The interpretation of Islamic texts is entirely independent of Essay

The interpretation of Islamic texts is entirely independent of historical vicissitudes. Discuss - Essay Example Most of the interpretation of the Islamic texts is based on the historical changes and this is modified in order to suit a particular context whether present or past. It is in this perspective that I will be arguing against the perception that the interpretation of the Islamic texts is entirely independent of historical vicissitudes. The paper will be split into various categories in order to look analytically on the aspects that support my argument. The first section will be a history on Islam in the world. Thereafter I will discuss and argue against the aforementioned topic. This will be done in different contexts like looking at the gender in relation of the Islam; this will be looked at in relation of the treatment of women and men through the interpretation of the Islamic texts. Each concept will be looked at analytically with the support of relevant reading material and credited sources. The last section will be the conclusion of the paper and how each of the said point has bee n relevant during the research for this paper. Each argument will be argued first with me giving my own opinion about it then using the citation from relevant materials and concluding with my own opinion of the said topic. Each stage will have the relevant support references. Introduction to Islam The history of Islam has in most cases been associated with the sole existence of Islamic states and empires. Since the beginning Islam was existing; the spread of the religion was on a community—state basis. It was both a faith and a political order. Within years and centuries after the His death, Muhammad’s local Arabian polity did become a very huge empire going as far as North Africa to Southeast Asia. The advancement and development of Islam and institutions are always intertwined. Islam: The History In the 6th Century in the Arabia brought forward the rise of Islam. The Arabia was the source and congregation of many beliefs. Christianity and also the practice of Judaism was in the region although for the better part of the 6th Century C.E (Common Era) they were overwhelmed by the faction of the tribal deities that practices barbaric activities. Muhammad (pbuh), the Prophet of Islam was born in Mecca in 570 Common Era in what is referred to as Saudi Arabia. His family dealt in trade and by the time He was 25 he was employed by an old woman who was a widow with whom He later married. At 40, He began to experience visions and also auditory revelations, throughout His occasional meditation retreat in the caves. According to Islamic Social Services Association, the angel Gabriel revealed himself to Him and gave Him a book in which he was commanded to â€Å"Read†. In the beginning this revelation was being shared with His friends and family and with instances He congregated on a daily basis with the growing number of people and the meaning of Peace was shared. The message that Muhammad (pbuh) had for Peace was met with resistance thus it made Him run away to Medina. The event is called Hijrah (emigration). Eventually He returned to Mecca and died in 632 in Medina and He also did not leave any male heir. According to Endress (1987), The word Islam is an Arabic word meaning peace, greeting, allegiance loyalty and obedience to the Creator. According to Muslims, Allah chose Prophet

To what extent does success in china depend on businesses Essay Example for Free

To what extent does success in china depend on businesses Essay Success for a business in a large market such as china can be a very difficult thing to achieve; there are many factors that can affect the success or failure of a business that decides to merge into Chinas markets. Most people would assume that due to the very large population of china (roughly 1. 35 billion/l ,363,496,913) operating a business there would not be a problem, this however is incorrect, Just because there is lots of people there doesnt for a minute make it any easier to set u-p and run a successful business. The main point I would say that is essential to success in china s adaptation. If a business is able to adapt well to its surroundings, i. e. the ability to easily change its products and services to match the needs of the local consumer. Just because a company has been successful in other large countries with big markets, does not mean that they have what it takes to succeed everywhere. Being able to change a product range, or the way a service is provided to the consumer needs to be carried out in order to do well in China. Take for example Starbucks coffee, what Starbucks did right in China is a perfect example of how food brands can ucceed despite rising labour and real estate costs, and increased competition on the Mainland. Instead of trying to force onto the market the same products that work in the U. S, such as whip cream-covered frozen coffee concoctions, Starbucks developed flavours (such as green tea-flavoured coffee drinks) that appeal to local tastes. This change in the products that Starbucks offer is the reason why people in china bought into the Starbucks chain, by seeing products that they would normally drink, and having drinks made to their own needs and wants Starbucks was able to cater recisely to what they wanted by doing research into what would work well. As well as the products, Starbucks also changed the way in which the consumers actually got their drinks. Rather than pushing take-out orders, which account for the majority of American sales and is how they made such a big empire, Starbucks adapted to local consumer wants and promoted dine-in service. Making their chain stores very traditional and fitting with the local culture. Surprisingly Starbucks charges as much as 50% more for some of its products in China than in the U. S. , the U. K. and India, but yet it is still a huge success, this is because the business catered well for the needs and adapted. Carrying a Starbucks cup is seen as a status symbol, a way to demonstrate sophistication and the capability to afford a personal luxury for the up- and-coming middle class in China. This links into the brand recognition that Starbucks has created for itself and shows how they carefully targeted their products at the new middle class, it is estimated that its more than 300 million, already larger han the entire population of the United States. This middle class is about 25% of the total Chinese population and as Starbucks has such a recognisable brand people are more liable to visit the store. However, that being said some large companies have tried to adapt for the Chinese markets, and failed despite their efforts.

Medias Influence on Adolescent Girls Body Image, Identity and Sexuality

Medias Influence on Adolescent Girls Body Image, Identity and Sexuality Missing Sources Cited   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender Identity begins in early childhood when roles are given to children as to which toys they should play or not play with. A child’s body image is influenced by how people around her react to her body and how she looks. A pre-adolescent becomes more aware of what society’s standards are for the ideal body. The media has always had images of what the ideal woman should be. As in the way she should look and the way she acts. The media today does and doesn’t always depict what is good for an adolescent or pre-adolescent to believe about themselves. There are also many good influences from the media. Role models such as Oprah and Ricki Lake have given many adolescents more of an ideal individuality to strive for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Young girls look at their images in the mirror and don’t like what they see. Does this sound right? Girls as young as nine years old report dissatisfaction with their bodies. Girls tend to struggle with body image in far greater numbers than boys. Boys don’t focus as much on their body shape and size as do girls. Some attention to body size and shape is part of the normal growing process. As children reach adolescence their bodies change and children especially young girls become more aware of how they look. Some of these feelings are normal. But when a girls life is affected by her thinking about her looks it turns into a problem. Avoidance and Isolation are signs of a problem beginning. Being positive and having healthy relationships help girls maintain positive body images. The ability to talk to someone, whether it be a parent or friend or coach, can help reinforce healthy body images. Self esteem is the key component to a healthy body image. For the most part if a girl displays confidence and personal control, the likelihood of a positive body image is greater.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The four top selling magazines with a target audience of teen females are Seventeen, Sassy, Teen and YM. â€Å"In similar fashion, magazine and book reading gradually increase during adolescence. Approximately one-third of high school juniors and senior say that they read magazines daily.†(Textbook) These magazines often show positive and negative images of young and older women. They are often times covere... ...ather to help television paint a more realistic picture of the responsibilities and risks that accompany sexual activity. The Media Project provides accurate information, script consultation, and story ideas to many teen- and adult-oriented shows – such as Dawson's Creek (WB), Any Day Now (Lifetime), Felicity (WB), Sex and the City (HBO), Moesha (UPN), Judging Amy (CBS), and Strong Medicine (Lifetime). In an additional effort to encourage the television industry to embrace the issue of positive sexuality and to highlight current programs that succeed in portraying sexual health issues without compromising entertainment value. (Transitions). Not one thing can influence a Adolescent girl about her body or image or sexuality. Many things can. But as I’ve talked about in this paper the media presents a huge influence on adolescents. Some media is good, some is bad. In order for adolescents to learn correctly they need to start at home. Parents must tell them which is good shows and bad, and sit down and ask them questions. Adolescents are at a critical time in their lives, any influence on their outlook on sexuality, body image or identity could damage or help them in the long run.

