying planes (travolta. com).He is a familiar household name, and so helps consumers to relate to the brand, as well as maintaining consistent brand associations with the concept of aviation. Although Breitling has dominated the niche market of affluent males whose interests and/or aspirations encompass aviation and aircraft, Breitling has expanded its brand beyond this niche category and into the larger and more general exclusive luxury segment. More recently, Breitling has begun to evolve its core brand image of strictly instrumental aviation timepieces to navigational watches capable of multiple functions.Specifi cally, Breitling has begun to position themselves within disciplines such as sailing, space exploration, underwater diving and most recently, motorsports (luxury watches overview). Most notably, they are partnered with ultra-premium car manufacturer Bentley Motors through the co-branded ‘Breitling for Bentley Motors’ product line, which has been the most visible shift in Breitling’s marketing in the last 10 years (Exhibit 5). This captured the prestige and exclusivity portrayed by Bentley, transferring these aspects into a luxurious and fashionable timepiece, while maintaining Breitling intricacy (Exhibit 6).Breitling’s rapid growth in market share in just a single year can be largely credited to two factors. First, changes in market trends and perceptual shifts of consumers desiring watches of a more technical nature (refer to target segment analysis) have given Breitling an advantage over competitors who are continuing to simply rely on their brand name to drive recognition and ultimately sales. As consumers become more educated, they begin to see the value of a well made, functional and intricate wristwatch rather than one simply bearing a well known name.This market shift is to Breitling’s advantage, as their value proposition has always been offering intricate and technical watches. Secondly, Breitling has not been passive in their brand promotion, having increased their exposure through advertising expenditures that improved brand equity. It is Breitling’s consistency that helps consumers to not only become â€Å"aware† of the brand, but go through the steps of building their own unique relationship with it as well. These two factors have resulted in the 8% growth of Breitling in the luxury watch segment, causing the company to advance upon its competitors Rolex and Omega.

Proposal For Water Heating and Conservation Essay

Thank you very much for your interest in our consultancy firm. It is great to know that you have a wonderful property at hand, but still recognize the need to make it even more special for yourself, and hence are considering a consultation. It would a great privilege to work with you on this project. Statement of the Problem To begin with, it would be prudent to identify and recognize the problem that we are in a capacity to solve for you. While some real estate owners consider handing over their entire set of construction related woes to a single firm, in today’s specialized and competitive times, it is best to go to a particular domain specialist for particular needs. In this case, it is impractical to think that a single agency can do everything. Our expertise is in water heating and water conservation, and that does form a vital and prominent part of your overall home condition. It is important to note here that the house is more than 100 years old, and hence the water tanks, piping and water heating have possibly deteriorated and need immediate attention. Their further negligence could have serious consequences. Also, as apparent from your letter, water conservation seems be also an issue with the house. The information you give regarding toilets, tanks, washing machines and showers all give an indication that you can have a more water conserved living. These are the main problems that we can help you with. Background of the Problem The most important thing to note is that the house is more than 100 years ago, and that is a defining aspect of the overall construction. Also, it seems like the original construction has not been modified or renovated and this is the main reason that heating and water conservation are likely to have been affected. There have been a lot of changes in the previous century related to developing newer and better techniques for water heating and conservation, and we will keep these in mind. Also, a growing concern in the past few years has been global warming, and as responsible citizens we all need to ensure that your ecological footprints are kept to a minimum. And the fact of the matter is that effective water heating and conservation of water forms an integral part of this. This is thus an area that needs quick attention. Overall, looking at the background of the problem, we would like to offer you tailor made solutions which will leverage current installations and also be cost effective for you, given your constraints. We intend to look for materials that provide the right quality at the right price. Let us articulate the various options that you can consider for this aspect of your home. Water Heating and Water Conservation Options The market today offers a plethora of options, and you can choose what you would like to go with, and that too when, depending on your preference and also the funds at your disposal at any given time. Some of the most popular ones are: a) Rainwater Harvesting The most simple and also the most effective method for water conservation is that of rainwater harvesting. Rainwater harvesting is an ideal option to utilize water that is from the environment itself and can easily be a part of your daily water requirements. Right from your gardening needs, to household water usage, to even more advanced uses can all be met using rainwater harvesting. The best part of this technique is that it is simple and requires collection and storage devices, and subsequently devices on efficiently utilize the water that has been retained. We can provide you with customized rainwater harvesting solutions, and design systems for collection, storage and also for a great utilization plan. Since you have slanted roofs, we can customize mechanisms to suit your needs. b) Water Efficiency From the information that you have given regarding water usage devices, there is definitely a scope for modifications and replacements. For example, the toilets with six single liter flushes need to be replaced, and we have a number of options that you can consider. The 0.8 gallon extra efficient toilet is one. It not only looks sleek and elegant, but will also greatly reduce your overall water usage. In terms of showers, conventional showers usually end up wasting a lot of water, and also are sometimes not able to give you the desired flow you need. We intend revamping these as well, and putting in their place new smart showers that give you more and also use less water. The various option here are the hand shower, or the telephone shower, which is attractive and through a cord allows you to focus on particular areas of your body, and thus cuts down on water usage. We also intend putting a aperture showerhead since this has a triangular showerhead, which thus helps it distribute water more evenly and hence also give you an enhanced showering experience. c) Solar Heating Solar heating is perfect for your house to cater to the heating requirements. As mentioned by you, there is currently no heating in both attic and basement, and if you intend to convert the basement into a self contained apartment, then it will need to have water heating in place as well. We can install an extremely effective photo voltaic roofing system which will ensure that you are able to tap into the sun to get hot water as and when required. We suggest you do away with the radiator heating system, and also upgrade from the old electric heating tank. d) Building Integrated Water Heating We can also offer you integrated water heating solutions that will tap solar energy and using conduction techniques, we can provide heating solutions to all parts of the house. Through regular heat transfer methods, this heat that is collected can be used to meet your water heating needs. In order to have a better idea of your specific requirements, and also give you a cost estimation of the changes we propose, we would like to visit your property at a convenient date and time for you. Once again, we thank you for considering our services. Should you have any more questions, please feel free to contact us. We are ready to assist you in all your home improvement needs.

