Process Improvement Essay Example for Free

Process Improvement Essay ABSTRACT This document will be evaluating an existing process within Toyota during the time of their accelerator crisis. A problem statement will be defined around the process of internal communication of concerns and ideas between foreign-based Toyota employees and the authoritative management of Toyota based in Japan. PROBLEM ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PROCESS Problem framing is a very important, but easily overlooked, part of decision-making. Framing a problem can have a heavy influence on the decisions that are made. It isnt enough to frame the problem; it should be framed with the solution in mind. This helps to keep the end goal of the decision-making process in mind so that the correct choices are made. In the case of Toyota, at the highest level, they had a major problem with some of their products involving unintended acceleration and their handling of  customer reports of the problem led to a whole mess of other problems. So from the outside looking in, it seems that many processes internal to Toyota had room for improvement. Although there are many different business sections of Toyota with their own respective problems such as customer service, public relations, manufacturing, the problem I would like analyze and offer improvement on is internal communication process between management and foreign employees and how the breakdown in this process affected some of the business decisions made by Toyotas upper management. As Toyota grew into a global powerhouse in the auto industry, the organizational structure that emerged was a centralized design †¦that put key decision-making in the hands of executives in Japan†¦ Some believed that Toyotas structure in the U.S. ultimately impaired its ability to prevent the safety problems before they reached the crisis (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 7-8). A quality tool or method used to help with the identification and prioritization of the potential causes of quality problems in a process is cause-and-effect analysis. In a way, this is a reverse engineering method used to identify the elements of a specific quality problem and to identify the causes so that it can be corrected. The problem wasnt the unintended acceleration of certain vehicles; the problem was the internal management decision-making that impacted the engineering of those vehicles which created the engineering problem. For some background information, the defining and founding philosophy of Toyota, the Toyota Way, has been around for a long time but it wasnt until the late 1980s in which they began production of their vehicles in the U.S. Specifically the problem of ideas from U.S.-based employees has been largely ignored for almost 20 years when it comes to key engineering or financial-based decisions. Despite the global sales volume gain, Toyota reported revenues of US $211 billion for 2009, a decrease of 19% for the previous year (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 2). Even though Toyota has been making large profits throughout the past 20 years, they experienced a decrease in 2009 and part of this was related to the ambitious initiatives and business decisions made by Toyotas upper management. Japan is notoriously consensus oriented, and companies have a strong tendency to mediate differences among individuals rather than accentuate them (Porter, 1996, pg. 63). Japanese culture and Toyotas centralized decision-making structure made it difficult for U.S. based employees to offer ideas, suggestions for improvements, or to elevate critical problems to upper management in Japan. Toyotas upper management, in their minds, let the U.S. employees do what they do best, which is supposedly marketing and selling. The process used by Toyota to communicate foreign employees ideas to upper management was heard, but not listened to. Even the process of internal communication between management had its breakdowns because of the perception by family-oriented managers of nonfamily managers in that nonfamily members didnt have such thoughts as safety and quality in the forefront of their minds. Overall, the communication process seemed to be that ideas were submitted from employees, whether by Japanese or foreign employees, to management and ideas were reviewed and pushed up the management chain when it was appropriate. However, ideas that might have some bearing on engineering, manufacturing or financing were largely ignored when the source of the ideas were from U.S.-based employees and this violated the Toyota Way. To add to the complexity, the process for communicating ideas became more convoluted depending on the audience, nonfamily or family-based managers. To sum this up into a problem statement: Toyota has violated their founding philosophy of employee empowerment, especially for non-Japanese employees, and continues to make important business decisions without any regard to concerns or ideas from foreign employees when appropriate. Employees may have ideas that could be used in the decision-making process to achieve better quality solutions. Toyota needs a better mechanism or improvement to this internal communication process to capture the knowledge and ideas of all employees and to share these ideas across the organization. All in all, its to improve the internal communication process bet ween employees and management in order to support the idea of continuous improvement and quality. CONTEXT OF SELECTED PROCESS FOR IMPROVEMENT The _Toyota Way_ mandates planning for the long term; highlighting problems  instead of hiding them; encouraging team work with colleagues and suppliers; and, perhaps most importantly, instilling a self-critical culture that fosters continuous and unrelenting improvement (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 3). Two cores ideas from the statement above are the idea of team work and most importantly employee empowerment. These two values are what made Toyota into a successful global corporation during their fast rise in the 1980s. Employees were encouraged to offer ideas for improvement for any process within the organization and this helped with continuing the idea of continuous improvement. An important part of making business decisions is having real-time and critical information. The selected process for improvement: improving the communication of ideas and concerns and the sharing of foreign employees ideas to Toyotas Japanese management team needs to be addressed immediately. The process selected for improvement is the process used to capture the ideas of all employees, U.S.