Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Management of Geriatric Health Facilities

Management of Geriatric Health Facilities Nirpreet Kaur Brar ABSTRACT The main purpose of the report is to tell about the different organisation’s services provided to elderly and how they can bring more improvements in their services. It also describes how to minimize the stigma impacts on individuals and their family. In this report the problems among elderly are described and the management of those problems is also described in the report. The report was descriptive in nature. The data was analysed and interpreted. INTRODUCTION In the field of healthcare, support planning for geriatric clients and family is packed with excitement, challenges, obstacles, confusions or frustrations, but all these are combined with the sense of purpose and commitment. Geriatric care management is the process in which planning and coordinating care of the elderly is done to meet the long term care needs of the elders, improving the quality of life of the elderly and maintaining the independence of the old people for a long time. It makes a part to work with persons of old age and their families to manage, render and refer various types of health and social care services. The common medical conditions which affect elderly are diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dementia etcetera. TASK-1 Identify and critically analyse the kind of support and access to community support services Kindly residential care rest home. Select at least five different organisations and explain how their services assist the elderly with common geriatric health conditions. Answer: -1) The Parkinsonism society of New Zealand (Parkinson’s New Zealand):- This society is for the old people who are affected by Parkinson’s. It provides support not just to the individuals with Parkinson’s but to their friends and families also. There is a list below for the carer to consider for providing care to the old persons:- Sufficient information about the need of the person you are supporting. Should have a diary to keep and record the symptoms and difficulties of the person you are caring. Should ask the Parkinson’s community educator about the financial benefits of the old person. Consider about the feelings and what you are doing. Should contact with other carers. It is the key to provide invaluable mutual support, ideas, information and friendship. Should promote independence for the person you are caring for. 2) Alzheimer’s New Zealand: The Alzheimer’s services are available to everyone who has dementia. The groups of this society are free and available in variety of locations such as North, south, east and west. The workers provide a comprehensive range of help and support of dementia which includes:- Telephone consultation and advice Home visits Family groups and individual consultations Excellent information resources Home based dementia support provides:- One to one socialisation for the person with dementia either in home or by the outings etcetera The staff runs weekly activity groups for people with dementia’s early stage for providing appropriate socialisation and stimulation. The Alzheimer’s New Zealand is strategic framework which is demanding and based on future for the national dementia community which provides the direction which in turns required for us to know how to meet the challenge of dementia at present or in the future. In New Zealand dementia is one of the most significant and growing challenge of the health care. There is a framework which challenges all of the organisations in the dementia community. 3) Arthritis New Zealand: Arthritis New Zealand is not-for-profit organisation which aims at enabling a better quality of life to the people which are affected by arthritis? It works in the areas of education, direct support and public awareness etcetera. It is one of the New Zealand’s leading charities which represent the interest of 530,000 people which are living with this painful disease. It aims at enabling a better quality of life for the people having arthritis. The generous community and their contribution help it. It costs $5.6 million annually to provide essential services. The 12% of this cost is provided by the government to the organisation. The rest of the cost has to find from elsewhere. For example through fundraising activities like lotteries and Annual Appeals. The net income which is raised through these fundraising activities is spent throughout 21 arthritis centres. 4) Osteoporosis New Zealand:-Osteoporosis New Zealand is a national organisation which aims at reducing the incidence of osteoporosis in New Zealand. It was formed for the aim of raising awareness and knowledge of osteoporosis and for providing a national voice for people with osteoporosis and for those who are at risk. The main objective of this society is to:- Improve bone health for all New Zealanders. Develop a culture in New Zealand for valuing bone health for life. Osteoporosis New Zealand is dedicated to improve bone health for all New Zealanders at all stages of life. This is done by scientific evidence based decision making through the development of management recommendations and position statements by providing advice, educational material and information for the public and advocating for better access to diagnosis and medication for osteoporosis. 