Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Cell Phone Industry Analysis - 3513 Words

| | | CELL PHONE INDUSTRY ANALYSIS by Rohan Ramchandani Zaheer Sayyed Introduction 1 Dominant Economic Indicator 1 1. Market Size: 1 2. Scope of Competitive Rivalry: 1 3. Stage in Life Cycle: 2 4. Numbers of Companies in the Industry: 2 5. Customers: 3 6. Technology/Innovation: 4 7. Product Characteristics: 6 Camera cell phones: 6 Downloadable Application: 8 Video (Streaming): 8 Internet Access via PC Card: 8 ï‚ · Motorola RAZR: 8 ï‚ · LG the V: 8 8. Scale Economies: 9 ï‚ · Internal 9 ï‚ · External 9 9. Learning amp; Experience Effects: 10 10. Capital Requirements: 10 Introduction The following report details cell phone industry analysis, which deals with cell phone manufacturers†¦show more content†¦4. Numbers of Companies in the Industry: There are over 50 companies with only six top companies in the cell phone industry that controls 80 percent of the market. Even though there are emerging new companies into the market, they are relatively small. The six top companies are rank as follow as the largest to the smallest cell phone company: 1. Verizon Wireless 2. Cingular Wireless 3. ATamp;T Wireless 4. Sprint Wireless 5. Nextel Wireless 6. T-Mobile Wireless Verizon is the number one largest company having 38.9 million U.S. customers. Some companies have suffered low profitability for merging with another company, which resulted in only four of the six companies that controls 80 percent of the market. The following companies merged resulting in only four companies; Sprint merged with Nextel, and Cingular bought ATamp;T. Below are financial highlights showing how well the four cell phone service companies that are occupying the market are faring. Financial Highlights | Sprint | Verizon | Cingular | T-Mobile | Revenue (2005) | 34680.00 M | 27662.00 M | 19436.00 M | 9366.00 M | Revenue Growth (1 yr) | 26.40% | 23.00% | 25.50% | 12.10% | Employees (2005) | 79,900 | 49,800 | 70,300 | 22,616 | Employee growth (1 yr) | 33.40% | 13.40% | 78.40% | 5.10% | 5. Customers: Cell phones are attractive targets that are small, expensive, and useful. Today there are approximately 162Show MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Cell Phone Industry1253 Words   |  6 PagesFIVE FORCES ANALYSIS OF THE CELL PHONE INDUSTRY The cell phone industry is a competitive market and will increase continuously. The profitability of individual companies is driven mainly by their ability to develop new products, providing better service and making their products affordable for consumers. Profitability of companies is achieved also by taking advantage of product marketing, access to capital, and by inquiring the expertise to improve the cell phones. The profitability of theRead MoreCell Phone Industry Analysis3525 Words   |  15 Pages| | | CELL PHONE INDUSTRY ANALYSIS by Rohan Ramchandani Zaheer Sayyed Introduction 1 Dominant Economic Indicator 1 1. Market Size: 1 2. Scope of Competitive Rivalry: 1 3. Stage in Life Cycle: 2 4. Numbers of Companies in the Industry: 2 5. Customers: 3 6. Technology/Innovation: 4 7. Product Characteristics: 6 Camera cell phones: 6 Downloadable Application: 8 Video (Streaming): 8 Internet Access via PC Card: 8 ï‚ · Motorola RAZR: 8 ï‚ · LG the V: 8 8. Scale Economies: 9 Read MorePorter s Competitive Strategy Analysis990 Words   |  4 PagesPorter’s Competitive Strategies Porter’s Competitive Stategies can be derived from his Five Forces Analysis. Porter five forces analysis is a framework that analyzes the level of competition within an industry. It is very useful in the development of a business’s strategy. The five forces is used to determine the competitive intensity of an industry, and therefore, identify the attractiveness of an Industry (Wheelen). You are able to see the components of the Five Forces below: Porter’s CompetitiveRead MoreMobile Phone and New Entrants807 Words   |  4 Pages2.2 Industry Analysis (i) Threat of new entrants Based on case analysis, we indicate that the threat of new entrants for TomTom is considered as medium or moderate. Although new entrants coming into same industry with TomTom was brings a smaller impact of their sales and revenue growth, but TomTom still able to sustain it. For example, the rapidly growth in the industry of smart phones and cell phones, it is causes many new entrants coming it and affected a little of sales and revenue growth ofRead MoreAnalyzing Customer Satisfaction of Samsung Mobile Phones1118 Words   |  4 Pagesusage of cell phones. (ii) Market share of Samsung cell phone is more than any other cell phones. (iii) No one has previously conducted this research in Cuddalore. So I selected this topic. 