-based included, and to have these ideas be properly represented and presented to management for review in real-time. You know the joke that every bank branch has a president well, every Toyota facility has a president, and one cant tell another what to do (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 8). This statement touches the surface of why the internal management communication process needs improvement at Toyota. The way the process is currently being represented in Toyotas organization is a complete violation of their founding philosophy. During the 2000s, Toyota pushed for a lot of initiatives that in hindsight were either short-term profit driven or too ambitious. For example, despite the savings of more than US $10 billion over the six years since CC21s inception, Watanabe set out to achieve even more cost savings through the new VI (Value Innovation) strategy (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 5). This was a business decision made to further drive up profits despite the respectable amount of savings already made financially. If the knowledge, ideas and concerns of employees were properly captured and communicated to management, it could have prevented some of the poor business decision-making made and the impact of these decisions on engineering and manufacturing. Two impacts of the poor decision-making was the decision to become leaner with the manufacturing process and  overstretching existing resources in trying to supplant GM as number on in the automobile industry. Toyotas has employees in many different markets who most likely had concerns regarding these decisions or ideas on how to improve the ideas and _communicated_ these ideas but these ideas werent being heard in time or heard at all by management. To put this all into context, the process for communicating ideas and concerns internally is impacted by the culture and internal structure of Toyota. These are both tough things to change but the process used to capture and represent ideas to management is something easy to improve. IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROCESS If the current internal communication process continues as is, there will continue to be a breakdown in the communication of potentially important ideas and concerns from employees to management. If employees feel as if their input isnt listened to or even heard, they will become apathetic or not even bother trying to communicate important ideas or concerns. As a result, this can lead to the cycle of poor business decisions being made resulting in more damage to the company. Even worse, this will continue to cause Toyota to stray away from the core values of the Toyota Way that made them a successful global corporation. Already what has happened as a result of the ignoring of ideas and making business decisions with only the goal of short-term profits in mind is that Toyota during the oil sludge crisis had to pay millions of dollars as a result of class action lawsuits and took a hit to their business image. Fast forward to the accelerator crisis, Toyota experienced losing $2 billion dollars during the recall, had to pay a $16.4 million dollar civil penalty under U.S. law, experienced a customer relations nightmare and even had some of their car models dropped from Consumer Reports. The dollar amount lost due to the alienation of customers, lack of accountability at first by Toyota, and corporate reputation and image hit is immeasurable. Implementing some mechanism to improve the communication process between  employees and management and even management can be improved with the use of something such as a knowledge management system. Effective knowledge management tools can help firms reduce internal costs of maintaining electronic filing systems and reduce the administrative expense of locating documents. Second, just as efficiency can improve profitability, leverage can have the same effect where knowledge transfer enhances the quality of work performance, and therefore, its value. In this context, leverage is the ability to delegate work to the most cost-effective resource. The transfer of knowledge is, in fact, the essence of knowledge management (Martin, 2002, pg. 1). Although it is a large internal expense, the benefits of a KM system would have a great effect on the general business results and business relationships of Toyota with its employees, management and even their supply chain. POTENTIAL OUTCOMES OF IMPROVING THE PROCESS Improving the current internal communication process of ideas and concern helps to improve employee relations between management and their reports. It helps to re-establish a culture of knowledge sharing and representing that captured knowledge in such a way that it can help to improve the business decision-making by upper management. Any important business decisions made by upper management have a direct impact on the shareholders. So any improvement in the process that results in better business decisions being made will have a direct positive impact for the shareholders. The current decision-making and straying away from the founding principles of the Toyota Way has damaged the company and continuing down this path will only make the future worse for Toyota. So having an internal mechanism to capture ideas and improve communication such as a KM system can only improve the situation. Employees would feel like their ideas are being heard and will continue to offer suggestions for continual improvement. An improvement in communication can help to break down the false perceptions that family-oriented managers have of nonfamily managers. For example, a family-based manager might come across an idea from an unexpected source, a nonfamily manager, and come to respect that person for their knowledge. In a  way, this could help to improve the Japanese culture way of making decisions internally. Toyota is almost in the top of their market, so they are their own worst enemy when it comes to being competitive. So an improvement in their internal decision-making around all important financial, engineering and manufacturing decisions will only help to sustain and further their current competitive edge. Sometimes an organization has to make a large internal expense in order to position themselves differently from their competitors. Strategic positioning means performing _different_ activities from rivals or performing similar activities in _different_ ways (Porter, 1996, pg. 62). So collecting ideas internally and using them to make better business decisions will help Toyota to strategically position themselves even further away from their competition. SUMMARY Overall, Toyota is its own worst enemy with the current decision-making process they have in place internally. Even though the centralized decision-making structure is what Toyota currently has in place, the decision-making needs to take into account employee input, whether foreign or not. Employee input has been a cornerstone of the Toyota Way and Toyota has strayed from this founding principle. The implications of continuing down this path will result in more crises which in turn results in loss business, damaged business reputation, lawsuits and losing the competitive edge. Improving this process will result in better employee relations; establish a knowledge sharing culture which is needed for an environment that is striving for continual improvement and better business decisions being made. REFERENCES Greto, M., Schotter, A., Teagarden, M. (2010). Toyota: The accelerator crisis. Thunderbird School of Global Management. Martin, K. (2002). Features Show Me the Money Measuring the Return on Knowledge Management. LLRX. Retrieved from http://www.llrx.com/features/kmroi.htm Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? _Harvard Business Review, 74_(6), 61-78. Russell, R.S., Taylor, B.W. (2011). _Operations management: Creating value along the supply chain_ (7th ed.)_._ Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. ISBN: 9780470525906

The Need For Communication In Modern Business English Language Essay