DDT and Ethics Essay

Introduction Paul Muller, a Swiss chemist and Nobel Prize winner was the one who discovered the DDT which was found to be very effective as a pesticide. In the 40s it was used in the agriculture sector to help kill crop-eating insects. From 1942 onwards it started being commercialized with big companies such as the Montrose Chemical Corporation at the frontline of this pioneering product. At first, the product proved to be quite a sensation drastically reducing the amount of malaria resulting in saving many lives. It also had a huge impact in agriculture with its effective control on pests. Later on there were reports of DDT being harmful to the environment, people and animals. In fact, there was a book that was published by Rachel Carson entitled â€Å"Silent Spring† that outlined the dangers of the DDT. A year after the book was published, President John F Kennedy ordered a committee to investigate the book’s veracity and it was found to be accurate and that persistent toxic pesti cides should be phased out as soon as possible. What followed was DDT being banned from the public by government decree after conclusive research of how dangerous it is to the environment. The product was however still sold to other countries outside of the US for some time before some of the countries themselves decided to ban it. The purpose of this report is to explore ethical issues and philosophies brought forth by some of the world’s ethicists and philosophers in an effort to advocate for the ban of DDT. Violation of Ethical Standards in manufacturing and selling DDT Any manufacturing business should have a code of ethics that should me more than just a set of rules set for its employees. It should go beyond the organization and be a set of rules that protects all its stakeholders and most importantly they must be enforceable. The Montrose Chemical Corporation did violate some of the ethical standards in the manufacturing and selling of DDT to the public as the case may suggest. It is evident in the case that the DDT has brought about many problems such as toxicity to some animals, cancer and spoilage of breast milk. Therefore, the company can be held responsible for the damage this has caused because they should have worked out the dangers and have predicted the risks involved for everyone’ s sake. According to Environmental Protection Agency, the Montrose Chemical Corp used heavy amounts of chlorobenzene as a raw material for making DDT  and this substance is in its innate form is non-aqueous meaning it remained in the ground and mixed with the other raw materials that resulted in making the groundwater in the area contaminated. Consequently, the surface soils around that area were found to be contaminated with DDT residues. This is something that the company should have considered and anticipated. Also, the company did not demonstrate in any way health concerns by warning people about the dangers of usage even after the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Human life as well as animals’ should be valued and the manufacturing of DDT resulted in damages as serious as cancer based on some reports. Things Montrose Chemical Corporation should have done differently As part of their social responsibility, instead of rushing into getting as much DDT out for sale as quick as possible, the company should have paused and conducted enough preliminary research to really outline the potential dangers of this substance in the environment and also find alternative ways of fixing those problems without damaging the environment. Perhaps the company should have also provided training and education on usage so that consumers can take the right precautions when using for their benefit and for the benefit of the environment. Even after the risks started being talked about like in the book published by Rachel Carson, Montrose Chemical Corporation showed carelessness and no effort in trying to mitigate the problems caused by the result of their business’ existence. They could have at least provided financial aid for the damage caused by this product and to protect life and environment from the effects. That would have shown some sense accountability. For example they could have helped develop fish farms around the area to help with the population and maintain the ecosystem. Effective Corporate Social Responsibility is a fundamental ethical code and its initiatives should look at issues that affect its stakeholders in the long run. So perhaps the company should have revisited their CSR objectives to really improve their planning on manufacturing and selling. The Stakeholder theory coined by Edward Freeman and others argue that instead of starting a business and looking out into the world to see what ethical codes they need to be obligated to, they can begin in the world itself; they list out individuals and groups that will be affected by their operation and recognizes their right to participate in directing it. Also, the company could have been more transparent in their manufacturing operations. This  might have prompted other researchers out there to point out DDTs disadvantages much sooner and do something about it. It had to take the government’s decree to ban it in order for them to stop their activities and if that was not there they would have presumably gone on with their business. Environmental Protection Agency’s Ethicality Even though DDT was not banned in other countries, it was still very unethical for the Montrose Chemical Company to go on selling this product to them. The Righteous moralist philosophy holds that multinational home standards are the right ones for companies to abide by in foreign countries. Ethical issues arise when environmental regulations in host nations are far much inferior to the ones in the home nation. At that point, all the dangerous effects of this product were proven and known yet they still carried on selling to people across the world. The reason it was banned in America was because of the hazardous effects it had overtime affecting people, animal life and the environment as a whole. With this information conclusive and very well documented, the company should have ceased manufacture and selling of this product not just in America but to all the other countries that were getting this product. Instead they knowingly continued manufacturing and selling, disregarding compl etely the dangers that other people are going to face. It is also important to mention that even if the company did not know about the studies that revealed all the effects of DDT, they had a duty to be aware of it to avoid the carelessness that they ended up showing resulting in the harming of people, animals and the environment. They cannot simply ignore the dangers the people, animals and the environment are being put in even if it is beyond their borders. The Environmental Protection Agency had no choice but to ban the whole operation because the DDT had been proven to having caused damage to the environment and harm people and animals as well. Even though this probably meant many people losing their jobs, the ultimate damage that the company’s operation would have brought about would have been far more overwhelming. If they hadn’t done that, naturally the company, being a business might have gone on with the selling of DDT and that’s a possibility that is not worth the risk. After all, at that point, they had not shown any signs of stopping anyway because in the ten years between the Silent Spring publication by Rachel  Carson and when the EPA officially banned the use of DDT, business continued as usual in other countries continents such as Africa, Asia and Europe. Also, according to the EPA official website, the quick success of DDT as a pesticide and broad use in the United States and other countries resulted in many of the insect pest species mutating and developing a resistance to DDT and so finding new ways of dealing with the problems would be what’s next. In a nutshell, the EPA would have to be answerable to the damage caused in the environment and so this was the right step. Muller’s award discussion Muller’s award for his work on DDT should not be taken away from him because first and foremost, Muller had demonstrated a high level of understanding in chemistry and he did it in an honest way. For that alone he deserved the award because it is something remarkable in the field of Chemistry. In fact, his product helped solve many problems in Agriculture and even health care and so this is only more of a reason to celebrate his great work. He cannot be held responsible in any way for the misfortune DDT has brought about. His intention was good in that he was trying to find a way to protect human life from insect borne diseases. Many other advantages followed such as pest control in the agriculture sector. It was only when this product started being heavily commercialized did the problems of land pollution, toxicity and cancer came about. How the discovery was used cannot be blamed on Muller. Prior to DDTs commercialization, Mueller did express his concerns about the inherent nature of DDT ; of how stable it is, meaning it would not be able to decompose harmlessly in the environment so from that, people should have been more careful at how they manufacture and sell DDT. Also, Muller did not take part in its commercialization that led to the environment’s deterioration. Therefore taking Muller’s award away from him would only be unfair and outrageous. Saving lives versus environment risk The ability to save lives is not worth the risk the environment has to be put in. From the case, it may seem that DDT is worth it as it helped control pests and saved a lot of lives but this is only a short termed and a smaller issue compared to the entire ecosystem in the long run. The utilitarian and the Kantian philosophy brought forth by David Hume and Jeremy Bentham argues that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by the  consequences. If the effects are desirable then the actions are worth it. The continual disposal of DDT cumulatively resulted in cases such as cancer, contamination of soil and water; toxicity in milk and egg shells in birds not properly formed for birth. This in the long run disturbs the ecosystem which is essential for all life forms. The cancer only means more deaths and toxicity in milk could as well have the same result, poor health at the very least. Preserving the environment provides a more sustainable future for life and its maintenance. Conclusion In spite of all the credits that DDT probably deserves, the damage that the environment as a whole cumulatively ends up having makes further operations ethically unacceptable and not worth it. As a company with such activities, they have the responsibility to look after its stakeholders and the environment at large. Montrose Chemical Corporation was very careless about how they handled their manufacturing and selling of DDT and it ended up costing damage not only in the US but even in countries outside of the US. More research should have been done to anticipate this and more acts of accountability should have been shown to help mitigate the situation. By placing emphasis on ethical issues at every point in their manufacturing process, the company will ultimately do more good in the long run. A theory that was once proposed by Thomas Hobbes called the theory of social atomism states that individuals always act for their own selfish interests, and in the pristine state of man, there a re no rights. This kind of attitude must be suppressed if there has to be any progress in protecting interests of stakeholders.

The market segmentation

Market segmentation is the process of identifying markets and then dividing those markets into groups.   The groups consist of characteristics that are similar and they have similar product needs.   The groups can consist of people or organizations.A market consists of people or organizations that have similar needs of a product, have the ability, willingness and authority to buy products.   There are two types of markets the consumer market and the organizational or business market.   The purpose of the consumer market is to supply goods and services to the customers for their own benefit and not for sale.   The organizational or business markets are markets that are business oriented such as the products in the markets are usually sold thus the businessmen sell them for a profit.The reason behind the dividing the market is to identify groups of customers who have similar tastes and preferences, to understand the customers behavior so that the right kind of goods are deliv ered to them and to ensure that the right marketing strategies are identified so as to ensure that the different preferences chosen to satisfy the needs of the customers If a product can be from a particular company   whose cost of advertising is low thus   it can be   in a position to boost sales of a company   since the cost of maintaining it is low and their returns can increase with time..Successful market segmentation is one that has the following characteristics: segment members that are internally the same and externally different or heterogeneous.The market can be segmented based on whether it is a consumer market or an industry or business market. In the customer market the basis of segmentation is based on variables such as the geographical, demographic, and psychographic and the behavioristic variables. The psychographic segmentation is a segmentation that is used to describe the customers in terms of their activities, opinions, emotions, values, motivations and l ifestyles.These enables the producers of the products to know which product are beneficial to the customers in terms of their preferences and tastes.   The application of this segmentation enables the manufactures to improve on their mode of developing their products, brand positioning, targeting and advertising so that the sales volume of the product can increase and this can result in greater returns for the company.The demographic segmentation involves classifying people who come from the same geographic boundaries and those who possess the same goals for example in a banking industry the introduction of automatic teller machines can enhance efficiency in the business because it can enable the customers to access cash quickly and to enable them complete transactions promptly since the machine is located in a place where customers are many hence the service delivery process is efficient for this customers.Geographical segmentation refers to dividing segments based on their regio n of the world, country size and density of the area. In the rural areas we have products such as the farming equipment and material because they are mostly used there while the urban centers consists of products that have been produced and manufactured and are ready for consumption since the residents there do not have land to cultivate products for consumption for themselves and for their children.The market can be segmented in the industrial market using the following variables: Location, company type and the behavioral characteristics.In case of the location variable the businessmen consider this factor seriously because the distance between where the source of the product is made and the market can be too big such that the cost of transportation can be too high for the businessmen to afford and thus render the market to be unprofitable thus this issue should be addressed so that it can be eliminated in the future.   .In case of company type segment the customers can be classi fied according to the company size, industry, decision-making and the purchase criteria.   The customers can prefer a commodity based on how well the product has been in the market and whether the industry in which it is produced is known because customers tend to accept a product, which has been in the market for a long time. (Steenkamp and Ter Hofstede 2002)The behavioral characteristics in the industrial market are: usage rate means the frequency in which a product is consumed if it is high it means that its demand is high thus it supply is likely to be high for example goods such as the consumable’s such as salt ,sugar there is a likelihood of being demand many times because people cannot stay without them,   buying status that is customers who regularly consume a product   can make the target market to perform effectively because of their consistency in purchasing their products.The procedure of purchasing the product is also determined such as the sealed bids or n egotiated procedure.   In the sealed bid procedures customers purchase a product based on the price tags of the product this type of segmentation is important to consider since it enables the produce to always have adequate stock of the product so as to avoid stock outs.The criteria that are used in identifying a market segment is that it must be identifiable that is a customer must be in a position to recognize the segment that is appropriate for them since customers tend to consume a product on the basis of how they have the product in the market and its quality.   It must be accessible that is the segment must be within the reach of the customers thus the communication and distribution channels must be improved so that the product reaches the customers within the given period of time that the marketers must advertise their products so that customers can be made aware of the existence of the product..The segments must be substantial that is they must be large enough so that th e resources that are used to avail them to the customers are cost effective that is the cost of product should not be too costly that is the cost of product should not be too large as compared to the revenue that is derived from them. The marketing needs must be unique so that they can be in position to capture a wider market so that customer can be able to change to the new brand in the market and thus increase the sales volume.   The segments must be stable so that the cost of maintaining the product is not too high than the returns that are derived from it.Industrial market segmentation is a segmentation that is used in guiding the industrial and business customers in their decision-making strategies.   The goal of these segmentation is to identify the customers in terms of whether they are potential customers so that their behavior can be identified so as to enable the marketers to identify the important issues that affect them directly .The factors that can affect them are: the prices, programs or solutions that can enable the company to increase their returns within a given period of time.( Haas, R.W. and Wotruba, T.R. 1983).Targeting refers to process of identifying segments that need to be addressed.   The companies tend to choose some segments and to downplay other segment because their aim is to look for segments that produce as much returns to the company as possible.   The target market involves people such as the end user companies’ procurement managers, company houses contracting companies and the external sales agents.Target audience involves individuals that influence the purchasing decision but they do not buy the product such individuals involves design engineers, architects, project managers, and the operational managers. The target markets can be identified by looking at customers who have similar needs so that the produces can channel their efforts to products that are beneficial to the customers and they suit their tastes a nd preferences.Positioning involves advertising the product value to customers so as to increase the products sales volume. Positions are described using various variables and using parameters that are essential to a customer.   The customers position a product in relation to the brand or product that is within their reach.   Thus it is important for the marketers to conduct a research about how the customers rate different products and their marketing variables so that they can increase their sales volume. The markers need to improve on their marketing variables so that they can improve on their marketing strategies because the customers can determine the success of the business.   The marketers should set up strategies which are geared to having a portfolio that can ensure that their product compete with.Positioning involves how people perceive a product that is in the market.   The products or services provide a map that enables the marketers to identify which characteris tics can be compared and contrasted to another product that is competing with it so as to put in place mechanisms that will enable them to compete effectively with their rivals.Market segmentation is therefore necessary because it enables markets of different sizes to compete effectively since markets are divided based on their segments thus the small companies can be able to compete with the bigger companies since their scale of production is limited due to their size and the shelves where goods are displayed can not be in a position to accommodate all kinds of goods unlike the big companies whose economies of scale is high due to their size.REFERENCESApproaches†, (1980) Marketing Science Institute, Working Paper #80-105 Cambridge,Mass.Haas, R.W. and Wotruba, T.R. (1983). Marketing Management: Concepts, PracticeAnd Cases. Pleno, Texas: Business Publications, Inc.Kotler, P. (1976) Marketing Management (3rd. Ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.McKenna, R. (1988) â€Å"Marketing in the Age of Diversity†, Harvard Business Review,Vol 66, September-October.Pine, J. (1993) â€Å"Mass Customizing Products and Services†, Planning Review, Vol 22, July-August,Steenkamp and Ter Hofstede (2002)†International Market Segmentation issues andPerspectives†, Intern’s of Market Research Vol19, 185-285Wedel, Michael and Wagner A.Kamakura (2000) Market Segmentation Conceptual andMethodological Foundations Amsterdam: Kluwer

