Concentration of Acid and Indigestion Tablet

Search by keyword: Sort By: Home Search Essays FAQs Tools Lost Essay? Contact Essay Color Key Free Essays Unrated Essays Better Essays Stronger Essays Powerful Essays Term Papers Research Papers Privacy Our Guarantee Popular Essays Excellent Essays Free Essays A-F Free Essays G-L Free Essays M-Q Free Essays R-Z Essay Topics Plagiarism Donate a Paper An Investigation to see How the Concentration of Hydrochloric acid affects the Rate of Reaction with Calcium CarbonateRate This Paper: 1 2 3 4 5 Length: 3036 words (8. 7 double-spaced pages) Rating: Red (FREE) – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – An Investigation to see How the Concentration of Hydrochloric acid affects the Rate of Reaction with Calcium Carbonate I am going to investigate how concentration of hydrochloric acid affects the rate of reaction between hydrochloric acid and indigestion tablets which contain mainly calcium carbonate.From my background knowledge from class work and books, (see references) I have found out that if you increase the concentration of hydrochloric acid, the rate of reaction will increase and the time of the reaction will decrease. The concentration is dependant on the proportions of hydrochloric acid and water in the solution. The stronger the hydrochloric acid is, the higher the concentration is. I know from my research that other things can affect the rate of reaction, for example:Temperature of acid- the higher the temperature of the acid is, the more energy the particles have to move around, therefore there are more collisions and so a faster rate of reaction. There is a certain amount of energy needed for the particles to react which is called the activation energy, so when the temperature of the solution is h igher, it gives more particles sufficient energy so they move faster to react when they collide more. Size of the particles- when the reactant is a solid then it can be broken down into smaller pieces or into a powder giving it different surface areas.The smaller the pieces, the bigger the surface area is and therefore there is more area for the acid to react with it, and so there is more chance of the particles colliding, so the rate of reaction will increase. Catalysts- this weakens the bonds in the reacting molecules so it seems to lower the activation energy for the reaction. This means that there can be many more successful collisions because particles will have more energy than the activation energy, and so the reaction will be faster. In order to keep my experiment fair, I must keep all the variables the same except concentration, which is what I am investigating.From my preliminarty experiments, I have found that a gas is let off in this reaction and having testing by puttin g it with lime water, I have concluded that the gas is carbon dioxide because the lime water turned cloudy. The equation is: Calcium Carbonate + Hydrochloric acid Calcium Chloride + water + carbon dioxide To find the rate of reaction, I will measure how long it takes to produce a certain amount of gas. To work out the rate of reaction, I have to divide the amount of gas I will collect with the time.Rate= amount of gas collected/ time In order to make this experiment fair, I will keep all the variables the same, except concentration. I will keep the mass of calcium carbonate the same by using one tablet each time. The masses of each tablet vary, but only by a tenth of a gram either side of 1. 01g, which I think is not a large enough difference in mass to make a difference to my experiment. I will try to do all my experiments on the same day, so the room temperature will be the same, which means the temperature of the acid will not change.I will use a burette to measure the amount of hydrochloric acid and water, so the volume of acid will be the same. I will keep the surface area the same because I will use the whole tablet and so each one will have the same surface area because they are all similar in size. Finally, I will use the same apparatus throughout my whole experiment to make it a fair test. I have done preliminary experiments in order to find the amounts I should use for the variables. I chose to collect 40cm? of gas, 50cm? of acid solution and use half a intigestion tablet and crush it.I found three problems with using this half a crushed tablet. The first problem was the fact that it did not react very strongly, and it did not collect more than 24cm? of gas with my lowest concentration of acid, secondly it was difficult to get exactly half a tablet, and this would take too long in my real experiment if I was to get exactly half a tablet each time. Lastly, I did not know when to start my stop clock, because the time delay from the first bits of calciu m carbonate falling into the acid, to the last bits of calcium carbonate falling was quite long and in between this, some gas was lost.This has made me decide to use a whole intigestion tablet, so I do not loose as much gas inbetween putting the tablet into the solution and putting the bung on the conical flask. GRAPH I decided that the lowest concentration I will use is 1M of hydrochloric acid. , which took 85 seconds to collect 40cm? of gas. This highest concentration I will use is 3. 8M of hydrochloric acid, which took 50 seconds to collect 40cm?. From my preliminary experiments I have decided to: Use one whole tablet, 50cm? of different acid concentrations and time how long it takes to collect 40cm? f carbon dioxide gas. My prediction is: The higher the concentration of hydrochloric acid, the quicker the reaction time is with the indigestion tablets. This is because I have found out that the reaction will be quicker as the concentration increases, because the higher the concentr ation is, the more particles of acid there are which are closer together to collide more with each other and therefore react with each other, and so the reaction will be quicker. This is called the collision theory.I will use a graph to show my results, and I know from previous knowledge that the graph should be directly proportional, which means as the concentration increases, so does the rate of reaction. If the concentration is doubled, the rate of reaction is doubled, because there is twice as much possibility for collisions because there are twice as much particles. The line of best fit should go through the origin because when there is no concentration of acid, there are no particles to react. I expect to get a graph which looks like the following:Equipment  · 1 burette containing hydrochloric acid  · 1 burette containing water  · 1 conical flask  · bung and deliver tube  · gas syringe  · stop clock  · clamp stand I am using burettes because they have an accuracy of 0. 1cm? which means I can measure the volumes of water and acid very accurately, and the range of the burette is 0-50cm? of liquid, which is enough for what I need. I will use a gas syring which is accurate to 1cm? of gas collected, and ranges from 0-100cm? of gas which is accurate enough if I am to collect 40cm? of gas.The stop clock is accurate to the 100th of a second, but I will round the time to the nearest second, because it is more realistic when remembering human reaction times, which is about 0. 1 seconds. In order to not let any gas escape, I will make sure I put the delivery tube and gas syring securely together. Method  · Set up apparatus as above  · Take 50cm? of the following concentrations at one time, using the burettes of acid and water-1M, 1. 4M, 1. 8M, 2. 2M, 2. 6M, 3. 0M, 3. 4M, 3. 8M.  · Put the acid solution into a conical flask  · Put 1 intigestion tablet into the the acid and put the bung on. Start the stop clock and time until the marker reaches 40cm?.  · Do this for all the concentrations. I will use a range of 2. 8M of hydrochloric acid, the lowest concentration is 1M and the highest is 3. 8M. I decided to use these concentrations, because in my preliminary experiments, I saw that the reaction was too slow with a concentration below 1M, and that the reaction would be too fast above 3. 8M. I have chosen to do 8 different concentrations, because I will not have enough time to do more, and I will still beable to draw a concusion even if I only use 8 different concentrations.I will have to use both 2M and 4M hydrochloric acid in order to make the different concentrations of acid. The ones which are 2M or below I will make with the 2M hydrochloric acid, and for the rest 4M hydrochloric acid. I will try to use as little of the 4M acid as possible, because it is more dangerous than the 2M. I will take as many repeat readings as I can in the time that I have, because repeats will help me to make sure I do not get any anomalous results. I will reapeat the anomalous results first. The more repeats I do, the more reliable my results will be.Safety I will use 2M and 4M hydrochloric acid which both have IRRITANT warnings so I will be careful using them and try not to get them on my hands or in my eyes. I will use goggles to protect my eyes. GRAPH Results This conclusion supports my prediction well because my results show that the higher the concentration, the quicker the reaction is because there are more particles to react with each other, and so there is more chance for them to collide and therefore the reaction is faster, which is what I originally assumed in my prediction.My graph shows it is directly proportional, because if I take the concentration of 1. 5M of hydrochloric acid, and find the rate of reaction using my graph, it shows that the rate of reaction is 0. 36 cm? /s, and using the graph if I double the concentration to 3M, the rate of reaction is 0. 72 cm? /s which is exactly two times faster tha n the reaction with 1. 5M which shows it is directly proportional. In the following table, I have calculated the average time and rate of reaction for all the different concentrations.I have then worked out the difference between each rate in order to find if there is a trend in how much quicker the reaction is which each concentration. GRAPH From this table, I can see there is a trend, because as the concentration goes up by 0. 4M each time, the rate goes up by 0. 07, 0. 08 or 0. 09 cm? /s which are very close to each other and shows that the rate is quite consistent because no matter what the concentration is, the rate goes up in a certain way on average of 0. 08 cm? /s. The only results that do not go with trend are the 3. M concentrations. On my graph I have circled them as anomalous results. There can be several explanations for this which I will cover in the evaluation. The following diagram is a simple way to help show why the rate of reaction increases with the concentration : My experiment has helped me with my conclusion that the rate of reaction increases as the concentration of the hydrochloric acid increases, and has given me evidence to help explain it. Evaluation My results are as realiable as I could make them using the apparatus and the time I had.From my results I can say that most of the results are quite reliable and accurate to what they should be because I got the results I expected. However, I did get two results which I would say are anomalous. I decided that these two results are anomalous because according to my background knowledge and the rest of my results, I knew that I should get a directly proportional line of best fit, and the rest of the results are very near to this line of best fit. I know that my line of best fit is correct because as the concentration doubles, the rate doubles.The results for the 3. 8M showed that the rate was slower than the rate of reaction with a lower concentration of 3. 4M. There are many different fac tors which may have affected my results. One of the biggest faults in my experiment was the fact that I did not have enough time to complete it in one day. Due to various problems, I had to do the experiment on three different days. This means that all the equipment was different which may mean that they work differently from eachother. This makes it an unfair test.The second problem with doing it on different days is the problem of room temperature which can have a big effect on the rate, because as I know from back ground knowledge, I know the warmer the acid is, the faster the reaction because particles have more energy so there are more successful collisions. I made the mistake of not recording which results are from which day, so I cannot tell if this had a major effect on the results. Whilst doing the experiment, I noticed a few problems which may also have effected my results.First of all is the problem that I only have two hands, so it was difficult to put the tablet in the conical flask, close the bung and also start the stop clock, all at the same time. When there was someone available, I asked them to start my stop clock, but this was not possible all the time. Adding this time to human reaction time of around 0. 1 of a second, some time could have been lost. Some gas was also lost in the time period between putting the tablet in and putting the bung on. I tried my best to make this time period very small, but still some gas was lost.When I had managed to get the tablet into the acid with the bung on and time it, I noticed that sometimes the whole tablet would not go into the acid, and so it was not all reacting, so in order for the whole tablet, I would shake it for a couple of seconds. I did not count how long I would do this for each one, but when I did shake it a lot of gas would be produced, so If I shook one flask for longer, more gas would be produced faster because the whole tablet would be reacting with the acid and there would be more coll isions and therefore a quicker reaction.Between each different concentration, I would wash the conical flask, and I observed that if I washed the flask with hot water, the flask would become hotter, or if I washed it with cold water the opposite would happen. This meant that the temperature of the acid and water solution would vary. This made the tests unfair because if I did some of them with hot conical flasks and others with cold ones, the ones with the warmer flasks would react faster because the temperature of the acid would increase and so give the particles more energy to react.If the equipment was much more sophisticated, for instance if all the equipment would stay the same temperature or if there was special clock which would start at the exact time the tablet touched the acid, my results would be much more accurate, but I still found good results. [IMAGE]If I could do the experiments again, I would do the following things differently in order for my results to be more acc urate.I would make sure I did them all on the same day, use all the same equipment, have someone to start the stopclock, have better equipment, for instance a conical flask with a divider so the acid and calcium carbonate won't mix until I want them to: Apart from all of the problems, my method was suitable and the experiment was successful because I had sufficient evidence to enable myself to come to a conclusion which agreed with my knowledge and prediction. I would have liked to share results with other people who were doing the same experiment as me to see if our results were similar, but nobody was doing the same experiment as me.The only results which I did not think are reliable or accurate is the reaction of the 3. 8M concentration of hydrochloric acid with the calcium carbonate, and if I had more time I would investigate this further. I would find out why these results were anomalous because even though I did reapeats, I still got anomalous results and so I would like to fi nd out why this happened. I would like to investigate the rate of reaction with more concentrations in order to see what happens after 3. 8M acid to see if it was still directly proportional or if the graph leveled off.Other extra investigations I would do would include using different types of acid for instance nitric acid or sulphuric acid and see if they changed the reaction at all. I would also try and use different types of indigestion tablets, because the ones I used contained ginger which I have researched about to find that it is used for digestion, soothing aches and pains in muscles and improves circulation problems, so I would like to investigate if this has a different effect on the rate of the reaction or not.I put an indigestion tablet into 1M of acid concentration and measured the temperature before and after the reaction for one minute to see if the reaction was exothermic or endothermic, but there was no change in temperature, so I would like to see what effect an e xothermic or endothermic reaction would have on the experiment. Overall I think my results are reliable because the repeats are all very close to eachother, the biggest gap between my repeats is the 1. M concentration which had a time difference of 6 seconds, but the others which I had time to repeat are all around 3 seconds apart. If I had more time I would do much more repeats to make my results more reliable. The accuracy of my results are quite good because they are all very close to the line of best fit. I would like to do more experiments and repeats to make sure my line of best fit is accurate and in the correct place. Apart from these I think my investigation was successful.