The Need For Communication In Modern Business English Language Essay Answer: Communication is an important part of business. Opportunities are created because of maintaining good communication with your colleagues and clients. Nearly every transaction is impacted by communication, so the importance of this skill cant be overstated. Its essential for building and maintaining relationships with customers, and good communication is necessary for developing a trustworthy reputation. Communication is a valuable skill, and in many ways is an art form. If you possess strong linguistic skills, youll go far in effectively communicating in both your personal and professional lives. The role of communication in business is important for every role: Corporate Communications/Affairs Manager, Public Relations Specialist, Human Resources Communications Manager, Advertising, and Marketing and Promotions. 2: What is meant by rumour?What is grapevine? Are they the same? Answer: rumor: gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth Grapevine communication is a form of informal business communication, which develops within an organization. It means gossip, usually gossip that spreads and covers a lot of ground (a lot of people), much like vines do. 3: Explain upward communication. How does it take place in an organization? Answer : Information exchange between departments or functional units, as means of coordinating their activities. Communication between people at the same level in an organization, community or peer group, usually as a means of coordinating efforts. Its when the managers of the same level share ideas, suggestions and solutions to help bring the organization to a better level. The main objectives of horizontal communication are developing teamwork, and promoting group coordination within an organization. It takes place between professional peer groups or people working on the same level of hierarchy. Horizontal communication is less formal and structured than both downward communication and upward communication, and may be carried our through informal discussions, management gossip, telephone calls, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, memos, routine meetings and so on. 4: What are the semantic barriers in communication?Explain. Answer : Physical Barriers One of the major barriers of communication in a workplace is the physical barrier. Physical barriers in an organization includes large working areas that are physically separated from others. Other distractions that could cause a physical barrier in an organization are the environment, background noise Language Inability to converse in a language that is known by both the sender and receiver is the greatest barrier to effective communication. When a person uses inappropriate words while conversing or writing, it could lead to misunderstanding between the sender and a receiver. Emotions Your emotions could be a barrier to communication if you are engrossed in your emotions for some reason. In such cases, you tend to have trouble listening to others or understanding the message conveyed to you. A few of the emotional interferences include hostility, anger, resentfulness and fear. Lack of Subject Knowledge If a person who sends a message lacks subject knowledge then he may not be able to convey his message clearly. The receiver could misunderstand his message, and this could lead to a barrier to effective communication. Stress One of the major communication barriers faced by employees in most of the organization is stress. When a person is under immense stress, he may find it difficult to understand the message, leading to communication distortion. At the time of stress, our psychological frame of mind depends on our beliefs, experiences, goals and values. Thus, we fail to realize the essence of communication. 5: Is noise a barrier in the communication process? Answer: Communication noise refers to influences on effective communication that influence the interpretation of conversations. While often looked over, communication noise can have a profound impact both on our perception of interactions with others and our analysis of our own communication proficiency. 6: Explain the role of multi media in effective communication. Answer : I have long believed that a multimedia presentation is fundamentally no different from any other form of human communication; ideas and information are being transmitted between human beings, what has been called linear communication since the seminal work of Shannon and Weaver. Biocca stated this concept quite clearly: All computer-based interactivity is a form of interaction with other humans, even when none are present. The human essence of the programmers and designers remains resident in the logic of the artificial interaction, even though they are not there. Therefore, to be able to create effective multimedia, we need to consider what constitutes effective human communication, regardless of the medium. A review of the history of those forms of human communication that employ more than one medium can be beneficial for a multimedia developer People have been communicating with each other for hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of years. Whenever possible, the initiator of the communication has employed whatever additional methods were available to enhance the communication and make it as effective as possible. So, for example, modern storytellers, as perhaps ancient ones did, use their hands to illustrate the action and create sound effects to emphasize or portray more realistic scenes. As further examples, stage plays and their derivatives, such as opera and movies, normally include costumes and scenery to enhance and further the communication. 7: Communication in an organisation is multi-directional. Discuss the statement by explaining briefly channels of communication based on directions of communication. Answer : Communication is the passing on of ideas and information. In business we need good, clear communication. The contact may be between people, organisations or places and can be in a number of forms such as speech, writing, actions and gestures. Organisations need to be structured in such a way as to maximise the benefits of communication processes. This is why team structures are so useful because they open up a multi-flow channel of communications. Up until the 1980s many large firms in America and Western Europe were characterised by top-down communications systems. http://legacy.businesscasestudies.co.uk/theory_images/173/11200488981.jpg Communication flowed down the line i.e. instructions were passed down the line. Individuals at the bottom end of the system had little scope for decision making. However, modern communication systems stress the importance of empowerment, and multi-flow communications: There are a range of media for flows of communication in a modern organisation including: team briefings team discussions meetings informal talk e-mail discussion boards, etc. Large organisations like Corus and Travis Perkins recognise the importance of multi-channel communications and have therefore created team working structures. Teams are organised into multi-disciplinary groups in order to draw on a range of expertise. The teams are encouraged to make decisions rather than to wait for commands from above. Multi-channel communications Formal communications are those that involve the officially recognised communication channels within an organisation. Informal communication involves other forms of interactions between organisational members. Good communication is an important person to person skill in an organisation. Employees are most likely to be well motivated and to work hard for organisations where there are well organised multi-directional communication flows. Communication flows in a number of directions: Downward communication involves the passing of commands from higher levels in a hierarchy to lower levels. This is sometimes referred to as top-down communication. Upward communication involves the feedback of ideas from lower down in the organisation to higher levels. This sort of communication flow is important