5) Glaucoma New Zealand: Glaucoma New Zealand is a charitable interest which aims at eliminating blindness from glaucoma. It is number one preventable cause in New Zealand. Glaucoma aims at:- Enhancing public awareness regarding glaucoma Supporting and informing people with glaucoma Educating eye health workers for ensuring high quality services. Facilitate research into glaucoma. The key massage of glaucoma New Zealand is that the early detection of glaucoma is vital to prevent blindness which means an eye examination every five years from the age of 45 and every three years from the age of sixty. However at any age any changes noticed in eyesight then eye examination is necessary at that time. It is really important for the people to know that if glaucoma runs in their family the risk increases among every member substantially. At the age of 60 there are more chances of getting glaucoma or short sighted, if anybody used to consume drugs in past or present or have eye injury. Glaucoma activities include:- To aid early detection of glaucoma annual public awareness campaigns are established For educating the people and those with the interest of glaucoma regular public meetings are conducted for helping them to understand about the disease condition and treatment of that disease A glaucoma membership information package Eyesight publication- a regular newsletter sent free Support and inform people with glaucoma Participating in education of health professionals involved in glaucoma care Supporting research into glaucoma In information and education of glaucoma following things are done:- Presentation at public meetings around the country Free information packs for people who are registered Advisory service Fact sheets for distribution by ophthalmologists and optometrists Quarterly newsletter:eyelights b) Select at least six of the following type of services provision and explain how these assist the elderly with common geriatric health condition Hospitals: A hospital provides emergency medical care; intensive treatment; diagnostic testing and it may or may not require admission. The elder people use hospitals more than the younger people. The geriatric interdisciplinary team identifies and meet the complex needs of the old patients and watch for and prevent common problems among the old people. This team aim to ensure the following:- The patient can move easily from one care setting to another care setting The care is not duplicated 2) Residential care: Private companies and not-for-profit organisation provides the residential care in New Zealand. In most of the cases care cost of the individual is subsidised by the government funding which is known as residential care subsidy. Residential care divided into four levels: rest home care long term care hospital, dementia care and psycho geriatric care. Some of the homes provide all levels of care but some do not. 3) Psychiatric services: It is a time limited service which provides assessment, treatment, and management rehabilitation and consultation advice for old people who have functional or organic health conditions. The services are delivered in holistic way that acknowledges and takes account of the client’s cultural, social and spiritual needs as well as their disability and health needs. The service is provided in one of the following locations:- Dedicated mental health service for old people Acute adult mental health ward Assessment and treatment beds in private hospitals Clinics including outreach to rural and remote areas 4) Dementia advisors: Dementia advisors provide following services:- Education and training for people with dementia and their families. Workforce training and education Readily accessible services Governance Culturally appropriate services Funding streams Monitoring and evaluation Advocacy 5) Nursing homes: These are to maximize the physical functioning minimize or prevent the decline in daily living activity and plan for transitions of care. The care strategies include: Maintaining daily routines of individuals. Educate older adults, family and formal caregivers on the value of independent functioning and the consequences of functional decline. Minimize bed rest 6) Sheltered housing: The New Zealand population is ageing. But within the older population older age groups are increasing rapidly which results in increasing of life expectancy, which is higher for women as compared to men due to which women will experience more years with the disability at the end of the life. These factors combine to underline the vulnerability of older women and to suggest that their needs be given a high profile in the planning and designing for housing for older people. TASK-2 QUESTION- Kindly residential care rest home management would like you to prepare an outline of a booklet that they could have printed and use as part of the educational material supplied to stakeholders within the organisation which include staff, individual clients and family members. Management have identified the following stigma impacts: Social isolation of the individual and their family Answer: People living alone have few social connections and the nature of the dementia can make it hard for them to maintain social contacts. It can be defined as the absence of social interactions, contacts and relationships with family and friends. It is considered as a risk factor in disease development and in the existing disease disability. It is included as well as in the measure of quality of life and thus it is an outcome and also risk factor. Social isolation consideration almost always occurs in the context of social support and the two in most cases are used interchangeably. Both concepts are defined inexactly over the past few decades. A new study has shown that being socially isolated can have a greater effect on risk of early death especially among the elderly. In addition feeling of loneliness reported by the participants often linked with isolation was not significantly linked with death risks. Assumption of automatic loss of independence:- Answer: One may feel that by asking others for help, you will lose your sense of self or become dependent. The policies which are designed to meet the challenges of old population should be based on understandings of process of disability in old age. Unable to make decisions about own care:- Answer: Patients have the right to participate in decisions about their