How To Make Make Money Online Example

How To Make Make Money Online Example How To Make Make Money Online – Article Example How to make money online To make money online, it is important to build a website online in a simple manner. A website is built step by step and it is indeed very easy to build a website. For that, one needs to learn how to design a website. After one has learned how to design a website, it is important to build your own webpage which will tell how to make a html webpage (Smith 2007). For gaining insight and understanding, it is significant that an individual finds free website tutorials as this helps the work flow and the design process of the website. After the website tutorials have been understood in a proper manner and the details are comprehended easily, the next step is to publish your webpage (Ploster 2004). This is the final step in devising a website that serves a number of different purposes. There are thousands of free website sites which could be used to earn money online. The website standards need to be followed in order to gain success in the long run. Also how to sta rt a webpage for free is a similar undertaking that must be properly understood so that a person could find ways to earn money online (Koch 1996). These are significant measures that will bring success for the domains of someone who believes a great deal in making money online. One most important point here is to properly check the website again and again to know that money making ways are up and running, and that there are no difficulties in the wake of making more money with the changing times. Koch, Tom. The Message is the Medium: Online All the Time for Everyone. Praeger Publishers, 1996Ploster, George. Making Money as an Aggregator. Online, 28, March 2004Smith, Jennifer. Online Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Open University Press, 2007

The Journey To Become Pope Francis

The Journey To Become Pope Francis Pope Francis is noted for his humility,  dedication to the poor, and commitment to inter-faith dialogue.   He is revered as one of the most popular spiritual leaders of today.   While a resume is likely not part of the papal election process,we researched his career path and composed a resume to illustrate  Pope Francis’ journey to becoming the Pontiff.   Jorge Mario BergoglioSan Roberto Bellarmino. Rome ItalyTheological EducationSalesian School                                                                                                                                                                                                   1980Mentorship under Ukranian Greek Priest Stefan CzmilAwoke hours before class to serve Mass for CzmilCollege Maximo de San Jose                                                                                                                                                            Ã‚  Ã‚  1960  Licentiate in PhilosophyInmaculada Concepcion Seminary                                                                                                                                             Ã‚  1958Studied HumanitiesSecular EducationEscuela Tecnica Industrial No. 27 Hipolito Yrigoyen                                                                                               Ã‚  1954Chemical Technician’s Diploma  Employment AccomplishmentsSan Roberto Bellarmino –  Cardinal-Priest      Ã‚                                                                                                                    Ã‚  2001Awarded cardinal by Pope John Paul IIAppointed to five administrative positions within the Roman CuriaParticipated in 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVIBuenos Aires, Agentina – Auxiliary Bishop                                                                                                                         1992Ordained as Tituar Bishop of Acua serving as principal consecratorCelebrated Holy Thursday washing feet in jails, hospitals, retirement homes and slumsSociety of Jesus of Agentina – Provincial Superior   Ã‚                                                                                                  1973Supervised institutes within province and presided over  deliberationsEnsured orders of the General Chapter and S uperior General were properly carried outFacultades de Filosofia y Teologia de San Miguel                                                                                                        Ã‚  1969Ordained to priesthoodServed as master of novices for province and taught as professor of theologyColegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion – High School teacher                                                                          1960Taught psychology and literatureFostered growth and development of teenagers through lectures and discussionBuenos Aires Nightclub – Bouncer                                                                                                                                              1956Checked IDs and monitored front of house for trou ble makersSwept floors, maintained cleanliness and janitorial dutiesHickethier-Bachmann Laborary   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ   Lab Technician                                                                                                Ã‚  1952Ran tests in food section of chemical laboratoryAnalyzed and reported test results

King Cobra Snake Facts

King Cobra Snake Facts The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is a snake known for its deadly venom and impressive size. Its not truly a cobra (genus Naja), although both species belong to the famiy Elapidae, which includes venomous cobras, sea snakes, kraits, mambas, and adders. Its genus name, Ophiophagus, means snake eater. It is the king because it eats other snakes. Fast Facts: King Cobra Scientific Name: Ophiophagus hannahCommon Names: King cobra, hamadryadBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: 10-13 feetWeight: 13 poundsLifespan: 20 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: India and Southeast AsiaPopulation: DecreasingConservation Status: Vulnerable Description The king cobra is the worlds longest venomous snake. Adults typically measure 10.4 to 13.1 feet in length, but one individual measured 19.2 feet. King cobras are dimorphic in size with males larger than females (the reverse of most snake species). The average adult of either sex weighs about 13 pounds, with the heaviest recorded individual weighing 28 pounds. The snake is brown or deep olive green with black and either yellow or white crossbands. Its belly is cream-colored or yellow. King cobras can be distinguished from true cobras by its two large scales on the top back of the head and chevron neck stripes instead of eyes. A king cobra may be identified by the two scales on the back of its head and the chevron pattern on the back of its neck. gaiamoments, Getty Images Habitat and Distribution King cobras live in India, Southeast Asia, and southern East Asia. The snake prefers forests near lakes or streams. Diet and Behavior A king cobra hunts using its eyes and tongue. Because it relies on keen eyesight, it is most active during the daytime. The snakes forked tongue senses vibration and transfers chemical information to the Jacobsons organ in the snakes mouth so it can smell/taste its surroundings. King cobras primarily eat other snakes, but will take lizards, rodents, and birds if necessary. When the snake is threatened, it tries to escape. If cornered, it rears its head and the top third of its body, extends its hood, and hisses. A king cobras hiss is lower in frequency than that of most snakes and sounds like a growl. Cobras in threat posture can still move forward and may deliver multiple bites in a single strike. Reproduction and Offspring King cobras breed between January and April. Males wrestle each other to compete for females. After mating, the female lays between 21 and 40 leathery white eggs. She pushes leaves into a pile over the nest so that decomposition provides heat to incubate the eggs. The male remains close to the nest to help guard it, while the female stays with the eggs. While normally not aggressive, cobras readily defend their nests. The eggs hatch in autumn. Juveniles are black with yellow bands, resembling a banded sea krait. Adults leave the nest after the eggs hatch, but may mate for life. The average life span of a king cobra is 20 years. A baby king cobra hatches from its egg. R. Andrew Odum, Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the king cobra conservation status as vulnerable. While its difficult to gauge the number of remaining snakes, the population is decreasing in size. King cobras are threatened by habitat loss from deforestation and are heavily harvested for skin, meat, traditional medicine, and the exotic pet trade. As venomous snakes, cobras are often killed out of fear. King Cobras and Humans King cobras are well known for use by snake charmers. Cobra bites are extremely rare, but most cases of bites involve snake charmers. King cobra venom is neurotoxic, plus it contains digestive enzymes. The venom can kill a human within 30 minutes or even an adult elephant within a matter of hours. In humans, symptoms include severe pain and blurred vision which progresses to drowsiness, paralysis, and ultimately coma, cardiovascular collapse, and death from respiratory failure. Two types of antivenom are produced, but they are not widely available. Thai snake charmers drink a mixture of alcohol and turmeric. A 2012 clinical study verified turmeric confers significant resistance to cobra venom. The mortality rate for untreated cobra bites ranges from 50 to 60%, implying the snake only delivers venom about half the time it bites. Sources Capula, Massimo; Behler. Simon Schusters Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. New York: Simon Schuster, 1989. ISBN 0-671-69098-1.Chanhome, L., Cox, M.J., Vasaruchapong, T., Chaiyabutr, N. and Sitprija, V. Characterization of venomous snakes of Thailand. Asian Biomedicine 5 (3): 311–328, 2011.Mehrtens, J. Living Snakes of the World. New York: Sterling, 1987. ISBN 0-8069-6461-8.Stuart, B., Wogan, G., Grismer, L., Auliya, M., Inger, R.F., Lilley, R., Chan-Ard, T., Thy, N., Nguyen, T.Q., Srinivasulu, C. Jelić, D. Ophiophagus hannah. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T177540A1491874. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T177540A1491874.enWood, G.L. The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Sterling Publishing Co Inc., 1983 ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9.