in the consultation of employees, and enables managers to draw on good ideas from those working at grassroots levels in an organisation. Sideways communication involves the exchange of ideas and information between those at the same level in an organisation e.g. between the various functions. Multi-channel communication involves a range of flows of information. Information and Communications technology and the resultant networking systems enable effective multi-channel communication. There are all sorts of ways of organising effective communications between members of an organisation: Team briefings enable team leaders and managers to communicate and consult with their staff. Team briefings may take place on a daily basis or less frequently. Formal meetings enable a more formalised approach to communication. Face-to-face communications enable a free and frank exchange of ideas. There are many other ways of communicating such as e-mail, electronic noticeboards, physical noticeboards, newsletters, phone, fax, videoconferencing etc. The type of communication channel used needs to be appropriate to the message being conveyed. For example, if an exchange of ideas is required some sort of face-to-face meeting will be most appropriate. The communication of information can be done by newsletter, or notice board. Team working encourages a range of different types of communication and can be to high levels of motivation. 8: Give a few examples where one can say that communication was done in an unethical mannner. Answer : 9: It is feedback that completes the proces of communication.. Elaborate this statement. Answer: Communication plays a very crucial role in an organization. In fact, communication is the reason for human existence. There are different forms of communication through which the intentions of people and animals and even plants alike can be passed across to another. Without communication, life will be very difficult and in fact, it will be full of chaos. Feedback makes communication meaningful. It is the end-result of an idea and makes communication continuous. In the process of communication, the originator first gets the idea to be passed across and then think of how to get it across via appropriate channel or medium. After the coding and dissemination, one expects the decoder after receiving the information or idea to give response. The response thus given is called the response which may be verbal or non-verbal, that is, in words or mere smile, glance, clap, etc. While feedback could be instantaneous as in the case of verbal conversation between two people standing or on telephone conversation or internet instant message, it could be delayed for sometime before the response is given to allow the receiver to think and take his time to consider what he is given. While the former is common to an informal communication, the latter goes with formal communication via letters, memo, etc. Feedback could also be in written form or in oral form or even both. It could be also in form of demonstration e.g. body movement, paralanguage, gesture, posture, etc. At one time or another, people are seen been frustrated as a result of the refusal of another person to give response to their message or letter. Some got so mad that delay in such could result to disciplinary measures or insubordination especially in a formal setting. To lovers, it means life itself. Refusal to communicate ones intentions may mal the whole relationship of a thing. All these explain the importance of feedback in communication. The following are some of the importance of feedback in communication either in a formal or informal setting: 1. It completes the whole process of communication and makes it continuous. 2. It sustains communication process 3. It makes one know if one is really communication or making sense 4. It is a basis for measuring the effectiveness of communication 5. It is a good basis for planning on what next to be done especially statistical report 6. Communication will be useless without feedback 7. Feedback paves way for new idea generation These points are few in number. The basis being established here is that feedback is the livewire of communication as communication is the livewire of human existence and interaction. 10: One has to be well educated to learn the nuances of communication. Do u agree or disagree? Suppourt your answers with logical and concrete examples. Answer : Think of how often you communicate with people during your day. You write emails, facilitate meetings, participate in conference calls, create reports, devise presentations, debate with your colleaguesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ the list goes on. We can spend almost our entire day communicating. So, how can we provide a huge boost to our productivity? We can make sure that we communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible. communication needs to be: Clear. Concise. Concrete. Correct. Coherent. Complete. Courteous. and well illustrate each element with both good examples. 1. Clear When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in communicating with this person? If youre not sure, then your audience wont be sure either. To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that its easy for your reader to understand your meaning. People shouldnt have to read between the lines and make assumptions on their own to understand what youre trying to say 2. Concise When youre concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesnt want to read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three. Are there any adjectives or filler words that you can delete? You can often eliminate words like for instance, you see, definitely, kind of, literally, basically, or I mean. Are there any unnecessary sentences? Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways? 3. Concrete When your message is concrete, then your audience has a clear picture of what youre telling them. There are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and theres laserlike focus. Your message is solid. 4. Correct When your communication is correct, it fits your audience. And correct communication is also error-free communication. Do the technical terms you use fit your audiences level of education or knowledge? Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors? Remember, spell checkers wont catch everything. Are all names and titles spelled correctly? 5. Coherent When your communication is coherent, its logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent. 6. Complete In a complete message, the audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take action. Does your message include a call to action, so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to do? Have you included all relevant information à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on? 7. Courteous Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones. You keep your readers viewpoint in mind, and youre empathetic to their needs. 11: Expain the organisational and personal barriers to communication. Answer : Ethics because it is not ethical to answer questions that a person is not supposed to hear, i.e., conflict of interest. Law is similar but this is through written communications. One should never put in an email or something written that could be used in court. All of that info should go via personal exchages Gender bias is obvious. Sometimes say a man wont reveal certain things to a woman and vice versa. And lastly, confidentialty. What is the saying; Valor is the better part of discretion? Dont say what you dont want someone else to hear.

