Monday, September 30, 2019

Extraction of Eugenol from Cloves Oil

Isolation of Acetyleugenol (Clove Oil) from Cloves Purpose In this experiment, you will obtain the essential oil from cloves by steam distillation. You will then separate a component (acetyleugenol) from the oil by liquid-liquid extraction. Finally, you will isolate the acetyleugenol by using a rotovap for reduced pressure distillation, which will remove the organic solvent (dichloromethane). Background Whole cloves contain between 14% and 20% by weight of essential oils, but only half of that can be isolated as acetyleugenol. Clove oil contains two basic compounds: eugenol and acetyleugenol.As a result of Dalton’s Law and Raoult’s Law, both of these substances can be removed from the cloves with a steam distillation. Eugenol is polar due to the acidic hydroxyl (OH) group, but acetyleugenol is not polar. As a result, they can be separated by extraction from a 5% aqueous NaOH solution. Acetyleugenol will dissolve in the organic CH2Cl2 layer, while eugenol remains in the aqueous base layer as a phenoxide. This can be seen in the reaction below (where ArOH is eugenol), because dissolved ions prefer the aqueous phase. ArOH(aq) + OH-(aq) ? ArO-(aq) + H2O(Liq)Acetyleugenol has no acid proton, and cannot ionize. So, it prefers the organic phase. Essential oils from plant materials are used today for medicinal and other purposes. Among these oils are camphor, quinine, oil of cloves, cedarwood, turpentine, cinnamon, gum benzoin, and myrrh. The U. S. FDA has declared clove oil to be the most effective remedy for a toothache. Substances 25 g whole cloves (350 g per lab section) 100 ml DI water (1. 5 L per lab section) 10 ml 5% NaOH (150 ml per lab section) 45 ml CH2Cl2 (650 ml per lab section) Mg SO4 or Na2SO4 (anhydrous) Apparatus Items in kit 50-ml round-bottomed flask distillation head thermometer adapter large bore condenser Claisen adapter 125-ml separatory funnel Items not in kit Plastic funnel 100-ml graduated cylinder stands and clamps aluminum foil heating mantle (for 250-ml flask) 250-ml separatory funnel 125-ml Erlenmeyer flask w/ stopper Rotovap Procedure 1. Place 25 g of whole cloves in a 250-ml round-bottomed flask, and add 100 ml of DI H2O. A plastic funnel can be used if necessary to transfer the cloves into the flask. 2. Set up a well-clamped simple distillation apparatus with the large bore condenser.Insert a Claisen adapter with a 125-ml separatory funnel between the flask and the distillation head, similar to Fig. 23. 4 of Zubrick. Ensure the valve on the separatory funnel is closed. Then cover the flask, distillation head, and the bottom of the heating mantle with aluminum foil to insulate for a faster distillation rate. 3. Collect 60 ml of distillate. Also, simultaneously heat distilled water to ~90oC on a hot plate for addition in step 4. 4. Add 60 ml of hot H2O to the separatory funnel, then open the stopcock to add the water to the flask. Be sure to remove stopper from funnel before opening its valve.Also, be s ure to close the valve after adding the water. 5. Collect another 60 ml of distillate. 6. Add 10 ml of 5% NaOH solution to the distillate to neutralize (deprotonate) the eugenol. 7. Acetyleugenol is not very soluble in H2O, and is easily extracted from the distillate with CH2Cl2. Place the 130 ml of distillate solution in a 250-ml separatory funnel and remove the acetyleugenol with three 15-ml portions of CH2Cl2. Gently shaking the separatory funnel will fail to remove the acetyleugenol, however vigorous shaking will produce a boundary layer that is a visible organic- aqueous emulsion.Therefore, shake vigorously, and remove the lower layer up to, and not including, the emulsion. Caution -Pressure typically builds inside separatory funnel when shaken! Be sure to vent stopcock frequently while shaking! Do not vent towards yourself or any other individual! 8. Combine the CH2Cl2 extracts in a 125-ml Erlenmeyer flask and add just enough anhydrous magnesium sulfate or sodium sulfate (dryi ng agents) so that the solid no longer clumps together. Stopper the flask, and let stand 5 minutes. (Note that stopper size is printed on the flask. ) 9.Decant the organic solution into a weighed 250- or 500-ml round-bottom flask. Leave solid drying agent behind. 10. With the instructor’s assistance, evaporate the solvent with the â€Å"rotovap† to isolate the liquid acetyleugenol. Obtain product mass. Waste Disposal The used cloves can be discarded in the trash. The aqueous waste can be neutralized, and then emptied into the sink. Place used drying agent in the waste jar. Lab techs will place collected solvent from the rotovap in the waste jar as well. Recommended Reading Small Scale Syntheses, pp 25-26 (steam distillation) and 28-29 (extraction).McMurry, J. , Organic Chemistry, pg 626 in 8e, or pg 603 in 7e (phenoxides). Zubrick, J. W. , The Organic Chem Lab Survivor Manual, 6th Ed, pp 183-7 (steam dist), 196-9 (rotovap) and 321-2 (steam dist theory). www. chemfinder . com en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Clove Data To Collect Determine mass of Acetyleugenol after evaporating the solvent in the rotovap. Theoretical Yield Basis: See background section for maximum obtainable quantity. Actual Yield Basis: Report the recovered mass divided by the theoretical yield. Also report recovered mass divided by the initial mass of cloves.For the compounds isolated section, find systematic names, as well as tabulated MP’s and BP’s, for both compounds. Post-Lab Q’s 1. Why is eugenol soluble in aqueous base while acetyleugenol is not? (Hint: McMurry describes some important properties of phenols) 2. How can the eugenol be separated from the aqueous base layer? (after the acetyleugenol has been removed) 3. What properties of clove oil make it an effective remedy for a toothache? 4. How does steam distillation extract water-insoluble oils from the cloves? (Hint: What do Dalton’s Law and Raoult’s Law tell us? ) 5. How does the rotovap fun ction?

Depression

INFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE DEPRESSION JIMENA VILLEGAS SPC1017 INTRODUCTION Hook: How many of you are going through depression? Or do you have friends and/or family members who are going through depression? Thesis Statement: Today I will talk about depression. I will talk about the background, the causes of this disease, the symptoms and finally, the treatment and prevention of depression. BODY I. Background A. What is depression? 1. According to Dr. Jane Doe from www. health. yahoo. com, â€Å"Depression is a mood disorder that makes you feel sad or hopeless for a period of time†.Dr John Doe states in his article, The People Who Suffer from Depression that â€Å"Depression can have a significant impact on the enjoyment of your life, your work, your health and to the people who care about you†. Depression affects people differently. Some people feel down for a period of time and others feelings come and go. If you have short term depression you are still able to work and take care of daily activities. But if you have a long period of depression and don’t seek any kind of treatment; you are more at risk of becoming even more depressed or becoming physically ill. B.How many people are affected by depression? 1. According to the health professionals at, www. nmha. org. com â€Å"Depression has affected more than 19 million American adults each year. And yet, the non-reported sufferers of depression cannot be estimated. Depressive illness often interferes with normal functions of every day life, as well as, causing physical pain for those who suffer from depression. Serious depression can destroy family’s lives as well as the person affected. A lot of people, who are depressed, do not seek help or treatment†. II. Causes of depressionA. According to www. psychlogyinfo. com, depression is often caused by a stressful life event, illnesses, or certain drugs or medication. B. Depression can be caused by a serious loss, relationship prob lems, and work stress, family crisis, financial problems, or any unwelcome life change. III. Symptoms A. Depression is more than just the normal, temporary felling of sadness and hopelessness. It has other factors that your health care professional can help you with. B. Dr Jane Doe claims â€Å"Depression has other symptoms†. Her article on www. harvardmedical. com, provides many examples of symptoms.Here are a few from her list: a. Depressive mood. b. Not enjoying the daily activities in your life. c. Problems concentrating. d. Poor memory. e. Having trouble making decisions. f. Changes in eating habits. g. Weight gain or weight loss. h. Changes in eating habits. i. Difficulty going to work or taking care of daily responsibilities. j. Slow thoughts and speech. k. Feeling guilt and hopelessness. Wondering if life is worth living. l. Thoughts of death and suicide. IV. Treatment/Prevention A. Depression is usually treated successfully with professional counseling and/or prescri bed medication.People with depression can be treated as outpatients or in some cases a person has to be hospitalized. B. According to www. health. org. com, here are some ways to prevent you from becoming depressed. a. Try to be with other people. It’s better than being alone. b. Participate in activities that may make you feel better. c. Mild exercise. d. Going to a movie, a ballgame, or participating in religious, social, or other activities that may help. e. Most importantly let your family and friends help. CONCLUSION Today I’ve talked about depression. I’ve given you the background, causes, symptoms, and treatment options available for depression.According to the American Psychiatric Association, at least 3 in 10 people will become depressed in their lifetime. That means at least 30% of you could suffer from depression. Even though depression is a very stressful and serious disease, we should always protect ourselves from getting it. Always ask your family and friends for help. They can be the most helpful people in your life. Get treatment as soon as you can. Remember your loved ones are there for you. Don’t hesitate. Depression is a very dangerous disease that can affect your loved ones, and especially Depression Depression is not only a state of being sad, it is a disease that conquers the ability to feel emotion, whether good or bad, whatsoever. Depression not only involves the mind, it also involves the body and thoughts. Depression is not a disease that only influences males or children of the age three to eleven. Every human being is prone to depression. Although women are three times more likely to become depressed than men, men are five times more likely to commit suicide when depressed than women.Although all age groups are open to depression, teenagers are the most common to be heard of being affected by the disease. This is probably because of peer pressure and the changes in their life. One great risk for becoming depressed is if you smoke. Some scientists hold to believe that smoking may be linked to Depression. Tobacco smoke kills off an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down a nerve cell chemical that activates pleasure seeking behavior. Most experts believe a combination of family history (your genes) and stressful life events may cause depression.Genes: people whose family members have had depression are more likely to go through a depression period. Life events are a major cause of depression for example the lost of a loved one, had a baby (depression after birth), recently divorced, constant stress, substance abuse, or any other life changing event. How do you know if you are going through a depression? Well here are some symptoms: Sadness and loss of satisfaction in things once enjoyed are probably the most known symptoms. But some symptoms are sometimes overlooked. Guilt is one symptom that coincides with depression immensely.When feelings of guilt are put on a person they lose what hope they once had. They blame themselves for things that they are not accountable for and have extreme feelings of hopelessness. Other symptoms overlooked are insomnia and loss of appetite. Not getting enough sleep may be linked to stress and guilt. Feeling hopeles s, worthless or guilty. Losing energy or feeling tired all the time. Having problems concentrating, remembering, or making decisions and one of the most important symptom is thinking about death or hurting one self.Depressed individuals have shorter life expectancies  than those without depression, in part because of greater susceptibility to  medical  illnesses and suicide. There are three different types of depression. Major Depression is the most severe case of depression that there is. The symptoms for Major Depression are just like any other type of depression. To be Majorly Depressed you do not have to have been hospitalized or medicated. Lots of people get depression confused with extreme sadness. Depression is not a term just to be thrown around; it is a evere state of being. The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a  mental status examination. Typically, patients a re treated with  antidepressant medication and, in many cases, also receive  psychotherapy  or counseling, although the effectiveness of medication for mild or moderate cases is questionable. Dysthymic Depression is a low level of depression that lasts up to at least two years and in most cases longer.When one is diagnosed with Dysthymic Depression they are very resistant to treatment. Although Dysthymic Depression is not as severe as Major depression it is still very important. Dysthymics will usually undergo a Major Depression episode sometime during their dysthymic period. Bipolar Depression, also known as, Manic Depression, is yet another type of Depression. This type has very different symptoms than that of Major Depression or Dysthymia. The symptoms of Bipolar Disorder are having both very high and very low mood swings.When one has Manic Depression one day they could be extremely happy and the next in a very severe depressive mood. This change in mood can happen over hou rs or over a period of time. Sometimes depression can be avoided all together. Having a good home life and a high self-esteem would be primary for people not to be depressed. Although in some cases you are predisposition to have depression, little things do help. Talking about your problems and not bottling them up helps immensely to avoid emotional breakdowns and blowups.Avoiding extreme â€Å"stressers,† like putting yourself in a situation you cannot get out of, also helps. Avoidance of cigarettes and alcohol also helps with staying healthy and happy. Offer goodwill to others, learn to detach from thoughts, keep busy, avoid feelings of guilt, live a balanced life, don’t base your happiness solely on other people, have low expectations, don’t dwell on the negative, exercise, get a regular sleep schedule, have healthy meals, and a very important one is to talk to a rofessional like a counselor or psychologist. [pic] Facts †¢ Almost 10 percent of Americans have depression in a given year. †¢ Depression is the leading cause of disability in the U. S. for people ages 15 to 44. †¢ Depression is one of the most common and treatable mental health disorders. †¢ Major depression can occur in children, teens, and adults. †¢ Most patients who have depression can be effectively treated, and they can return to their normal activities and feelings. †¢ Depression distorts your thinking.When you are depressed, your mind can play tricks on you. †¢ Depression makes you selfish. It's very hard to think of other  people  when you're wrapped in a prickly blanket of sadness, and all you can think about is your own pain †¢ People don't choose to be depressed, but they do make a choice about how to deal with it †¢ Depression can be as hard on your loved ones as it is on you †¢ In the United States, around 3. 4% of  people  with major depression commit  suicide, and up to 60% of people who commit suicid e had depression or another mood disorder