Mgmt3010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mgmt3010 - Essay Example 2. Staffing strategy is a term used to denote the long-term plan which provides direction to the organization regarding the staffing issue; the strategy focuses on the supply and demand of the staffing issue with the objective of ensuring that the organization is able to meet the demands of the required workforce. While staffing strategy is created for the longer run, staffing plans are created for the short run and these plans address staffing issues in the short run, the issues addressed are the shortage and surplus of staff members in the short run (Bechet 17). 3. There are two staffing levels, the deficit level, in which the number of staff members required and the kind of skills and abilities required by a company are not available to the company, the second level is staffing surplus when the number of required staff members is higher than the required number and the skills and abilities required are even in compliance with the desired skills and abilities required by the organization (Bechet 79). Staffing level can be determined in a quantitative manner in which emphasis is on the head count and the qualitative manner in which the emphasis is on desired skills and abilities. An organization achieves right staffing levels when their staff members have the desired skills and abilities and the headcount is equal or more than the desired amount of staff members. 4. Uncontrollable actions that arise while an organization develops its staffing model include voluntary turnover, retirement and losses caused as a result of employees taking planned leaves (Bechet 50). Voluntary turnover takes place when employees leave the organization out of their own will, retirements take place when employees reach a certain age and the organization no longer needs them and losses arise because the employee takes leave from the organization due

