Global Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Global Marketing - Case Study Example 2.2 Economic Factors 6 2.3 Social Factors 6 2.4 Technological Factors 7 2.5 Environmental Factors 8 2.6 Legal Factors 9 3.0 Risk Analysis of China 10 4.0 Risk Analysis Commentary 14 5.0 Recommendations 15 Appendix 17 Works Cited 18 1.0 Introduction The economic reforms adopted by China in 70s and 80s certainly succeeded in changing the global perception about China. It was only owing to these reforms that the sectors devoid of state interference exhibited a marked growth. The opening up of the Chinese economy definitely made way for foreign investment and trade. However, the momentum of reforms in China though steady has been more or less cautious and slow. Ushering in of the reforms led to a minimal yet conclusive delegation of...The Chinese GDP stood at $ 3.42 trillion in the year 2007 (McGregor 2007). Credible experts and institutions expect the Chinese economy to become the world's largest economy by the end of 21st century. However, the development in China exhibits gross income disparities, a trend bolstered by the ensuing liberalization of the domestic markets. Not to mention that an undemocratic political setup has multifarious ramifications those have a direct detrimental impact on the economy. With the fruits of pros perity appropriated by urban centres and politically elite, the human resource development in China has been non-uniform and slow (Plafker 2008). The Western corporations attuned to much liberal and open system do tend to be positive yet apprehensive about venturing into the Chinese climes. The economic reforms adopted by China in 70s and 80s certainly succeeded in changing the global perception about China. It was only owing to these reforms that the sectors devoid of state interference exhibited a marked growth. The opening up of the Chinese economy definitely made way for foreign investment and trade. However, the momentum of reforms in China though steady has been more or less cautious and slow. Ushering in of the reforms led to a minimal yet conclusive delegation of power and responsibility to the local players (Hexter 2007).

My Choice Is Reading Essay Example for Free

My Choice Is Reading Essay By reading books, people can learn how to get through problems in their own lives by relating to characters. Readers can see what characters did to get out of bad situations, and what they learned from them. In Uglies by Scott Westerfield the reader grasps that what someone looks like on the outside doesn’t matter, and it is what is on the inside that counts. The Fault In Our Stars and Looking For Alaska by John Green both deal with death at a young age and losing loved ones. Love is a serious topic in all of these books, and an important lesson learned is that love is blind. The Fault In Our Stars is a love story between Hazel and Augustus who are both battling cancer at the same time. They meet at a cancer support group and fall in love, but then the cancer in Augustus comes back and ends up killing him. John Green does a considerable writing job in making whoever reads the book fall in love with both characters. That is why it is extremely sad in the end because when Gus dies, the reader undergoes the same sadness that Hazel has. Loosing a loved one is also a theme in Looking For Alaska. Miles decides to go to a boarding school, and while there, he makes friends for the first time. More importantly though, he meets Alaska whom he loves from the first moment he saw her. Alaska already has a boyfriend and she will not cheat, but she lugubriously reflected a secret love for him. Unfortunately she perishes in a car crash so their relationship will always be a great perhaps. Miles’ love story is a little different than Hazel’s in a way that Hazel got to really experience the love before it was torn, whereas Miles’ was an unexplored mystery. People everywhere love differently like in the books by John Green, but both stories are similar because the characters have to deal with the loss of a loved one. Everybody deals with losing loved ones in different ways. In Looking For Alaska the whole book is written in the parts before and after Alaska’s death. This shows that Miles is unable to separate his own life from her death. In The Fault In Our Stars Hazel deals with the death of Augustus quite differently. She tells her story building up to his death, and after his death skips to the present day to say that even though Gus is gone, she still loves him. Hazel was able to separate her life from his death in a way Miles was not able to with Alaska,  while still indicating that their love survived even his death. Looking For Alaska deals with a lot of growing up. Miles and his friends throughout the whole book are trying to grow up to be who they want to be. In The Fault In Our Stars Hazel has to find ways to cope with the imminence of her own death, and rather than growing up she has to deal with the process of dying. Hazel has to find her place in death while Miles has to find his place in life. In the book Uglies the theme of growing up to be who you want to be is very important. Scott Westerfield’s book Uglies is a dystopian book much like Maze Runner or Hunger Games. In Tally’s world people live by what they look like. At the age of 16 people get the transformation to turn them into a pretty from an ugly. When someone gets the pretty operation they look like everybody else, but they also get their brain changed. Tally is forced to grow up and get the operation but she rebels and runs away. Tally finally finds out who she is and who she loves just by being who she wants to be. This book deals with he subject of appearance, which is relevant to society today. Everybody thinks that in order to be happy, that you have to be perfect looking. This book teaches the reader that it is what is on the inside that counts. Just like in The Fault In Our Stars, Hazel does not think anybody will love her because she is dying of cancer. Then Gus does. This deals with the saying that love is blind. When someone loves someone they can look past all the flaws and only see perfection. All three of the books read deal with this topic. It is so important to read. Reading makes the reader fall in love, cry, and get angry or excited. Books open people up to reoccurring themes and make them learn really valuable lessons. The books The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska and Uglies all relate in different ways, and all deal with very diverse content. The most important lesson learned from these books is to be whom you want and to love unconditionally.