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Assignment Strategic Plan Update Essay

Resources: Kudler’s Fine Foods within the Virtual Organizations Begin updating the 2003 strategic plan for Kudler Fine Foods or your ownorganization, with approval from your instructor. The link to the Kudler FineFoods organization may be found on your student Web site. Write a 350-word APA formatted draft of part of the strategic plan, including arevised organizational mission, vision, and values statements. Format your paper according to APA standards. General Questions – General General Questions STR 581 Week 1-6 Everything Included (All Assignments, All DQ’s) + 6 sets of Finals Version 4 Strategic Planning Implementation If you are unsure about which major to choose, use your first two years of college to take a wide variety of courses in addition to your core courses. You may find yourself interested in things you might otherwise never have considered. An eclectic course of study gives you greater insight into possible career choices. This document includes STR 581 Week 3 Assignment Strategic Plan Update Resources: Kudler’s Fine Foods within the Virtual Organizations Begin updating the 2003 strategic plan for Kudler Fine Foods or your ownorganization, with approval from your instructor. The link to the Kudler FineFoods organization may be found on your student Web site. Write a 350-word APA formatted draft of part of the strategic plan, including arevised organizational mission, vision, and values statements. Format your paper according to APA standards. General Questions – General General Questions STR 581 Week 1-6 Everything Included (All Assignments, All DQ’s) + 6 sets of Finals Version 4 Strategic Planning Implementation If you are unsure about which major to choose†¦ For downloading more tutorials visit – https://bitly.com/1wyRWoJ If you are unsure about which major to choose, use your first two years of college to take a wide variety of courses in addition to your core courses. You may find yourself interested in things you might otherwise never have considered. An eclectic course of study gives you greater insight into possible career choices. General Questions – General General Questions

Friday, September 27, 2019

Media Consolidation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media Consolidation - Essay Example This paper will discuss the 360 deal and what it means to both the artist, the recording companies, and the public at large. There are some shades of the past here. There was a time when the recording artist wrote a contract with the record company, only to receive the amount of the contract, no matter how big the artist got or how popular the song. Many of these artists died poor. Are artists headed into the same kind of contract(Hoffman, 2010). The entertainment industry will never be what it has been again, it is changed forever. In the past, the artist gave up the rights to the recordings that were made to the record industry. The artist usually got advanced royalties and the record companies paid the cost of production. This worked good for the record companies until the decline of records, now there must be some kind of transition in the business (Hoffman, 2010). There are actually two types of 360 deals out there right now. In the first case, the record company will continue to control the profit from the sale of the artist's recordings and related products but will gain a percentage funding from the artists other revenue streams. In this case, the labels non-record income from these other income streams is small and amounts to an override percentage. The labels argue in this case that what they do is driving all the other income streams as well and this percentage will allow them to drive more development for the artists (Weaver, S. 2007). The second type however, is a much bigger deal. In this, the record company participates in non-record income. They partner with the artist in profit and decision making. This might get the record companies net incomes as high as 50%. The newer artists, similar to those so many years ago would have no strength against a contract like this one. The label has all the power in this case. These artists need to be sure to have a good lawyer to negotiate these deals (Weaver, 2007). Needless to say, this is very controversial. Is this just a way for the record companies to increase revenues during a time when record sales are at their lowest The artists see it as one more attempt to see the artist as income instead of managing their business well. There is also the feeling the music becomes less important as each of the labels brands the artist in order to bring about more interest. The labels argue that this kind of a deal allows them to make more money and therefore they can take on more unknown and new artists. This says this gives them the chance to work with the artist longer and staying for the long haul. Making a decision as an artist to sign or not to sign a 360 deal has become complicated. The whole point of a 360 deal is for the record company to get a cut of the revenue streams that an artist creates. There is question here as to whether the record labels have the expertise to manage all of these kinds of revenue streams. If not, then the artist will pay the record company and someone else to manage their business. There are also decisions about percentages and how much money that actually leads to. Attorneys need to be involved to be sure that the deal that is being signed is the deal they think it is. (McDonald, 2010). There are, of course, pros and cons to every deal. Many say that the 360 deal allows a record company to spend some time and money scouting

Visual Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visual Analysis - Essay Example In light of the above, a piece of art for consideration would be the picture depicting passengers of the S.S. Pennland on deck. The picture shows that most of the persons on the ship are young women. The woman on the foreground is leaning on her arm, possibly showing her state of fatigue. Most of the other people around are having a nap, most probably enhancing the theme of fatigue throughout the journey. Moreover, they have wrapped themselves with blankets and wearing heavy clothing. Most of the people in the picture have a cap or something to cover their heads, with the exception of the woman at the forefront. Despite this, she too has covered herself well with coverings visible from her neck and extending well over her feet. This most probably gives the impression that they experienced adverse weather conditions throughout the journey and the cold was taking toll on them. Somewhere along the mid-deck of the ship, there are visible huge reels of rope, but they do not have ropes on them. This most probably translates to the fact that probably most of the ship’s sails were fully hoisted and it probably still had a long way to go. The background of the picture shows a couple of men. While some of them are looking out into the sea, an atypical man is gazing to the side from which the photo was most probably taken. These men are likely to be part of the ship’s crew. They may be on their daily routine of checking out the situation in the sea and the condition of their passengers. The presumption that they could be part of the ship’s crew relies on their general look portrays the aspect that they do not look as fatigued as the rest of the people on the deck. On the first glance of the photo, one thing that suddenly strikes is the manner in which passengers look sprawled on the deck of the ship. The manner in which they are travelling depicts that of a journey not so well planned. The deck lacks no visible seating apparatus and the passengers are generally trying to fit themselves into any comfortable spot they find. A majority of them are sitting or lying on the latch covering the under the deck partitions of the ship. This is most likely the more comfortable place on the deck. The state of the passengers on the deck show that they are completely exhausted and are longing for the ship to dock at their destination. From this, and the fact that the photo certainly dates back to the early 20th century, suffice to conclude that travelling by ship during the earlier days of sea travel was a harrowing experience that could only be endured by the strong-hearted. Cohen’s article uses seven theses on monsters to try to discern a culture depending on the monster that most aptly describes it. From this, an assortment of monsters described distinguishes each other by various features (Cohen 121). Thesis VI on the monster being a kind of desire raises the claim that the activities that do not raise levels of satisfaction or are not endorsed by society are more attracting to the cultures. That the monster arouses the desires of the body to being frightened and this is eased by the thought of relief after the harrowing experience. This raises a complication as it supposes that the body is thrilled and enjoys the effects of an experience that frightens it (Cohen 231). This despite the fact that the body actually yearns for life’

