Molarity and Percent Solution Lab Essay

Objective: The objective of this lab was to determine the molarity and percent solution of a solution with an unknown concentration. Background: Molarity is the number of moles of a solute per liter of a solution. Percent solution is the percentage of a solute in a specific mass or volume of a solvent. A solute is a solid that gets dissolved in a solvent or a liquid that is a smaller amount than the solvent. A solvent is a liquid that dissolves the solute and it always is a larger amount. Solvation is when solute particles are surrounded by solvent molecules. A lab technique that was used during the lab was to boil the solution in order to separate the solute from the solvent. Materials List: – 10mL graduated cylinder – Solution with unknown concentration – Hot plate – Pipette – Hot grip – Scale – 100mL beaker Procedure: 1. Obtain the solution with the unknown concentration from Mrs. Magdaleno. 2. Measure the volume of the solution by pouring it in the 10mL graduated cylinder. Use the pipette to take out solution in the graduated cylinder until the volume was at 6mL. Record it in the data table. 3. Measure the empty 100mL beaker using the scale. Record it in the data table. 4. Pour the solution in the 100mL beaker. 5. Find the mass of the beaker and solution using the scale. Make sure to subtract original beaker mass from the mass of the beaker and solution. 6. Boil the solution to separate the solute from the solvent by using the hot plate set to nine. 7. Once all the water has evaporated use the hot grips to remove the beaker from the hot plate and let cool. Find the mass of the beaker and solute using the scale. Make sure to subtract beaker mass from the beaker and solute mass. 8. Use the data from the data table to solve for molarity and percent solution. Observations: – The water started to boil and evaporate when it was on the hot plate. – It smelt like the salt was burning. – Some salt spilled out on the lab station when the water completely evaporated. Data Table: |Volume of solution (L) |6mL=0.006L | |Mass of beaker (g) |68.95g | |Mass of solution and beaker(g) |75.06g | |Mass of solution(g) |6.12g | |Mass of solute and beaker(g) |69.41g | |Mass of solute(g) |0.46g | Results: A: Molarity B: Percent Solution Conclusion: The molarity that was calculated for the unknown solution was 1.31M. The percent solution that was calculated for the unknown solution was 7.52%. A procedural that would have led to a lower concentration value was when some salt spilled out onto the lab station after all of the water had evaporated from the beaker. Another error that would result in a higher concentration would be if the beaker was not dry when the mass was measured with the scale. Something that could be done differently to lead to a more accurate concentration would be to take the beaker off the hot plate sooner and not let the salt sit and burn or come out of the beaker.

Feedback Loops to Enhance Software Capability Essay

Feedback loops are a part of the systems we examine in systems thinking. Our first text book Thinking in Systems tells us we can see the existence of a feedback loop when â€Å"the consistent behavior pattern over a long period of time† is observed. My own interpretation is that feedback loops provide information in real time (or something close to real time) to provide the opportunity to make adjustments, pushing toward improvement. Even more simply stated action= information=reaction. Systems thinking is a methodology for us to analyze and predict behavior by developing an in-depth understanding of the underlying components in the system. The majority of real world problems are complex, and due to this complexity the systems models for these problems will be complex as well. It will be impossible to formulate solutions to complex issues without understanding the feedback loops that influence the systems we are studying. For example, the Internet is an information system with feedback loops. I began to notice feedback loops at work on the internet this week while I was on my Facebook page. Earlier in the day I had been looking at Hotel options in Las Vegas as I will be travelling to Nevada for a trade show in April. One of the hotels I looked at via their website was the Golden Nugget on Fremont Street. A few minutes later when I visited my Facebook page, one of the ads on the side of my page was for the Golden Nugget hotel in Las Vegas. Obviously there is some correlation between the ads on your Facebook page and websites you have visited, I just had never noticed it before. This has to be based on a feedback loop where Facebook is receiving information as to your browsing habits and then customizing advertising based on these habits. If we take this a step further this could also be used as a predictive tool as well. If you think you might like the Golden Nugget, you’ll really love the Mirage. That sort of suggestive selling could be a major revenue generator for Facebook assuming they receive a fee when a consumer purchases based upon their ads. I’d have to say this is a reinforcing feedback loop. The more Facebook knows about you the more it can customize your ads and this will continue to build upon itself with ni limitation other than your own habits. Feedback loops are also being used to enhance software capability. Patikirikorala stated â€Å"The feedback control loop has been one of the key concepts used in building self-adaptive software systems to manage their performance among other quality aspects† (2678). All of us who use and depend on software on a daily basis know that it is unpredictable. It can also at times be unstable, sometimes due to user error and other times due to real product deficiencies. The concept with using feedback loops is to help the software be able to fine tune itself in order to help create better performance and also reduce on going administrative costs. It appears one of the major stumbling blocks with this approach at the moment is that software systems are complex and their problems are not easily reproduced through modeling and systems thinking. Patikirikorala explores this issue when he says â€Å"For instance, an e-commerce system may face sudden intensive workloads when promotional offers are run or when referenced by a high-traffic site (the so-called ‘slash-dot’ effect). The workloads may also vary dramatically depending on the time of day (e.g., stock market applications) or the time of year (e.g., tax office sites). Third, if the application evolves due to new feature additions, bug fixes or system configuration changes, the constructed model has to be changed as well for accurate representation. The resultant behavior of the software application therefore depends on a combination of the operating states or conditions of the underlying software layers, the current environmental workloads, and the current configuration of the application architecture. Depending on what combination of the above factors occurs, the behavior of the software application can be characterized by a number of distinct operating regions. However, the complexity of interactions between these factors means that creating a single model of the system is very difficult if not virtually impossible.† (2679). One may only need to examine the stated issues above however to see the potential benefits by software that can self-regulate through a feedback loop. For instance, what if the system software used for on-line trading of stocks could execute a scenario during peak hours to allow the maximum number of users higher throughput, in order to execute their trades quickly and accurately without a slowdown in performance? This must have been the effect Windows was looking for when it enabled the real time reporting of bugs and crashes into its operating systems. The next logical evolution will be when the software itself tracks these issues and makes the adjustments without user intervention or reporting. This methodology need not be limited to software either, the race appears to be on from network hardware providers such as Cisco and Enterasys to provide network infrastructure that is self-healing, self-configuring, and self-adapting. Networks that can distinguish between different types of threats, discriminate between devices attempting to connect and self-install patches or security measures are the next generation of hardware. This is also all accomplished through the use of feedback loops. One thing is certain, without the feedback loop, and our ability to understand them. Our ability to formulate solutions via the use of Systems Thinking is severely limted. References: Patikirikorala, T., Colman, A., Han, J., & Wang, L. (2012). An evaluation of multi-model self-managing control schemes for adaptive performance management of software systems. Journal Of Systems & Software, 85(12), 2678-2696. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2012.05.077 Boehmer, W. (2012). Toward a target and coupling function of three different Information Security Management Systems. Concurrency & Computation: Practice & Experience, 24(15), 1708-1725. doi:10.1002/cpe.1873 Meadows, Donella H., (2008), Thinking in Systems. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing

Anywhere You Dare

When I saw anywhere dare candy perfume advertisement for the first time, I immediately understood its complete meaning. Interestingly, how do advertisers who saw this particular ad attract people to purchase their products? This ad is an example of the impact on our social marketing strategy. We tend to deny that sexual influence has become the mainstream market of our society, but if you read the daily magazine carefully, you will begin noticing the real scope of it . This ad pulled my attention when I viewed the magazine. My first belief in the intention of the marketer says, If you wear their products, you can be with anyone you want, regardless of the number of partners you want is. Of course, this is ridiculous for me, but it truly pulled my attention. It seems that condoms seem to mean multiple partners. Perfume is the focus of the entire advertisement. I will challenge you to dare wonderful things. Dream impossible dreams. Please make it stand out in the crowd. Please dare dif ferent way of thinking and unique. If you believe in me and you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream about it, you can do it. Whenever you get this most precious life gift, your mind, body and spirit must be digested with your dreams. Believe in your heart as it provides hope. Believe in your idea, it provides direction. Believe in your soul, it gives power. But the most important thing is to believe in yourself. Because you were always the answer. Open the door to someone who truly believes in dreams and self. Never forget that you are not alone in the mirror. You are more brave than you believe. It is more powerful than you see. Smarter than you think I dare to do this. You dare to try to advance your life. You try to do things yourself. When a coward is standing by the bystander, you dare to stand out, take a horrible measure to chat, ridiculously, and chatter to the Lord behind you. They will never talk in front of you.

