Personal Reflection Essay for Trip to Buddhist Temple Essay

This Sunday morning I had the opportunity to witness my first Buddhist temple service at the Toledo Zen Center. My classmate, Tasi, accompanied me and we arrived to the service around 10:30 in the morning. When we first entered the temple we were both greeted by the man whom I had spoken with about coming, but were instantly amazed at the amount of color there was within the temple and how beautiful it was. I immediately noticed how unique and unusual it was in appearance compared to any religious service that I had ever attended. From the beginning, I was intrigued and was looking forward to observing the Buddhist rituals and routines. After we were greeted we took our seats towards the back of the temple, as that was where we felt most comfortable. I noticed that there were many large pictures of Buddha and his two disciples that surrounded the people. The people participating in the service laid out a mat on the floor and began to kneel around the food they had placed on the mat as well. The monks began reciting a blessing in what they called Pali. Once they had gone through this stage, they began to speak or sing what I believe were verses from their scriptures. Eventually they all turned into a prayer-like position and began to pray. They remained in prayer-like position for almost an hour and after that they began to meditate. At the point that they began meditating, Tasi and I had to leave the service. I feel as though attending this service did confirm my perception of what a Buddhist service would be like. The way in which I had envisioned their services was very similar to the way in which it turned out to be. It was a very calming and relaxing environment and there were very little interaction within the people, other than the chanting of the scriptures. The only aspect of the service that was I was surprised by was the fact that was very little music or anything that could even resemble music within the service. I generally think of a service having some type of instruments playing, but there were no instruments or any form of music other than the people themselves. I personally found the religious activities that they performed to be very calming, soothing and perhaps rejuvenating. I enjoyed the chanting of the scriptures, as I feel that it made you feel and believe what you were learning and hearing even more so. In addition, I was very fond of the many pictures of the Buddha. The strange aspect to me was the lack of interaction between the people. That is an aspect of the religion that I was unable to relate to, but perhaps that is what makes the service so calming. I am unsure if this aspect is something that I would be able to handle very well, but overall I cannot say that there were really any parts of the service that offended me. I came into the experience rather open-minded and interested in really learning what their service was like in relation to the services I attend on a regular basis. All in all, I can definitely say that this was a positive experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to take part in this service and felt very welcomed throughout the entire service. I was impressed by the reaction the people had to the meditation and felt as though I learned a lot from the trip as a whole. Although this may not be my religion of choice, I felt as though I benefited a great deal from expanding my knowledge on the Buddhist temple services and would definitely not be opposed to returning.

