Advantages and disadvantages of franchising Essay

Franchising has exhibited dramatic growth since it offers some significant advantages when compared to other distribution methods. When starting a business or venturing into entrepreneurship, it is imperative for one to consider all options. One of the most suitable ways of achieving such an objective is to buy into a franchise. Business are able to expand by franchising in order to gain access to external capital that can fund growth of new outlets or stores that are run by committed and profit driven franchisees CITATION Fra12 l 1033 (Frazer, Merrilees, & Wright, 2012). These franchisees are more likely to be focused and diligent than employed staff. Therefore, Franchising allows individuals to become their own boss. For people who want to apply franchising in the Chinese market, they may wish weight all options. Franchising is one the best solution for transitioning from employment to a business owner. There are several businessmen and businesswomen who have thrived and successfully transformed their financial lives through franchising. Venturing into franchising has its benefits and also some drawbacks. Besides the startup capital required to become a franchisee, there is little planning and thought that is required when setting up the new business. The new store or outlet has to conform to the image that the franchisor has already set up. Small details such as the color scheme, to the inventory items to be placed on the menu or on the shelves, are all determined by the franchisor. This arrangement makes is easier for the franchisee to set up the business and increases the chances of success CITATION Hun11 l 1033 (Hunter, 2011). Most franchisors give the franchisee detailed training in order to ensure that they develop the required level of expertise to achieve profitability. This allows the franchisee to have a piece of minds knowing that the company is steering the business in the right direction. One does not have to develop an advertising strategy or solid branding as this is done by the franchisor. Although franchising might be perceived as an ideal solution by some individuals, others cite throwbacks of the business model. Therefore, they prefer multi-level marketing or network marketing, which allows one to become a distributor of a product of and established and a reputable company. This allows one to leverage on the advantages of being a franchisee whilst overcoming some of the disadvantages associated with it CITATION Hun11 l 1033 (Hunter, 2011). Firstly, multilevel marketing or network marketing products usually have a good level of branding in that, consumers are able to recognize the product that is offered to them. Although franchisees also have this advantage, they do not have the freedom to come up with unique structures when it comes to the distribution business. Network marking will, therefore, allow one to have free reign to market their business in whichever way they like CITATION Fra12 l 1033 (Frazer, Merrilees, & Wright, 2012). Another advantage that network marketing has over franchising is that little startup capital is required to become a distributor. One is only required to pay a little amount of money to join a network, while some networks require annual fees CITATION Hun11 l 1033 (Hunter, 2011). Additionally, one may be required to purchase the product in advance so that it can be delivered to the customers as the sales are made. All in all, the total amount of money required to run a profitable network is far less than what is required when one is a franchise. References BIBLIOGRAPHY Frazer, L., Merrilees, B., & Wright, O. (2012). Power and control in the franchise network: An investigation of ex-franchisees and brand piracy. Journal of Marketing Management, 11-29. Hunter, R. (2011). MASTER FRANCHISING AS AN ENTRY STRATEGY: MARKETING AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS. The Coastal Business Journal, 16-27. Source document

Determination of Quinine in Tonic Water Essay

i. The selectivity of fluorimetry is greater than that of absorption spectrophotometry as it depends on excitation, absorption and emission spectra. As for fluorimetry, when molecule absorbs radiation and become excited, fluorimetry detects the intensity of light emitted from the molecule returns to ground state from excited state. Fluorescence is good at rigid molecules as it absorbs UV radiation. When two compounds are excited at the same wavelength radiation, they would emit different wavelength radiation as different compound has its unique spectrum. ii. Second, the sensitivity of fluorescence is greater than absorption spectrophotometry. As for absorption spectrophotometry, the concentration is directly proportional to the absorbance. However, in fluorimetry, concentration is directly related to the luminescent radiant power which is measured against a very small background. Moreover, flourimetry is easier to measure the small difference. Disadvantages: i. Quenching is resulted in a variety of processes such as excited state reactions, energy transfer, complex formation and collisional quenching occur. This will decreases the fluorescence intensity of a given substance and affects the experimental result. ii. Standard solutions or the fluorescent cells may be contaminated, leading to absorption some energy of the incident radiation and transmitted radiation. It will interfere the experimental results. iii. The reflection or scattering of the incident or transmitted radiation in the fluorescent cell may influence the accuracy of the intensity of the fluorescent. iv. Fluorescent substance will undergo decomposition in fluorimetry which is related to the solvent which control the pH, temperature and pressure interfering the excitation-relaxation fluorescence process. The line will be broadened and fused together to give a less structured spectrum in the presence of solvent. 2. Define the term â€Å"quantum efficiency† for fluorescence processes. How does temperature affect quantum efficiency? â€Å"Quantum efficiency† for fluorescence processes is the ratio of the number of molecules that luminescence to the total number of excited molecules. For some species which do not have propriety of fluorescent, the quantum efficiency will approach to zero. The quantum efficiency of a highly fluorescent molecule may approach unity under certain conditions. The quantum efficiency of fluorescence in a lot of molecules will decrease with increasing temperature. It is because the kinetic energy of the molecules and hence the frequency of collisions will be increased with increasing temperature. Some molecules will convert the excitation energy to heat instead of emitting light. So the number of molecules emits fluorescence and hence the fluorescence intensity will be decreased. Result: A calibration curve with fluorescent intensity against concentration of quinine hydrochloride in ppm was plotted by using least square method. The least square equation of the calibration curve is y = 3629. 7x – 12. 157. From this equation, the amount of quinine hydrochloride in the sample was calculated to be 78. 645 ppm. Conclusion: The least square equation of the calibration curve was y = y = 3629. 7x – 12. 157 and by calculation, the amount of quinine hydrochloride in Schweppes tonic water was 78. 645 ppm. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the limit of quinine content in tonic water is 83 ppm. The quinine concentration in Schweppes has not exceeded the limit.

Women and Associations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women and Associations - Essay Example Women and associations are all about the information of the US women revolving around their history and their successes based on their lifestyles, ethnic groups, religions and where they come from. The factors that motivated women to start NACWC were to ensure that, the Africa American-based women’s welfare was well taken care of in their societies. They also aimed at protecting their civil rights when it came to matters that concerned registration and voting and they wanted to address the issues that faced military and schools in their communities. The impact of this group led to many benefits in the American societies; where they developed destinations for children, who were helpless, settled and ensured that girls were occupied with jobs and developed schools to promote education. On the other hand, the National Women’s Party NWP, was an organization whose members were women and was founded in 1915. The association fought for the women’s rights in America around the 20th century specifically the rights that would enable them to be equal to the way men were treated. When contrasted to organizations like the National Association of Colored women, which concentrated on the lobbying specific states, NWP dealt with matters that concerned the constitution amendment that fought for women’s right to vote and get places in offices. NWP also fought for the equal rights to be incorporated in the constitution where they campaigned for their conservative of their cultures and their jobs (DuBois, 2008).

I WILL give the topic later Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I WILL give the topic later - Essay Example Like the induction of electronic and personal health records (EHRs and PHRs), biometric and telemedicine devices and mobile phone applications are helping people to interact with doctor in a more advance and efficient way. The word e-Health is coined for all the domains under the health care sphere. According to the article, it is very important for health care professionals to understand this e-health support infrastructure in order to reap its fruits. Then the article has explained a model in order to explain the future of e-health. In this model the consumers and physicians are surrounded by the layers of the technological tools that are currently used or in near future will be the part of this sector. At the bottom of the chart, information/communication technology has provided platform to consumers for the interaction with the physicians and at the top is the way the physician will communicate, that is web-portal. Then the article further elaborated the chart and the way EHRs have made working easy for the people in this sector. Then the population/communication centric delivery system need and its integration importance with the home based biometric systems are described in the article. According to writer, this idea will help to address challenges and needs like environment, food and socio-economic ones. The writer then with the help David Blumenthal’s six way framework (provider/consumer information flow and communication) tried to explain how the e-health will affect the communication between patient and doctors. He explained that HIT and its software will allow the physicians to learn about patients. It will also provide 24/7 assess to the providers to the patient’s database. This will completely transform the way doctors and patients will communicate because they will communicate now through IT and much more. The article then elaborated the

Public Sector has been hit by the economic downturn and have opted to Dissertation

Public Sector has been hit by the economic downturn and have opted to recruit fixed term or temporary posts rather than recruiti - Dissertation Example Temporary employment is becoming common in Europe and the UK also but its impact on firm performance and productivity has not been studied extensively, state Camerman, Cropanzano, and Vandenberghe. The cost to a company does not merely include the wages and the employee benefits. It should also include the recruitment and selection costs, the costs of training and development, and more importantly the employee contribution towards organizational performance. While it is difficult to measure individual employee contribution towards organizational performance, employee commitment and motivation would, to some extent, impact productivity. The increased use of temporary workers by the public sector has given rise to concerns of employee commitment and consequently the indirect costs associated with temporary or fixed-term workers. 1.2 Rationale for research The public sector employers have a positive outlook on temporary workers, the motivation being that it gives them access to specific skill sets (Woods, 2010). Forty four percent of the public sector employers even site this as essential to the success of their organization. A flexible workforce is essential to allow the businesses to grow. The public sector needs a major transformation and this demands a team of talented professionals to manage change. Skills are required in diverse sectors such as project management, budgetary control, procurement, HR outsourcing and transformation. Flexible workforce appears to be the key to a successful organization. Labour market regulation affects labour productivity growth through its impact on worker motivation and effort. If the wages are below the fair wage perception of the workers, the efforts of employees would be reduced. The higher the wage, the higher will be the effort put in by the employees due to higher cost of job loss (Storm & Naastepad, 2007). A study of 20 OECD countries suggests that regulated labour markets promote long-run labour productivity growth bot h in case of temporary and full-time workers. Regulation raises worker commitment and motivation. Several public sector organizations such as Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cardiff Council, RCT, Torfaen and Merthyr Councils have been employing temporary workers. However, not much of research is available on employee motivation among temporary workers in public sector organizations. It is hence difficult to ascertain to what extent these employees provide competitive advantage. Hence, with the aim to ascertain the strategic decision that public sector organizations should take in staffing and human resources, the research questions for the study are: Are employee commitment and motivation among temporary workers directly related to productivity? To what extent employee motivation and commitment of directly employed temporary workers in public sector organizations differ against the permanent workers? Is it more economical to hire temporary workers against permanent employees taki ng into account the benefits that have to be given to permanent workers in such organizations? 1.3 Definition of terms Temporary workers Temporary workers are employees who are not permanently hired but hired just for limited periods of time (Entrepreneur Media, 2011). They work for a specific purpose for a specified period of time. Motivation Motivation according to Hardre (2003) is an internal process that controls and regulates behavior. It has been defined as a