care, e.g., diagnostic and treatment interventions, diet, ambulation, daily care, and end-of-life care. Consent to diagnostic and treatment interventions requires that the patient demonstrate their ability to consider the benefits, burdens and risks of the decision. Whether or not an individual has the capacity to understand, make a decision and take responsibility for the consequences of the decision is a clinical determination; it is not a question of legal competence. Persons with mild-to-moderate dementia can have the capacity to make some, but not all, decisions. They may be able to participate in decision making but impaired memory recall might preclude their ability to demonstrate that they understand the treatment options. Dissatisfying interactions with the medical community Answer: One of the barrier that put the person with dementia in serious conditions by approving and complying to medical management. Many researchers stress the clinical and theoretical importance of effective communication in medical encounters Both empirical data and clinical experience suggest that there are important ways that physicians can maintain and enhance the health and well-being of patients, as well as family caregivers, by fostering mutuality through a triadic relationship Geriatric patients usually have a complex array of interacting biomedical, psychosocial, and functional disabilities .Caregivers play a substantial role in assisting patients in daily activities .In addition to the physical disabilities associated with age related co-morbidities, many older patients have cognitive impairment that compromises their ability to exercise judgment and report symptoms and experiences. Caregivers have knowledge of the patients physical, social, cognitive, and financial well-being, and bring this information to the medical encounter. This factor necessitates that physicians extend their learning possibilities and information-giving practices to caregivers. Research on geriatric encounters typically focuses on the many problems that exist between doctors and their geriatric patients, especially difficulties of patient communication .Other studies call attention to problems with the elderly persons capacity for self-care. Wait kin (1991) notes that some of the most interesting and important features of research on geriatric medical encounters involve concerns about matters that appear marginal or peripheral to the technical goals of clinical medicine. He found that elderly patients personal troubles included social isolation, financial insecurity, loss of community and material possessions, death of family members, and retirement from work. Physicians often responded to such social psychological problems by cutting off any discussion about social context and reemphasizing technical matters. At best, the current literature only implicitly addresses the pivotal role caregivers play in this relationship. Uncertainty of support and treatments:- In 2010/11 a wide range of health professionals, service providers and consumers were engaged in a process to develop a new way to deliver good quality, safe and sustainable services to meet the needs of the increasing number of older people in Hawke’s Bay. The model outlined in this document was been developed in line with the key principles of the government’s Better, Sooner, More Convenient and initiative. Evidence of what really makes a difference in the lives of older people was drawn upon, along with evidence of what has worked to reduce the pressure on hospitals both in New Zealand and overseas. Many older people especially those who are intensive users of health and support services have long term health conditions and support needs that require ongoing monitoring and follow-up. The model of care described here has been developed as a generic model which has the potential to be applied to other client groups with long term needs. Report prepared by Andrea Joplin, Project ManagerKey developments outlined in this paper includes: The establishment of an Older Person’s Health Service within Hawke’s Bay DHB. The closer alignment of the over 65s team at Options Hawke’s Bay with the DHB’s Older Person’s Health Services. The establishment of interdisciplinary Care Clusters aligned to General Practice groups to include a Care Manager, Allied Health and District Nursing. Piecemeal changes to older people’s services are unlikely to make significant gains in the quality of life for our clients or achieve clinical and financial sustainability. The development of Care Manager Roles to undertake comprehensive assessment, care planning and service coordination for older patients with very complex needs. The development of Community Geriatrician resources. The resourcing of intermediate care services in community settings. The development of restorative home-based support services. The Steering Group recognised at the outset of the planning process that piecemeal changes to older people’s services were unlikely to make significant gains in the quality of life for our clients or achieve clinical and financial sustainability. As such the developments discussed in this paper are not insignificant. However, changes will be made in an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary manner and the model may take several years to fully implement. Changes will need to be carefully planned and implemented in stages, as finances and other resources allow. There is a window of opportunity to begin service developments before the increase in the number of adults aged over 85 years begins in earnest in 2013-2014. It will be possible to redirect existing resources to fund some of the new services in 2011/12, but there will also be a need for further investment in coming years as the proportion of older people in the Hawke’s Bay population grows. RECOMMENDATIONS There should be regular monitoring of the services to