The Advantages Of Renewable Energy Resources Environmental Sciences Essay

The Advantages Of Renewable Energy Resources Environmental Sciences Essay The rapid growth of the world population leads to energy demand on a rise especially in developing countries. In addition, due to the limited ability to supply of non-renewable there are a number of huge challenges that are posed to the population of the world. This situation leads to the risk of depletion of cheap fossil energy and environmental pollution as well as climate change. According to Loir, there will probably be sufficient oil and gas for this century, and coal for 2 or more (Loir .N 2007, p.843). Or Edwin Cartlidge reports the annual total consumption of energy sources by the world population is about 1.41017 kWh, of which the proportion of the fossil energy has accounted for 90% of the energy sources used (Physics World 7/2007). Therefore, researchers around the world have been constantly trying to find solutions to diversify energy sources and reduce harmful emissions and greenhouse emissions into the environment and renewable energy sources have taken the spotlight. T hus, what is the renewable energy? The Oxford Dictionary () defines renewable energy as natural energy that can be used again and again and will never run out. There are four major types of renewable energy: solar, hydro, wind and geothermal energy. This paper will discuss advantages and disadvantages that renewable energy resource (RES) brings, as well as analysis the importance of RES to the worlds future. 2. Discussion of findings 2.1 Advantages of renewable energy resources (RES) The use of renewable energy has many potential benefits, including human beings and environment. Firstly, one of the most important  advantages of renewable energy  is that it is renewable. Essence of RES is derivation from natural processes so the energy is sustainable and never run out. Truly, renewable energy is really important and necessary to human beings when fossil fuels are more and more exhausted. With the never-ending supply of renewables, we would feel secure when having abundant supply of energy to last our planet, our human race and our economies, for generations and ever. Khemani (2011) says: As long as human life is there, there will be earth, sun, wind and water, and the energy from these sources will also be available as long as they are there. With the abundance from many renewable resources and development of science and technology, he strongly believes that renewable energy can meet the worlds energy needs today and tomorrow. Secondly, another benefit of renewable energy technologies is that ability of providing a measure of assurance of continued electricity supply at times when it otherwise might be threatened. In some circumstances, renewable energy technologies can be more reliable than other forms of electricity. For example, solar electricity systems can be used after storms for response and recovery. Renewable energy technologies such as generators powered by photovoltaics (PV) can supply electricity if the grid fails. Often the sun comes out in the immediate aftermath of a devastating storm. It can take weeks to repair the electricity grid and restore power to all customers. If battery storage is added to the system, it can supply electricity even after the sun goes down or through several cloudy or stormy days. Energy is needed to provide lighting, heating, air conditioning, cooking, transport and to  power  all the technologies in the family home or business premises (Parker 2010) Moreover, renewable energy not only is regarded as an unlimited resource but also plays an important role to regional development. Renewable energy and energy efficiency can help revitalize rural communities. For example, Wind turbines and solar panel systems can provide energy and provide rural communities with new tax revenue. Farmers on windy lands can lease space to wind developers, earning thousands of dollars for each turbine every year. One of the greatest alternative energy benefits is that it is so much better for environment than the use of  fossil fuels that contribute heavily to issues such as acid rain, smog and global warming. On the contrary, renewable energy has little or no waste products such as carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants. Renewable energy systems produce much lower carbon dioxide emissions as opposed to carbon-intensive fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas while they are being used only a small amount of fuel during the manufacturing of equipment (Walser 2012). With renewable energies, energy is usually converted from one form to another without the creation of pollutants. Chandler (2006) takes solar energy as example, light energy from the sun can be converted directly to electricity using photovoltaic without the production of any pollutants like carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses. Similarly, wind power energy relies on moving air and converts it into electricity wit hout polluting the environment. Therefore, it is obvious that the non-pollution or minimal impacts on environment are the positive advantages of renewable energy. 2.2 Disadvantages of renewable energy resources (RES) Although it is obvious to recognize the human as well as environmental advantages of utilizing renewable forms of energy, we must also consider some limiting sides from the energy. The biggest disadvantage of renewable energy is that the cost of the energy is relatively higher than non-renewable energy. The initial costs of renewable energy still make many people ignore it completely when comparing it with fossil fuel on two aspects: total cost and over the same time period. For example, installation of solar energy water heater costs many times in comparison with a heater, so they decided to buy heaters for hot water solution. According Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) (2008) reported that turbine installation costs $ 47.5 billion; by contrast, we only have to spend a much smaller amount of money to build thermal power station about $ 2,25 billion (Shah 2011). He also pointed that other incidental costs such as maintenance costs and production costs cause price increasing. Generally, it is price that the reason has prevented approaching and using clean energy as compared to the fossil fuel sources of energy. Another distinct disadvantage is relying too much on weather conditions and geographic locations to create energy (Sinclair 2011). Each types of renewable sources is just better suited to some places. This means that you cannot use each of these renewable sources in all locations. For instance, when using geo-thermal energy, you must be in a location that provides the environment for geo-thermal energy to be produced. Likewise, we cannot generate hydro-electric power without having a fast-flowing water source, such as a river or waterfall. In addition, the energy also brings some inconvenient problems. Take solar energy water heater as an example, it is inefficient because in summer ambient temperature are high and the use of hot water is not needed; however, in the winter we could not have hot water due to low light of the sun. Shah (2011) claimed that despite the fact that most renewable energy sources are more environmentally friendly they may still have a negative impact on the environment. He stated that hydroelectricity projects can cause a dramatic change in the development of wildlife and ecosystem along the river and flood risks. 2.3 Can renewable energy supply the Worlds energy needs? With the significant benefits from renewable energy, we cant deny that roles of it are more and more important. Nowadays, by advances and achievements of science and technology scientists are having every confidence in bright future of renewable energy. According to the report of The  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2011, renewable sources occupied about 13 percent of the worlds energy in 2008 and the proportion likely to have risen. The report also point out that within four decades renewable energy  could account for almost 80% of the worlds  energy supply. The statistics are completely appeared in the near future if we combine four main alternative resources and use hydroelectric to fill in gaps, which makes easier to match demand. The most important thing is to combine renewable energy sources into a bundle (cited in BERGERON 2011). Particularly, in research (Edenhofer et al. 2011) shows that by 2050, geothermal energy could meet more than 3 percent of global electricity demand and about 5 percent of the global heat demand, hydropower will contribute about 30 percent of worldwide electricity supply, wind power will grow to more than 20 percent and solar energy becomes one of the major sources of energy supply with about 15 percent.