Mercury Contamination in Fish Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mercury Contamination in Fish - Research Paper Example The paper is based on two studies carried out in Bangladesh and the U.S. In the first study, Rees et al. (2007) aimed at elucidating how toenail mercury is related to dietary fish consumption in New Hampshire. In the second study (Bangladesh study), Shamshad, Shahidur, and Tasrena, (2009) focused on determining the level of trace elements (including mercury) in fish feed and shrimp sampled from aquaculture ponds. Mercury is an established heavy metal, environmental pollutant with deleterious health effects in human beings (Eisler, 2006). Mercury toxins lead to neurological impairment in humans (National Research Council, 1978). Mercury in contaminated fish food consumed by pregnant women may affect the unborn baby’s brain and nervous system. Children who were affected by mercury while in the womb have poor cognitive thinking and memory and reduced concentration (Health Effects, 2012). Studies have proved that adults, children and developing fetuses are in danger of mercury intoxication (National Research Council, 1978). Schmitt, Stricker and Brumbaugh (2011, p. 1) argue that methyl mercury concentrations in some U.S species of fish (Micropterus dolomieu and Hypentelium nigricans) â€Å"are significantly high to represent a threat to human health and wildlife†. The U.S has a high risk of suffering from mercury intoxication consumed from fish compared to Bangladesh, in spite of Ba ngladesh having more fish than the U.S. Studies on mercury intoxication are essential because they enable stake holders to devise preventative measures. Thus, this paper examines the effect of mercury toxins in fish in Bangladesh and the U.S. The graph below is an example showing comparing levels of mercury in blood lead and the risk for autism in children. The graph indicates a significant correlation between the two variables. Figure 1: Graph indicating the distribution of Hg levels in ‘charge children’, comparing four groups: regressive autism, autism of early onset, general population controls and developmentally delayed children. Source: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.highlight/abstract/1773/report/F Materials and Methods The Bangladesh study assessed the level of trace elements content in fish feed and shrimp sampled from aquaculture ponds in Bangladesh by the use of Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS), Cold Vapor Absorpti on Spectrometer (CV-AAS), and Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (HG-AAS). The study was based on the theoretical assumption that since tannery and poultry waste are used as fish feed in Bangladesh, there is an accumulation of toxic contaminants in cultured fish posing food safety risk. Toxic metals including mercury are used in the manufacture of tanneries, dye production, textile dying and paper and pulp mills. Two samples of Shrimp and twelve samples of the feed were collected from different aquaculture sites in Bangladesh. The sample was washed by de-ionized water and then air-dried. They were then analyzed using FAAS, CV-AAS and HG-AAS (Shamshad, Shahidur, & Tasrena, 2009). The American study was conducted as follows: method one; participants observed a 3 day diary of water and seafood consumption which facilitated the calculation of the average consumption of finfish and shell fish on a weekly basis. Method two; the average weekly consumption of fish (shell fish , tuna and dark fish) was estimated using semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Method three; the weekly consumpti

Interpersonal Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example I have been a very active sportsman throughout my academic career, back in Hong Kong I used to be the captain of my school’s badminton team and our team had won many inter-school tournaments and thus got many laurels for our school. After leaving Hong Kong for the States I had never realized that it would be so difficult to adjust in the new country. Apart from studies, I knew that sports and badminton in particular would be a regular activity for me, since I considered myself very good at it. However, when I came, I had to give the trials like everyone else for the selection of the team. I was selected in the playing eleven, but the positions of the team players were to be decided in the practice sessions. During our practice, I must admit I realized that the standard of the players selected for the team was excellent; however I was hopeful about getting the position of the central mid-fielder. That was the position I had played for years and was very good at. I was also expecting to be the captain of the team, which comprised mainly of Americans, I was the only Chinese and there were two Asians in the team. I believe that amongst the major factors that I found different from China was the culture shock in terms of individualism and collectivism. I come from a culture where families live together and decisions are taken after a consensus of the family but in the States, the independence the children have to live their life and make their decisions baffled me a little. I also missed my family quite a bit due to which I had become despondent, that is why I feel that I blamed everything on my nationality. That I think is quite a contributing factor to this conflict. A relief however is the fact that because of the empowerment and independence that students have in the States, I could at least talk the matter out with my coach. Had I been stuck in the same situation in China I would not have had the leverage to discuss this with my coach. This lack of freedom, I feel has hampered my ability to communicate. Since I have never had to argue with my seniors, to be able to convey my opinion I feel that I was at a disadvantage and my negotiation skills were not very apt for a discussion with the coach, which is why the clarification which I tried to seek turned more or less into an argument. I also felt that since m y coach is such a senior person and at a position of authority, he expected the team players to accept his decisions as right and trust them, therefore I feel my seeking clarification might have angered him a little, as he might have seen it as an insult to his credibility. Evolution and Characteristics of the Relationship My interpersonal communication problem is between me and the coach of our team. I feel that part of the problem existed with my pre-decided notion that I might not get adequate representation in the new college because of being a Chinese. For this reason, if ever I was denied a chance at anything I used to blame it on my nationality. Therefore, when I was not given the position of the central midfielder, I thought the coach was biased because mostly the central midfielder becomes the captain of the team and thus, I was sure that the central midfielder would be given to an America national and so was the case, which served to substantiate my doubts. The

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Barro Colorado, Republic of Essay

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Barro Colorado, Republic of Panama - Essay Example The goals, achievements and some of the exotic flora and fauna of the institute have also been described. History and Current Status of STRI, Barro Colorado The history of STRI begins with the construction of the Panama Canal during which the Barro Colorado Island was formed (National Research Council). The damming of the Chagres River for the construction of the Panama Canal led to a rise in its water levels, causing the formation of the Gantun Lake. Following this, a small mountain about 476 feet high was isolated from the mainland, thus forming an island that was named the Barro Colorado Island (The Smithsonian Institution). James Zetek is one among the many scientists who foresaw the importance of setting this island aside for scientific research. In 1923, the Governor of Canal Zone designated the island as a biological reserve, and a research laboratory was set up collectively by the Smithsonian Institution, universities and private organizations for the purpose of investigating tropical flora and fauna (The Smithsonian Institution). Smithsonian’s fourth Secretary, Charles Doolittle Walcott, initiated a massive survey of the Panama Canal Zone (National Research Council). By 1946, the Barro Colorado Island became an integral part of the Smithsonian Institution. ... In 1966, its name was changed to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Its scope was expanded to other parts of the tropics and marine science centers were also established on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the Panama (The Smithsonian Institution). Barro Colorado, in 1979, was declared a Nature Monument in compliance with the terms of the Convention for Nature Protection in the Western Hemisphere, 1940, and under the Torrijos-Carter Treaty (The Smithsonian Institution). Panama took STRI’s facilities under its custodianship and granted it the status of an International Mission. The Panama Canal Treaties were signed between Panama and STRI’s host nation. STRI signed an agreement with the Interoceanic Region Authority (ARI), formalizing its custodianship of the Barro Colorado Natural Monument before the expiration of the Panama Canal Treaties. In 1997, the institute came into an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Panama for continuing its research activities. Up to the present day, STRI has been host to scientists from all over the world. Barro Colorado is now one of the most studied tropical areas and boasts of about 102 mammal species, 381 bird species, and 1,316 plant species ranging over an area of 1,500 hectares and containing a vast network of trails (The Smithsonian Institution). Long-term studies on biology and natural history are being conducted on both terrestrial and marine field stations that are equipped with high-end laboratories along with dormitories. STRI has expanded its scope to other tropical areas and research is now conducted throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. Every year, about 250 to 300 scientists visit STRI at Barro Colorado from all over the world (The Smithsonian Institution). Goals and Achievements of the

One Preaching Journal Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

One Preaching Journal - Lab Report Example There is also a fellowship time offered after the service with coffee and cookies available for all. The community of which the congregation is a part is a small city of 50,000 people. The city is surrounded by a rural agricultural area. A large food processing company has a manufacturing plant in this city and is its major employer. There is also a small hospital to serve basic health care needs. The community also has its own newspaper and a local radio station. There is a public library and one post office located in the center of town. There are also small bus and train stations servicing the city. The public school system has four elementary schools, two junior high and two high schools. There is one Catholic school with grades kindergarten through 8; and there is also a Christian school with grades kindergarten through 8 which several Christian congregations in the community help to support. A large city of 300,000 is a little over an hour’s drive from this community. The church building of this congregation is located in the middle of an older residential neighborhood just six city blocks from the center of town. The downtown of this community is suffering an economic decline as large and popular discount stores and shopping centers have built close to a major highway that runs just outside of town, drawing business to that area and forcing the closure of several downtown businesses. The community is suffering a significant amount of unemployment at this time as the result of the current economic crisis. This congregation is predominately white working middle class people. About half of those in the congregation who work, work in agriculturally related occupations either in the food processing plant, on the farms directly, or in businesses related to the agricultural industry. About 10% are unemployed due to layoffs and cutbacks. About 30% work in stores, banks

Discussion Questions Essay Example for Free

Discussion Questions Essay 1. Who is someone that you feel you have a positive relationship with? What role do you think openness and truthfulness have in making this relationship positive? Me and my friend Jeff have a very positive friendship. Openness and truthfulness play a big role because were always open and tell each other everything. Also we always tell each other the truth so we never have any arguing and have a positive friendship. 2. What effects do you think the various types of media (TV, Internet, newspapers, Facebook, etc. †¦) have on your own life and your family? Do you think the overall effect is negative or positive? How can parents reduce the negative effects? I think social media effects everyone in a bad way. I feel that pages like Twitter and Facebook make people feel like they aren’t good enough cause of what other people might say or post. People can be getting bullied and no one knows. Social media gives people low self-esteem. I think the overall effect is negative. Parents can reduce the negative effect by restricting the child from using social media pages until they are older.