1.3 Statement of the Problem As against the millennium of rapid growth in cell phone industry and a changing socio-economic scenario and increasing cell phone connection lead to high demands for handsets. Though the cell phone industry is fast flourishing, there are problems in the cell phone industry in IndiaRead MoreCell Phone Safety : The Most Cherished Work Of Mine1520 Words   |  7 Pagesprobably the most cherished work of mine. I had heard the potential hazards of cell phones, and after spending an extended amount of time doing the research, the findings negating cell phone safety was irrefutable. I think that since cell phones are such a highly debated topic, it was an awesome subject to tackle, and I hope this paper can help people think twice about cell phone safety. Unseen Dangers: The Reality of Cell Phones The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of modern technology, creatingRead MoreCell Phones And Its Impact On Society929 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Cell phones play an important role in the exchange of information throughout the world today. The impact of this technological revolution across the globe has demonstrated a drastic change in which humans interact by carrying out real-time communication using cell phones. An analysis by Ezoe et al., (2009) in a survey about Harvard University students behaviors and addictions when using phones concluded that more than 65% of the college students directly interact with phones and more thanRead MoreSprint and External Environment850 Words   |  4 Pagesvery critical for organization to understand the importance of external environment, which includes remote, operating and industrial environments before developing its future objective. Each environment bases on different factors, therefore the analysis of external environment will help the company seeks for new opportunity in many areas as well as discovering challenges that might have direct impact to the organization in the future. The remote environment consists of the study of the economicRead MoreInternational Marketing Management And Human Resource Management1473 Words   |  6 Pagesadvent of the cell phone has allowed many countries plagued by poor landline service to bypass these problems. Some studies indicate that increasing the cell phone penetration rate (the percentage of the population with cell phone service) by ten percentage points boosts per capita GDP by fifty-nine percent. A Call for Progress describes the need and importance of telecommunication in today s world. It helps many people in exploring different opportunities. Unfortunately, this industry is in theRead MoreDifferentiating Between Market Structures in Kudler1564 Words   |  7 PagesConditions Competitive Analysis Jerona Green, Darlene Wilson, Bronda Perkins, Christopher Pollard ECO/365 April 8, 2013 Samuel Imarhiagbe Current Market Conditions Competitive Analysis In today’s society the cell phone market is a huge competitive industry for cell phone companies. There have been studies that show that half the world has cell phone accounts. One attribute that defines the cell phone market is the idea of consumers is giving up their land line phones. This has caused a

Monday, December 16, 2019

MAS 500 operating system Free Essays

MAS 500 operating system can increase efficiency in management. It was built up with Microsoft office and Visual Basic and has been seen as good financial accounting software. (Sage software) MAS 500 can integrate business intelligence; order processing, distribution and manufacture (Sage software) and is designed to help companies manage operations. We will write a custom essay sample on MAS 500 operating system or any similar topic only for you Order Now The software is dependable and reliable and covers all areas of e –business and can support large volumes of data and respond to growth in the business. (Tech target. 2008) MAS 500integrates with other applications and can be customised without programming. (Tech target. 2008) The disadvantage in its implementation is the cost involved to purchase the software and then train staff to use it. However, with the increased efficiency MAS 500 is often seen as a good investment reducing costs in the long run. The time taken to upgrade can be seen as a disadvantage as it cuts into business profits. MAS 500 have been seen that leading companies have taken this new software. Fortune Brands has upgraded and MAS 500 performs general ledger, accounts payable and cash management tasks. (Best software, 2003). MAS 500 can automate areas of business management such as core and advanced financials, customer relationship management, project accounting, time and expense tracking, wholesale distribution, discrete manufacturing, warehouse management, human resources, payroll, e-business and business intelligence. (TechTarget. 2008)MAS 500 is user friendly and allows most companies to run it quickly in less time then previous soft wares. (Best software, 2003) Thus the cost constraint would eventually be outweighed by the many benefits this software has to offer. References Best software (2003) A most admired company selects MAS 500 and ASP. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on the 14Th of November 2008:http://whitepapers. silicon. com/0,39024759,60040974p,00. htm Sage software. Sage MAS 500 retrieved from the World Wide Web on the 14Th of November 2008: http://www. sagemas. com/products/sagemas500/ Tech Target. (2008) Sage Software. Sage MAS500. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on the 14Th of November 2008: http://www. 2020software. com/products/Sage_MAS_500. asp How to cite MAS 500 operating system, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Case Analysis Of Blockbusters And Netflix - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Case Analysis Of Blockbusters And Netflix. Answer: Introduction The report is a strategy and case analysis of Blockbuster and Netflix.The report provides an institutional background on both the companies. Blockbuster has been a provider of rental services for video game and home movie based on America (Blockbuster.com 2018). The services undertaken by the company provided through rental shops, DVD via mail and on demand video. The company rose to international acclaim in the year 1990s. During the year, 2004, Blockbuster employed a large number of people from United States and other countries for an approximate 9000 stores. On the other hand, Netflix was an American entertainment company found in the year 1997 and located on the Scotts Valley of California. The company led by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph specialized on providing streaming media and online video on demand as well as DVD via the system of mailing. However, by the year 2013, the company also expanded on television and film production in addition to its online distribution. There is also discussion how Netflix beats Blockbuster based on the changing technology, retail outlets versus online operation, strategy for pricing and innovations. The report also discusses about Netflix being the dominant provider of online streaming of videos (Netflix.com 2018). To explain the position of Netflix there is discussion on demise of Qwikster and rebuilding of Netflix and the rise of original content. The report also provides a vivid description on the future growth of Netflix. Institutional Background A Brief History of Blockbuster Blockbuster Inc. is one of the largest rental chains for providing videos around the world. The company provides game and movie entertainment on a rental basis. The company around 9100 video stores around United States , its 24 nations and territories that helps in serving around three million customers every day(Gershon2013). The initiation of the company was around the middle of 1980s as an alternative to the small and local operations that had a limited selection of video rental. The company transformed into a global chain in no time thereby offering DVDs, video games and videos either through its stores or through its online subscription program. The history of Blockbuster traced to Cook Data Services Inc found in the year 1982 by David Cook for supplying services related to computer software in the Texas oil and gas industry. After Cook Data Services Inc went in a state of bust, the owner sought other means of revenue generation by entering into a business that dealt with video rental. After several months of research into the industry of video rental, David Cook sold the software business related to gas and oil and entered into the business of movie rental. It was in the year 1985 in the month of October that Blockbuster was able to open its first outlet in the city of Dallas (Abraham2013). Around 8000 tapes covered around 6500 titles along with a huge inventory stock sufficient to give the nearest competitor a run for their money. The stores allowed the customers to choose before finally renting out. The first store of Blockbuster became an immediate hit that enabled Cook to expand his business by introducing three additional stores. The company however appeared to be in a flux during the year 2005 because of the litigation surrounding its policy of no late fees. Problems also cropped up because of the loss of income due to extension in the viewing fees, failed attempt to merge with Hollywood Entertainment Corporation and the efforts of Carl Icahn's in ousting John Antioco, the CEO. A Brief History of Netflix Netflix represents the leading internet service for entertainment around the world serving around 109 million members in 190 countries that enjoys around 140 million hours of movies and television shows including documentaries, original series and feature films. Members are able to watch on an unlimited basis anytime and anywhere provided there screen have an internet connection (Dixonand Graham2017). In addition, the members can also pause, play and resume watching without any kind of interruption. Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings found the company in the year 1997. Both were technology enthusiasts who had a successful career in setting of websites and thereby successfully running them. Therefore, they possessed a better idea for the creating of a website that would make it easier for people to rent and buy DVD while sitting at home. Around, $2.5 million invested by Hastings for starting the business in an improved manner. Netflix began its business in the year 1998 in the month of April. The company started with around 30 employees and made an offering of around 900 titles for the purpose of rent (Preuss 2013). The company also added newer titles for the purpose of sale by providing a discount of around 30 percent for attracting customers. The website of the company also provided the users with not only automatic suggestions and movie reviews that prompted them in renting out additional DVDs. After a month into the business, the company declared into entering a promotional venture with the Toshiba America that allowed renting out three DVDs on the purchase of a DVD player of the company. Other companies that went into a similar pact with Netflix included Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Pioneer DVD players and Sony. How Netflix Beat Blockbuster Changing Technology Changing technology was one of the reasons as how Netflix beat Blockbuster. Initially the stocks of Netflix tumbled with the introduction of the main delivery service by Blockbuster in the year 2004. Blockbuster, the largest video rental chain primary focused on the fact that its survival depended on conquering Netflix. However, in a matter of six years, the worst nightmare of Blockbuster was a reality when Netflix became the winner in the mailing business for renting DVDs. In addition to good leadership, the executives of Netflix understood that the emergence of technology contributed to a rapid change in the delivery of the movie rentals (McDonaldand Smith-Rowsey2016) compared to Blockbuster. This enabled Hastings in developing a virtual organization that focused on a strategy for internet streaming and convenience in customer service in a cheaper and flawless manner. Thus, Hastings proved himself to be far ahead of technology curve that helped him in molding the industry. Streaming of movies over the internet was another aspect that worked in favor of Netflix. Even when only few Americans had access to the broadband in the year 2000, Hastings believed that renting of the video cassettes would soon result in streaming of movies over internet. Netflix worked on a television box that helped in streaming movies with sixteen hours of downloading time. Blockbuster was also aware of the situation but refrained from taking a plunge. Instead, the company tried to enhance their sales through expansion of their outlets with toys, books and merchandize (Cook2014). Around the year 2005, better compression ofvideos and faster broadband lead to the eruption of the Web 2.0 sites and You Tube. It was during this time that made Hastings realize that it was high time for cannibalizing the rental business of DVDs in the favor of the streaming video. Hastings also ensured an open source approach followed by Netflix that would allow the company in distributing movies on DV D players, desktop computers and mobile phones. The company also did the unthinkable that helped the customers in giving up DVDs. Netflix thus allowed easier streaming of movies. Retail Outlets versus Operating Online Unlike Blockbuster, Netflix adopted the strategyof believing in online operation while avoiding the burden of the retail outlets. Netflix operated virtually with only a few offices and warehouses (Halal2015). Thus, the company had no retail store or sales employees. Netflix also has a smaller staff that operated on the sole idea of freedom and the culture of responsibility. Instead of authorized sick days, fixed work hours and vacations, Netflix allowed people to choose as long as their job done. In addition, the company also allows its staff to choose their titles and compensation. In the initial days of the internet, videos posted in the website as a link. The visitors of the website needed to download the complete file before playing it. The streaming of video brought about a change in this concept (Craig2013). In video streaming, the content served in a manner that allows the files to play almost immediately after it starts downloading. There are also special streaming servers that allow the viewers in moving backward and forward through the video file. The concept is undertaken put adopted by Netflix that is quite unlike Blockbuster. The streaming video technology adopted by Netflix is hard to copy and prevents user from saving a copy in their system. This allows the owners of Netflix in providing mental peace in distributing the content online. Pricing Strategies As far as pricing strategy is concerned Netflix improved the outmoded pricing and lackluster service of Blockbuster. Blockbuster charged around $5 for each of the movies and people usually hated the prices that the company imposed on them for the late returns. Contrary to this, Hastings made use of monthly subscription that allowed disallowed late fees and unlimited rentals (Cramer2014). The primary focus of the company was not on renting movies but