Monday, September 30, 2019

Criminal Punishment Essay

Given the different speeds at which people may develop both physically and intellectually, any form of explicit age limit may be arbitrary and irrational. Children do not deserve to be exposed to criminal punishment in the same way as adults. Children have not had experience of life, nor do they have the same mental and intellectual capacities as adults. Persons aged 15 to 19 years are more likely to be processed by police for the commission of a crime than are members of any other population group. In reference to the case with the 6 yr. old shooting his classmate, I believe he should have some sort of punishment. The young boy had a scuffle the day before and went home and because of his environment and upbringing he knew that a gun was dangerous and can cause harm to another person. The young boy at some point had to think about his actions and decided to take the weapon to school and later, shooting the young classmate which means the young 6 yr. old practiced on pulling the trig ger. Sure, you have an innocence factor here and each state sets the age limit on what age to charge a child with a criminal act. Age and criminal responsibility is a really touchy topic for many any children under the age of 7 and in the United States the criminal justice system can charge a youth with a criminal crime at the age of 6 years of age. I know of two cases where six year old boys were convicted on criminal charges in the state of California. I believe that the 6 yr. old in the course readings should’ve been court ordered to undergo professional counseling or treatment. If a punishment was not something the state wanted to issue, I definitely would argue that the youth was exposed to a household where guns and drugs were prevalent and the youth himself in my opinion may have suffered from some sort of PTSD. The classmate that was shot has a family and that family needs justice. Justice would not be served if the six year old walks away free. Charging the 19 yr. old in the house with guns and drugs does not solve the crime that took place at the school. There is an age limit for holing a child accountable for criminal responsibility and in this case, the youth should’ve been charged. The youth should’ve undergone a session to determine if he was mentally aware and then the state should’ve charged the young boy.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Evidence Based Practice Essay