maintain good performance and to assess the areas of improvements. Planning should be made to provide good services and then that planning should be implemented in a better way. Sufficient staff should be there in every organisation to support and treat the old people. Good management for everything is very necessary. Conclusion The group believed that utmost management of geriatric health facilities is as important to the safety of the patient, the value given to staff, and the profit of the institution. The staff’s safety is also as much important as the patient’s safety. If staff will be good then only he /she can take care of his residences. REFRENCES Alzheimer’s New Zealand (1982) Retrieved from http://alzheimers.org.nz/ Hospital care and elderly (2013) Retrieved from http://merckmanuals.com/geriatrics/elderly/hospital_care_and_the_elderly Mental health services for old people (2014) Retrieved from http://otago.ac.nz/christchurch/otago014051 Social isolation among older individuals (1992) Retrieved from http://nap.edu/openbook.php Loss and recovery of independence among seniors (July 2002) Retrieved from http://odesi1.scholarsportal.info/documentation/PHIRN/NSAI/6316-eng

Monday, August 19, 2019

Human Nature :: Sociology Sociological Papers

Human Nature A woman is screaming and the smell of a raging fire is in the air. There’s a group of people about fifteen yards away who are witnessing the event. They all stand there in awe of the destruction but not one of them has called the authorities. Jack, a businessman walking by himself, sees the fire and the woman trapped inside the building. Without hesitation he uses his cell phone to call the fire department. Once getting off the phone, this brave man runs into the smoldering building to try and save the woman. Coming out of the building without being harmed, he and the woman are safe. If one man could do this, why did the group of people watching not do anything? The explanation for the reactions of the people is due to what may be said as human nature. It seems that when in groups, people are less reactive when they are in the presence of danger or hazard. Carol Tavris, who received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan, is a widely published author. In her works, â€Å" In Groups We Shrink From Loner’s Heroics,† she talks about the human nature of people and how in groups, humans seem to â€Å"†¦think and act differently than they would on their own† (Tavris 17). When facing danger or disaster, groups of people do not run to the aid of others because of the nature of groups versus the nature of individuals (Tavris 18). Tavris is trying to reach everyone and have them be aware of what is human instinct versus what is moral. She is hoping that her readers will take something away with them from the article and hopefully react morally when seeing people in danger or in desperate need of help. Throughout her piece, Tavris uses two main structures: compare and contrast structure and the problem/solution structure. She uses these so that her readers can see the comparison or the solution right away. She very vividly shows the difference in the reactions of people when she uses the compare and contrast structure.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Percy Bysshe Shelleys Ozymandias Essay -- Ozymandias Essays

Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In "Ozymandias," Percy Bysshe Shelley uses a ruined statue of Ramses II to illustrate the negative aspects of the sublime.   Edmund Burke identified as sublime "the experience of contemplating enormous heights and depths but also the experience of being isolated from other humans" (Ferguson 339).   Both of these themes figure prominently in "Ozymandias."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem opens with a mysterious "traveler from an antique land" (1) describing the demolished statue of Ozymandias (Ramses II).   The traveler serves as the human consciousness required to give force to the ideas of the destructiveness of nature and the annihilation of mankind.   Because the human mind can attribute destructiveness to nature, nature needs humans for it to be perceived as destructive and to continue to be destructive (Ferguson 339).   As Shelley does not state specifically how the statue was destroyed, and given its remote location, on might assume its destruction was due to an act of nature.   The legs of the statue are described as "vast" (2), while the ruins are a "colossal Wreck" (13); both descriptions refer to the concept of the sublime as awe-inspiring and terrifying.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The "vast and trunkless legs of stone" (2), along with the pedestal, are the only parts of the statue left standing; "near them, on the sand/half sunk, a shattered visage lies" (3 - 4).   The "shattered visage" might be seen as a form of depersonalization, an illustration that mortals are insignificant and powerless when compared to nature.   Even though Ozymandias is a king, he is nothing in the eyes ... ...ether a warning against excessive pride, a discussion of the negative sublime, or allusion to an unhappy marriage, the fact remains that this poem is an excellent piece worthy of inclusion in the canon of British literature.   The imagery in the poem, as well as its accessibility, make it readily enjoyable by any reader.       Works Cited    Ferguson, Frances.   "Shelley's 'Mont Blanc':   What the Mountain Said."   Romantic Poetry.   Ed. Karl Kroeber and Gene W. Ruoff.   New Brunswick:   Rutgers UP, 1993.    "Percy Bysshe Shelley."   The Norton Anthology of English Literature.   Ed. M.H. Abrams.   New York:   W.W. Norton and Company, 2000.   698 - 701.    Shelley, Percy Bysshe.   "Ozymandias." .The Norton Anthology of English Literature.   Ed. M.H. Abrams.   New York:   W.W. Norton and Company, 2000.   725 - 6.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Analysis of “Raise the Red Lantern” Essay