Hydrological Impacts of Wimbleball Reservoir

Hydrological Impacts of Wimbleball Reservoir An Evaluation of the hydrological impacts of Wimbleball Reservoir using the IHA approach A river acts both as a source and carrier of water for supporting and sustaining the biological diversity and integrity of the aquatic, wetland and riparian species and natural ecosystems. To accomplish these functions, it is necessary that river water meets some essential qualitative and quantitative parameters and the stream-flow exhibits the dynamics and hydrological attributes comparable to that of natural or unaltered river flows (hydrologic regime). This hydrologic regime is the lifeline of freshwater ecosystem and all diverse variety of aquatic riparian species are for long accustomed and adapted to the characteristic temporal, spatial and hydrologic variation of water flow cycles attributable to the natural or unaltered water flow. Unfortunately, this regime and its naturally configured variation patterns get disturbed failing to absorb the stresses induced by our ever-increasing demands and environmentally irresponsive use of water. To evaluate the shifts in the pre and post-reservoir hydrologic parameters, the effect of Wimbleball Reservoir have been analysed based on the long-term flow-patterns of the downstream discharge of the reservoir. The analysis was conducted by a very robust statistical model called the IHA model. Both long term differences and RVA analysis show substantial impacts of manmade reservoir control on the biota of the Exe-catchment. Introduction Water bodies like rivers, streams, channels, etc. serve a dual function being essential source points for our day-to-day water requirements as well being its transporters or carriers by flowing in and channelling water downstream to the river beds, catchments and agricultural fields in the process supporting and sustaining the biological diversity and integrity of the aquatic, wetland and riparian species and natural ecosystems. Our earth is also called the ‘water planet’ as water forms approximately 70% of its total surface (The Ground Water Foundation,2003) but only a part of it is available for our use. This realization has long back prompted us to take up some water management practices. In the beginning, water management practices were very much focused on issues like water quality and flood control measures and the overall strategy was never so broad to include other aspects like water quantity, stream flow management and restoration (BD, Richter, etal,1997)2. However, issues pertaining to water quantity, flow, restoration, etc. gradually started to get prominence in our policy framework following a landmark order passed by the US Supreme Court identifying the separation of water quality from water quantity and flow as an artificial distinction and recommending incorporation of both water quality and quantity objectives in a broader and comprehensive water management policy framework (US-EPA, 2002)3. Water quality, quantity flow conditions are in way inseparable features considering the fact that the amount of flow in a river effects many issues of water quality and water quantity at the same time. Therefore, the assessment on the wholesomeness of water in any system is essentially dictated by the above conditions of quality, quantity and flow characteristics. Going by this approach broadens the overall water policy framework making this a comprehensive management initiative. This shift in water management approach necessitated re-configuration of the erstwhile single or limited objective driven practice of flood storm water control thereby embracing a comprehensive initiative of total ecosystem management restoration having multi-utility potentials. This system is very important and effective because this takes into account the sustainable use of water resources or ‘water takings’ and their possible restoration (Dept. of Fisheries Oceans, Canada, 2002)4. Under the ambit of this, it is necessary that river water meets some essential qualitative and quantitative parameters and the stream-flow exhibits the dynamics and hydrological attributes (hydrologic regime) comparable to that of natural or unaltered river flow (Richter D. Brian etal) 5. This hydrologic regime or ‘natural flow regime’ is the lifeline of freshwater ecosystem and all diverse variety of aquatic riparian species are for long accustomed and adapted to the characteristic temporal, spatial and hydrologic variations of water flow cycles attributable to the natural or unaltered water flow. Unfortunately, this regime and its naturally configured variation patterns get disturbed (Allan David HinzLeon, SNRE, 2004)6 failing to absorb the stresses induced by our ever-increasing water takings demands and environmentally irresponsive use of water. In fact, this is the point where human intervention or controls and water integrity issues found themselves in a highly confronting and conflicting platform. Increased water demands compelling human actions like construction of water reservoirs, dams, impoundments, etc. for storing and using water for domestic, energy and hydropower, artificial parks and various other uses have started taking their toll on river waters and water bodies substantially degrading the quality, quantity and importantly squeezing the downstream water flows(Benue, A. C. 1990). This flow reduction in rivers consequential to manmade flood and irrigation control practices like reservoirs and dams are found to alter the natural hydrologic regime bringing in a series of impairments to overall ecosystem and also opening up a new front in the field of river and hydrology studies. This paper aims to assess the variations in the hydrological parameters of a river system specifically attributable to impacts of man-made interventions or controls like reservoirs. Primarily, the research ambition is to identify and evaluate the degree of alterations in the hydrologic profile by analysing the long-term historical as well recent water flow records representative of the pre-impact and post-impact period of construction and commissioning of a typical reservoir. An emerging computer tool called the ‘IHA’ (Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations) has been applied to generate scenarios and analyze the data. The records and data needs for this study have been sourced from an existing gauging station in the Exe river of South-West England strategically selected to represent the influence of the ‘Wimbleball Reservoir’. Natural Flow Regime Hydrologic Alterations – Ecological Significance The concept of natural flow regime is based on the understanding that aquatic and riparian organisms depend upon, or can tolerate arrange of flow conditions specific to each species (Puff etal, 1997)7.For example, certain fish species moves into safer floodplain areas during floods to feed and escape from attacks of other species occupying the main water body thereby adapting a mechanism to survive and carry on all by itself. This in a way indicates that if flooding occurs at the right time