Management of ICU Delirium

Management of ICU Delirium 1. Introduction In the critical care setting, haemodynamic failure is recognised by monitoring the patient’s blood pressure and pulse and treatment may involve fluid resuscitation or the use of inotropic agents (Webb Singer, 2005). In respiratory failure, the patient’s respiration rate and oxygen saturations are closely monitored and ventilatory support is sought (Cutler, 2010). Just like the heart and lungs, the brain can acutely fail in critical illness. An acute disturbance in brain function is recognised as delirium (Page Ely, 2011). Historically, delirium was accepted by the medical and nursing community as an inevitable consequence of the ICU experience (Shehabi et al., 2008). More recently, delirium is beginning to gain acceptance as a serious condition in the adult intensive care unit (ICU) and early identification and timely treatment is essential so as to reduce the detrimental effects on patient outcomes (Arend Christensen, 2009 Boot, 2011). Nurses are well-positioned to not only detect discrete fluctuations in levels of consciousness but to also minimise modifiable risk factors and to prompt doctors to review the critically unwell adult (Page Ely, 2011). However, there is a growing recognition that delirium in the ICU is misunderstood and underreported by health professionals and hence continues to cause cognitive dysfunction in affected patients (Wells, 2010). This introduction discusses delirium in adult patients hospitalised in the ICU; specifically nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and current practices regarding ICU delirium, and presents the literature review problem, question and the aim and objectives. The literature has used numerous terms interchangeably to describe cognitive impairment in the ICU. There are references to ICU psychosis (Justice, 2000), ICU syndrome (Granberg-Axà ¨ll, 2001), acute confusional syndrome (Tess, 1991), and acute brain failure (Lipowski, 1980; cited in Page Ely, 2011, p. 6). The multiplicity of terms in the literature may explain why the condition has not received the degree of prioritisation it deserves (McGuire et al., 2000). The above expressions are gradually being superseded by a more widely accepted expression termed ‘ICU delirium’ (Boot, 2011). Criteria set by the ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) describes delirium as a disturbance of consciousness (i.e. limited awareness of surroundings) and cognitive fluctuations (e.g. a memory deficit); the onset is over a short period of time and the syndrome is a consequence of a physiological condition. There are three subtypes of delirium; namely: hypoactive, hyperactive and mixed delirium. Page Ely (2011) provide data on the prevalence of delirium: One in five adult patients hospitalised in the ICU develop delirium. A higher incidence occurs in ventilated patients (four out of five patients). A considerable body of research is dedicated to the investigation of the adverse effects of delirium on patient outcomes. A prospective cohort study by Girard (2010) concludes that the duration of delirium in ventilated patients in the ICU is an independent predictor of cognitive impairment up to 1 year following discharge. This conclusion has far-reaching implications for the growing population of patients who are concerned about the preservation of cognitive function following hospitalisation during a period of critical illness. Similarly, Ouimet et al., (2007) used a prospective study design to conclude that delirium increased the risk of mortality in a population of 820 patients admitted to the ICU for a period of more than 24 hours. In addition to this, delirium was associated with an extended period of hospitalisation. The implementation of preventative measures, early recognition tools and the timely delivery of treatment may prove useful in the preservation of cognitive funct ion in affected patients (Boot, 2011). Although there are several assessment tools available for ICU patients, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2010) recommends the use of the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU; Ely et al., 2001). The tool has high validity for detecting the delirious non-intubated patient (Ely, et al., 2001); however the symptoms of hypoactive delirium such as lethargy and drowsiness are not always recognised by the CAM-ICU (McNicoll et al., 2005). The topic of this review was selected based on observations made in clinical practice; for example, it was witnessed that very few delirium assessments were being performed in the ICU and subsequent conversations with critical care nurses reinforced the perception that approaches to delirium monitoring in the ICU are inconsistent. In an attempt to address this clinical problem, the topic of ICU delirium was selected as the main focus of inquiry for the present research. So as to construct a relevant and well framed review question it was necessary to explore the literature pertaining to this clinical problem. In a telephone-based questionnaire study conducted in the Netherlands (Van Eijk et al., 2008) it was concluded that 7% of the ICUs surveyed in this nationwide study routinely practiced delirium monitoring using a validated tool such as the CAM-ICU; despite the presence of international guidelines that advocate delirium assessment practices. Ely et al., (2001) states that very few institutions routinely practice delirium monitoring despite well-documented adverse effects associated with the syndrome. The implications of this are that timely diagnosis and the implementation of management strategies are prevented (Ista et al., 2014). Boot (2009) proposes that nurses in the ICU may not have the appropriate level of knowledge to guide nursing practice. On the contrary, Wells (2012) states that a lack of knowledge may not fully explain why nurses do not engage in delirium monitoring and that the reason lies with the barriers to delirium as identified by Devlin et al., (2008) such as difficulties in assessing intubated patients. An alternative explanation is that nursing practices are based on the deep-rooted belief that delirium is an expected consequence of critical illness (Boot 2009). Undoubtedly, a lack of scientific attention given to the topic of ICU delirium may have contributed to a lack of general awareness (Page and Ely, 2011). In recent years, there has been a growing recognition in the literature and clinical practice that a change in attitude is required, which may need to be supported by educational efforts. Prior to introducing a change in attitude; it is first necessary to understand why so many nurs es are failing to incorporate screening into their routine practice (Wells, 2010). In an attempt to gain an improved understanding of the perceived barriers, beliefs, current practices and knowledge levels of critical care nurses, Devlin et al., (2008) identified nurses’ responses regarding delirium monitoring in the ICU using a questionnaire design. One of the main findings from this study was that nurses who did not routinely practice delirium monitoring were unaware that the syndrome was underreported and that delirium is characterised by fluctuating symptoms such as levels of consciousness. The study’s findings bring to attention a severe deficit in nurses’ knowledge relating to questions about delirium in the ICU. Mention should be made here of an important limitation of the study, that is, the results are only representative of 331 nurses in the Massachusetts area of North America. By employing a systematic search strategy to identify similar research, a synopsis of the level of support required to alleviate the clinical problem will be c reated (Aveyard, 2010). There appears to be no published evidence of an attempt to produce a systematic review that has explored critical care nurses’ responses in relation to delirium and delirium monitoring in the ICU. In light of this, the present review will explore this gap in research evidence at the level of a literature review in which a selected body of literature will be critically appraised. 1.1 The Review Question ‘What knowledge, practices and attitudes do critical care nurses have about delirium and its assessment in the ICU?’ 1.2 Aim and Objectives The aim of this review is to critically appraise primary research studies to reveal the knowledge, practices and attitudes of critical care nurses regarding delirium in the ICU and its assessment, whilst identifying implications and recommendations for clinical practice. The following objectives describe the individual steps that will be undertaken as part of this review: To employ a systematic search strategy to retrieve primary research articles that are relevant to the research question as specified above, through the use of inclusion and exclusion criteria. To use appropriate databases and hand searching techniques to identify additional articles that are relevant to the research question and that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. To critically appraise the selected research articles using a validated appraisal tool so as to establish their research quality and reliability. To extract the findings from the selected articles so as to effectively answer the research question. To draw conclusions from the findings whilst discussing the limitations of the review and implications and recommendations for clinical practice. Word count 1447 References American Psychiatric Association. (2000) Diagnostic and statistical manual mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington DC: Author. Arend, E. Christenson, M. (2009) Delirium in the intensive care unit: a review. Nursing in Critical Care, 14 (6): 145-154. Aveyard, H. (2010) Doing a literature review in health and social care. A practical guide. 2nd ed. London: Open University Press. Boot, R. (2012) Delirium: a review of the nurse’s role in the intensive care unit. Intensive and critical care nurses, 28 (3): 185-189. Cutler, J. (2010) Critical care nursing made incredibly easy. London: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Devlin, J. W., Fong, J.J. Howard, E.P. et al. (2008) Assessment of delirium in the intensive care unit: nursing practices and perceptions. American Journal of Critical Care, 17 (6): 555-566. Ely, E.W., Inouye, S.K. Bernard, G.R. et al. (2001) Delirium in mechanically ventilated patients: validity and reliability of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU). The Journal of the American Medical Association, 286: 2703-2710. Girard, T.D., Jackson, J.C. Pandharipande, PP. et al. (2010) Delirium as a predictor of long-term cognitive impairment in survivors of critical illness. Critical Care Medicine, 38 (7): 1513-1520. Granberg-Axà ¨ll, A., Bergdom, I. Lundberg, D. (2001) Clinical signs of ICU syndrome/delirium: an observational study. Intensive Critical Care Nursing, 17 (2): 72-93. Ista, E., Trogrlic, Z. Bakker, J. (2014) Improvement of care for ICU patients with delirium by early screening and treatment: study protocol of iDECEPTIVE study. Implementation Science, 9: 143. Justice, M. (2000) Does ICU psychosis really exist? Critical Care Nurse, 20: 28-39. Lipowski, Z. J. (1980) Acute brain failure in man. Springfield , IL: Charles C Thomas. McGuire, B., Basten, C. and Ryan, C. et al. (2000) Intensive care unit syndrome, a dangerous misnomer. Archives of Internal Medicine, 160 (7): 906-909. McNicoll, L., Pisani, M. Ely, E. (2005) Detection of delirium in the intensive care unit: comparison of confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit with confusion assessment method ratings. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53: 495-500. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2010) Delirium: diagnosis, prevention and management [online]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg103 [Accessed 13 January 2015]. Ouimet, S., Kavanagh, B.P. and Gotfried, S.B. et al. (2007) Incidence, risk factors and consequences of ICU delirium. Intensive Care Medicine, 33 (1): 66-73. Page, V. Ely, E. W. (2011) Delirium in critical care (core critical care). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Shehabi, Y., Botha, J. A. and Ernest, D. et al. (2008) Sedation and delirium in the intensive care unit: an Australian and New Zealand perspective. Anaesth Intensive Care, 36 (4): 570-578. Tess, MM. (1991) Acute confusional state in critically ill patients: a review. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 23: 398-402. Van Eijk, M.M., Kesecioglu, J. Slooter, A. J. (2008). Intensive care delirium monitoring and standardised treatment: a complete survey of Dutch intensive care units. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 24 (4): 218-221. Webb, A.R. Singer, M. (2005) Oxford Handbook of Critical Care. 2nd ed. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. Wells, L. G. (2010) Why don’t intensive care nurses perform routine delirium assessment? A discussion of the literature. Australian Critical Care, 25 (3): 157-161. 1

Walter Johnson - A Pitcher :: essays research papers

In the beginning there were players like Ty Cobb who hit .300 for 23 consecutive years, and the 'flying dutchman' Honus Wagner. Pitchers like the 'christian gentleman' Christy Mathewson, and the winningest pitcher in history Cy Young. In the years when the only Yankees were the people in the north and there was an upstart franchise called the American League there was a pitcher, his name was Walter Johnson. Known as the 'big train' because of his high powered fastball which was unequaled in all of baseball Johnson was a poor Kansas farm-hand who became one of the best pitchers baseball has ever been lucky to have ever seen, and he was on one of the worst teams in the history of baseball. Walter Johnson was born in 1887 in a small town called Humboldt,Ks. As a teenager his interests turned from working on a farm to baseball; as he soon found out, he had a natural calling for pitching. As he went to high school he became one of the nations best pitchers and it was just a matter of time before he would be drafted for the majors. He was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1907 for $9. His first year wasn't so good but in his second year he earned the name 'the big train' with an amazing won loss record. Back when Walter pitched they had no Cy Young awards or league MVP awards but if they had, Walter would have won a dozen of each. On a team with a won loss record of around 60 and 94 Walter usually had half of their wins. He would frequently lead the league in wins, E.R.A., and strikeouts, but even the lackluster of the Senetors had some effect on him. In 1916 he had a miniscule E.R.A. of 1.86 but lost 20 games. It was 1924, and by hard work and determination (Johnson went 23-7) the Senators made it to the World Series but, they had to face the powerhouse of the N.Y.Giants with John McGraw at the helm. Johnson had never won a World Series game in his life and it was his dream of being able to do so but he was getting old and he knew this would probably be his last chance to win one. In game one he lost a heart breaker to the Giants ace. He had a no Walter Johnson - A Pitcher :: essays research papers In the beginning there were players like Ty Cobb who hit .300 for 23 consecutive years, and the 'flying dutchman' Honus Wagner. Pitchers like the 'christian gentleman' Christy Mathewson, and the winningest pitcher in history Cy Young. In the years when the only Yankees were the people in the north and there was an upstart franchise called the American League there was a pitcher, his name was Walter Johnson. Known as the 'big train' because of his high powered fastball which was unequaled in all of baseball Johnson was a poor Kansas farm-hand who became one of the best pitchers baseball has ever been lucky to have ever seen, and he was on one of the worst teams in the history of baseball. Walter Johnson was born in 1887 in a small town called Humboldt,Ks. As a teenager his interests turned from working on a farm to baseball; as he soon found out, he had a natural calling for pitching. As he went to high school he became one of the nations best pitchers and it was just a matter of time before he would be drafted for the majors. He was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1907 for $9. His first year wasn't so good but in his second year he earned the name 'the big train' with an amazing won loss record. Back when Walter pitched they had no Cy Young awards or league MVP awards but if they had, Walter would have won a dozen of each. On a team with a won loss record of around 60 and 94 Walter usually had half of their wins. He would frequently lead the league in wins, E.R.A., and strikeouts, but even the lackluster of the Senetors had some effect on him. In 1916 he had a miniscule E.R.A. of 1.86 but lost 20 games. It was 1924, and by hard work and determination (Johnson went 23-7) the Senators made it to the World Series but, they had to face the powerhouse of the N.Y.Giants with John McGraw at the helm. Johnson had never won a World Series game in his life and it was his dream of being able to do so but he was getting old and he knew this would probably be his last chance to win one. In game one he lost a heart breaker to the Giants ace. He had a no