Finanacial Evaluation of Unilever

Table of Contents Table of Content3 List of Tables4 Table 1 6 1. Introduction2 2. Main Body2 3. Management Structure4 4. Ability to Earn Income 5 5. Size of Inventory Held5 6. Relience on Debt Financing5 7. Key Indicators for 2011 and 20126 8. Profitability of var. Product Lines and Geographic Regions 6 Table 28 9. FINANCIAL RATIOS FOR UNILEVER10 9. 1 Operations Analysis10 9. 2 Liquidity Analysis12 9. 3 Debt and Solvency Analysis 14 9. 4 Profitability Analysis15 5. CONCLUSION16 LIST OF REFERENCES17 IntroductionWhen evaluating a company important is to know company’s history, operations and the nature of the business in which it operates. On other hand by reviewing company’s financial statements, operational practices we can evaluate its performance and compare it with the previous years or with the key competitors. By analyzing its financial indicators we can assess how profitable and sound the company is. This research paper will give brief description Unilever, its ma in divisions and products, its managements structure and the financial performance evaluation, with an aim to highlight the best practices and the growth drivers.Main Body 2. 1 Profile of the company, its divisions, products and supply chain Unilever is multinational corporation and is one of the worlds fast moving consumer goods companies with a host of well known brands. The company operates through four segments: Personal Care, Foods, Refreshment, and Home Care. Unilever is a joint venture of two companies that date back from the late nineteen century. It was formed by two Dutch families, Jurgens and Van den Bergh, butter merchants who later started producing margarine and by the British soap producer William Hesketh Lever.Since the early nineteen century the two companies were concentrated on acquisitions and in the early 1929 they signed an agreement to create Unilever (Unilever, 1929 p. 2). Unilever over the last two decades acquired the meat business Zwanenberg's at Oss, Lipt on International, Brooke Bond, Naarden, Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Arden/Faberge, Brayers ice cream, Kibon ice cream, Bestfoods, Slim Fast Foods, Ben & Jerry's and the Amora-Maille. In 1992 Unilever entered the Czech Republic and Hungary, and established UniRus in Russia, also enters in India and other parts of the world. (Unilever, 1995 p. 3) Unilever N.V. operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Europe, and the Americas Unilever possesses a portfolio of more than 400 brands, from nutritionally balanced foods to indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products. Their products are sold in more than 190 countries, generating sales of â‚ ¬51 billion in 2012. In the 21st century they launched growth strategies, in order to transform the business, leading to more acquisitions, rationalization of manufacturing and production sites to form centers of excellence.Unilever is responding quickl y to rapid shifts in consumer behavior by investing in Research and Development and changing market conditions. Unilever's sells its product across 170 countries and their procurement teams are purchasing from a network of around 160,000 suppliers worldwide. For the same reason its suppliers' materials and services are an integral part of their commercial operations. Unilever has integrated supply management informational system that helps their local, regional and global supply managers to make appropriate sourcing decisions, allowing them to analyze information quickly and easily.Through this system they can negotiate with their suppliers in a more transparent and efficient way. Unilever's largest international competitors are Procter & Gamble and Nestle. While the competition in local markets or specific product ranges from numerous companies, including Beiersdorf, ConAgra, Danone, Henkel, Mars, Pepsico, and others (Unilever) Management Structure Maintaining good governance is on e of the essentials factors for the long-term success of the company. For the same reason Unilever is engaged in conducting its operations in accordance with internationally accepted principles of good corporate governance.The success of Unilever is due to a combination of structural formality and managerial flexibility. Being a company that is present for more than a century, that operated in changing and transitional environment, is evidence of a flexible management structure that made Unilever successful (Floris 1992,p. 6). Learning through a trial and error Unilever has focused on two reliable and related practices to strengthen all structural changes: recruitment and training of high-quality managers, and the importance of linking decentralized units through a common corporate culture (Annual report 2012 p. 5) Unilever’s companies maintain formal processes to inform, consult and involve employees. They recognize collective bargaining on a number of sites and engage with employees. Their usage of sites tools such as Total Productive Maintenance rely heavily on employee involvement, contribution and commitment (Annual Report 2012 p. 28). The profitable growth that Unilever accomplishes is mainly due and is achieved through the right people working in an organization that is fit to win and with a culture in which performance is aligned with values.Unilever has built an employer brand development tool which leverages best practice, and adapts recruitment models to reach the best people worldwide. The better recruitment, family-friendly working conditions, a culture of accountability, initiatives, and remuneration represent one of the crucial factors for the success which it achieves (Annual Report 2012, p. 66). Ability to earn income Unilever’s ability to earn income has increased due to the increase in revenue. In 2012 their ability to earn income has increased by 8. % compared with 2011, and with no changes from 2010 to 2011 (Annual Report 201 2/11, p. 32 p. 24). Size of inventory held millionsmillionsmillions Inventories 201220112010 Raw materials and consumables1. 5171. 5381. 554 Finished goods and goods for resale2. 9193. 0172. 753 4. 4364. 6014. 307 Source: www. unilever. com The size of inventory during the last three years was moving closely. The raw materials and consumables from 2010 to 2011 decreased by 1% and in 2012 by 1. 3%. On the other hand the finished goods and goods for resale increased by 8. 5 in 2011 and a decrease of 3. 35% in 2012. This change in the finished goods and goods for resale was charged to the income statement for damaged, obsolete and lost inventories (Annual Report 2012/11, p. 113). Reliance on debt financing The net debt position in 2011 was 8. 781 billion or â‚ ¬2. 1 billion higher than the last year, in part due to the acquisition of Alberto Culver (Annual Report 2011, p. 28). In 2012 the net debt was 7. 355 billion, or 1. 4 billion lower than 2011.The cash outflow from acquisitions , dividends, tax, net capital expenditure and interest, and the negative impact of foreign exchange rates exceeded the cash inflow from operating activities and business disposals. The leverage ratio reveals that 32% of the financing its covered by debt (Annual Report 2012, p. 36). Key indicators for 2011 and 2012 The sales growth of Unilever in 2011 increased by 6. 5% and volume growth by 1. 6%. Emerging markets delivered 11. 5% underlying sales growth and turnover of 5% compared to 2010 (Annual Report 2011, p. 9). In 2012 the sale growth increased by 6. % and volume growth increase of 3. 4%. Emerging markets represented 55% of the turnover or 11. 6% of sales and turnover of 10. 5% compared to 2011 (Annual Report 2012, p. 9). Profitability of various product lines and geographical regions The region with the highest turnover, sales and volume growth in 2011 and 2012 is Asia, Africa and Central & Eastern Europe with over â‚ ¬20. 5 billion of turnover in 2012 and â‚ ¬18. 9 in 2 011. Followed by Americas â‚ ¬17. 1 billion in 2012 and â‚ ¬15. 3 in 2011. the last is Western Europe with turnover of â‚ ¬ 13. 9 in 2012 and â‚ ¬12. in 2011 (Annual Report 2012/11, p. 10) Table 2 Formulas for Financial Ratios (Methodology) FormulasNumber 1. Activities (Operating) ratios Inventory Turnover = COGS/average inventory1. 1 Average number days in stock =365 days/inventory turnover1. 1. 1 Receivables Turnover = Net Sales/average receivables 1. 2 Av. Number of days receivables outstanding =365days/receivables turnover 1. 2. 1 Account Payable Turnover =Cost of Sale/Average Acc. Payable 1. 3 Av. N. of days payables outstanding =365days/payable turnover1. 3. 1 Working Capital Turnover =Sales/Average Working Capital . 4 Fixed asset turnover =net sales/av. Net fixed assets1. 5 Asset Turnover Ratio= Net Sales/Average Total Asset1. 6 Liquidity ratios Current Ratio= Current Assets/Current Liabilities2. 1. Quick Ratio= ((Cash + Marketable Securities)+ Acc. Receivables)/C urrent Liabilities2. 2 Cash Ratio =(Cash + Marketable Securities)/Current Liabilities2. 3 Cash Flow From Operations Ratio = CFO/Current Liabilities2. 4 Solvency ratios Debt to Capital Ratio= Total Debt/Total Capital3. 1 Times Interest Earned Ratio= EBIT/Interest Expense3. 2 CFO to Debt Ratio=CFO/Total Debt3. 3Total Debt Ratio=Total Liabilities/Total Assets3. 4 Leverage Ratio= Long term debt/ (Long term debt+ Shareholders equity)3. 5 Profitability ratios Gross Profit Margin= Gross Profit/Net Sales4. 1 Operating Profit Margin = Operating Income/Net Sales4. 2 Pre Tax Margin = EBT/Sales4. 3 Return on Assets= EBIT/Average Total Assets4. 4 Return on Total Capital= (Net Income + Interest Expense)/(Long-Term debt +Equity)4. 5 Return On Total Equity = Net Income/Average Total Equity 4. 6 Authors own sources FINANCIAL RATIOS FOR UNILEVER 9. 1. Operational analysis Formula 1. 1 Formula 1. 1. Average inventory2010 =3942. 5 Average inventory2011 =4454 Average inventory2012=4518. 5 Inventory turn over ratio2010 =6. 57 Average number days in stock2010 =55. 6 days Inventory turnover ratio2011 = 6. 27 Average number days in stock2011 = 58. 2 days Inventory turnover ratio2012 = 6. 53 Average number days in stock2012 = 55days Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has performed better. Higher the ratio, better it is. Which means that in 2012 it required 55 days to turnover(renew its inventory) Formula 1. 2 Formula 1. 2. 1 Average receivebles2010 =2424. 5 Average receivebles2011 = 2719Average receivebles2012 =3666. 5 Receivables Turnover 2010 = 18. 23 Av. Number of days receivables outstanding2010 =20days Receivables Turnover 2011 =17. 09 Av. Number of days receivables outstanding2011 =21. 3days Receivables Turnover 2012 =14 Av. Number of days receivables outstanding2012 =26days Conclusion: In year 2010 UN has performed better. Higher the ratio, better it is. Which means that in 2010 it required 20 days to collect its receivables from customers. Formula 1. 3 Formula 1. 3. 1 Average payables2 010 = 5006 Average payables2011 = 6398. 5 Average payables2012 = 9217Account Payable Turnover 2010 = 5. 1 Av. N. of days payables outstanding 2010 =71. 56days Account Payable Turnover 2011 = 4. 36 Av. N. of days payables outstanding 2011 = 83. 6days Account Payable Turnover 2012 = 3. 2 Av. N. of days payables outstanding 2012 =114days Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has performed better. Lower the ratio, better it is. Which means that in 2012 it required 114 days do pay its liabilities. By extending the period the company enables financing of its operation activities. Formula 1. 4 Average working capital2010 = -931 Average working capital2011 = -2356Average working capital2012 = -3653 Working Capital Turnover2010 = -47. 54 Working Capital Turnover2011 = -19. 72 Working Capital Turnover2012 = -14 Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has performed better. Higher the ratio, better it is. Which means that in 2012 UN had more efficient utilization of the working capital, needed for maintaining certai n level of sales, and even though it is negative we can see sharp decrease during the precedent years. Formula 1. 5 Average fix assets2010 = 6218 Average fix assets2011 =7033 Average fix assets2012 =8404 Fixed asset Turnover2010= 7. 11Fixed asset Turnover2011= 6. 6 Fixed asset Turnover2012= 6. 1 Conclusion: In year 2010 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2010 UN had more efficient utilization of the long-term capital investments. Formula 1. 6 Average total assets2010 =39094 Average total assets2011 =44342 Average total assets2012 =46839 Asset Turnover Ratio 2010 = 1. 13 Asset Turnover Ratio 2011 = 1. 048 Asset Turnover Ratio 2012 = 1. 1 Conclusion: In year 2010 and 2012 UN has higher ratio. This means that had higher and more efficient performance of the company. 9. 2 Liquidity analysis Formula 2. 1Current Ratio2010 = 0. 92 Current Ratio2011 = 0. 79 Current Ratio2012 = 0. 76 Conclusion: In year 2010 UN has higher ratio. A commonly acceptable current ratio is 1. 5-2. This level of ratio may show than UN cannot meet its short-term financial obligations. Formula 2. 2 Quick Ratio2010 = 0. 36 Quick Ratio2011 =0. 37 Quick Ratio2012 =0. 46 Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2012 UN was more financially secure to meet its short-term financial obligations. Commonly acceptable current ratio is 1, but may vary from industry to industry. Formula 2. 3Cash Ratio2010 =0. 179 Cash Ratio2011 = 0. 21 Cash Ratio2012 = 0. 182 Conclusion: In year 2011 UN has higher ratio. This indicates that in 2011 UN has good level of liquid assets which can be easily used to pay its current obligations. Formula 2. 4 CFO Ratio2010 = 0. 4034 CFO Ratio2011 =0. 3 CFO Ratio2012 =0. 432 Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has higher ratio. This indicates that in 2012 UN current liabilities were covered by the cash flow generated from operations. 9. 3 Debt and solvency analysis Formula 3. 1 Debt to Capital Ratio2010 = 1. 18 Debt to Capital Ratio2011 = 1. 44Debt to Capital Ra tio2012 = 1. 308 Conclusion: In year 2011 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2011 UN has low level of capital that is financed through debt. Formula 3. 2 Times interest earned2010 = 6. 46 Times interest earned2011 = 11. 66 Times interest earned2012 = 12. 87 Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2012 UN can 13 times make the interest payments on its debt with its EBIT, or this means that it easily can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. Formula 3. 3 CFO to Debt Ratio 2010 = 0. 21 CFO to Debt Ratio 2011 =0. 16 CFO to Debt Ratio 2012 =0. 25 Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2012 UN has higher ability to cover the total debt from the cash flow from operations Formula 3. 4 Total Debt Ratio 2010 =0. 63 Total Debt Ratio 2011 =0. 68 Total Debt Ratio 2012 =0. 66 Conclusion: In year 2010 UN has lower ratio. This means that in 2010 UN risk is lower and the company relies less on debt to finance its assets. Formula 3. 5 Lever age Ratio 2011 =0. 38=38% Leverage Ratio 2012 =0. 32=32% Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has lower ratio. This means that in 2012 Unilever had 32% of its financing covered by debt. . 4 Profitability Analysis Formula 4. 1 Gross Profit Margin 2010 = 0. 41 Gross Profit Margin 2011 = 0. 39 Gross Profit Margin 2012 = 0. 45 Conclusion: In year 2012 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2012 UN has higher earnings taking into consideration the costs that it incurs for producing its products. Formula 4. 2 Operating Profit Margin 2010 = 0. 144 Operating Profit Margin 2011 = 0. 142 Operating Profit Margin 2012 = 0. 137 Conclusion: In year 2010 UN has higher ratio. This means that in 2010 UN profit left after paying its variable costs was higher.Formula 4. 3 Pre-tax Margin 2010 = 0. 06 Pre-tax Margin 2011 = 0. 123 Pre-tax Margin 2012 = 0. 122 Conclusion: In 2011 and 2012 UN has high ratio. This indicates that in 2011 and 2012 UN had greater profitability, comparing it with 2010 when it was two t imes lower. Formula 4. 4 Average Total assets2010 = 39094 Average Total assets2011 =44342 Average Total assets2012 =46839 ROA 2010 = 10. 8% ROA 2011 = 9. 58% ROA 2012 = 9. 56% Conclusion: : In year 2010 UN has higher ratio which suggest that it has earned more money and invested less in assets. Formula 4. 5ROC2010 = 11. 36% ROC2011 = 21. 14% ROC2012 = 22. 3% Conclusion:In 2012 UN has higher ratio which indicates the return that UN is achieving from the capital employed and this return has doubled from 2010 to 2011/12. Formula 4. 6 ROE2010 = 28. 14% ROE2011 = 28. 49% ROE2012 = 29. 25% Conclusion: In 2012 UN has higher ratio which indicates a high level of profit UN earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholder equity. This ratio measures how profitable Unilever is for the owners of the investment, and how profitably the company employs its equity. ConclusionThe purpose of this paper was to reveal the financial performance of Unilever and to make an evaluation and assessment of the firm’s management structure and what contributes to the success they achieve and key figures and ratios. The financial position of Unilever for 2012 was admirable, due to the fact that had increased revenues, sales and volume growth of its divisions worldwide and decreased net debt. The compared data for 2010,2011, and 2012 show continuous improvement and increase of their financial position. List of references Unilever site www. unilever. comAnnual Report 2012, Available at: http://www. unilever. com/images/ir_Unilever_AR12_tcm13-348376. pdf [Accessed date 05/03/2012] Annual Report 2011, Available at: http://www. unilever. com/images/Unilever_AR11_tcm13-282960_tcm13-348380. pdf [Accessed date 07/03/2012} Floris M. (1992), Inside Unilever: The Evolving Transnational Company, Harvard Business Review; Vol. 70 Issue 5, p46-52, EBSCO Host http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=4=8aace911-769a-43f3-9949-b4364f9185cf%40sessionmgr111=124=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db =bth=9301105365 [Accessed date 09/03/2012]