of the year, and lasts for the right amount of time, these fish populations will benefit from the flood event finally. Again as a contrast to this case, other species may be adversely affected by the same flood. With the development of the science of hydrology, it has been confirmed with a good degree of confidence that hydrologic regime with all its natural and temporal variations (both intra-annual and inter-annual) are needed to maintain and restore the natural form and function of aquatic ecosystems. However, this prerequisite is not in line with the traditional water management practice which is functionally attuned to influence and dampen natural fluctuations with the objective to provide steady and undisturbed supply of water for different in-stream and out-of-stream activities(Richter et al., 2003) . Moreover, for intervening and containing extreme drought and flood events, the traditional water management initiatives rather relied on moderating and limiting flow fluctuations. Many studies indicate ‘natural flow regime’ as a determinant toing-stream flow needs of a water body. For example, (Richter et al,1996) and (Puff et al. 1997) generalized that natural flow conditions may indicate and determine in-stream flow requirements. There exists a correlation between stream-flow and other physicochemical characteristics critical to ecological integrity of streams and rivers(Puff etal., 1997). Precisely, flow can be associated to some direct as well indirect or secondary impacts and as such flow characteristics can be used as surrogates for other in-stream indicators and ecosystem conditions and importantly the components of a flow regime as shown infigure-1, are very much accessible to scientific inquiry (IFC, 2002,Poff et al. 1997, Richter et al., 1996) . Any disruption, fragmentation and dilution of this natural regime of water-flow leads to ‘Hydrological alteration’ and in general, this can be defined as any anthropogenic disruption in the magnitude or timing of natural river flows (Biosciences, 50-9, 2000). The natural flow regime of a river is dependent on various factors including rainfall, temperature and evaporation when considered in a broader geographic scale or macro-scale and is also influenced by the physical characteristics of a catchment at the catchment level or micro-scale(Rash et al, 1988) . As mentioned earlier, river flow regimes are also affected directly and indirectly by human activities. Such human interventions disrupting natural flow of a river through construction and operation of reservoirs and dams have the potential of triggering a series of undesirable consequences like extensive ecological degradation, loss of biological diversity, water quality deterioration, groundwater depletion, and also more frequent and intense flooding(Puff et al, 1997). Reservoir are built to store water to compensate for fluctuations in river flow, thereby providing a measure of human control of water resources, or to raise the level of water upstream to either increase hydraulic head or enable diversion of water into canal. The creation of storage and head allows reservoirs to generate electricity, to supply water for agriculture, industries, and municipalities, to mitigate flooding and to assist river navigation(Rash et al. 1988). The biological effects of hydrologic alterations are often difficult to disentangle from those of other environmental perturbations in heavily developed catchments as identified by Rosenberg et al. (Environmental Reviews 5: 27–54, 1997) . The impacts of large-scale hydrological alteration include habitat fragmentation within rivers (Dynes us and Nilsson 1994) , downstream habitat changes, such as loss of floodplains, riparian zones, and adjacent wetlands and deterioration and loss of river deltas and ocean estuaries (Rosenberg et al. 1997)36,deterioration of irrigated terrestrial environments and associated surface waters (McCall 1996) . Hydrological alterations also bring another indirect or secondary impacts on the genetic, ecosystem and global levels. They can cause genetic isolation through habitat fragmentation (Pringle 1997) , changes in processes such as nutrient cycling and primary productivity (Pringle 1997, Rosenberg et al. 1997),etc. With the realization of the importance of natural flow regime and the possible dangers posed by human alterations, there emerged a relatively new and promising water and ecology management paradigm. Many researchers started seeing this as a very comprehensive and sound management option and on many occasions stressed regarding the urgency of protecting or restoring natural hydrologic regimes (Sparks 1992;National Research Council, Doppler et al. 1993; and Dynes us Nilsson 1994) . Effective ecosystem management of aquatic, riparian, and wetland system requires that existing hydrologic regimes be characterized using biologically-relevant hydrologic parameters, and that the degree to which human-altered regimes differ from natural or preferred conditions be related to the status and trends of the biota(BD, Richter, etal, 1997). Ecosystem management efforts should be considered experiments, testing the need to maintain or restore natural hydrologic regime characteristics in order to sustain ecosystem integrity. Only some limited studies have closely examined hydrologic influences on ecosystem integrity and this is mainly because most of the commonly used statistical tools are poorly suited for characterizing hydrologic data into biologically relevant attributes(BD, Richter, etal, 1997). Without such knowledge, ecosystem managers will not be compelled to protect or restore natural hydrologic regime characteristics. However, recently, there have been some significant developments in the field of hydrological studies and importantly few robust computer statistical tools and models like IHA Range of Variability Approach (RVA) using the (Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations, BD, Richter, etal, 1997), Wetted Physical Habitat Simulation System (PHABSIM Model, Jowett, 1997)35, Flow Incremental Methodology (FIM), other Hydrologic Modelling Software like GAWSER, Ontario Flow Assessment Techniques (OFAT), etc. are now known to exist(Jowett, 1997). The following sections attempt to evaluate and assess the possible effects of hydrological alteration specifically induced by human interventions or activities. A very useful computer model called the model (available at Freshwaters.com) has been used for generating and evaluating the effects of flow variations. The ecological zone considered for analysis in this paper is the ‘Exe river Estuary’ region and the gauging station selected is 45001 Exe at Thorverton. The Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) Method – Approaches Application The evaluation and assessment of the flow regime of the Exe-river system and the variations it witnessed after the construction of the ‘Wimbleball Reservoir’ have been accomplished by the application of Avery detailed computer-modelling tool known as the IHA or ‘Indicators of Hydrologic Assessment’ model. The software