on providing a convenient service. Thus, Netflix developed the best industry software that made it inviting for ordering movies online. Moreover, the website of the company was a representation of intuitive clarity and clean organization. Unlike blockbuster, Netflix also made use of the responses of the clients for recommending movies as per the individual taste. The company also offered prize money close to $ 1million to anyone responsible for improving the rating system of the company. Netflixs Innovations Netflix adopteddisruptive innovation to beat Blockbuster. Disruptive innovation described a specific manner in which smaller companies destroys the bigger rivals (Desouza, and Smith2014). Thus, disruptive innovation is a strategy undertaken by smaller companies to get a market share. In the year 1995, American scholar, business consultant and educator Clayton M. Christensen coined the term disruptive innovation. This type of innovation helps in creating a value network and new market thereby disrupting an existing value network and market and displacing already established alliances and market leaders (George and Lin 2017). There have been several kinds of disruptive innovation over the past decade that not only changed lives but also market. These innovations have gradually transitioned in our lives. Netflix acts as one of the example of disruptive technology. The first appearance of Netflix appealed to only a few groups of customers who were movie buffs who were unaware of the new releases, online shoppers and primary adopters of DVD players. During the initial days, the launch of the mail in service for subscription by Netflix did not look threatening for bigger companies like Blockbuster that ruled the market arena between the year 1980s and the 1990s. Everything changed with the growth of video streaming. The founders being already a market player proved to be advantageous for Netflix. The company was able to appeal to the core audience of Blockbuster through providing a wider greater option for content, lower price, higher quality and convenient approach. Disruptive companies like Netflix rose quickly since larger companies like Blockbuster overlooked it. This is because the strategy adopted by Netflix gave the bigger company an idea that they would not eat away on its customer base. However, eventually with time Netflix captured the market and proved to be a primary challenge Blockbusters. By the year 2016, Netflix totally captured the market of Blockbuster and had a net worth of around $1.2 billion (Preuss 2013). The only means by which Blockbuster could have fought Netflix was by introducing its own innovation of disruption. Will Netflix Remain the Dominate Provider of Online Video Streaming? Presently Netflix is the king of streaming video providers that provides a service that reaches close to 80 million users in around 200 countries (Walker et al. 2017). Live streaming drove millions of users in binge watching the entire seasons in just a couple of days. This has put Netflix in an enviable position compared to its competitors. The company has enough cash and a market cap in the range of $60 billion. There were enough talks about Apple being the acquirer of the company. Netflix acquires a dominant position however, there is enough confusion about whether the company will be able to maintain its position since increasing number of competitors are moving into the video streaming arena especially in America. Netflix Stumbles: The Demise of Qwikster The primary downside for Netflix was its decision of cancelling Qwikster. Before, the announcement of the DVD only service in September Netflix ensured the demise of Qwikster(Goldfayn2012). The CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, declared pulling plug on the Qwikster because of the confusion that would arise from having a completely segregated offering for only DVDs. He also went on to say that, Netflix and Qwikster, required two different websites for operation with no integration between the two. This would also create confusion amongst the users, as they needed to pay two different companies on a monthly basis, maintaining separate profiles and posting two movie reviews. Netflix decided to pull down the shutters of Qwikster since they learned from their users that maintenance of two websites would be a hindrance and would result in situations that are more difficult. Therefore, the decision to keep a single company that would not only be responsible for streaming but also ensure DVD rental service. This implied that there was no change and hence no Qwikster. However, Qwikster was unpopular from its early stage of initiation. The decision of launching Qwikster as a separate business for DVDs also led to the price hike in Netflix that resulted in controversy. With the thought ofQwikster, the monthly subscription plan of $9.99 replaced by two different monthly plans of $7.99 for unlimited video streaming and DVD renting respectively(Jethaand Berente2014). Thus, the customers