An Analysis of circumstances

An Analysis of circumstances Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . An analysis of circumstances Every offence require proof of the actus reus and mens rea. The question is focus on actus reus. There’re three categories which are under actus reus. Those are positive act, voluntary act and causation. The general rule is that every offence must be committed by way of a positive act. The basis of this requirement is that a person should only be found guilty for something which they actually did and not something which they fail to do. This would be in lie with the principle of responsibility. However, as stated in the question, there’re circumstances where a person can be found guilty in relation to a failure to act. The basis justification for such liability is because the defendant had a duty to act and failed in that duty. Whether such liability is in fact justified, will be discuss as follows. The first circumstance of ommission liability is that imposed under statute.Statutory duty are largely regulatory in nature as they’re enacted by the law.There are numerous examples of the courts’ construction of words to include liability for omission. In R v Sharma, a conviction for falsifying a document required for an accounting purpose contrary to the Theft Act 1968, s 17(1)(a), was upheld where the defendent omitted entirely to fill in a form which it was his duty to complete. Similarly,in R v Firth, a doctor was held to have deceived a hospital contrary to the Theft Act 1978, s 2(1) by failing to inform the hospital that certain patients were private patients. In each of the cases, liability was imposed on the defendant in relation to a failure to act in accordance with a duty which was provided for by the law. One is of the opinion that imposition of omission liability in relation to a breach of statutory duty is justify because the duty is imposed by enacted and particularly if the legislator is being guided by the principle of minimal criminalisation, these duties would only be required in order t o ensure and protect a minimal standard of public well-being and safety which is of paramount importance particularly as statutory duties are in essence regulatory. The second instance of a failure to act that can constitute the actus reus of an offence is the duties of law enforcement. It is stated that any member of law enforcement has the duty to preserve the peace and to protect the public. An example of offence of pure omission are also to be found in Dytham (1979) QB 722; a police officer was held to be guilty of a common law misdemeanour when, without justification or excuse, he failed to perform his duty to preserve the Queen’s peace by protecting a citizen who was abeing kicked to death. Likewise, in Brown (1841) Car The defendant was a normal citizen who is found guilty of an offence when he fails to respond to a constable’s call for assistance in keeping the peace. In one point’s of view, it’s court decision is reasonable in Dytham because the police officer is obling to his duty eventhough when he’s off-duty, and more importantly the incident happen during his working hours. However, one may not agree with the decision in Brown’s case because the policeman cannot assume that when a normal citizen or if the old man who’s at the scene has the phsycal ability or mental strength to stop a riot, will abet in the riot. In other words, the decision that the citizen has to make at the moment claims to be too wide as it fails to take account whether the defendant has the capacity to appreciate the risk.

A visitor in Nevada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A visitor in Nevada - Essay Example Thirty more miles and I’ll reach that desolated Arizona. More than sixty miles will be where it meets the south west side of Nevada (Elliott 103). These are the boundaries of America’s 36th star. The year is 1902 and I’m on my way to meet with Montana Senator William Andrews Clark. History has been both harsh and kind to Clark. A city was named after him which perpetually engraves his nobility along with the greatness of the city he help build but there is also disdain for the method he employed to achieve his vision. It is one that is often perceived as a false myth of greatness and selfishness. He bought a seat in the Senate. That is what he is remembered for. For all that he did, he is remembered for one treacherous act. Senator Clark is expecting me today. He will give me fifteen minutes of his time to show him what I promise to be the technology that will make the transportation system he is planning to build to connect California to Utah. When I got there, though, I had to wait as Clark has to attend a public meeting with the Union Pacific Railroads. He is a tall guy with half his face covered by a thick beard that allows nothing but his eyes to show emotion and there seems only one thing there. Only one emotion, that of arrogance that comes with a clear ambition. It’s been less than a year since Clark got elected, more or less legitimately, to the Senate, and this is why. The Clarks and the Union Pacific Railroads E.H. Harriman performed a ceremonial agreement signing that divides the stock in the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad (Van Dee 83). The plan is being laid out and in a few weeks, the land is going to be flattened to lay the groundwork for the train tracks. I met the First Assistant Engineer of the railroad project and the first order would be to get the water into the valley. Once that is accomplished, the town is going to blossomed into a fertile agricultural land where fruits will grow.

The Image of God in Leading Religions of the World Essay

The Image of God in Leading Religions of the World - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Ð µhe leading religions of the world include the names of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The followers of the above-mentioned ways of life have an explicit belief in the presence of God while some of them tend to build a connection with a Divine Entity by offering prayers and others seek him in the natural beauty of the world. Moreover, those people who do not consider themselves as religious consult with God only when they need him or his help in any worldly matter. But importantly every human being has an implicit or expressed belief in the God. Importantly there are no significant differences in the image of God in three leading religions of the world. Judaism is the oldest religion of the world as it propagated from the nation of Moses after that Jesus developed Christianity and finally Islam came into the world through the teachings and guidance of Mohammad. Judaism believes that humans are created in the image of the God and therefore they are representatives of their creator on Earth. The Jewish community holds on to the belief that every human is an agent of God regardless of his or her race, religion and ethnicity. Christianity, on the other hand, conceptualized the power of God to be divided into three distinct parts. The first portion resides with God himself whereas the other two are with Jesus and his mother. In this way, Christianity believes in three-dimensional divine super-powers. Finally, Islam conforms to Jewish theological foundations by admitting that there is only one God. Islamic teachings also identify man as the true representative of the God Himself. This paper suggests that there is no feasible difference in the views of God among leading religions of the world because all of them consider man as the real representative of God. Still the lack of tolerance and mutual understanding is currently undermining all the similarities of theological frameworks. Modern research suggests that t hose people who have a firm belief in the presence of God and his role in their lives are spending contented life as compared to those who do not believe in supernatural at all. Nevertheless it is also important to note that Christianity is a little bit different in conceptualizing the God because it recognizes Jesus as the son of God and therefore entire humanity becomes a race that emanated from the divine entity. Islam and Judaism are having quite a different view of God from previously stated one as they consider him as omnipotent (Hill and Pargament pp. 65). The concept of God in Christian belief differs because what Jesus did by welcoming the hanging on the cross cannot be done by an ordinary human being and therefore he was identified as a God in Christian literature. The concept of God is as ancient as the humanity itself. Nevertheless the presence of a Divine Entity is repeatedly reinforced by Prophets and Saints throughout the history of mankind. The notion that God exists while he posses the power of punishing and rewarding humans for their misdeeds and deeds respectively is supported by scholars of all leading religions. The religions impacted ev ery aspect of human life ranging from social practices to sexual relationships. Thus humans identified their creator with the help and reference of the Prophets in all ages (Ellison and Levin pp.714). The concept of God helped humanity in attainment of spiritual and intellectual growth by ordering them to think about the surroundings in which they are living whereas in Quran Allah openly commanded the whole of the mankind to devote its struggles towards attainment of knowledge and enlightenment (Fish pp.35). All of the leading religions are emphasizing on the role of God in the journey of spiritual development of humanity at large. In the light of above argument it can be established that God himself wants humans to continue the journey of enlightenment (Hill and Hall pp. 14).

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS REVIEW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS REVIEW - Essay Example All of a sudden, international marketing is a vital skill and knowledge for a company to have. By means of the rapid progression of information technology, as we all know, the detachment almost does not exist anymore. All intercontinental corporations have to expand international marketing strategies. so, to understand international marketing improved, a detailed understanding of the a variety of stages that a business undergoes to turn into a intercontinental business is required. Basically, there are 4 stages that a business goes during before it finally becomes a intercontinental business. These 4 stages are Domestic, International, Multinational and international. The 5th stage may be termed as Transnational. In the domestic stage of a business, the only target market of the business exists in the home country. It can be said that the whole vision of the world for the company is limited to the home country. In this stage of growth the orientation of the business is ethnocentric. The 21st century has made the cosmetic surgery business very profitable. No doubt, television reality shows have put a spin on the process by targeting daily people and marketing it as an alteration or a new beginning kind of experience. Cosmetic events can be surgical and non-surgical. Surgical methods comprise facelifts and liposuction, and are performed in a surgeon's office-based ability, an outpatient surgery center, or a hospital. It's typically done on an outpatient basis, but a few surgeons may hospitalize patients for a day when using all-purpose anesthesia. Non-surgical events include Botox injections as well as Laser Resurfacing, typically performed in a surgeon's workplace in less than an hour. Three major reasons for having a cosmetic process are changing an innate trait for instance a "nose job," the second reason is to turn back time and reduce the effects of aging, and lastly body contouring for instance liposuction as well as a breast lift. Another reason would be h aving a mutilation due to an accident or a birth defect. Marketing Role Definition: Marketing is the mainly influential weapon obtainable to a business; though, marketing is frequently confused by means of sales and advertising. It is noted that commerce need to appreciate that marketing is much more than that. Marketing, in fact, has a variety of roltes in a firm or business; initially, it connects the commerce with its target market, it provides the main link among the business and its customers. Secondly, as marketing center on the needs and needs of customers, it gives a trade direction and helps it to direct in a changing environment. Thirdly, it offers the information the commerce needs in order to modify direction or regulate its tactics by providing latest products or changing obtainable products. Fourthly, marketing helps to organize how a business can finest use its resources to please customers and attain profit targets, yet the marketing plan can really be seen as the 'blueprint' for a business's future success. The intention of this paper is to show the rising demands of cosmetic procedures, as well as how the supply is being met in dissimilar ways than just the doctor's office. First I will explain the

Haircare Limited Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Haircare Limited - Case Study Example They include both present and future expected losses." (Cornell Law School) The torts may be classified as specific torts pertaining to trespass, assault, battery, negligence, products liability and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In the instant case study of Hair Care Limited this paper envisages analyzing the legal position with respect to the claim for damages by Joan, the claimant against the Hair colorant manufacturers Hair Care Limited and Barber, the proprietor of a hair dressing salon for the personal injury suffered by her by using the colourant manufactured by Hair Care Limited. The paper also discusses the liability of the hair dresser Barber towards compensating Joan for her injury and suffering. The instant case is because of the negligence of Barber, the hairdresser to advise the beautician or the customer about the potential danger of the usage of the colourant and the requirement that a patch test is to be conducted before use. Although, he was having knowledge of the potential injury he didn't care to advise the people concerned. Hence it is a case to be claimed by the plaintiff Joan under Tort arising out of negligence. The following is the discussion on some of the issues concerned with negligence and tort. Negligence is the most important tort in terms of cases and mon... Negligence may be defined as breach of a legal duty to take care, resulting in damage undesired by defendant to the plaintiff. Tortuous liability arises from the breach of the duty primarily fixed by law. Such duty is to care. In order to have negligence there: Must be a duty of care Breach of that duty Result in damage Breach of a Duty: "In many cases no duty of care has to be investigated because they are obvious. The question is therefore: is there s a breach of that duty. It is obviously a question of standards. The idea of reasonableness is linked with how people react." ("Jus" d'orange) Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks 1856: Negligence is the omission to do something which the reasonable man would do or not do something which the reasonable man would not do. Other factors in accessing that reasonable care are: Probability of the thing occurring Seriousness of the event at risk if it did happen Practicality and precautions Consideration of the social value of the defendant's activities Product Liability and Manufacturing Risks: A manufacturing defect will attract liability. In Grant v. Australian Knitting Mills (1935) Manufacturer of underwear out of wool. One of the products to clean wool is sulfate. Through an error, the garment bought by plaintiff was not washed off from sulfate. He was sensitive & washed them but not sufficient which resulted in huge dermatological reaction which almost killed him. Proceedings were brought against both the seller and the manufacturer. The manufacturer's defense was that it was the first instance they ever had any complaint and hence they should not be blamed. On the contrary they were really careful. The Privy Council said: one explanation is that an employee was negligent then it