basically takes birth from the concept of integrity and wholesomeness of the ‘natural flow regime ‘and is configured and capable of determining the relative transformations and variations in this natural flow regime subject to any natural or artificial modifications or alterations (BD, Richter, etal, 1997). At first, it requires defining and identifying a series of biologically-relevant hydrologic attributes that characterize intra anointer-annual variations in water conditions which are further processed for a robust statistical variation analysis after isolating the data-sets to represent two different periods resembling the pre-impact and post-impact scenarios (Rosenberg, et al, 2002). The Nature Conservancy is now the custodian of this statistical tool, which is very useful for assessing the degree to which human activities have changed flow regimes (US-EPA, 2002). Brian D. Richter and et al. from the Nature Conservancy (Richter D. Brian, etal, 1996-97) have identified four basic for this analysis and they are: (I) Define the data series (e.g., stream-gauge or well records) for pre- and post-impact periods in the ecosystem of interest. (ii) Calculate values of hydrologic attributes Values for each of 32ecologically-relevant hydrologic attributes are calculated for each year in each data series, i.e., one set of values for the pre-impact data series and one for the post-impact data series. (iii) Compute inter-annual statistics Compute measures of central tendency and dispersion for the 32 attributes in each data series, based on the values calculated in step 2. This produces a total of 64 inter-annual statistics for each data series (32 measures of central tendency and 32 measures of dispersion). (iv) Calculate values of the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration -Compare the 64 inter-annual statistics between the pre- and post-impact data series, and present each result as a percentage deviation of onetime period (the post-impact condition) relative to the other (there-impact condition). The method equally can be used to compare the state of one system to itself over time (e.g., pre- versus post-impacts just described); or it can be used to compare the state of one system to another (e.g., an altered system to a reference system), or to compare current conditions to simulated results based on models of future modification to a system. The same computational strategies will work with any regular-interval hydrologic data, such as monthly means; however, the sensitivity of the IHA method for detecting hydrologic alteration is increasingly compromised with time intervals longer than a day (Richter. Brian, etal, 1996-97). Detection of certain types of hydrologic impacts, such as the rapid flow fluctuations associated with hydropower generation at dams, may require even shorter (hourly) interval. They have also suggested that ‘the basic data for estimating all attribute values may preferably be daily mean water conditions (levels, heads, flow rates). Hydrologic conditions in general can vary in four dimensions within an ecosystem (three spatial dimensions and time).However, the three spatial domains can be scaled down to one with the assumption that only one spatial domain exists at any strategic location over time in a river system. Restricting the domain to one specific point within a hydrologic system (like any measuring point in river) makes it simple for us to identify specific water conditions with one spatial and one temporal domain. These events may be specific water conditions like heads, levels, rate of change, etc. (Richter Brian, etal, 1996) whose temporal variations can be recorded and assessed from that particular spatial point or from a single position. Such temporal changes in water conditions are commonly portrayed as plots of water condition against time, or hydrographs. Here, we seek to study and analyse the variations in hydrologic conditions using indicators and attributes, which should essentially be biologically relevant as well as responsive to human influences or modifications like reservoir and dam operations, ground water pumping, agricultural activities, etc. at the same time (Richter D. Brian, etal,1996,). Importantly, a variety of features or parameters of hydrologic regime can be used and functionally superimposed (Sense South wood 1977, 1988; Puff Ward 1990}40 to virtually represent and finally characterize the physical habitat templates (Townsend Hilde, 1994)43 or environmental filters (Sense Eddy 1992)42that shape the biotic composition of aquatic, wetland, and riparian ecosystems. The IHA method is based on 32 biologically relevant hydrologic attributes, which are divided into five major groups to statistically characterize intra-annual hydrologic variation as showman Table-1. These 32 attributes are based upon the following five fundamental characteristics of hydrologic regimes: 1. the magnitude of the water condition at any given time is measure of the availability or suitability of habitat, and defines such habitat attributes as wetted area or habitat volume, or the position of water table relative to wetland or riparian plant rooting zones; 2. the timing of occurrence of particular water conditions can determine whether certain life cycle requirements are met, or influence the degree of stress or mortality associated with extreme water conditions such as floods or droughts; 3. the frequency of occurrence of specific water conditions such as droughts or floods may be tied to reproduction or mortality events for various species, thereby influencing population dynamics; 4. the duration of time over which a specific water condition exists may determine whether a particular life cycle phase can be completed, or the degree to which stressful effects such as inundation or desiccation can accumulate; 5. the rate of change in water conditions may be tied to the stranding of certain organisms along the waters edge or in pounded depressions, or the ability of plant roots to maintain contact with phreatic water supplies. A detailed representation of the hydrologic regime can be obtained from these 32 parameters for the purpose of assessing hydrologic alteration. Importantly, all the parameters having good ecological relevance do not call for any parameter specific statistical analysis and all of them can be processed by single and unique approach like they (Kozlowski 1984; Bustard 1984; Puff Ward 1989)46. Also, because certain stream-flow levels shape physical habitat conditions within river channels, it is needed to identify some hydrologic characteristics that might aid in detection of physical habitat alterations. (Richter D. Brian, etal, 1997). Sixteen of the hydrologic parameters focus on the magnitude, duration, timing, and frequency of extreme events, because of the pervasive influence of extreme forces in ecosystems (Gaines Denny 1994)48 and geomorphology (Leopold1994)49 and other 16 parameters measure the central tendency of either the magnitude or rate of change of water conditions (Table-2). The rationale underlying the five major groupings