Video Games as Art

Video Games as Art Dylan Armitage December 10th, 2012 100883983 Video Games Are Art Are video games art? Up until the early 21st century, the dominant ideology surrounding this topic is resounding â€Å"No†. Art critics, such as Roger Ebert that state â€Å"video games cannot be art. † (Roger Ebert's Journal), and philosophers continually dismiss the idea. This ideology is no longer an accepted truth. I will argue that video games are a form of art.Video Games have gone from simple games and concepts such as Pong (1975) to modern day, epic titles like Uncharted 3 (2011), and with that they have evolved from simple forms of entertainment to as sophisticated a form of art as any. Video games evoke great emotion from the players, much like the audience of any other form of art. Video games also should be considered a form of art because of the vast amount of tools and media that are combined to create the games that we play today.The list of games that can be considered ar t increases each year and it spans over many generations, consoles, and genres. Art is defined as â€Å"The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination,†. According to this definition, if things such as paintings, film and music are considered to be art, then video games clearly fall into the category as well. Video games today are as creative as anything. Video games allow for so much creative freedom to create any setting, any character and have the ability to interact with all of those and create a new world.Games take creativity and allow you to immerse yourself within it. In games like the series of Mass Effect (2007-2012), you are able to put a certain amount of creative input into the game yourself. You dictate many facets of the game. You can customize your character, whether it be gender, race or just the general way your character looks. Secondly, your decisions affect the world of the game. You can dictate what your character says and through that change the course of events and how other characters in the game think of you. It is essentially a new world.The game includes it's own lore, deals with issues that we deal with today but in a new world and in a more lighthearted fashion that definitely makes the player think. These issues include those of race barriers and the fear of technology taking over. When it comes to actual labour going into a game, it is very similar to that of a film. They include things such as motion capture. Which is essentially capturing the real life movements of someone and that translates to a sort of acting. The second element of that acting is contributed to the voice-over acting for characters.This gives freedom of imagination to match any human with any voice you wish. The list then goes on for ages to include animators, set designers, sound designers and much more. The credits to people at the end of the games are much like that of movies and it all contributes to a fantastically entertai ning piece of art. Many people view games as simply a form of entertainment. While they are indeed entertaining, they should be considered forms of art for many different reasons. Art evokes emotion, whether it be from a beautiful orchestral medley or a gorgeous landscape painting. Video games do the same.In the modern day gaming industry, games are more than just getting from beginning to end and win the game, they involve the player in many ways. In The Walking Dead: The Game (2012), you are put in control of Lee Everett, a former university professor who is on his way to prison. The game is very unorthodox in many ways, it is much less about having action-packed gameplay or incredibly realistic graphics. It is focused on engrossing the player in the story and with the characters. It involves some point and click battles, which is necessary for the setting it takes place in, but it is heavily focused on choice.Everything you do in the game has an effect. Whether it be from not giv ing someone a portion of rations or choosing to side with someone in an argument. The game world adapts to the choices you make and it all relies on the player. With such involvement the player finds themselves greatly committed emotionally to all facets of the game. The involvement tests a lot of boundaries with human emotion. â€Å"It explores the depths of human tolerance, dissecting what it means to survive in the worst possible scenario, and what it means to keep someone you love alive in the same situation. (Joystiq) Through this, it evokes incredible emotion from the player. Video games can even mix elements of many other artistic media. Taking that into account, video games can do everything that all other artistic media can, but it can be packaged into one outlet. You get the wonderful story and script of a wonderfully written book but with you as the main character, effecting the world how you see fit. The stories of video games have become increasingly more complex and c ompelling. They even draw interest of film and novel writers and elements from other artistic works.The Walking Dead: The Game from Telltale Games is a great example of this. The video game draws from The Walking Dead television series on AMC and the television series draws from a graphic novel with the same name. This franchise is a great example of how different artistic media can draw from each other. All instances of the series are written by Robert Kirkman, the creator of the graphic novel series. The mainstream success of all these series are a testament to how the art that is The Walking Dead can be conveyed with great success whether it be the novels, the show or the game.Another great example of a writer of film getting interested in video games is John Milius, writer of Apocalypse Now (1979) and Red Dawn (1984) being a story consultant to the video game closely related to his screenplays, Homefront (2011). You get the epic landscapes and imagery of film but with the freedo m to explore and interact with it. In the game Far Cry 3 (2012) you play as Jason Brody and you are on an island called Rook Island which is inspired by a real tropical island. You are abducted along with your friends and you escape, determined to rescue all of them.The game is open-world, which gives the freedom to do almost anything within the limit of the game world. You don't even have to follow the games' story, which has received critical acclaim. You can explore the absolutely stunning scenery of the island, you can go hunt the local wildlife, you can go climbing or even sky-diving. The setting is very appealing and draws you in like any film would but also allows you to interact and do whatever you wish with the world given to you. There are also games that allow you to interact with the world without even starting to play the real game.Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) has an interactive section at the main menu of the game. If you were to mash certain buttons enough, you were able to walk around the room that the main menu is taking place in. You can even walk over to an arcade machine and play a game inside of the game. The same can be seen in the newest instalment, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012) a similar section can be seen where you can interact with the world to play multiple games from the original Atari gaming console. You also the get the beautiful noise of the in-game sound effects and soundtrack.The audio of video games has evolved from simple, silly sounding noises and no dialogue to complete orchestral scores throughout the game and Hollywood famous actors voicing in-game characters. Actors that have made the transition to video games include Sam Worthington of in Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2, Seth Green in the Mass Effect series and Burt Reynolds in Saints Row: The Third (2011). The sound of a video game has come from the game Pong that only has three noises, the sound of the ball hitting the paddle, the sound of the ball hitting the s idelines and then the sound of a point being scored.This can not be attributed to be art as far as audio goes. In contrast, the soundtrack for Journey (2012) has been nominated for a Grammy. Gaming soundtracks have evolved to the point of having individual tracks for certain situations or scenes that involve an entire orchestra, much like a film. The soundtrack for Journey is among the company of other artistic wonders in film as well as sound such as The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Hugo (2011), and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011).All of these media combine to form the art that is video games. Now that the ground for all the aspects of a video game being art have been established, which games fall into that category and reinforce that ideal? Many games fall under all the criteria but some stand out when it comes to the different aspects. The creativity of video games is very evident throughout almost all video games but it is much more evident in the games of Mass Effect and De ad Space 2 (2011).Mass Effect creates this vast world that includes multiple races, new planets and interesting lore that embody great creativity in video games. Creativity is also given to the players who are able to customize the character and how the character acts which dictates events and action within the story world. Dead Space 2 creates a vast world as well with great lore and the thought of where humanity would go as far as a space society. The game also talks about the issue of religion governing the state. This comes up in many ways including the game's main conflict.The game also draw on the very interesting and creative aspect of not knowing if certain things are really happening, much like the game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (2002). The sanity of the character is never really certain and you are constantly doubting yourself as well as what is occurring. When it comes to emotional engagement, two games stand out. The Walking Dead: The Game and Heavy Rain (2010). The Walking Dead: The Game engages the player in an extravagant world with interactive environments and characters.It engages you with the characters and deals with realistic issues regarding the time and place while developing an emotional connection to the story and characters. By the time the game is complete, you are torn through all the choices you've made and with the emotionally testing relationship between Lee, the character you play as, and Clementine, the little girl you take care of throughout the game. The other game that engages the player emotionally in a great way is Heavy Rain. The game puts the the player in the shoes of Ethan and tests what the player is willing to go to to save his son.You have the ability to push the character through the trials that reveal where his son is being held but with more information being revealed the closer to death Ethan becomes. As far as including all the artistic media, many games stand out. When it comes to the great writing of novels and screenplays, games such as The Walking Dead: The Game and Homefront use the talents of credited author and screenwriters to convey a great story through rich dialogue. The interactivity of games and beautiful set pieces is shown through games such as Far Cry 3 and Red Dead Redemption (2010).In these worlds, great freedom is introduced which allows you to do really anything you desire through the many different characters, wildlife and locations the game introduces. Great strides in audio are introduced through games such as Mass Effect that include voice-actors such as Seth Green of Family Guy and Yvonne Strahovski of Dexter and the beautiful sounding and Grammy nominated soundtrack of Journey. In conclusion, the dominant ideology that video games are not art is a thing of the past.Through the emotional engagement of games today, video games evoke as much emotion as any other work of art. Through it's creativity and ability to create any universe as you see fit, much like other media. Video games also combine many different forms of media to create a brand new artistic form that is video games. They use great set pieces, beautiful audio through orchestra or voice over. Video games have evolved greatly from small beginnings and the list of examples is increasing very quickly. Through all these reasons and examples, video games are art.Clarke, Andy, Videogames and Art. Chicago: Intellect Books, 2007. Conditt, Jessica â€Å"The Walking Dead Episode 5 review: All the time in the world† Joystiq. 26 Nov 2012, 8 Dec 2012 Ebert, Roger â€Å"Video Games cannot be Art. † Roger Ebert's Journal. 16 Apr 2010, 8 Dec 2012 ;http://blogs. suntimes. com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art. html; Helgeson, Matt â€Å"The Great Debate: Are Games Art? † Game Informer. 1 May. 2012, 8 Dec 2012 ;http://www. gameinformer. om/b/features/archive/2012/05/01/the-great-debate-are-games-art. aspx; Melissinos, Chris, The Art of Video Games: From Pac-ma n to Mass Effect. New York: Welcome Books, 2012. Tavinor, Grant 2005. â€Å"Videogames and Interactive Fiction,†Ã‚  Philosophy and Literature  April 2005, vol. 29, no. 1. Tavinor, Grant 2009. The Art of Videogames. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Young, Robert â€Å"Gaming's first Grammy nomination† Neoseeker. 5 Dec 2012, 8 Dec 2012