Answering Job Interview Questions for Opening Job at Chevron Co Essay

Answering Job Interview Questions for Opening Job at Chevron Co - Essay Example I have identified, developed and technically. I have Teaching and training capabilities as well. 2. Why did you choose your current university and major? What did you find most fulfilling and most difficult about your major? I had identified my aptitude for Engineering as I endeavored in many activities which were connected with the principles of engineering. Many of my hobbies were also closely associated with Engineering. I had participated in a number of co-curricular activities including science exhibitions which helped me develop my attitude towards Engineering. By the time I had to join for graduation I had decided to major in the current subject. My search for a cause effective engineering program ended up in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦University as its commitment to action-based-learning attracted me the most. The †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ is really an exciting program which can offer me great opportunities to work closely with my classmates and practically learn to face real challenges. I admire the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ learning style which heavily emphasizes on practices and systematic learning cycle. The experience will empower me to be effective ‘in the team’ and ‘in leading the team’. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦also holds the legacy of a strong alumni network and the collaborative culture will ensure guidance throughout the career. The most challenging experience about the subject was the vastness of its applicability. This forced me to read and research extensively on the subject. 3. Describe a situation, either professional or personal, where you faced a particular difficulty. What was the outcome, what did you learn from the experience and what would you do differently if faced with a similar situation again? One if the most difficult situations that I had faced were taking forward the voluntary work as the Work Instructor during my high school days. All through my of my High School days, my leadersh ip abilities and my affinity towards the society were proven as I enthusiastically led the show to arrange tutorials and allied events as a part of the voluntary work.  

The Therac-25 and Its Accident Investigation Case Study - 2

The Therac-25 and Its Accident Investigation - Case Study Example the principal of accelerating electrons so as to create high energy beams that can be used to destroy any cancerous cells without affecting the other surrounding non- cancerous tissues. For shallow tissues, accelerated electrons were enough to treat them but for the deeper ones, the electrons beams have to be converted into X-ray photons. The machine consisted of hardware and software that helped the machine run. The software also monitored the functionality status of the machine and turning on the beam. It was also responsible for turning off the beam and detecting any malfunctions. The software was responsible for running most of the machine functions in conjunction with the hardware. This therefore means that any small bug in the software will lead to malfunctioning of the machine. The software for running the Therac-25 was not extensively tested before it was deployed for use. This was due failure to follow proper system development and implementation practices. Also the programmer didn’t provide enough documentation about the machine and software errors that could guide operators on when there is malfunction and what to do. The operators therefore were in the dark most of the time despite the machine displaying various error messages as they thought was normal. The hardware that was used to measure the dosage always provided a wrong dosage reading when it as overloaded. Instead of providing a high reading instead it displayed a low reading when it was actually so high. Another defect was how the machine was made to be operated. The machine was made that the operator and the patient were to be in separate rooms to minimize effect of radiation to the operator. Therefore in case there was any overdose and the patient complaining, the operator could not hear it. Also the operator could not ascertain whether the patient was in the right position every time. This was risky and costly assumptions that lead to the occurrence of the accidents. Therefore, software

Beverly Daniel Tatums Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in Essay

Beverly Daniel Tatums Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria - Essay Example The paper under consideration presents the analysis of Beverly Daniel Tatum’s â€Å"Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria†. The core of the paper is to determine the nature of racism and show Tatum’s main point view on racial segregation and African-American isolation. Through the article, she attempts to highlight how racism has developed in the African American population through constant analysis and comparison to other ethnic groups and why this phenomenon occurs. The rhetorical strategies used are not expressed effectively, as the majority of the assessments of modern black racism are speculatory and often based on personal judgment without adequate justification for opinion. Introduction Beverly Daniel Tatum’s â€Å"Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria† is an exploration of racism as it pertains to black youths and the role of racism as compared to the White dominant social norm. Tatum attempts to illustrate the phenomenon of why racially-similar groups, especially African Americans, tend to remain segregated in same-race groups without inter-mingling in the social environment. Through the article, she attempts to highlight how racism has developed in the African American population through constant analysis and comparison to other ethnic groups and why this phenomenon occurs. ... Tatum believes that her definition of racism is â€Å"a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as the beliefs and actions of individuals’’ (Tatum, 7). Here, Tatum attempts to create an appeal to pathos by further highlighting her own credibility related to her own sociology knowledge, but it too is ineffective since the author does not explore the issue further using concrete information from reputable sociological or political science data sources. The author is, instead, creating a sense of bias in the process, somewhat over-analyzing the actual realities of lifestyle with each ethnic group. Rather, Tatum manages, it seems, to simply assume certain sociological characteristics about White groups or African-American groups and therefore does not manage to instill a sense of integrity or knowledge-based authority when making her argument about the phenomenon of group-oriented ethnic segregation and prejudice. Tatum’s ethos arguments, in an attempt to appeal to the readers’ emotions, also does not do a significant job of instilling sympathy for the plight of African-Americans in today’s society. Tatum suggests that this segregation occurring is a product of White privilege and therefore receive preferential treatment in all elements of society. A reputable educator from the Philadelphia school district believes this also, offering that this is a hypocritical form of reasoning (Paslay, 3). Tatum’s attempt to instill compassion and condolence for the state of African-American isolation from the rest of society simply does not achieve its intended ethos results as it, again, illustrates that

Letter to the Editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter to the Editor - Essay Example The market price of crude oil would not be so high if the demand for it was not as high. The average home in the United States spends 6,000 kilo watts of electricity. Most of this electricity is currently been generated by petroleum. There are several constraints that are making it difficult for society to switch to renewable energy sources. One of the biggest obstacles is that there is an electricity grid infrastructure based on petroleum that is worth billions of dollars. Neither the federal, state, nor local governments are providing adequate incentives to foster the growth in alternative energy sources. The government has to be the number one supporter of the green movement for energy to become economically viable for home users. A lot of people are not willing to invest in a wind mill or solar panels because it is cheaper to acquire electricity from the utility companies. There are several solutions that can help remedy the situation, but it all stars through education. The gove rnment and private sector have to improve the public relations and advertisement to create awareness to the general public about the subject. The use of radio, television, and internet announcements must be used to ensure the greatest number of people receive the message. Internet advertising is a hot trend that has gained popularity in the marketing world. In 2012 the online advertising industry generated $89.4 billion worldwide (Plunkettresearchonline). Educating the general public about the subject will go a long toward gaining the support of the people. Two alternative renewable energies that households can utilize to get off the grid are solar and wind power energy. The government has to create incentive programs that provide a subsidy in the purchase of the technology. The subsidy has to be large enough to offset the lower cost of getting energy from the grid. The government has also provided a help hand to setting up setting up a larger fund to be use for research and develop ment in research to develop new renewable energy options. The private world also has to be involved in the movement towards been stopping the dependency in fossil fuels. Corporations have more financial resources than households which makes it easier form them to spend the necessary money to invest in solar and wind energy on a large scale. The private industry should also be eligible for government subsidies in order to lower the costs of acquiring the equipment. One of the benefits of installing solar panel systems is that the excess of production of the system can be sold to the electrical companies at market value. Renewable energy systems are a green product that people who are environmentally conscious will support. Society cannot continue to disregard the abusive usage of energy both in businesses and households. It has come a time for both the government and the private sector to make a commitment to stop the accelerated usage of fossil fuels as the raw material necessary to create energy. Petroleum is starting to because scarce. At the current rate of usage petroleum will be depleted within 40 years. The product useful life of petroleum can be increased by several decades if the government and private corporations work toward together towards finding a solution to the problem. Currently the two best technologies for creating electricity are solar and wind energy. Nuclear energy is also an opinion, but the capital needed to increate the infrastructure is a barrier of entry. An important industry that

Emotional Brain Systems are critical for understanding the many facets Essay

Emotional Brain Systems are critical for understanding the many facets of emotional experience.Discuss with reference to the historical development of affective neuroscience - Essay Example Although feeling these emotions are normal part of being human, it is inevitable for some people to experience emotional disorders. In the absence of fully analyzing the normal brain function, it can very difficult to determine the main factors that trigger the sudden emotional changes. The study of affective neuroscience is very much focused on analyzing the relationship between the normal brain functioning with the human emotions and mood swings. Over the past 30 years, a lot of research studies were conducted to explore the significance of the brain system with different types of emotions including how the emotion is being processed in the brain despite the individual cognitive, motor behaviour, motivation, and language development (Dalgleish, 2004). The main purpose of this study is to examine the importance of studying the emotional brain systems as a way to enable us to understand the many facets of emotional experiences that we encounter each day. Upon going through the main discussion, a literature review will be gathered to enable the researcher compare and contrast the different historical point-of-view of other people with regards to the development behind the study of affective neuroscience. Emotional brain is basically â€Å"a part of the human brain that generates emotions† (Young, 2005). Upon examining whether or not the brain produces emotions in response to unconscious and conscious perceptions, LeDoux explained in his book entitled â€Å"Emotional Brain† that a test was conducted in animals revealed that the amygdale which is a small part of the limbic system is responsible in producing neuronal responses in case a frightening stimuli is present (Hendrix, 1997). Basically, there are two ways wherein sensory input can be processed by the brain as proposed by LeDoux. These are classified as the following: (1) high road; and (2) low road (Hendrix, 1997). The ‘high road’ transfers the nerve impulse straight from the ears