The following ssion of this assignment attempts to critically appraise the venUS III randomised control trial (RTC) published in the British Medical Journal. As a student/healthcare worker who is new to critical appraisal I am aware that I do not fully understand some of the calculations involved in reporting of findings, however Greenhalgh (2006) argued, ‘all you really need to know is what the best test is to apply in given circumstances, what it does and what might affect its validity/appropriateness’. When caring for patients it is essential that Healthcare Professionals are using current best practice. To determine what this is they must be able to read research, as not all research is of the same quality or standard therefore Healthcare Professionals should not simply take research at face value simply because it has been published (Cullum and Droogan, 1999; Rolit and Beck, 2006). I am completing this assignment to cultivate the skills at enable me to effectively assess the validity of research that may shape my practice. There are numerous tools available to help reviewers to critique research studies (Tanner 2003). I have elected to use the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. I chose CASP as it is simple, directive and appropriate to quantitative research. The research article had a clear concise and easily understandable title and abstract. Titles should be 10/15 words long and should clearly identify for the reader the purpose of the study (Connell Meehan, 1999). Titles that are too long or too short can be confusing or misleading (Parahoo, 2006). From the abstract the reader should be able to determine if the study is of interest and whether or not to continue reading (Parahoo, 2006). The author(s’) qualifications and job can be a useful indicator into the researcher(s’) knowledge of the area under investigation and ability to ask the appropriate questions (Conkin Dale, 2005). The authors of the venUS III trial were from a range of academic and clinical backgrounds and are considered experts in their fields. The VenUS  III RTC clearly set out its objective to consider the clinical effectiveness of weekly high frequency ultrasound on hard to heal venous leg ulcers, (hard to heal was defined). In cases where participants had more than one venous leg ulcer the largest ulcer would be tracked if ultrasound treatment was allocated this site received the treatment. Outcomes to be considered where clearly outlined and method of measurement/collection defined. The study screened 1488 people with leg ulcers and 337 people became participants (22. %) Participants were randomised and evenly distributed, 168 to ultrasound therapy (dependant variable) plus standard care (experimental group) and 169 to standard care only (control group) This is reported as being the largest trial undertaken on the subject of therapeutic ultrasound for wound healing and earlier studies are referenced in support this statement. The study was cross-sectional, its population was taken from both community and district nur se led services as well as hospital outpatient clinics. The 12 care settings used where taken from both rural and urban settings. A â€Å"good† sample is one that is representative of the population from which it was selected (Gay 1996) Venous leg ulcers rates rise sharply with age with an estimated 1 in 50 people over the age of 80 developing venous leg ulcers (NHS choices 2012). The age of the participants in the study ranged from 20-98 years old, however the median age overall was 71. 85 and the mean age was 69. 44 years old across the study, well below the age range where venous leg ulcers are most seen. The assignment of participant’s treatment was equally randomised: treatment was blindly allocated: 168 to ultrasound therapy plus standard care and 169 to standard care only. Randomisation was conducted by an independent agency (York trials Unit) The lack of attrition bias was a strong positive for the venUS III trial, it had a low loss to follow up rate. The nurses providing treatment where not blind to which treatment had been allocated, this may impact on construct validity as in some cases it is suggested that control subjects are compensated in some way by healthcare staff or family for not receiving research intervention (Barker 2010). Nurses who were blinded were employed to trace the ulcers. Participating patients were not blind to the treatment/s. As one of the measured outcomes was patients perceptions of health, assessed by a questionnaire (SF-12) it is reasonable to conceive that this assessment may have been influenced by the patients awareness of the treatment type they were receiving thus creating the possibility for assessment bias. Construct validity may also be impacted on peoples behaviours as a response to being observed or to the treatment because they believe it will have a positive effect. Barker 2010) Healing date was assessed remotely by independent assessors who where blind to the treatment allocation this guards against assessment bias. Overall both treatment groups were equal in size. Both treatment groups had an almost equal average age of study participants, this is important because inequality in age between the groups would represent a heterogeneous population (Barker 2010). Venous leg ulc eration is more common in woman than men in those below 85 year of age (Moffat 2004) the trial participants had a female majority. Probably the weakest element of the study was the probability of performance bias. Standard care comprised of low adherent dressings and four-layer bandaging that was high compression, reduced compression or no compression depending upon the participant’s tolerance. Any changes to the regime where recorded and where made at the discretion of the treating clinician. Standard care was practiced in accordance with local protocol and could have varied between locations the quality of standard care given may be considered to be a confounding variable. Surveys of reported practice of leg ulcer care by nurses have demonstrated that knowledge often falls far short of that which is ideal (Bell 1994, Moffat 2004, Roe 1994) and that there is a wide variation in the nursing management of people with leg ulcers in the United Kingdom (UK) (Elliot 1996, Moffat 2004, Roe 1994). Large variation in healing rates according to trial centre is a further indicator that standard care is so variable that it potentially affects the reliability of results. No treatment fidelity checks were undertaken and no observation regime beyond usual practice of the treating nurse’s practice was implemented despite nurses being new to ultrasound application. Nurses were deemed competent after one day of training, these nurses where then also considered competent to train other local nurses who would be providing treatment. The ultrasound treatment given during the venous III trial did not give any additional effect on ulcer healing or reoccurrence rate and it did not affect quality of life. As the study only looked at one ultra sound regime extrapolation of the results was not possible, a between-subjects designed study may have provided data that was of further function. Treatment effect was measured precisely; the primary outcome measured was the time that the venous leg ulcer took to heal, this was measured in days and adjustments were made in order to account for baseline ulcer area (larger ulcer would be expected to take longer to heal than smaller ulcers). A fully healed ulcer was clearly defined and the ulcers were photographed every four weeks, at the point of healing and seven days after full healing has occurred, assessment of the ulcer was completed by two blind independent assessors and where required a third assessor was used if outcome was inconclusive. In some cases no photographs were available for patients in this case the treating nurse assessed healing date, no explanation why photographs would not be available is given. 7. 8% of the sample were assessed by an unblinded nurse this presented some risk of assessment bias. The trial also considered how many patients had fully healed ulcers within 12 months. Reduction in ulcer size was measured by area, by a blinded nurse who took acetate traces of the ulcers every four weeks the method of which was considered to be accurate and reliable and its provenance clearly referenced. Quality of life was also measured with a standardised questionnaire (SF-12) which looked at both physical and mental elements. As there is no evidence to support the use of ultrasound therapy in addition to standard treatment therefore no current change in practice is indicated and standard practice should continue. The study reported significant heterogeneity in healing rates among the treatment centres. Centres that treated the most patients produced better healing overall, if there is a correlation between volume of patients treated and positive outcomes this hypothesis has the potential to impact upon the way care is delivered in the future. The trial considered not only medical outcomes but also considered changes in patient quality of life (both physical and mental). Beauchamp and Childress (2001) identify four fundamental moral principles: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice. Autonomy infers that an individual has the right to freely decide to participate in a research study without fear of coercion and with a full knowledge of what is being investigated. Participants gave written, informed consent and recruiting nurses were trained in consent procedures. Non- maleficence implies an intention of not harming and preventing harm occurring to participants both of a physical and psychological nature (Parahoo 2006). Patients who had a high probability of being harmed if they received the ultrasound where excluded from the trial, the exclusion criteria took into account contraindications. Initially it was planned to exclude those unable to tolerate compression bandaging but after ethical consideration this was removed as these patients were identified as being particularly in need of the chance to benefit from ultrasound therapy. Beneficence is interpreted as the research benefiting the participant and society as a whole (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). The annual cost to the NHS is estimated at ? 230-400 million (NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, 1997; Bosanquet, 1992; Baker et al. 991) some individual health authorities are spending ? 0. 9m to ? 2. 1 million (Carr et al 1999). There are psychological implications to the patient in that the ulcer increases social isolation through limited mobility, uncontrolled exudate and odour, together with pain (Lindholm et al. 1993; Charles1995). Justice is concerned with all participants being treated as equals and no one group of individuals receiving preferential treatment (Parahoo, 2006). There is no evidence to sugg est that any of the participants were discriminated against. The following section attempts to discuss how evidence based health care enhances health care- looking at the evidence base within health care Evidence-based practice (EBP) is one of the most important developments in decades for the helping professions—including medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, public health, counselling, and all the other health and human service professions (Briggs & Rzepnicki, 2004; Brownson et al. , 2002; Dawes et al. , 1999; Dobson & Craig, 1998a, 1998b; Gilgun, 2005; Roberts & Yeager, 2004; Sackett et al. ,2000). That is because evidence-based practice holds out the hope for practitioners that we can be at least as successful in helping our clients as the current available information on helping allows us to be. Evidence-based health care is the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients or the delivery of health services. Current best evidence is up-to-date information from relevant, valid research about the effects of different forms of health care, the potential for harm from exposure to particular agents, the accuracy of diagnostic tests, and the predictive power of prognostic factors