Advantage and Disadvantage of Agriculture

Role and impact of biotechnology in modern agriculture. Biotechnology offers prospects in addressing problems concerned with agricultural productivity and environmental safety. In order to cope up with the ever increasing population of the current world, biotechnological intervention to supplement conventional plant breeding efforts is indispensable. Some of the issues that can be addressed using biotechnological techniques are crop production of superior quality, mass production of uniform planting materials, compensate land shortages and genetic improvement of the plant. pic][pic][pic][pic]A few of the advantages perceived in the use of biotechnology in agriculture are rapid multiplication of plant species, breeding of resistant varieties, diagnosis and control of disease in crop and livestock, utilization of crop residues and animal waste. Some of the disadvantages are high cost of research and development, endangering biodiversity, genetic erosion and lack of access for poor farm ers to use new varieties. Thus, in introducing biotechnology in agriculture, it is vitally important to study and assess the overall circumstances, such as cost effectiveness and impact on environment.Agriculture is of primary importance in the National Development Program. Biotechnology, as a new frontier in agricultural sciences, has opened new avenues for the solution of agricultural problems. The application of biotechnology in agriculture offers many possibilities for filling the gaps found in conventional research methods and is therefore, not intended to replace all conventional methods, but to provide a more reliable approach in achieving economic gains.Many new tools are now available, particularly from research in the areas of molecular biology, genetic engineering, and cell and tissue culture as well as from intensive application of microbial technology. The initiation of research and development in agricultural biotechnology dates back to the late 1970s when tissue cultu re techniques such as embryo culture and anther culture were first introduced as means to produce virus-free crops and improve crop quality in the production of vegetables, flowers and fruit trees.Virus free potatoes, garlic and strawberry are already in the market for farmers. Production of high yielding rice varieties are good examples of success achieved by the use of anther culture techniques in rice varietal improvement. Read more in Engineering  «Ã‚  Difference Between Diesel and Gasoline Engines Ohm’s Law  Ã‚ » Various technical barriers that have to be overcome are the establishment of transformation systems in agriculturally important food crops and regeneration of fertile plants from transgenic plants.In the areas of gene manipulation and transformation, well trained scientists are needed. Most of the laboratories involved in plant biotechnology carry out tissue culture research, mainly the development of media protocols for micropropagation. Over the years, met hodologies for disease elimination by meristem culture and / or micropropagation and in vitrogermplasm conservation have been developed for fruit crops (banana, strawberry and pineapple), root and tuber crops (potato and sweet potato), ornamentals, cut flowers (orchids, lilies) and a few medicinal plants.Research is also underway to perfect micropropagation technology for tree species which are endemic. Tea, potato and banana are being produced on a commercial scale using established micropropagation techniques. A near commercial line of sugarcane, resistant to smut, has been produced through in vitromutagenesis. Molecular biology approaches for crop improvement have been conducted with little success. pic]Evidently, all the countries have been able to recognize their objectives and goals more clearly in the use of biotechnology in agriculture and have initiated appropriate policies to meet some of the challenges posed by critical areas in directing future development. It is hoped t hat biotechnological approaches in agriculture will provide ways and means of utilizing its full potential to benefit the community.Read more: http://scienceray. com/technology/engineering/biotechnology-in-modern-agriculture/#ixzz12cOlCxP2

Personal Development and Careers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Personal Development and Careers - Essay Example This relates to the first quote specifically by showing that there are a variety of processes which can be used for learning and which lead to changed behaviors. The style and process which is created is based on how one responds to a given situation as well as how this is associated with the learning which they have. The theory by Kolb then creates a psychometric analysis of how one can learn and change behaviors according to the learning style (Ciantis, 1996). When relating this statement to my personal learning style, I can also see the relevance which takes place. The experiences which I have constitutes most of my behaviors and reactions in given situations. For instance, a past job which I had was filled with high pressures, the need to respond to customers in a given manner and continuous ways in which the managers looked at employees to get high – end results. While this particular job was difficult, there was a specific thought process and emotional response which I c arried. The thought process was based on my understanding of the regulations while continuously trying to match them. The emotional responses came from the customers which I was working with and the associations which they had to the regulations that were followed. This instantly changed my behaviors, specifically in given situations. After a certain period of time, these behaviors and patterns were associated with other jobs, relationships with friends and expectations in society, specifically because there was an understanding that these regulations could help to solve problems and achieve compromises in given situations. This not only came from the basic learning and expectations of regulations, but also a... This paper approves that change management is another aspect which relates to changing employee attitudes and the approach which is used within the work space. Without the right attitude, the organization will not be able to go through necessary changes which occur. It is known that the environment is dynamic meaning new trends in society will continuously pressure a business to change. More important, the life cycle of products in a business and the approach to working in the business is also dynamic. The attitude which is necessary with this is to continue to adjust to the alterations which are in the work environment while understanding that the concept of change is required in the work place. This leads to the inability to transform the work environment while hindering the organization because of employee attitudes. This essay makes a conclusion that the specific approach taken with a given environment is based on finding problems, recording the difficulties and in changing the gaps that are within a given area. By doing this, there is the ability to create a more diverse response while approaching specific needs that are a part of the organizational environment. More important, this will help individuals and team members to have less resistance to change while continuing to implement communication methods that help to lessen gaps and to change the organizational environment. The use of communication in the right manner then becomes the main area of importance in assisting with the building of a company from a managerial level.