Immigrants and Immigration - America Needs Immigration Essay

Immigrants and Immigration - America Needs Immigration - Essay Example Immigration also assists in the development and understand of cultural diversities and helps in promoting anti racist sentiments. Immigrants mainly belong to the underdeveloped nations where the financial crisis pushes them to immigrate. Policies which include the rules of free trade actually serve as a burden rather than reliefs for the poor countries making them dip into poverty even more. These underdeveloped nations have debts to pay off and much of their income goes into actually paying the interest of these debts. Moreover the developed nations do pledge to assist these countries by providing them aid but these developed countries never reach their set goal. The people living in these countries are left with no options and the final ray of hope for them is immigration. It is the only way for them to lead a better life ahead. America is the country of immigrants. Friedman (2006) explains the results of a study carried out by the National Academy of Sciences that immediate descen dents reimburse $80,000 in excess of what they receive as benefits in taxes in their whole life. Approximately 15% of the total labor force of America comprises of immigrants and terminating their services would reduce the output of the country by $1 trillion. The total agricultural industry can be distributed equally in domestic and immigrant workers in terms of population (Friedman, 2006). Immigration can also serve to be beneficial for the countries where these people migrate. This is because the developed nations like America have more of an aging population which they have to cater. The taxes paid by immigrants in America are helpful in upholding the social security and health expenses of this ageing population. Another cause is the decreased birth rates in these nations. This results in low skilled labor and hence immigrants can serve to fill in these gaps. Also the immigrants pay higher taxes comparatively and this can serve to compensate for the amount required to cater to t he aged. Thus, immigration serves to promote the betterment of the immigrants as well as proves to be beneficial to the economy of the host nation. America also benefits from these impacts of immigrants (Fienleib & Warner, 2005). With immigration there is development and understanding of other cultures and religions. The immigrants receive a chance of adapting according to the culture of the country where they have migrated. On the other hand the nationals of that country receive a chance to view the different cultures of the world and analyze them. America is culturally rich and is home to the immigrants from different parts of the world. This assists in the promotion of harmony in the U.S., as people from two different regions learn to live together and are exposed to different views and perspectives of the world. Thus immigration assists in broadening the human mind (Gabaccia 2002, pp. 8-15). Despite of this understanding there has been much opposition to the policy of immigratio n and immigrants have to face racism in the host country. The opponents argue that the immigrants actually take up the US native citizens’ jobs and the result is lower employment for them (Borjas 2001, p. 63). This point has been argued against as it has been analyzed the economic impact of immigration is not great and immigrants serve in to fill many vacant places and assist in boosting the income as a whole. Opponents also

Who am I in Nursing Leadership - Discussion Essay

Who am I in Nursing Leadership - Discussion - Essay Example Through different seminar that I attended I learned how to become an exceptional charge nurse with good conflict management styles. This paper tries to evaluate the role of leaders in nursing as a profession. The biggest challenge the leaders in the field of nursing face in line with their duties is staffing challenges (Hagler, 2015). This follows the fact that as the economy recover, more of the nurses leave the job markets. The available data supports this current concern and that we need to find nurses who have critical thinking and are moving away from being oriented towards their earning but to be oriented toward their tasks. There should be health care reforms on the revamped functions of the nurses that give the nurses an opportunity to be prepared to deal with the very complex issues relating to health care and even issues dealing with the comprehensive patients in their homes and even within the community level. A lot of the nurse leaders expect that all the nurses to be greatly involved in shaping the health care debate were they establish more interest on the health care legislations. The leaders are encouraging the associations to speak to the law and policy makers about the greater issues affecting nursing. How effective leadership contributes to the proposed improvement remains the central

Finance and Company Essay Example for Free

Finance and Company Essay So Wrigley has to make decisions on whether or not to borrow $ 3 billion for recapitalization. Question Based on the above situation, there are few questions that arise as seen below: ? Whether the recapitalization would be good for the company’s development in the long run? ?After borrowing $ 3 billion dollars what would the impact on the company’s debt rating be? ?What’s the impact on the company’s share value; would the recapitalization increase the company’s share value? ?What’s the impact on the company’s WACC, an increase or decrease? Would recapitalization increases the EPS of the company? Hypothesis Before capital restructuring due to not having any debt, return on capital and operating income as a percent of sales can be used based on exhibit 2(it is $513,356/$2,429,646= 21%) which is the A to AA range of investment grade. After recapitalization, the company’s debt rating will fall to a BB/B rating which reflects a higher risk and lower debt rating that will cause higher yields. According to Exhibit 7’s given information, the yield is between BB (12. 753) to B (14. 663) to obtain a cost of debt. Impact on share value If the company chooses to repurchase the stock, the WD will be 22. 89% (3,000,000/13,103,000), the WACC will be 10. 19% (22. 89% (1-40%)*13%+77. 1%*10. 9%). Both 10. 32% and 10. 19% are lower than the WACC before recapitalization, which indicates that after the recapitalization the company will have a lower minimum rate of return for the company that it needs to earn on its investments to maintain its wealth. Impact on Voting Control If the company is using the dividend plan to do capital restructuring, there will not be any impact on voting control. However, if the company is using the stock repurchase plan, it will have an influence on the voting control. The current Wrigley family ownership includes 21% of common shares and 58% of B shares. The total numbers of shares outstanding for Wrigley consists of the sum of the common shares of 189. 8 million and class B shares of 42. 641 million (10 votes each), a total of 232,441 million shares. So the company will have 46. 6% ((189. 8*21%+426. 41*58%)/616. 21=46. 6%)voting control before recapitalization. After the recapitalization the voting control will increase to 49% [(179. 22-42. 641)*21%+426. 41*58%]/ (136. 58+426. 41) =49 Based on the above analysis, my suggestion is not to borrow $ 3 billion dollars, or if the company insists in doing a recapitalization I would suggest for them to not borrow as much and to make some investment on assets instead of it all in equity. For the Wrigley Company I think they should keep their debt below 50 percent. Because after recapitalization, it will have negative impacts on EPS, debt rating, share value and it has a slightly positive impact on WACC and voting control. The results of impact on EPS analysis shows that EPS will drop from $ 1. 61 to 0. 46 and, the debt/ assets ratio will be 169% which will increase the company’s risks. From a debt rating aspect, after borrowing $ 3 billion dollars, the debt rating of the company will decline from AA/A to BB/B which means that the company will have a higher interest rate, more interest expense and a lower credit rating in the future. This is not good for the company’s future development. From a long term prospective, I believe it’s important that the company be careful in determining whether they should pursue a dividend or stock repurchase strategy. If the company chooses to use the $ 3 billion to pay dividends now, it might increase the investor’s satisfaction in the short run but once the dividend has been paid, the investor will expect the same amount of dividend in the future and a lower dividend might disappoint investors and that might affect the company’s stock price in the future. The stock repurchase is temporary as well, so after the repurchase the ending stock price might drop and it may hurt a potential new investor who made a purchase during the repurchase period. All things considered as long as Wrigley keeps an eye on their long term goals and continues to look at the big picture whilst making good solid financial choices for their company they should be most successful.