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Application of Discounted Cash Flow

As per the ratio analysis determined from the financial statements of TNO Limited, it can be said that the net profit ratio of the company declined in the current unaudited period compared to that of the previous year by around 9%. Similarly, return on assets of the company also declined by around 10%, which indicates that the capacity to generate revenue from the assets is not sufficient. Working capital ratio of the company reflected 1.91, which was higher in the previous audited financial year indicating that the value of assets has been declined in the current year to meet the current liabilities. According to the financial statements of the company, it can be said that the net income reflected declining trend in the current financial year. It has been observed that the revenue of the company also reflected 58% decline compared to that of the previous year 2009 indicating reduction in the overall expected rate of return. During the current financial year, it has been noticed that the solvency ratio of the company declined in the current year, which was 0.50 in the previous audited period that may lower the return on investment and increase the cost of capital structure (Knechel & Salterio, 2016). On the contrary, liquidity ratio of the company reflected increased value in the current financial year, which reflects the ability of the company to convert resources in cash within short- term period (Lu, Wu & Yu, 2017). Considering the non- current assets of the company, it can be said that the value of investments has been increased in the current year. Increase in value of investments has been measured through properties, which was valued by directors as per the basis of financial year 2010 (Kou, Peng & Wang, 2014). Accordingly, it can be said that the investment valuation of the company reflected risk of decline in market value that may affect the true and fair view of the assets value. In addition, the account of intangible asset valuation reflects significant risk of correct valuation, appropriate amortization charges and value as per the current and fair market rates (Uechi et al., 2015). While planning and performing analytical procedures, it is essential to measure the significant risk present in the financial statements to assess the materiality and relevance of the financial performance of the company. In the present case, the areas that have been considered for significant risks are investments and intangible assets other than overall income statement and balance sheet. The investment account has been identified for significant risk since it covers a significant area of company’s asset and overall financial position. It is essential for a company to measure the appropriate and correct value of investments in accordance with the fair market value (Delen, Kuzey & Uyar, 2013). In case of TNO Limited, investment of surplus funds and property market is principal business activities therefore it is essential to conduct appropriate audit test on the value of investments. It is important to conduct detailed valuation of the investment together with the current mar ket value as well as interest rates along with the verification of accounting records of investment. On the other hand, valuation of intangible assets has been considered since it involves a significant area in the company’s overall asset resources. Since, TNO limited has been involved in research and development of technologies, it is essential to consider appropriate value of intangible assets as per the current market structure. Delen, D., Kuzey, C., & Uyar, A. (2013). Measuring firm performance using financial ratios: A decision tree approach.  Expert Systems with Applications,  40(10), 3970-3983. Dudzi?ska-Bary?a, R., & Michalska, E. (2015). Visualisations of the risk investment valuation and the level of inventory control using the GeoGebra software.  Studia Ekonomiczne,  247, 7-19. Knechel, W. R., & Salterio, S. E. (2016).  Auditing: assurance and risk. Routledge. Kou, G., Peng, Y., & Wang, G. (2014). Evaluation of clustering algorithms for financial risk analysis using MCDM methods.  Information Sciences,  275, 1-12. Lu, L. Y., Wu, H., & Yu, Y. (2017). Investment-related Pressure and Audit Risk.  Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory. Mohammed, M. I., Omirin, M. M., Singhry, I. M., & Auwal, U. (2016). Application of discounted cash-flow (DCF) models in the valuation of investment properties in Nigeria.  International Journal of the Built Environment and Asset Management,  2(1), 25-36. Uechi, L., Akutsu, T., Stanley, H. E., Marcus, A. J., & Kenett, D. Y. (2015). Sector dominance ratio analysis of financial markets.  Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications,  421, 488-509.

Friday, September 27, 2019

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER MUHAMMAD YUNUS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER MUHAMMAD YUNUS - Essay Example The value that Grameen Bank gives to the people offers it the breathing ground to permit itself to look at the potential and capability of an individual to improve his/her life. No longer is it limited to Bangladesh but also to other parts of the globe. The reliance it gives to the people becomes a leeway for the building of confidence of the people it serves. By giving them the capital to start with they are entrusted with their own fate. In such they are empowered to rise above their current situation. â€Å"Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life. Across cultures and civilizations, Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development† (Yunus Centre, par. 4). What Yunus has done is virtually unthinkable in a capitalist perspective. No corporate bank in its right mind would lend money to someone who has little to no liquidable asset, much more, someone who is without euphemism ‘dirtpoor.’ It is basically like having your cake and eating it too, being able to capitalize while doing something good is just an idea in the corporate world. But this is the essence of how Yunus goes about his advocacy. Besides the core principle of making a machination of money, Grameen Bank is aimed to improve the lives of people before anything else. A radical concept that is pushed further into fruition through the merger of Danone, a French food company and the Grameen Group which will sell healthy and enhanced yogurt to underprivileged children. These investors immediately gets reimbursement for their preliminary stake as soon as it delivers profit which is fundamentally the money reverting to help others. Through this there is no pressure on t he shareholders, a ‘social business’ on a multinational scale (Kiviat, par. 1-2). The organization boasts of a number of testimonials from people who were able to successfully have their own small business through