International Financial management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Financial management - Term Paper Example Although international banks offer their services to both individuals and organizations, they tend to prefer conducting business with organizations and relatively wealthy individuals. On its part the money market was primarily introduced for the sake of trading in currency rate futures contracts as well as options. Essentially, currency futures were intended to realize a liberally traded exchange market that would promote trade across national borders. Therefore, the money market serves a number of functions that include lubricating central bank policies, financing trade, enhancing the self-sufficiency of commercial banks and facilitating profitable investments. From their roles and functions, it can be seen that international banking and money market are inextricably linked. With the opportunities and challenges presented by globalization and the global market, there are also benefits and hazards associated with international banking and money market. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of international banking and money market focusing on the reasons for international banking, how international banking and money market functions and also highlight the hazards associated with the concepts. International banks provide certain services that make a distinction between them and domestic banks. Most significantly, they facilitate export and import services for their clients through their role of arranging trade financing. Further, they not only play the crucial role of arranging the necessary foreign exchange multinationals use to carry out international transactions but also assist in making foreign investments by hedging exchange rate risk. This is typically in foreign currency payables and receivables options and forward contracts. However, the international banks are mainly distinguished from domestic banks by the types of loans they give, investments they make and deposits they accept. From the perspective of international money market,

Ethnicity and Nationalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Ethnicity and Nationalism - Assignment Example Instrumentalist views, on the other hand, aim to understand why these ascriptive identities arise among people and how they are attached to different sets of people. They believe that it occurs due to the present nature of the state which is broken up and consists of different groups of people. Primordialists study the claims about determinacy of races by racists whereas instrumentalists study language, tribe, race, religion etc. In the modern nations that have been created today after many nations gaining their independence, it has become imperative for every government to ensure that a homogenous set of people reside there in order to maintain uniformity as well as unity. Because they needed a literate workforce, modern societies preferred consensus among the people. This further helped to bring about peace and harmony among different groups of people by involving understanding. Nationalism refers to a comprehension among various individuals living under the purview of a single nat ion; ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to the race of each human being, and the roots or the land that he and his forefathers originated from. These aspects are as different from each other as is a balloon from a rubber tree. This means that the rubber tree may belong to a particular piece of land or territory, however, the balloon may be manufactured anywhere after extracting the rubber and taking it elsewhere where there are means enough to produce balloons. Primordialists believe that people are born with certain identities and that is how they may be classified for the rest of their life. This belief falls short when it comes to people that migrate or are born in families that may not be subordinate to their culture. Over the years, a human being adapts a number of attributes to himself; he may learn a different language, may reside in a different nation or even marry into a different family from his culture or race altogether. All of this makes a big difference in his life a s he is not the same person from his roots anymore. The generations born after him, bit by bit, catch on to some more tendencies of his, thus leading to the formation of a different ascriptive identity altogether.

Nursing Theorist Grid Essay Example for Free

Nursing Theorist Grid Essay 1. Theorist Selected: Florence Nightingale born on 5/12/1820, a writer, a philosopher, a theorist, a â€Å"reformer, a statistician, an administrator, a researcher† (Attewell, 1998), an educator, and a nurse leader. 2. Description of key points of the theory: Nightingale was one of the first theorist to connect the environment with the patient’s well being. Nightingale believed a persons health depended on their environment and that patients will be compliant to treatment because they wanted to be cared for and be healthy. Nightingale believed (as cited by Alligood, 2010, p. 101), â€Å"that the person was a holistic individual and thus had a spiritual dimension. She believed nursing was a spiritual calling, and with that belief she assumed that nurses could help those clients who were in spiritual distress.† She believed that the way the home, community or hospital room was kept affected the patient’s healing process. She created â€Å"13 cannons: Ventilation and warmth, light, cleanliness of rooms and walls, health of houses, noise, bed and bedding, personal cleanliness, variety, chattering hopes and advices, taking food, what food, petty management and observation of the sick† (Alligood, 2010, p.101-102) that help aid in the care of the patient and the environment to help promote good health. She also believed that nurses should be caring in nature and want to care for the ill and not for personal gain. Nightingale promoted a well balanced diet to help the patient with the healing process. 3. Theory’s historical background: Nightingale developed her passion young in life. Cook wrote (as cited by Selanders, 2010) â€Å"She records in her diary an interaction with God at age 16 when He â€Å"called her to His service†. Nightingale clarified (as cited by Alligood, 2010, p.98), â€Å"nursing knowledge is distinct from medical knowledge.† Nursing focuses on the patient and the environment to promote health where medicine focuses on disease process and medicinal use for health. In 1854-60 Nightingale cared for the wounded soldiers in the Crimean War with â€Å"emphasis on hygiene† (Attewell, 1998). During her time in the Crimean war she persuaded the education of army soldiers and doctors, which then lead to an opening of a pathology lab. She was an advocate for nursing education and clinical experience. â€Å"In 1860 founded 1st program to educate nurses in St. Thomas Hospital in London† (Alligood, 2010, p.98). In 1882 she wrote 2 articles â€Å"nurses, training of†, â€Å"nursing the sick†, they were in reference to how nursing school should be training. Let us not forget how she help analyze data she collected. â€Å"Statistics were a vital component of Nightingale’s systemic approach to health care† (McDonald, 2010). Complete the following grid based on the selected theorist information. Define each term according to the selected theorist. Explain how the selected theorist’s approach to each element of the metaparadigm applies to the following: Nursing practice Nursing education Nursing research Term Definition Applied to Nursing Practice Applied to Nursing Education Applied to Nursing Research Person According to Alligood (2010, p98), â€Å"most of Nightingale’s writings refer to the person as the one who is receiving care, she did believe that the person is a dynamic and complex being†. The one whose health is affected by the environment. The patient allows the nurse to provide care and help promote a healthier environment. McDonald noted (as cited by Hegge, 2013) â€Å"Nightingale realized that working-class women needed education to become competent nurses, so she began designing educational elements that would later be used in the Nightingale School of Nursing.† Nightingale’s research and data collection was done for the benefit of the patient. Creating evidence based practices. Health According to Alligood (2010, p 98) Nightingale wrote, â€Å"Health is not only to be well, but to be able to use well every power we have.†Ã‚  Nightingale created the 13 canons to help promote health. Getting patients back to their functioning status before they fell ill. Nightingale promoted patient health education, especially in the young women so her children could be healthy. Nightingale statistical expertise help make changes to improve a patients care and overall health. Nursing Whall noted (as cited by Alligood, 2010, p. 99)â€Å"Nightingale saw nursing as the â€Å"science of environmental management.† Nightingale set four steps for nursing process: observation of patient’s health status, identification what needs changing in the environment, implementation of nursing care plan, reassessment of patient’s health status with documentation of all steps. Nightingale advocated for nursing education. Schools taught nurses how to observe a patient, how to alter the environment and implement changes. We report back to the physician from our assessments and reassessments. Nightingale had the hospital collecting data report data such as mortality and length of stay. The data was analyzed and then changes in practices were implemented. Environment Selanders stated (as cited by Alligood, 2010, p98) that â€Å"environment can be defined as anything that can be manipulated to place a patient in the best  possible condition for nature to act†. Placing the patient in the appropriate environment. For example, Creating a pleasant, calm, soothing and quiet environment in a nursery so babies can rest and stay healthy without distress. Schools created to help educate the future nurses. In those teachings were the â€Å"how to change, alter, or improve the patient’s immediate environment. Nightingale’s collected statistics on the environment in which the soldiers dwelled in and analyzed it creating changes. Reference: Alligood, M.R. (2010). Nursing theory: Utilization application (4th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier. pgs 98. Retreived from the UOP ebook collection. Attewell, A. (1998). Florence nightingale (1820-1910). Prospects, 28(1), 151-166. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02737786. Retrieved from the UOP online library Selanders, L. C. (2010, March). The Power of Environmental Adaptation: Florence Nightingale’s Original Theory for Nursing Practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 28(1), 81-88. doi:10.1177/0898010109360257. Retrieved from the UOP online library Hegge, M. (2013, July). Nightingale’s Environmental Theory. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(3), 211-219. doi:10.1177/0894318413489255. Retrieved from the UOP online library McDonald, L. (2010, March). Florence Nightingale Passionate Statistician. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 28(1), 92-98. doi:10.1177/0898010109358769. Retrieved from the UOP online library