Economic principle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic principle - Essay Example ers by % Â  China 18.2% United States 11.6% Japan 7.8% Singapore 5.9% Germany 4.6% Thailand 4.2% South Korea 4.0% Â  China 19% Canada 14% Mexico 12% Japan 6.4% Germany 4.7% Â   US 14.2 % UAE 11% Saudi Arabia 8.3% UK 6.4% Japan 6 % China 4.8% Source: Unicef, 2013 Answer 1 The percentage of population who are in the labour force has been calculated by taking the total population and the number of people in the workforce. While both in US as well as in Australia the rates of participation in the labour force are 49% for each of the countries with the rate at Australia little higher than that of the United States for Quarter the figure is much higher at 64% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Answer 2 In case of all the three countries it has been noticed that the percentage of population in the agriculture is extremely low. This is a special characteristic of all the developed nations. As the countries move from the different stages of development the sectoral contributions of t hese countries would vary at each stage. This means that an underdeveloped country would have the majority of the population engaged in the agriculture. On the other hand the developing countries which have crossed the initial stage of development would have industry as the main contributor to the GDP and the maximum participation of the labour force would be in that sector. Finally the most developed countries of the world would have the maximum percentage of people working in the services sector. Thus the high percentage of people engaged in the services sector of USA and Australia, which are 79% and 75% respectively, would prove that these countries are more developed. On the other hand in case of Qatar the percentage of people in the services sector is only 45% while the industrial sector constitutes the major part of the population. Therefore Qatar can be claimed as comparatively less developed than the countries like Australia and the USA. Answer 3 The list of exports of Austr alia compared to that of Qatar is much longer. This is because the country does not have any agricultural produce and therefore it cannot export any agricultural goods to any other country. Petroleum and related products are the main sources of income of the economy of Qatar and the main sources of government revenue and accounts for more than 60% of the GDP of the country. Thus the resources that the Qatar Economy is endowed with are restricted to the industry and the services sector only. Even the contribution of the services sector is limited to 20% only. On the other hand, the Australian economy exports products and services that comprise of all the sectors of the economy.

Service learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Service learning - Essay Example Someone has to do those kinds of jobs that no one wants to do but must by done by someone in order for the mosque to remain presentable. What kept me going was the thought that I was not doing this for myself, but for the worshippers who frequent the mosque. I might not have received any recognition for it, but I can still be pleased by the contribution that I made. The final task that I did was really pleasing because I was able to make a noticeable different in the lives of young kids. I gave a presentation to these kids on how to overcome culture shock. Many of these kids have never really mixed with people of other cultures, so they really learned something by what I had to say. I was able to tell them of my own experiences as an international student trying to adapt to a different environment and also the challenges that I faced along the way. I could really tell that I made an impact on some of those kids because I could see it in their faces. They asked many questions about wh at it was like to move overseas, and I was able to answer their questions based on my own personal experiences. 2. The main thing that I learned was that I could receive great satisfaction from being able to serve others. I am not usually the servant type, but I now realize just how much it can mean to a person to have a task performed for them. Being able to do that for someone else gave me joy and I realize that I need to be able to serve others in everyday normal life too. The biggest thing that I got out of this service learning process was that there are some things in life that are beyond measure. Serving others is one of the greatest gifts that we can give another person, and this was something that I did not think about before. My whole attitude and outlook on life has changed considerably because I what I have experienced during my time serving at the mosque. If I could do it all again, then I would not hesitate to do

Any topic you think is good for my paper 'but look to the assigment Assignment

Any topic you think is good for my paper 'but look to the assigment sheet befour u start' - Assignment Example Using logos as a means of persuasion, Boot provided narrative details of historical claims and identified nautical miles that establish sovereignty to lands according to international law. Likewise, incidents of current events that detail both countries’ active claim through positioning respective vessels in the area have been detailed. The apparent lack of support and active participation of the United States, known as an ally to the Philippines proven by a 1951 treaty, was likewise allegedly established through assuming a neutral stance. The author used ethos by establishing his credibility as a â€Å"senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the forthcoming (book)† (Boot par. 13). By indicating that he is not among the two claiming parties’ citizen, he appeared to present objective and unbiased arguments on this matter. Through establishing appropriate logical reasoning, the author effectively established logos as a rhetorical appeal and has likewise appropriately used ethos to credibly confirm his unbiased character as an author and to provide an objective report on the subject of

Improving Student Academic Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Improving Student Academic Behavior - Essay Example Student performance goes beyond the mere student achievement in examinations and school tests to encompass the overall achievement of character strengths, particularly the specific dispositions, attributes, and skills that are linked with effective learning ability. Successful students are those that are not only knowledgeable in a variety of subject areas, but also those that have acquired the learning skills that will enable them fit into their respective roles in the future of societies; for that matter, improving student performance is more than just merely improving their test scores. With the great concern among educators and schools regarding improving student performance, numerous efforts have been directed towards establishing the most effective ways of improving student behavior, which has been highlighted as a core factor in education development. Student behavior has been found to be the most critical factor in improving student performance, study habits, time management, as well as personal/student accountability; parent-teacher relationships; on the other hand, are essential in encouraging positive student behavior among students generally.The relationship between parents and teachers has often been framed in terms of parental involvement or engagement in policy matters regarding planning for the provision as well as development of education throughout the world; even so, parental engagement is a new concept in the history of educational development, and an ambiguous one for that matter.

Watchdogs Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Watchdogs - Coursework Example Research conducted on fraud has revealed that fraud perpetrators and experts of embezzlement against their employers usually do this as a result of pressure, rationalization and opportunity. In this case, it is evident that pressure, rationalization and opportunity that results in fraud are as a result of poor internal control commonly referred to as sleeping (napping) watchdogs. In the case of opportunity, the perpetrator identifies a loophole in the control system and believes that they can fraud and goes undetected. Those who perpetrate fraud as a result of rationalization do it as a result of uncontrolled personal code of conduct. Perpetrators who respond to pressure usually have financial predicaments that motivate them to steal This analysis highlighted above indicates that watchdogs are responsible for abating fraud crime. In this case, strict measures should be implements in order to accost irresponsibility in the control departments. To address this, watchdogs in corporations should be charged together with the perpetrators. In this case, when a person is caught having embezzled corporate fund, a litigation should not only be brought against them, but also those in charge of preventing such case. The site, Corporate Accountability International, provides a platform where these corporate crimes of fraud and embezzlement of fund can be prevented. The organization, backed by members, activist, volunteers and allied organizations, is positioned to be instrumental in realizing a corporate scene free from white-collar crimes. With a mission of bringing to an end the life-threatening cruelty by global corporations, they ideally positioned to restore a sense of responsibility and accountability to public institutions around the world. Having recognized how global corporations have increasing been operating beyond

North Indian American Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

North Indian American - Research Paper Example Democratically these nations like the recognized nations of the world are also declared to possess their own constitutional rights (Minahan, 2002, pp.20-23). History of the North Indian Americans The number of North American Indians in the region of North America is found to be declining in rapid manner from the past periods. With the formation of the first European colonies in Jamestown and Plymouth the number of American Indians residing in the region ranged for about two millions. With the arrival of the colonial people from European countries the American Indians were forced to intrude further into further interior regions of the country. The North American Indians were a bunch of great hunters who used to hunt on wild buffaloes and wolves. Hunting activities of the North American tribes were mainly done on horsebacks to render due efficiency (Joint Economic Committee, 230-245). These Indians used to dig holes in the ground to put their valuables and objects of hunt or interest a nd covered them fully in order to conceal such from others. Further the skin of the hunted buffaloes was used as clothing materials for women and men. Among the most popular tribes of the North American Indians the Seneca tribe holds a significant position. ... Verbal context spoken among North American Indians contained of specific sounds, which were closely observed by the European colonialists who fist developed contacts with these people. The European people started recording the sounds and alphabets spoken to form a new branch of linguistics to be researched upon. In the middle part of the nineteenth century the study of North Indian American languages was catered to a great extent to be both comprehended and written which helped to earn due clarity. (Sturtevant, 17-18; Murthy and Kamath, 26). The North American Indians also communicated amongst themselves on the basis of sign languages. These people used several gestures and body languages to communicate amongst themselves. Thus the North American tribes can also be held to be the significant contributors of modern sign languages. The practice of sign languages among the North American people earned such significance that it was observed more as a ‘lingua franca’ amongst them. However due to lack of patronage of such and recognition of it in purely primitive note they were relegated in back quarters (Davis, 17). Religion of the North American Indians The religious practices of the North American Indians are featured by simplicity carrying only some doctrines and some specific ceremonial events. North American Indians regard the ‘Great Spirit’ as their highest deity. The tribal people render their every success and failure at the feet of this supreme deity and regard their deity as the infinite power. Further these people also have created an inferior deity to which they regard all the misfortunes of their lives. The North