Analyse the Strategic position of IMAX Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analyse the Strategic position of IMAX - Essay Example This paper aims to analyze the current situation of IMAX and present alternative solutions to their problems. The paper involves Porter’s five forces analysis of the movie production and distribution industry. The second part enumerates and evaluates the corporate strategies of the company which are focused differentiation and growth. It has been examined that the strategies employed by the company were effective in achieving their objectives. It is the recommendation of this paper that the company prepares itself to for acquisition. The company cannot survive on its own in the film industry as they face the issues on debt and sustainability. IMAX is an entertainment technology company that generates revenues from long-term theater system lease and maintenance agreements, film production and distribution, and theater operations. It is involved the different processes of large-format film business. The company has a movie library of 226 films that were either produced by IMAX or other independent filmmakers or studios. The company has generated total revenues close to $116 million by 2007. At the end of 2008, the market capitalization is $125 million with 295 theaters showing IMAX movies in 40 countries. (IMAX Corp, 2008) An industry analysis is completed in Section 2.1 where Porter’s five forces were employed. The analysis covers competition between industry rivals in the Motion Picture and Video Distribution market segment where IMAX generates its revenues and profit. The threat of new entrants is also scrutinized for the industry. Furthermore, the bargaining powers of suppliers as well as consumers are studied with regards to its effect on the company. The threats of substitutes are investigated which are considered as alternative and indirect competition of the business. Section 2.2 attempts an internal and external analysis of IMAX which is patterned on the SWOT analysis. The growth and success of the movie industry is the

Influence of European Enlightenment on modern schooling Essay

Influence of European Enlightenment on modern schooling - Essay Example It also aimed to reform the society by using reasoning and understanding of the phenomena’s by using scientific knowledge. It aligned majority of the thinkers on the lines of reason and understanding during the 17th and 18th century. It was also referred to as an ‘Age of Reason’ by Thomas Paine (Hackett 1992). It is still believed by many that the basis of modern concepts and thoughts lie in the age of Enlightenment. Science, skepticism and intellectual understanding was promoted during this era as opposed to the superstitious thinking and intolerance by church and state (Wilson 2004). Origin of Age of Enlightenment The Era of Enlightenment was sparked by the great philosophers and thinkers of that time. Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677),Pierre Bayle (1647-1706),physicist Issac Newton (1643-1727) and Philosophers Voltaire were the major proponents in originating the Enlightenment movement (Casey 2008). The revolutionary leaders of the Enlightenment movement hailed themse lves as the courageous elites. They claimed to take the world out of the dark period of doubtful traditions and ecclesiastical tyranny due to which the historical wars took place. Education in the Age of Enlightenment The basic purpose of the movement of Enlightenment was to spread scientific knowledge and reasoning among masses and to take people out of the ignorance in which they were plunged in during the Middle Ages.The role of the educational system was very important in spreading the ideas and concepts of Enlightenment among the people. Continuous development took place in the educational system in Europe throughout the Enlightenment period and the French Revolution. The educational development increased and flourished rapidly during the Enlightenment period. Educational history prior to Enlightenment Period Before the period of Enlightenment, religious dogmatic believes and superstitious thinking was given value. The education was considered the sole right of males who belong ed to the upper stratus of the society such as nobles, mercantile and professional class. With the spread of the scientific revolution traditional religious and superficial beliefs gave way to scientific thinking and reasoning. Novel and revolutionary scientific ideas were proposed by the philosophers such as John Locke proposed that sensation and reflection plays a part in obtaining knowledge. Locke later developed a theory which was based on the same idea that every human being are equal in the capacity of sensation detection and that education should be made public and reachable by all classes of the society. The roots of Pedagogy as science, also has its roots in the in the Age of Enlightenment. The education was considered a basic tool by the philosophers and thinkers of that time to fight against ignorance and superstition. It was considered a way to achieve an open-minded and egalitarian society (Farzaneh 2009). They fought against censorship and worked towards the practice o f free speech. They wanted Declarations of Human rights and an easy and free access to education for all people. Spread and growth of Education system The education before the Age of Enlightenment was considered the divine right of only rich and noble upper class of the society. During the 18th and 17th century there was a significant

The Habitat and Productivity of the Morel Mushroom Research Paper

The Habitat and Productivity of the Morel Mushroom - Research Paper Example However, our limited understanding of morel productivity, diversity, and ecology hinders such synergistic management. We used genetic, morphological, and ecological data to identify and characterize putative species. Some of these putative species fruited only on burned soils the ?rst spring season following a wild ?re. The other two putative species fruited in non-burned forests, in islands of non-burned soils in burned forests, or the second year following ?re on burned soils. Unbiased landscape-level estimates of genus-level morel productivity (not partitioned by putative species) ranged from 80 to 4350 morels per hectare and from 0.550 to 9.080 kg per ha. Productivity which followed the general trend of wild ?re burned forests, insect-damaged forests and healthy forests management. (Catherine G.Parks) Introduction Morels are species of mushroom called Marcella species. They are edible mushrooms which are highly prized and commercially harvested. In 1992 Oregon, Washington, and Id aho approximately harvested 590 metric tonnes of morels providing harvesters with $ 5.2 million of income (SchlosserW.E.Blatner).Morels often fruit prolifically after fire, tree mortality, or ground disturbance. In montane forests east of the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest decades of fire suppression have allowed development of dense, fire-prone stands and also periodic insect epidemics also have caused extensive tree mortality which influence morel crops. (J.K). Â   In east central Ohio, the Morel’s normal growing season is early April to mid May. Further south it will be one to two weeks earlier, to the north a little later. A damp habitat is needed for the Morel’s growth. Too much rain or dry weather is not what the mushroom needs they require normal weather pattern. Temperature plays an important role in the growth of the mushrooms as well, Morel mushroom thrives when daytime temperature are in the 60 and 70 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures are n ot lower than 40 degrees Celsius. Identification on the morel There are a list of over 190 kinds of the morel species and subspecific taxa in the genus Morchella. General agreement exists that at least two major groups can be clearly distinguished they include; Black Morel (Morchella elata) Black Morels when cut lengthwise it will be hollow from bottom of stem to top of cap. It looks like a rubber mold prompting comments from non-morel lovers, bottom of the cap is attached to the stem (cap and stock all one piece), cap is full of Ridges and Pits, cap is also longer than the stem which has little bumps both inside and outside, stalk are usually lighter in color. Its ribs darken to gray or black with age. (Kirk P.M (Coord)) Yellow Morel (Morchella esculenta) Yellow Morels also when cut lengthwise are hollow from bottom of stem to top of cap which is attached to the stem, cup is also full of ridges and pits and it is longer than the stem. Its stalk is usually lighter in color (sand, ye llow). Other Morel species are; I. Half-free morels (Morchella semilibera).There cap are usually small in comparison to the stem and may only be a quarter the length of the stem. Cap is also not connected from the bottom to the stem II. Caps or Early morel (Verpa bohemica) and Beefsteak (Gyromitra esculenta).they belongs to False morel and they are poisonous. The poison in false morel is MMH (monmthylhydrazine) whose toxicity may

Analytical Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Analytical Report - Essay Example All in all, there are 67 million players each month (Tassi para 1). Given its continuously growing customer base, the company should take into consideration a more direct method of communicating with its customers, in addition to its existing online community forum and e-mail support. There are two options for the company, namely: online live chat or phone call. To prevent customers from going to other online gaming sites, there are two methods for Riot to choose that will make the customer service better. The first one is to set up an online live chat for customers that need help from Riot support. The second option is providing customers a number that they could call whenever they have complaints, problems, or issues that require immediate attention. The company must choose an option that is both inexpensive and efficient. The purpose of this report is to comprehensively analyze these two options and then decide which option is better for Riot Games. The first section discusses the need for customer service expansion; the second part analyzes the weaknesses and strengths of Riot Games; the third section enumerates the pros and cons of live chat and phone call support; and the last part determines the better option. Every game company needs customer service personnel to assist players with issues, yet online games require a bigger customer service staff. In offline games, players usually require support or assistance with technical problems; for issues regarding gameplay, players can look for hints online or purchase strategy manuals (Preston 5). However, in a live, online setting, these customers want to obtain assistance directly and instantaneously, and they require assistance for a much wider array of problems than they do in an offline setting (Knapp 16). Riot Games would therefore add value to their customer service by adding another option, either live chat or phone call support. Online gaming companies are usually at the bottom in

(Part of a Business Project ) -Market Analysis- On a Product- Essay

(Part of a Business Project ) -Market Analysis- On a Product- - Essay Example Just as organic foods are becoming more and more popular this market analysis will show a direction of market growth for organic toys for mothers and children. ITS toys will be safe for toddlers to put in their mouths and the dyes and paints, made from organic materials that are childproof. Poisoning of from our toys will not be an issue from our company. This will get rid of the problem of consist recalls done other toy manufactures. The supply of our toys will come from vendors that use only the organic brand of paints and dyes. Our company needs to describe our organization that is totally customer oriented. We want our customers to know they are coming into a store that is child friendly and mom friendly. We do not want to describe our customer orientation in terms of whether it views customer relationships as long or short term. Customers will buy the benefits our toys and products provide to the customers every day. A checklist will be at our service counter and we will ask eve ry customer to fill one out when leaving the store. (1). Are we easy to do business with? Are we easy to contact? Is our information we provide fast and courteous. Are we easy to order from? Do we make reasonable promises? (2). Do we keep our promises? On product performance to, do we deliver. Did you get good service from our staff? Do you feel our staff members were helpful? (3). Do we meet the standards we set? When you asked specific questions were they answered? How was the general tone in the store? (4). Are we responsive? Do we listen? Do we follow up? Do we ask "Why not and why"? Do we treat customers as individual companies and individual people? (5). Do we work together? Do we share blame? Do we share information? Do we make joint decision? Do we provide satisfaction? (Shapiro, 13) 1. Market Segmentation for individuals and businesses Individuals: this segment is people buying a single product for their child or someone that they know. The demographics for this segment are a household income of >$50,000, have high aspirations for their children in terms of education and development and want to get started as soon as possible. Generally, they have at least an undergraduate degree with 41% of the segment having a graduate degree. Businesses: this group is buying the toys for children who are the business' clients. These organizations typically are either day care based, or school based such as nursery school or pre- school. The number of children that they care for generally ranges from seven to 25. 2. Growth rates for toys The United Stated census bureau took a wide range of products including toys and stated they increased 2.6% over the previous year. In May of 2010, LEGO came to Boston for a competition regarding there long and successful toy history. The Danish toy company LEGO sailed through the recession. The company that makes those brightly colored snap-together plastic bricks announced its profits last year jumped more than 60 percent. LEGO's success is all the more remarkable when you consider that just a few years ago, the toy company was falling apart (David, 112). II. Target Market Market segmentation is an intuitively appealing process and it makes a great deal of sense to try to find different segments of the market that are more interested in our toy product or to develop products for other segments. Given the myriad ways of segmenting markets, the task of determining which segments

Analytical Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Analytical Report - Essay Example All in all, there are 67 million players each month (Tassi para 1). Given its continuously growing customer base, the company should take into consideration a more direct method of communicating with its customers, in addition to its existing online community forum and e-mail support. There are two options for the company, namely: online live chat or phone call. To prevent customers from going to other online gaming sites, there are two methods for Riot to choose that will make the customer service better. The first one is to set up an online live chat for customers that need help from Riot support. The second option is providing customers a number that they could call whenever they have complaints, problems, or issues that require immediate attention. The company must choose an option that is both inexpensive and efficient. The purpose of this report is to comprehensively analyze these two options and then decide which option is better for Riot Games. The first section discusses the need for customer service expansion; the second part analyzes the weaknesses and strengths of Riot Games; the third section enumerates the pros and cons of live chat and phone call support; and the last part determines the better option. Every game company needs customer service personnel to assist players with issues, yet online games require a bigger customer service staff. In offline games, players usually require support or assistance with technical problems; for issues regarding gameplay, players can look for hints online or purchase strategy manuals (Preston 5). However, in a live, online setting, these customers want to obtain assistance directly and instantaneously, and they require assistance for a much wider array of problems than they do in an offline setting (Knapp 16). Riot Games would therefore add value to their customer service by adding another option, either live chat or phone call support. Online gaming companies are usually at the bottom in

United Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

United Airlines - Essay Example In the United States, the term 900 pounds gorilla is usually utilized to refer to the most dominant player in the industry in terms of shares or market capitalization. UA have undoubtedly referred to as the 900 pounds gorilla because of its high level of market capitalization. Being formed out of many mergers and the Air Mail Act of 1934, this air carrier had already started big. The company is further strengthened because its operation embraces air mail carriers and air craft manufacturers aside from its air passenger services.Its flock includes Boeing Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, and the Pratt and Whitney Engine Company, Ford Motor Company, Stout Air Services, and Varney Air Lines. It should also be noted that among the Big Four or the four largest air lines in the United States, United Airlines became recognized as the most dominant. The terms capital, labor, and consumer can be regarded as the most important variables that airlines should consider in order to ensure the success of their business operations. In the explanation of Adam Smith, these three are like the legs of the three legged stool. In this simple connotation, it can be seen that if any of the legs is shortened, lengthened, or modified, the whole stool collapses. Thus, the operation of an airline should be strongly favorable to these market forces. However, it is also recognized that the current market is not as efficient as it should be because of the imbalance in labor, capital, and consumer. In the simplest sense, capital can be referred to as the human made machines or equipment which business organizations use in their operations. For an airline, the aircrafts undoubtedly represents the highest investment in capital. Nowadays, technological advancements like online ticketing and booking are also considered capital. The ownership of capital gives power to business organizations especially if these resources are not readily available for individual customers. As airlines are generally profit maximizing, they view capital as a way to raise income often at the expense of their employees or the customer. Attributing high value to capital, airlines can undervalue labor and pass on a high price to consumers. Labor is contribution of the human resource to production. In the airline industry, labor represents the services of the flight attendant, pilot, and mechanics. At the extreme, it is advocated that labor should be on top of the production system. However, putting much on labor can be detrimental to the business organization and consumers. Consumers are the market that business organizations serve. Nowadays, the profitability of an airline is strongly linked with its ability to satisfy its consumers through the goods and services it provides. As we can see, airlines should strike a balance between these market forces. They should invest in capital in order to improve their products, value their employees and compensate them according to their worth, and deliver value to customers. 3. What is the effect of economic regulation and the effects on industry "market rationalization" Economic regulation is the participation of the government in order to correct the failures in the market. In the airline industry, government intervention is warranted to bring about economic efficiency, ensure safety, protect the environment, and regulate interstate and foreign commerce. Economically speaking, regulations are used in order to balance market forces. It should be noted that as businessmen do not see things the way consumer does, this necessitates the intervention of the state in order to protect the interest of the consumers. Through this way, market rationalization or the efficiency of market forces are ensured. The Airline Deregulation Act is an example of how the government intervenes in order to bring about efficiency in the airline indu

Million dollar idea Essay Example for Free

Million dollar idea Essay Marketing an energy juice drink in an environment that is highly-saturated with a lot of excellent power juices is a difficult job since one needs to slug it out with the big well-known brands under giant corporations that have all the power to dominate the scene for years. The big companies possess an advantage in terms of the advertising that enables them to create the best print and television advertisement for their products. The market for energy and stimulant drinks in all trade sectors witnessed an abundance of energy and functional drinks. Most of those who purchase these energy drinks do so to make themselves more energetic. Red Bull remains as the dominant brand. The case for marketing healthy energy juice drinks is a daunting task because it is difficult to come up with an interesting theme and advertisement to catch viewer’s attention and make them shift to one’s product. Even if one has the better product than the ones present in the market, if it is not properly advertised, then all of one’s effort also goes to waste. There are very few energy juices in the market today that can boast of being a healthy juice that can make people healthy when one drinks it. In spite of the vitamin factor, and the other vegetables that may have been included in the drink, juice drink advertisers need to be very conscious about the fact that these juices look all the same to the audience in general so that they need to exert extra effort in thinking of ways to enhance their product and make it stand out amid the other well-accepted juices in the market. Any creative group working behind an advertising campaign is pressed with a serious responsibility of not only promoting the product to produce more sales for the Company, or enjoining the people to patronize the product but most importantly bringing values and points of view to the very consciousness of men. Chivitah can utilise campaign slogans of â€Å"Healthiest and Most Affordable Juice Drink,† it stresses the point that people have to think health and remove the tensions, pressures, tempers. It encourages people not forget to take time out to see the goodness of life†¦ that is to stay connected with people and show that they care for each other even for a moment or two. Chivitah might be that drink that draws people closer to each other and make them realize realise that drinking a bottle of Chivitah will make them bond with people one stays connected with, lightens problems, anxieties and difficulties in life. In designing an effective marketing campaign for Chivitah, it is essential that there will be a creative think tank that will be assigned to conceptualise the product’s assets and begin with some BrainJams on the part of the creative consultants. This is how the company refers to the formal technique of â€Å"brainstorm ing† a topic. The company’s BrainJams are an in informed form of collaboration. In this case, they will set out to pigeonhole the product category defined as an energy drink and then uncover the emotional attachment to Chivitah in particular. The next step is to build on the resulting insights from the BrainJams by bouncing the hypothesis off some consumers and experts from the TalentBank. During the next step in Brain Reserve’s methodology, the Creative Think Tank people for Chivitah energy drink can ask the participating TalentBank members for the most powerful memories, experiences, and emotions they associated with drinking juices. Were there â€Å"juice-enhanced† events in their childhood? Perhaps more than one member reminisced the first time she drank juice gathered from fruits in their yard. There will probably be some experiences about how drinking the juice cured them of their minor ailments. The ultimate conclusion: Drinking energy fruit juices represent a deep-rooted, early seeded symbol of a healthy connection between mothers and children. Chivitah, therefore, can be marketed as built on this foundation and become a conduit for the delivery of wholesome treats. Secondly, they could get involved with the passing on of healthy drinking habits. The very name suggests a healthy and vital relationship to the drink. If one drinks well, one is cleansing one’s system well and not gorging on soft drinks and other sugar-ladened drinks. Thus, the company can decide to pursue this further and narrow the focus even further, to do something specifically about helping mothers and their daughters feel good about themselves. Chivitah can be marketed with the picture of a mother and daughter, having fun in an activity and drinking this juice at the same time, painting a picture of a bonding and friendship. This can be done as they share their Chivitah energy juice drink. Thus, Chivitah can become an integral part of a positive body-image message. The company believes that Chivitah can be launched as one of the nation’s foremost supporters of female self-esteem, built through the mother-daughter connection. This can become a tall order—to strengthen the mother-daughter bond in a Chivitah context. But it will give a big payoff-they could capture a unique positioning with this underlying mission: A rallying point for all customers, mothers and everyone associated with the brand. The shorthand message: â€Å"Chivitah: nourishing a woman’s self-esteem. † Six weeks before Mother’s Day, Chivitah will run ads in major newspapers offering a Mother/Daughter Journal for three proofs-of-purchase. The Journal will be a unique Mom’s Day remembrance. Advertisements for the Journal also laid out details of the more than one hundred Mother/Daughter Workshops to be held in Chivitah markets. The undistinguished point: Chivitah is participating in getting mothers and daughters together, linking them with other mothers and daughters and introducing all participants to tools that nurture self-esteem. Chivitah will also find its way to a Lifetime TV documentary about the first test workshops called â€Å"Mothers and Daughters: A Lifetime Bond. † The market for energy and stimulant drinks will continue to progress and grow as the category steadily matures. The lure of fast-growing profits will eventually go on in order to invite new players into the sector where energy drinks have seen sales double every year since their introduction. Indeed, it is true that one is whatever he eats and drinks. Juices, when taken sensibly can provide an alternative source of energy as lifestyles become more hectic. This is the reason why there are a lot of convenience stores, convenience foods and single serve packaging formats. In this world of consumerism, if a product is disappointing, another option is immediately available. Responding creates marketing that is based on putting together some ideas, then going out and asking consumers what they think and getting a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. Businesses always say that they do long-range planning. In running an advertising campaign, one has to take into consideration two-way benefits for both the Company and the consuming public. The Company sees the value of advertising to promote their product and gain sales from it; the consuming public on the other hand must see to it that with the product they buy from the Company, they get benefited from it not only in terms of satisfying their taste, their appetite, but the totality of their well being. If these aspects are addressed accordingly by the creative minds of those people working behind the advertising campaign, one can say that they have successfully drawn a campaign that truly serves the essence of advertising campaign—that is using it effectively in a holistic and positive manner that improves the values and intellectual being of men across their nation and around the globe. Works cited Gulas, Charles. Humor in Advertising: A Comprehensive Analysis. M. E. Sharpe. July 2006. Defining Marketing. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2009 at: http://media3. bournemouth. ac. uk/marketing/02defining/02defining. html Trend for fruit and milk juice blend grows. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2009 at: http://www. dairyreporter. com/news/ng. asp? id=12510-trend-for-fruit