Yi-Mou Zhang’s Raise the Red Lantern, is a beautiful and brilliantly made film in its own right. If, however, the team of Orson Welles and Greg Toland had produced the same film it would take on an entirely different look and feel. The film would reflect Wells love for creating physical representations of thematic metaphors and the long take and Toland’s brilliant use of deep space photography and mobile framing. Under the direction of the Wells-Toland team, the film would take on subtle, yet significant differences from the very beginning. In the opening scene, with Songolian and her stepmother, the focus of the camera would still be a medium close up of Songolian; but, the previously unseen mother would now be seen in the extreme background and edges of the frame. Using deep focus and choreographing her movements the mother’s character would still remain faceless, but would seem more tangible and the feeling of distance between the mother and her stepdaughter could be re- enforced. The next major difference would be seen in the sequences involving Songolian’s entrance into the house itself. In Zhang’s original version, Songolian enters the frame with the inscription on the back wall shown briefly. The W-T revision would begin the entrance sequence with a medium close up of the inscription itself, slowly panning from left to right, just slowly enough to recognize the characters but fast enough to not allow the audience to actually read the inscription. The significance of the inscription on the wall has been explained as being not in the inscription, but in the characters themselves: in the oldest Chinese societies the written characters were created with arbitrary meaning assigned to them, only scholars and the aristocracy had the time and means to learn the meanings of the thousands of different characters used. The characters on the wall are alluding to a society which was dominated by male figures who arbitrarily created meaning and tradition. Zhang filmed the movement through the house in a series of shots usually cutting from the entrance into a archway or gate, to the exit on the other side from the same. This style creates a feeling of disorientation and the layout of the house is never really established for the audience. The W-T  duo would probably have filmed the various movements through the ground levels of the house in a series of long-takes with tracking shots. The shots, starting from approximately rooftop level, would then track forward and down to follow the movement of a character through the complex, rising up and ‘crawling’ over arches and entrance ways and then dropping down again. Instead of placing an emphasis on the feeling of the palace’s physical ‘discontinuity’ created by Zhang’s shots, this change would emphasize the magnitude of the structure itself, reenforcing the feeling of a well established and developed tradition and the insignificance of one small w oman. The other type of movement followed in the story is the movement above roof level. The W-T team would handle this in a much different fashion than Zhang. The movement above roof level represents freedom of various kinds and ultimately, escape. Welles would want the camera movement in the roof scenes to reflect this, consequently, the movement of a character on the roof would be filmed in a continuous take. The shot would probably be a tracking shot that changed angle and distance continuously, possibly even violating the 180 degree rule, in order to give the camera a bird like point of view. The other type of shot used above the roof level would be the fixed frame shots involving two or more characters at a distance; Toland would again use this opportunity to utilize his mastery of deep focus, keeping both of the characters in focus while displaying the distance between the two. In the next scene Songolian, enters her house for the first time. Zhang used a long shot to show her standing in the middle of the room, surveying her new accommodations. The W-T team would have used a longer shot, possibly even an extremely long shot in this instance. As the lanterns are being lit, the central chandelier above the bed would probably be shot from a bird’s eye perspective as it was being lowered and then a floor shot as it was being raised. The change in distance would make Songolian seem even smaller in the huge room, a tiny woman surrounded buy countless, huge red lanterns signifying the family traditions. When the husband is finally introduced into the film, the W-T team would  shoot the husband as a faceless character, just as Zhang had done. The technical difference, however would be that W-T, would use a shot/reverse-shot sequence with the husband in order to better display the distance between himself and Songolian. This would be a perfect opportunity for Toland’s mastery of the use of deep space. Shooting close to the husband from below shoulder level toward Songolian would create a better physical metaphor for the emotional distance between the two. Frequently in the film there are shots of the inner court-areas of the houses of various wives, shown with the red lanterns burning against the darkness of the night. Zhang, in his version, shoots these from a high angle and the camera is fixed in the inner courtyard. W-T would shoot this as a tracking shot, moving from a high angle shot of at least one of the dark inner courts and then pulling back to pan across the darkened compound, then moving to another high angle shot of the court with the lit lanterns. There are frequently points in the story where the husband leaves the house during the night to go to another house. The W-T team would shoot this from a high angle shot of the lit inner-court as the lanterns are extinguished and then use a tracking shot to ‘crawl’ along the compound to the house where the lanterns being lit, then the camera