Emotional Ability or Emotional Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Emotional Ability or Emotional Intelligence Essay Emotional ability or emotional intelligence is the ability to assess, identify and control the emotions of oneself. It is also the ability to recognize the impact of your own emotions upon your behavior and be aware of the emotions of others around you (Rosete, Ciracohhi, 2001). This is not always an easy task. It is a skill you have to work at constantly. Combine these sentences to make a direct comment. Since the brain tends to go into fight or flight mode quickly and easily, we have to figure out a strategy on how to think before we react. Reacting is instinctual and a way to combat an instinctual reaction is to hone your awareness of your own emotional state (Rosete, Ciracohhi, 2001). Knowing what events may trigger an emotional response will help you to be able to manage a reaction, manage your responses and move from being reactive to proactive. Several years ago I worked at a social service agency and had trouble with my supervisor. She was a chronic and consistent micromanager and always interrupted my tasks to assign another task that was menial and mundane. She would give me a project to work on and then check in on me constantly to see how it was going and how far along I had come. It drove me insane! I became so unnerved and agitated at her behavior that she provoked me to shut down and I became completely defiant. One task she gave me was so completely unnecessary that I flatly refused. I was stressed and highly emotional. I told her that task was a time waster and Im not going to do that task or anything else until she treated me with respect and stop micro managing me. I was angry, shaking and crying. She immediately went to HR and told them I was defiant, angry and verbally abusive. I knew that wasnt the case: I had just had enough. I agree to mediation with someone from the HR department whom I trusted to provide me with a fair mediation. If members of the team respect the lead negotiator, the process is manageable (lecture 8). Before the mediation, I tried to pull myself together so that I wouldnt be so emotional during the meeting. I knew I wouldnt have as much credibility if I was visibly too emotional. I tried to practice some self-management for the meeting. I wanted to focus on strategies for control of my motion and my emotional impulses (Mason, 2010). This was to no avail. I was so infuriated by the behavior of my supervisor that I completely broke down in mediation. I tried to suppress anger but it came out in my tears. I was an emotional wreck and knew that my emotions were too far gone to try and control at this point. In spite of everything, the mediation went well and we worked on some strategies that would have allowed me more freedom while giving my supervisor the assurance that the task would be done. Unbeknownst to them, I packed up and walked out at lunchtime and never returned. I knew that I would never be able to forge ahead after that day with any amount of dignity or respect after such an emotional breakdown and didnt even want to try. We all have emotions that influence our response to the world around but when employees have a high competence of emotional intelligence they have the ability to manage emotions and not let them influence their responses to their environment (Mason, 2010). People dont follow those who cant control their emotions and those kind of workers generally make for poor employees and poor leaders. References Mason, K. (2010, December 5). Why is emotional intelligence important in the business workplace? .The Thriving Small Business, 2-4. Rosete, D., Ciracohhi, J. (2001). Emotional intelligence and its relationship to workplace performance outcomes of leadership effectiveness .Leadership Organization Development Journal ,26(5), 288-296.

Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada

Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada Introduction Beer is one of the most used beverages in the world next to coffee and tea. The beer industry therefore as we can imagine is one of the biggest industries in the world with many competitors inside of the industry. It is not surprising that many different kinds of beer and a variety of brands can be found in both Italy and Canada, and both of the countries has a long history of development of brewery industry as well. In this article, we are going to compare both of the countries markets, industry condition, cultural differences, political background and so forth, all those information will be taken into consideration, and be processed to make the final decision on which county environment is more suitable and beneficial for us to invest into. Some theories are going to be applied to analyse the cultural dimensions of both countries, such as Hofstedes cultural dimensions, and SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces Model. Methodology What method do you use to compile your factbook and why? The methods i use to compile my factbook is that i are going to apply some frameworks from respected authors that are most applicable to my chosen industry (beer industry) such as Hofstede, SWOT analysis and Porters five forces. What prime theory and approaches do you draw on and why? Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Hofstede measures the cultural dimensions differences in different countries. There are five dimensions in this framework, namely the Power Distance Index (PDI), the Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Since Hofstede measures cultural dimensions, therefore it will be used in the cultural system page of the paper when the cultural aspects are discussed. SWOT Analysis SWOT is the abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an analytical framework to help summarize in a quick and concise way the risks and opportunities for a certain company, for my case the beer industry in two different countries, Canada and Italy. The SWOT analysis looks into internal factors within the company/industry/country (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors outside the company/industry/country (Opportunities and Threats). This method will eventually help us to look at the main positive, (strength and opportunities), and the negative, (weaknesses and threats), sides of both countries when comparing. Initially this should help us decide on which country would be most attractive to invest in the beer industry. For this reason, this method will be used at the end of the paper, which will give us an conclusive overview of the both countries. Porters Five Forces Model Porters five forces model argues that there are five forces in an industry to determine the extent and scale of the competition. These five forces affect the industries attractiveness. It is an efficient tool to analyse competition in the industry. In this model, five forces are the threat of substitute products or services, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the intensity of competitive rivalry, the bargaining power of customers, and the bargaining power of suppliers. The industrys attractiveness is the primary and fundamental factor to deciding the profitability, and in any industry, the rule of competition will be reflected in any of the five competitive forces. The purpose of Porters five forces is to show the attractiveness of the beer industry in both Canada and Italy and to help investors decide in which country to enter in the beer industry, besides it could help companies to develop a particular strategy in the industry, and this theory might be used in chapter whic h deals with market / industry conditions. What method of data collection and analysis do you use and why? The methods i use to collect my data are searching my universitys library modules for useful academic articles and using a mix of articles from authors known through literature and the Theory Tutorials for my Comparative Country Studies course. Of course, the reliable information on Internet is also consulted as additional sources, and i have also analyzed the annual report of the company. The beer industry of Italy and Canada In this section, relevant market conditions that apply to the Italian and Canadian beer sector will be explained. The market can be separated according to different factors like size and attractiveness as well. If we divide the market according the different market shares which individual brewery holds, we can see that there are several main player in the beer industry in both of the countries. Italy Italy is famous for its wines, however, it is not well-known for its own beer. Generally speaking, Italy doesnt consume nearly as much beer as its European neighbour, however, there is a growing trend of consumption for beer in Italy, the beer in Italy is not as widespread as in its European neighbours, mainly because there is a historical preference for wine in the country. Italian breweries have undergone a Renaissance in recent years. In fact, only in the past few years, Italy has started having beer drinking and tasting competitions and many related festivals. Normally, this sort of activity is reserved for wine, however, nowadays beer is earning more and more respect from wine-preferred Italians, and even many young Italians prefer to support their countrys beer industry rather than the wine industry now, still, the Italian beer industry has much space to grow and be developed. There are some brands of beer in Italy, one of the oldest and most recognized breweries is Birra Peroni, which was established in 1846 and the headquarter of Peroni is in Rome. Peronis most famous product is a pilsner-style beer. Nastro Azzuro, which is also one of the few Italian beers that marketed all over the world, Nastro Azzuro, is a rather light style beer, many breweries are crafting darker, heavier beers that are rousing interest from new and experienced beer drinkers alike. In addition to those giant breweries, there are many microbreweries in Italy, and they play a important role and have a great portion of the market as well. A microbrewery particularly gains attention from young Italians is Birrificio Baladin, the brewery appeals to young generation through quirky advertisements and sponsoring international music festivals and young Italians think theres room in the global beer market for some of their most outstanding brews. Canada Traditionally, Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew and it is now a part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, which is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, with the purchase of Sleeman Breweries, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls about 5.5% of the Canadian market. Country comparison Macro-economic indicators Economy Canada population 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.). Italy population 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.). Economic freedom Canada world rank 6. Economic freedom Italy world rank 87. Finance Financial freedom for Canada: 80.0. Financial freedom in Italy 60.0 Canada investment freedom 75.0. Italy investment freedom 75.0. Canada Economy -GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) $ 1.335 trillion (2010 est.). Country comparison to the world: 15. $1.297 trillion (2009 est.) $1.33 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP Per capita (PPP) $39,600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 $38,700 (2009 est.) $40,000 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 0.3% (2009 est.) Italy Economy -GDP (PPP) $1.782 trillion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $1.763 trillion (2009 est.) $1.857 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP per capita (PPP) $30,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43 $30,300 (2009 est.) $31,900 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 0.8% (2009 est.) Historical developments Italy Beer is known and drank in Italy very long time ago, Italians brewed and consumed the blond drink. It said that Roman Emperor Agricola was a fan of beer when he was the governor of Britannia, and in 83 AD Roman Emperor Agricola raised to the imperial throne and came back to Italy, he took three master brewers with him from Glevum of which the ancient name Gloucester and opened the first real pub in Italy. Nowadays beer is especially loved by young people in Italy, which has been seen as an informal drink, compared to the wine which is alway used in much more formal places. Aperitif and wine tasting have now gained back to wine many casual drinkers, however, until a few years ago, young Italians actually drank more beer than wine. Pub-styled bars are still very popular in Italy and they have spread the love for the more exotic brands of beer: many of them serve Japanese, German, Australian and East European beers along with the more known ones brewed in the UK and Belgium. At least one bottle of Birra cinese (Chinese beer) is served on every table of every Chinese restaurant. Canada Beer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making and storing beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. Over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry: John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith inHalifax in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene OKeefe in Toronto in 1891. The very first patent to be issued by the Canadian government on July 6, 1842, was to one G. Riley for an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and other maltliquors. Prohibition in Canada did not last as long as in the U.S. and was largely over by the mid 1920s (apart from Prince Edward Island, where it ran from 1901 to 1948). Nevertheless, it had a similar effect of leaving very few brewers, and it was only in the late twentieth century that there has been a revival and microbreweries have started. Brewpubs are still illegal in some provinces. Cultural system Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions of Italy and Canada Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Italy Higher More collective More masculine Strong Canada Lower More individualistic More feminine Weak Power distance Canada is lower on the Hofstedes power distance index than Italy, Italy falls in the middle on the index overall. Italian seems to expect differences in power between people. Canadas Power Distance (PDI) is relatively low, with an index of 39, compared to a world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment. Individualism The more collective nature of Italy compared to Canada can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years. Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant. Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out for themselves and their close family members. Masculinity Italy is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher on this index than Canada. Many Italian men still treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still small and few are in upper echelon positions. Italian household are the sole domain of women; Italian women for the most part cook, clean and care for the children. Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy. However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take time to appreciate the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture. Therefore i assume that beer as a informal beverage, it is more popular under this kind of cultural background rather than more formal cultural background countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy avoids uncertainly more strongly than Canada. By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. Political/Government System Beer or malt liquor, is defined as all fermented liquor brewed in whole or in part from malt for the purposes of the Excise Act, grain or any saccharine matter without any process of distillation, but does not include wine. Italian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Alcohol Duty Beer (5% ABV or 12ËÅ ¡ Plato) 0.12Â £ per pint Wine (bottle 11.5% ABV) 0.00Â £ per 75 cl As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer in Italy, which contains following level of duty. Italy is a member of the European Union, therefore it shares the Common External Tariff regime. EU duties are charged by the Italian Customs Agency on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the product imported into Italy. The Alcohol Act (2001) bans TV and radio advertising of alcoholic products between 4PM and 9PM and prohibits alcohol advertisements from being shown on TV within 15 minutes before or after any childrens programs. The Act also requires a self-regulatory code to be provided jointly by media companies, advertising agencies and advertisers to govern alcohol advertising. For the legal drinking age, there is no minimum age of legal drinking. And the legal purchasing age of alcohol is 16 and 18. South Tyrol prohibits both serving and purchase for people under the age of 18 and to everybody in a state of inebriation. Milan has enforced a ban on those under 16 purchasing alcohol. Heavy fines are given to proprieters and parents if a transaction is completed. Canadian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Beer Duty Up to 1.2% alcohol $2.591/hectolitre 1.2% to 2.5% alcohol $13.990/hectolitre Over 2.5% alcohol $27.985/hectolitre As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer, which contains following level of duty: (1) more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; (2) more than 1.2% but not more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; and (3) less than 1.2% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, and for all beer containing more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, the rate of excise duty is currently $27.985 per hectolitre. However, excise duties are not imposed on beer provided it is brewed by a person for personal or family use or to be given away without charge and is not for sale commercially. Canadian government showed how highly they value beer production and its breweries by lowering the taxes exercised on beer production. This is a benefit to the industry. As one of the leaders of the whole economy of Canada, the beer sector is likely to maintain these tax benefits and other benefits might be offered as well to the beer sector to develop the Canadian beer industry. In Canada, alcohol was taxed pursuant to the Excise Act previously. However, a new regime in Canada for the federal taxation of certain alcohol, including spirits and wines, was introduced in the Excise Act, 2001, which was implemented effective July 1, 2003. Excise duties on beer (and malt liquor) continue to be imposed under the Excise Act. Generally, different excise duty treatment applies to alcohol for non-beverage use. A licence is required authorizing certain alcohol operations under both the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Act. For beer, a licence is only required under the Excise Act for the commercial operation as a brewery, for example, the place where beer is manufactured. All brewery licensees are required to post and maintain security with the Canadian government. The amount of security is set at a minimum of $5,000. Generally, beer is subject to an excise duty that is imposed and becomes payable during the production process. The legal drinking and purchasing age in Canada are both 19. However, In some areas such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, underage drinking under parental supervision is permitted, with some restrictions, on ones own property in the provinces of New Brunswick andOntario and at home in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. InBritish Columbia, only children of the supervising parents, not any other minors such as guests, are allowed underage drinking. Consumption of alcohol in another persons home is subject to other laws. Major players The brewing industry had become extremely concentrated in Canada by the 1970s, being dominated by just three major companies, which are Molson, Labatt, and Carling-OKeefe. Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson as we mentioned in the previous overview of industry condition of both countries. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew which is now part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, and it is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls small portion of the Canadian market. Italy hosts a few breweries, with the largest owned by the best known Italian and foreign brands. Peronis brewery produces the best known Italian beer: la Peroni. Peroni also produces the premium beer Mastro Azzurro and the brands WÃ ¼hrer, and lesser known Raffo. Heineken Italy brews its famous Heineken, but has also acquired the brands Moretti, Ichnusa, Birra Messina and Dreher. Carslberg owns a few brewerys in Northern and Central Italy. In Northern Italy, Forst brews its own branded beer as well as the famed Menabrea. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the latest brand of Italian beer Birra Castello, has been active since 1997. Along with these big players, there are lots of microbreweries small scale breweries that produce small quantities of beer, they also have premium quality. Major finding of comparison and recommendations Making a decision in which country to invest is not so easy, because of all those different variances in both of the counties, some of the variances are strength for Canada, however, some of them are favorable for Italy. In the first place, the tax rates between Canada and Italy differ. In Canada the rates are relatively lower than in Italy due to the fact that the tax level is relatively high in the European context. In addition to this, the Canadian government reduced taxes even more to benefit Canadian brewers. Secondly, when a look is taken at macroeconomic indicators like GDP per capita we see that Canada is a bit more favorable. However, since this differences are so small, both of the countries that we have chosen are developed countries, and GDP per capita which above certain level has a relatively weak influence on the consumption of beer. Therefore, this factor is not likely to have a significant influences on the desicion of investment in the countries. Thirdly, the population above legal drinking age in the markets has been calculated starting from the age at which alcohol consumption is allowed. This would mean that we start counting the population starting from 18 years old in Italy (some area start from 16 years old) and 19 years old in Canada. We find that the relative amount of people able to purchase and consume alcohol in Italy is larger than in Canada, because the whole population is larger in Italy than in Canada, and the population of legal drinking age are also higher in Italy than in Canada, therefore, the potential market in Italy are larger than in Canada. Lastly, when comparing markets according to its players and their market shares we find that Canada has a more concentrated market with high market share large players and many small players. Italy on the other hand has two old players with a high share and one smaller player while the rest of the market consists of really small players. It would therefore be an advantage to invest in the Italian market; trying to gain and increase a market share because of the fact that there are many foreign players already play very important roles in the Canadian market, Molson Coors Brewing company and Anheuser-Busch InBev have a market share of 42,70 and 42,20 percent respectively. Third place is hold by Moosehead Brewing company with a share of 5,90 percent. These three main players hold 90,8 percent of the market in total by volume. Taking all those facts into consideration, i would say that Italy would be the country that we are going to invest in. As we explained above, we analysed both countries SWOT, for Italy, the strength is market size, the weakness is relatively higher tax rate on alcohol, and the opportunities is that there are only two big old players and some extreme small players, gaining or increasing a share is relatively easy, and the market of Italy are more potential, because Italy still on the growing phase of beer industry. Moreover, since the age allowed to drink in Italy starting from the age of 18 and in some areas are even lower to 16, and with more population in Italy, therefore the market is bigger in Italy than in Canada. In addition, nowadays the Italian government highly values the Italian beer industry due to the impact on its economy and therefore taxes are getting lower and lower. And the threats of Italy is that new public policy may harm the beer industry, such as the advertising policy we mentioned before which bans the ads of alcohol in specific period of time on TV. Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada Introduction Beer is one of the most used beverages in the world next to coffee and tea. The beer industry therefore as we can imagine is one of the biggest industries in the world with many competitors inside of the industry. It is not surprising that many different kinds of beer and a variety of brands can be found in both Italy and Canada, and both of the countries has a long history of development of brewery industry as well. In this article, we are going to compare both of the countries markets, industry condition, cultural differences, political background and so forth, all those information will be taken into consideration, and be processed to make the final decision on which county environment is more suitable and beneficial for us to invest into. Some theories are going to be applied to analyse the cultural dimensions of both countries, such as Hofstedes cultural dimensions, and SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces Model. Methodology What method do you use to compile your factbook and why? The methods i use to compile my factbook is that i are going to apply some frameworks from respected authors that are most applicable to my chosen industry (beer industry) such as Hofstede, SWOT analysis and Porters five forces. What prime theory and approaches do you draw on and why? Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Hofstede measures the cultural dimensions differences in different countries. There are five dimensions in this framework, namely the Power Distance Index (PDI), the Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Since Hofstede measures cultural dimensions, therefore it will be used in the cultural system page of the paper when the cultural aspects are discussed. SWOT Analysis SWOT is the abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an analytical framework to help summarize in a quick and concise way the risks and opportunities for a certain company, for my case the beer industry in two different countries, Canada and Italy. The SWOT analysis looks into internal factors within the company/industry/country (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors outside the company/industry/country (Opportunities and Threats). This method will eventually help us to look at the main positive, (strength and opportunities), and the negative, (weaknesses and threats), sides of both countries when comparing. Initially this should help us decide on which country would be most attractive to invest in the beer industry. For this reason, this method will be used at the end of the paper, which will give us an conclusive overview of the both countries. Porters Five Forces Model Porters five forces model argues that there are five forces in an industry to determine the extent and scale of the competition. These five forces affect the industries attractiveness. It is an efficient tool to analyse competition in the industry. In this model, five forces are the threat of substitute products or services, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the intensity of competitive rivalry, the bargaining power of customers, and the bargaining power of suppliers. The industrys attractiveness is the primary and fundamental factor to deciding the profitability, and in any industry, the rule of competition will be reflected in any of the five competitive forces. The purpose of Porters five forces is to show the attractiveness of the beer industry in both Canada and Italy and to help investors decide in which country to enter in the beer industry, besides it could help companies to develop a particular strategy in the industry, and this theory might be used in chapter whic h deals with market / industry conditions. What method of data collection and analysis do you use and why? The methods i use to collect my data are searching my universitys library modules for useful academic articles and using a mix of articles from authors known through literature and the Theory Tutorials for my Comparative Country Studies course. Of course, the reliable information on Internet is also consulted as additional sources, and i have also analyzed the annual report of the company. The beer industry of Italy and Canada In this section, relevant market conditions that apply to the Italian and Canadian beer sector will be explained. The market can be separated according to different factors like size and attractiveness as well. If we divide the market according the different market shares which individual brewery holds, we can see that there are several main player in the beer industry in both of the countries. Italy Italy is famous for its wines, however, it is not well-known for its own beer. Generally speaking, Italy doesnt consume nearly as much beer as its European neighbour, however, there is a growing trend of consumption for beer in Italy, the beer in Italy is not as widespread as in its European neighbours, mainly because there is a historical preference for wine in the country. Italian breweries have undergone a Renaissance in recent years. In fact, only in the past few years, Italy has started having beer drinking and tasting competitions and many related festivals. Normally, this sort of activity is reserved for wine, however, nowadays beer is earning more and more respect from wine-preferred Italians, and even many young Italians prefer to support their countrys beer industry rather than the wine industry now, still, the Italian beer industry has much space to grow and be developed. There are some brands of beer in Italy, one of the oldest and most recognized breweries is Birra Peroni, which was established in 1846 and the headquarter of Peroni is in Rome. Peronis most famous product is a pilsner-style beer. Nastro Azzuro, which is also one of the few Italian beers that marketed all over the world, Nastro Azzuro, is a rather light style beer, many breweries are crafting darker, heavier beers that are rousing interest from new and experienced beer drinkers alike. In addition to those giant breweries, there are many microbreweries in Italy, and they play a important role and have a great portion of the market as well. A microbrewery particularly gains attention from young Italians is Birrificio Baladin, the brewery appeals to young generation through quirky advertisements and sponsoring international music festivals and young Italians think theres room in the global beer market for some of their most outstanding brews. Canada Traditionally, Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew and it is now a part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, which is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, with the purchase of Sleeman Breweries, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls about 5.5% of the Canadian market. Country comparison Macro-economic indicators Economy Canada population 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.). Italy population 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.). Economic freedom Canada world rank 6. Economic freedom Italy world rank 87. Finance Financial freedom for Canada: 80.0. Financial freedom in Italy 60.0 Canada investment freedom 75.0. Italy investment freedom 75.0. Canada Economy -GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) $ 1.335 trillion (2010 est.). Country comparison to the world: 15. $1.297 trillion (2009 est.) $1.33 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP Per capita (PPP) $39,600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 $38,700 (2009 est.) $40,000 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 0.3% (2009 est.) Italy Economy -GDP (PPP) $1.782 trillion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $1.763 trillion (2009 est.) $1.857 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP per capita (PPP) $30,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43 $30,300 (2009 est.) $31,900 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 0.8% (2009 est.) Historical developments Italy Beer is known and drank in Italy very long time ago, Italians brewed and consumed the blond drink. It said that Roman Emperor Agricola was a fan of beer when he was the governor of Britannia, and in 83 AD Roman Emperor Agricola raised to the imperial throne and came back to Italy, he took three master brewers with him from Glevum of which the ancient name Gloucester and opened the first real pub in Italy. Nowadays beer is especially loved by young people in Italy, which has been seen as an informal drink, compared to the wine which is alway used in much more formal places. Aperitif and wine tasting have now gained back to wine many casual drinkers, however, until a few years ago, young Italians actually drank more beer than wine. Pub-styled bars are still very popular in Italy and they have spread the love for the more exotic brands of beer: many of them serve Japanese, German, Australian and East European beers along with the more known ones brewed in the UK and Belgium. At least one bottle of Birra cinese (Chinese beer) is served on every table of every Chinese restaurant. Canada Beer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making and storing beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. Over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry: John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith inHalifax in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene OKeefe in Toronto in 1891. The very first patent to be issued by the Canadian government on July 6, 1842, was to one G. Riley for an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and other maltliquors. Prohibition in Canada did not last as long as in the U.S. and was largely over by the mid 1920s (apart from Prince Edward Island, where it ran from 1901 to 1948). Nevertheless, it had a similar effect of leaving very few brewers, and it was only in the late twentieth century that there has been a revival and microbreweries have started. Brewpubs are still illegal in some provinces. Cultural system Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions of Italy and Canada Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Italy Higher More collective More masculine Strong Canada Lower More individualistic More feminine Weak Power distance Canada is lower on the Hofstedes power distance index than Italy, Italy falls in the middle on the index overall. Italian seems to expect differences in power between people. Canadas Power Distance (PDI) is relatively low, with an index of 39, compared to a world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment. Individualism The more collective nature of Italy compared to Canada can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years. Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant. Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out for themselves and their close family members. Masculinity Italy is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher on this index than Canada. Many Italian men still treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still small and few are in upper echelon positions. Italian household are the sole domain of women; Italian women for the most part cook, clean and care for the children. Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy. However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take time to appreciate the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture. Therefore i assume that beer as a informal beverage, it is more popular under this kind of cultural background rather than more formal cultural background countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy avoids uncertainly more strongly than Canada. By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. Political/Government System Beer or malt liquor, is defined as all fermented liquor brewed in whole or in part from malt for the purposes of the Excise Act, grain or any saccharine matter without any process of distillation, but does not include wine. Italian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Alcohol Duty Beer (5% ABV or 12ËÅ ¡ Plato) 0.12Â £ per pint Wine (bottle 11.5% ABV) 0.00Â £ per 75 cl As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer in Italy, which contains following level of duty. Italy is a member of the European Union, therefore it shares the Common External Tariff regime. EU duties are charged by the Italian Customs Agency on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the product imported into Italy. The Alcohol Act (2001) bans TV and radio advertising of alcoholic products between 4PM and 9PM and prohibits alcohol advertisements from being shown on TV within 15 minutes before or after any childrens programs. The Act also requires a self-regulatory code to be provided jointly by media companies, advertising agencies and advertisers to govern alcohol advertising. For the legal drinking age, there is no minimum age of legal drinking. And the legal purchasing age of alcohol is 16 and 18. South Tyrol prohibits both serving and purchase for people under the age of 18 and to everybody in a state of inebriation. Milan has enforced a ban on those under 16 purchasing alcohol. Heavy fines are given to proprieters and parents if a transaction is completed. Canadian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Beer Duty Up to 1.2% alcohol $2.591/hectolitre 1.2% to 2.5% alcohol $13.990/hectolitre Over 2.5% alcohol $27.985/hectolitre As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer, which contains following level of duty: (1) more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; (2) more than 1.2% but not more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; and (3) less than 1.2% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, and for all beer containing more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, the rate of excise duty is currently $27.985 per hectolitre. However, excise duties are not imposed on beer provided it is brewed by a person for personal or family use or to be given away without charge and is not for sale commercially. Canadian government showed how highly they value beer production and its breweries by lowering the taxes exercised on beer production. This is a benefit to the industry. As one of the leaders of the whole economy of Canada, the beer sector is likely to maintain these tax benefits and other benefits might be offered as well to the beer sector to develop the Canadian beer industry. In Canada, alcohol was taxed pursuant to the Excise Act previously. However, a new regime in Canada for the federal taxation of certain alcohol, including spirits and wines, was introduced in the Excise Act, 2001, which was implemented effective July 1, 2003. Excise duties on beer (and malt liquor) continue to be imposed under the Excise Act. Generally, different excise duty treatment applies to alcohol for non-beverage use. A licence is required authorizing certain alcohol operations under both the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Act. For beer, a licence is only required under the Excise Act for the commercial operation as a brewery, for example, the place where beer is manufactured. All brewery licensees are required to post and maintain security with the Canadian government. The amount of security is set at a minimum of $5,000. Generally, beer is subject to an excise duty that is imposed and becomes payable during the production process. The legal drinking and purchasing age in Canada are both 19. However, In some areas such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, underage drinking under parental supervision is permitted, with some restrictions, on ones own property in the provinces of New Brunswick andOntario and at home in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. InBritish Columbia, only children of the supervising parents, not any other minors such as guests, are allowed underage drinking. Consumption of alcohol in another persons home is subject to other laws. Major players The brewing industry had become extremely concentrated in Canada by the 1970s, being dominated by just three major companies, which are Molson, Labatt, and Carling-OKeefe. Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson as we mentioned in the previous overview of industry condition of both countries. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew which is now part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, and it is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls small portion of the Canadian market. Italy hosts a few breweries, with the largest owned by the best known Italian and foreign brands. Peronis brewery produces the best known Italian beer: la Peroni. Peroni also produces the premium beer Mastro Azzurro and the brands WÃ ¼hrer, and lesser known Raffo. Heineken Italy brews its famous Heineken, but has also acquired the brands Moretti, Ichnusa, Birra Messina and Dreher. Carslberg owns a few brewerys in Northern and Central Italy. In Northern Italy, Forst brews its own branded beer as well as the famed Menabrea. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the latest brand of Italian beer Birra Castello, has been active since 1997. Along with these big players, there are lots of microbreweries small scale breweries that produce small quantities of beer, they also have premium quality. Major finding of comparison and recommendations Making a decision in which country to invest is not so easy, because of all those different variances in both of the counties, some of the variances are strength for Canada, however, some of them are favorable for Italy. In the first place, the tax rates between Canada and Italy differ. In Canada the rates are relatively lower than in Italy due to the fact that the tax level is relatively high in the European context. In addition to this, the Canadian government reduced taxes even more to benefit Canadian brewers. Secondly, when a look is taken at macroeconomic indicators like GDP per capita we see that Canada is a bit more favorable. However, since this differences are so small, both of the countries that we have chosen are developed countries, and GDP per capita which above certain level has a relatively weak influence on the consumption of beer. Therefore, this factor is not likely to have a significant influences on the desicion of investment in the countries. Thirdly, the population above legal drinking age in the markets has been calculated starting from the age at which alcohol consumption is allowed. This would mean that we start counting the population starting from 18 years old in Italy (some area start from 16 years old) and 19 years old in Canada. We find that the relative amount of people able to purchase and consume alcohol in Italy is larger than in Canada, because the whole population is larger in Italy than in Canada, and the population of legal drinking age are also higher in Italy than in Canada, therefore, the potential market in Italy are larger than in Canada. Lastly, when comparing markets according to its players and their market shares we find that Canada has a more concentrated market with high market share large players and many small players. Italy on the other hand has two old players with a high share and one smaller player while the rest of the market consists of really small players. It would therefore be an advantage to invest in the Italian market; trying to gain and increase a market share because of the fact that there are many foreign players already play very important roles in the Canadian market, Molson Coors Brewing company and Anheuser-Busch InBev have a market share of 42,70 and 42,20 percent respectively. Third place is hold by Moosehead Brewing company with a share of 5,90 percent. These three main players hold 90,8 percent of the market in total by volume. Taking all those facts into consideration, i would say that Italy would be the country that we are going to invest in. As we explained above, we analysed both countries SWOT, for Italy, the strength is market size, the weakness is relatively higher tax rate on alcohol, and the opportunities is that there are only two big old players and some extreme small players, gaining or increasing a share is relatively easy, and the market of Italy are more potential, because Italy still on the growing phase of beer industry. Moreover, since the age allowed to drink in Italy starting from the age of 18 and in some areas are even lower to 16, and with more population in Italy, therefore the market is bigger in Italy than in Canada. In addition, nowadays the Italian government highly values the Italian beer industry due to the impact on its economy and therefore taxes are getting lower and lower. And the threats of Italy is that new public policy may harm the beer industry, such as the advertising policy we mentioned before which bans the ads of alcohol in specific period of time on TV.