Audrey and John from The Hollow :: Drama

Discuss in detail, how you would play either Audrey or John in the selected scene. You will need to refer to voice, movement, gesture and facial expression, as well as to how your chosen character responds to others on stage. Scene sixteen, "The Hollow." This scene is set in a natural grassy scooped out hollow in the midst of the trees. The five children have plunged for safety because Raymond thought he heard something. He thinks it may have been the mysterious "him" but is not sure. This play is set in the 1940's, and this was when the country was at war, so they would have been scared that the Ities would capture them. The scene includes six characters: John, Angela, Willie, Audrey, Raymond and Peter. Angela is described as being pretty, with ringlet curls in blue ribbons. Audrey is said to be short, with straight hair and "cheap owl-like metal framed glasses" These descriptions suggest that Angela has more authority, or a higher status throughout the play. Angela is described to be everything that Audrey isn't, but she really wants to be just like Angela. In this scene, the five are very scared, and are huddling up to each other. If I were Audrey, I would be trying not to show I was scared, because she is more of a boy than Angela and does not care for dolls, or prams. I would be trying to show that I was brave. Audrey is trying to take interest in what the guards will do to the mysterious "him" if they catch him. If I was playing her, I would be very close to the boys, as if to be more on their side and more brave and boyish than Angela. Audrey is described as saying "never mind the pram," belligerently. This means that she is getting fed up with Angela because they have more important things to worry about. If I were Audrey, I would wave my hand at Angela as if to tell her to shut up, and get out the way. Audrey I trying to get in with the boys and the least she needs is Angela worrying about her stupid baby. When Audrey told Angela to literally shut up, this showed that she had the higher status. She resents the fact that Angela is always attracting attention from the boys, and this time, she has stuck up to her and the boys are on her side. She likes this. When John is told to go and have a look over the top, it is obvious that he doesn't want to, but he has taken on the sort of leader in the

American Imperialism Essay -- Nongovernmental Oganizations

To use the title ‘Transnational American’ (Grewal, 2005) might be more politically correct than American imperialism but I contend that one is in fact an agent of the other. The two readings for this week converge around the discussion of transnationalism and neoliberalism although in slightly different ways. Grewal (2005) discusses transnationalism in relation to the United States and its cultural, social, political and economic influence on other nation-states specifically through technologies, biopolitics and geopolitics. Grewal presents interesting arguments to support the view that the construction of human rights activism since the 1960’s was a geopolitical strategy used by the United States to extend its imperialist grasp on the outside world. Grewal (2005) posits that the development of the feminist and women’s rights movements were born out of human rights discourse that quickly became â€Å"transnational instruments of technologies of governmenta lity, creating and applying knowledges and techniques that promote welfare and security, rather than just the rights of populations† (Grewal 2005:122). The birth of Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) came out of a desire to â€Å"move women [vulnerable populations] from the margins to the center by questioning the most fundamental concepts of our social order so that they take better account of women’s lives† (Grewal 2005:126). In the process human rights issues became wedded to women’s rights, social justice and later on to development. NGOs at the time of its inception were seen as politically autonomous entity that would intervene â€Å"to ensure the welfare of female populations, the inefficiency of the state, and its ideology of patriarchy† (Grewal 2005:127). But cultural, socio-political... ...loitation, the US maintains its embargo on Cuba and continues to police movements across its borders; only the future knows how the current anti-immigration sentiments might unfold and materialize. Space does not permit an elaborate discussion about the politics of the United Nations, the World Bank or the IMF, but as a parenthetical note, these are also examples of an imperial or should I say transnational apparatuses taken advantage of the by the United States. In the final analysis, I concur with Comaroff and Comaroff (2001) that â€Å"relationship between the nation-state and millennial capitalism†¦is not synonymous with globalism, although globalization is and inherent part of it† but I would add more specifically that globalization like its predecessor colonalization, imperialization and now neoliberalism is a capitalist apparatus (Comaroff & Comaroff, 2001:34)

Compare and contrast these two newspaper articles Essay

The tabloid and broadsheet articles have the same topic but are written in extremely different styles. They are both in the same place within the two papers and are not on the front page. This shows they are not major stories. The lexis and syntax are different as is the graphology. The tabloids aim for target readers in social groups C2, D and E while the broadshhet papers aim for target readers in social groups A, B and C1. The tabloid paper uses the pyramid formation to lay out the pages. The headline is made the biggest piece of writting to grab attention. A pun is put in to get you to then read on. For Prince Harry they use ‘ His Royal Styness’ which is a play on words were they involve the story and how he is being punished by having to work on a farm. The tabloid then focuses mainly on the pictures which have been manipulated by adding in people that aren’t there to make Harry look worse so more people will want to read the rest of the story. The picture was superimposed and this sets you up for the following text. The writting its self isn’t very informative and uses a basic lexis and syntax ‘for wearing a Nazi uniform to a pal’s fancy dress party. ‘ this uses a more Colloquial language. The style is informal and the writer uses a semantic field of ‘Nazis and pig farming’. The tabloid also has small side stories and links that lead of in another direction, they have a story still involved with the royal family but moves of Prince Harry and on to the whole royal family when they have a survey about them. The writer makes the overall register quite playful and slightly mocking towards the Prince making him look less respectable † Weed the plants (not that weed Harry)† is put into embarasses him as he had been acused of doing cannabis before. The writting is more opinion based â€Å"The rowdy royal† than factual based and it doesn’t state who the quotes are from in name †a security resource revealed†. Unlike the broadsheet paper so it shows that the tabloid paper is more factual. In the broadsheet paper the quotes seem more reliable because it says exactly who is saying it and it gives a short amount of information about who the quote is from †Ian Davidson, the MP for Glasgow†. This article doesn’t exploit the story and use it as an excuse to mock Prince Harry. The writer Andrew Pierce puts in his opinion subtly. The writer makes fewer puns and uses fewer pictures and focuses more on the actual text. Pierce uses a more intellectual syntax and using a wider and more polysyllabic words †recomendations, combination and commemorate†. Pierce uses longer more complex scentences using more clauses † the hearings, which will be televised, begin on February 7†. The target readership is for people who generally enjoy reading, like those in social groups A, B and C1. Pierce took a different perspective on this story and didn’t focus on Harry so much but spread the story wider to cover the whole of the royal family questioning them politaclly and morally. â€Å"Plans by German politicians †¦.. could cause further embarrassment for the Royal Family† This shows that the braodsheet paper is taking things into more depth. The graphology is plainer with just the headline, the text and a small picture making you focus more on the actual text. The overal register is more serious and truthful. The broadsheet paper and tabloid papers are on two very different levels. The broadsheet is more in depth and formal, while the tabloid is more informal and uses a more colloquial language. This shows the different styles of writting used and the different layouts.