The role of microRNAs in breast cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The role of microRNAs in breast cancer - Essay Example Below is a description of the effect of miRNAs in breast cancer metastasis, treatment and cause. Regulation on Cancer Causing Proteins According to Yamashita and others, mis-expressions or mutations in miRNA have been associated with different types of human cancers. The loss-or-gain-of function of some miRNAs has also been found to contribute to tumorigenesis and epithelial cellular transformation of the breast. Research has also revealed that profiling of miRNA expression shows that different molecular subtypes in breast cancer have different expressions of miRNAs (Yamashita et al, n.d., p. 331). ER? is responsible for breast cancer. There are two types of ER? related breast cancers. There are ER?-negative and ER?-positive breast cancers. Most primary breast cancers express ER? with an approximate value of 70%. ER?-positive breast cancers have been found to respond positively to endocrine therapy. This could be because of the role of ER? in the endocrine system. ER? is necessary fo r estrogen-dependent growth. It affects the response to endocrine therapy among women with ER?-positive breast cancers depending on its level of expression. ... 331). The Roles of miRNAs in Cellular Processing There are various cellular processes in which miRNAs are involved. These include development of skeletal and heart muscles, and establishment and maintenance of cell lineage. The miRNAs have the ability to express specific tissue, which has been, observed in insulin secretion, proliferation, hematopoiesis, adepocyte development, apoptosis, and brain pattering. Because of these roles and involvement in diverse cellular functions, miRNAs’ function and expression dysregulation has the potential to cause diseases. This has been observed in Tourette’s syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and from recent research studies, associated with cancer development and progression (Kayani, Kayani, Malik & Faryal, 2011, p. 3175). Bachour and Bennett (2011) also note that miRNAs are involved in regulation of apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation, and have the ability to directly obstruct stability and translation of specific gene transcri pts that they target and cause cell physiology disorder. In breast cancer, for example, miRNAs have been found to be involved in the dysregulation of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, causing progression of breast cancer (Bachour & Bennett, 2011; Liu et al, 2011). MiRNAs are also found in regulation of cell development and cell cycle. This characteristic places them in the best place for exploring anticancer treatments. Altered miRNA signatures cause breast cancer metastasis and development. This has been identified through the study of the effect of the loss of tumour suppressor miRNAs such as miR-31, miR-203, miR-30a, miR-34a, miR-200s, miR-205, miR-342, miR-125s, miR-206, and let-7s, or the over-expression of oncogenic miRNA such as miR-21, miR-155, miR-222, miR-10b,

Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Economics - Research Paper Example Undeniably, information security has evolved to be as significant to contemporary organizations as the security of perceptible physical resources. It is not surprising that the quickly increasing body of research dwells on issues of information security. Research should focus largely on the technical dynamics of the protection of information in computer-based systems through encryption, hardware controls as well as software and data controls. The behavioral dynamics associated with the prevention breaches in information security have attracted a lot of attention in the recent times among researchers. Conversely, there has been very little attention towards addressing the economic aspects of information security; particularly with the magnitude of resources that have been directed to improve information management by organizations, what these organizations require is a framework that will assist in deriving optimal levels of spending on information security. Economic perspectives typi cally recognize that even though some degree of investment in information security is noble, additional security is not always worth the associated costs (Bidgoli, 2006). Therefore, it is important to consider the manner in which vulnerabilities of information as well as losses that are linked to the vulnerability impact the ideal amount of resources that are supposed to be directed to making information secure. For a wide variety of probability functions in regards to security breach, the ideal amount that should spent on information security is a rising function based in the degree of the vulnerability of the information. However, in some cases, the ideal amount to spend on security of information initially increases and later declines with similar degrees of vulnerability of information (Rao & Upadhyaya, 2009). The managers who are responsible for allocation of information security budgets should typically concentrate that is categorized in the mid-range of

Significant Security Event Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Significant Security Event - Research Paper Example Riot control police is not a special form of police force. Riot control police includes members of the police department of a region who have been trained with the knowledge, skills and abilities to deal with riots. This paper will examine why the need for riot control arises along with the tactics used by to counter rioting people with different examples of how riot police have tackled riots. The main purpose of riot control and riot control police is to take measures in order to control, disband as well as arrest individuals who are involved in protests and riots. In case of riots several measures are implemented to end the riot such as negotiations. But in certain scenarios negations tend to fail. Especially when there is a deadlock between the rioting individuals and those who are held responsible for the riot to occur, severe measures need to be taken to control riots. Riots are quite a unique problem as in case of riots police cannot use lethal force to stop the rioting public from protesting or being violent (ANON, 2014). This is because those who are rioting may be rioting for the just cause and may be rioting against those who have been elected by the rioting people into the government. Stopping a riot or a protest is not defined as a daily duty of the police force. Riot police is mostly called upon by the government when they fail to end the riot in a peaceful m anner or when the protestors become violent and agitated. The purpose of the riot police is to end the riot through forceful measures while ensuring that those who are protesting are not deadly damaged through the techniques used. Most of the riots start at the level of a crowd which includes a group of people who gather in a certain area due to a mutually shared interest (ANON, 2014). For example: in the case of Ferguson riots of 2014, the riots started after a 18 year old Black