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

Ethics - Essay Example That said, the main aim of this paper should be to investigate and discuss the ways that an organization can manage ethical behavior within its structure and pertinent to the larger body of stakeholders. There are types of methods or means of managing ethical behavior within an organization and its stakeholder circles. Categorized as formal and informal means, these form the mainstay of a manager’s, or management teams’ effort at introducing and managing ethical behavior within the organization (Phillips & Margolis 1999). The first or formal means of managing ethical behavior in an organization entails the results of years of research and widespread trials in the industry. These include; the core value statement, the mission statement, the code of ethics, compliance manuals, and ethics standards and indices. The second or informal means of managing ethical behavior in the organization and its wider stakeholders setting are more or less the result of years of experience in the industry and a distillate of the vast pool of experience in optimizing organizational performance through ethics. These means are; manager concern/role-modeling, candid ethical communication, et hics as a topic of employee conversation, reward and penalty systems, and communication of stories (Schnebel & Bienert 2004). In addition to the means of managing ethical behavior, the paper shall venture into other issues that are relevant to this topic. Since management ethics is a wide topic, the process might venture into issues such as codes of conduct and codes of ethics, workplace ethics theories, training and its role in the management of workplace ethics, the impact of new technology on ethical behavior, and corporate social responsibility (Solomon 2004). Formal methods of managing ethical behavior pertain to the methods individuals or organizational teams strive to improve their employees’

Personal and Professional Development in Nursing Essay - 1

Personal and Professional Development in Nursing - Essay Example Nurses can use a variety of ways to demonstrate individual accountability; two methods are continued competency and professional development. Professional competency is an empowerment tool in that it enables the nurses to fulfil their responsibilities of care effectively. It is also, therefore, important to understand the factors that influence clinical competency (Memarian et al., 2007, 203-214). Accountability and Ethics: The codes of nursing ethics have focused on accountability as a central moral concept and value. Some national nursing organisations have identified accountability as the key standard of competent practice. The code of professional conduct calls for a high standard of professional behaviour from the nurses, regulating the nursing and midwifery practice in order to ensure standards and providing protection for the clients (Vanlaere and Gastmans, 2007, 758-766). Nursing, in essence, is a care system that springs from safe, caring, and competent and educated decision making, and nurse is a professional who is willing to accept personal and professional accountability for evidence-based practice guided by ethical principles (Wiseman, 2007). Accountability: The code of professional conduct enumerates that the nurse is personally accountable for her practice. Literally, this means the nurse is responsible for actions and omissions, "regardless of advice or directions from another professional." This directly relates to the law of the land and is guided by the duty to deliver safe and competent care. Therefore, this also involves the responsibility of reporting. However, it must be mentioned that accountability for standards of practice is judged by the peers or fellow professionals, and only they are in a position to make decisions about the appropriateness or quality of service. Nursing diagnoses, the first taxonomy created in nursing, have fostered the development of autonomy and accountability in nursing and have helped to delineate the scope of practice. In that sense, professionalism and accountability are inherent in nursing practice (Jos and Tompkins, 2004, 255-281). The nursing profession has traditionally used t hree methods of assuring accountability to the public-licensure examination, continuing education, and certifications, all of which are avenues of professional development that ensures quality and standards of care. The idea of a standard of care evolves from this principle. Standards of care provide a ruler for measuring nursing actions, and therefore, maintenance of accountability promotes both personal and professional development. This behaviour would uphold the profession, and accountability also ensures that the nurse acts quickly to protect the patient and his rights within the limits of contemporary professional competency. Nurses are accountable to their clients and to their colleagues. When providing care to clients, nurses are responsible for their own actions, good and not so good (Griffith and Tengnah, 2005, 339-343). The principle of autonomy has considerable merit and is supported by the Code of Ethics for Nurses. Following this ethical principle

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Team goal and team member characteristics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team goal and team member characteristics - Essay Example From a psychological and moral perspective, individualism is the concept that people should think, act and judge things autonomously following their conscience. As members of the British Triathlon team, they have an obligation to fulfill. This obligation needs team members to offer high level of individual independence and accountability and providing them with a chance to follow their initiative and desire. Individualism comes with personal responsibility. The three members of the British Triathlon team have demonstrated the art of being responsible. Personal responsibility shows ones wisdom and maturity. Having the right attitude helps in avoiding the creation of unnecessary problems in life. There are situations when difficulties happen out of one’s control. Sometimes, this is usually unavoidable but with personal responsibility, one is likely to optimistically pounce back and respond (Pritchett 33). Teamwork is evident in the British Triathlon team in that members interact freely and share their experiences about the game. They have established a productive environment, which allows team members development of interpersonal skills that fosters partnership and collaboration rather than rivalry and competition. Diversity in the British Triathlon comes into play when people from different backgrounds in terms of culture and skills are in the same working environment. Diversity will encompass gender, race, ethnicity, age, personality, and educational background. The British Triathlon team took advantage of diversity by incorporating their coach Malcolm Brown. This has enabled them to achieve cohesive in the workplace and achieve set goals. Alistair and Jonathan embraced diversity in the sense that since Malcolm Brown was introduced as a coach; they have cooperated and worked as a team in order to meet their goals. To ensure Smooth Corporation of team members, they have