Examining the impact of the Enron Corporate Scandal

Examining the impact of the Enron Corporate Scandal Enron is an energy-based company in Houston, Texas that deals with the energy trade on international and domestic based. Enron Corp. Is one of the worlds largest energy, commodities and Services Company was created out of merger of two major gas pipe line in 1985. Enron was created by merge between Houston Natural Gas and Internorth. Houstons gass CEO Kenneth lay headed the merger of the two companies. After that Kenneth lay become the CEO of Enron. Earlier Enron was Enron was solely involved with the distribution and transmission of electricity and gas of United States. In merger, Enron incurred a large amount of debt, and which resulted deregulation, after this Enron was no longer had the rights of its pipelines. The company had to find a way to generate profits and cash flow. Kenneth lay hired Jeffrey Skilling to work for Enron as an accountant. Skilling suggested the practice of buying gas from a network of suppliers and selling it to it consumers at the fixed price with a contract. Enron was interested in the expansion, building, and operation of the pipelines, power plants, and other infrastructure. After just a year of operation Enron merged with a company called spectrum seven, a company whose chairman and CEO is the former president of United States, George W. Bush After just a year of operation. In 1999, Enron tried to expand their company by creating the Azurix Corporation, a water utility company. Overall the Azurix Corporation proved unsuccessful financially. The Azurix Corporation, due to their failure to make an entrance into the market, went under. Enron allegedly became successful, trading over eight hundred different products worldwide. Enron was named Americas Most Innovative Company by Fortune magazine from 1996 to 2001. Enron was on Fortunes 100 Best Companies to work for In America in 2000. The companys future appeared to be bright and promising continued success. Enron faced many accusations of building links to political power. The companys connection to George W. Bush, and Houstons local politics has received much attention in recent past. In 1986, Enron was involved with Bushs company in joint drilling for oil. There are reports that Kenneth Lay and George W. Bush even shared friendship. Kenneth lay has employed politicians who have worked under George W. Bush also signed off on a law that deregulated Texass electrical markets, which coincidentally resulted in large profits for Enron. The company also had political links that reached outside of the United States. Enron created a massive and highly expensive power plant in India, even though many Indian citizens and the World Bank strenuously objected. Allegedly protesters in India were beaten up and arrested. The United States ambassador to India, who opposed the plant eventually, joined the board of Enron oil and gas The screws came loose in August 2001, when Jeffrey Skilling, the CEO resigned from office for unknown reasons. By October 2001, Enron experienced its first quarter where they did not report a profit. On November 8th, 2001 Enron told the SEC it was restating its earnings since 1997, reducing income by $. ENRON SCANDAL In Enrons original natural gas business, the accounting had been fairly straightforward in each time period, the company listed actual costs of supplying the gas and actual revenues received from selling it. However, when skilling joined the company, he demanded that the trading business adopt mark- to -market accounting, citing that it would reflect true economic value. Enron became the first non-financial company to use the method to account for its complex long- term contracts. Mark-to-market accounting requires that once a long-term contract was signed, income be estimated as the present value of net future cash flows. Often, the viability of these contracts and their related costs were difficult to judge .Due to large discrepancies of attempting to match profits and cash, investors were typically given false or misleading reports. While using the method, income from projects could be recorded, which increased financial earnings. However, in future years, the profits could not be included, so new and additional income had to be included from more projects to develop additional growth to appease investors. However, Enron later expanded its use to other areas in company to help it meet Wall Street projections. Here are some detailed frauds in the Enrons financial statement: Enrons auditor applied reckless standards in their audit, which was showing conflict between interests. Enron financial statement showed the booking costs of cancelled projects as assets, with the rationale that to no official letter had stated that the project was cancelled. This method was known as the snowball, and although it was initially dictated that stay under $90 million, it was later extended to $200 million where all found strange transactions. Like erratic cash flow and huge debt. Enron was estimated to have about $23billion in liabilities, both debt outstanding and guaranteed loans. Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase in particular appeared to have significant amounts to lose with Enrons fall. Additionally, many of Enrons major assets were pledged to lenders in order to secured loans, throwing into doubt what if anything unsecured creditors and eventually stockholders might receive in bankruptcy proceedings. IMPACT The collapse of Enron, the largest bankruptcy in U.S history, which led to thousands of employees losing their jobs and their life saving plans tied to the companys stock, which was calculated as 401(k). Reputation of Andersen, Enrons auditing firm, is damaged after company official admitted that thousands of Enron documents were destroyed. Those events lead to flurry of probes, including a criminal investigation by the U.S justice department of Enron .The SEC and the Labor department as well as six congressional committees-is also investigating the companys collapse. Enron officials have donated millions of dollars to Republicans and Democrats alike. At the heart of Enrons troubles were numerous outside partnerships, set up to keep debt off its books, which were reviewed by Andersen. In addition, it was revealed that Enron has paid no income taxes in four of the last five years, using almost 900 subsidiaries in tax-haven countries and other techniques. A major issue brought to light by the scandal is Andersen dual role as Enrons auditor and consultant, which critics claim is a serious conflict of interest. Andersen has been accused of over looking the huge sums of money kept off Enrons books because Enron represented a potential $100 million -a- year in fees to the auditor. Enron fired Andersen as the feuding corporations both came under growing scrutiny for their roles in the collapse of the worlds largest energy trading company. REFEENCES http://www.lawyershop.com/practice-areas/criminal-law/white-collar-crimes/securities-fraud/lawsuits/enron/ http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/enron.html http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=2308 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal

Linear Programming Essay -- Computer Science

Linear Programming Part A Introduction â€Å"Linear programming was developed by George B. Dantzig in 1947 as a technique for planning the diversified activities of the U.S Air Force.† Linear programming is a powerful mathematical technique that can be used to deal with the problem of allocating limited facilities and resources among many alternative uses in order to find out the optimal benefits. The main objective of the linear programming problem in management is to maximize profit or minimize cost. Linear programming has a wide variety of applications. It is used by oil companies to determine the best mixture of ingredients for blending gasoline. It is also plays an important part in making the optimal schedules for transportation, production, and construction. In addition, linear programming is a flexible problem-solving tool for portfolio selection in finance, budgeting advertising expenditures in marketing, assigning personnel in human resources management. Applications One of the most important applications of linear programming is the formulation of blends. Blending problems appear whenever a manager must decide how to blend tow or more recourse in order to produce one or more products. In these situations, the recourses often contains one or more essential components that must be mixed in a given pattern and the final product will contains specific percentage of the essential components. In most of these applications management then has to decide how much of each recourse to purchase in order to satisfy product specification and produce demand at minimum cost. Blending problems occur frequently in the petroleum industry( such as blending crude oil to produce different octane gasoline), chemical industry( such as blending chemicals to produce fertilizers, week killers, and so on), and food industry( such as blending input ingredients to product soft drinks, soups, and so on). Linear programming is also a very useful tool that can be used to deal with problems in manufacturing industry, such as the product-mix problem. In this situation, the objective of the manager is to determine the production levels that will allow the company to meet the product demand requirements, given limitations on labor capacity, machine hour’s capacity and so on, at the same time, to make the cost of production to minimum. The... ...simultaneously, we get X=2/3, Y=7, plug them into objective function 40X+20Y we get a profit of  £166.67. The difference between this profit and the original max-profit is 166.67-160= £6.67, which means the dual price for increasing/decreasing in purchasing 1 pig, is  £6.67. Economic meaning for shadow price The economics meaning of shadow price is the improvement in the optimal value of the objective function per unit increase in the right-hand side of the constraint. In a profit maximization problem, the dual price is the same as the shadow price. Managers could get information from the performance of each constraint and therefore make decisions on any changes in a particular input factor or resource in order to increase profit. In this case, to get more profit, the farmer is recommended to increase the number of bushels rather than increase the amount of pigs. Reference: ‘The Quantitative methods for business decision with casesÂ’, Lawrence L. Lapim, 6th Edition, Dryden, Chapter 9. ‘An introduction to management science-quantitative approaches to decision makingÂ’, David R.Anderson, Dennis J. Sweeney, Thomas A. Williams. . 6Th Edition, West, Chapter 4.