and the specific parameters included within each are described below. Table-2: Summary of various Hydrological Groups Groups Descriptions Number of total Hydrologic Parameters 1 Magnitude of monthly water conditions 12 2 Magnitude duration of annual extremes 10 3 Timing of annual extremes 02 4 Frequency duration of high low pulses 04 5 Rate frequency of change in conditions 04 Group-1: Magnitude of Monthly Water Conditions This group includes 12 parameters, each of which measures the central tendency (mean) of the daily water conditions for a given month. The monthly mean of the daily water conditions describes â€Å"normal daily conditions for the month, and thus provides a general measure of habitat availability or suitability. The similarity of monthly means within a year reflects conditions of relative hydrologic constancy, whereas inter-annual variation (e.g., coefficient of variation) in the mean water condition of a given Month provides an expression of environmental contingency (Colwell 1974; Puff Ward1989). The terms constancy and contingency as used here refer tithe degree to which monthly means vary from month to month (constancy),and the extent to which flows vary within any given month(contingency). Group-2: Magnitude and Duration of Annual Extreme Water Conditions The 10 parameters in this group measure the magnitude of extreme(minimum and maximum) annual water conditions of various duration, ranging from daily to seasonal. The durations that we use follow natural or human-imposed cycles, and include the 1-day, 3-day, 7-day(weekly), 30-day (monthly), and 90-day (seasonal) extremes. For any given year, the 1-day maximum (or minimum) is represented by the highest (or lowest) single daily value occurring during the year; thematic-day maximum (or minimum) is represented by the highest (or lowest) multi-day average value occurring during the year. The mean magnitudes of high and low water extremes of various duration provide measures of environmental stress and disturbance during the year; conversely, such extremes may be necessary precursors or triggers for reproduction of certain species. The inter-annual variation (e.g. Coefficient of variation) in the magnitudes of these extremes provides another expression of contingency. Group-3: Timing of Annual Extreme Water Conditions This group includes 02 parameters one measuring the Julian date of the 1-day annual minimum water condition, and the other measuring the Julian date of the 1-day maximum water condition. The timing of the highest and lowest water conditions within annual cycles provides another measure of environmental disturbance or stress by describing the seasonal nature of these stresses. Key life cycle phases (e.g. Reproduction) may be intimately linked to the timing of annual extremes, and thus human induced changes in timing may cause reproductive failure, stress, or mortality. The inter-annual variation in timing of extreme events reflects environmental contingency. Group-4: Frequency and Duration of High and Low Pulses This group has 04 parameters include two, which measure the number of annual occurrences during which the magnitude of the water condition exceeds an upper threshold or remains below a lower threshold, respectively, and two, which measure the mean duration of such high and low pulses. These measures of frequency and duration of high- and low-water conditions together portray the pulsing behaviour of environmental variation within a year, and provide measures of the shape of these environmental pulses. Hydrologic pulses are defined here as those periods within a year in which the daily mean water condition either rises above the 75th percentile (high pulse) or drops below the25th percentile (low pulse) of all daily values for the pre-impact time period. Group-5: Rate and Frequency of Change in Water Conditions The four parameters included in this group measure the number and mean rate of both positive and negative changes in water conditions from one day to the next. The Rates and frequency of change in water conditions can be described in terms of the abruptness and number of intra-annual cycles of environmental variation, and provide a measure of the rate and frequency of intra-annual environmental change. Assessing Hydrologic Alteration In assessing the impact of a perturbation on the hydrologic regime, we want to determine whether the state of the perturbed system differs significantly from what it would have been in the absence of the perturbation. In particular, we want to test whether the central tendency or degree of inter-annual variation of an attribute of interest has been altered by the perturbation (Stewart-Oaten et al.1986)55. The assessment of impacts to natural systems often poses difficult statistical problems, however, because the perturbation of interest cannot be replicated or randomly assigned to experimental units (Carpenter 1989; Carpenter et al. 1989; Hulbert 1984;Stewart-Oaten et al. 1986)66. The lack of replication does not hinder estimation of the magnitude of an effect, but limits inferences regarding its causes. However, the IHA method is robust and can be easily adapted to more sophisticated experimental designs. A standard statistical comparison of the 32 IHA parameters between two data series would include tests of the null hypothesis that the central tendency or dispersion of each has not changed. However, this null hypothesis is generally far less interesting in impact assessments than questions about the sizes of detectable changes and their potential biological importance. A standardized process for assessing hydrologic impacts is included within the IHA software. The Range of Variability Method (RVA) is another analysis frame in which to assess change in structured manner. This method of determining hydrologic alteration is based on the theory that there is natural variability in stream-flow. The RVA software would plot and determine whether an activity, such as water taking, would alter the stream-low outside this normal variability. Significant alteration would occur if the stream-low regime were altered more than one standard deviation from the natural variability, which may have ecological consequences. Development of Pre- and Post-Impact scenarios When adequate hydrologic records are available for both there-impact and post-impact time periods, application of the IHA method will be relatively straightforward using the statistical procedures described above. When pre- or post-impact records are nonexistent,include data gaps, or are inadequate in length, however, various datareconstruction or estimation procedures will need to be employed. Examples of such procedures include the hydrologic record extension techniques described by Searcy (1960) and Alley Burns (1983).Hydrologic simulation modelling or water budgeting techniques can also be used to synthesize hydrologic records for comparison using the IHAmethod (Linsley et al. 1982)73. Accounting for Climatic Differences Climatic differences between the pre- and post-impact time periods obviously have the potential to