Convolutional Neural Network

Convolutional Neural Network: A boon for deep facial recognition in Biometrics.Vishalakshi Rituraj1, Research Scholar-phD (CS), Magadh University, Bodhgaya.Email id: [email  protected]comShyam Krishna Singh2, Associate Prof., Mathematics Dept., A. N. College Patna.Abstract:-Today Biometric recognition systems are gaining much acceptance and lots of popularity due to its wide application area. They are considered to be more secure compared to the traditional password based methods. Research is being done to improve the biometric security to tackle the risk and challenges from surroundings. Artificial Intelligence has played a significant role in biometric security. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) belongs to AI family, has been designed to work a little like human brain but not exactly, handles the complexity and variations in facial images very effectively. This paper is going to focus on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and how a CNN carries out facial detection.Keywords:- Biometrics, Neural network, Learning, convolution, neurons, Pattern Recognition.  1) Introduction:-The increasing demand of technology in each and every field of our lives has raised the risk of data security in parallel. From the very ancient time, man is putting his best effort to get his things secured. But today in this digital world, we are facing more problems due to impostors and other types of security hacks. Besides these, the curious human nature has always been trying to do something new and to cross the predefined boundaries. Intelligence is a by birth human quality but now a days, technology has made machines to think and behave like us to some extent. This concept of manmade intelligence created by rigorous use of complex mathematical operations and searching algorithms is known as Artificial Intelligence (AI). When we saw the AI used in Hollywood movie TERMINATOR, we didn't even imagine the concept of such a smart machine that could handle different situations. But now, it seems impossible is going to be possible due to AI as it has opened the door of a completely new world of opportunities. Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science aiming to make a computer, robot, or a software think intelligently, in the same manner the intelligent humans think and it has been proved very useful where traditional algorithmic solutions don't work well. We are using AI based applications everywhere in our day to day life, such as- spam filters in gmail account, plagiarism checker, Google's intelligent prediction in web searching, suggestions on Facebook and Youtube and many more. The main purpose of designing AI system is to include the following areas:-PlanningLearningProblem SolvingPattern RecognitionSpeech/Facial RecognitionNatural language processingCreativity, and many more. Neural networks and deep learning, a branch of AI currently provide the best methods to solve many problems associated with the Biometric authentication. Biometrics is a noble technique for personal authentication either on the basis of physical attribute (fingerprint, iris, face, palm, hand, DNA etc.) or behavioral (Speech, signature, keystroke etc.). As we all know, our face is one of the wonderful creations of God and the unique diversities among all faces help us to differentiate one another. Facial recognition is the fastest growing field because a large no. of applications is adopting it. Recently, Apple launched its face recognition system equipped iPhone X on 12 Sept 2017 and it is claimed that it can identify the face in dark or even when owner has different hairstyle or look as well. Apple says that the facial recognition cannot be spoofed by using a photograph or even a mask [1].(2) Application areas of Facial Recognition- Facial biometric recognition is being popular due to its wide range of applications and it can easily be deployed and integrated anywhere if there is modern high definition camera. Some of the trending applications are-Many electronic devices are integrated with face biometric to eliminate the need of passwords and thus providing enhanced security and accessing method. Facebook's automatic facial detection feature recognizes our friends' faces with pretty good accuracy and starts suggestion based on it.Criminal identification has become simpler by better recognition of facial image through CCTV surveillance. It may minimize traffic rule breaking and road accidents.Some universities use facial recognition system as a tool to monitor the attendance of the students so that the management cannot be fooled by letting students to sign in behalf of others. ESG Management School in Paris  is using  facial recognition  software in its online classes to make sure students aren't slacking off. Using a software called Nestor, the webcam on a student's computer will analyze eye movements and facial expressions to find out if he or she is paying attention during video lectures.[2] In our paper, we will focus on the need of facial recognition and how deep learning and neural networks have been a backbone for this technology. 2) Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL):- Machine learning is considered as subset of AI which uses statistical techniques and algorithms which make a machine capable of making decision or prediction by learning from the given data and adapt through experience. The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide. The primary aim is to allow the computers learn automatically without human intervention or assistance and adjust actions accordingly [3]. Deep learning is a subset of Machine learning where a machine has a higher level of recognition accuracy and aims to solve real world problems like image recognition, sound recognition, space exploration, weather forecasting and so many other automated applications. Here, the word ‘deep' refers to the no. of layers in the network to accomplish a task. Deep learning methods use neural network architectures, very much like neurons in human brain, introducing a concept of Artificial Neural Network (ANN). 3) Concept of Artificial Neural Network in problem solving:- Today, automated systems have made our lives too easy and have replaced man in some places. But when we talk about ‘intelligence', man will always be superior to machines because of their god gifted nervous system which is composed of billions of neurons. These neurons are interconnected together and pass signals to one another which make the entire system to identify, classify and analyze things. Getting inspiration from biological neural network, the concept of ANN came into existence. The inventor of the first neurocomputer, Dr. Robert Hecht-Nielsen, defines a neural network as – â€Å"†¦a computing system made up of a number of simple, highly interconnected processing elements, which process information by their dynamic state response to external inputs.† [4] Figure1: A simple ANN structure. [5] 3.1) Types of ANN: – (A) On the basis of topological arrangement, there are two types of ANN-a) A Feed-Forward Network :- In this type of ANN, data flow takes place in only one direction through different layers and none of the layers is fed with signal from background direction. This network does not have feedback loops as output of one layer becomes the input for other layers. Practically, in a Feed forward network, any prediction does not have to be affected with the previous predictions.Figure 2: A Feed-Forward Network [6]b) Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN):- This type of neural network allows feedback loop by transmitting signals not only in one direction, instead data flow is carried out from backward direction too, sometimes also known as FeedBack ANN. In RNN, each neuron has its connection with others and how the flow of data is maintained, will be governed by its internal memory. The decision taken by RNN gets affected by the decision made by the network at previous. It means, the current output of a RNN depends on both the previous output as well as the current input. Figure 3: Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) [7](B) On the basis of layering, there are two types of ANN-(a) Single Layer Network- In this type of network, neurons on input layers are connected with the neurons present at the output layer and there is no layer in between these two layers.(b) Multi Layer Network- This type of ANN consists of more than one layer in between input and output layer which are called hidden layers. These hidden layers carry out computation by passing data from one layer to another. In this scheme, output from one layer becomes input for next layer and so on; finally output is obtained from output layer.(4) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN):- A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a subset of deep learning and belongs to the category of multilayer, feed-forward artificial neural networks. One of the most promising areas where this technology is rapidly growing, is security. It has been very helpful in monitoring suspicious banking transactions, as well as in video surveillance systems or CCTV.Figure 4: A typical CNN architecture [8]Besides input and output layers, CNN has many hidden layers in between which may be classified as-Convolutional Layer:- This layer performs the core operations of training and forms the basis of CNN. Each layer has a single set of weights for all neurons and each neuron is responsible for processing a small part of the input space. Thus, the convolutional layer is just an image  convolution  of the previous layer, where the weights specify the convolution filter [9].Pooling Layer:- This layer also known as downsampling layer, is placed after the convolutional layer. Pooling layer is responsible for reducing the spatial size (Width x Height) of the Input Volume which will be passed to the next convolutional Layer. Fully Connected Layer:- This layer connects each neuron on previous layer with all the neurons present on the next layer.(5) Facial detection/Recognition using CNN:- A human brain sees multiple images in a day and is able to distinguish each one accurately without realizing how the processing is done. But, there is a different case with machines because they have to recognize an image on the basis of learning. Facial detection is a method to identify a person or object based on their unique features and this process involves the detection and extraction of the face from the original image or video. After this, the face recognition takes place where different complex computer algorithms are used to recognize a face. Here, we will understand the entire process of face detection and recognition. A face detection system involves two phases:-(I) Enrollment Phase- Face Detection- In this phase, several pictures of the same person is captured to whom the system should recognize as â€Å"known† with different facial expressions and head positions. Feature Extraction- In this step, different feature measures are applied which can better describe a human face. There are different algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Haar Features, Local Binary Pattern (LBP) etc. available for the facial measurement. On the basis of these measurements, CNN is trained for learning in future. Storing in Database- All the extracted features are stored in a database so that they can be used further in identification process. Face DetectionPre-processingFeature ExtractionFace RecognitionImageVerification/Identification(II) Recognition Phase-Figure 5: Architecture of Face Recognition System [10]Face Detection- When an image is admitted for identification, It is checked that whether it matches with the captured and stored images from the database by using face detection algorithms. Pre-processing- Pre-processing is necessary to make an easier and smooth training phase. The collected face images or video frames need to be passed through Pre-processing phase to eliminate the noise, blur, shadows, lighting and other unwanted factors. The final smooth image obtained so, will be passed to the next feature extraction phase.Feature Extraction- After Pre-processing phase, feature extraction is carried out by the CNN which was trained during Enrollment phase. Recognition- This is the last step where a suitable classifier such as Nearest Neighbor, Bayesian classifier, Euclidean Distance classifier etc., can be chosen. This classifier compares the feature vector stored in the database with the query feature vector and finally the best matched face image comes as a recognition output. 6) Conclusion:Biometric verification/authentication is going to be deployed everywhere from government to private organizations in coming days. In this paper, we studied the relation among AI, ML, DL, ANN and CNN. We have also demonstrated the way CNN carries facial detection with improved accuracy. The field of AI has a wide spectrum and open for researchers. So, it aims to provide better result in biometric security in future.Referencesâ€Å"You can stymie the iPhone X Face ID – but it takes some work†, Anick Jesdanun, https://phys.org/news/2017-10-stymie-iphone-id-.htmlâ€Å"Entrepreneur India†, https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/280493#2â€Å"What is Machine Learning? A definition† Luca Scagliarini, Marco Varone, http://www.expertsystem.com/machine-learning-definition/.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspo int.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Convolutional neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_neural_network.â€Å"Convolutional Neural Networks†, http://andrew.gibiansky.com/blog/machine-learning/convolutional-neural-networks/.â€Å"Face Recognition Using Neural Network: A Review†, Manisha M. Kasar, Debnath Bhattacharyya and Tai-hoon Kim, International Journal of Security and Its Applications, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2016), pp.81-100.

A Plan to write an evaluation of the ways in which the European Enlightenment has influenced modern schooling

Introduction The plan includes an introduction, which will include an explanation of what European Enlightenment is and what transpired within this period, as well as the general objective of the brief, which is to evaluate the ways in which it influenced modern schooling. It will highlight the point that history and reason were the two significant characteristics of this period (e.g. Saenz 1999, p. 119; Lesaffer 2009, p. 446). The European Enlightenment and its influence on modern schooling The foregoing discussions involve the clarification of the concept of ‘modern schooling’ and an evaluation of how European Enlightenment influenced it. It will discuss the critical view of Enlightenment thinkers (e.g. Voltaire, Gibbon) on the irrationality of the past, alongside their often established incisive historical discontinuities for the sake of history and reason. False paradigms and privileges during the European Enlightenment violated the natural law and configured irrational social organisations (e.g. Saenz 1999). This is an important point in the evaluation. The evaluation will demonstrate the link between the prevalent constructs during the European Enlightenment (history and reason) and the characteristics of modern schooling. It will specifically point out that the methods and techniques of modern science could be utilised to explore and understand all areas of life (e.g. Romano 2010). Conclusion The conclusion will include a summary of important points/discussions/arguments, such as the idea of scientific method and commitment to reason that embody modern schooling. References to be used: Avrich, P. (2006) The Modern School Movement: Anarchism and Education in the United States. Oakland, CA: AK Press. Bartlett, R. C. (2001) The Idea of Enlightenment: A Postmodern Study. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Beales, D. (2005) Enlightenment and Reform in Eighteenth –Century Europe. I. B. Taurus & Co. Ltd. Feiner, S. (2004) The Jewish Enlightenment. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. Grell, P. and Cunningham, A. (2007) Medicine and Religion in Enlightenment Europe. England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Grell, P. and Porter, R. (2000) Toleration in Enlightenment Europe. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Hille, T. (2011) Modern Schools: A Century of Design for Education. NJ: Wiley & Sons. Lesaffer, R. (2009) European Legal History: A Cultural and Political Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press. Lindemann, M. (2010) Medicine and Society in Early Modern Europe. NY: Cambridge University Press. Melton, J. V. H. (2001) The Rise of the Public in Enlightenment Europe. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Pilbeam, P. (2012) Themes in Modern European History 1780-1830. New York: Routledge. Romano, M. J. (2010) AP European History. Second Edition. NJ: Wiley & Sons. Selwyn, N. (2011) Schools and Schooling in the Digital Age: A Critical Analysis. First Edition. Oxon: Routledge. Saenz. M. (1999) The Identity of Liberation in Latin American Thought. Maryland: Lexington Books. Zafirovski, M. (2011) The Enlightenment and its Effects on Modern Society. NY: Springer.

Irena Sendler Essay

She takes the crying baby into her arms, turns her back on the hysterical mother, and walks off into the night. If she’s caught, she and the baby will die. â€Å"Promise me my child will live!† the mother cries desperately after her. She turns for a moment. â€Å"I can’t promise that. But I can promise that if he stays with you, he will die.† Irena Sendler is a heroic woman to say the least. Sendler was born February 15, 1910, in Otwock, a small town southeast of Warsaw, Poland. She was an only child of Catholic parents who devoted much of their lives to help Jewish workers. Her parents raised her to respect and love people regardless of their ethnicity or social status. She was especially influenced by her father, a doctor who defied anti-Semites by treating sick Jews during outbreaks of typhoid fever. Her father died of the disease when Sendler was 9. The last words her dying father told her â€Å"If someone is drowning in a river, you must jump in and try to save them, even if you cannot swim†. Even before the war, Irena had strong loyalties towards Jews. In the 1930s, at Warsaw University, she stood up for her Jewish friends. Jews were forced to sit separately from â€Å"Aryan† students. One day, Irena went to sit on the Jewish side of the room. When the teacher told her to move, she answered, â€Å"I’m Jewish today.† She was expelled immediately. Decades later, under Communist rule, she was considered a subversive; her son and daughter were refused entry into Warsaw University. During the time of the war, Irena was a senior administrator in the Warsaw Social Welfare Department, which was in charge of soup kitchens, located in every district of the city. They distributed meals and gave financial assistance and other services to the poor, elderly, and orphans. From 1939–1942, she was involved in acquiring forged documents, she registered many Jews under Christian names so they could receive services.