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Employment contract law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment contract law - Coursework Example 3. Mr. Tanton initially filed his complaint on September 9, 1997 before the Industrial Tribunal Chairman, sitting alone. 4. The Supreme Court held that Mr. Tanton was self-employed driver. His job was focused mainly on pick-up of newspapers and make deliveries to several addresses based on the instructions of Express and Echo Publications. In the Agreement of Services signed by Mr. Tanton, particularly, Clause 3.3, negates the existence of an employer-employee relationship due to the existence of the provision to the effect that â€Å"In the event that the he is unable or unwilling to perform the services personally as required under such agreement, he shall arrange at his own expense entirely for another suitable person to perform the services. In addition, paragraph 13 of the schedule, stated that: â€Å"In the event that the contractor provides a relief driver, the contractor must satisfy the company that such a relief driver is trained and is suitable to undertake the servicesà ¢â‚¬ . Therefore, the element of control on the part of the employer on the employee was not present since Mr. Tanton can easily find his own replacement or substitute, who shall take his place to render the service in the event that he is unable to perform his personal obligation to the employer. Hence, the fact that Mr. Tanton has the power to send his substitute means that the contract of employment does not exist, making him self-employed contractor. 5. Express and Echo Publications Ltd. is only required to retain one driver to perform the functions of pick-up newspapers and deliver them at various points in Devon on a fixed run in a particular order dictated by the company. In the case at bar, the reason for the termination of Mr. Tanton was due to redundancy. Hence, another person has already been performing the same functions done by Mr. Tanton which justified his dismissal from his position as a contractor. 6. The sources of English Law are case law or common law, and legis lation or statutory laws. In the case at bar, several cases where cited which served as precedent to justify the decision rendered by the justices, where, â€Å"a statement of law made by a judge in a case can become binding on later judges and can in this way become the law for everyone to follow, or otherwise known as the â€Å"Doctrine of Precedent† or â€Å"Doctrine of Stare Decisis†. Whether or not a particular pronouncement or precedent by a judge sitting in court when deciding a case does become binding on later judges depends on two main factors: Firstly, he has to determine what pronouncements from earlier decisions are binding and; Secondly, the judge must be able to determine whether any is relevant†. Details of common law/ case law and legislation and statutory laws can be viewed at UL Law Online website which can be viewed at . The later judge should be able to say that the case before the court is "distinguishable" from the earlier case. The applic able legislation or statutory law which is applied to derive in the decision of this case is the Employment Rights Act of 1996, particularly Section 230. The law provides a clear-cut definition of employee and contract of employment in order to justify its pronouncement that Mr. Tanton is a self-employed contractor. 7. The rationale behind the request of Mr. Tanton to demand from Express and Echo Publications Ltd. to give a written statement of particulars is to set out in written terms the terms of his employment, which defines his job

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Business Ethics - Essay Example Since they are morally responsible, there is a greater need for them to act in ethical manners than if their actions caused no harm to anybody. One example could be international trade and the food industry. Ethically speaking, a lot of food from third-world countries is problematic because it is farmed using slave or child labor, or both. So if there were a major food company like Hershey’s which bought their cocoa through unethical channels, that company would be having a very negative effect on people who were being forced to farm cocoa beans. This would be an unethical act, and one that would effect society at large as well. On the positive side, though, there are many companies who sponsor elementary schools when purchases or made, or who sponsor community-oriented events and initiatives. In this case, the organizations can be good moral agents, as well as â€Å"top corporate citizens† who have made sure that they act ethically as well as just out of a sense of what is economically good for their company (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

International Adoption Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

International Adoption - Research Paper Example ts meet across lines of disparity involving not only in the biological factor, but also race, ethnicity, nationality, cultural heritage and socio economic class. Typically in international adoption, the adoptive parents usually belong to one of the richer countries of the world where they have a tendency to adopt children from a poor mother and belonging to less privileged ethnic and racial groups of poorer countries of the world. There are many countries that serve for the US couples who are planning to adopt (Bartholet, â€Å"International Adoption†). International adoption is a phenomenon of the last half century. The trend had begun after the First World War. The horrible outcome of the war led to predictable deaths and devastation. In most of the vanquished countries, the difficulty of parentless children had become evident to the world. Again Korean War also opened up an option for United States to adopt Korean child. Recently, dissolution of the U.S.S.R. and fall of the â€Å"Iron Curtain† have resulted in inclusion of the name of Russia, China and various new countries in that list. China’s one –child problem along with its overpopulation crisis resulted in the foreign adoption of thousands of baby girls (Bartholet, â€Å"International Adoption†). The two basic reasons namely the children in need of home and larger community issues make people in favor of the international adoption. Otherwise there is huge controversy regarding this subject. Again one who is in favor of international adoption defines it in context of the social science and child development expertise which refers that children placed in the international adoptive home grow up much better than those who brought upon the street or in institutional homes. In this regards, the opponents argued that children can be better served through remaining in the same community of their origin and become fortunate to enjoy ethnic and national heritage. Again the advocates of the international adoption

Monday, September 23, 2019

Analyse Cast Away (Dir. Robert Zemeckis, 2000) in depth as an example Essay

Analyse Cast Away (Dir. Robert Zemeckis, 2000) in depth as an example of New Hollywood and examine film from industrial, formal- - Essay Example A FedEx delivery van pulls into a ranch with a big overhead iron sculpture which reads Dick and Bettram. The ranch is an island in a sea of prairie. The radio plays Elvis Pressley â€Å"Heartbreak Hotel† as the driver picks up a package stamped with a logo of two wings embraced by three halos. As the driver leaves, Elvis sings â€Å"I’m All Shook Up†; it’s not a radio, she’s an Elvis fan. The van door reopens in Russia. The package is delivered to her husband who is with another woman. The next package is delivered by a little boy to Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) who pulls a timer from the packet and continues his lecture on urgency, how time rules life. Back in Memphis, Chuck proposes marriage, actually he doesn’t, but promises to discuss it on New Years Day when he returns, to Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) in a car at the airport. He was paged at Christmas dinner for this troubleshooting trip. She has given him a family heirloom, a railroad pocket w atch used by her grandfather on the Southern Pacific, with her picture in the case. Chuck rushes to the plane. The plane crashes in the Southern Pacific. Chuck washes ashore, alone, on a small island. Chuck must learn survival skills such as building a fire, collecting edible plants, fishing and crabbing. An episode of self-help dentistry caps his early time on the island. Four years later, he is a competent provider and will survive. One day half a portable toilet shed washes up. He sees it as a sail to get past the breakers. He designs and builds a raft and awaits the changing winds and tides to escape. Finally, he is cast adrift again hoping for a sea rescue. When a freighter finds him, he is on his way to a home that no longer exists. He is dead in his home. Kelly has married and has a child. He knows he must find a new life. The Socio-Cultural Perspective of Cast Away Cast Away is set from 1995 to 1999. The coming millennium brought discussions of time or urgency versus the com pass or importance (Covey, 2004). The religious aspects of the millennium and associated doomsday scenarios concerned the populace. The man versus the machine debate gained momentum. This film addressed these pressing and timely issues. The Clock Versus the Compass (Covey, 2004) The first speech Chuck Noland gives involves the importance of time. The film opens in rural Texas, a crossroads in the middle of nothing, where time is measured in days, not seconds. An artist listens to Heartbreak Hotel, foreshadowing the sight of the husband in Moscow. Chuck is in Moscow to troubleshoot the truck delivery issues faced by FedEx. He rewards the boy delivering the package with a portable CD player and an Elvis tape; Chuck is a fan too. Chuck is explaining through an interpreter that time is a relentless master, time rules over everything, time is like fire, it can give warmth or burn. Logistics is life, more important than his asking Kelly to be his wife. Christmas is a pager at dinner and t wo minutes in a car at the airport. Scheduling dinner requires both people with calendars looking for gaps in urgent activities. Kelly and Chuck are not priorities in their own lives. Traditional Hollywood views time as a â€Å"ticking bomb†. A deadline is set, for instance, the kidnappers will call for the money by noon. The action centers on accomplishing a task by a certain time. This film reverses that trend. Time is irrelevant on that island. Survival is relevant. Then in Act III, when Chuck is exhausted and just hanging on, time becomes relevant

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Compare London and Westminster Bridge Essay Example for Free