The Development of G-20 and G-8 Countries Term Paper

The Development of G-20 and G-8 Countries - Term Paper Example They are manufacturing countries and the huge exports provide for the main avenue to an acquisition of wealth, power, and high employment rates unlike developing ones which depend on small-scale exports of farm produce and other little-valued trade related products. However, it is worth noting that relative poverty exists between G-20 and G-8 Countries. This relative poverty phenomenon can best be accounted for if we study different macroeconomic indicators. And these are: By the end of third quarter, the consumer price index CPI for all urban consumers increased to 0.6 %; it rose 0.4% before seasonal adjustment It had also heightened 0.4%. This CPI increased by from 2.0% compared to the earlier level. The employment rate represents the total number of people working whether on the permanent or casual basis. It suggests that over 63% people in the population, men and women have had employment. We got job losers, job seekers who stay out of employment for weeks or months. Some get new jobs and some don’t. The output is huge in the manufacturing of nondurables showing that the USA is an industrial country. The statistics show variations but it gives us a clear picture of the nature of productive activities. This is a good indication of economic dynamics in the USA. Secession is a political crisis which involves a state or a group of states seeking separation and complete sovereignty from the federal or main government. The eleven of the Southern States which were fifteen in number believed that it was within their constitutional right to seek secession in 1806 and 1861. However, they were defeated during the American Civil War. Over 600,000 people perished. The Supreme Court declared secession unconstitutional, though the Southern States had concrete reasons for secession. They hated slavery which was legalized in the South. This happened before Abraham Lincoln took office oath. The recession caused people to lose jobs and weakened the Union in terms of military strength, US Foreign Policy. International trade had a downfall too. It also motivated more states to petition secession moves.

Nursing in a Day Surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing in a Day Surgery - Essay Example In order to do this the discussion will first of define pain, because it not objective as many nurses and health practioners may believe. In fact it is a very subjective term. The discussion will end by considering the problems in the UK when dealing with patient's whose wishes are hard to discern and whether we should be administering pain relief methods without proper consent. It is this balance between whether nurses, as myself, should be acting on the wishes of the doctors and the establishment or the patient's wishes and concerns. This is because speed and cost efficiency should not be a determining factor in a patient's health, rather if a person who has varicose vein surgery is more suited for overnight care this should be considered. Pain was found to be the major concern for patients undergoing surgery and they wanted access to information both verbally and through written communication (Taylor. H. 2001). Patients have evinced interest in knowing the details of their recovery and realistic accounts of discomfort that they can expect. Addressing the cognitive component of pain is easily done through patient education (Carr C.J. Ellois. 2001). An audit at the Warwick Hospital found that although patient education booklets were available, the APS refrained from giving out this information. Besides, patients were not consulted in the development of the services Patients usually felt better and less ... Many used past experiences as reference for their expectations. Some studies found that patients had lower expectations of post-surgical pain. Patients also had a number of misconception related to the use of analgesia. This led to under usage of drugs and poor pain management. Understanding these factors can help nurses develop educational manuals for patients and help in better pain management (Taylor). H. 2001). The NIH has given Guidelines for the preparation of patient education and state the all communication must be, "clear, cost-effective, straightforward, modern, accessible, honest and respectful."(DoH, 2001) The Royal College and the Anaesthetic Association reported that 44% of hospitals had some form acute care services and 79% used modern analgesic techniques to manage pain (Carr C.J. Ellois. 2001.) A study of hospital services declares pain prevention to be one of the 10 most important indicators of care quality. (Susan M, 2003) While the need for management is acknowledged, the resources allocated for the function were found to be inadequate. In a significant finding, the Clinical Standards Advisory Group found that although 81% of the functions involve nursing care and 7% of these were headed by nurses there was lack of specialized nursing care in the chronic pain department. The situation was further made worse by inadequate funding. (Pain Society, 2001) Health professionals currently are found to have deficits in knowledge and skills for proper pain management. Nursing care is often found to be influenced by attitude of patients, their culture and value systems. (Redorbit.com, 2006) . The Services for Patients with Pain, in