EBay, Net-a-porter, and Topshop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EBay, Net-a-porter, and Topshop - Essay Example The transaction at eBay is all through auction, and the auction period can be set for 3, 5 or 7 days at the discretion of the seller. Once the successful bidder is decided based on the highest bid through the auction, e-mail is sent automatically to both the parties. The contract has to be concluded within three days, and in the event that the contract is not concluded within the stipulated time, the seller has the option to start a fresh contract with the purchaser that has suggested the second highest bid. Â  The purchaser has the right and option to inquire about the quality, delivery method and period, payment and condition of the auction products before placing the bid. This results from the philosophy of eBay that they do not guarantee the quality of the products auctioned at eBay. They leave this to the two parties concerned. eBay only performs the role that connects the seller and purchaser and is not concerned about the items enlisted in the auction. They get their fees according to the rules set, such as registration fee of the auction advertisements and the final value fee after sales from the seller, in case the transaction is made as per agreement Since eBay does not wholesale or retail the products directly, the transportation, package, and management related to the inventory do not arise. Â  There is no cost in participating in the auction to purchase the product as the membership is free. There may be no visitors if cost is levied to participate in the auction. eBay auctions are open even to the nonmembers, and in case they want to participate in the auction, all that is required is to register as a member. Â  Anyone who has an email ID can have access to eBay or have a virtual account.

An Hour of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Hour of Happiness - Essay Example The woman feels insignificance and unimportance of her social status which leads her to great psychic diseases. In "I stand here ironing" the life of the heroin is marked by poverty and dislocation caused by the years of Great Depression. She represents a working class woman who had to work hard all her life to earn for living. The woman understands that there is a great wall between her daughter and her as a result of misunderstanding and hardship they have endured. The mother recollects "After a while I found a job, hashing at night so I could be with her days" (Olsen, 1971). Chopin portrays inner conflict of Mrs. Mallard personality suffered from oppression and limited and disregarded social status. Form the very beginning, Mrs. Mallard is depicted as a woman who lacks vividness natural for women of her age. The illness of Mrs. Mallard represents the emptiness of her soul: "There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature" (Chopin, n.d.). Using events and story conflict, the authors depict evolution o

Multi Culture Models of Health and Social Inclusion Essay

Multi Culture Models of Health and Social Inclusion - Essay Example This essay stresses that people with learning disability are always faced with a lot of difficulties when accessing health care in the United Kingdom. One major source of difficulty is that they are unable to access relevant and adequate information regarding their problems, and the various health care agencies that have the capability of solving their problems. For instance, people who are deaf are unable to get an access to certain health care advertisements, basically because these advertisements are not able to use languages that deaf people can understand. On this note, these people might not gain an access to the health care information being passed, and thus it may compromise their health status. Life expectancy of people with learning disability is also short. For instance, in the year 1929, the life expectancy of a child who was born with a learning disability was 9 years.   As the discussion highlights  in the periods of 1930s, the average death of a person living with learning disability rose to 22 years for women, and 15 years for men. However, in the current years, the average death rate for a person living with learning disability has risen to 35 years. This is still a very low age, and hence this health issue has to be tackled.   Others include low expectation of services, mainly because of a previous bad experience when they went to seek medical attention, and certain problems or diseases only associated with learning disabilities

It is an exam question and I dont know what title will it have, Essay

It is an exam question and I dont know what title will it have, however the topic is called economic loss, focus on negligence misstatement - Essay Example A common thing in this regard has been that a loss-suffered party accuses its partner for incurring of the loss resulting in to legal disputes. There have been many instances for such legal cases some of which are discussed below. There have been various cases in the regard of economic losses that have arisen in because of negligence misstatements. Among such cases, Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd Vs Heller & Partners Ltd has been one of the most notables. The case is regarded as the tort law case which had occurred because of the negligent misstatement. Analysing the case it is observed that, Hedley Byrne was an advertising firm. The company had a new customer in lieu of Easipower Ltd. The recent customer put up a big order to the advertising company. Hedley Byrne became suspicious of the amount of the order and tried to ensure the financial viability of the client company. In order to do so, the advertising major called up their banks, National Provincial Bank, and asked for a report about the credit worthiness of Easipower Ltd from the client’s bank named Heller & Partner’s Ltd. The banker of the client replied to the National Provincial Bank and thereby to the Hedley Byrne stating that Easipower Ltd w as â€Å"considered good for its ordinary business engagements†. But an important point that had to be noted in analyzing the case was that the banker of the client, Heller & Partners Ltd also notified the reply saying â€Å"without responsibility on the part of this bank†. Perceiving the financial credibility of Easipower Ltd to be perfect, Hedley Byrne went in to the deal with the company but soon Easipower Ltd went into liquidation. As a result, Hedley & Byrne lost a hopping amount of more than  £ 17,000. Hedley & Byrne, incurring the loss, sued the banker of Easipower Ltd on the grounds of negligence as the advertising company relied upon the statement of the bank. The other accusation was that of misleading information. The honourable court heard the case

Impact of Computer Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Impact of Computer Technology - Research Paper Example From the essay it is clear that the cost effective and instant communication over these networks has left other technologies far too behind and facilitated humans to communicate and process information in a remarkable and innovative way. Social networks enables people to create effective communication channels for exchanging ideas and thoughts with class mates, old friends, lost friends, relatives, and new friends. Computerized social networks have advantages as well as disadvantages later to be discussed. The factors impacting on the population are interrelated to each other. The severity of the impact of these technologies may differ from low to high risks. According to the report findings the computerized social networks also contributed to support the educational correspondence regarding student assignments, career counseling and college planning. Students are able to co ordinate with each other regarding multiple educational topics and suggestions. Students improve their visual, writing, reading and conflict resolution skills by discussing about issues on various matters with all level of students available around the globe. These features can be achieved by connecting to the Internet and registering to the free social networks. Students with low income can also utilize these services due to free of charge. Studies have shown that computerized social networks have also increased quality of life. Social media can contribute via computerized social networks which will be an alternative to a traditional way of communication.

Reading Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading Responses - Essay Example What is not discussed in the open by women would actually become the main conversation and a thing of pride by men subtly declares the made-up superiority complex of men who believe that power makes them better than women. There is no logic that supports men’s sense of superiority apart from the stronger physical built! The two most enlightening passage from the article indicate men’s need to maintain their dominance within social paradigm. The TV shows would treat the subject in length and male intellectuals would argue ‘how could a woman master any discipline that demanded a sense of time, space, mathematics, or measurement, for instance, without that in-built gift for measuring the cycles of the moon and planets - and thus for measuring anything at all?’ Indeed, the phenomenon that is normal for women would turn into unique event for men just reveals the pseudo psychology of ego that men exercise. The ‘normal’ event would become yet another main event that would help them retain their male dominance over women who are look physically frail but have the emotional and intellectual strength to compete against their male counterpart and

Is Ethical Soucing Souce of Competitive Advantage Literature review

Is Ethical Soucing Souce of Competitive Advantage - Literature review Example This discussion declares that  evironmental friendliness and its protection are also considered an essential element of ethical sourcing of goods and services.   Ethical sourcing is all about making right decisions at right time. Infact, it is regarded as an integral part of Corporate Social Responsibility in the modern business regime.This paper discusses that  after analyzing the various aspects of implementing ethical sourcing in various organization such as Starbucks, Nike etc the common benefits that one can attain from adopting the means of ethical manufacturing sourcing generally relate to a wider market audience and conformance with pre-defined ethical standards and principles that facilitate an organization to create brand image and adhere to the corporate social responsibility. Risk management is better managed through ethical sourcing right at the source or the grass root level that creates a sense of responsibility among the suppliers in terms of organizational comm itment towards ethical challenges and future goals.  Ethical sourcing saves an organization from the anguish of its customers and negative image that it can create in future, for instance Nike hires child to saw the football, because they simply have no consideration for social ethics but only profit. Such kind of an attitude certainly has a negative impact on the customers. Adopting ethical norms and protocols can save the organization of such embarrassment.... acilitator in reducing exorbitant costs by adopting supply chain sources that focus on developing supplier relationship management and attain benefits of compliance management. Moreover organizations are self motivated to monitor their actions and carry on regular self assessment. Ethical sourcing is an effective medium to reward positive and constructive suppler behavior that consistently drives for growing business and at the same time a means to penalize negative and unpleasant conduct as well. Disadvantages of Ethical Sourcing Ethical sourcing however is a hindrance that suppliers face in their normal course of business for instance organizations hold varied perception issues that suppliers hold in terms of the tools and equipments that might need for ethical sourcing, thus they prefer to avoid it. Organizations find it expensive to adopt ethical supply chain and distribution networks thus generally face lack of coalition among business and individual objectives (Wrobleski & Oza 2011) Many authors have given varied viewpoint regarding ethical sourcing. For instance Cathy Mejia said that it is highly important for an organization to adopt ethical sourcing as it helps in communicating the strong ethical values an organization upholds for its stakeholders. Economists like Davies and Crane, 2003, Wadha (2009), have also commented on the significance of Ethical sourcing saying that fair trade policies of an organization can actually help to shape up the organization structure to achieve long term goals and positive company image. For instance in a research done by Gennarwilson (2009), it was found that child slavery exists in cocoa industry where children are made to work for long hours and parents avoid sending them for education. Almost 90 million bunnies, 27 million