Case study of continuing professional development

Case study of continuing professional development Within this assignment I will critically reflect on my clinical knowledge to date and consider my future development needs with a focus on my final management placement and future career as a registered nurse, and using the Gibbs model (appendix 1) as a framework will reflect upon my own learning experiences and achievements to date and write an annotated reflection highlighting my development needs from which I will formulate a Personal Development Plan. This undertaking demonstrates my commitment to the need for continuing professional development in order to enhance my knowledge, skills values and attitude needed for effective nursing practice (NMC Proficiency 4.1) and will address deficits in my knowledge and skills and identify any shortcomings within my own or others practice and help me cope with practice related issues experienced within my previous placements. I have chosen Gibbs reflective model as a basis for reflection as I feel it is easily understood and encourages a cl ear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, conclusion and reflection upon the experience to consider a solution if the situation arose again (Brooker Nicol 2003). Gibbs model is useful for less experienced staff or students as it directs you and offers an easy framework to use, which supports the introduction of reflection and the transition from student to practitioner (Pearce, 2003). It has been advocated that reflective practices are a method of bridging the gap between nursing theory and practice, and as a tool to develop knowledge embedded in practice (Chong 2009). Furthermore in reflecting on the way we deliver care we can identify weaknesses, build on strengths and develop best practice (Johns 1996). However, there are those who are sceptical of the practice and the idea of reflection in nursing is ambiguous and confused and not based on discipline related evidence based research (Gustafsson et al 2007). Some studies however, have s hown a positive response from practitioners who have attributed reflective practice to changes in their practice (Paget 2000). In consideration of these views my approach to reflection as a means of recognizing strengths and weaknesses in my learning and practice to enable me to make positive changes to my future practice will be unbiased. Therefore my reflective account will include an open and honest description of what I have gained from the experience In conclusion, my main aim is to enhance my professional development by reflecting upon past education and clinical experience using the Nursing and Midwifery proficiencies as a benchmark. Furthermore by utilizing the reflective model I will not only identify my strengths and weaknesses but also recognize potential opportunities or threats which will enable me to prepare for my future development and alert me to any threats allowing me to overcome any difficulties I may encounter. Teekman (2000), states that throughout the literature it is well emphasized that reflective practice is an effective tool to reduce or eliminate the perceived theory-practice gap. I will therefore endeavour to utilize this exercise to transform my theoretical learning into evidence based practice. By doing this I can substantiate my claim to having knowledge of evidence based care to ensure safe practice (NMC Proficiency 2.5). Reflective Self-Assessment Gibbs (1988) model begins with asking the question What happened? and asks What were you feeling. This allows me to give an account of the events that occurred, and in order to add significance to the narrative I will relay my feelings about the event directly after explanation about the incident. During the course of my placement whilst working in an acute psychiatric in-patient ward I was delegated some responsibility for particular patients by senior members of staff. In addition I was often allowed to facilitate both group and one-to-one sessions supervised by a trained member of staff. However, due to other demands within the ward environment staff were often unable to run the groups and one-to-one sessions with the patients could often be time limited. However, on one particular day I was approached by a patient for whose care I was given responsibility He appeared very agitated and complained that over the previous few days he had become frustrated by the lack of attention he was been receiving from nursing care staff the lack of information he was being given in respect of his care. He also complained that he had been informed that he would have regular access to therapeutic groups and this was not happening. This patient had show a keenness to participate fully in his care to facilitate a quick recovery and discharge from the ward I was aware that staff had been busy but felt uneasy at his distress and afraid to tell him that staff had been too busy therefore unable to run the groups. In addition I did not feel confident enough to explain his treatment plan. I was quite annoyed though that he had not been consulted or involved in this previously, therefore I consulted with his named nurse voicing my concerns and asked if she could alleviate his concerns. (NMC Proficiency 2.6) was achieved by my articulating my own emotional and psychological responses to situations with colleagues in a professional manner. By also being aware of my own limitations at the time I achieved (NMC proficiency 1.1) by expressing my concerns for this particular patient. The nurse took him into a quiet room and in my presence explained the situation to him apologising for the apparent lack of attention he had received. She assured him that the therapeutic group would be commencing later that day and allowed him to vent his feelings and concerns about his care and anxieties about his illness. She reviewed his plan of care with him taking account of his wishes and desired outcomes. On listening to how she handled the session, I felt quite inadequate afterwards thinking I should have been able to deal with the situation as I was competent at formulating care plans. Following the session I decided to approach my mentor to ask to discuss the situation and we agreed that I would take the time to read through the Integrated Care Pathway of each patient under my care and become familiar with their use by suggested I attend and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings. By recognising this I was adhering to the code of professional conduct (NMC) 2008, to consult with a colleague when appropriate and work within the limits of my competence. Moreover, I achieved (NMC Proficiency 4.1) by demonstrating a commitment to the need for continuing professional development and personal supervision activities. In addition a multi-disciplinary meeting was arranged for the patient and his father and my mentor allowed me to co-ordinate this and provide feedback on his progress in order that I gain experience in multidisciplinary working. Prior to the meeting I scrutinized his ICP to familiarise myself with his situation and plan of care to enable me to identify his needs and achieved (NMC Proficiency 2.2) by providing relevant and current health information to the patient during the meeting. Rees et al, (2004) informs us that ICPs are tools which map out the pathway of clinical events and activities for all professionals involved in a specific patient group. The ICP helped clarify my roles and responsibilities as well as improve team working and communication. This enabled me to become more informed and also provide the patient with information on his plan of care which would be carried out throughout his journey from admission to discharge In attendance at the meeting were the Consultant Psychiatrist, Named Nurse, Pharmacist, Community Psychiatric Nurse, Occupational Therapist and myself. I provided feedback on the patients progress to the Consultant Psychiatrist and other team members, and highlighted the patients concerns about his treatment demonstrating (NMC proficiency 3.2) by working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary team members to enable the delivery of effective patient care, prior to the patient and his father attending. This provided the Consultant Psychiatrist with an overview of the patients mental health and progress to date. The patient and his father were then invited to attend the meeting the patient was given the opportunity to tell the Consultant Psychiatrist how he was feeling and discuss any issues he may have. He was also given the opportunity to talk about his prescribed medication and ask questions which were answered both by the doctor and pharmacist. The pharmacist also gave some advice about his present dose of prescribed medication making suggestions to the doctor about possible changes due to a complaint by the patient that he was experiencing stiffness in his legs. Despite being aware that I had the necessary information about the patients care, on occasion during feedback to the team I looked to my mentor to reassure me that the information I was imparting was accurate. The patient was allowed to discuss his involvement in therapeutic groups he had attended and their benefits. The patients father was also given the opportunity to ask any questions and voice any concerns he may have. Discussion between me, the consultant and patient provided clearer picture of the situation I and felt more at ease having further clarified the process of his care would be while on the ward. I felt more confident and satisfied that the patient was now more at ease and satisfied with his present care and was able to meet (NMC proficiency 2.4) by updating the patients plan of care following the meeting. The next stage Evaluation Gibbs model making sense of the situation and asks What was good or bad. I was pleased to see a positive outcome which was due to inclusion of the patient in his plan of care and collaboration within the multidisciplinary team meeting which alleviate the patients concerns. I was not happy at my own lack of confidence to initially deal with the clients concerns and the fact that the patient had to complain before being fully involved in his care. Having this awareness of my own emotions and of weaknesses in my practice and consulting with the patients named nurse assures me that I am managing myself, my practice and that recognizing my own abilities and limitations (NMC Proficiency 1.1) and resolving this by taking action to improve in this area of practice. In conclusion, stage five of the Gibbs (1988) model, I feel the more experience I gain in the ward environment and more I learn about ICPs I can improve patients quality of care and collaborating with other members of the multidisciplinary team I will gain knowledge and confidence to enable me to take that step from being a student to becoming a confident registered nurse and deal complex situations such as described above. In the final stage of Gibbs reflective model the question is asked If the situation arose what would I do? I will continue to utilize reflective practice to improve on my knowledge and skills and develop my Personal Development Plan to highlight gaps in my knowledge. I will use my personal development plan within my final placement to address my weakness and build on my strengths whilst seeking opportunities for further development taking account of any threats. Personal Development Plan I have chosen two areas which I feel are relevant to my future development needs namely Quality Assurance and Multidisciplinary/Agency team working. I will now take each area of developmental need and produce a personal development plan for each. What is it? NES (2007) explains that a personal development plan is another name for a plan of action which allows you to set personal goals and identify the best way to achieve them. I feel having a plan of action plan will keep me focussed on my learning objectives and allow me to keep track of my development as I progress in my career as a mental health nurse. In doing this I will continue to meet (NMC proficiency 4.2) by being a good role model, sharing my knowledge and experience with my colleagues to enhance their professional development. How is it important? One the recent requirements by the NHS is that all staff working in the NHS should have a professional development plan to ensure that staff continue their professional development and update their knowledge and skills (Kenworthy e al, 2001). In adhering to this I will be accomplishing (NMC proficiency 4.2). Department of Health (2004) state that it should prepare the individual to meet the requirements of their post, including the future interests of both the organization and the individual maintaining a balance between them to enable progression. This will be important when I am a registered nurse and there will be commitment to meet the requirements of my role. What are my objectives? Although both long and short term goals will be reviewed as your life moves forward, they guide you in making day-to-day more effectively (Ellis Hartlet, 2004). Furthermore, it is important to keep goals flexible and be willing to consider alternative goals and a variety of pathways to one goal. Short-Term Goals By setting my short-term goals in two development areas I will enhance my knowledge of both Integrated Care Pathways and Multidisciplinary/Agency working and be more proactive in taking responsibility for specific leadership roles within the multidisciplinary team, as well as initiating individual Integrated Care Pathways. Consequently, in taking a leadership role, I will have accomplished (NMC proficiency 3.3) by delegating duties within the level of my responsibilities and taking responsibility for managing patient Integrated Care Pathways. More specifically I will identify my short-term objectives within the 2 areas: Integrated Care Pathways -By the end of my management placement I will have a better understanding of Integrated Care Pathways. I will have completed an ICP document for a specific patient, which will enable me to guide the patient through the nursing process from assessment to discharge competently and confidently. Lastly, I will have learned the concept of variances used to measure the quality of patient care. Multidisciplinary/Agency working within my management placement, I will have acquired good knowledge of multidisciplinary/Agency working and be able to competently participate in multi-disciplinary meetings. I will be competent in facilitating multidisciplinary team meetings and have the ability to effectively communicate with members of the multi-disciplinary team. Finally I will have knowledge of any barriers to multi-disciplinary working. Medium and Long-term Goals I will meet both Medium Term and Long Term Goals by procuring employment within a nursing profession (preferably with the National Health Service), and once accomplished my aims will be to develop my practice from a novice practitioner and become an accomplished expert knowledgeable practitioner fulfilling the requirements of my job profile within the Knowledge and Skills Framework. By participating in continuous professional development, achieved by setting objectives within my Personal Development Plan I will have met all (NMC proficiencies) as I will have attained my NMC registration. How am I going to meet my objectives and why? Objectives are short-term, direct and rapidly testable (Kerry, 2002). In practice, objectives must be specific and often state the new ability that the learner is seeking to acquire for instance, new knowledge, a practical skill or an attitude. My short-term objectives are to address my weaknesses within both my development areas and this can be achieved by setting these as a priority and focussing on these within my next practice placement. In order for me to meet my objectives within my personal development plan I will arrange regular review with my mentor to gain feedback from supervision and to review my learning contract to see how I am progressing. Integrated Care Pathways Through self-directed study and utilising all resources within the ward I hope to enhance my knowledge on integrated care pathways and how it is implemented within the ward setting to improve quality of care for patients. Scottish Executive (2003) highlights that under the new mental health act any treatment given to patients should include meaningful involvement by the patient and carers. Furthermore by being involved in all aspects of the nursing process from assessment to discharge I aim to be more involved in the patients journey through the integrated care pathway and empower the patient to participate throughout their journey on the ward. A well as this, by having responsibility for my own case load I will be able to improve my confidence and be more assertive in making clinical judgements and my decision making skills. I will continue to ensure that my practice is evidence based by continually updated my theoretical knowledge by self-study utilizing relevant academic literatur e. Multi-disciplinary/Agency Working My aim is to improve my collaborative working skills by interacting with other members of the team and identifying what skills each member brings to the team to meet the patients needs. Beer, et al (2008) states that multi-disciplinary teams can be effective if there is good communication between themselves and other teams and shared goals. I aim to participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings and give feedback on my patients progress to enable me improve my communication skills, and also participate in joint working with all members of the team on the ward on a daily basis to enable me to become more assertive and a productive team member. It will be important to ensure that the patient is also involved in decisions that affect them. In addition to joint consultation between the multidisciplinary team I am aware of the importance in involvement of the patient in their care for example, by involving them in the process of single shared assessment and care planning. Claire Cox (20 03) highlight the importance of those providing services to explore the experiences, preferences and opinions of service users when assessing their health and social care needs. Finally, Regular consultation with my mentor will assist me in identifying my strengths and areas which he/she may feel I need to develop in with regards to collaborative working. My Future Development Needs Area of development for Integrated Care Pathways The purpose of Integrated Care Pathways has been defined in various ways within the literature. Quality Improvement Scotland (2007) highlights the quality assurance aspect indicating that ICP standards will support service improvements in relation to the process of care and outcomes for individuals. It also specifies the patients anticipated clinical care pathway and co-ordinates necessary tasks in management of patient care (Chew et al 2007). No matter how it is defined, the outcome for the patient is to improve their quality care through managing the process of care appropriately. The purpose of Integrated Care Pathways has been defined in different ways within the literature. Caring for patients is an essential part of the nurses work, and the quality of the care can be dependent on how far the nurse has come, in his/her professional development (Gustafsson, 2004). My experience of Integrated Care Pathways during my training has been limited; therefore I require improving my knowledge and skills in undertaking and documenting a comprehensive, systematic and accurate nursing assessment of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients. This will entail further enhancing my knowledge within the requirements of (NMC proficiency 2.3) as part of my development needs. ICPs have not been implemented within any of my placements in the community or long term ward settings. However, an Integrated Pathway for admission and discharge has been employed within an acute ward setting where I was placed. This has been implemented to standardize practice acros s every psychiatric admission ward within Lanarkshire (Kent Chalmers 2006), and to facilitate better co-ordination of discharge planning and facilitate continuity of treatment in the community (NHS Lanarkshire 2007). Quality Improvement Scotland (2007) highlights the quality assurance aspect indicating that ICP standards will support service improvements in relation to the process or care and outcomes for individuals. Area of development for Multi-Disciplinary Working Multidisciplinary working is the cornerstone of caring for patients within both a community and hospital setting. I have observed multi-professional collaboration and this seemed a very effective way of providing the best treatment available for patients. Cook et al (2001) identified from several studies that team working enhanced communication channels between different professionals resulting in better co-ordination of care, more timely access to services, and the provision of a more holistic approach to care. This was my experience when I was involved in the Multi-disciplinary meeting within the acute admission ward. Decision making within the team was enhanced by involvement of the nursing, medical, pharmacist, client and carer which resulted in a more holistic approach to the patients care thus improving the quality of care provided. This enabled me to accomplish (NMC proficiency 2.8) by demonstrating that by effective collaboration with the multidisciplinary team I was able to adapt the patients nursing care plan to meet his individual need. However, I am aware that I have had limited experience of working autonomously within the multidisciplinary team and intend to take the opportunity as a management student with delegated responsibility to enhance my knowledge and experience of joint working. In particular I will ensure that I take a lead role in multidisciplinary review meetings as a named nurse. However, I will ensure that I have adequate supervision from my mentor and other senior nursing staff to enable me to perform the role to the level of my responsibilities. Evaluation Weaver (2008) states that SWOT is an effective tool for reflection of a persons values, interests, priorities and effectiveness of their practice by means of self-evaluation. It has also been identified as an effective way of recognizing an individuals strengths and weaknesses, and examining the opportunities and threats that a person encounters (Pearce 2007). This therefore is an effective tool to evaluate a Personal Development Plan. Makinson (2001) highlights that by preparing a personal SWOT it helps to identify and analyse the current situation, the relevant features, circumstances and resources applicable to a personal development plan Amar (2003) suggests that the outcomes of learning and the process of learning can be evaluated by identifying learning needs using questionnaires, clinical audit, and patient satisfaction questionnaires. Rucker (2003) stresses the importance of timely feedback as a requisite for effective professional development. For both development areas namely Integrated Care Pathways and Multidisciplinary working I will utilize feedback from my mentor within the ward. However (Mumford 1998) highlights that although a mentor can enhance the acquisition of knowledge this will be dependent on their own level of knowledge. I will therefore supplement this by utilizing the knowledge base of other members of staff I encounter within my next placement area achieving (NMC proficiency 4.1 and 4.2) by sharing my knowledge and experience and identifying any deficiencies in my practice and seeking guidance on this. This would be achieved by ensuring that my NMC learning objectives were achieved and by ensu ring that my mentor was aware of the Personal Developed Plan in (Appendix 3). I will also utilize verbal feedback from the patient as I would be limited in respect of using questionnaires due my student status, time limitations and possible ethical issues. However, in the long term I would hope to utilize this method as a qualified practitioner to ensure that I was achieving my objectives with regard to the quality of patient care. I will also continue to utilize self-reflection as a means of improving my practice ensuring that I continue to set continuous achievable goals using the SMART framework. Annotation List 4.1 By the development of a personal development plan I identified weaknesses in my practice and demonstrated a commitment to the need for continuing professional development. 2.5 By linking theory to practice and reflecting on my own practice has enabled me develop my skills and evidence base to ensure I carry out safe practice with my patients. 2.6 Consulting with the patients named nurse about my concerns demonstrated that I identified and articulated my own emotional and psychological responses to situations with colleagues in a professional manner. Recognising my own abilities and limitations by carrying out practice in accordance with the code of professional conduct and consulting with a registered nurse when I felt the patient was not receiving the best quality of care. 2.2 By scrutinizing the patients ICP I was able to promote his health and well being throughout the meeting. 2.4 By updating the patients plan of care accordingly I had established priorities of care in partnership with the patient within the framework of informed consent. 3.2 demonstrated knowledge of effective inter-professional working by participation in the multi-disciplinary meeting presenting feedback on the patients health status. 4.2 By sharing my knowledge and skills with my colleagues and utilising my personal development plan to contribute to a climate conducive to learning. 3.3 By taking on a leadership role within my management placement, having responsibility for my own case load, I will be able to delegate duties to others, as appropriate, ensuring they are supervised and monitored. 2.3 By utilising the ICPs within the acute setting I was placed I was able to identify the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient, document clinical data and take appropriate action. 2.8 By participating in the multi-disciplinary meeting I demonstrated sound clinical judgement and was able to adapt nursing care to meet the patients individual needs.