Property and Mortgages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Property and Mortgages - Essay Example The general rule is that the interest reverts to the borrower upon completion of refinancing the mortgage. The history of mortgages dates back to the seventeenth century. Throughout this period, doctrines of equity have been applied to protect mortgagors from mortgagees’ exploitations. Statutory regulations have however recently been formulated to ensure mortgagors’ protection. The courts have similarly joined the efforts. The scope of mortgages covers any venture in which land is used, and is offered on any interest on land as well as other properties other than land. This paper seeks to investigate the statement that ‘mortgages are a suppression of truth and a suggestion of falsehood,’ mortgage destroys our economy. The paper will explore the legal aspects of mortgages with the aim of supporting the statement. Difference between legal and equitable mortgages The major difference between equitable and legal mortgage is the level of formality that is involv ed on the process of creating the mortgage. A legal mortgage requires strict formalities that include a written contract. All terms of the mortgage agreement are stipulated and the document signed. Equitable mortgages on the other hand involve deposition of title to the subject estate without making formal commitments. Legal mortgages are executable within the strict interpretation of the law of property act (1925) and must be under deed. This means that the mortgage binds any interest in the land, both original and transferred. An equitable mortgage is however informal and do not bind a purchaser in good faith who takes the property for value without the knowledge of existence of the mortgage (Slorash and Ellis, 2007, 121). Another difference between a legal mortgage and an equitable mortgage is the transferability of interest in the subject land. While property in the piece of land is transferred to the mortgagee under a legal mortgage, only possession passes in an equitable mortg age and the mortgagee has to seek judicial intervention for transfer of property in the land in case of a defaulted refinancing (Sharma, 2010, 212). Rights of the mortgagee The mortgage agreement creates a number of rights to the mortgagee. The first right that a mortgagee acquires is the right over â€Å"the promise to pay† (Williams, 2011, 90). This right is enforceable against the mortgagee or any subsequent owner of the land subject to the law of property act (2007) and the interpretation of the case of Nefson Diocesan trust board v Hamilton [1926] NZLR 342. The mortgagee also has a right to foreclosure and to gain possession of the land if the mortgagor defaults in payments after a notice after a notice (Williams, 2011, 92). There is also the right to put the piece of land under receivership or even to sell the property as was held in the case of Alliance &Leicester plc v Slayford [2000] EGCS 113. The same case provides legal ground for suit against the mortgagor’ s covenant (Pawlowski and Brown, 2002, 177). Rights of the mortgagor The mortgagor’s rights include the right to redeem the mortgage subject to the terms of the mortgage agreement as was illustrated in the case of Jones v Morgan (2001) (Dixon, 2011, 380). The redemption right can be enforced equitably or legally. Further, the mortgagor is entitled to right of possession, inspection of property and accession rights (Mau, 2010, p. 86- 88). Safeguards for borrowers Mortgagors are bound by the lending terms of their agreements that are enforceable under statutory laws. The doctrines of equity supplements statutory regulations to protect borrowers from exploitation. Mortgagor’s right of redemption is for instance absolute irrespective of the delayed

Pepsodent Essay Example for Free

Pepsodent Essay This will be based on the weaknesses, strengths, threats and opportunities of the organization along with the toothpaste brand line of Pepsodent will be assessed. In addition, further information on the current market share, sale, and profitability of Pepsodent in the scope of PESTEL analysis will be provided. At the conclusion of the first section the competitive advantage of Pepsodent will be declared. The subsequent section entails a recommended strategy of marketing employing marketing tools like targeting, positioning and segmentation, the marketing mix as well as SMART objectives. This is as a result of an extremely effective strategy of marketing of the organization formerly. However, principally in an environment that is competitive, such as the personal care sector it is fundamental for Pepsodent that it advances its marketing as well as organizational approaches so as to meet consumer’s demands (Budavari, et al. 1996). In addition, these days a wide array of diverse toothpaste brands is provided to the consumer (eHow, 2012). This in general implies that Pepsodent is obliged to distinguish its merchandise from the competitor’s commodities by being unique and innovative. Furthermore, the toothpaste market is developing continually which signifies that additional diverse demands and anticipations of the consumer will arise. As a result, Pepsodent should utilize marketing tools for instance, market segmentation to well recognize their needs so as to supply them with the fitting merchandise. The threats and opportunities recognized will serve as a foundation for the pinpointing strategy of marketing detailed in this report 3. 1. Political Factors: The government of United Kingdom endorses the just trading obligation for both internal and foreign manufacturers. UK has set regulations regarding issues like disposal of wastes and product safety. Pepsodent is dependent on local, provincial and international laws, rules and regulations. These laws and directives cover a range of areas like product claims, product safety, trademarks, patents, the environment, copyrights, employee health and safety, listing and disclosure, employment and taxes, and corporate governance (Pepsodent Official website, 2012). As a result of the extensive focus of Pepsodent in developing and emerging markets, whichever political transformations for instance, those in fiscal stimulus, foreign direct investment regulation or adjustments in taxation or tariffs could have a great impact on the operations of Pepsodent in the nation. Pepsodent is obliged to engage in constant scanning not just to mitigate political threats, however, to take hold of and seek out novel, appealing openings for political inducements. 3. 2. Economic Factors: United Kingdom is the biggest economy in the planet and third largest in Europe. In the time of recession UK is in its worst time. Organizations are not investing but doing terminations that is why consumer markets are reducing and individuals are losing their power to purchase. The market environment of Pepsodent is turning out to be highly competitive particularly in the United Kingdom. Macro-economic atmosphere is highly tentative which has had an effect on the micro-economic environment in addition, by generating a fear among regular buyers (Watson, Lysonski, Gillanamp; Raymore, 2002). Buyers would not wish to purchase a costly product as a result of current tides of the economy. Rivalry in United Kingdomhas become so strong that Pepsodent is encountering difficulties in a number of regions. Economic turn down in business in an economic decline has resulted in consumer and supplier default. The business of Pepsodent is reliant on constant customer demands for its brands. Diminished customer capital influenced by harsh economic circumstances has resulted in customers turning out to be incapable (Bloch, Satish and  Robert, 2007)or unwilling to acquire Pepsodent products, which has profoundly had an effect on the cash flow, profit margins, turnover, and profits. 3. 3. Social Factors: Social aspects entail the cultural aspects. Socio-cultural aspects UK vary from region to region. This entails: age, education, way of life, and religion(Bang and Joshi, 2008). Pepsodent has structured a well-built corporate repute for numerous years,continuous concentration on societal aspects, as well as encouraging sustainable development and usage of resources that are renewable. The intention of Pepsodent is to assist people look bright, feel well and achieve a lot out of life with services and brands that suitable for them and suitable for the rest too. Pepsodent has effectively maintained standards that are high for the design and creation of merchandise that are harmless for end users.