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management - Essay Example Knowledge, understanding, skills development, attitude development, synthesis, analysis, comprehension etc are some of the major elements of learning. Knowledge and understanding represents the surface level learning whereas the skills development, attitude development, synthesis, analysis and comprehension etc are the symbols of deep learning. Critical thinking is necessary for the occurrence of deep learning. According to Pavlovich, (2007), Describing the experience, analysis of the experience, creation of new meanings and understandings and actions for change are the four major dimensions of critical thinking (Pavlovich, 2007, p.284). This paper analyses the importance of these dimensions in critical thinking process. Dimensions of critical thinking â€Å"The first dimension is the manner in which experience act as the context for personal learning. Reflection begins with asking the key questions that describe experience† (Pavlovich, 2007, p.283). It is often said that expe rience is the best teacher than anything else in this world. For example, a child who suffers burns from a candle flame may never tries to touch the flame again. What he knows from this experience is that candle flame or fire is extremely dangerous and it may present painful experience. It is not necessary that he may develop deep understanding from this experience. ... At the same time, fire is a useful entity for the human bad side. Critical thinking is the only way for a person to judge the goods and evils associated with things in this world. The second dimension outlined by Pavlovich, (2007) is the mental activity that reviews experience (Pavlovich, 2007, p.283). Moon (1999) defined critical thinking as a â€Å"mental process with purpose and /or outcome in which manipulation of meaning applied is applied to relatively complicated or unstructured ideas in learning† (p.155). It is not necessary that two people who suffered the same problem may learn similar facts. For example, everybody knows that smoking is injurious to health. Plenty of people died in this world because of smoking related diseases. However, only few people stopped smoking after realizing the dangers associated with smoking. There are plenty of people who continue smoking even after realizing the dangers. This is because of the differences in the mental activities of dif ferent people. Some people are ready to learn from the experiences whereas others are reluctant to learn from experiences. Some people think on long term basis whereas others think on short term basis. Those who stopped smoking can be labeled as long term thinkers whereas those who continue smoking can be labeled as short term thinkers. Paul & Elder (2002) have mentioned that â€Å"short term thinking, which leads to quick fix solutions, is largely the rule of the day† (Paul & Elder, 2002, p.5). On the other hand, long term thinking helps a person to secure his future even if he faces some short term problems. For example, a poor manager may fire an employee who underperforms, whereas a smart manager guide the employee to improve his

How do you intend to use the skills and knowledge gained from the Essay

How do you intend to use the skills and knowledge gained from the Public Sector Leadership and Management Institute in your current position - Essay Example The public will thus get the avenue of expressing their concern and ventilating their grievances. Consequently, the local government will improve the quality of service in their jurisdiction. In addition, the implementation of a customer relationship management will ensure that there is attraction, retention, and getting back former customers to the organization. From the knowledge leant, one is able to implement a system which is customer friendly and that reduces resistance to change. Strong resistance forces that require basic knowledge on change management commonly meet the alteration of the status quo (Christensen & Per 25). There is thus need to ensure that the implementation is gradual and that majority if not all of the clients are involved in the process as learnt in change management. From the knowledge acquired, it will be easy to adopt simple procedures that reduce costs and increase response and satisfaction of customers. Moreover, the skills acquired through the training will assist in ensuring that the policies of the local government are strategic and future oriented. The feasibility skills and evaluation possibility will be applied in monitoring progress and detecting deviations so that corrective actions are pursued (Christensen & Per 25). In conclusion, the skills and knowledge obtained is instrumental in the general understanding of management process as well as the need to improve institutional performance. the knowledge and skills has to be applied after carefully evaluating the impact and earning the confidence of stakeholders. The process should be flexible to look at the diverse nature of interests of