Graduation Speech: The Importance of Loving God :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I've had a great time these past four years of high school. I've had a lot of fun with my class. We have many memories together. The basketball games, the parties, and all the fund-raisers for worthy causes. And, we've all been really busy with our own individual lives, and I know that will never change. But, on top of my busy schedule, I've learned something. And right now I want to tell you the most important I've learned. I've learned it doesn't matter what our day to day lives entail. Whether it's doing homework or studying, working or singing, being the Strawberry Queen, playing tennis or playing piano, or even doing karate. What's most important is loving God! Because, you see, the memories fade away and the friends move away, we all know that, but God is always constant. Psalm 90 verse 2 says, "Even from everlasting to everlasting, He is God." I know I haven't experienced as much as many of you have and I know I have a lot to learn. But, nothing I learn matters as much as my relationship with God. And a lot of you might say, "Michelle, you do a lot for God. You've been on mission trips and you're on the leadership team at your church." You could even say that the Senior Class has done a lot for God. Some teach Sunday school at their church, a few help lead worship with music, and some run sound. These are all wonderful. But that doesn't matter. What matters is what's in here. What's in your heart. All the other things are additions. I once read a quote that says, "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." You know that may be true. But let me give you an even greater truth. The man who lives his live without Christ has wasted eternity. And that is a deadly and dangerous game to play. But you know what? Those who live for God have the hope of eternity to look forward to. Because God has given us a free gift. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Class of 2006, I want to challenge you. The ultimate truth is that our focus should be on God and not on this world. And always make sure that people can see God through you.