Compare London and Westminster Bridge Essay These two poems, though written within 10 years of each other, convey very different views on London. They were both written during a time of revolution and change. Both these poems were written at the turn of the 19th century, in Georgian times, to illustrate the authors views on the City of London. At the time, the industrial revolution was underway and there was a vast growth in the population, due to medical advances and a more promiscuous culture with prostitution in the formation of new cities. There was a revolution started in France and because it was a respected country within Europe at the time, with its pioneers in architecture, gardening and thought, the French had major influence in England. Being its neighbouring country it caused ripples of change and rebellion in European thought. This affected many people in England; the poet Blake was one of them. His revolutionist ideas were conveyed in this poem, London. This was contrary to Wordsworths poem, Upon Westminster Bridge, which picked out the imagery of London and its glory, without relating that the frivolous consummations of the monarchy and the church, created a vast gap between the rich and the poor, which Blake picked up on. Wordsworth was most probably ignorant of the fact that the mass of the English population in London was poor, because he was a tourist in the city. Or he could have realised the fact yet looked past it deciding that it would make a better poem to elaborate on Londons splendour. The poem also, seems vastly over the top and many people may just take the poem at its face value and dislike it, but Wordsworths poem describes London as glittering in the smokeless air and having a calming aura. These statements, I think might be sarcastic. At the time it was written, the Industrial revolution was happening and the chimneys of most factories would be blurting smoke for most hours of the day, and even if they had stopped over night the remnants of months of coal burning would not dissipate within 8 hours. Also to describe London as calming is a little far fetched. London is the heart of the United Kingdom, a port and an important centre of commerce. It is near impossible for us to imagine it as calm even in The beauty of the morning; Wordsworths most famous works are dedicated to the beauty of the awe-inspiring lake district, so it is not hard to imagine he could have been shocked and repulsed by London. Upon Westminster Bridge sets off on the word Earth this could mean that London was the centre of the commercial world, and that at the same time was the best place on Earth to be. This could be another example of sarcasm due to London being half-built during the revolution. Its face meaning though is to start the poem off as a harmony of nature and architecture. The first line shows Wordsworths typical naturalistic view upon the city, as he relates with many of his other poems. He was an early romantic poet; he admired nature and natural form, his extreme idyllic view on London could be seen as sarcastic or ignorant. The second line is monosyllabic yet that doesnt have any relevant dynamic effect on the style of the poem. Dull is the first word that goes against the happier grain of the poem. It relates a feeling of miserableness and boredom, and could be seen to insult the reader that doesnt agree with his poem, as he would have a dull, soul, and an unopened, insensitive mind. This could be a reason why many take the poem on face value, because no one would want a dull soul as the poem suggests. The end of the line uses enjambment to connect the second line to the third. This line creates imagery; the word sight implies our soul would be touched by London. Majesty is a powerful word, exaggerating the overall romantic theme of the poem and an overview of England as a powerful and unique nation with high status in the world. Line 4 uses a simile and personification to make the city seem as one single body, wearing the beauty of the morning, possibly as a disguise to cover the corrupt people it houses. Wordsworth is viewing the city in the morning, when the city would be very quiet and peaceful. Wordsworth was also standing on Westminster Bridge; from which he had a higher, isolated view over the scene of London. At dawn, London would be showered with the golden light of the sun, the river would appear to gleam and the un-crowded streets would be filled with crisp air. The ground would be covered with dew, all idealistically perfect compared to the reality that within one hour of his view, the streets would awake and the whole scene would change. Blake had a completely different viewpoint on London, his first line opens with a romantic wander through the chartered streets, this is a contrast, he himself whilst romantic and free thinking, is in a city governed by rules, entrapments and corruption. He then repeats this idea in the next line with the chartering of the themes, contrary to Wordsworths gliding river, this implies that London is overpowering nature. He then alliterates marks 3 times to give an exaggeration of the theme of suffering. Every from the 3rd line is then repeated in the second stanza to generalise everyone as saddened, depressed and constricted. Blakes poem is different to Wordsworths in its entirety. Blake is describing from a low viewpoint, in the streets between the dirty houses, at about 10:30 at night, with a serious, constricted and darkened theme. Wordsworths is from a higher viewpoint on the bridge, at about 5:30 in the morning with not many people about with a happy, elated theme. The techniques, each use to create these effects are also different, Wordsworth uses a typical romantic style sonnet, and both Poems use their structure to emphasise the words in them. William Blakes London is written in four, four line stanzas. Each line of each verse has the same number of syllables; this creates a regimented, almost mechanical effect. It uses alternate line rhyming to make the poem sound regular and accentuates the last word of each line. Each verse of the Blake poem attacks a different aspect of London. It is clear that Blake found London a very corrupt and immoral place. Whereas in contrast Wordsworths poem is written in the form of an Italian sonnet the octave of which describes the man made elements of the city, the last sextet refers to natural beauty. This poem also uses alternate line rhyming to create the effect of order. It is written in prose using iambic pentameter. This device brings attention to emphasise the meaning of the rhyming words. William Blakes poem conveys his feelings in a more abstract style, when he uses the people and buildings of London to represent the institutions which they are associated with. He uses the image of a church to criticise religious establishments and a palace to signify the state, and authorities that control it. He gives the image of the soldiers sigh running in blood down palace walls. Here he is attacking the monarchy and government for condemning young men to death by sending them off to fight in foreign wars. He uses hyperbole to criticise London and the sadness and malice of the people who live there. Blakes London brutally painted is a dark, dirty, disease ridden and deprived place Unlike the Wordsworth poem it leaves you in no doubt as to the authors feelings on the subject. In the last verse of Blakes, it gives us his time scale; midnight, and he shows us the corruption of innocence, with youthful harlots. The last stanza accentuates the uncleanness of the area, how London was plagued with diseases and how life in the slums of the city is very short. It may be an example of the typical life of people in London. With children being the product of prostitution and sexual promiscuity, the children are then raised in a poor, unhygienic even uneducated area then marry and die due to blights and diseases. Marriage is supposed to be a happy occasion, but here it shows to be an institution, which carries people to their deathbeds. This may be due to sexually transmitted diseases, which were ravaging through the population at the time. Blakes entire poem is blunt and to the point, describing what was going on and that he was unhappy about it and the fact that people were ignoring it. Wordsworths poem is far less melodramatic than Blakes, it is a snapshot in time of London in the morning, with no look at the types of people who live there, or of their pasts and futures. Blakes overall poem display a message of sadness and disgust towards London, its monarchy and the authorities housed there. I think that the style of Wordsworth is very ineffective at relating his like for London as it seems to almost be sucking up to Londons builders and rulers and so it does not provoke strong feelings or thoughts. Even if the reader acknowledges there is sarcasm in the style, it still does not show accurately the problems of London or that anything should be done about it. Blakes poem on the other hand is very effective at relating his own feelings towards the city, and of provoking our own so that we are appalled by the conditions and mistreatment people were forced to live with at the time he wrote this. I prefer Blakes poem because the atmosphere he builds, through his phrases and his technique, is far more powerful than the atmosphere Wordsworth attempted to make. It is far more descriptive and flows more poetically than Wordsworths and I believe he was overall a better writer.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Differences Between Pediatric and Adult Patients

Differences Between Pediatric and Adult Patients Sabrija Cerimovic Introduction The primary focus of this essay will be based upon the unique anatomical and physiological differences between a pediatric patient and an adult one, and how these differences may affect the treatment and/or presentation of a child in a pre-hospital environment. Furthermore, this essay will include and explore how these differences can affect the A-E assessment most importantly the underlying airway and breathing differences. Although one may think that treating a child is the as treating a grown adult, it is not. They differ in weight, shape, anatomical size and major bodily systems such as cardiovascular and respiratory. Similarly another aspect to consider is that children are often psychologically different to adults in many ways. For example, in interpreting pain; all which play a critical part in providing the best care for the patient. One of the biggest priorities and challenges when it comes to treatment as a paramedic is being able to maintain and control the airway of the individual regardless if its pediatrics or not, due to the anatomical challenges that are more prevalent in pediatric patients. Therefore, it is essential to understand and recognize these differences as they will have a direct impact towards the treatment/management of the patient. Respiratory failure is a frequent cause of cardiac arrest in children, regardless if it’s pre-hospital or not, consequently being able to r ecognize early respiratory compromise from airway obstruction is critical to prevent respiratory failure thus reducing the chance of cardiac arrest. The goal of airway management is to predict and recognize potential respiratory compromise and to provide support and stabilization of the airway in a timely manner. (Derek, 2007) Young infants/children have a relatively large occiput (back of skull); which when lying supine on a flat surface results in neck flexion and potential airway obstruction. Even a small degree of obstruction can significantly affect the pediatric patient’s oxygenation and ventilation (Seid, 2012). Along with this, neonates naturally breathe through their nose for the first 6 months, thus their narrow nasal passages are easily blocked by secretions or congestion and can be damaged by treatment methods such as a nasogastric tube (Macfarlane). Furthermore, pediatric patients have a smaller internal diameter when it comes to the upper and lower airways which in return predispose children to have a higher airway resistance. An example of this is described by Ponselle’s law where it is explained that if the radius is decreased by half the resistance is increased by sixteen times, this in its self is an example of how delicate the pediatric airway/breathing system is, where mild airway obstruction or even inflammation can present moderate or severe respiratory distress. (Weathers, 2010) Infants are largely reliant on a functional diaphragm for proper ventilation as opposed to the accessory muscles compared to adults which depend more on accessory muscles than infants. Therefore, a non-functional diaphragm often leads to respiratory failure.Additionally, the probability of respiratory difficulties in infants and younger children can be attributed due to infants having a relatively lower percentage of type 1 muscle fibers or slow-twitch skeletal muscle in their intercostal muscles and diaphragm; these fibers are much more unlikely to fatigue. (Santillanes, 2008) The position of the larynx can play a vital role of visualization of the airway, compared to the larynx of an adult which sits between 6th -7th cervical cerebrate. A young child’s larynx sits higher than an adults around the 2nd–3rd cervical veritable, making intubation much more difficult compared to an adult. (Adewale, 2010) Breathing differences not only vary between adults and young children but can vary greatly between different age groups of children. This is presented by the following example where the breathing rate for an infant of 1-3 years old can be between 30 to 60 breaths per minute compared to an adolescence teenager who has a breathing rate close to adult’s 12-16 breaths per minute (Anatomical and Physiological Differences in Children, 2012). Furthermore children have a much higher metabolic rate compared to adults, by body surface area children have much higher oxygen consumption in relation to their body size which can result in rapid hypoxia if respiratory distress is present. Pediatric patients breathing can account for up to 40% of the cardiac output, particularly in stressed conditions (Kache, 2013). Along with this smaller children are also at risk of developing acute hypoglycemia due to their livers being unable to store glycogen and usually have a reduced supply of glucose, coupled with the fact that the metabolic rate is typically higher in children puts the children in a much higher risk of hypoglycemic. Compared to adults and older children, infants produce approximately twice as much carbon dioxide and consume twice the amount of oxygen relative to body weight.(Davey, 2012) In some situations the simplest factors can be over looked if you are not aware of the differences between adults and pediatrics. For exa mple, pediatrics patients can develop hypothermia much easier compared to their adult counterparts due to pediatric bodies having a surface area to volume ratio four times higher than adults and only one and a half times heat production compared to adults. This difference in ratio can leave children much more predisposed to hypothermia. Pediatric patients may have not fully developed the muscular system to deal with this drop in temperature, such as having the ability to shiver or vasoconstriction which is essential to produce muscular heat in such a situation. Furthermore children have smaller amounts of adipose tissue stored which is essential for insulation which results in the core body temperature dropping further.Interesting anatomical difference in children is that the head is comparably larger than the rest of the body and tend to balance out around the type of adolescence; this in return causes an unbalanced weight distribution between the body and the head, which can cause the head to act as a projectile and due to the larger head its prone to head larger head loss (Pediatric Assesment, 2012). Conclusion When it comes to the presentation of a pediatric patient in comparison to an adult patient, it is essential to be able to differ between the two. Although more can be said about the anatomical and physiological differences and how these affect further treatment, it is quite clear from a paramedic point of view that just from the airway and breathing aspect that pediatric patients are not like miniature adults. References Anatomical and Physiological Differences in Children. (2012). Retrieved 4 1, 2014, from Emergency Medical Paramedic: http://www.emergencymedicalparamedic.com/anatomical-and-physiological-differences-in-children/ Pediatric Assesment. (2012). Retrieved March 30, 2014, from Long Beach Regional Fire Training Center: http://www.lbfdtraining.com/Pages/emt/sectiond/pediatricassessment.html Adewale, D. L. (2010). Anatomical Considerations of the Paedatircs Airway. Retrieved 4 1, 2014, from Europian Society for PAediatric Anaesthesiolgy: http://www.euroespa.org/klant_uploads/berlinlectures/ANATOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAEDIATRIC AIRWAY.pdf Davey, A. J. (2012). Wards Anaesthetic Equipment. Elsevier. Derek, S. (2007). Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: Basic Science And Clinical Evidence. Springer. Kache, S. (2013). Pediatric Airway Respiratory Physiology. Retrieved 3 28, 2014, from Standford School of Medicine: http://peds.stanford.edu/Rotations/picu/pdfs/10_Peds_Airway.pdf Krost, W. (2006). Beyond the Basics: Pediatric Assessment. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from EMS World: http://www.emsworld.com/article/10322897/beyond-the-basics-pediatric-assessment?page=2 Macfarlane, F. (n.d.). Paediatric Anatomy and PHysiology and the Basic of Paediatic Anaesthesia. Retrieved 4 1, 2014, from Anaesthesia UK: http://www.anaesthesiauk.com/documents/paedsphysiol.pdf Santillanes, G. (2008). Pediatric Airway Managment. Retrieved 4 1, 2014, from Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics,: http://blog.utp.edu.co/maternoinfantil/files/2010/08/V%C3%ADa-a%C3%A9rea-en-pediatr%C3%ADa.pdf Seid, T. (2012). Pre–hospital care of pediatric patients with trauma. International Journal of Critical Illness and Injury Science, 1-2. Weathers, E. (2010). The Anatomy of the Pediactic Airway. Retrieved 4 1, 2014, from Respiratory Care Educational Consulting Service, Inc: http://www.rcecs.com/MyCE/PDFDocs/course/V7110.pdf