The Nature Approach :: essays research papers

The Nature Approach   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two ways in which sociologists study human behavior. The Nature approach and the Nurture approach. The Nature approach has many claims. One is; the whole universe is deterministic and follows unavoidable sequences of cause, leading to effect. What this generally means is that all the events in the world that occur are pre-determined. By what you ask? Nature (laws of physics, for example). Another claim of the Nature Approach is that man is like a puppet on strings of nature. If one wants to control man, all one has to do is find the strings. This can only be done if it is for the well being of man. Anything that man is driven to do is because of mechanics of nature; there is simply no such thing as free will. Above all, even human thought is caused and is mere epiphenomenon, which is a secondary and inconsequential effect of a main event. Any thought in which man has, are not their own thoughts, but just a part of nature. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the Nurture approach. For centuries, conventional wisdom has held that parental nurturing will definitively shape a human’s personality and behavior. According to believers of the Nurture approach, it's the assumption that what makes human beings turn out the way they do, aside from their genes, the environmental part of human development, is the experiences they have in society, and in particular the experiences they have with the people they encounter. The origins of the nurture approach are stemmed from the studies of Copernicus and Galileo. Galileo was an Italian astronomer, natural philosopher, and one of the central architects of modern science. In his Two Chief World Systems, he set forth the idea that the sun was the center of the universe, rather than the earth. Forced to recant and forbidden to teach or talk about his views, Galileo is said to have muttered in the stillness of his room, 'Still it turns' in reference to the rotation of the earth around the sun. Galileo decentered the earth and by extension all theology which holds that the earth and creatures upon it were a special act of creation. Now, let's say we were examining an experiment performed on a set of identical twins. Twins are born with the same genetic makeup, which has been shaped by this world.

Full-Day vs. Half-Day Kindergarten Essay -- essays papers

Full-Day vs. Half-Day Kindergarten Which is more effective? Abstract: This paper gives a brief history of kindergarten; where and why it was created. It describes both full-day and half-day programs, examines the advantages, and disadvantages of full-day and half-day kindergarten, and comes to a conclusion as to which program is more effective in educating the young. Kindergarten plays an important role in the growth, and development of a child. It is here that children begin the foundation for the rest of there education. Educators are constantly looking for ways to improve the kindergarten program for optimal success, however change never occurs easily. There is always some opposition; as in the case with the change from half-day to full-day kindergarten. After carefully researching the controversial topic I have been able to come to some conclusions, as to which program is more effective, and practical. However it is important to first look into where kindergarten all began. There is no denying the importance of the care and education of young children. That is why early childhood educators have been motivated for centuries to create high quality programs for the young. One of the most innovative and lasting programs that was created was German educator Friedrich Froebel’s concept of kindergarten. Froebel sought to develop a program that would stress the natural growth of children through play, and in 1837 he developed the first kindergarten (Froebel’s Kindergarten). Froebel believed that children after the age of three should be placed in the care of properly trained teachers for part of the day (A Comparison of the Reading Performance). In 1849 the training of kindergarten teachers began, and in the 1850’s kin... ...from Academic Search/ EBSCO database Kurtz, Jill. (2004, October 15). Starting School for Kindergarten Parents. Retrieved December 4, 2004, from http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/start/kday.htm Mathur, Sangeeta, Elicker, James (1997). What Do They Do All Day? Comprehensive Evaluation of a Full-Day Kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12(4), p.459 +. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from ERIC database Schubert, Ellen (1997). Half-day kindergarten perspective. [Electronic Version]. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12(4) p.481+. Viadero, Debra (2002). Full-Day Kindergarten Boosts Academic Performance. Education Week, 21(31), p.14. Retrieved September 26, 2004, from Academic search/ EBSCO database Wood, Daniel B. (2004, January 28). Learning trend: Kindergarten becomes and all-day affair. Retrieved December 4, 2004, from http:www.matr.net/print-9643.html

Ernst and Young Presentation

Accounting 302 9/18/12 Ernst & Young Guest Speaker Response After looking through the Ernst & Young PowerPoint presentation, there were certain points covered that were similar to our Sky Air activity from class. One of the key points covered was the idea of purchasing a company, and how much one would pay for it. It was brought to our attention from both the PowerPoint and class lecture that buyers and sellers may have different perceptions of value. This occurs because buyers do not want to â€Å"pay up front† for uncertain earnings.From what we learned in the Sky Air activity, Thyestean, the principal, is similarly concerned about whether or not Kaplan, the agent, will be loyal enough to provide accurate data and analysis of his own company. Both the PowerPoint and Sky Air focus on information asymmetry, and how it can be reduced. We learned that having an independent Board of Directors and external auditor would improve the accuracy in the information provided to the princ ipal, which will therefore reduce information asymmetry.Another concept we went over in the Sky Air activity that was mentioned in the PowerPoint was the idea that there may be risky acquisitions. We learned from the slides that in order to reduce the risk, the principal must include a request or incentive. The example described from the slides included a Technology company was being sold for $100m. The buyer agreed to purchase it, under the circumstance that it shall have to meet certain projections. This shows that even though the shareholder is affected in the long run, he/she will not be affected (negatively) drastically since there are certain mandatory projections to uphold.Similarly, in the Sky Air case, we came to the conclusion that if the buyer purchases the company, he/she should request that Kaplan’s compensation be linked to his profits, so that there is less risk (manager cares more about short-term, shareholder cares more about long-term, this way manager will care more too). Although the PowerPoint presentation was based more on the financial aspect of the company’s acquisition, it still provided relevant information that we learned in class, and too coincided with the Sky Air activity.