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

BUSINESS PLAN, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BUSINESS PLAN, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES - Essay Example To assist in achieving these goals and objectives, I need to prepare appropriate funds to financial higher education, as well as the proper state of mind, determination and enthusiasm to pursue this career. Part 1: Career Goals 1. Competencies: What are the competencies I need to develop? To prepare myself for the career, I need to develop competencies in the following areas: healthcare operations management; patient or consumer focus; political, legal and ethical concerns; financial and economic issues; and medical and physician relationships (Shewchuck, O’Connor and Fine, 2005). 2. How will I develop: What steps will I take to clarify my developmental needs? I should focus on prioritizing academic requirements to comply with the required degree for the career path I planned. I must incorporate professional experience in working in the public health environment to evaluate and appraise the requirements and resources and match my qualifications to the demands of the profession . 3.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Paper - Essay Example To understand how these processes can be automated and what steps should be taken in order to increase the organizational efficiency, we need to understand the business processes and the key performance indicators that affect the organizational efficiency. The key performance indicators for the organization are listed below: Pricing: The interest rates fluctuate rapidly and the organization should quote newer rates whenever they are updated. These quotes are then quoted to the customer of the organization: mortgage brokers and real estate agents. Accommodating these quick changes and updating quotes is painstaking with current manual system of making an excel file (with pre-build calculations) and then printing and faxing them to the customers. Management of Interest Rate Locks: Interest Rates are to be booked or locked by the customer for the loan they are borrowing. Customer normally follows the interest rates market before making a decision to borrow or not. They may order a loan when the interest rate is the lowest; therefore, those bookings are very spontaneous and sudden in nature but needs to be accommodated. The locking is generated through an Information System but the records are stored and distributed to the borrower manually. Broker Relationship Management: The record of each broker’s performance is recorded in Excel files. ... Proposed changes for Information Technology Infrastructure After considering all the requirements and the modus operandi of the business, following changes are proposed: Implementation of a financial and accounting ERP that would record all the customer’s financial transactions in a centralized manner. This ERP will work in parallel with the Loan Origination software Implementation of a data warehouse that will be further aided with a reporting Business Intelligence Tool Implementation of a CRM that will provide all statistics about the customer Implementation of advanced Information Security mechanisms such as Honeypots and intrusions detection systems Improvements in current social marketing and networking mechanisms Case for ERP A financial small – scale ERP is a dire requirement for the organization since the loan origination software is not a complete package and cannot record transactions in totality. An ERP will be centralized software that will integrate operati ons of all the four branches namely Annapolis, Columbia, Towson and downtown Baltimore. In the initial phase, financial and accounting modules will be implemented that can be followed by other modules, if required. This ERP will use the same SQL Server 2005 database that is used for Loan Origination Application. At the start, the plan is to do pilot testing and use these implemented modules with the Loan Origination Application. For testing purposes, we will take a backup of this database and use it with the ERP. After the unit tests are successful we will use the live database with the ERP. The ERP will be a centralized application catering to all the four branches (more branches can

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Henry James The Turn of the Screw Essay Example for Free