Friday, September 20, 2019

An Introduction to the airline industry

An Introduction to the airline industry The airline industry is a very competitive market, in the past 2 decades the industry have expanded and still expanding its routes domestic and globally in the beginning airline industry was partly government owned but in the recent years many privatization with airline industry have taken place. D E L A G (Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Akiengesellschaft ) the first worlds first airline which was on the 16 November 1909 this airline was started mainly with the government owned/assistance this airship manufacturers were the Zeppelin Corporation and their head quarters was in Frankfurt. The two Americans named Rufus and Marriott tried to start the Americas first airline but the attempts were failed due to the airline catching fire. The five airline which was first started still exist these airlines are the oldest ones. KLM its the Netherlands owned, Avianca airlines owned by the Columbia. Qantas is Australians, Czech Airlines operated by the Czech Republic, Mexican Airlines by the Mexico. A fter the world wars there was some inventions have been made and the demand for new planes the designs and the techniques have greatly constructed and soon after the world wars the air rout throughout the Europe have been set up since the past 15 years the airline route have became a baggiest necessity of both business and common peoples that it is hard to live without the air travel the main pros for the Air travel is it reduces time and making the peoples to visit world in the affordable time. The airline industry can be categorized into four different and main Operations International: This service take more than130 passengers and have them and can take anywhere in the world. In this category the business have its revenue for at least $ 1bn. National: In this category it can take the passengers up to 150 and the business have its revenue for from $100 m $1bn Regional: The small companies which mainly focus on the flights with quick halts and the revenue of this business is less than $ 100 m. Cargo: The main focus of these airlines is to carry goods. Emirates (airline) introduction and its growth: Emirates airline is the major airline of the UAE and it is the subsidiary of the Emirates group it is also the national airline of the UAE (Dubai) its major operations is from the Dubai International Airport. It was founded in the year 25th October 1985 The Hub of the Emirates airlines operates its services to the ninety six (96) destinations and about 56 countries and covering around 6 continents. The company also operates the worlds longest flights to New York, los angles and other two states in Unites States of America including Houston (Texas) the cargo services of this airline is operated by the Emirates Cargo services Division at present the Emirates group has more than 40,000 Employees Employed and it is the one of the top 10 world class airlines in the world. Emirates group as a new and young company faces problems back in 1980s when the gulf airways cut down its flights to Dubai the rescue of help from the Dubai royal family invested $10 million in order to begin, the head of the airlines was sheikh Ahmad Bin Saeed al Makhtoom and he is also the present chairman since then the airlines have made its growth in the fleet and also have expanded its destinations. Emirates Airlines Growth and Incorporation: Emirates group have made tremendous efforts to grow since 1990, research shows that Emirates is one of the fastest growing airline in the world since the Emirates group have made partnership with AA (American Airlines) in 1994 it started providing the world class service to the passengers throughout the world soon after the partnership Emirates revenue turned to $634 M in the end of 2004, then after the airlines ordered 7 new Boeing 777 in 1996 costs about $1 Billion. In May 1998 Emirates enter into the agreement with Sri Lankan Air Lines to manage the airlines for 10 year In the year 2008 Emirates launched its nonstop flight to New York. In the year 2010 Emirates group have launched its flights to many new destinations in UK, Paris, Bangkok, Australia, and Saudi Arabia Do you agree with performance linked reward system? Summarize the recent trends of reward system in your organization or the organization you have chosen. Discuss its impact on productivity in your organization Performance linked reward system: The most important way to impress employees is only by reward to share the profits and allow them incentives by paying them bonuses the theory of reward system says that this is the way the employees will share in your dream when you fulfill their dream. The mechanism of this system can make this possible. The reward system is not just paying the bonuses and letting employees shares in the stock options. It is more likely to do with promotions, benefits and other incentives which can motivate employees unfortunately many companies do not offer this which leads to the failure of their organization so all the employers and I should agree with the reward system to sustain in the market with the competitors. (Donna Dee prose P: 33) The basic principle of reward system is that, you get what you reward the Employees. The main principle of management is things are done quickly if you reward the Employees, they shows positive attitude towards their works and their behavior changes if you reward them for their work. If you set a certain target for the employees and when they achieve it reward them immediately failure to do so will affect the results in the future and never hold behind the employees rewards. Therefore the main principle of motivation is by providing rewards and every organization should agree with this system for a successful organization. Benefits in working with airline industry (Emirates): Individuals interested in finding a job which can provide a good career prospects which will provide the option to travel the entire world and enjoying all the benefits as a part of the Emirates group then its hard to find the better industry than airlines and specially working for the Emirates one of the worlds best flight. There are number of benefits packages for the employees and career development programmers the group provides. In the further studies about the airline industry in the Unites States Of America there are nearly 100 airlines and 500,000 peoples are employed by them many of the positions provide excellent benefit packages, Emirates as world class airlines travels to providing services in 56 countries and expected to be added more in 2010 creates more job opportunities than the USA and runs a great reward system. Emirates Group: Emirates Group as a world class airline provides a very wide range generous benefits to the permanent employees who are employed globally. The group follows a detailed research and analysis on compensation and benefits policies by doing so the group can retain the top talented employees. This case study provides the understanding of the total benefits working for the Emirates, the reward system the company includes the cash and non cash elements. The Summary explains the basic elements of the Emirates group reward for the employees, this explanation for the compensation and reward system provides the information for the candidates working for the emirates group depending on what are their role and the unique skills and personality. The Najm award scheme is the reward and recognition program me of the Emirates Group. The Najm (Star in Arabic) recognizes, motivates and awards employees that either display exceptional behavioral competencies (going the extra mile) or identifies organizational improvements (enhanced safety, reduced cost or improved revenue) Cash elements rewards in emirates group Competitive salary and progression through salary range Emirates employees enjoy the competitive salary into cash; depending on the country they like E.g. The employees working in Dubai and K.S.A enjoy the tax free salary per month and rest all countries pays the normal tax depending on their countys legislations. Salaries are paid depending on their role and knowledge and specialization that the candidate can input into the role, the group carries a research with the relevant businesses and reviews on regular basis in order to remain competitive in providing the rewards to their employees. Employees receives the increase in salary range by the company when the responsibilities have been increased it is provided to keep employees motivates as money is a biggest motivator and used to divert route of employees to a desirable direction. Allowances The Group provides the accommodation for their employees or they give out the allowances for accommodation and it also provides the transport allowance or transport. The candidates in specific roles are only eligible for this role. Profit share schemes The company runs the profit share schemes to the employees depending on the financial statements of the group. Protection in exchange rate scheme The employees who works in the UAE their 50% of the salary is protected against adverse exchange rate towards dirham and your currency classification Professional allowance For the employees who possess the specialization skills company runs the scheme of recognizing their talents. Non Cash elements rewards in Emirates Group Annual leave The company provides 30 days of the annual leave excluding the public holidays. The annual leave will increase depending on the length of service. Gratuity/pension schemes Company runs a gratuity/pension schemes depending of the labor law rules and regulations of the country they work/ live in. For example in UK, if an employee signs up for the pensions Schemes Company deducts certain amount and pays monthly pension after the retirement age. The UAE labor law the employees are provided a gratuity on the end of service. This type of service is available to the candidates depending of the conditions like of employment and circumstances. Free holiday tickets Free holidays tickets are provided to the employees and their dependants/family for the destinations of their holiday and also runs schemes that employees can buy a ticket for the families and friends on the discounted fare. Education allowances Company provides financial support for their employees towards their tuition fees for the employees who are on senior positions to train them to requisite job skills besides these childrens of employees are allowed to claim the education allowance for the time of entire time of service. Insurance Insurances like Medical, Dental, life and Accident are provided to the employees throughout the length of service they are with the company. Provident funds On leaving the company employees are provided the provident fund that they have been saving throughout the service company decides either to pay the Gratuity or provident fund whichever is the higher the provident fund is like the long time savings of an employee with the company employee have to contribute 5% and company inputs 12% of the basic salary. Emirates card Emirates employees enjoy the privilege of being an emirates employee they can enjoys the benefits throughout the 1000s of outlets of the emirates group in UK and around the world. . Additional reward system in Emirates Group    Recognition reward from supervisors Employees with emirates enjoys the rewards from the supervisors when they feel the value of the candidate that they are performing consistently this the simple way to say thanks by words or by writing a thanks giving letter or by providing them an appraisal.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