would pan back in the direction it had come to reveal the dark compound. The dining room is a central point in Zhang’s version of the film and would also be pivotal in the W-T version. Songolian is shown the dining room when she is given her tour of the house. The W-T version of this scene would closely resemble the Zhang version with one key difference. The W-T camera would raise to the faces of the portraits of the ancestors, move to a close up and then pan around the room giving us a shot representative of Songolian’s perspective. In the first dining scene the establishing shot would be the same shot that was originally used. The long shot that was used to establish the parameters of the room and provide a subtle suggestion of the thematic implication of the scene would take on new meaning under the direction of the Wells-Toland team. The Spartan room, surrounded on three sides by portraits of past patriarchs of the family was visible in the establishing shot, but the presence of the ‘family men’ is only alluded to;  with T oland’s use of deep focus the portraits of the patriarchs could be brought into clear perspective, bringing the idea of the influence of the ancestors more securely into the scene. As the scene progresses Zhang’s original sequence of shot, reverse-shot wold still be used, and the camera’s height would remain above the table level; the important difference between the Zhang’s shots and the W-T shots would be the camera’s angle. W-T would lower the camera slightly and drastically increase the angle in order to include the faces of the long deceased patriarchs in the same frames with the wives in the close-ups and medium close-ups. This change, in conjunction with deep focus, would alter the thematic implications of these scenes by introducing the faces of these nameless men directly into the world of the wives, they would be literally, looking over their shoulders. The most significant change in the film would come during the scene when Meishan is hung. Wells would want to convey Songolian’s feeling of fear and confusion and Toland would accomplish this by using a long take beginning when Songolian first sees the lanterns coming through the archway. The camera would then shift to a P.O.V. shot representing Songolian following the men up to the rooftop. Reaching the rooftop level the camera would rush forward to reveal a medium long shot of the men taking Meishan into the room, then turn on its axis and rush back toward Songolian to display the revelation on her face and her fear. Finally, the camera would circle behind Songolian in a very long reverse shot and Toland’s masterful deep focus would display the men leaving the room upon completion of the act.

Athabasca Assignment

Assignment 1: Using a Database for Strategic Business Development Assignment 1 is worth 5 percent of your final grade for this course. Answer all questions in the Hands-on MIS project â€Å"Improving Decision Making: Using a Database to Clarify Business Strategy† on pages 92–93 of the textbook. Read the assignment instructions in the textbook carefully and follow all instructions. Background: Relational databases are not new technology. Commercially, they gained importance in the early 1980s with the introduction of Oracle’s relational database, and since then they have been an essential tool for most businesses.Databases are critical tools that help to support various business functions in an organization. These information systems help a business to build and maintain competitive advantage. Databases not only support the operational levels of business—they are also used to support the activities of managers. For this assignment, you will be analyzing the data in a simple, one-table database by creating queries and reports in Microsoft Access. The system you are â€Å"developing† will be used by The Queen’s Inn in St. John’s, Newfoundland for strategic business development purposes.Remember that Access, Excel, and even FrontPage, are all tools. This assignment will help you discover how to use a database tool to support a business. You will be analyzing the data in the database and answering the questions in the exercise to create the queries and reports that are necessary to determine what the Inn’s current business situation is. Instructions: * If you have not yet set up your access to MyMISLab, go to the Learning Materials page for the proper steps and codes. It is vital that you set up MyMISLab correctly to ensure you have access to the resources for CMIS 351. Go to MyMISLab and download the Exercise Data File: MIS11ch03 for this assignment from the Assignment 1 folder (after logging in, click Course Content, choose View All Content, then scroll down to the Assignment 1 folder that appears after the 15 Lesson folders). You may download either the 2003 or the 2007 database file. If the data file doesn’t open, check your browser’s pop-up blocker settings or try holding down the Ctrl key when clicking the file name. * After you have downloaded and opened the file, click FILE> SAVE AS>, then SAVE the file to your hard drive according to the following assignment naming standards: ourlastname_CMIS351_assign1. mdb Once the file has been saved, you can open it and start working on your assignment. * Analyze the data in the database and in the application exercise. * To complete this assignment, you will need to do data calculations. Remember to follow good database practice here by not saving your calculations as part of the data table itself (they should appear only in your queries). * Create queries and reports that will provide information to help management at the Quee n’s Inn to be more competitive and profitable.If you look at the original database you downloaded, you will see that it provides suggestions for the three reports that should be created for The Queen’s Inn. These empty templates will give you an indication of what