Henry James The Turn of the Screw Essay At first glance, it would appear that Henry James The Turn of the Screw and Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands have only one thing in common: they are both from the gothic genre. But upon looking closer, one will notice that there are a number of other similar traits between the two. There are noticeable similarities between Edward and the Governess, as well as similarities between Edward and the two children in The Turn of the Screw, Miles and Flora. There are also general themes which the two share images of a perfect society, as well as onlookers who have no control over the situation. Both The Turn of the Screw and Edward Scissorhands have many traditional features of the gothic genre. However, when compared to each other, it is found that The Turn of the Screw has more of the traditional gothic elements. These include things such as the mysterious setting; an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that is present throughout the entire novel; visions, which are a regular occurrence for the Governess; supernatural events such as the ghosts and the possessions of the children; high emotion; women threatened by males, which is found on the many occasions in which the Governess feels threatened by Quint; and there are many instances in which the women of the novel are in distress. In spite of this, a number of these elements can also be found in Edward Scissorhands, if not to a lesser extent. These include elements such as the setting while the entire movie does not take place in a gothic setting, there are times where the viewer is able to see Edwards original home a mysterious, gloomy castle; an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, which is an underlying theme throughout the movie; visions to some extent experienced by the Boggs neighbour; and supernatural events largely, the overall creation of Edward. Other elements that are similar between the two are women in distress in Edward Scissorhands, this is largely Kim; and women threatened by males shown in scenes with Kim and her threatening boyfriend, Jim. There are not only similarities between the overall genre of The Turn of the Screw and Edward Scissorhands, but between the characters as well. There are striking similarities between the Governess, the narrator of the book, and Edward, the main character of the movie. One of the most prominent is that  neither of these lead characters have much experience in the real world, as is evident through their actions and words. However, the Governess and Edward deal with this in different ways. Edward is generally dazed and confused about everything. Nevertheless, Edward is willing to learn, and is open to being taught. In contrast, the Governess reacts to her lack of experience by acting as though she is knowledgeable. She is unwilling to try other methods, and refuses to listen to others who might know better. Both characters were also taught the difference between right and wrong. Edward is taught this by the inventor, while the Governess is taught this through both her upbringing, and by her father. Both Edward and the Governess are taught this in theory, but have never experienced it in practice that is, they have never been able to apply the idea of right and wrong to the real world. Additionally, there are a number of similarities between Edward, and the two children, Miles and Flora. Both have overbearing female or mother figures in their lives. In Edwards case, this is his foster mother, Peg, who tends to be more caring towards him, and looks out for him. In the childrens case, this is the Governess. However, unlike Peg, the Governess coddles the children, spending all her time with them and not letting them out of her sight. Both of them are also blamed for something which they didnt do, or which never happened. Edward is framed for the robbery and murder, which had the potential to get him in trouble with the law. This was a deliberate blame and set up. On the other hand, Miles and Flora were accused of seeing ghosts, and lying about it. However, in contrast to Edwards situation, we never know whether this actually happened but either way, it wasnt a deliberate setup. There are even more similarities between Edward and the two children. Both of these characters are abandoned by their father figure. In Edwards case, this is in the death of his inventor. Because of this, Edward has to learn to cope for himself, and as a result, is confused about how to act correctly. This differs to Miles and Flora though their parents die, and their uncle effectively abandons him, they still have people who are willing to look after them, such as Mrs Grose and the Governess. They are also both  idealised by the people around them. The community idealises Edward he is treated as a phase, the latest craze. They have preconceived notions of him, but dont take the time to get to know him and see if theyre actually true. In the childrens case, this is where the Governess idealises Miles and Flora. She imagines them to be so perfect and innocent, but she doesnt take the time to get to know them. Because of this, when they act differently to the behaviour she expects of them, she thinks something is wrong. Edward and Miles are both seen to have dangerous characters, and because of this they eventually become shunned or kicked out though the extent to which this happen differs. Miles is seen as a danger to the other children, and is kicked out of his school, but he is not rejected or shunned overall, just from one place. In contrast, Edward is eventually shunned by society as a whole because they dont understand him. As a result of this, he is rejected by society, and becomes an outcast. The narrative structure of the two texts is also quite similar. Both of them are told by a female, and in the first person. This viewpoint makes the story seem more personal, as it gives the reader or the viewer a better insight into what really took place. Both stories also start off in the present tense, with someone talking about the events which had previously taken place, before going into an account of the story. However, in The Turn of the Screw, we never go back to the original setting, whereas in Edward Scissorhands we are taken back to the original storyteller to finish the story. In both instances, it also gives the feel of the storyteller holding onto the secret, and waiting for the right time and place to finally tell their story to a willing audience. There are a number of general things which are common in both the texts. One of these is that both The Turn of the Screw and Edward Scissorhands have onlookers that have no control over the story, and dont fully understand what is going on. In Edward Scissorhands, the onlooker is Kim Pegs daughter who is a silent observer, and unsure as to what is happening. In The Turn of the Screw, this onlooker is Mrs Grose. Mrs Grose has no control over the actions of any of the other characters, and is forced to sit back and watch as the events take place around her, not fully knowing what is  going on. Another theme common in both texts, as well as being common in the gothic genre, is the idea of a woman being threatened by a powerful, impulsive, controlling male. In The Turn of the Screw, this is Quint, who, though dead, makes the Governess feel threatened. In Edward Scissorhands, the male is Jim Kims boyfriend. She feels threatened by his actions, and especially at his reaction to Edward. But the most obvious similarity between the two texts is that both have a perfect society, which slowly falls away, leaving the reader with an image of a very tainted place. In Edward Scissorhands, the community that he lives in is regarded as perfect, with everyone being accepting of him. However, as the story progresses, the perfect image falls away and we are left with a community that is biased and judgemental. In The Turn of the Screw, it first appears as though everything is perfect particularly the beauty of Bly, and the childrens characters, but we soon learn that it isnt. Overall, while there are some aspects of the texts which are entirely different, there are too many similarities for one to say that they are not alike in some way. These similarities are shown in a number of areas in the genre, the narrative structure, the characters actions and thoughts, as well as the overall themes and ideas which are introduced. However, whether The Turn of the Screw and Edward Scissorhands are similar or entirely different, they are both classic examples of the gothic genre of fiction.