Corporate Strategy of Fedex Corporation

Corporate Strategy of Fedex Corporation Executive Summary This analysis of the corporate strategy of FedEx Corporation relates to three specific issues in the corporate strategy case. The first issue is a critical analysis of the global express transportation and logistics industry. The second issue discusses about the mergers and acquisitions in transportation and logistics industry. The final issue is a critical review of the performance of FedEx in the events leading to the January 2000 reorganisation. In the first section, the global express transportation and logistics industry is an attractive sector based on the fundamentals of the sector given in the five forces analysis using Porters framework. There are large barriers to entry, there are minimal substitutes that exist, industry is relatively disciplined, and the power of buyers and suppliers are mixed. FedEx is well placed in the sector given its core competencies and dynamic capabilities relating to its management and the functional areas of marketing, human resources and information technology and systems. In the second section, gives a brief knowledge about the benefits and limitations of merger and acquisition strategies in this industry. This also describes how effective was the 1998 Caliber System acquisition and where did it led the company do in its further years. In the final section, it is noted that FedEx performed poorly within its sector and given its capabilities, the firm was expected to have been more proactive in moving past its poor performance. Nevertheless, the firm had to wait until after several quarters of poor performance and only after the competitors have taken advantage of the development in the Internet market did FedEx make changes to its business. Post the changes, FedEx did well in utilising its core competencies that were identified in the first section, and leveraging these competencies to its advantage. CHAPTER-1: Analysis Of Global Express Transportation And Logistics Industry Introduction To Transportation And Logistics Industry. Global Transportation Logistics Industry comprises a wide range of service providers, covering all modes of transport air, road, rail, sea as well as related services such as warehousing, handling, stevedoring, and finally value added services like packaging, labelling, assembling etc. In addition to these physical services, TL involves all sorts of planning, organising and managing services in the area of transportation and logistics. Over the past years, we have seen a trend to diversification (growth strategies mergers acquisitions), which results in larger integrated groups operating in more than one of the TL sub-sectors. As a result, it becomes very unclear to understand the limits between the different TL sub-sectors. (http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/transportation-logistics/index.jhtml) About FedEx FedEx corporation offers transportation, e-commerce and business services through its network of subsidiaries, divided into four business segments. The FedEx express segment includes Federal Express Corp., a leading global express transportation company offering time-certain delivery within one or three business days; and FedEx Trade Networks Inc., a provider of customer brokerage, global cargo distribution and Global Trade Data and Global Trade Tools software products. The FedEx ground segment includes FedEx Ground Package System Inc., which provides small package ground delivery to nearly 100% ofU.S.residences. The FedEx Freight segment includes FedEx Freight Corp., a US provider of next day, second day and interregional less than truckload (LTL) freight services; FedEx Custom Critical Inc., the worlds largest provider of expedited time critical shipments; and Caribbean Transportation Services Inc., a provider of airfreight forwarding services between the US and Puerto Rico. The last segment is FedEx Kinkos, consisting of FedEx Kinkos Office and printing services Inc., which provides copying and printing services, signs and graphics, videoconferencing, high speed wireless and wired Internet access and computer usage, as well as retail access to all FedEx ground and global express shipping services. (Jack W. Plunkett 2007) Porters Value Chain Analysis This section assesses the global express transportation and logistics industry through the value chain analysis of Porter. The review is done across the primary and support activities for the value chain with the details presented in the following table: Primary Activities Comments Inbound logistics Increased presence in various markets to expand footprint and capture market share by players (Lai et al, 2008) Operations Increased cost in operations due to rising fuel prices; margins of industry players hit (Wadewitz, Johnson Weinz, 2008) Outbound logistics Important activity as link to customers Distribution centres being set up by the largest players in the sector in new markets such as China (Lai et al, 2008) Marketing and sales Increased importance in current market with pressure on margins though players have generally kept pricing discipline Service Service to customer could potentially change with new pressures and competitive dynamics; current focus on service but business models on customer service delivery could change (Greene Longson, 2008). Support Activities Comments Firm infrastructure Entrepreneurial culture typically Management of firms could be forced into action with potential consolidation in the sector driven by pressures in decreased business and margins; could lead to synergies and value (Fitchie, 2008) HR management Human resources continues to play an important role as talent influences the activities across the value chain Technology development Technological capabilities continue to be critical factoring the sector and a requirement to be a player (Greene Doshi, 2007) Procurement Important lever for sector given large capital outlay required for building or replacing fleet Some are pursuing this activity despite sector pressure as business has decreased; FedEx recently reported to have bought some aircraft from Rolls-Royce (Armitage, Fornaro Crispin, 2008) www.umbrellacloud.com/business-model/value-chain We note from the analysis above and the supporting arguments in articles, the key factors impacting the value chain are the following: Integration of the firms activities across primary and support activities Though each of the activities above have their influence on the sector and its development, the important underlying factor is the integration of the primary and support activities in order to drive the efficiency of the firms in the sector, and ensure the delivery of the customer service required by clients. Use of technology to drive integration and also efficiencies across the value chain Aside from the integration of the activities, a key driving force as well is the use of technology to both drives the integration and also pushes the efficiencies across the value chain as this impacts the pricing of services and delivery of customer requirements. Strong management to drive actions and initiatives across the chain Finally, strong management is needed in order to identify the opportunities and be able to push for the implementation of these initiatives, particularly in technology and in integration. The current industry pressures from higher fuel prices are changing the dynamics of the sector. Supply Chain Management Supply Chain analysis involves working across multiple enterprises or companies (Inter-enterprise) to shorten the supply chain time in the delivery of goods and services to the consumer or customer. Demand uncertainty in supply chains can be addresses by faster response times. A basic product supply chain can afford longer lead times and batch manufacturing of large lot sizes to meet the demand. A supply chain that produces fashion or mass customization products must respond quickly and be more agile. Most supply chains are moving in the direction to support a more rapid changing of demand by the consumer or customer. Good transportation and logistics companies also natures in reducing total costs through supply chain management excellence. Supply chain management means managing the business process from the initial supplier to the ultimate customer focusing on speed and flexibility, resulting in the lowest total cost and highest customer satisfaction-from suppliers supplier to customers customer-with supply decisions based on total life cycle costs. In this Context, FedEx identifies five principal attributes of supply chain management: Strategy Creating an effective supply chain management organization and supporting fact-based strategies and plans. Resources Developing and deploying human resources and information systems necessary to maximize performance. Nothing happens without top-notch, highly-skilled professionals using effective technical tools. Processes Creating strategic plans based upon total cost management and in sourcing/outsourcing analysis and applying a systematic approach to better utilizing the supply base. Optimization Aligning the supply base with our supply chain goals and continually seeking to improve the supply chain methods and composition. Globalization Viewing supply opportunities on a global basis. (www.fedex.com) FedEx Core Competencies And Dynamic Capabilities The analysis above of the global express transportation and logistics industry provides an indication of the requirements needed in order to be successful in the sector. This sub-section presents the core competencies and dynamic capabilities of FedEx and will present the link with the sectors requirements for success. The core competencies and dynamic capabilities of FedEx are the following: 2. Human resources: empowering employees One of the core competencies of FedEx is the empowerment of employees which has led to entrepreneurial behaviour among the employees (Schindehutte, Morris Kocak, 2008). This empowerment is the reason that FedEx is able to adapt quickly to market changes and keep abreast of the development in the global express transportation and logistics sector and ahead of competition. 3. Marketing: delivering customer value FedEx is known for their innovativeness in delivering value to their customers. It is partly the point above on employee empowerment which drives this. However, it is also largely the strength of their marketing organisation in being able to identify the value that customers require and their ability to deliver this through convenience and minimised relational costs (Smith Colgate, 2007). 4. Information systems and technology: providing accurate 24/7 information FedEx has invested significantly in its information and technology systems in order to provide customers with information to track the services being provided by FedEx. The firm realised early on in their business history, and well ahead of the other firms in their sector, the importance of information (e.g. package tracking, drop-off location finder) and the power this brings to meeting customers needs (Bhattacharya, 2006). 5. Management: continuing learning and application to operation This core competence of FedEx is driven by their CEO and Founder Fred Smith who stated that the success of FedEx is based on â€Å"continual learning and education and the discipline to apply those lessons to your operation† (Sarros, Cooper Santora, 2007). FedExs actions have been based on a continual understanding of their market situation and the implementation of initiatives to meet the requirements of the evolving sector such as technological demands and customer service level requirements. Strategic Vision And Infrastructure Within FedEx Corporation (a) FedEx Strategic Vision And Visionary Leadership. Frederick W Smith, the Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation was presented the â€Å"Peter F. Drucker Strategic Leadership Award† for the year 1997. The award, established in 1995, was in recognition of an individuals innovative and result-oriented leadership. With the help of his team he executed a vision with consistency and focus. Analysts credit Smiths leadership as the reason for the transformation of FedEx, from a once loss making company, to a global logistics industry leader with revenues of â€Å"$22.5 billion.† Under his leadership, FedEx management has developed rigorous processes with extremely low defect rates; employees are empowered through information, technology and thorough training. Information technology has transformed the company into a cyberspace leader as well as a logistics trailblazer. Smith was one of the few business leaders who first anticipated the application of Internet in business operations, resulting into the launch of the website www.fedex.com in 1994, enabling customers to do business online. FedEx had been established as a technologically driven company. Smith stipulated three goals, which he believed would form the critical success factors of FedExs business in future speed, reliability and customer service. In order to achieve these goals, Smith invested heavily on IT. Smith strongly believed that for an express industry, it was necessary to use IT to provide customers with real-time information about the movement of their documents/packages. Visionary Leadership FedEx Supply Chain Services will be an acknowledged world leader in global integrated logistics management, supply chain solutions and time-definite delivery. Our motivated associates will forge mutually profitable partnerships with our customers using world-class technology and business practices. Smith also believed that in a service oriented organization like FedEx, it was very important to have highly committed employees, failing which; it was not possible to deliver the kind of service that the customers expected. FedExs employees were made to believe that they were not merely performing their duties but were solving the transportation problems of the customers. It is clear from these analyses that FedEx Corporation had been very competent in technology and human resources which resulted in its great success. FedExs corporate strategic vision is based on three principles; operating independently: by focusing on independent networks to meet distinct customer needs; compete collectively: by standing as one brand worldwide and speaking with one voice Manage collaboratively: by working together to sustain loyal relationships with their workforce, investors, and customers. http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Leadership%20and%20Entrepreneurship/LDEN023.htm (b) FedEx Transportation And Logistics Infrastructure FedEx Corporation (â€Å"FedEx†) provides a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services through companies competing collectively, operating independently and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. These operating companies are primarily represented by Federal Express Corporation (â€Å"FedEx Express†), the worlds largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. (â€Å"FedEx Ground†), a leading provider of small-package ground delivery services and FedEx Freight Corporation, a leading U.S. provider of less-than-truckload (â€Å"LTL†) freight services (FedEx Annual report 2007). Overall, FedEx hasover 280,000 employees worldwide,operates approximately 50,000 drop off locations and