queries and reports you must create for this assignment. * If you need a refresher on using Access databases, see the resources on the Supplemental Information for Access Assignments page. * Write a brief report (1-2 pages) describing what database information (from your analysis) would make the business more competitive and profitable.Your report must include, at a minimum, answers to the four questions in the last paragraph of the exercise on page 93 of the textbook. For this assignment you must hand in: * an Access database with reports and queries as described above (the number of queries and reports will be up to you) OR * if you do not have access to a computer on which you can install Microsoft Access, you may use another database tool. If you do this, you must also submit the following: * an E-R diagram of your database that clearly shows the primary and foreign keys for each table. a screen shot of the first page of the contents of each table. Alternatively, you may create a report that dumps the contents of a table and submit a single page of that report. * queries that you designed to create each report. Show both the query design and the query output. * the reports required in the assignment In either case, you must also submit a Word document containing a report as described in the assignment instructions on page 93. When you are ready to submit your assignment, listen to this message from your Course Coordinator.Marking criteria: You will be marked according to the following criteria. Database| 4 marks| | * implemented correctly * queries are correct| | Reports| 3 marks| | * provide required information * comprehensive * readable (accurate spelling and grammar)| | Written report| 3 marks| | * professional, business-like * relevant * correct (covers required information) | | Once you have completed the assignment, you must return to this Web page and follow the instructions on the right to submit your assignment for marking.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Corrugated Box Industry

CASE STUDY: EDMUNDS CORRUGATED PARTS AND SERVICES. Larry Edmunds grimaced as he tossed his company’s latest quarterly earnings onto his desk. When Virginia-based Edmunds Corrugated Parts & Service Company’s sales surged past the $10 million mark a while back, he was certain the company was well positioned for steady growth. Today, the company, which provided precision machine parts and service to the domestic corrugated box industry, still enjoys a dominant market share and is showing profit, although not quite the profit seen in years past.However, it is no longer possible to ignore the fact that revenues were beginning to show clear signs of stagnation. More than two decades ago, Larry’s grandfather loaned him the money to start the business and then handed over the barn on what has been the family’s Shenandoah Valley farm to serve as his first factory. Today, he operates from a 50,000 square-foot factory located near I-81 just a few miles from that old barn. The business allowed him to realize what had once seemed an almost impossible goal: He was making a good living without having to leave his close-knit extended family and rural roots.He also felt a sense of satisfaction at employing about 100 people, many of them neighbors. They were among the most hard-working, loyal workers you’d find anywhere. However, many of his original employees were now nearing retirement. Replacing those skilled workers was going to be difficult, he realized from experience. The area’s brightest and best young people were much more likely to move away in search of employment than their parents had been. Those who remained behind just didn’t seem to have the work ethic Larry had come to expect in his employees.He didn’t feel pressured by the emergence of any new direct competitors. After slipping slightly a couple years ago, Edmunds’s formidable market share – based on its reputation for reliability and excepti onal, personalized service – was holding steady at 75 percent. He did feel plagued, however, by higher raw material costs resulting from the steep increase in steel prices. But the main source of concern stemmed from changes in the box industry itself. The industry had never been particularly recession resistant, with demand fluctuating with manufacturing output.Now alternative shipping products were beginning to make their appearance, mostly flexible plastic films and reusable plastic containers. It remained to be seen how much of a dent they’d make in the demand for boxes. More worrying, consolidation in the paper industry had wiped out hundreds of the U. S. plants that Edmunds once served, with many of the survivors either opening overseas facilities or entering into joint ventures abroad. The surviving manufacturers were investing in higher quality machines that broke down less frequently, thus requiring fewer of Edmund’s parts.Still, he had to admit that al though the highly fragmented U. S. corrugated box industry certainly qualified as a mature one, no one seriously expected U. S. manufacturers to be dislodged from their position as major producers for both the domestic and export markets. Edmunds was clearly at a crossroads. If Larry wanted that steady growth he’d assumed he could count on not so long ago, he suspect that business as usual wasn’t going to work. But if he wanted the company to grow, what was the best way to achieve that goal?All he knew for sure was that once he decided where to take the company from here, he would sleep better. QUESTIONS 1. What would the SWOT analysis look like for this company? 2. What role do you expect the Internet to play in the corrugated box industry? What are some ways that Edmunds could better use the Internet to foster growth? 3. Which of Porter’s competitive strategies would you recommend that Edmunds follow? Which of the strategies do you think would be least likely to succeed?