who initially paid $9.99 per month would then have to pay $15.98. Netflix Rebuilds: The Rise of Original Content People in addition to subscribing to Netflix also have also developed a familiarity with the company(Bailey2016). Many of them associate Netflix with quality and express their willingness in acquiring the service. Companies like Netflix build their customer base on the basis of trust. This implies a big leap on the part of the customers as well. This is because more than knowing a service and actually subscribing for it is important whom the customer can trust and share the credit card information(Zetterberg, Davidssonand Johansson2015). Netflix has been a market disruptor and focused on the consumer needs for variety and convenience. To recover from the debacle, the brand took necessary corrective action in restoring customer trust and moved towards a trend of individualized environment. The brand equity built by the company helped it to recover its position in a matter of three years. The company suffered a major disaster due to the decision of its CEO in deciding to split the company(Wayne 2017). This outraged the customers and as a result by the third quarter of 2011 the company lost around 800,000 subscribers. The however ensured a rapid turnaround. Netflix also built a bond with the customers that only few companies are capable of. The company also has the capability of connecting with the customers at a deeper level that helps in driving attraction. Therefore, by the end of 2013, Netflix had around 44 million members which were higher compared to the previous years(Riquier2015). The company however expects to have more than 48 million members by the end of 2014. Netflix however faces major challenges since it is quite pricey to license the content and further expensive to produce the original content(Jenner2016). The company will also have to ensure making deals for paying the internet bandwidth required by its service. In spite of everything, the powerful brand equity gives the company an edge over the others. The Future of Netflix In future, Netflix is planning to spend on a program spree thats original. In addition to shelling out on big budget movies or favorite retreats of fans, the company is planning to pick up a dozen anime series(Kovalick 2016). This is a major step on the part of the company and is a major step towards global expansion. Flooding in the Zone: Compared to the previous years the company have plans of spending around $6billion in the coming years(Halal2013). This would help in making life so much simpler. There would also be a jigsaw map putting the regional licensing deals forward that would help in governing the anime offerings of the company. The company also made sure that in future when the contract of a program ran itscourse in Netflix then it would disappear regardless of watching. Ensuring a Global Appeal: In future, the country plans to make a global appeal. One step towards it was its flamboyant announcements of the adoption of program related anime in Japan that helped in creating ripples around the globe since the company targeted on making country specific shows(Baka2016). Netflix also targets in streaming shows that the entire world plans to watch. In ensuring this, the company ensures operation out of a black box. Trying to be Cheaper: The company had nearly $ 20 billion debt and liabilities therefore the company will try to seek out means that will ensure less expensive means of production (Cade, Koonceand Ikuta2017). Otherwise, a single season of a program known as the House of Cards would cost around $100 million for production. Conclusion The report ends by throwing a light on the future of Netflix. The report discusses about rise of Netflix after its debacle on declaration of separate website dedicated to only DVDs known as Qwickster. The report also throws a light on the fact on whether the Netflix will be able to maintain its dominant position. There is also discussion on how innovation, pricing strategy, changing technology and online operation worked in favor of the Netflix and helped the company in moving ahead of Blockbuster. The report gives an overview on both Netflix and Blockbuster. References: Abraham, S., 2013. Will business model innovation replace strategic analysis?.Strategy Leadership,41(2), pp.31-38. Bailey, M., 2016. 