substantially influence the outcome of the IHA analysis. Various statistical techniques can be used to test for climatic differences in the hydrologic data to be compared. When the IHA analysis is to be based upon actual hydrologic measurements rather than estimates produced from models, a reference site or set of sites uninfluenced by the human alterations being examined can be used as climatic controls (Alley Burns 1983). For example, stream-gauge may exist upstream of a reservoir thought to have impacted study site. Analyses can establish a statistical relationship between stream-lows at the study site and at the upstream reference site using synchronous pre-dam data sets for the two sites. This relationship can then be used to estimate the stream-low conditions that would have occurred at the study site during the post-impact time period in the absence of the reservoir. IHA Application- Description of Study Site As mentioned earlier, the principal motive of this study is tantalize and evaluate the impacts, if any, of human interventions like reservoir operations on the overall sanctity and natural integrity, i.e. the natural hydrologic regime of water bodies like rivers. Here the operation of a well know reservoir in the south-west coast of Britain called the ‘Wimbleball reservoir’ has been identified as the human intervention point which is sufficiently used to store and supply water to cater to human needs like hydropower, drinking water supply, etc. (SW-Environment Agency, 2003)81 and eventually it ends up regulating a river system in the process. The down-stream water body and habitat, which is expected to come under the influence of the alterations resulting from the Wimbleball reservoir operations, considered here is the Exe-river estuary system. The main motivation for selection of the above reservoir and the river system happens to bathe strategically located river monitoring system (gauge-station),which falls in the influence zone. This station is designated as‘No.45001-Exe at Thorverton’ having a grid reference of ‘21 (SS) 936016’ (NRFA Data Holdings, 2005)66. Figure-2 (enclosed) shows diagrammatic representation of the Exe-river catchments area along with the positions of the river and reservoir. The national authority NRFA, describes the monitoring station as â€Å"Velocity-area station with cableway and flat V-Crump profile weir constructed in 1973 due to unstable bed condition† (NRFA, 2005)66. There also exists minor culvert flow through mill u/s of station included in rating. Notably, Low flows are affected significantly by the operations of the Wimbleballreservoir post-1979 and by exports to the Taw catchment. Station iscontrol point for operational releases from Wimbleball (NRFA DataHoldings, 2005)66. The headwaters drain Exmoor and the geology is predominantly Devonian sandstones and Carboniferous Culm Measures, with subordinate Permian sandstones in the east, Moorland, forestry and arrange of agriculture (NRFA Data Holdings, 2005)66. The Exe Estuary is partially an enclosed tidal area composed of both aquatic (marine, brackish and freshwater) and terrestrial habitats. The Estuary makes an important contribution to the diversity of British estuaries by virtue of its unspoilt nature, international conservation importance, recreational opportunities and high landscape value(SW-Environment Agency, 2003) . This Estuary flows through an open landscape with gently rolling hills on either side. It is shallower than many estuaries in the south west of England, so the tide plays significant role, wit

Grendel :: essays research papers

Authors often have to choose between concentrating on either plot or social commentary when writing their novels; in John Gardener's Grendel, any notion of a plot is forgone in order for him to share his thoughts about late sixties-early seventies America and the world's institutions as a whole. While Grendel's exploits are nearly indecipherable and yawn inducing, they do provide the reader with the strong opinions the author carries. This existentialistic novel can be seen clearly as a narrative supporting nihilism in its many forms. Most easily, the reader will be able to see the blatant religious subtext in the guise of corrupt priests and the foolish faithful. There is also some negativity placed on the notion of the old being the wise. Gardener deems hero idolization unacceptable as well; knowledge that the Vietnam War was prevalent at the time gives additional insight into his complaints. Religion plays a large role in Grendel. Priests do not want to perform their services without the proper payment which, in turn, causes the rich to be able to become the most 'religious.' The citizens of the village are also confusingly poly- and monotheistic. When praying to their king god does not decrease the frequency of Grendel's visits, they retreat to begging any god of which they have known for help. This reveals their faith to be not faith at all but rather faith that will remain faith as long as it can be proven. A proven religious faith is contradictory term, for it can only be placed in a religion that cannot be proven lest it is true faith no longer. Grendel's interludes with the dragon portray, at their onsets, the dragon as a worldly, wise creature with much to share. The dragon haughtily informs Grendel about his vast store of knowledge as he teases him with how much he knows. As Grendel's interests are piqued, the dragon expends the cumulative result of his travails: "Know how much you've got, and beware of strangers†¦My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek out gold and sit on it." Although the dragon serves as a vessel to point out the necessity of Grendel and makes some pointed observations about mankind, all his respectability is lost with those two short sentences. The author is making an observation about materialism and the falsehood of wisdom always accompanying age. After all his years of intense scrutiny, the dragon can only grasp from human- and animalkind alike that possessions are the key to life's existence. Nature against society is also discussed in Grendel. The fact that citizens surrounded with religion and social status could be so easily overtaken by nature (Grendel) gives a sense of

Patient Record Management System