My Life Beyond the Pale Essay -- Personal Narrative essay about myself

My Life Beyond the Pale "Beyond the pale" was a phrase first used by the English Crown of the 1300's to describe the Irish countryside outside of Dublin's borders, i.e., English control. Even before then, and since, the Irish have continually struggled to define for themselves a cohesive national identity outside of that which was determined for them by colonists, or perhaps nowadays, tourists like myself. Therefore, a cautionary note: this brief essay contains no deep, penetrating insights into the Irish psyche, no judgments as to the wisdom of constitutionalized Catholicism, World War II isolationism, or the perpetuation of Yeats-ish, green-rolling, fairy-mounded myths. Irish identity cannot, I believe, be found at the bottom of any foam-ringed pint, nor may it be found in the all-too-commonly-evoked literary trinity of abusive father, alcoholic mother, and tuberculosis-inclined child. And despite the insistence of economists, both Irish and otherwise, it will not be found in the workings of a booming "Ce ltic Tiger" economy, with the (albeit historical) shift from a country of emigration to one of immigration. Ireland has found its current definition under the auspicious flag of the Tourist Industry, a change that would likely make Yeats shudder, as his oft-valorized four green fields are first leveled, paved, and finally given new shape as the grounds for a shopping mall. South of the Lif... ... boat ride, and I noticed an Italian couple sitting nearby, both neatly dressed, with lovely leather sandals and gold jewelry. At fast I wondered what they saw in their surroundings. They appeared quite comfortable. I looked around again. There was a certain beauty in the mix of rust and faded paint, the apparent lack of function, an atmosphere beyond something, if not the Pale itself. The feeling of exile that occurs as a result of traveling abroad is a unique form, self-imposed and wary of cliches. Remember that James Joyce was only able to write "The Dead" after leaving Dublin. Though I may not have returned with a brilliant novella of my own, this new sense of wonderment is, I believe, a nearly even trade.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Characteristics of an Exceptional Manager :: MBA College Admissions Essays

Characteristics of an Exceptional Manager    Describe the characteristics of an exceptional manager. Illustrate how his or her management style has influenced you.    In management consulting, strong analytical skills are valued as much as, if not more than, effective managerial and leadership skills. Unfortunately, for some consultants, these characteristics, at times, are mutually exclusive. I was fortunate, however, to work with [name] on my first major project at [consulting firm]. As my project-manager, he demonstrated a superior combination of leadership, managerial, and communication skills. As a result of our interaction, I learned several important lessons and tools that I used on subsequent projects to improve my effectiveness as a team leader.    To begin, [name] is a true leader who exhibits courage and dedication. A powerful trait rarely found in the realm of business, courage is unique in its ability to unify and motivate people. Moreover, his courage is balanced appropriately with professionalism, strong values, and humility. He is sensitive to others' feelings and recognizes that different people require different types of direction and treatment. Although he often works with diverse and difficult groups, he always seems able to reach consensus and create a shared vision and purpose. Furthermore, he excels at establishing priorities and proactively setting direction.    As an effective manager, [name] also is able to translate his broad direction into discrete, tangible tasks. Since consultants often use difficult or creative analytical approaches, clearly articulating tasks and defining outputs is very important. In addition, he exercises the appropriate level of supervision. Rather than micro-managing his team members, [name] establishes clear accountabilities and expectations and pushes work down to the correct level. As a result, he creates a strong sense of ownership and leverages the skills of his team members. Furthermore, he excels at creating a supportive environment and, when necessary, coaching team members to help them develop new skills.    Finally, [name] is a masterful communicator. He is the only project manager I have had who gave me consistent and constructive feedback, importantly, both positive and negative. Such feedback not only provides clear developmental objectives, but also signals to others that he values their contributions. This type of balanced and open communication quickly forms the foundation of mutual trust and respect. Furthermore, [name] excels in the art of negotiation and debate. He states his points with remarkable precision and is expert at remaining objective and recognizing all sides of an argument.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Concept of Globalisation

Concept of Globalization Globalization means different things to different people. The three important perspectives of globalization are as follows: †¢ To a business executive, globalization refers to a strategy of crossing national boundaries through globalized production and marketing networks. †¢ To an economist, globalization refers to an economic interdependence between countries covering increased trade, technology, labor, and capital flows. †¢ To a political scientist, globalization refers to an integration of a global community in terms of ideas, norms, and values. Because of these differences in perspectives, globalization has been defined in many different ways. The following are the widely used definitions of globalization: †¢ â€Å"Globalization is a free movement of goods, services, people, capital, and information across national boundaries. † †¢ â€Å"Globalization is a process by which an activity or undertaking becomes worldwide in scope. † †¢ â€Å"Globalization is a process of integration of the world as one market. † Form these definitions; it is clear that globalization leads to an integrated global economy. The process of globalization ultimately converts the huge globe into a small global village. Forms of Globalization Globalization is a multi-dimensional process. It has four important dimensions: economic, cultural, political, and environmental. The process of globalization is now influencing these aspects of an economy. A brief description of these forms of globalization is as follows: ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION: Economic influence is the most obvious part of globalization. Economic globalization is contributed by liberalization, deregulation, privatization, and declining costs of the markets in goods, services, capital, trade, and finance. Economic globalization has speeded up in the recent past. A free-trade doctrine removes the barriers to the flow of goods between countries. The formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has given impetus to this process. Multinational companies are another force to boost up economic globalization. CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION: Different countries have different sets of national beliefs, values and norms. The expanding process of globalization has brought these cultural diversities together to form a global culture. Advances in communications, television networks, transportation technology have been reducing the barriers of distance and culture. Over the last several years, global communications have been revolutionized by developments in satellites, digital switching, and optical fiber telephone lines. As a result of such developments, reliable system of commercial jet travel has reduced the time it takes to get from one location to another. This has tremendous impact on the flow of tourists across the globe. Television programmers have made people aware of other cultures and languages. These have reduced the cultural distance between countries. The process of globalization has increased mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence, and learning from each other's experiences. POLITICAL GLOBALIZATION: Nations today are more inter-dependent. They are joining hands to participate in creating macro-political framework for development. There are exchanges of views and experiences between nations regarding the establishment of good governance system, legal system, human rights, free media, property rights, decentralized pattern of governance, relatively free access to state information, and so on. The regional grouping of nations has promoted the integration further and created pressure for democracy and human rights. Because of these global influences, the political system worldwide made a shift away from command and mixed economies to the free-market model. ENVIRONMETAL GLOBALIZATION: The globe today is facing unprecedented problems of global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, acute loss of bio-diversity, and trans-border pollution. In fact, ecological problems like floods, soil erosion, water pollution, air pollution, acid rain, and global warming cross national borders without hindrance. To prevent any further degradation of global ecology, the world community is actively engaged in preventing the growing problem of environment. Today, world attention has been drawn toward conservation of environment, harnessing water resources, and judicious use of non-renewable resource. The world community is, therefore, trying to encourage countries to understand these global environment issues and adopt legal and other measures to protect the environment. Nature of Globalization Globalization promotes international business. The international business is composed of four main categories: (i) world trade, (ii) portfolio investment (iii) direct investment, and (iv) multinational enterprises. A brief description of international business is given below: WORLD TRADE: The oldest form of international business is trading of merchandise. Consumers in one country buy goods, which are produced in another country. This is a common phenomenon. Most of the world trade today is among the industrialized countries. World trade is mostly made up of manufactured goods. The service trade has also been rapidly increasing during recent years. Export business is beneficial for a country not only in terms of trade, but also because it creates export-related jobs. With the growing integration of the world economy, world trade would also increase. In fact, expansion of world trade itself has been made easier by two things. Firstly, technological changes in transport, global network of banking and insurance, and information flows have made it possible to undertake world trade more quickly. Secondly, a number of international and regional agreements or arrangements have been established to promote and coordinate world trade. PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT: International portfolio investment is also known as indirect foreign investment. Portfolio investment is the second main type of globalization. It is the purchase of foreign securities in the form of stocks, bonds, or commercial papers to obtain a return on that investment in the form of dividends, interests, or capital gains. Acquiring foreign stocks and bonds does not confer managerial control of a foreign enterprise on the buyer. Rather, the international portfolio investor is a creditor whose main concern is a decent return on his or her investment. Therefore, the capital flow is greatly affected by relative interest rates and strong currency values, which result in high return for the investors. FOREIGN DERECT INVESTMENT: Foreign direct investment (FDI) is the long-term capital investment. It involves acquisitions by domestic firms of foreign-based factories or any other types of business firms. The investor, thus, enjoys managerial control over the assets of the acquired firm. Direct investment may be financed in a number of ways other than through capital movements. Foreign investments may be financed by borrowing locally, by reinvesting foreign earnings, by the sale to foreign affiliate of non-financial assets such as technology, or through funds generated by licensing fees and payments for management services to the parent company. MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES: FDI is an important vehicle for the birth and growth of multinational companies. A multinational company encompasses both domestic and overseas operations. It is called multinational because it operates across national boundaries. However, its focus is on foreign markets. A multinational company, thus, has all the components of the definition of globalization and international business discussed above. Being multinational in scope and activity, such firms also encounter wide-ranging socio-cultural, political, and legal problems while operating in many different countries. Methods of Globalization There are a number of methods for globalization of business. In each method, there is a choice of strategies to follow. These strategies are sometimes referred to as â€Å"foreign market entry strategies†. If the international business strategy is to be successful, a business firm must carefully analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different entry methods before deciding on its approaches. A brief account of some of the methods of globalization is as follows: EXPORTING: The most widely used and common method of doing business internationally is exporting. A direct export operation is a direct sale by a manufacturer to an overseas customer. Indirect exporting involves selling through an intermediary. Exporting is preferable when the cost of production in the home country is substantially lower than producing goods in foreign markets. Therefore, business firms having cost advantage would like to export their products to foreign markets instead of investing in production facilities there. Exporting is, thus, the first stage in the evolution of international business. Exporting is the best alternative under a given set of conditions. It is the least complex global operations. However, there are some factors, which make exporting less attractive than other alternatives. For example, policies of some governments discriminate against import. In some cases, imports are even banned. There may also be hostility against imports. In these situations, exporting strategy may not be effective. LICENSIG AND FRANCHINSG: Licensing and franchising are important entry and expansion methods. Through these methods, the companies can expand their business. Earnings come to the company through fees and royalties. Today, many western companies have been extensively using licensing and franchising practices. One of the growing trends in international business today has been trademark licensing. This has become a substantial source of worldwide revenue. Licensing offers rapid entry into a foreign market. Under international licensing, a business firm can contractually assign the rights to certain technical know-how, design, intellectual property to a foreign company in return for royalty. In many countries, law regulates such fees or royalties. At times, a licensing agreement may be of cross-licensing type wherein there is mutual exchange of knowledge and patents. In a cross-licensing arrangement, a cash payment may or may not be involved. The advantage of licensing is that the licenser does not have to bear the development costs associated with opening up in a foreign country. The licensee bears the costs. Franchising is a form of licensing in which a parent company (the franchiser) grants another independent entity (the franchise) the right to do business in a prescribed manner. The franchisee buys an established marketing package without the risks of product acceptance, market testing, etc. The franchiser gets foreign market entry at minimum cost, plus a local ntrepreneur. The privilege may be the right to sell the parent company's product, to use its name, to adopt its methods, or to copy its symbols, trademarks and architecture. One of the common forms of franchising involves the franchiser supplying some ingredients for finished products, like coca-cola supplying the syrup to the bottlers. Hilton Hotels might sell a franchise to a local company in Nepal to operate hotels under the Hilton name. FULLY OWNED MANUFACTURING FACILITIES: Bigger corporations establish their own factories abroad. This strategy has some advantages. The corporation owning the factory has full control over production and quality. There is also no risk of developing potential competitors as in the case of licensing and contract manufacturing. However, there may be some problems while operating in a foreign country. The government may impose restrictions on the use of desired technology. Similarly, constraints such as lack of skilled manpower, infrastructural facilities, production bottlenecks, raw material supply etc. may also be encountered. Above all, the corporation may have to invest a lot in terms of financial and managerial resources to operate the plant in its fullest capacity. JOINT VENTURES A joint venture is a partnership in which the domestic firm and the foreign firm negotiates tie up involving one or more of the the following:equity,transfer of technology,investment,production and marketing. The arrangement defines responsibility for performance,accountability and powersharing. MERGER AND ACQUISITION The most extensive form of participation in global market is 100% ownership,which may be achieved by start up,merger or acquisition STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Various terms are used to describe the linkage between firms to jointly pursue a common goal,such as collaborative agreements,strategic alliance and global strategic partnership. EFFECT OF GLOBALISATION Increasing globalization has many effect and consequences on an indivisual business firm as well as the national economy. These effect are both positive as well as negative. We can identity some 5 major effects of Globalisation Liberalized International Trade Import Penetration Foreign Direct Investment Multinational Companies Competitive Environment