Emergency department patient satisfaction Essay

Customer service initiatives in healthcare have become a popular way of attempting to improve patient satisfaction. The effect of clinically focused customer service training on patient satisfaction in the setting of a 62,000-visit emergency department and level 1 trauma center is investigated. The most dramatic improvement in the patient satisfaction survey came in ratings of skill of the emergency physician, likelihood of returning, skill of the emergency department nurse and overall satisfaction. These results suggest that such training may offer a substantial competitive market advantage, as well as improve the patients’ perception of quality and outcome. A practitioner’s response to the case study is also included. Customer service initiatives in healthcare have become a popular way of attempting to improve patient satisfaction. The effect of clinically focused customer service training on patient satisfaction in the setting of a 62,000-visit emergency department a nd level 1 trauma center is investigated. The most dramatic improvement in the patient satisfaction survey came in ratings of skill of the emergency physician, likelihood of returning, skill of the emergency department nurse and overall satisfaction. These results suggest that such training may offer a substantial competitive market advantage, as well as improve the patients’ perception of quality and outcome. A practitioner’s repsonse to the case study is also included. You  have requested â€Å"on-the-fly† machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Show full disclaimer Neither ProQuest nor its licensors make any representations or warranties with respect to the translations. The translations are automatically generated â€Å"AS IS† and â€Å"AS AVAILABLE† and are not retained in our systems. PROQUEST AND ITS LICENSORS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES FOR AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, NON-INFRINGMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Your use of the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in your Electronic Products License Agreement and by using the translation functionality you agree to forgo any and all claims against ProQuest or its licensors for your use of th e translation functionality and any output derived there from. Hide full disclaimerTranslations powered by LEC. Translations powered by LEC. Headnote visit emergency department and level I trauma center. Analysis of patient complaints, patient compliments, and a statistically verified patient-satisfaction survey indicate that (1) all 14 key quality characteristics identified in the survey increased dramatically in the study period; (2) patient complaints decreased by over 70 percent from 2.6 per 1,000 emergency department (ED) visits to 0.6 per 1,000 ED visits following customer service training; and (3) patient compliments increased more than 100 percent from 1.1 per 1,000 ED visits to 2.3 per 1,000 ED visits. The most dramatic improvement in the patient satisfaction survey came in ratings of skill of the emergency physician, likelihood of returning, skill of the emergency department nurse, and overall satisfaction. These results show that clinically focused customer service training improves patient satisfaction and ratings of physician and nurse skill. They also suggest that such training may offer a substantial competitive mar ket advantage, as well as improve the patients’ perception of quality and outcome. INTRODUCTION Recent changes in healthcare have led to increasing competition and the perceived commercialization of the healthcare provided to patients. At the same time, a need for reaffirmation of the importance of the patient-physician relationship has been expressed in the midst of such powerful forces (Laine and Davidoff 1996; Glass 1996; Pellegrino and Thomasma 1989). One aspect of the patient-physician relationship deserving further study is the role of customer service training in healthcare. While numerous customer service training tools exist in business and industry, no studies have clearly delineated the efficacy of customer service training for patients in a clinical setting. This study examines the effect of a required customer service training program taught by healthcare professionals on patient and family complaints, compliments, and satisfaction in a high-volume high-acuity emergency department. METHODS Patient Base All patients presenting to the Emergency Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Virginia, between May 1, 1994 and April 30, 1995 formed the control group, representing the period prior to emergency department customer service training. Patients presenting to the emergency department between May 1, 1995 and April 30, 1996 formed the study group, representing the period following customer service training intervention. The mechanism of patient complaint/compliment analysis and the survey criteria were identical in the control and study periods. Patient acuity was assessed by three measures: the number and percentage of patients admitted to the hospital; the number and percentage of patients with Current Procedural Terminology 1996 (CPT) evaluation and management (E/M) codes 99281-99285, (Kirschner et al. 1996); and a nursing acuity rating scale (EMERGE, Medicus Systems, Evanston, Illinois). Inova Fairfax Hospital is a 656-bed not-for-profit institution that is a teaching h ospital, regional referral center, and level I trauma center. Customer Service Training All emergency department staff involved in patient contact (physicians,  nurses, ED technicians, registration personnel, core secretaries, social workers, ED radiology, and ED respiratory therapy) were required to attend an eight-hour customer service training program. The numbers and types of staff involved in training are listed in Table 1. Because of logistic limitations, emergency medicine residents attended a focused fourhour required training course. The eight-hour program consisted of the following modules: basic customer service principles, recognition of patients and customers (Are they patients or customers?), service industry benchmarking leaders, stress recognition and management, communication skills, negotiation skills, empowerment, customer service proactivity, service transitions, service fail-safes, change management, and specific customer service core competencies. (More detailed information on the content of these modules is listed in Appendix 1.) These core comp etencies follow: making the customer service diagnosis (in addition to the clinical diagnosis) and providing the right treatment; negotiating agreement resolution of patient expectations; and building moments of truth into the clinical encounter. Following the initial required training, new physicians or ED employees were required to attend identical customer service training within four months of their initial employment. Additional mandatory customer service training updates were offered three times per year and included modules of conflict resolution, customer service skill updates, advanced communication skills, and assertiveness training. Patient Satisfaction Data Patient satisfaction data in both the control and study groups consisted of patient complaints, patient compliments, and a telephone patientsatisfaction survey conducted by an independent research firm (Shugoll Associates, Rockville, Maryland) that was blinded to the study hypothesis and course content. Patient complaints and/or compliments were systematically identified from all available means, including verbal, written, telephone, or electronic mail sources. Sources of patient complaints, data analysis, and categorization of complaints were identical in the control and study groups, which was coordinated by hospital quality improvement analysts. ED  staff were instructed to report all potential complaints and concerns, regardless of how minor, to appropriate physician or nurse managers in both the control and study periods. Complaints were logged into a central office and were investigated initially by three authors (TM, RC, DR). In cases where classification of type of complaint differed, additional information and/or clarification was sought from staff, patients, and family. Any discrepancies were resolved by group-consensus techniques. All complaints and the classification thereof were independently reviewed and verified by quality-improvement analysts. Patient complaint and compliment letters were referred for comment or clarification to appropriate ED staff in both the control and study periods. Outpatient satisfaction surveys were conducted by an independent research firm (completely blinded to the study and its hypothesis) utilizing a 50-item questionnaire to identify key factors in customer satisfaction. This survey instrument was validated on a sample of more than 3,000 patients prior to implementation in either the control or study group. The study used a telephone survey on a randomized number table basis to 100 ED outpatients per quarter (Appendix 2). Logistic regression analysis performed on these data identified 14 areas of more important/key attributes in the ED (see Table 2). Patient compliment and complaint data, as well as acuity data, were subjected to a two-tailed ttest and the Fisher Exact test. Patient satisfaction surveys were subjected to a two-tailed t-test with a 95 percent confidence level. Patient Turnaround Times Patient turnaround times (TAT) were calculated from time of initial arrival in the ED to either discharge or transfer to an inpatient unit. Turnaround times were routinely calculated on each patient and on an aggregate basis by day, month, quarter, and year. RESULTS ED Volume/Acuity Neither ED volume nor acuity changed to a statistically significant degree between the control and study periods, based on both admission percentage and nursing acuity (see Table 3). Analysis of CPT 96 Evaluation and Management Codes showed a statistically significant increase in codes 99283 and 99285, with a similar decrease in codes 99281 and 99284. The number of pediatric patients did not change in a statistically significant fashion during the study period. The only payor mix category to rise in a statistically significant fashion was managed care (p < .01), with a nearly identical decrease in commercial insurance. Neither compliments nor complaints correlated with payor category. Patient Turnaround Time Mean patient turnaround time dropped from three hours and 24 minutes (204 minutes) to three hours and seven minutes (187 minutes), but this difference was not statistically significant, nor did the percent of patients at one and two standard deviations from the mean change in a statistically significant fashion. Patient Compliments The total number of patient compliments rose from 69 in the control period to 141 in the study period, an increase of more than 100 percent (p < .00001) (see Table 3). Patient compliment letters consistently mentioned warmth, compassion, and skill of the emergency care provider as the reason for contacting management to praise the ED staff. There was no statistical difference between males and females among patient compliments. Patient Complaints Patient complaints dropped from 153 in the control period (2.5 complaints per 1,000 ED visits) to 36 in the study period (0.6 complaints per 1,000 ED visits), (p < .00001) (see Table 3). Complaints about perceived rudeness, insensitivity, or lack of compassion on the part of ED staff dropped most dramatically. Two-thirds of complaints in the study period were a result of waiting times, billing, or delays in obtaining an inpatient bed, compared to 30 percent in the control period. Nevertheless, complaints regarding waiting times, billing, and wait time for an inpatient bed still decreased 50 percent in the study period (p < .001). There were no significant differences in patient complaints based on age or sex, confirming results of the study by Hall and Press (1996). Patient Satisfaction Survey Data Baseline survey data were subjected to logistical regression analysis that indicated that 14 surveyed areas formed a core group of key satisfaction attributes. All of these 14 attributes showed increases in the study period (p < .001, see Table 2). The largest increases were in the following areas: skill of the emergency physician, skill of the nurse, likelihood of returning, overall quality of medical care, doctor’s ability to explain condition, diagnosis, and treatment options, and triage nurse’s sensitivity to pain. DISCUSSION The patient-physician and patient-nurse relationships are arguably the oldest in the history of medicine. These relationships have recently been described as being under siege because of an increase in the tension between the art and science of medicine, as well as the strains attendant to changes in the economic structure of healthcare (Glass 1996). To this list may be added a third causative factor: the lack of rigorous, formal training for healthcare professionals in the customer service fundamentals of the patient-provider relationship. The fundamentals of such training are closely tied to what has traditionally been described as the art of medicine or the concept of beneficence (Pellegrino and Thomasma 1989). Physicians have for the most part learned appropriate patient interaction skills through observing their mentors and peers during the course of graduate medical education. However, there has only recently been substantial study of this important subject (Buller and Buller 1987; Aharony and Strasser 1993). While customer service has been emphasized in American business and industry in recent years (Zeithamal, Parasuraman, and Berry 1990; Jones and Sasser 1995; Reichheld 1996; Berry and Parasuraman 1991; Berry 1995), few training modules are specifically targeted toward physicians and healthcare professionals. For this reason, the authors created an eight-hour customer  service training course for their ED providers, based on principles of adult education, benchmarks from the customer service industry (Sanders 1995; Spectre and McCarthy 1995; Carlzon 1987; Connelan 1997), experience in the clinical setting, and the existing literature on patient satisfaction (Pelligrino and Thomasma 1989; Thompson and Yarnold 1995; Thompson et al. 1996; Bursh, Beezy, and Shaw 1993; Rhee and Bird 1996; Dansk and Miles 1997; Hall and Press 1996; Eisenberg 1997). This literature emphasizes the importance of communication skills, managing information flow, actual versus perceived waiting times, and the ex pressive quality of physicians and nurses. All of these concepts were built into the training modules, including practical clinical examples of behaviors reflecting these and other concepts. Our philosophy in designing this course was simple. Customer service is a skill for which we hold our staff accountable but in which they had never formally been trained. We believed that this dilemma required, at a minimum, two sentinel events to occur. First, the department needed to have a clearly articulated and easily understood cultural transformation to a solid commitment to customer service. Second, staff members needed education in a practical, pragmatic fashion regarding precisely how such customer service principles could be applied in the clinical setting. Just as advanced cardiac life support, advanced trauma life support, and pediatric advanced life support courses can be used to improve cardiac, trauma, and pediatric resuscitation, respectively, we believed customer service outcomes could be improved by well-designed, mandatory, rigorous application of customer service training. The training was provided by active clinicians involved in day-to-day patient care activities (TAM, RJC). We believe this clinical credibility may have played an important part in the customer service transformation, inasmuch as the staff knew the trainers were well aware of the inherent