Friday, September 20, 2019

A case study of dialog telekom

A case study of dialog telekom Dialog Telekom Limited is the largest mobile operator in Sri Lanka with over 3 Million subscribers representing and it has more than 60% market share in the communication industry Dialog Telekom one of the largest lists company on the Colombo Stock Exchange and has a market capitalization of SL Rs 161 Billion.d. Dialog Telekom Limited is a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia International and a member of the Telekom Malaysia Group. In addition to its core mobile telephony business, the company provides international services, supporting an International Gateway infrastructure providing retail and wholesale international voice and data services under the brand name of Dialog Global. The company also provides Internet services through Dialog Internet a fully-fledged Internet Service Provider (ISP). Dialog Telekom also operates Dialog SAT, a mobile satellite service. Macro Environment Analysis: PESTEL Political Investment policies in Sri Lanka were very bright even though Sri Lanka incorporated its liberalization policies in 1977 the industry and the country did not grow as much as it was foreseen at the time of liberalization. The reasons for the hindrance to growth were the political direct intervention and poor governance. Terrorist activities have remained constant as well, during the past two decades. Economical Trade policy authorities had a negative impact on the industry and unstable macroeconomic environment. The exchange rate also demised at a very slow rate. Massive reforms were planned in this sector after the inception of liberalization. The country has to implement new reforms to attract foreign direct investments (FDI). Socio-Cultural Sri Lanka has a very high percentage of educated and skilled work force, but however Sri Lankans autonomic nervous systems inherit a bureaucratic attitude from the colonial administration those consequences in inefficiencies and discrimination. Technological Sri Lankas technology dependencies on foreign countries are very high but it has a indigenous TRCSL which ushers development and local research. Relatively comparing the country was not good enough to adapt to the technological changes on a given time horizon. The time taken for the shift from analog to digital and embracing the CDMA technology clearly tells the passion for technological changes. Legal TRCSL, the regulatory authority, is responsible for many things like addressing consumer grievances, making sure that Government policies are enforced fairly, giving feedback to the policy makers, monitoring changing industry needs etc. TRCSL was often denounced for its inefficiency, information dissymmetry and prejudice. Five forces Threat of New Entrants There are half a dozen telecom operators in the country and the new entrant would always increase the competition. The new entrant will enter the market with a differentiated product which may steal the thunder of the existing players Bargaining Power of Buyers In Sri Lanka customers are not very sensitive when compared in Western countries and there are naÃÆ' ¯ve any consumer groups in the country. Because the switching costs are very low the bargaining power of the consumer is high, Dialog Telekom with its VAS is able to have loyal customers. Threat from Substitutes Strictly speaking there are naÃÆ' ¯ve any substitutes in technologies like VOIP over wireless which is very popular in Sri Lanka. Companies with CDMA licenses and companies which are already in the fixed line communication market may cause the substitution effect. Companies that provide the substitute product are SLT, LankaBell, Suntel. Here the substitute product is the fixed line home usage phones. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Dialog Telekom is dependent on many local and international suppliers for performing its various operations. Network connectivity is important for any service provider Dialog Telekom which dose not own the national backbone is dependent on local service providers. Few players have the direct access to the national back bone. Therefore suppliers in this case are very powerful and few suppliers become the indirect competitors as well. To overcome its over dependency on its suppliers Dialog Telekon has acquired MTT. Rivalry among Competing Firms The competition among the telecommunications service providers in Sri Lanka is high but Dialog Telekom has few factors that create a competitive edge over others. Dialog Telekon mainly concentrates on giving many Value Added Services to its customers were as its competitors concentrate on tariff rates and coverage. Dialog Telekom did surpass other mobile operators in the subscriber base which clearly shows that Dialog Telekom has created a competence, cannot be imitated easily, for itself. Micro Environment Analysis: SWOT Analysis: Strengths Being the first player in GSM market it has a competitive advantage. Has the widest and best coverage in Sri Lanka Strategic relationship with other telecommunication giant in the market like Telekom Malaysia Group. Numerous bilateral collaborations with other Telecom operators. Strong Brand Equity and aggressive marketing strategies. Good PR that has been built up over past many years. Does Strategic CSR. Well built and capable Research and Development. Good eye for the investors. Strong customer base. Wide product range. Skilled Human Resource. Weaknesses No high return on investment (ROI), enormous amounts of investments were made on value addition and advertising. Failed in becoming a good Internet Service Provider. Failed on price competition with other operators. Poor human resource policies for employees. With increasing customer base Quality of service also reduced. Opportunities Huge untapped market. Constant growth in the telecommunication industry. Acceptability of VAS among customers which increases the bottom line of the company. The opportunity to leverage the strategic partnership links with Vodafone UK. Benefits that are to be leveraged in the Value Chain. Technology advancements which increases the market. Threats Many players in the small market. Threats from existing players. Erotic developments in the political, social and economical conditions. Currency exchange rates and high inflation. Rapid changes in customer preferences Changes in technology. Very low switching costs. Porters value chain model Inbound logistics: Dialog Telekom manage widespread activities to Telekom business needs. Logistics service in telecom sector is mainly needed for infrastructure that is network development. Dialog Telekom has wide range of signals all over Srilanka Services provided to customers comprises of inbound logistics. Inbound logistics are several activities related with receiving, storing, and widely knowing inputs to the product, such as material handling, warehousing, inventory control, vehicle scheduling, and returns to suppliers. Supplier relationship with industry and order management, relationship with supplier and physical help in open case