Where Is the Spirit? :: Athletics Hockey School Spirit Essays

Where Is the Spirit? It’s Friday night at Matthew’s Arena where the men’s hockey team is ready to take on the University of New Hampshire Wildcats and it seems as if nobody is here except for UNH fans. Where are the Northeastern fans? Instead of Northeastern’s black and red, the Wildcat’s blue is overtaking the arena. Why is Northeastern so different from other universities who have thriving traditions and throngs of fans at every event? Is it because our sports teams are not as recognized? Or do the students here just have better things to do? Many Northeastern University students feel that athletics are relatively unsupported here since attendance is low at almost all events. This is a Division I school with 19 varsity teams that compete in the America East Conference, with the exception of football in the Atlantic 10 Conference and men’s and women’s hockey competing in Hockey East. With every win, Northeastern athletics are gaining recognition. The 2002-03 season was the best year overall for Northeastern athletics. Last year, Northeastern sent four teams to the NCAA playoffs and won a total of seven conference titles including football’s first ever Atlantic 10 title. Several students, when asked about low attendance, suggested the low turnout for football games is because of the location of Parson’s Field in Brookline, MA a few miles away. Students have to take busses supplied by Northeastern to the field. â€Å"I think one [stadium] closer to campus definitely would attract more students to games,† said Maria Maldonado, a sophomore political science major. â€Å"Taking the busses to games is such a hassle. Plus, the stadium is like a high school stadium.† One student said that she liked Boston University’s setup because fields were closer to campus making it easier to watch games. â€Å"I think if it were closer it would help. The BU soccer field is right behind some dorms and I have noticed that a lot of people watch those games because it is easy to just stop by,† said Amanda Lowe, a sophomore journalism major. The Huskies Homecoming football game was on October 18th at Parson’s Field. The field has a capacity of 7,000. At Homecoming, more than 6,000 were in attendance. It was a good turnout but when compared to another Division I school such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s football games, which are always filled to capacity at 80,000, Northeastern is just a small gathering.