problems of applying pragmatic customer service skills in a busy emergency department. The data from this study strongly support the hypothesis that clinically based, formal customer service training grounded on these principles can  dramatically decrease patient complaints, increase patient compliments, and improve patient satisfaction, at least in a high-volume, high-acuity ED. Patient complaints dropped by over 70 percent and compliments more than doubled during the study period, such that patient compliments actually exceed complaints in our 62,000 patient visit emergency department and level I trauma center. National data indicate that ED complaints average between three to five per 1,000 emergency department patients, although no data are available regarding rates of patient compliments (Culhane and Harding 1994). Our emergency department was slightly below that national standard level even during the control period. Analysis of the patient satisfaction survey data revealed an extremely important trend. Specifically, patients rated skill of the emergency physician, overall quality of medical care, and skill of the ED nurse as three of the most improved areas during the study period compared to the control period, despite the fact that there were no changes in the ED physician staff during the study and there was very little turnover among ED nurses. This strongly implies that patients rate the quality of care and the skill of the physician and nurse based on elements of the customer service interaction. These data suggest an important causal relationship between the technical component of care and the patient caregiver interaction, which has not been previously demonstrated. It is important to recognize that both customer service and technical skills are competencies to which hospitals and healthcare systems should hold their staff accountable on a daily basis. Hospitals spend substantial dollars to ensure that their staffs are technically competent to deliver quality medical care (Herzlinger 1997). However, to ensure that customer service is effective, clinically based customer service training is essential to give staff the appropriate skills in the clinical setting to deliver service competently. This concept is indirectly supported by data from Mack and colleagues (1995), who found that satisfaction with interactive aspects of emergency medical care produced higher correlations with measures of future intention to use the service than did satisfaction with medical outcomes themselves. Their study, however, did not undertake interventions to improve the interactive,  communicative aspect of healthcare in that setting. Similarly, Smith and colleagues (1995) evaluated the effect of a four-week training program, focusing on patient interviewing, somatization, patient education, and self-awareness, that was taught to first year internal medicine and family practice residents. Their data were not conclusive, but suggested that some but not all aspects of patient satisfaction could be improved by such training. This study tends to confirm the work of Thompson and colleagues (1996) that demonstrated in a much smaller sample size that expressive quality and management of informatio n flow to the patient had an effect on patient satisfaction. However, their study did not assess the impact of strategies and techniques for ED staff to improve patient satisfaction by improving expressive quality. While several studies (Thompson et al. 1996; Thompson and Yarnold 1996; Dansk and Miles 1997; Hall and Press 1996) have emphasized the importance of waiting time and exceeding patient expectations regarding length of waiting time, our study demonstrates a dramatic improvement in patient satisfaction without a statistically significant reduction in patient turnaround time. This supports the work of Bursch and colleagues (1993), who found in a study of 258 patients that the five most important variables for patient satisfaction were the amount of time it took before being cared for in the ED, patient ratings of how caring the nurses were, how organized the ED staff was, how caring the physicians were, and the amount of information provided to the patient and family. However, the study did not assess strategies to improve satisfaction based on this knowledge. All of this information was built into the training modules to assist staff with practical strategies to manage waiting time effe ctively using information flow, queuing theory, and verbal skill training. The implications of the higher ratings of the skill of the emergency physicians and nurses are intriguing and could have a far-reaching impact on healthcare. Perhaps the strongest implication is that perceived skill stands as a marker for quality and/or outcome in the mind of patients and their families. It has been shown repeatedly that patient compliance increases with confidence in the physician (Frances, Korsch, and Morris 1969;  Sharfield et al. 1981; Waggoner, Jackson, and Kern 1981; Schmittdiel et al. 1997). While our study did not directly assess improvements in outcome, quality of care, or appropriateness of care, it certainly appears that patients rated the skill of the healthcare providers as a key quality characteristic in this survey. Furthermore, the fact that ratings of quality of medical care and likelihood of returning also increased dramatically speaks to the importance that effective customer service training may have in offering a competitive market advantage to hospitals and healthcare institutions. This is particularly important as the concept of customer loyalty is closely tied to the likelihood of a patient or their family returning to that healthcare institution. As the focus on outcomes management and evidence-based medicine increases, it is important to take into account the effect that customer service skills have on patients’ perceptions of quality and outcome. This study may be subject to several criticisms. First, while statistical data on patient compliments and complaints obtained substantial statistical significance, the number of patients contacted for the outpatient satisfaction telephone survey may have resulted in sampling bias. While a larger sampling is planned in the future, the patient satisfaction survey data trends were consistent throughout all quarters and appear to be a valid statistical tool, despite the number of patients sampled. Second, it was not possible to blind those responsible for investigating and classifying complaints and compliments. However, we did attempt to reduce or eliminate possible reporting or observer bias by identifying complaints from all sources and ensuring that all complaints and their classification were reviewed and approved by an author who was not involved in ED operations and by quality improvement analysts. Third, information is not available on national or regional trends of patient compl aints and/or satisfaction during the study period. It is possible that the data in this study may reflect local, regional, or national trends toward decreased complaints and increased satisfaction, either globally throughout healthcare or in ED patients specifically. However, this is highly unlikely as no such trends have been previously reported, nor would such trends fully explain the data from this study, even if they were present. The data on patient acuity  indicated an increase in CPT codes 99283 and 99285, suggesting a slight trend toward higher patient acuity. This could mean that patients with higher levels of acuity are more satisfied and less likely to complain. No data are available to either prove or disprove this possibility, but the trend toward higher acuity would not appear to completely explain the dramatic improvement seen in this study. Furthermore, the patient-satisfaction telephone survey excluded inpatients, who comprise a larger percentage of patients in the 99285 service code. Further study is needed to delineate the relationship of ED patient acuity to satisfaction. Despite these potential limitations, this study demonstrates that clinically based customer training for ED staff can decrease patient complaints and increase patient satisfaction in a large volume, high-acuity ED, and that satisfaction is independent of patient turnaround times. Furthermore, the data support the concept that patients rate the skill of the emergency physician, overall quality of medical care, and skill of the ED nurse significantly higher after such training is provided to the ED staff. Additional studies in ED with different volumes, acuities, and geographic locations are needed to demonstrate whether these results can be duplicated. Studies of the impact of customer service training in other healthcare settings would also be of benefit. Nonetheless, clinically focused customer service training has been shown in this study to improve patient satisfaction and ratings of the skill of physicians and nurses. If verified by other studies, customer service training should be considered an important part of graduate and undergraduate medical education to improve both the art and science of the patient-physician relationship. The clinically based customer service training described in this study is now a required part of competency based orientation for all physicians, nurses, residents, and support staff in the emergency department. All professional and non-professional staff interviewed for positions in the emergency department are advised of the institution’s strong commitment to customer service training and the necessity of attending the required training course. As healthcare increasingly emphasizes accountability for customer service in its staff, it is increasingly important that practical and effective customer service training is provided. While not directly addressed in this study, the data on ratings of quality of medical care, skill of the physician and nurses, and likelihood of returning strongly suggest that effectively completing the customer service transition offers a competitive market advantage to hospitals and healthcare systems. References Aharony, L., and S. Strasser. 1993. â€Å"Patient Satisfaction: What We Know About and What We Still Need to Explore.† Medical Care Review 50 (1): 49-79. Berry, L. L. 1995. On Great Service: A Framework for Action. New York: Free Press. Berry, L. L., and A. Parasuraman. 1991. Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality. New York: Free Press. Butler, M. K., and D. B. Buller. 1987. â€Å"Physician’s Communication Style and Patient Satisfaction.† Journal of Health and Social Behavior 28 (4): 375-88. Bursh, B., J. Beezy, and R. Shaw. 1993. â€Å"Emergency Department Satisfaction: What Matters Most?† Annals of Emergency Medicine 22: 586-91. Carlzon, J. 1987. Moments of Truth: New Strategies for Today’s Customer-Driven Economy. New York: Ballinger Publishing. Connelan, T. 1997. Inside the Magic Kingdom. Austin, TX: Bard Press. Culhane, D. E., and P. J. Harding. 1994. â€Å"Quality in Customers: Great Expectations.† Presented to the American College of Emergency Physicians Management Academy, Boston, Massachusetts, May 19, 1994. Dansk, K. H., and J. Miles. 1997. â€Å"Patient Satisfaction with Ambulatory Healthcare Services: Waiting Time and Follow-up Time.† Hospitals and Health Services Administration 42 (2): 165-77. Eisenberg, B. 1997. â€Å"Customer Service in Healthcare.† Hospitals and Healthcare Services Administration 42 ( 1 ): 17-32. Frances, V, B. M. Korsch, and M. J. Morris. 1969. â€Å"Gaps in Doctor-Patient Communication. Patient’s Response to Medical Advice.† New England Journal of Medicine. 280: 535-49. Glass, R. M. 1996. â€Å"The Patient-Physician Relationship: JAMA Focuses on the Center of Medicine.† Journal of the American Medical Association 275: 147-48. Hall, M. F., and I. Press. 1996. â€Å"Keys to Patient Satisfaction in the Emergency Department: Results of a Multiple Facility Study.† Hospitals and Healthcare Administration 41 (4): 515-32. Herzlinger, R. 1997. Market-Driven Health Care. New York: Free Press. Inova Health System. 1997. â€Å"Outpatient Satisfaction Research.† Shugoll Research. Rockville, MD. Jones, T. O., and W. E. Sasser, Jr. 1995. â€Å"Why Satisfied Customers Defect.† Harvard Business Review 73: 88-99. Kirschner, C. G., R. C. Burkett, G. M. Kotowicz, et al. 1996. Physicians’ Current Procedural Terminology-CPT 96, ed 5. Chicago: American Medical Association. Laine, C., and F. Davidoff. 1996. â€Å"PatientCentered Medicine: A Professional Evolution† lournal of the American Medical Association 275: 152-56. Mack, J. L., K. M. File, J. E. Horwitz, and R. A. Prince. 1995. â€Å"The Effect of Urgency on Patient Satisfaction and Future Emergency Department Choice.† Health Care Management Review 20: 7-15. Pellegrino, E. D., and D. C. Thomasma. 1989. For the Patient’s Good: The Restoration of Beneficence in Health Care. New York: Oxford University Press. Rhee, K., and J. Bird. 1996. â€Å"Perceptions in Satisfaction with Emergency Department Care.† Journal of Emergency Medicine 14: 679-83. Reichheld, E E 1996. â€Å"Learning from Customer Defections.† Harvard Business Review 74: 56-69. Sanders, B. 1995. Fabled Service: Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Outcomes. San Diego: Pfeiffer and Company. Schmittdiel, J., J. V. Selby, K. Grumbach, and C. P. Quesenberry. 1997. â€Å"Choice of a Personal Physician and Patient Satisfaction in a Health Maintenance Organization.† Journal of the American Medical Association 278 (19): 1596-1612. Sharfield, B., C. Wray, K. Hess, and E. M. Smith. 1981. â€Å"The Influence of Patient-Practitioner Agreement on Outcome of Care.† American Journal of Public Health 71: 127-31. Smith, R. C., J. S. Lyles, J. A. Mettler, et al. 1995. â€Å"A Strategy for Improving Patient Satisfaction by the Intensive Training of Residents in Psychosocial Medicine: A Controlled, Randomized Study† Academic Medicine 70: 729-32. Spectre, R., and P. D. McCarthy. 1995. The Nordstrom Way: The Inside Story of America’s #1 Customer Service Co mpany. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Thompson, D. A., P. R. Yarnold, D. R. Williams, and S. L. Adams. 1996. â€Å"Effects of Actual Waiting Time, Perceived Waiting Time, Information Delivery, and Expressive Quality on Patient Satisfaction in the Emergency Department† Annals of Emergency Medicine 28: 657-65. Thompson, D. A., and P. R. Yarnold. 1995. â€Å"Relating Patient Satisfaction to Waiting Time Perceptions and Expectations: The Disconfirmation Paradigm.† Academic Emergency Medicine 2: 1057-62. Thompson, D. A., P. R. Yarnold, S. L. Adams, and A. B. Spaccone. 1996. â€Å"How Accurate Are Waiting Time Perceptions of Patients in the Emergency Department?† Annals of Emergency Medicine 28: 652-56. Waggoner, D. M., E. B. Jackson, and D. E. Kern. 1981. â€Å"Physician Influence on Patient Compliance: A Clinical Trial.† Annals of Emergency Medicine 10: 348-52. Zeithamal, V. A., A. Parasuraman, and L. L. Berry. 1990. Delivering Quality Service: Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations. New York: Free Press. You have requested â€Å"on-the-fly† machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Show full disclaimer Neither ProQuest nor its licensors make any representations or warranties with respect to the translations. The translations are automatically generated â€Å"AS IS† and â€Å"AS AVAILABLE† and are not retained in our systems. PROQUEST AND ITS LICENSORS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES FOR AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, NON-INFRINGMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Your use of the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in your Electronic Products License Agreement and by using the translation functionality you agree to forgo any and all claims against ProQuest or its licensors fo r your use of the translation functionality and any output derived there from. Hide full disclaimerTranslations powered by LEC. Translations powered by LEC.