Monday, September 16, 2019

Music: the Medicine of the Mind

Music can have effects on the human brain that are hard to exaggerate. For instance, a mere snippet of song can trigger one’s memories so vividly. A tune can induce emotions ranging from unabashed joy to deep sorrow and can drive listeners into states of patriotic fervour or religious frenzy–to say nothing of its legendary ability to soothe the savage beast. The study of how music affects the mind and the interconnection between music and the physical and mental health of human beings has been a subject of interest for many.Music is known to speed the recovery of health ailments and has a calming effect on the mind. Music helps fight anxiety and has a soothing effect on the brain. Music may affect the brain/mind by increasing creativity and problem solving skills; concentration and memory; and speeding up healing. Music increases creativity and problem-solving skills. Music enhances creativity, by positively impacting the right side of the brain where most of oneâ€℠¢s creative thought is situated and triggering brain centres which deal with enhancing creativity.For example, according to the article â€Å"Healing by Music Therapy – Ragas† From the online magazine: ‘Akhand Jyoti’, certain ragas (A pattern of notes in Indian music that have characteristic intervals, rhythms, and embellishments, used as a basis for improvisation) activate the chakras of the body, thus giving the individual an added advantage in other creative tasks. Additionally, music increases spatial and abstract reasoning skills required in tackling problems, solving puzzles and decision-making.Moreover, according to Eric H. Chudler, Ph. D. , a lecturer at the Washington University Faculty of Music, â€Å"the brain responds to the â€Å"Mozart Effect†; listening to classical music for a period of 10 minutes appears to increase your creative abilities. † Therefore, listening to Mozart's music positively affects the spatial-temporal reaso ning, simply put; it ‘makes one smarter’. Furthermore, music increases concentration levels and improves memory.According to the online article â€Å"The Brain on Music† by the neurologist Dr. Ellen Weber; â€Å"Classical music, such as Haydn and Mozart, often improves concentration and memory when played in the background. † Hence, music helps increase your concentration levels a great deal. In addition, music has a calming effect on the mind, so, the calmer the mind, the easier it is to focus and concentrate. Additionally, music has been found to increase memory levels of Alzheimer's and dementia patients.The silence between two musical notes triggers brain cells which are responsible for the development of sharp memory. Flute music, and instruments like the santoor and sarod are recommended for the enhancement of concentration and memory. Also, classical music improves the ability to recall what's retained in the brain in the form of memory. Strong beat s cause the brain waves to resonate in synch with the beat, thus, leading to increased levels of concentration and increased mental alertness. Moreover, music acts as a catalyst in the healing process.According to the online article â€Å"Music and the Healing Process† from the Thorburn Associates Acoustic and Technology Consultants website, â€Å"There is also significant research that music can be used in medicine to help manage pain, reduce anxiety†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hence, music is an effective distraction from pain and suffering of the sick and injured, however, music not only diverts the mind from pain, but also helps bring about certain chemical changes in the brain, such as, enabling one’s mind to secrete endorphins that speed up the process of healing.As a result, music therapy is recommended for patients of high blood pressure, heart diseases and even cancer, so, music may be considered as therapeutic in pain management. Therefore, listening to melodious, comfort ing music is sure to have a positive effect on the physical and mental well-being of patients. If not cure every ailment, music definitely creates hope in the minds of patients – a hope to recover. And when nothing else works, only hope does. To sum up, increased creativity and problem solving skills; concentration and memory levels; and speedy healing, are the effects music has on the mind/brain.Music really affects the human mind a great deal. So much so, that it influences one’s physical and mental state. Music aids in the speedy recovery of ailments by diverting the mind away from the pain as well as through chemical changes in the brain brought about by music which catalyse the healing process. In addition music calms the mind, helps fight anxiety and has a soothing effect on the brain, thus, increasing one’s concentration and memory levels. Lastly, through triggering brain centres and stimulation of the right side of the brain, music enhances an individual ’s creativity and problem-solving skills.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Dimensions of Inter-Professional Practice