CHAPTER I The Problem and Its Setting This chapter presents the background of the study, the statement of the problem, the assumptions made in accordance with the design of the project, the scope and delimitation, the significance of the study, the research design and methodology, and the definition of terms used in the study. Background of the Study There have been major progresses in the Information Technology for the past twenty (20) years especially in the field of Medicine.The vast development of technology is the evident in hospitals in other countries as they have developed and implemented different forms of Patient Record Management System making practitioners and health professionals’ work easier than the manual way of gathering patient’s record that the hospitals had before. In Philippines, only a few hospitals (Saint Lukes Medical Center, Makati Medical City and Asian Hospital and Medical Center) have implemented a fully Electronic Medical Record which includ es all inpatient and outpatient healthcare information.The goal of the hospital is to share information with all the national hospitals and public healthcare facilities and at present they can share data with one branch of the hospital. Some hospitals still use the manual method which is time and energy consuming but why it is that only few hospitals in the Philippines, being a newly industrialized country may have a factor on why implementing a PRMS is impossible. The possible reasons could be insufficient funds, lack of technical expertise and computer skills and the lack of data processing facilities.In addition, the resistance of medical practitioners and health professionals generally to change from manual to electronic documentation may be a problem. Most health administrators and information managers are used to the old system and have this fear that it may take time to change or at least modify some behaviour and attitudes. The reason for wanting to change to an electronic s ystem is important. Most health administrators and information managers expect to move from a paper to paperless environment. This is a major step to help health institutions and the environment at the same time.By having an electronic system, practitioners could improve the accuracy and quality of data recorded in a health record, enhance practitioners’ access to a patient’s record, enabling it to be shared at present and also for the future use, it could also improve the quality of care because of health information that a patient need can be immediately available all the time. At present, people rely on the information from what is electronically made since it can easily be viewed. In the modern world, communication is vital within our lifestyle.With the advent of information and communication provided within a medical institution, practitioners together with their patients within the vicinity of Baguio may use the information easily to increase good organization. P atient Record Management System may provide both useful information with the Doctor and Patient alike, providing and improving easy Doctor-Patient communication. In the advancement of technology, electronic medical records are now growing more popularity today. As stated in the definition on wikipedia. rg about Electronic Medical Records, these are a computerized medical record that is created in an organization that can deliver care such as hospital or physician’s office. Electronic medical records are intended to be a part of a local stand-alone health information system that allow storage, retrieval and modification of records (retrieved from: Wikipedia. com, November 2011. en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ Electronic_health_record. Article form: http://www. providersedge. com/ehdocs/ehr _articles/Electronic_Patient_Records-EMRs_and_EHRs. pdf).These are medical records of patients that are encoded into the computer system of an organization for the information dissemination of medi cal practitioners in a particular organization such as hospitals, clinics and the like. In the global scenario, in an article by Steenhuysen J. (March 2009), the United States has less than 2 percent of U. S. hospitals that have completely accepted a fully functional electronic medical records. With U. S. President Barrack Obama has made electronic medical records a central piece of his plan to cut costs out of U.S. healthcare system that consistently ranks lower in quality measures than other rich countries. The U. S. President also allotted $19 billion to push into the increase the use of information technology in healthcare. The numbers of without electronic medical records are relatively high compared to those organizations that have adopted Electronic Medical Records. Starfield, B. (1991) postulates that Primary Care in the United States is critical to the provision of giving excellent medical care.From the research in the year 1996, the Institute of Medicine report defined pri mary care as the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians accountable for addressing most personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. These makes more people to receive primary care than in other clinics. These clinics have adopted the innovations of information technology giving more value to the primary care in other clinics.These clinics have adopted the innovations on information technology giving more value to the primary care of their patients. Thus obviously electronic medical records in the clinic are to be present for the ease of accessibility, storage, retrieval and modification of medical records. However, in a smaller scale of health care system. Where Everyone, being succeptible to disease needs to prioritize on prevention in odres to additional expenses on health care. This visiting the doctors clinic today is the most effecient and inexpensivr way to prevent diseases. Offering various diagnosis, vaccinations and maintenance drugs.With todays population, more patients visit the doctors clinic and health records management poses as the most time consuming activity. As keeping numerous pages on file cases and searching this file cases one by one when a patient arrives eats most of the time that could have spent treating another patient. With all of the mentioned cases which inpact the number of patients diagnosed per day. The researchers agreed to conduct a study for Dr. Nelia Bacay’s clinic at SLU hospital of the Sacred Heart, annex. The researchers will try to find ways and practices to lighten up workload and minimize time consumed by developing a system.Statement of the Problem The main objective of the study is to design a Patient Record Management System for Dr. Nelia Bacay in which seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What processes are involved within the practitioners’ medical records of their patients ? 2. What difficulties are encountered regarding the processes involved with the medical records? 3. What features regarding the medical records should be incorporated with the proposed Patient Record Management for Dr. Renato Manalo to their current system? Objective of the StudyThe main objective of the study is to design a Patient Records Management System for Dr. Nelia Bacay that shall lighten up workload and minimize time consumed on operation. The researchers intend to achieve the following: 1. To identify the current standard operating procedure in diagnosing patients. 2. To enumerate and discuss the most tiny consuming fact in the process. 