Israel and Palestine Issues Essay Example for Free

Israel and Palestine Issues Essay The issues between Palestine and Israel originate in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The list could drag on and on about what exactly they are fighting about but most of their issues are somehow related to land and property. To this day they can’t come to an agreement on who owns Jerusalem. That has been a touchy subject for ages. Israel is also worried about their settlements they have created since the Six Day War and what will happen to them if and when a peace treaty is defined. One cause of Palestine’s’ fury has to do with the refugees which occurred from the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. In brief, these two countries’ conflict is long ago rooted and still there hasn’t been a resolution for the troubles they are having. First off Israel and Palestine have been unable to decide who gets to claim Jerusalem as their own. Both countries title Jerusalem as their Holy place of worship. Israeli’s are for the most part Jewish and Palestinian’s are Muslim; Jewish book of holies is the Tenach and Muslim book of holies is the Koran. In the Tenach Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times whereas in the Koran it wasn’t mentioned once. We can trace back Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel 2,000 years before Islam/Palestine was created. There is no record of Palestine ever having control or right, if you will, over Jerusalem. Israeli’s and Palestinians are concerned about their religious holy places under the governing of the other country. On occasion, Palestine has not allowed Jews to visit the Western Wall, and Jewish cemeteries have been abused or violated. Israel on the other hand, has seldom blocked sacred sights of another religion. Jerusalem has been a long disputed piece of land between these two groups of people and it probably won’t get any better. Next in order, during the Six Day War Jewish communities were captured by Israel from Jordan. Since then Israel has set up more than 130 settlements. The majority of Jews live in 8 of the largest settlements, which Israel would like to free and make theirs in a peace treaty agreement with the Palestinians. Most of the large ones border Israel and the West Bank, excluding a few which dwell deep inside Palestinian territory. Building and remodeling of the settlements has been an ongoing project since 1967. In 1997 they had formed 31 settlements with 4,400 people; in 1992 they had a total of 120 settlements with a total of 100,000 people; and in 2009 the opulation had grown to more than 306,000 people. This arguing about the settlements is one cause to the stalling of the peace process between these two countries. The Palestinians are being inconvenienced because the settlements redirect the resources needed by their towns. They also stunt the traveling of Palestinians because the security challenges them if they pass through the local roadways. Third of all, Palestinian Refugees haven’t been allowed to return to their families and homeland after the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. The estimated number of Israeli’s who either fled or were thrown out of their country tolled about 711,000 in 1949. In 2010 a survey was taken and they found out that there were more than 4. 7 million descendants of the original refugees. One third of them live in camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, the rest live in towns and cities near the refugee camps. Palestine is urging the right of the refugees to return to the places they lived before the war but new Israeli law only allows Jews to gain citizenship. Therefore Palestinians cannot apply because obviously they are Muslim. Israeli’s ponder the possibility of letting the refugees return in the form of a family reunion and allowing a vague number of further refugees to settle as well. This resolution involves the U. S. to help aid the refugees with money and services until they are able to provide for themselves and get back on their feet in the new setting. Israel and Palestine still haven’t resolved this issue because they are more concerned with bigger issues. In summary, Palestine and Israel have many unresolved issues that may or may not ever be dealt with. Both countries have their own beliefs and practices which more than likely won’t be able to coincide and cooperate long enough to make agreements and choices that benefit both sides and make everyone happy. Clearly if they don’t start making compromises and giving up a little to get what they want no one that lives there will ever be happy because the problems will just be sitting there getting bigger and bigger, eventually turning into another war.

Americans and Materialism Essay Example for Free

Americans and Materialism Essay The 1960s represented an era of significant economic growth for Americans. Some economists argue that the early 1960s began the consumerism that defines American culture today. To what extent did American materialism that is, the beliefs in the accumulation of personal wealth make Americans afraid of communism? The chances of a communism in America were extremely small; Americans loved their democratic capitalist government. They would have not traded it in for being communist. In reality we as Americans are consumed by things we see and hear on TV, by what we see our neighbors have, and by what many people think is important in life. Materialism is a huge problem in this country. It appears to get worse as technology increases and new gadgets are invented and easily obtained; but because some people become obsessed with having and they lose self-control of it. Discussion topic #2: Based upon your reading materials for this unit, do you agree or disagree that more government intervention is needed in the capitalist system? Please justify your response with concrete examples. Yes, there should be government intervention in to capitalistic system with some extent. I my opinion markets cannot exist without a government to protect property rights, enforce contracts and settle disputes all of which is intervention. This would benefit the economy in variety of ways. Firstly, government regulations allow businesses to remain in the private hands while removing some of the worst abuses of pure capitalism. Extremely wealthy people or companies have the ability to control large sections of the economy because smart business dealings. Only Government involvement can fix that. When a producer has a monopoly, the consumer is no longer autonomous, prices are not set by supply and demand, and therefore the system cannot function effectively. As a mixed economy there is competition between companies but we need government regulation to ensure that these types of monopolies do not exist. A safe amount of government intervention would result in higher incomes, production and employment, which would then lead to expansion. Limited government involvement prevents crises such as inflation, unemployment and depression. Without government the strong will take what they want from the weak and there will be no reason to voluntarily exchange good and services which is the sole purpose of buying and selling. (Harrison, chapter07). Harrison, Brigid C. and Thomas R. Dye. (2008) Power and Society. Cengage Learning. Mason, Ohio