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Debate Advertising Towards Children Can Only Be Seen as Harmless

Introduce team members- Aidan Laura Marketing Debate Notes: On average, children in the U. S will watch 25 000 – 40 000 television ads per year. $15 – $17 billion is spent on these ads ? marketers see children as the future and aim to create brand loyalty from a young age. Therefore positive advertising at children will help shape the future ? developing healthy/positive lifestyles in children from a young age van only benefit society in the long run. Children’s diets result from the interplay of many factors. Multiple factors account for childhood obesity, including individual, social, environmental and cultural factors. Parents & Money There are many children who appear not to be adversely affected by marketing targeted at them ? their parents’ instilled good values in them. Positive Effects of Advertising Children are the future and therefore allowing them to be subjected to more adult concepts that are displayed to them in marketing such as decision-making and critical thought can only prepare them better for the future. Marketing to children (and as a whole) works because it lives off of deeply held beliefs about self-expression & freedom of choice ? ideologies that children can only benefit from being exposed to. Marketers use overly creative tools to engage the young audience – this creativity can used in the future to be successful. Communication in itself can be a force for real good ? this good is often overshadowed by the bad effects marketing has on, however if it has the power to do this then the positive advertising must have the potential to be as effective. Marketing helps develop children’s media literacy and critical decision making, which are necessary in adulthood. Through marketing, children learn to analyse what they are presented with and become more street wise. Positive Advertising Examples Nickelodeon: encourages physical activity, community sport participation, consumption of fresh fruit and veg Harry Potter Books marketing: nowadays massive budgets are given to book releases as well as movies – Harry Potter and Twilight books were promoted heavily and the igh sales of these books shows how successful the marketing was. Aus Kick and other community sports advertisements: advertising and sports sponsorship encourage children to participate in some form of physical exercise. Breakfast Cereals: all children’s breakfast cereals either promote healthy learning (sultana bran- fight the fuzzies) or physical activity (nutrigrain- ironman, weetbix- aus cricket team). These cereals are often sponsored by a sports team or organisation and therefore the cereals brand can be seen when watching these sports along with the primary advertising. This encourages children to value physical exercise and value their education. In 1998 3,000 children and teenagers under the age of 18 years in the United States begun smoking. Non-profit organizations and government agencies used social marketing and advertising to prevent children and youth from starting smoking. Now in 2010 the number has dropped remarkably due to advertising, which as changed the social norm. Children and young people are an interested and active consumer audience that should be acknowledged, valued and respected. Figure 2 ‘What I eat every day’ was a clear concern, with 83% considering this important. Similar studies during the late 1990s carried out by HPI for Procter and Gamble and Sunny Delight showed children far less concerned about their daily diet than they are nowadays (advertising is benefiting children). Daily diet was important across the age spectrum, with children as young as six to nine saying what they eat was important. What they eat every day was important to 81% of 14-16 year olds. Figure 6 Children understand the context and consequences of healthy eating. They were asked how they thought eating healthily could beneifit them and while fuel and growth was naturally highest scoring, they also recognized that healthy eating gives energy and promotes general well-being. They themselves talk a lot about balance; they know eating healthy eating promotes well-being as well as helping you grow. They acknowledge the need for a variety of different foods (dairy for bones, vitamins in fruit and veg) although most are unsure why. Burt. M. , 2009, Marketing to Children – An Ethical Predicament, Ethical Corporation. http://www. ethicalcorp. com/content. asp? ContentID=425 (accessed 3rd March 2010) Benady. D. , 2008, The Positive Power of Pestering, Marketing Week. Shah. A. , 2008, Children as Consumers, Global Issues, http://www. globalissues. org/article/237/children-as-consumers (accessed 10th March 2010)