inspection of received material Operations: Dialog Telekom has achieved trail in research development and new technology their operations are GPRS in 2001 one of the key element of dialog telecom is  Ã‚  2.5G GSM is a major inventory major step towards 3G , offering data speeds which is higher than the usual, packet based data communication, MMS multimedia messaging and many value added applications. The following activities commence with transforming inputs into the final product from, such as machining, packing, equipment maintenance, testing, printing and facility operations. Outbound logistics:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Outbound logistics are several activities related with collecting, delivery vehicle operation, storing and physically distributing the product to buyers, such as finished goods warehousing material handling,  Ã‚  order processing and scheduling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hub or warehouse management, pick and pack of material, BOQ audit, inventory management, IT Solutions: WMS, periodic inventory audits and freight management Marketing and sales: Activities associated with providing a means by which buyers can purchase the product include advertising, promotion, sales-force, quoting, channel selection, channel relations, and pricing. Service:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Activities associated with providing services to enhance or maintain the value of the product such as installation, repair, training, parts supply and product adjustment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Customer service plays key role none of the service provider in the country follows the customer service. Dialogue Telekom has dedicated staff for customer services of over 150 service professionals, the company provides 24X7 online support for all its services to its custome Strategic Intent: For earning opportunities and future growth Dialog Telekon has started converging technology related businesses including Broadband and Digital Television media, Fixed Line Telephony. The company also acquired many companies which like Dialog Broadband Networks, Dialog Television etc which are operating in a nascent market. Company also introduced many products with very economical tariff rates because the companys motto was to use technology in such a way that it produces products that gives reliable communication and great value to its customers. This clearly shows the companys adherence to its vision which in turn talks about the companys strategic intent. Competitive Strategic Groups: The first alternative for the competitive strategy would be improve on current strategy by having unique value adding services for each of its business units like CBNSAT, DBN, Dialog Telekom. Through this customer satisfaction and thereby can charge a low price compare to the competitors. The second alternative for the competitive strategy is cost leadership to overcome the threats of low reasonable premium charge provided by the competitors. The switching from Dialog to Mobitel is having less that uses VAS in urban areas due to less VAS in Mobitel. There is no difference between SMS/VOICE and VAS in cost and coverage. In the market segment attraction of the customer would decided on the rates. If Mobitel improves on its VASes it would become a serious threat. While the entire market is purely on SMS/VOICE in that tome Dialog Telekom has focused on VAS and cost with differentiation strategy. To gain competitive advantage Dialog Telekom should with other organizations as a corporative strategy. Currently Dialog Telekom has started with some banks and super markets; along this it is trying to include alliances with popular Food chains, Stock brokers, Insurance companies etc. Strategic Routes: In Sri Lanka telecommunication industry is mainly operated on two authorities; one deal with policy and other deal with public profit seeking company, where telecommunications authorities of Sri Lanka(TASL) and Sri Lanka telecom(SLT) respectively. TASL has licensed 5 cellular operators for mobile services. Dialog Telekom plc Mobitel (pvt) Ltd Tigo (pvt) Ltd Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (pvt) Ltd Bharti Airtel Lanka (pvt) Ltd TASL has licensed 3 cellular operators for land line services. Sri Lanka telecom plc Suntel limited Lankabell (pvt) Ltd In Sri Lanka an operator with voice telephone can use the voice in the country. For the past 5 years increase the wholesale volumes margins has conversely declined. This has an impact of telecoms, aggregators, single route operators and pure play wholesalers. most of the international is coming to Dialog mobile and SLT fixed Lines . Average route statistics CLI routes Premium white CLI route. Sri Lanka land line and mobile both available. Interconnected with direct Sri Lanka providers. Good capacity available at competitive rates. ASR=45% / ACD=8 mins. Competitive advantages: For the past few years they are diversified their business. By acquiring MIT they have managed to strengthen its back bone and also acquired CBNSAT, DERANA TV, satellite TV Transmission Company. In addition to this Dialog has created many alliances to the customers. The business plan is formulated every year and is monitored the every month. Dialog has initiative the Dialog research lab for producing the latest technologies. Nokia phones with Sinhala language and Tsunami warning system for mobiles. These technology initiates can be considered as a strategy used to capture the market. Conclusion and Recommendations: Dailog telecom had remained as a giant in the Sri Lankan telecommunication by adopting differentiated strategy. It sustained its identity with the implementation of different strategic at all levels which overcome its competitors. Its Mission and Vision statement provides a clear commitment to its employees and provide an equal set of attitude at all levels in the company.   Dailog telecom adopted directional strategy which helped the company in growth, stability and retrenchment. Overall its corporate strategy placed the company as the leader in the Sri Lankan telecom market. The directional and the portfolio strategy helped the company provides competitive advantage. The wide range of portfolio provided by the company maintains loyalty among its customers. Dailog telecom builds a bridge between its customers and suppliers due to which the customers benefited and it remains as a competitive advantage to the company.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For earning opportunities and future growth Dialog Telekon has started converging technology related businesses including Broadband and Digital Television media, Fixed Line Telephony. The company also acquired many companies which like Dialog Broadband Networks, Dialog Television etc which are operating in a nascent market. The entry for the new entrants had been made strictly restricted by the government which made entry barriers difficult for the new entrants. Due to this the company had to increase its financial performance and maintains long term sustainability.