Abstract The essay examines a situation encountered by the student during her placement on a hospital ward: the regular ward meetings to discuss patient care and progress. The essay reflects upon the experience using the reflective cycle model proposed by Gibbs. It also draws upon SWOT analysis and the PDSA cycle model for nursing practice. While rooted in the student’s experience, the essay also looks at relevant theoretical concepts including those of multidisciplinary teamwork and patient-centred healthcare. 1. Introduction This essay aims to consider a situation I have encountered during my placement, using principles of reflective practice to outline an appropriate change to established procedure which, I feel, will benefit service users and staff. I want to discuss ward reviews, and show how these can be improved by extending the range of people who attend these reviews. I want to use principles of reflective practice and evidence-based practice to examine this area. The essay will use Gibbs reflective cycle as a structure within which to understand a situation I encountered, and plan for change. The essay will also look at some relevant theory, including notions of interprofessional team work, change theory and team dynamics.The current situation will be discussed in terms of these. I will also draw upon the PDSA cycle model for nursing practice (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2012 [online]), which provides a way to structure and implement change. I will also use a tool widely used in business called ‘SWOT’ analysis, which helps in change planning by formalising the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a given situation, and which is also useful for healthcare (Marquis and Huston 2009). Gibbs (1988) model of reflective practice will also be influential. The essay will be structured according to this 6 sta ge cycle, from description of event through evaluation and analysis to action and further reflection. While there are several different models of using reflectivity in practice including Bortons’ (1970), Kolb’s (1984) and Johns’ (1995), I use Gibbs model as it seems to best express the dynamic process of learning and change for me.These tools will be used to demonstrate the things I feel are inadequate with the present situation whereby a limited number of healthcare professionals attend ward reviews, and suggest a change whereby key workers also attend, offering a deeper perspective on patient needs. The nomination form, which assesses my placement, is included in the Appendix. 2. The Situation: Description The situation in question occurred when I was on placement. The hospital at which I was working, like others, carried out regular ward reviews. In these, the patient was discussed. A number of key staff involved in patient care were involved, and the aim was to review the patients care, treatment and prognosis. At the hospital where I carried out my placement, the members of staff who were involved were the consultant, the occupational therapist and the review nurse, sometimes also a student attended. The patient did not attend this meeting. I attended a number of these reviews. In general, all members of the team who attended were respected and respectful, and took care to listen to what each person had to say. One person led the meeting, making sure all were included and also ensuring that discussion did not go on for too long. Realistic goals and a date for the next meeting were set at the end, and the items discussed were formalised in writing. 3. The Situation: My Feelings I had two sets of feelings. On the one hand, I felt pleased that everyone who attended the meetings seemed to have the best interests of the patient at heart. Where there were disputes it was regarding what would work best for the patient. Also, I was pleased with how professionally staff members conducted themselves, I seldom witnessed rudeness or ‘shortness’ when one person spoke to another. People took turns and really seemed to listen. In part, I felt, this was due to the way the meetings were led, which was very sensitive. However, on the other hand, I felt quite annoyed and disappointed that not all staff who were involved in patient care were included in the meetings. I felt that a whole side of the patient’s experience was being missed out. The staff who attended seemed to understand the patient’s condition only generally, from their records and discussing the situation, not through contact with the patient daily. The holistic side of patient car e, understanding what the patient was feeling, seemed to have been missed out. 4. Evaluation In terms of the ‘SWOT’ framework, widely used in business but also useful for understanding healthcare (Williamson et al 1996), I evaluated the experience as follows. As Gibb’s evaluation stage is concerned mainly with what is good and bad about the experience, I have omitted the ‘opportunities’ and ‘threats’ from this analysis, as they will be covered later.StrengthsGood communication between team members Respectful awareness of other points of view Developed clear goals and actions to followWeaknessesPatient seems to lack a ‘voice’ Those involved in caring regularly from patient are not included in the review Those who know the patient well are not included in the review Lack of holistic and person-centred care 5. Analysis The following sections looked at what happened, how I experienced it and what sense I made of it within my own parameters. In order to make wider sense of the situation, I need to draw upon notions of interprofessional teamwork, user perspectives and team dynamics, all concepts central to the current health service. Interprofessional teamwork, also known as multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT), has been part of healthcare policy in the UK since 1997 (Davis 2007). As an approach, it means professionals from a range of disciplines involved in patient care meeting to discuss and agree on care plans for patients (Hostad 2010). There are a number of benefits, for example multidisciplinary teamwork seems to meet user needs better, and to deliver better outcomes. However, there are also some drawbacks including the time needed for teams to work effectively, and difficulties with perceived status differences (Housley 2003).For effective MDT, the ways in which team dynamics work has to be unde rstood. There are many attempts to understand how people work together, both generally and in the healthcare context, for example Bale’s (1950) model. Maslow’s model is also influential in healthcare. He suggested that all human’s need to be respected by others in order to feel valued, and have a need to feel part of a group, and want to have their social and emotional needs met within the work context (Borkowski 2009). The notion of incorporating user perspectives is also very influential in the NHS currently, as ‘patient-centred healthcare’. This was introduced in the late 90’s, and involves patients being involved as much as possible in decisions which are made about their care. The relationship between healthcare professional and patient is no longer one in which the professional is at the top of a hospital hierarchy, but one of partnership in which mutual respect and communication exist (Chambers et al 2003) Overall, I feel that both MDT and patient-centred healthcare could be improved here through including the key workers, or support workers of the named patient. The key worker acts as a co-ordinator on behalf of the patient, keeping the patient informed of what is going on and co-ordinating care and ensuring continuity of treatment (NICE 2004). Support workers or healthcare assistants act in a supporting role to other professionals, and are very ‘hands-on’ in well-being and looking after the patient.Both these professionals have much closer contact with the patient and as such have important insights into the patient’s situation. Multidisciplinary teamwork emphasises including all viewpoints relevant to the situation, and I feel that these workers would add valuable insights to enhance the teamwork. In addition, how can patient care be really holistic and patient-centred if the meetings do not include those people who get to know patients as individuals, understa nding their feelings, hopes and fears Including support and key workers would allow those people who are not involved in daily care to really understand how the patient is feeling.In addition, if support and key workers were present at the meeting, it would be much easier and quicker to feedback to the patient what is going on with their care. As it stands, patients hear second hand. 6. Conclusion Gibbs suggests reflecting upon what else I could have done here. Given that I was on placement, I feel that the opportunities for changing the situation are practically limited. At the time, I felt it was not appropriate for me to speak up and question the accepted meeting structure. Later, however, I did question whether I should have mentioned this to my supervisor on the ward. I felt that the emphasis on MDT meant that I would be heard sympathetically, even though I had very little experience. If I was able, I would change the meeting structure to ensure that either a support worker or a key worker was included as a matter of principle. I feel that the existing meeting structure is very good, and that if it was part of protocol that staff closely involved in the patient’s care were included, they would be welcomed into the meetings, their opinions heard and the patient’s viewpoint better understood. This would, I feel, ensure that the care delivered to the patient was more truly patient-centred and holistic, as it would take into account not only quantitative data about their condition but also their feelings and emotions. In addition, I feel wider meetings would be more reflective of multi-dimensional teamworking, as they currently don’t include all staff perspectives. It also seems that including key and support workers is more ethical. All hospitals have detailed code of conducts which set out the ways in which they expect their staff to behave, and the care of the patient is generally the first priority in these. Working as a team is also one of the central tenets of most ethical codes in UK hospitals (Melia 2004). 7. Action Plan Here I draw upon the PDSA model to suggest a way to structure the change:PlanDiscuss and agree new format for meetings (including key worker or support worker) Inform key / support worker and other staff of new meeting formatDoCarry out a series of 4 pilot meetings over agreed time period Agree and implement mechanisms for review of new meeting format (gather data from key/support workers, staff already included, and patients)StudyAnalyse data collected, assess changes against clearly defined criteria (for example, do patients feel more informed, happier; did key/support workers feel included; did other staff value new structure) What worked wellWhat worked less well?ActPlan new meetings on basis of what was learnt during study phase. If including key/support workers beneficial, change meeting structure so that they are now part of meetings. Ensure that repercussions of this are understood, for example allowing them extra time for preparing for meetings. References Borton, T (1970) Reach, Teach and Touch, Mc Graw Hill, London. Gibbs, G (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods, Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford. Johns C (1995) Framing learning through reflection within Carper’s fundamental ways of knowing in nursing Journal of Advanced Nursing, 22, 226-234 Kolb, D A (1984) Experiential Learning experience as a source of learning and development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey Marquis, B L and Huston, C J (2009) Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and application (6th edn), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Melia, K M (2004) Health care ethics: lessons from intensive care, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (2012) ‘Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA)’, [online] (cited 14th February 2012), available from http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/plan_do_study_act.html NICE (2004) ‘Improving Outcomes Guidance for Supportive and Palliative Care’, National Institute of Clinical Excellence 2004, London. Williamson, S, Stevens, R E, Loudon, D L (1996) Fundamentals of strategic planning for healthcare organizations, Routledge, UK Appendix CLIENT – INCLUDE NOMINATION FORM HERE Assignment In writing the 1500 word reflective commentary focussed on service improvement you should consider/address the following: The context and setting for your placement. Your reflective commentary should focus either on a service improvement initiative that you have identified with your mentor, or on a service improvement that has previously been implemented in your practice area. You should examine this initiative in terms of the inter-professional team and identify actual or potential ways that inter-professional working can facilitate its implementation. You should also discuss potential barriers to implementation. You MUST include the Service Improvement Activity notification form with your assignment including a discussion of future plans in terms of the service improvement initiative. An evidence based model of reflection or reflective writing should be used. You should offer a rationale to support what you have used (fixed resource sessions on the use and application of reflective models and writing are included in the delivery of this module). You should also demonstrate the use of the PDSA cycle in terms of service improvement. For assessment purposes you are not expected to move beyond the planning stage of the PDSA cycle. As this assignment is a reflective commentary your reflection must be supported and referenced by using appropriate sources (as per learning outcomes). You may wish to use a structured reflective model e.g. Gibbs’, Rolfe et al or John’s; or you may wish to write in a reflective style, encompassing reflection on action e.g. Schon or Borton. This is your choice but either way you must show evidence you have done this. A reflective commentary requires that you use subheadings. The structure of this piece of work can be informed by using either learning outcomes or the stages of a reflective model to do so. If you say you are going to use a model of reflection, then you must demonstrate clearly that you have done so. Which ever process you use must be briefly explained and rationalised within your introduction. Ensure that you have supported your assignment with appropriate, contemporary and relevant sources, including published literature, professional standards key texts and policy. You need to apply theory to practice and use paraphrasing to demonstrate understanding of the sources you have used. Make sure you address the relevant learning outcomes for this piece of work (l,2,5) in this commentary: Learning outcome one requires you to analyse the unique role of the nurse within the inter-professional team and also to apply this to your experience in your placement area. For example, do nurses in your placement area require any additional skills or knowledge to work with the client/patient group Learning outcome two requires you to evaluate the contribution of all members of the inter-professional team in providing holistic care to clients/patients. For example, which guidelines and policies inform holistic care in your placement area and how did this impact on practice in your areaHow did the team work togetherWhat quali ties did you note in the team and how did this impact on care delivery Learning outcome five asks you to reflect on learning and transfer newly gained knowledge. For example, what did you learn and how will what you learned in your placement help to prepare you to be a registered nurse