Molecular Aspects of Biofilm Essay -- Biology, Cluster of Cells

Almost all bacteria are known to have certain stage of life where they live in form of biofilms. A biofilm is nothing but cluster of cells embedded within a self-produced polymeric matrix and adherent to a living or inert surface (Costerton et al, 1995). Development of biofilm begins with the attachment of planktonic bacteria to a surface, initially through weak and reversible Van der Waals forces and then anchors itself irreversibly by cell adhesion structures such as pili. The primary colonizers facilitate the arrival of other cells by producing polymeric adhesion matrix that also holds the biofilm together (Costerton et al, 1995). In course of colonization and maturation of biofilm, cells communicate via quorum sensing which also leads to phenotypic and genotypic changes in cells (Diggle et al, 2007). This development of biofilm confers bacterial cells higher antibiotic resistant and immunity to environmental insults. Enhanced antibiotic resistance due to biofilm development impo ses increasing concerns in antimicrobial therapy, especially when it comes to biomedical devices associated infections (Donlan, 2001). According to an estimate, contamination of surgical instruments by biofilm increases approximately 1.6 billion dollars in hospital expenditures annually in United States of America (Gupta et al, 2002). Biofilms not only cause nuisance in clinical aspects but they also create a number of serious problems in industrial operations like in fluid processing operations, mechanical blockages, impedance of heat transfer process, and biodeterioration of components of metallic and polymeric systems that results in loss of billions of rupees each year (Rao et al, 1993 and 2009; Fleming, 2002; Boffardi, 2005). Pseudomonas aerugi... ...s censored i.e. some part of sample may lost before the final outcome is speculated or speculation itself is incomplete (Kaplan & Meier, 1958). In KM survival plot, survival probability is measured after certain time periods and between two sampling time points survival probability is assumed to be constant so as an outcome we speculate a series of horizontals steps of survival probability over a period of time (Bland & Altman, 1998). Survival probability was calculated as P=Nt/N. Where P is survival probability, N0 is initial number of cells, Nt is number of viable cells after giving biocide doses at t time. Standard error in P was calculated as SE=√[P(1-p)/N] The upper and lower limit of 95% confidence interval were calculated as =PÂ ±1.96*SE. The upper limit of probability of survival of cells at different doses were taken into account for plotting the graph. Molecular Aspects of Biofilm Essay -- Biology, Cluster of Cells Almost all bacteria are known to have certain stage of life where they live in form of biofilms. A biofilm is nothing but cluster of cells embedded within a self-produced polymeric matrix and adherent to a living or inert surface (Costerton et al, 1995). Development of biofilm begins with the attachment of planktonic bacteria to a surface, initially through weak and reversible Van der Waals forces and then anchors itself irreversibly by cell adhesion structures such as pili. The primary colonizers facilitate the arrival of other cells by producing polymeric adhesion matrix that also holds the biofilm together (Costerton et al, 1995). In course of colonization and maturation of biofilm, cells communicate via quorum sensing which also leads to phenotypic and genotypic changes in cells (Diggle et al, 2007). This development of biofilm confers bacterial cells higher antibiotic resistant and immunity to environmental insults. Enhanced antibiotic resistance due to biofilm development impo ses increasing concerns in antimicrobial therapy, especially when it comes to biomedical devices associated infections (Donlan, 2001). According to an estimate, contamination of surgical instruments by biofilm increases approximately 1.6 billion dollars in hospital expenditures annually in United States of America (Gupta et al, 2002). Biofilms not only cause nuisance in clinical aspects but they also create a number of serious problems in industrial operations like in fluid processing operations, mechanical blockages, impedance of heat transfer process, and biodeterioration of components of metallic and polymeric systems that results in loss of billions of rupees each year (Rao et al, 1993 and 2009; Fleming, 2002; Boffardi, 2005). Pseudomonas aerugi... ...s censored i.e. some part of sample may lost before the final outcome is speculated or speculation itself is incomplete (Kaplan & Meier, 1958). In KM survival plot, survival probability is measured after certain time periods and between two sampling time points survival probability is assumed to be constant so as an outcome we speculate a series of horizontals steps of survival probability over a period of time (Bland & Altman, 1998). Survival probability was calculated as P=Nt/N. Where P is survival probability, N0 is initial number of cells, Nt is number of viable cells after giving biocide doses at t time. Standard error in P was calculated as SE=√[P(1-p)/N] The upper and lower limit of 95% confidence interval were calculated as =PÂ ±1.96*SE. The upper limit of probability of survival of cells at different doses were taken into account for plotting the graph.

Congressmen And Their Influences :: essays research papers

Congressmen and Their Influences The notion that a Congressman ran for office for unselfish goals and went away to Washington to serve his country and represent his neighbors seems quaint and luaghable compared to the way that we currently regard members of congress. Recent views have suggested that most people felt that while the institution on the whole was corrupt, but that their representative was a good person and servant of the electorate. More and more each member is scrutinized and judged harsher by their constituencies, the media, their own party and the numerous interest groups and cuacuses that make it possible for them to act as Senators and Representatives. The Congress and President work together through their own institutions in the common goal of running the worlds most powerful nation. The legilative powers were divided this way to ensure that all new laws would be debated and decided not by a few but through a heirarchy that gives every citizen a part to play in our collective decision making. Each of the individuals in the House has an equitable voting relationship with the others, 1=1=1, when it come to passing legislation, but in the earlier phases of formulating policy some relationships are dominant over others. The only ones that would be lower than a freshman Democrat in the 105th Congress from a rural, low industry district are probably those that represent our protectorates Guam, Puerto Rico, etc. Many levels within the parties and the institution afford some members leadership roles and positions that they can use to sway the other members. The Whips, Majority and Minority leaders and the Speaker of the House are looking for party cohesion and also bi-partisan support for a bill. Coalitions are forged or broken depending on the issue at hand. Individual committee positions are another point were some are more powerful than others. The committees are major superintendents of some agencies and members not on that particular committee may be ignored or relegated to other tasks while the major decisions are being made. Since much of policy direction is dominated by the two party system they are able to use the majority selected rules and procedures of the House to their advantage. In the more collegial and congenial Senate power is more diffused and shared between the members and minority rights are protected. In the parties the leaders are able to use their personalities and power to influence the agenda that is agreed upon. The way the House is run leaves a great deal of discretion to the leaders of the parties and committee members

Choosing a Right University Essay

Choosing a university is a serious life-decision, because a university is a model of the real world and a place to stay for four years. In a university, we can chase for genuine knowledge, expand social networking, and learn about how to interact with people, etc. If we choose the wrong school, we might miss a lot of opportunities to learn and experience. In order to choose the right university, we have three important factors to consider: academic resources, activity resources, and accessibility. Since studying is the first priority for a university student, there is no doubt that we should first consider whether the school contains the academic resources that fit our interest . On one hand, if the students have interests in disciplinary fields, then they should choose a comprehensive university instead of a single field university. On the other hand, for students who have interest in specific field, they should choose the school that is dominant in that particular field. That is to say, to investigate whether the school owns the academic capability of the field that we are curious about is vital. Besides studying, how the students spend their free time is the second important factor to think about. Do the students spend all their spare time fooling around, or play on-line games? Or do they have various opportunities to experience life? In other words, we have to know whether the school offers chances of meaningful experiences for student to explore the world, such as international conferences, enlightened speeches, exchange programs, volunteering works and student clubs, etc. After viewing academic and extracurricular resources provided by the school, we can then take a look at the accessibility of the school. The reason why the accessibility of school need to be considered carefully is because there are still lots of things happen out of the campus. For example, exhibitions, intern, and speeches etc. all take place in the city center. As a result, we need to check whether we have the convenient access to the city center, for having chances to get connection with the real world. Choosing an ideal university is a complicated matter, but follow the factors which mentioned above might help us cross out some unsuitable options. To conclude, first is to know about the academic background of the school, then to see what extracurricular opportunities the school offers, and finally to know whether the access from to the real world is convenient or not.

Carol Ann Duffy Study Notes

1. ‘LITTLE RED CAP’ ‘LRC’ is a poem written by Carol Ann Duffy, and is the first poem in the anthology ‘The World’s Wife’, published in 1999. By interpreting the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood in her poem, Duffy recounts her ten years of marriage to Adrian Henri, who was twenty-three years old her senior. She places herself as the character of Little Red Cap and Henri as the wolf. Duffy also alludes to fairytales such as ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in ‘Queen Herod’ or more traditional stories like ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ in ‘Mrs. Quasimodo’.In ‘LRC’, however, Duffy uses the fairytale staple of the woods, symbolically a rite of passage, to represent her change from a naive teenager to a woman who gains sexual maturity and independence, as a woman and a poet. a. Form and structure: POV of Little Red Cap? by extension, this is the POV of Duffy when she was younger? access true st thoughts of the character ? also allows the reader to see how she progresses from a naive young teenager who is struck by the wolf’s (and by extension Henri’s) sophistication and, more importantly, physical features to someone who has seen past this illusion and is more mature . Key features: Duffy’s use of the fairytale? seeing through illusions to find truth, leading to transformation? the illusion that Little Red Cap has to see through ? also may contain a moral, as fairytales do. While LRRH may have focused on never trusting strangers, this one may be about learning to trust and know yourself before anything else (girl gains independence at the end- ‘I took an axe’, etc. )? links to self-discovery? Duffy also subverts the original tale by removing the passive female protagonist who gets saved by a man, into someone who asserts her independence by taking ‘an axe to the wolf’ herselfSetting? contributes to the theme of self-discove ry and awakening ? we begin ‘at childhood’s end’, where ‘the house petered out’ ? there is a sense of safety and innocence lost, as she is on her own ? the listing in the first stanza presents a world that encapsulates childhood (‘playing fields’), work (‘factory’) and retirement (‘allotments’) ? she has left the microcosmic reality of childhood, inside her house, and is surrounded by this vast expanse of life? sense of being overwhelmed? but before she can join them she must go through the woods? ymbol of a rite of passage? somewhere unknown, fearful that LRC must traverse through in order to come out the other side with her ‘flowers, singing all alone’ Characterization of LRC? throughout the poem, the dynamic of the relationship between LRC and the wolf, as well as the states of each character change ? represents Duffy’s changing and growing dissatisfaction in her marriage to Henri? charact er represents Duffy at age sixteen (young)? described as ‘sweet sixteen†¦waif’, emphasizing her innocence and naivety ? casual tone (‘You might ask why. ), again highlights her juvenility, which attracts her to the more mature wolf? attraction causes whirlwind romance (‘I clung till dawn to his trashing fur’/ ‘my stockings ripped to shreds’) ? emphasized through violent verbs, and her need to seek justification (‘what little girl doesn’t dearly love a wolf? ’)? suggests she doesn’t really know what she is doing? so, it takes ‘ten years in the woods’ to come out the other side? she undergoes her rite of passage? represents the disillusionment caused during the final years of Duffy’s marriage? fterwards, she gains independence (repetition of ‘I’), and by doing so she finds her own voice within her femininity in the final lines of the poem (‘I come with my flowers, singin g, all alone’) Characterization of the wolf? represents the older Adrian Henri ? character progresses in the opposite way of LRC ? he starts off at a higher status, but falls from grace at the 6th stanza’s turning point ? introduced in stanza 2? Duffy emphasizes his masculine, physical qualities (‘What teeth! ’), emphasized by allusions to the original tale, as well as the regular rhyme scheme (focuses on ‘hairy paw’, ‘bearded jaw’)? lso creates a juvenile tone, emphasizing LRC’s schoolgirl attraction to him, and how he has the upper hand status-wise ? portrayed as mysterious, sophisticated and confident (contrasts with juvenility of LRC)- ‘red wine staining his bearded jaw’- it is red wine, not blood? also has connotations of illusion? however, in the 6th stanza she sees through the illusion ? realizes the ‘greying wolf howls the same old song at the moon’? implies that she was only taken by the i nitial lust for him, but that she has become bored and dissatisfied over time? caesura and parallel structures (‘year in, year out’) emphasize this? o she emasculates him (‘one chop, scrotum to throat’), relinquishing him of his power, becoming independent In conclusion, Duffy manages to explore the themes of self-discovery and independence as she takes a look back at her 10-year marriage to Adrian Henri. She cleverly places herself and Henri as the characters Little Red Cap and the wolf, subverting the traditional fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood and by doing this, uses the fairytale staple of seeing through illusions. Finally, Little Red Cap emerges out of the woods, completing her rite of passage.