managed over 10 million square feet of warehouse space worldwide. They have 670 aircrafts, and 75,000 vehicles and trailers, handling around 6.5million daily shipments to more than 220 countries and territories. (Jack W. Plunkett 2007). FedEx Corporation introduced express delivery to the world in 1973, and remains the worlds largest express transportation company and it is the worlds largest overnight package carrier with about 30 percent market share. Taking into considerations the key elements from the above analysis and FedExs core competencies it can be figured out that FedEx primary activities are Marketing and Sales, checking orders, financial analysis and receiving payment, packaging, shipping products, logistics, handling and storing of products to be shipped, handling orders, delivery of the products, and finally Service to ensure customer satisfaction. But, the key elements which support these activities are: Procurement (purchasing, trucks, planes, gas and other assets). Research and Development (RD) activity which include technology development, investments in systems innovation, and information technology (IT) development. Human Resource Management that includes hiring, training, developing and compensating employees from the truck drivers to the top management. Firm infrastructure which includes general management, planning, accounting, legal support, government regulations, and other general requirement to support the value chain. (c) FedEx Virtual Information Infrastructure Information Technology is the backbone of the FedEx Corporation which is immensely responsible for its success and its competitive advantage over its rivals. FedExs consistent effort in the development of information technology and system innovations has always been its prime concern which created the direct interconnection between its customers and services. FedExs Virtual Information System emerged as a revolution in this context which closed the gaps between the consumer and seller. In 1979, a centralised computer system Customer, Operation, Master Online System kept track of all packages handled by the company. This computer system relayed data on package movement, pickup, invoicing and delivery to a central database. In 1984, FedEx started to launch a series of technological systems. The Power-Ship program, aimed at improving efficiency and control, which provided the most active customers (around 850,000) with the proprietary online services. But, the most significant development in this field came between the years 1994-99 which started giving the shape to the virtual information infrastructure. They were first to offer online package status tracking through FedEx website so that customers can actually conduct business via internet. In 1995, a Windows-based shipping and tracking software allowed around 650,000 users to process and manage their shipment from their desktops. FedEx Virtual-Order Software in 1996 linked internet ordering with the delivery and o nline tracking. In 1997, FedEx introduced e- Business tools for easier connection with shipping tracking applications. FedEx decided to overhaul its internal I.T. infrastructure under the Project GRID (Global Resources for Information Distribution). The project involved replacing 60,000 terminals and some PCs with over 75,000 network systems. Also, in 1999 FedEx signed an agreement with Netscape to adopt Netscape software as the primary technology for accessing its corporate intranet sites. FedExs intranet included more than 60 Websites, created for its end users and some cases by its end users. At this point of time FedEx was the largest online client server network in the world that operated in real time. The benefits of these services were not limited to FedExs customers. Its online services, which in 1999 handled 60 million transactions per day, saved FedEx cost of 200,000 customer service employees. In turn, the Company reported spending 10 percent of its 17 billion U.S. dollar s annual revenue on I.T. in 1999. Information had allowed FedEx to lower its costs such that the cost to customers of using FedEx in 1999 was lower than it was 25 years ago. FedEx Virtual Order Process http://www.ite.poly.edu/people/brao/fedex_case.htm CHAPTER-2: Mergers Acquisitions In Transportation And Logistics Industry. Benefits And Limitations Of Merger And Acquisition Strategy. Merger and Acquisition is basically a mechanism by which an organization grows. It is a kind of external growth strategy which involves using the businesss money to invest in other businesses, whereas the internal growth occurs by investing profits in the same business. A merger occurs when two separate companies agree, usually by mutual consent, to come together. On the other hand, acquisition is a takeover which involves purchasing a shareholding of over 50%, and then this company can control and impose its will upon this. Merger and acquisition are growth strategies are beneficial for transportation and logistics industry, as in all the other industries if two companies decide to join hands after a detailed research and surveys. (book†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦book†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.book) Benefits Of Merger And Acquisition: Mergers and acquisitions usually succeed in building cost efficiency through the implementation of economies of scale. Basically, a new economically stable firm emerges, through the union of two parent firms with an increased scale of operations. As a result, there are chances that the cost per unit will come down with rise in output production. In context of TL industry the company will get a bigger infrastructure and they may get easy access to the areas which were to difficult to reach. This in turn will increase their logistics offerings and their efficiency with reduced cost, which was not possible if they would have thought of increasing the branches on their own. This process also often leads to an increased value generation for the company. It is expected that the shareholder value of the newly established firm would be greater than the sum of the shareholder values of the parent companies which is applicable in TL industry as well. One of the benefits of mergers and acquisitions is increase in market share. When a financially stable company acquires a contrastingly distressed one, the newly found organization experiences a substantial increase in market share. The new firm is usually more cost-efficient and competitive when compared to its financially weak parent organization. Limitations Of Merger And Acquisition: I. If due to mergers and acquisitions, a company has considerably a big market share then there could be less competition complacency amongst firmscan lead to lower quality of services and less investment in new products and services. II. Due to merger or acquisition, if a company expands too much then it could also lead to diseconomy of scale. In this condition, it will lead the firm to produce products and services at increased per unit costs. III. Mergers and acquisitions can lead to loss of jobs. IV. Mergers could be a factor of de-motivation for staff, for example, managers would prefer to work for big company where they get higher salaries and more prestige. V. There could be failure to secure good will of a wide range of stakeholder groups in both companies. VI. Potential conflict between individual and corporate objectives is not given sufficient recognition and isnt managed. VII. Reputation can also be damaged during the merger process. Acquisition Of Caliber Systems In 1998 By FedEx Corporation In the year 1998, FedEx took a big leap in context to its diversification by acquiring Caliber System Inc. As a result of this, five subsidiary companies were formed: Federal Express, RPS, Roberts Express, Viking Freight and FDX Logistics. Apart from Federal Express, all the other four were the part of Caliber System and all were managed independently. The logistics operations of both FedEx and Caliber were different as differed in customer bases and service offerings. Caliber was expertise in providing an elaborate logistics operation focusing mainly on high priced goods industries such as moving raw materials, managing work-in-progress, manufacturing of cars and fork-lift trucks etc. Federal Logistics and Electronic Commerce (FLEC) before the acquisition was not able to provide complete supply chain solution because they just focused on finished goods and reverse logistics. But, the acquisition led FLEC to put there hands into areas like warehousing and transportation apart from th e basic logistics functions. Later, Caliber became apart of FDX Logistics and FLEC continued as a division under Federal Express. The burden which this acquisition brought along with it to the company was that, the company has to loose its image of just being an express delivery company. The challenge was that all the critics including the customer related the FedEx brand just with transportation. One solution to this challenge was the renaming of the company. In this context, the acquisition gave the name to the holding company as ‘FDX Corporation but they did very less to promote the name. Therefore, the transportation subsidiary FedEx Express still lived on as a brand image and the corporate name was still under cover. Unlike other companies such as UPS which ran only under one name for all its services, FedEx was trying to promote all its subsidiary companies with completely unrelated names under FDX logo. The key agenda here was that, the two separate logistics businesses within the group with separate sales and customer service staff created confusion within customers and resources were duplicated. The big thing was despite having such confusion the branches continued to operate and offer solutions at all level of supply chain. In this scenario, the autonomy of all subsidiary companies where maintained but the challenge was to bring the companies closer to create the synergy. These companies were operating with separate accounting systems and customer service staff, so they made a vision to â€Å"progress individually but compete collectively.† Therefore, we can figure out that this acquisition was not a complete success as all the subsidiary companies sustained but the ultimate goal for the corporation was to provide customers with a single point of access to the whole Group. In later years, this became the main reason for the companys structural transformation through advancement in information technology within the company. CHAPTER-3: Events Leading Up To January 2000 Reorganization This section provides an analysis of the events leading to the January 200 reorganisation of FedEx. The first sub-section reviews the performance of FedEx and the developments in the Internet market while the second sub-section touches on the impact of the major strategic initiatives undertaken. The final sub-section provides a quick summary of the analysis. FedEx Performance And Internet Market Developments The January 2000 reorganisation was largely driven by the poor performance of FedEx in the preceding periods. While performance remained strong and positive up to 1999 with record earnings, this proved to be the start of a downtrend in performance. The next several quarters saw FedExs performance experience considerable in income and profit. This was partly influenced by the rising fuel prices but the failure of the company to react and still be reasonably profitable in a backdrop of rising fuel prices led management to believe that change was needed. The performance of FedEx was sub-par and deserved poor reviews. The lower financial performance aside, FedExs performance was inadequate for the following reasons: Un-reactive and inflexible It took several quarters of poor performance for FedEx management to take action. FedEx could have been more aggressive in its actions and realised immediately after the first quarter of poor profit performance that the industry was changing and that FedEx needed to make a move. At the very least, FedEx could have made moves that would have impacted other players as well and severely harm the poorer capitalised firms (e.g. start a price war) Did not utilise advantages in sector Partly related to the first point, FedEx did not push to make any impact on the sector. FedEx could have utilised its network, for example, and worked with its suppliers and even buyers to ensure that the firm still maintained good profitability in the period of high fuel prices. In addition to the poor performance of FedEx in the preceding several quarters, the development of the Internet market and the actions of competitors forced FedEx to review its business strategy and determine the steps necessary in order to bring the firm back to profitability and successful operations. In this respect, the actions of FedEx were unacceptable as well for a couple of reasons: Failure to realise technological changes For a firm that was known to be reliant on technology as well as at the forefront of technological advancements, the actions of FedEx were unacceptable as they showed poor pro-activity and understanding of the changes happening in the sector. Reactionary moves to technological innovation Not only did FedEx not realise technological changes that would impact the sector, FedEx had to wait for other firms to take the first move in tapping the new technology. This thus made the situation worse as it placed FedEx in a position that was far behind other competitors in terms of the use and development of technology. Motivation for Strategic Initiatives FedEx had three strategic initiatives following the reorganisation in January 2000. For these actions, FedEx could be lauded as these addressed the concerns that FedEx faced following the several period of poor performance and the developments in the Internet market. The strategic initiatives and the rationale for pursuing each are as follow: A new branding strategy that involved changing the Companys name to FedEx Corporation, and extending the ‘FedEx brand to four of its five subsidiary companies This is an excellent move for a couple of reasons: (1) integrates the firm and leverages the successes of the various divisions, (2) taps the brand that clients are familiar with. This would allow FedEx to leverage its advantages in the sector as seen in the five forces analysis. Although relatively belatedly, FedEx did realise the importance of integrating their businesses and maximising their position in the sector. The need for one point of access to sales, customer services, and billing and automation systems This again touches on the integration point although at a different aspect. With an integrated business across its key activities, FedEx could provide clients with easy access and reliable services, factors that are important for the FedEx clients. Also, this action gives FedEx the technological push that it needed in order to bring its technology up to par with competitors, and position the firm for possible advancements at a later time. FedEx Home Delivery, a new, economical residential delivery service- This last action by FedEx touched on several important factors related to the success of firms in the global express transportation and logistics industry: (1) innovation in products and services, (2) leverage of strengths of related businesses, and (3) exp