Role, Significance and Impact of Multi-Agency Working in Childcare Essay

Role, Significance and Impact of Multi-Agency Working in Childcare - Essay Example In work with disabled children, families experience better relationships with services along with improved level of access to them and improved quality of life with reduced stress (Sloper, cited in Improving outcomes for children 2007). This is also true in the aspect of healthcare. In projects targeting mental health of children, there has been a reduction in the proportion of children with clinically significant problems, with children showing better involvement with school (Kurtz & James, cited in Improving outcomes for children 2007). Multi-agency working involves patient counselling, taking a great deal of time and care in dealing with children as well as parents when necessary. The counsellors are facilitators of information who helps sensitive sharing of information in a very respectful manner without violating confidentiality (McGinnis 2008, p.128). Collaborative working and information sharing among the different services is a key factor in enhancing children's welfare. Frequent and personal contacts of practitioners from different agencies with each other help resolve issues of concern (Cleaver et al. 2008, p.105). Collaborative working of services helps recognise the different needs of a child and the relationships between the different aspects of a child's life. Information sharing helps in early identification of children's additional needs to help them reach their potential. Identifying with parents and sharing information with them play a key role in understanding children and enhancing their well-bein g. Videotapes of children both at play and at work, at home and in school, can be exchanged which help to keep parents up-to-date on the children's progress as well as help staff to understand certain behaviour of children which they would have found difficult to comprehend. Information sharing also helps the staff in having an insight into the children's cultural background. This can help in the children's development in the cognitive and socio-behavioural aspects (Whalley & Dennison 2001, p.137). It is the goal of the Government that by 2010 all schools will provide access to a core offer of extended services including childcare, study support activities, parenting support and specialised support services with wider community access to information and communication technology, sports and arts facilities, and adult learning (Extended schools 2009). Extended support can bring about a significant improvement in children by identifying their individual problems, which they face outside of school and are intractable, and tackle them effectively, thus enabling teachers to give more attention to teaching. These services can also support parents through information sessions and parenting programmes, thus ensuring better parental involvement in the children's activities. Positive impact in preventative work Multi-agency involvement in preventative work has brought about positive results in children including improved behaviour, better relationships, enhanced education and increased well-being. The results of the On Track programme effectively demonstrate these effects. On Track is a research-based preventative programme for crime reduction, which through multi-agency partnerships

Description of the Business Report Parts Assignment

Description of the Business Report Parts - Assignment Example This entails the problem that is going to be solved, how the problem will be solved, what exactly will be provided in solving the problem, whether the project can deliver the stipulated promises, the benefits of the project when it will be completed and the cost to be involved in the entire work. The sections that need to be included in a proposal for a student report include the problem identified in the problem, the feasibility, the audience the project targets, topics the project investigates, the method to be utilized, the resources and facilities available, the work schedule of the project and the action plan of the project proposal. Progress reports should essentially tell what you’ve done, why it’s important, and what the next steps are i.e. the chronology, task, and recommendation. They can also be used to enhance your image, float trial balloons and minimize potential problems. Make your progress report as positive as you honestly can. Using capitalization when searching for web pages is a major issue. It is always important to uncapitalize words when searching for information, use quotations marks for exact terms and use root words in finding variations of information. A survey is a study that is conducted on a large group of people referred to as subjects or respondents. A questionnaire is a list of questions that people fill and an interview is a structured conversation with someone who will be able to provide useful information for a study. In a random sample, each person in the population of the study theoretically has an equal chance of being chosen to take part in the study. Inconvenience sample only a group of respondents are targeted and will be easy to get. Judgmental sample entails a group of people whose views seem useful. The mean is the average figure you get when you add up all the numbers and then divide by the number of numbers. The median is the middle value in the list of numbers and