New Product Introduction Of Mcdonalds

New Product Introduction Of Mcdonalds McDonalds is among the leading brands operating in the whole is the UK Irish market when it comes to fast food and quick service restaurants. This gives the company a wide market area to cover and cater. McDonalds is counted among the huge chains all around the world with thousands of restaurants. In this report the plan is to introduce a new product from McDonald with the brand name Mc Tea and as we all know that McDonald is perusing a value strategy offering its products at relatively low prices and they differentiate their products through successful branding campaigns, this thing would be continued with the launch of the new product. The report is divided in many key parts such as introduction, mission statement, company outlook, market status, objectives and strategies, segmentation, target product, promotional program, sales plan, organization, financial. In all these key areas it is defined that through this new product a handsome chunk of revenue can be gained also keeping affects on the overall market share of the company. The company plans to introduce Mc Tea as a flavor tea. The aim is to get market share as much as possible covering the spent money on the overall product its advertising and launch. This new opportunity can help company further penetrate by this new product line extension. As McDonald is entering in an existing market with a new product so there is a handsome requirement for the publicity of the product and the company would be using conventional tools of promotion with sampling as an extra. For advertising the company plans to use both below the line and above line advertising and the company targets the giant media to capture the a good chunk of the market. INTRODUCTION McDonalds is probably the best-known franchised fast food restaurant chain in the world. When the first outlet was opened in the US in 1955 and even when the first UK restaurant appeared in 1974, it would have been hard to imagine a worldwide network of 30,000 outlets by 2002 and 1,200 outlets in the UK. McDonalds is easily the largest fast-food brand in the world and instantly recognizable in many countries. Across the global network, the majority of outlets are operated by franchisees but, in the UK, only a third are franchised although this percentage is increasing. McDonalds has been growing organically, with new sites located in smaller towns, roadside developments and food court concepts in leisure parks and shopping centers.  [1]   SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS STRENGTHS: Promotional strength: is what Mc Donald has in its main and something in which it has been good over the period of time. Market share: is the second strengthen factor where Mc Donald is preferred by people of all ages and they love the food taste and variety offer. Image of the company affects its sales and this plays a positive for McDonalds and the efforts towards green world and reduction of waste has given them a good public image. The company is rated among the top delivery business operators beating even Pizza Hut at many times. New product special promotional strategies have made McDonalds corporation leader of fast food industry. Home delivery has gained wide spread acceptance and has become competitive advantage for them. WEAKNESSES: McDonalds has been frustrated by rising wholesale food prices and labor force. Fast food outlets have to pay higher wages. Despite of providing a branded quality of flavored tea it is likely that the people might not be attracted towards the product because McDonalds does not have any past experience in this product. The company has not been very successful in the past to keep a strict check on the quality of food provided by its franchises. Not all new product launches have been a success. OPPORTUNITY: The company has the opportunity to still expand in many locations in which the company still has not looked towards development or keeping its food hold. The conventional competitors have not thought about a similar product so this would be an early mover advantage. Consumption ratios or hot drinks are increasing and specially a launch in the approaching winter and Christmas season can prove to be a treat. Moving in an alliance with new film releases and media has been an old tactic which has proved worthwhile 90 out of 100 times. A recent alliance during the release of the movie avatar is another proof of opportunity.  [2]   Promotion of the product towards young coffee drinkers through university, colleges and schools can be an added advantage for the company to score big time and earn. THREAT: Rejection of the product is one major threat the company faces and is afraid of to happen. The economy coming out of recession the expected revenues can be lower then what the company expects. Consumer perception might be difficult to change in terms of product selection as already there is an existing competition with Coffee Cafes. Taste preference figures show a lead towards coffee drinkers as compared with tea. Increasing tea leaf prices can affect the overall revenue and costing. MARKET STATUS INDUSTRY UK is the among the leading hot drinks consumer in the world. In fact, the consumption of tea is so widespread in UK that it possesses 2nd position in the tea importing countries of the world, and is only behind the Russian Federation. The already high tea consumption level may further increase in future due to urbanization and increase in per capita income. MARKET SHARE THE MARKET For Mc Tea the target market is entire UK and Irish market with franchises located all over the area giving a huge reach towards the market. KEY FACTORS: LEGAL FACTORS Recent disputes over the prices of tea leaves and prices of payments of farmers have been critical. For the development of the new product the company would require to find out sound suppliers that can be good for the business and can be permanent. Fair trading laws affect the business. Finally the remunerations paid are strictly under review by the EU and specially the UK legal authorities. SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS In UK the concept of flavored branded tea is not yet common among the quick service restaurants, tea is normally taken with milk but this will serve them at time of leisure. On the other hand the product that is being introduced is totally on the contrary. The product is a fruit flavored tea served in tea bags that can be taken anytime anywhere. Aside from this it also has a lot of nutritional values as compared to the conventional tea. However launching flavored tea is quite a challenge as people in UK are not only resistant to change but also have rigid views about the concept of tea itself. ECONOMIC FACTORS Keeping in mind the per capita income of the people of UK, which is good after the recovery from the recession, the company intends to launch Mc Tea, aiming at the lower and middle income groups who are willing to pay normal and medium price for such an innovative and distinct product. Mc Tea is considered to be a superior product as it is distinct from the conventional tea available by the competitors, in the sense of its form, taste and nutritional attributes people consuming Mc Tea should be well educated as to its usage in the form of tea bags since; there is a general misconception that they produce superior quality tea, which is not true. PURCHASE CRITERIA BRAND: The brand name of McDonald is the very important thing in grabbing customers because they have a trust on the products. STANDARD: The brand name of McDonald is itself a standard measure so it is for sure that no one can raise question on meeting the standards. Mc Donald carries a regular check on all franchises on the quality of food provided to the consumers. INGREDIENTS: The ingredients which we are using in Mc Tea are Plum, Strawberry, Double Apple, Grape, and Peach and these ingredients would be of high quality from the companys existing suppliers. PRESENTATION: McDonalds presentation is very unique for this tea as we plan to present all different flavors in their respective flavor colored glasses. PRICE ANALYSIS Name Price Mc Tea (Flavored) 1 Pound Pret a Manger (Plain) 1.5 Pounds Costa Coffee (Plain) 1.8 Pounds Nero Cafà © (Plain) 1.8 Pounds Starbucks (Plain) 2.25 Pounds Others (indirect) (Plain) 50 p COMPETITOR ANALYSIS DIRECT COMPETITOR: COSTA COFFEE/ NERO CAFÉ/ STARBUCKS/ PRET A MANGER Already competition for the products we sell and have started giving the service of tea in collaboration with their suppliers therefore for Mc tea would face direct competition. INDIRECT COMPETITORS: Brands by Unilever, PG have captured a fair amount of local market share hence it can be said to be an indirect competitor. They being among the favorite brands for local people hence competition can be really tough. THE MARKETING STRATEGY OBJECTIVES MARKET DESCRIPTION: Total population is in millions, 30 to 35 percent youth of which 65 to 70 percent are elders. The target of Mc Tea is the 20 to 25 percent of the total population of UK and Ireland. QSR industry is the one of the sources of handsome revenue for UK Irish economies in term of tariff and taxes. The objective is to increase the market share cover the cost and make a profit of million pounds in the first year. ACCORDING TO BCG MATRIX: The Product at the moment is in the question mark stage in BCG Matrix. Ultimately the plan is to make it a star product focusing on investment and market share. Upon maturity and growth Mc Tea will later become a cash cow. HIGH LOW Market Growth Rate HIGH STAR FUTURE OF Mc Tea QUESTION MARK ? CURRENT POSITION OF Mc Tea LOW CASH COW DOG Source  [3]   ACCORDING TO GRID EXPANSION Mc Tea is currently at product development stage. The company is launching new product in existing market. MARKETING MIX: PRODUCT Mc Tea the flavored tea is an instant flavored tea drink that can be taken in hot form, consisting of various nutrients and fresh flavored extracts. The way in which we aim to work this marketing variable is by providing enhanced features that include: a variety of flavors such as plum, strawberry, double apple, grape, and peach, which has been derived from natural fruit, including compositions. These distinct flavors satisfy different taste for different people in the target market. Apart from this, one of the distinct features is the enhanced nutritional value that caters to the health conscious people. The ingredients integrated in our tea include liquorices root, passion fruit pieces, hibiscus, rose hips apple pieces, calcium and proteins. As Mc Tea the flavored tea is made in such a way that allows it to be taken in hot form, this provides the benefit of convenience for many occasions in the cold weather of Ireland and UK. It can be taken as the substitute of local tea brands an d in the same way it can replace the flavored drinks that are available in the market. The company also aim to achieve high quality with a perfect cup of tea with out artificial flavors found in competition. A crucial part of the product is the packaging, which contains the product itself. The packaging of the Mc Tea the flavored tea is in the form of colored cups of the selected fruit flavors that are made using the environment friendly technology. Mc Teas packaging is enhanced appealing and attractive which will encourage impulse buying, and hence provide stimulation to our market share growth. Mc Teas flavored tea is blended and packaged in hygienic conditions untouched by human hands. PRICE Pricing is the significant factor of the marketing mix, which must be carefully administered in order to give consumers the greatest value for their money. The way Mc Tea the flavored tea is intended to price is by using the market survey. As the company is using differentiation as the grand strategy, the charge is low to medium price initially in order to capture uniqueness, innovativeness, high quality and convenience of our product. In this way the maximum sales revenue can be achieved. However the price that we will charge will not be way beyond the competitive prices otherwise we will lose out on sufficient market share. Mc Tea will be launched as a flavored with the market skimming strategy in mind which will attract health conscious people as well as status conscious people. However, when competition sets in future and more companies start launching flavored tea we can alter our price strategy according to our competitive situation and prevailing market demand and supply equilibrium. The pricing method for Mc Tea the flavored tea will be markup pricing. In this way after determining the costs we will add a relatively high markup in order to gain substantial profits and cover our investment costs. Thus, keeping in mind all these things, we will launch all Mc Tea categories at a price of 1 Pound per cup. PLACE Mc Tea aims to be a true company with a huge distribution network, which caters the entire UK and Irish market. The strategy follows to make the product easily available to customers is through huge distribution. PROMOTION This refers to the activity of bringing Mc Tea the flavored tea to the attention of the target market and persuading them to buy the product. Promotion for the Mc Tea will be done through advertising and sales promotion. SEGMENTATION GEOGRAPHIC UK Ireland Density All cities in the distribution network DEMOGRAPHIC Age General population over 12 Income 15000/- above per anum Social class Lower middle class, Middle class, middle-upper class, upper-upper class PSYCHOGRAPHICS Life style Value oriented, sociable and active, actualizers, Personality Sophisticated. BEHAVIORAL Occasion Regular occasion. Benefits Quality, economy, nutrition. User status Non user, potential user, first time user Usage rate Light and medium Loyalty status Tea lovers TARGET PRODUCT McDonald has very large experience of food industry all around the world. Here, the target product of McDonald is Mc Tea. The product is a combination of many fruit flavors and a simple plain tea. Following are the some feature of the Mc Tea: FEATURES FLAVORS: VARIETY OF FLAVORS AVAILABLE: Plum Double apple Grape Peach Strawberry BENEFITS: It has easy usage as the flavored tea can be taken in either form, it can be taken as a substitute of tea. The nutritional values our drink provides contents like vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iodine and folic acid. PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM ADVERTISING Advertising is a very crucial part of promotion as it is responsible for creating long term loyalty towards brands. As consumer choices increases, it becomes essential to stand out in the crowds of brand ad media clutter by building a good corporate image through advertising. And in this we have planned to use both below the line and above the line advertising techniques and list of all the elements are below: ABOVE THE LINE ADVERTISING Media name Selection Television Sky Network (Channels of SKY) RADIO Local Radio channels in the UK Ireland BELOW THE LINE ADVERTISING MEDIA NAME NAME NEWSPAPERS NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS MAGAZINES HERALD VISAGE BILLBOARDS Nowadays bill boards are almost every where we go for example shopping malls, airport, overhead bridges, you name the place and the billboard is there, provided the area being a commercial area. Billboards attract people of all ages. It has proved to be a very effective way to promote and create awareness of a product, there fore this strategy will be used by Mc Tea the flavored tea to promote itself. Mc Tea will occupied all billboards next to or near McDonalds outlets. SAMPLING The company has planned to do sampling of Mc tea at universities, colleges and shopping malls. TRADE SHOWS AND CONCERTS Trade shows and concerts are also one of the very tools of doing advertising. So the company have planned to hold a trade show in London and concerts in Manchester, London etc. ACTION PLAN OF PROMOTION SEPT 1st 2010- Television, newspapers, magazines advertisement. SEPT 1st 2010 Launch in all around UK and IRELAND. SEPT 15th 2010 Promotional trucks in UK and IRELAND. SEPT 20th 2010 free sampling of Mc Tea at all major shopping malls, universities and colleges in UK. OCT 1st 2010 discounted rates offer for all major products of McDonalds at major cities of UK Ireland at buying a minimum of 5 Mc Tea. OCT 15th 2010 Free mugs printed with Mc TEA will be distributed at all outlets. OCT 30th 2010 Free sampling of Mc Tea in universities of Ireland. NOV 15th 2010 Advertising campaign in all major planned areas. AUG 2010 Concert will be held. SALES PLAN FORECAST BY MARKET SEGMENT As a firm develops a target market strategy, it should forecast the short run and long run sales of its offering to that market. Sales forecast outlines expected company sales for a specific good or service to specific consumer group over a specific period of time under a well-defined marketing program. By accurately forecasting sales, Mc Tea will be better able to develop a marketing budget, allocate marketing resources, measure success, analyze sales productivity, monitor the external environment and competition, and modify marketing plans. Factors Sales forecast UK 2 m Ireland 1.3 m Total sales 3..3 m Total Sales 3.3 m Cost of goods sold 1 m - Gross profit 2.3 m Marketing expenses 1 m - Profit before tax 1.3 m Tax (17%) 0.21 m - Net profit 1.09 m === TARGET ACCOUNTS Our target account for the fiscal year is 1.09 m net profit. From these target account we have anticipated that UK people are the tea lover, there we will be able to grab many customers. In Ireland, the winter season is of 4 to 5 months so there we will grab a huge chunk of customers. DISTRIBUTION The channel of distribution of the product will be direct through company outlets. Because the network of distribution is through all outlets which cover the entire market throughout. FINANCIALS ADVERTISING BUDGET Mc Tea now needs to establish an advertising budget for allocating the advertising expenses over several media types. The marketing cost that has been estimated for the promotion and awareness of the product is Pounds 1 million. This cost will be efficiently allocated in the various types of promotional activities that will be taking place. The budget is allocated in the following activities. Electronic media 200,000 Print media 100,000 Billboards 200,000 Promotional trucks 100,000 Free sampling of mugs and tea 200,000 Concert 200,000 TOTAL 1 million CONCLUSION The company has planned to integrate the overall approach towards the launch of MC Tea with the current existing product the tea offered in MC Donald. Also the overall launch of this product is planned to be profitable venture and is aimed to increase the target market share and performance of the company. CRITICAL REFLECTION Selected Learning outcome: Appreciate the importance of the separate marketing functions, the management of these functions, and how each function affects other functions within and external to the marketing domain. The marketing function became a revolution with the beginning of the 19th century. The initial phase of the century did not realize the potential of marketing and its functions but as time progressed the marketing function became a crucial part of the running businesses. Then whether it maybe Henry fords concept of black colors or any other people slowly and gradually started understanding the concept. In todays world of the 20th century marketing acts as a center point for any new or existing product. Now whether may it be a pen or a car. It begins with creating awareness, then moving on to teaching the buyer (consumer OR customer) and then later on towards making sales for the company. The new approach is to quantify things that are in current use by companies and things in practice. Separating the marketing function was like providing a working heart to the company. In the past era there were companies and products about which the customers had to go and extract information out from paid sources themselves. Marketing has revolutionized the entire effort and with it came many other things such as personal selling, sales promotion, advertising, media etc. In todays world a revolutionized marketing looks something like this: Marketing Public Relations Advertising Above the line Sales Promotion Below the line Implementation planning Media Tactics Sales Effort Discounts Teaching Customers Market Budgeting Selling efforts Media Marketing now has its extension further towards complementing other departments of a company. Finance department particularly seeks advertising expenditure and then return revenues. All budgets allocated to the marketing department are now quantified. Human resource department seeks towards good people and assets addition to a company. People involved in operations look to gain money return on production by good sales and promotion, even if they wish to achieve high operational targets they need to keep the marketing department inline so to achieve things such as economies of scale and economies of scope. Now writing towards the amount of learning I have had from this module is phenomenal. I havent heard of many terms and approaches that were used in this course before. The best part was the experience which I had. The course has transformed the way I look at TV ads, hoardings etc. Now I tend to pickup products in the market and carefully analyze the packaging and the mentioned contents in it to find relevance with the theory I had studied. I did missed out on practical part in the course where I should have made more efforts towards learning how the media planning and budgeting actually is done in an original market plan. This was due to lack of resources that I could make myself available. Yet I have filled my desire to see an actual marketing plan by analyzing the ongoing campaigns quite deeply to look for problems and things where they went wrong. I also came to know of potential problems such as promise and delivery gap. My prior knowledge was way too less as compared to what I l earned in this module. What I further intend to do is to get my theory more strong and approach companies to understand the practical part of a marketing plan. Also try and practically see how a marketing effort can be improved and made better.