Rail Way Ticket Reservation

Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design (OOSAD) 15. 3. 3 OOA of Railway Ticket Reservation System Assume that domain analysis is complete and DAD is ready for reference. The analyst also has a fair knowledge of the system and the system environment. For the sake of convenience and to reduce complexity at this stage in OOA, we are ignoring certain conditions, constraints and features that the real system may have. For example, we are not considering cancellation of tickets as a requirement. We assume all passengers irrespective of their type (senior citizen, military personnel, special category passengers etc. are the same, and therefore are charged with the same fare. We begin with the statement of requirement of the system. u System Requirement l The passenger has a prior knowledge of the reservation and ticketing system. The passenger arrives at the railway ticket counter and interacts with the counter clerk first through an enquiry and then follows the process of form filling, tendering, payment and collecting the tickets. l Passenger accepts the ticket or leaves the counter.l Passenger seeks information on fare, train timings and availability of tickets. Passenger can have single ticket or multiple tickets. l Journey begins on a day and will be over with one break in between. l Passenger is identified by name, age, sex and address. l Trains are identified by name and number. l No receipt is issued for money transacted. l Output of the system is ticket(s) with details. l The process is triggered through a form filled by the passenger detailing the requirements of tickets, train, date, etc. l A form is used for each train. If the journey requires use of multiple trains, separate forms are used for each train. Identify the Actors The actors in the system are the passenger, the counter clerk and the reservation system consisting of form processing, reservation, fare computation, ticket processing, ticket printing, collection of fare amount and posting as su b-systems. The passenger is a passive user–actor who initiates the process and obtains the ticket(s), a goal of measurable value. The counter clerk is an active user–actor, who triggers the system and has the role of issuing the tickets with the responsibility of collecting the correct fare amount from the passenger, which is a measurable value.Predesigned and deployed ticket reservation system at the back end is a system actor–user to ensure that ticket processing is done correctly and different system statuses are updated on issuing of tickets. This actor has an active role and responsibility at the back end. u Develop Business Process Model – Reservation and Issue of Tickets Based on the system observation by the analyst, a high-level activity diagram is drawn modeling the process of reservation and issue of tickets to the passenger. The activity diagram brings everybody concerned with the system on the ground to a common understanding of the system as it functions.Object Oriented Analysis (OOA) +D=FJAH# â€Å"†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ We use this activity diagram of the process to develop use cases, which together achieves the goal of issuing the ticket. Fig. 15. 3 Activity Diagram of Reservation and Issue of Tickets Passenger Comes to the Counter Collects the Reservation Form ; Writes Details Clerk Enters Form Details on the Screen Triggers Ticket Printing Process Submits form to the Counter Clerk Validates, Verifies Availability Not OK OK Triggers Fare Process, Arrives at the Fare Amount Prints the Tickets Form Modified Not OKOK Issues Tickets *We do not see this as possibility in real world. Passenger may walk out of the system Collects Fare Amount Not OK * Confirms OK with the Passenger Triggers Update Process Attends To Next Passenger u Identify and Develop Use Cases In the ticket reservation systems, users are the passenger, the counter clerk and the Reservation and Ticketing System (R;T System). Take each user and identify the role s played, which would lead us to identify the roles played, which, in turn, would lead us to an identification of use case. Table 15. shows the result of the process of identifying the use cases. The system has three users, eight roles and eleven use cases. To illustrate the process of identifying the use cases, let us take the passenger (a user of the system). A passenger as a user may play one or more of three roles. The roles are 1. Enquiring about the availability of tickets on particular dates to a destination and the fare per ticket. The role is enquiring. 2=HJ111 â€Å"# Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design (OOSAD) Table 15. 1 Users? Roles? Use Cases. User l Role l l lUse case l l l l l l l l l Passenger Enquiry Reservation and ticketing Cancellation Form data entry Requisition processor Ticket processor Data manager System server Enquire ticket availability and other details. Reserve seats and berths, tickets Cancel tickets Enter Reservation Requisition Form Process requisition for booking Process ticket to print Submits ticket data for updation Process reservation data, process ticketing process cancellation Update the status by date, train, etc. l Counter clerk l l l l l Reservation and ticketing system l 2.Reserving the ticket(s) on a particular train on particular date for a destination by requisitioning through a reservation form The role is reserving and booking tickets. 3. Cancelling the tickets after issuing and payment The role is cancelling. As explained in the case of passenger, the roles are use cases. Similarly, one can probe into the roles and use cases for counter clerk and reservation and ticketing system. u Draw Interaction Diagrams Interaction diagrams are used to show the interactions between user/actor and the system. Use case is a scenario that develops through interaction.Let us model different scenarios through interaction diagrams: Use Case: enquiring on ticket availability 1. Passenger submits information about the date and train, and requirement of tickets to the counter clerk 2. Clerk checks the availability of tickets on the date and train. 3. Communicates the availability status to the passenger. 4. If OK, the passenger proceeds to book the ticket through a requisition form. 5. If not OK, the passenger changes the date or train and requests availability. 6. Steps 2 to 4 are repeated. Figure 15. 4 shows the steps in the activity diagrams of use case enquiry to issue of Tickets. Object Oriented Analysis (OOA) +D=FJAH# â€Å"# Fig. 15. 4 Enquiry to Issue of Tickets Passenger Tells Date Train and Tickets Data Entered into R;T System Not Available Puts New Date and Train R;T Checks Availability Passenger Exits Available Fills Requisition Form R;T Processes the Form Prints Tickets Tickets Issued and Fare Amount Collected Let us draw use case scenarios in use case diagrams for actor passenger. Use Case enquiry: Fig 15. 5. Here use case goal is to convey the ticket availability status to the passenge r on the requested date and train.If the status is ‘available’, the passenger proceeds to book the ticket or may leave the counter. If the status is ‘not available’, the passenger may leave the counter or seek availability for a new date or new train. l 2=HJ111 â€Å"# Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design (OOSAD) Fig. 15. 5 Use Case Enquiry Enquiries on Availability Enters Requested Data in R&T System Passenger Uses R&T System to Check Reservation Counter Clerk Informs the Status on Availability l Use Case: reservation and ticketing: Fig. 15. 6. Writes Reservation Requisition Form & SubmitsFig. 15. 6 Use Case: Reservation and Ticketing Passenger Form Data Entered Form Processed for Reservation & Ticketing Triggers Ticket Printing Collects Fare Amount and Issues Ticket Uses R&T System Uses Uses Reservation Counter Clerk Updates R&T Ticket Status Steps involved in this use case are: 1. Passenger writes reservation requisition form. 2. Submits to the c ounter clerk. 3. Counter clerk calls ‘Form’ screen. 4. Counter clerk enters form data. 5. Triggers R and T processing. 6. On OK processing, triggers ticket printing. 7. Issues ticket to passenger. . Update the system status. So far we have completed two of the most common and frequently used use cases, i. e. enquiry and reservation and ticketing. The following use cases can be modeled on similar lines. l Cancellation l Process reservation data Object Oriented Analysis (OOA) l l +D=FJAH# â€Å"#! Form data entry l Process ticketing Form processing l Process cancellation l Ticket printing l Status updation When the analyst has completed all use cases in the system, s/he has described and modeled the requirement of reservation and ticketing system.It is possible that in first go s/he may not be able to identify actors and hence use cases. But s/ he will come across their presence in the modeling exercise, and will then go back and analyse further to introduce more actors and use cases. OOA is an intuitive process. Use case–driven OOA up till now has given us broad system requirements in terms of use cases. The OOA model using use cases is to be packaged to model the system. Figure 15. 7 shows the packaging of use cases considered in the R and T system.Fig. 15. 7 R and T System Packaging R;T System Enquiry Ticketing Ticket Availability Processing and Printing Reservation Uses Uses Cancellation Reserving Seats Cancellation and Refund Process Realise that though there are eleven use cases, we have grouped them under four major use case groups, namely l Enquiry l Ticketing l Reservation l Cancellation The remaining use cases are sub-use cases, or, in other words, these four use cases are further decomposed to bring clarity to main use case scenario.How many case scenarios are necessary to represent the system and then to spell out the requirement? There are no set rules or guidelines on this point. More use cases may not necessarily bring better understanding or more clarity. A lot depends on users’ and developers’ level of comfort. What is definitely required is a use case for each major scenario: that is, for enquiry, reservation, ticketing and cancellation. Use cases for different scenarios arising out of smaller input variations need not be modeled.For example, cancellation could be part of a journey, 2=HJ111 â€Å"#† Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design (OOSAD) reduced number of tickets and so on. Amongst five recommended processes of analysis, use case–driven analysis for ascertaining system requirement is considered best as it considers users’ perspective of the system. When the system is modeled into different case scenarios it not only goes down to the level of function and features, but also reveals relationships and behaviours amongst different system components.Each use case scenario is an instance in the system that has clarity regarding goals and how they are to be ach ieved. The system can be decomposed from major use case at higher level going down to lowest level. This means that lower level use case scenarios together build the major scenario. In use case–driven analysis, so far we have only understood in addition to domain knowledge. l System scope (enquiry, reservation, ticketing and cancellation) l System players (users, actors) l Major functions and processes based as use case scenarios. Some idea on packaging system components for deployment. l System requirements at functional and process level. In short, so far in OOA, we have reached to some extent a situation in which the requirement analysis made so far can be put into a formal RDD document. We still have not reached the specifications level. This is possible when we go further, identifying classes, their relationship, attributes and methods. Use case–driven analysis, displayed in use case models, is a basis for moving into the step of identifying classes and designing classes.