America Does NOT Need Gun Control Essay -- Argument Paper Argumentativ

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years, a great amount of effort and money has been spent on legislation regarding gun control. Gun control advocates maintained that increased gun control could reduce the soaring crime rates found in cities across America. However, most of the arguments used for gun control are the result of careful manipulation of data and emotional appeal. These â€Å"myths† are twisted by our liberal media until they are seen as the truth. However, despite the claims of gun control activists, gun control does not reduce crime, it only leaves law abiding citizens increasingly vulnerable to violent crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One common claim of gun control advocates is that gun control in foreign countries, notably Great Britain, is responsible for their lower crime rates. They present statistics showing that Britain has lower murder rates than America, but skip some other interesting information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, the gun control methods used in Britain include searches and other checks found unconstitutional in America. Also, the British are far more successful than Americans in prosecuting criminals. For instance, 20% of robberies reported in London end in conviction, compared to only 5% in New York City (Ten Myths 5).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a broader sense, consider that despite the fact that in a typical year about 8.1 million violent crimes will be committed in America, only 724 thousand will be arrested. Of those, only 150 thousand will receive prison sentences, and over 36 thousand will serve less than one year terms. The biggest problem in America is our revolving door justice system (Ten Myths 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite the efficiency of British investigative procedures, the British armed robbery rate has never been less than twice the highest recorded before the gun control laws took effect in 1920. In fact, over the last twelve years, the British armed robbery rate has increased an astonishing 300% while the American rate has dropped (Ten Myths 5). Also, from 1930 to 1975, the British murder rate has increased 50% while the American murder rate rose 30%. Another foreign nation, Jamaica, totally prohibited gun ownership in 1974. By 1980, Jamaica’s gun murder rate was six times that of Washington D.C., which has the highest rate of any American city. However, Switzerland, Israel, Denmark and Finland, all of whom have a higher gun ownership rate than America, all have lower crim... ...educe crime. I. Introduction II. â€Å"Myths of Gun Control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Foreign gun control works   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Gun control reduces â€Å"crimes of passion†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Criminals do not fear armed citizens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D. Guns contribute to crime   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E. Criminals are constitutionally exempt from gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F. American favor gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  G. Police support gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  H. Registry is a harmless aspect of gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I. Gun control reduces crime III. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Solutions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Final analysis and personal observations WORKS CITED Bender, David ed. Would Gun Control Reduce Crime? St. Paul: Greenhaven Press, 1984. Matza, Michael. â€Å"Do more guns mean less crime? No point blank answers† Philadelphia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enquirer 31 May, 2007. NCPA Crime Summary. Available (Online) http://www.arcrafts.com/think/Essays/NCPA Crime.html. 4 April 2007. Pratt, Larry. â€Å"Concealed guns save lives.† USA Today. 26 April, 2007. natl. ed. Rogers, Bill. â€Å"Gun Locks Go Faster Than Police Can Hand Them Out.† Naples Daily News. 27   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March, 2006, natl. ed. Ten Myths About â€Å"Gun Control.† Available (Online)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.arcrafts.com/think/Essays/Ten.html. 4 April 2007.