Prader-Willi Case Essay

This essay will discuss the role of the nurse in the context of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) which is caused by a genetic disease by a deletion in chromosome 15. This can lead to insatiable hunger, excessive eating and result in obesity. This syndrome requires management from the multidisciplinary team which includes dieticians, doctors, mental health team, nurses, occupational therapist, physiotherapists and social services. This is where the role of the nurse and nursing staff can stand out as they are actively involved in patient care providing support to the patient and their family, as well as playing a role in preventing disease progression. â€Å"Make the care of people your first concern, treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity† (NMC, 2010). This is of utmost importance in the management of PWS, and how the individual can be educated by managing the syndrome. This essay will relate across the lifespan; childhood, adolescence and adulthood. This will be discussed in the following paragraphs. PWS is an uncommon genetic disorder that is present at birth in either male or female. It is the most common genetic cause of morbid obesity and can vary at different weights. Although the cause is complex, it results from a deletion or unexpression of genes from the paternal chromosome 15. This condition affects approximately 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 25,000 new-borns (Killeen, 2004). Individuals with this condition have serious problems controlling their weight as they have a very strong food compulsion before the age of six. The condition is diagnosed through genetic testing. It is specifically DNA-based methylation testing to distinguish the absence of the paternal chromosome; chromosome 15.This test is recommended for new borns with pronounced hypotonia (praderwillisyndrome, 2010). An early diagnosis allows for early intervention as well as early provision of growth hormone (GH) treatment. GH gives an increased muscle mass and supports linear growth. GH treatment also advantageous because it decreases food preoccupation and weight gain. During pregnancy, there can be a few abnormal signs which can indicate, but are not limited to PWS. In utero, there can be excessive amniotic fluid; a condition known as polyhydraminos. There can also be reduced fetal movements and the fetal position within the uterus may be suboptimal i.e. breech presentation. Once the baby is born, other signs such as feeding difficulties- due to poor muscular tone affecting the sucking reflex and generalised hypotonia-poor muscular tone (FPWR, 2011).The baby may feel floppy when held as their joints may be loosely extended instead of being firmly in position. An early diagnosis of these can point to an early diagnosis of PWS, hence lead to early management. The clinical presentation of PWS is not limited to physical signs and symptoms but includes linear growth and development, which can cause mental and behavioural problems. These can be presented early in childhood. Physical features can include short stature, small hands and feet, low birth weight, and classic facial features including narrow forehead, almond-shaped eyes and â€Å"down-turned† mouth (Holm et al, 1993). Behavioural symptoms can include obsessive behaviours, unpredictable temper tantrums, skin picking, stubbornness and resistance to change. Individuals with this condition are not mentally stable as they have an increased risk and suffer from depression and psychosis. They also suffer from hallucinations, loss of interests, changes in mood and poor concentration levels. As mentioned earlier, Hypotonia is poor muscle tone. Hypotonia improves with age, however if it persists by the age of two to three, it is very likely that the child may not have started walking. Walking is a crucial milestone that should be reached within the first two years of life (NLM 2010).This is because their weight gain has made it difficult to move around and their condition is already exacerbated by the hypotonia. They can be referred to physiotherapy to try and improve the muscle tone. They also have a failure to thrive and their rate of physical growth is less than their peers’. With failure to thrive, these infants may not respond to simulation as they tire easily. Infants with this condition gain weight more slowly and start to put on more weight by the age of 2-3. A child with PWS may start speaking later than other children as their verbal skills are delayed. Speech and language therapy is advisable at this point as the child will benefit with input from a ther apist. Most common speech concerns include problems with voice quality, articulation, usage as well as resonance patterns (Munson-Davis, 1988). The child constantly craves for food and eats more than they should. They constantly gain weight and may eat things most people wouldn’t deem edible; such as expired or frozen food. There is a serious compulsion towards food, and a lack of awareness of hunger satiation. In childhood, they have a tendency to be stubborn, argumentative and possessive (Nordqvist, 2010). Some infants can develop obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) along with repetitive behaviours. They can throw tantrums as they can only consume a certain amount of food per day so they do not gain weight (as per their dietary management plan). During adolescence, height becomes more noticeable as the individual is much shorter than others. The height of a female with PWS on average is 4 feet 10 inches while that a male with PWS is 5 feet 2 inches (nhs.uk, 2011). The individual would still suffer from hypotonia up until adulthood and would be extremely flexible due to poor muscle tone. Once the individual has reached adulthood, they cannot reproduce as they are infertile due to delayed puberty in both male and female from a young age. The reproductive system would not have produced enough sex hormones, which results in undeveloped sex organs. Hypogonadism is a medical term for the reduction or absence of hormone secretion or other physiological activity of the gonards. Individuals with PWS have some degree of a learning disability. Learning disability nursing practice reflected current philosophies of supporting people with learning disabilities (Clifton et al. 1992). The presence of PWS in a family can create substantial stress. Families would have had to adapt to changes within the household to be able to manage the individual with the syndrome. Parents are often exhausted from the demands of their time and energy for diet control, specialized programmes, therapy appointments and behavioural supervision. Siblings are also affected as they often feel neglected as the PWS sibling receives