Quantitative research

Quantitative research Introduction (150) Quantitative research is the investigation of phenomena that give themselves to exact measurement and quantification, which attached a rigorous and controlled design (Polit Beck 2008). Its has main purpose is to measure concept or variables objectively in numerical and statistical process, also relationship between variables (Parahoo 2006). The research methods are obtained from research design and generally include sample, intervention (if applicable), instruments, data collection, and data analysis (eds. Joyce Meredith 2006). In many instances, the quantitative research needs such as questionnaires or interview, computers and large sample sizes. This article is to explore of a quantitative research by Kalij and William (2009) the view of its data objectivity, sample size and selection, process data collection, data presentation and analysis, using the relevant references to support this discussion. The objectives are to prove with evidences if the Khalij and Williams study (2009) fulfills the requirements of quantitative research. Objectivity (150) Objectivity is amount of involvement of the researcher relates during the collection and analysis of the data (Marcella n.d.a). Polit and Beck (2008) argued objectivity meant researcher tend to stay away any impression of subjectivity or impersonal during study process. Parahoo (2006) explained the data which collected and analyzed are expected to be free from bias between researcher and participants. It means the researcher is detached or does not active participate from practice and there is no intervention between researcher and participant. Also the participants use the same actual measurements for data collection. Further the bias of research can be minimized and the objectivity of the study can be maximized. In The Kalish and Williams study (2009) showed that they did not participate and used measurements to collect the data. It showed in their study that during data collection, they involved staff nurses in four hospitals and used psychometric testing tool. Hard data (148) Hard data is characteristic of quantitative study. Polit and Beck (2008) said that quantitative data are the information obtained during process of study course in a quantified (numeric value). (Janet Houser 2008) argued the other numerical data specific patients symptoms put in rank order the scales which contained intervals, comparisons between subjects. Other instance the researchers with rigorously designed tools should be able to grasp the reality (Parahoo 2006). For example scale of depression and pain in numeric value. That means the data can be measured and quantified in some way. In the nursing practice we always face with the hard data. For instance are physical (height, weight, gender), physiological (vital signs, laboratory results, visual acuity), past medical histories, psychological and social or behavior. This data are shown in Kalish and Williams study (2009) during their study while collected data: sample size, genders, experience, education degree, and work location in quantified data. Statistic (142) Statistic is very important aspect in the quantitative research. After data are collected can be analyzed using statistic and presented in numerical form. Polit and Beck (2008) said that statistic is an estimate of a parameter, calculated from sample data. They emphasized statistics are used to test hypotheses and evaluate the believability of the finding. Researchers usually use statistical computer to expedite calculation and ensure accuracy (ed. Joyce and Meredith 2006). They mentioned statistic methods are used in every process include in the final report to search the correlations, comparisons of means, trend and significance of finding to refute hypothesis. Its reinforce that statistic is one of characteristic in quantitative research. Its applied in Kalishs study process while selecting data sampling and analyzing data which showed in the tables and the data was analyzed by statistical computer, descriptive statistic and inferential statistic. Sample selection (269) Janet Holt (2009, p. 235) said that sampling is the process to select a small group of participant for study with the goal of making generalization from large population based on findings. Polit and Beck (2008) argued that sampling is the process of selecting portion of the population to represent from the entire population element. There are differentiation ways in sample selection; sampling designs, sample size and sampling steps. Polit and Beck (2008) mentioned that there are two sampling designs; probability sampling and non probability sampling. Probability sampling contents; simple random, stratified random, cluster and systemic sampling. The non probability sampling has contents; convenience, quota and purposive sampling. Janet Houser (2008) explained sample size in quantitative research to determine sample in adequacy is power. Its an analysis to indicate the large of sample which needed to adequately detect a difference in result variable. Polit and Beck (2008) suggested the steps in this research sampling as follow; the population identify, the specific eligibility criteria, the specific sampling plan and sample recruitment. They emphasized researcher during sample recruitment to gain the participant cooperation use means of courtesy, persistence, incentives, research benefits, sharing results, convenience, and endorsement. This study sample collection was implemented in the kalishstudy. They used random sampling to collect the participant data from four hospitals in different unit. The study used N symbol which designed for the total number, and n symbol is designed for number of subject. They took large sample size with total samples (N=1098). They applied ratio of sample size during sample collection. They gained the participant cooperation which provided incentives (jumbo-sized candy and bar a pizza party). Data collection (285) Parahoo (2006) said data collection is methods to measure the data sampling which utilized the instrument tools: questionnaires, observation schedule and other measuring tools. He emphasized that the methods should be predetermined, structured and standardized. Polit and Beck (2003) developed data collection plan include identifying data needs, selecting types of measures, selecting and developing instruments, pre testing the data collection package, and developing data collection forms and procedures. They stressed Important aspects should be considered while implementing the data collection plans are the selecting research personal and personal and the training data collector. Nancy and Susan (2007) explained data collection is the process of obtaining the subject and collecting the data for the research. They explained five tasks during data collection process: recruiting subjects, maintaining consistency, maintaining controls, protecting study integrity, and solving the problem. Structure, quantifiability, obstrusiveness, and objectivity are important elements when selecting data collection instruments (Marcella n.d.a). We have to understand and maintain the important dimension the data collection methods when applied in the data collection plan, and implementing. The obtained data should be accurate, valid, and meaningful to respond the questions. Kalish and William implemented the data collection process in their study. They applied the approaching methods to maintain the important dimensions in data collection such as a tool of missed nursing care and reason for missed care. The Data collection plan used to identify data needs for instance in the describing sample characteristic of participants (table 2.). They construct the tool in their survey to gain the quantify data. While implementing data collection, they selected research personal is staff nurse experts. The training data collector was done which distributed a copy of tool, informed consent form and a letter explaining the study. Data analysis and presentation (299) Joyce and Meredith (ed. 2006) said data analysis is a systematic method of examining data gathered for any research investigation to support hypothesis. This system implements in the data analysis process: the data analysis preparation, the sample description, reliability of measurement test, exploratory analysis conduction, exploratory analysis, confirmatory analysis and posthoc analysis conduction (Nancy Susan 2007). Parahoo (2006) stated analysis data can be obtained from measurement level, and then analyzed with statistical level. He mentioned two statistic levels those are descriptive statistic and inferential statistic. There are several statistical computer programs (SPSS, SAS, LISREL, EQS, etc) which help the researcher to calculate these test statistics and their sampling distribution (eds. Joyce Meredith 2006). Marcella (n.d.b) explained there are two types of inferential statistics are parametric (t-test, ANOVA, Multiple regressions) and non parametric (Chi-square, Rank Correlation, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis). Quantitative research result may be presented in the tables, charts and graphs (Michael, Patricia Frances, 2007, cited Russell, 2005). In conclusion that data analysis is systemic method of examination data started from data collection which used measurement level then data were analyzed by statistical level and presented in the tables, charts and graphs to support hypothesis. Kalish and Williams study (2009) implemented the data analysis process which utilized measurement level and statistical level which completed using SPSS in their study. First step is checking of data accuracy using ordinal scale. The second is describing sample, they use central tendency and dispersion to test the contrast validity. The third is testing the reliability of measurement, they applied cronbach alpha coefficient. Fourth they conducted exploratory analysis as the extraction technique and varimax as orthogonal rotation method, also analyzed using oblique rotation. Fifth they conducted the confirmatory analysis used AMOS version 16. Last step they used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to conduct posthoc analysis. Result study was presented in the table presentation. Conclusion (118) This essay has tried to explore the Kalish and Williams study (2009) about the development and psychometric testing of a tool to measure missed nursing care. Their study has approached and fulfilled the major requirement of quantitative research characteristics that include objectivity, hard data and statistic. They applied quantitative study process which consists of conceptual, design and planning, empirical, analytic and dissemination phase as suggested by Polit and Beck (2004). They also utilized data analysis process of Nancy and Susan (2008). In general view of Kalish and Williams study (2009) has applied the quantitative research systematically. Improvement progress monitoring was done, but effectiveness overview the tool is still recommended to apply in the base practice for long period. References: 1. Carol L. Macnee Susan Mc. Cabe (2008) Understanding nursing research: using research in evidence-base practice, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott and William a Wolter Kluwer Business. 2. Denise F, Polit Cheryl Tatano Beck (2010) Essentials of nursing research: appraising evidence for nursing practice, 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincot William Wilkins. 3. Denise F, Polit Cheryl Tatano Beck (2008) Nursing research: generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincot William Wilkins. 4. Denise F, Polit Cheryl Tatano Beck (2003) Nursing research: principle and methods, 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincot William Wilkins. 5. Kader Parahoo (2006) Nursing research principles, process and issues, 2nd ed. Hamspire: Palgrave Macmillan. 6. Janet Holt (2009) Reading research series quantitative research: an overview, British Journal of Cardiac Nursing, Vol. 4(5), pp. 234-236. 7. Janet Houser (2008) Nursing research: reading, using and creating evidence, Jones and Bartlett Publisher, Sudbury. 8. Joyce J.F. Meredith W. (eds) 2006, Encyclopedia of nursing, 2nd ed. New York: Springer Publishing. 9. Marcella Hart (n.d.a) Birthing a research project: data collection, International Journal of Childbirth Education, Vol. 22(3) pp. 27-31. 10. Marcella Hart (n.d.b) Birthing a research project: data analysis, International Journal of Childbirth Education, Vol. 22(4), pp. 24-28. 11. Michael Coughlan, Patricia Cronin Frances Ryan (2007) Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. part 1: quantitative research, British Journal of Nursing, Vol. 16(11), pp. 658-663. 12. Nancy Burns Susan K. Grove (2007) Understanding nursing research: building an evidence-base practice, 4th ed. Missouri, Saunders an Imprint of Elsevier.