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Research Paper

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness - Research Paper Example The manufacturing plant is located in Richmond; in the Virginia State. This is the biggest plant ever built in the tobacco industry. Marlboro is well known for its adverts by use of the Marlboro man (Erin & Jack, 2003). Impact of Globalization and Technological Changes on Marlboro Globalization in this scenario is the process of improving the interactivity of the social, political interdependence, cultural, financial economic and incorporation of markets that are triggered by development of technologies in the communication and transport sector at the same time liberalizing trade. Globalization together with unparalleled change in technology has led to a weakening of the borders from the States control (Michael, Duane & Robert, 2008). There is an increase in the volume of cigar and money at an alarming rate which kills the tobacco industry. Fake tobacco products are smuggled into the State by organized criminals. There are various networks of companies, people and groups who evade ta xes and royalties to bring in fake cigarettes which look similar to the genuine products. As a result they trade like any other company’s products hence killing the revenue collected by the company. The products sold by these smugglers cost much lower than the genuine products. With globalization and technological change the products can be designed in away, that one cannot differentiate them genuine products. The taxes can be avoided easily with fake documentation which can pass for the real documents. Application of the industrial organization model and resource based model by Marlboro firm to earn above average returns can be done in various ways. First, with the application of the industrial organization model, Marlboro firm can make use of alliances with other cigarettes manufactures to form an association like a cartel. Since the organized cooperate more with other close competitors in the tobacco industry, this will reduce the probability of the collaboration to lift t he revenues of the firm. Moreover, the firm can also make good use of its resource based model by differentiating their products and making it known to the customers about the genuine products and how to separate from the fake products. All it takes are the internal resources by the company to implement strategies that can easily reduce cases of smuggling. In addition, the government regulatory controls can be partnered with, by the company by having agents or inspectors who are able to draw a clear line between fake and genuine products. There are various procedures that can be taken by Marlboro firm in reducing the negative impact of globalization and technological improvement to increase returns on their products. First and foremost, analyzing the external environment is very crucial in identifying the potential threats and how to override them. Second, the firm must distribute its products by reliable distributors who are not likely to imitate or sell the products to competitors for imitation (Erin & Jack, 2003). Third, every firm has its own strength and opportunities, Marlboro can make good use of its lifetime existence in the market to identify tactics that are appropriate in attracting in good returns. This can be done by employing skilled labor from technological sector to help in branding their products in a manner that competitors cannot copy them. The Effect of Marlboro’s Vision and Mission Statement on Their Success The main aim a mission statement is to draw to attention

Online Education is Effective For Adult Learners Essay

Online Education is Effective For Adult Learners - Essay Example As the report stresses importance for distance learning has been realized and has led to increase in popularity of online education among the adults. Online education has achieved success, still certain individuals give preference to traditional, classroom style education and certain are in the favor of online education. Those in the favor of traditional learning methods assert that students learn in a better manner when they are involved in learning along with other students. A recent change in education has been experienced as both distance and traditional learning methods have been integrated. One of the major concerns associated with distance learning is communication that takes place between teachers and students. Due to this, measures have been taken in order to increase communication between learners and instructors in the case of distance learning. Distance learning has undoubtedly made great progress and is one of the preferred methods of obtaining education for adult learne rs. This paper discusses that the Department of Education of US asserts that number of students enrolling in nontraditional means of education is increasing at a higher pace than number of students enrolling in traditional form of educational system. Chun states that as the number of students enrolling in educational systems that are not traditional in nature, it is needed that the method of delivery of education should be flexible enough to meet the requirements of individual students. (Information Science Reference 739). There has been tremendous amount of change in the demand for higher education throughout the world and distance learning has assisted traditional educational institutes in meeting these demands by overcoming several barriers of higher education with the assistance of technological advancements. Goddard has predicted that by the era of 2025 there will be over 150 million individuals that will be in pursuit of higher level education and this increase in demand will lead to various changes in the way through which individuals obtain higher education (Weller 8). In the 21st century employers have increased their demand updating of an individual’s skills and abilities while he works for an organization. Benefits Several benefits have been associated with online education, these include: meeting the requirements of nontraditional students who have various responsibilities such as career and family. These responsibilities do not allow or discourage nontraditional students from being a part of classroom style educational system. Due to these issues, various higher level educ