3. To design a Patient Record Management that facilitates a quick and easy way to access and view patients profile. Significance of the Study This study is important in terms of advantages or benefits that would be gained by the following entities:To the Practitioners: The Practitioners will have the main importance of the study because of its increased number of patients and services rendered. More patients are inclined to avail of medical services. This also makes the communication between co-doctors of the same field. To the patients: The best advantage of having a Patient Record Management System is for them to have an ease to research about the Doctors’ profile and their accessibility through the use of PRMS. Just by a series of clicks and filling out necessary information, an appointment can be made.To the Researchers: The development of a PRMS makes the researchers to be more aware and knowledgeable of the future trend in information and technology specifically on Medical Informatics. Furthermore, by developing a system, programming skills of the researchers are improved. To future researchers: This study can be a reference and guide to other researchers who aim to develop a Patient Record Management System in the future that can be applied to other fields of interest such as hotels, restaurants, shops and alsp other fields of medical profession. Scope and Delimitation of the StudyIn improving the quality of services in an organization or establishment, we make look into other options such as hiring new personnel to increase work capacity, or procuring equipmentto lessen work and human error, or to create a more stable and reliable system may it be manual or computer oriented. In solving this matter, we could consider in the combination of the available options within our grasp. To further optimize the production in our establishment, the company could combine the options of having new equipment and creating a new system or updating the existing one.In putting these two options together, it will provide a more stable, reliable and efficient system to be used in daily transactions. Our project aims to proceed in updating the pre-existing system in the establishment. Changing the format from a manual type to a computer oriented information system. Reconfiguring the old system aims t hat customers and employees have a more convenient. With the project be finished, the company will have a smoother flow of work, lessened human error, improved time in finishing certain processes and as a total, a very significant increase in productivity and creating a reliable Patient Record System.

Writting A Press Example

Writting A Press Example Writting A Press – Article Example Running Head: Clarification of Obama Care Launch Pertinent Issues and System Malfunctions experience with HealthCare.gov. Obama Care CourseSubjectDate We write to make a number of clarifications on the Obama care launch and regret for inconvenience caused to the people of America due to the recent malfunctions experienced with our website recently. It is our most sincere submission that the system malfunction was not anticipated and the problem happened too fast for our technical team to manage partly due to the large number of requests received. The malfunction was also as a result of the fact that the site was newly developed and rollout challenges could be due to poor testing of the system functionalities. We take full responsibility of the inconvenience and promise a stable system in future. We wish at this point in time to assure the public that the online market place site has seen tremendous improvements in the past three days with much functionality fully operational now. We expect to the site to be fully up and able to handle millions of requests from users in the two weeks. We have held a number of meetings with the vendors and briefed the president on the progress recorded so far. We wish to assure those customers who may have received text messages about cancellation of their policies that this is to ensure compliance with new requirements of the law. The policies will be replaced with others having more benefits, more consumer rights and more affordable. This is in an effort to increase uptake and inclusivity of Medicare. We also inform that we will be posting bi-monthly reports on the number of people enrolled on the program from the 36 states that do not have their own state medical schemes. It is our commitment to ensuring quality, reliable and affordable healthcare insurance to the people of America. We hope this information allays any fears in the public about Obama care introduction and wish the people of America a healthy future. For any qu eries please direct to the office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services through mobile no xxxx email xxxx and website www.HealthCare.gov.

What You Need to Know About Being a Dental Hygienist

What You Need to Know About Being a Dental Hygienist There’s more to a bright, healthy smile than flossing- a great dental hygienist has a hand in that too. Hygienists are licensed dental health professionals who work in dentists’ offices, providing patient care and administrative support. They often perform clinical procedures like cleanings, and work with patients to maintain good oral health long after the appointment. The Day-to-DayDental hygienists can be found in a variety of settings, from private dental clinics to public health agencies to specialized healthcare settings like nursing homes and prisons. This is typically a 9-to-5-style job, but may require flexible hours depending on the setting. Many hygienists work full-time, while others choose part-time.Wherever they work, dental hygienists usually treat patients directly, under the supervision of dentists or nurses. They perform tasks like examining patients, reviewing patient histories, removing plaque and stains from teeth, processing x-rays, running diagnos tic tests for the dentist to analyze, educating patients on dental care and follow-up, and offering pre- or post-surgery care.For more on what it’s like to be a dental hygienist, check out this video: The SKiNNY on Dental HygienistsThe RequirementsDental hygienists need to graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program, with an associate’s degree or higher (approximately three years of study). In addition, all states require that practicing dental hygienists pass an exam and become licensed, though the specific requirements vary by state.Read more about licensing and state requirements at the American Dental Hygienist Association.The SkillsThe dental hygiene field calls for a number of special skills and knowledge bases, including:Attention to detailInterpersonal skillsCommunication skillsPatient care techniquesEquipment knowledge and everyday useDiagnostic/analytical skillsClinical knowledgeMany of these can be developed through hygienist education and training pr ograms.The PayThis is a pretty lucrative Allied Health field. Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for dental hygienists is $71,520, or $34.38 per hour.The OutlookLicensed dental hygienists will continue to be in hot demand, especially as public and community health initiatives grow. The BLS expects that the field will grow by at least 19% by 2024, much faster than average.If you’re interested in helping patients achieve and maintain that beautiful smile, the dental hygienist career path could be the one for you!Interested? APPLY HERE