more attention and appears to be more loved. (Tomase-ski-Heinemann 1998) It is a nurse’s responsibility to help support and manage a patient with the condition along with supporting the individual and their family. The uncontrollable appetite leads to obesity. Obesity is a global epidemic, and is also known to be a significant risk factor for other health related problems which include heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, hypoventilation and right sided heart failure (WHO, 1948). Some people with PWS also develop type 2 diabetes mellitus which is the most common form of diabetes, where the body either does not produce enough insulin or the insulin is not working properly; insulin resistance. In addition, part of the due diligence of nurses is that in providing care for a patient with PWS that they holistically look after the patient starting from the first interaction. For example, in PWS this involves first building a rapport with the patient explaining their diagnosis and describing the nurses’ role in the management (monitoring weight, supporting diet). It should be stressed to the patient and their family the importance of confidentially and that their information will not be told to anyone outside the medical team. This ensures that the nurse has fulfilled their responsibly within the multi-disciplinary team. The Data Protection Act (1998) was put in place to maintain patient records and information. Therefore the nurse would be upholding these legislations by practising patient confidentiality. When visiting a patient at home or in the hospital, a nurse should ask for consent for patient contact i.e. assessing vital signs. Nurses’ must follow the NMC guidelines although the patient may not understand what the nurse is saying because of a learning disability for example. However, consent must be indicated in some form such as nodding of the head. The NMC (2010) states that â€Å"you should ensure that you gain their consent before you begin to provide care†. If the patient is unable to give consent and is alert, the next of kin is assigned to making the decision due to the best interest of the patient. A nurse is accountable to manage, maintain and monitor the individuals’ weight. The nurse does not only have to keep track but also the family should be involved in managing the weight. Nurses can book weekly appointments with the individual and their family/carer so their weight can be monitored to check for any improvement to the weight or not. The family should monitor the amount the individual consumes daily. They are constantly hungry and cry for more food if it is not given to them. Locks must be placed on cupboards or on the kitchen door to stop them from eating (PWSAUSA, 2009). It will be hard for the individual to cope once this is introduced as they do not know when to stop. This is where the nurse should explain to the individual how important it is to manage their weight and what it can lead to if it is not controlled. The nurse should be there to support them when the individual starts to show aggressive behaviour as it will be hard for the family as well. Adults with PWS are inactive due to their low muscle tone and therefore only require 1,000-1,200 calories a day (PWSA, 2010). Encouraging the individual to be healthy is important. Although the nurse must understand that the patient may be unable to exercise properly due to poor muscle tone, they should encourage the patient to eat healthily for example fruit and vegetables. The individual must not have too many fatty foods i.e sweets and chocolate. By promoting healthy foods will ensure that the individual does not gain more weight than they should. It will be hard for the individual to cope with the new foods introduced to them which is why a nurse will be there to support the individual and family. The nurse can also advise the family on encouraging the patient to do some exercises i.e. helping with house chores. Any sorts of movement can help burn calories. Communication skills is one of the key skills a nurse should have. â€Å"To understand the process of communication, we must understand how people relate to each other† (Faulkner, 1982). Supporting and helping patients and their families, communication is crucial. By managing the individual and their condition, team work is fundamental. It is important to work as team as the main focus in the patient care plan is the individual. Each health care professional has a role to play to help improve the individuals well-being. The main focus is the role of the nurse and how their professional issues can impact on the health and illness of people across the life span. It is important for a nurse to understand individuals and their condition because they can help make it somewhat easier for the patient and their family. This is because the nurse is an allied health professional who enjoys more interaction with the patient than many other members of the multidisciplinary team. Nurses need to respect patients from various backgrounds as PWS can affect people of all ethnicities. This syndrome can be found in people of any ethnic background (Zelweger, 1983). Nurses’ must respect the patients’ background and understand that they may not be able to communicate or understand what is being said. Makaton could be used to enhance communication and is a language programme, which is designed to provide a means of communication to individuals who cannot communicate well by speaking (Beukelman. D.R & Mirenda). Makaton can also be used with individuals who have cognitive impairments and specific language impairment that have negatively affected the ability to communicate. An interpreter is also a form of communication as they are translating what the other is saying if English is not their first language. By using interpreters (sign language or foreign languages) will help the patient and the nurse understand what the other is saying i.e. explaining what the condition is. This will also leave the patient happy so they do not feel angry and upset. Some individuals may have a language barrier or cultural beliefs which can go against some forms of treatment. The syndrome is lifelong and unfortunately has no cure, but with the support and advice the nurse will have given the patient and the family, the patient will be happy and content (FPWR, 2010). This essay has included the role of the nurse for this condition and how it can be managed. Overall, the main point is to promote a healthy way of what the individual eats and how it can be managed. Keeping such foods out of sight and having a positive family, helping the individual through the tough times can promote a healthy way of living for the individual. Exercise is crucial in maintaining a healthy weight.