Essay example --

Lynn Armstrong Composition II Illustration Essay 11 March, 2014 O Captain! My Captain! Walt Whitman was a 19th century American poet who changed the rules for writing poetry. He is one of my favorite poets because he was bold enough to openly talk about sexuality and same sex couples in his works during a time where such things were looked down upon and even banned. He also aided the nation to understand and face the grief they felt after the loss of a respectable and loved authority figure. With O Captain My Captain, Walt Whitman captures the contrasting duality of the times; both triumphant and mournful in nature. Of all of his colorful, imaginative poems this one in particular resonates with me because the poet's heartbreak is so real and apparent in the poem's somber and pleading tone. This poem begins energetically, in the first couplet although it does not introduce you directly to the subject of the poem. What we know is that a ship commanded by an unnamed captain has come back from a voyage, which has apparently been dreadful. (Terrinino) I can perfectly imagine the ship being meant to symbolize America during the Civil War and the damage caused by it. Also, the prize that was won is obviously the victory of the Civil War. While in the second couplet, "The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:". This passage comes off particularly enjoyable to me because it talks about the men finally coming home from the war and the enthusiasm that awaits them when they get home. It has been a long, perilous journey for the soldiers. I don't have to try to imagine that they are excited about finally being able to be reunited with their families because ... ...es the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring; But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills, For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding, For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! The arm beneath your head! It is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won; Exult O shores, and ring O bells! But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

Integration of Evidence-Based Practice Into Professional Nursing Practice Essay

In this paper we will discuss the integration of evidence based practice into professional nursing practice. Scott & McSherry (2008) define evidence based practice as the combination of individual, clinical, or professional expertise with the best available external evidence to produce practice that is most likely to lead to positive outcomes for a patient. Despite literature surrounding what evidence based nursing is and isn’t, nurses struggle to get evidence into practice. Many reasons have been reported including a lack of understanding about evidence based nursing means. Scott & McSherry (2008) also define evidence based nursing is a process by which nurses make clinical decisions using the best available research evidence, their clinical expertise and patient outcomes. We will also discuss nursing’s simultaneous reliance on and critique of EBP in the context of critical reasoning. There will also be discussion of a study done that examined the effects of integrating evidence based practice into clinical practicum among RN-BSN students and the limitations of evidence based practice and an alternate view of decision making. Lastly we will discuss evidence that challenges the traditional practice regarding injection sites (Cocoman & Murray 2010). According to Guem et al. (2010) evidenced based practice is a problem solving approach to clinical care that incorporates the conscious us of the current best available evidence, a clinician’s expertise, and the patient values. Evidence for evidence based practice does not always rely on research findings. Sources used can include research findings, clinical experience, quality improvement data, logical reasoning, recognized authority, and client satisfaction, situation, experience, and value (Leddy & Pepper 2008 p. 66). On the contrary evidence based nursing is essential because of its potential to save time and money and improve patient outcomes by decreasing costs, through standardizing and streamlining costs (Scott & McSherry 2008). It is important o understand the difference between evidence based practice and evidence based nursing because at times they are used interchangeably. Scott & McSherry (2008) state that the nursing practice has welcomed EBP but when it comes to EBN, it is still yet to come reality because the concept is much unsophisticated and can lead to problems associated with its use and misuse. EBN is merely a construct and has yet to be successfully implemented (Scott & McSherry 2008). In essence the dilemma with EBN is that we don’t really know the definition of nursing. Although there are problems with the definition we know that clinical judgment is one of the major concepts used in nursing thus it reinforces the notion of EBP and ultimately EBP. To advance the profession and ensure solid standards of practice, we should look beyond evidence based practice, while useful in implementation it is just one of many other component parts (Jutel 2008). Evidence based practice is like the new black in nursing practice and already occupies a prominent position, several international nursing organizations support its use as a strategic action in the advancement of the profession. Despite the emphasis on EBP, there is also a strong opposition to it, not with the actual use of EBP being a problem but with the fundamentals on which it stands. These arguments complain of the veracity of the criteria used in EBP which simultaneously undermines and cannot support EBP (Jutel 2008). If it had not been for the cultural turn which recognized that things are not always as they seem or that power, society, and culture contribute as much as science to generating knowledge, the debate about EBP would have never surfaced (Jutel 2008). Although nurses argue against EBP, they lack important tools necessary to replace EBP. â€Å"Nursing education places high value on authority and adherence to clinical protocols, rather than on skills† (Jutel, 2008. P. 419). Opponents of EBP suggests that development of clinical practice guidelines, critical care pathways, and protocols may actually interfere and entice practitioners to develop somewhat of a cookbook recipe attitude to client care (Leddy & Pepper 2010). With quality improvement being rooted in industrial production, perhaps standardization may not be as desirable because patients have unique needs and characteristics the may be overlooked when adhering to strict clinical practice guidelines. Nursing adopts a devoted and somewhat naive trust when assessing information, we are quick to accept the truths of a peer reviewed article, drug company propaganda, and quick to accept an argument on inconsistencies of EBP. The tools EBP claims to own, are incredibly useful, however, are not tools of EBP; they are critical skills of information appraisal. As evidence based practice rapidly replaces the traditional paradigm of healthcare decision making, health care members have an obligation to access knowledge, apply it in practice, and lead others to use it appropriately (Geum et al. 010 p. 387). For example RN-BSN programs; these are adult students who have clinical knowledge and skill, structured background and educational preparation and employment experience but have not taken a formal research course, thus they show less confidence to include evidence based practice in their practices because these are courses that are not common outside a baccalaureate curriculum. To examine the effectiveness of the integration of EBP into a clinical practicum a study was done among Korean RN-BSN students. The main goals were to enhance students’ competencies for EBP knowledge skills and attitudes and to expose students to opportunities that would encourage the use of best evidence (Geum et al. 2008). Each student was instructed to define patients nursing problems for their individually assigned patient and to formulate nursing problems using the EBP question format, PICO, which we discussed earlier in the semester, to select the nursing intervention for the problems posed. Before the EBP practicum, the overall and individual scores for EBP efficacy among RN-BSN students indicated that students were â€Å"a little confident† regarding the EBP process (Geum et al. 2008, p. 389). Results of this study indicate that integration of EBP into an RN-BSN clinical practicum had a positive effect on EBP efficacy and decreased barriers to research utilization among students in Korea, which also corroborates with studies conducted in other countries. Evidence based practice is a learned set of skills thus critical thinking is vital in developing evidence based nursing practice (Geum et al. 2008). Regardless if the evidence on complications, nurses in clinical settings still continue to use and instruct nursing students on the use of dorsogluteal injection sites as the site of choice for intramuscular injections (Cocoman & Murray 2010). So, where should an intramuscular (IM) injection be given? Nurses have traditionally used the dorsogluteal, but recent literature has advocated the ventrogluteal site. Choosing sites has been a matter of personal preference, rather than the results of evidence based practice. Slow uptake of medications, major nerves and blood vessels present make this site problematic. A British study suggests â€Å"as previous studies have shown the low efficacy of gluteal intramuscular injections, this route should be avoided for most drugs† (Cocoman & Murray, 2010. P. 1171). As the sciatic nerve lies only a few centimeters from the injection site, injuries pose a significant threat, making the need for accurately identifying landmarks especially important. An alternative site is the ventrogluteal, seen by many as the preferred site. This site provides the greatest thickness of gluteal muscle and is free from penetrating nerves and blood vessels (Cocoman & Murray 2010). Despite evidence favoring the ventrogluteal site, nurses are slow to use it, relying on the much taught and used dorsogluteal site. â€Å"Studies show that only 12% of American nursing staff uses the ventrogluteal site† (Cocoman & Murray 2010. P. 1172). Studies suggest that some reasons the site is not used is because of nurses’ unfamiliarity in locating the site and potential needle stick injury. Unfortunately, nurses have not come to realize that when using the V method, the non injecting hand is to be removed, as it’s only used for visual land marking (Cocoman & Murray 2010). Throughout this paper we have discussed the integration of evidence based practice into nursing from various articles. In the various articles the authors talked about evidence based practice compared to evidence based nursing, the integration of evidence based practice in RN-BSN programs. We also discussed the article on a clinical example which suggested that the ventrogluteal intramuscular injection site over the dorsogluteal site is preferred when it comes to positive patient outcomes.