12 Will Big Data Diminish the Role of Humans in Decision Making?.Big Data Is Not a Monolith, p.163. Baka, V., 2016. Formative reputation: From being an organizational asset to becoming a process in the making.Corporate Reputation Review,19(2), pp.152-165. Blockbuster.com 2018.Blockbuster Video Stores On Demand Movies. [online] Blockbuster.com. Available at: https://www.blockbuster.com/ [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]. Cade, N.L., Koonce, L. and Ikuta, K., 2017. Text versus Video Disclosure of Forward-Looking Information: The Effect of Non-Verbal Cues on Investors' Judgments. Cook, C.I., 2014. Netflix: A stepping stone in the evolution of television. Craig, C.S., 2013. Creating cultural products: Cities, context and technology.City, Culture and Society,4(4), pp.195-202. Cramer, B., 2014. Netflix: New pricing strategies.Bidnessetc, April,22 Desouza, K.C. and Smith, K.L., 2014. Big data for social innovation.StanfSocInnov Rev,2014, pp.39-43. Dixon, W.W. and Graham, R., 2017.A Brief History of Comic Book Movies.Springer. George, G. and Lin, Y., 2017. Analytics, innovation, and organizational adaptation.Innovation,19(1), pp.16-22. Gershon, R.A., 2013. A case study analysis of eastmankodak and blockbuster Inc.Media Management and Economics Research in a Transmedia Environment, Routledge, New York, NY, pp.46-68 Goldfayn, A.L., 2012.Evangelist Marketing: What Apple, Amazon, and Netflix Understand about Their Customers (that Your Company Probably Doesn't). BenBella Books. Halal, W.E., 2013.Forecasting the technology revolution: Results and learnings from the TechCast project.Technological Forecasting and Social Change,80(8), pp.1635-1643. Halal, W.E., 2015. Business strategy for the technology revolution: competing at the edge of creative destruction.Journal of the Knowledge Economy,6(1), pp.31-47. Jenner, M., 2016. Is this TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and binge-watching.new media society,18(2), pp.257-273. Jetha, K. and Berente, N., 2014. Strategic Reactions: Corporate Responses to Social Media Consumer Movements. Kovalick, A., 2016, October.Looking Deep into the Future Infrastructure Prospects for the Media Enterprise in 2036. InAnnual Technical Conference and Exhibition, SMPTE 2016(pp. 1-17). SMPTE. McDonald, K. and Smith-Rowsey, D. eds., 2016.The Netflix effect: Technology and entertainment in the 21st century. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. Netflix.com. 2018.Netflix United Kingdom Watch TV Programmes Online, Watch Films Online. [online] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/in/ [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]. Preuss, T., 2013, June. Mobile applications, function points and cost estimating. InInternational Conference on Cost Estimation and Analysis Association (ICEAA). Riquier, C., 2015. Reacting to the Connected Reality.Research World,2015(54), pp.36-38. Walker, R., Walker, R., Jeffery, M., Jeffery, M., So, L., So, L., Sriram, S., Sriram, S., Nathanson, J., Nathanson, J. and Ferreira, J., 2017. Netflix Leading with Data: The Emergence of Data-Driven Video.Kellogg School of Management Cases, pp.1-19. Wayne, M.L., 2017. Netflix, Amazon, and branded television content in subscription video on-demand portals.Media, Culture Society, p.0163443717736118. Zetterberg, M., Davidsson, P. and Johansson, M., 2015. Brand Equity for Service Brands Online.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Leadership and A. True B. free essay sample

1. The concept of employee participation is party of many management and leadership theories. Which one of the following does not include the concept of participation? (p. 248-249) a. Theory X and Theory Y b. Leader behavior research c. Contingency models d. Trait approach* 2. Ford Motor Co. is an example of a company that: (p. 249) a. has moved fully towards team-based management b. combines teams with more traditional structures* c. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership and A. True B. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page continues to be successful without using teams d. has found the use of teams highly challenging 3. Research indicates that organizations can reap many benefits from employee participation and involvement. Which of the following is not one of the typical programs used in today’s organizations? (p. 250) a. group decision making b. teams c. social audits* d. profit sharing 4. Space X company provides an example of a company that: (p. 249) a. has moved fully towards team-based management b. combines teams with more traditional structures* c. continues to be successful without using teams d. has found the use of teams highly challenging 5. Which is not a method of employee participation? (p. 250) a. stock-option plans b. empowerment c. use of teams d. humane orientation* 6. Royal Philips Electronics is counting on _________ to ________.(p. 250) a. management; implement teams b. employees; convince management about use of teams c. teams; revive the company* d. top leadership; move towards teams. 7. Gerard Kleisterlee, CEO of Royal Philips, gathered people who wanted to make a contribution to the organization, regardless of rank. What process best describes this example? (p. 250) a. employee participation* b. self-managed teams c. delegation d. empowerment 8. Genencor International started its employee participation program: (p. 250) a. when they built a new headquarters* b. after the leadership team took a trip to Japan c. after they hired a new CEOd. as a routine part of doing business 9. _________ and __________ are two of the criteria managers should use to determine when to involve employees in decision making. (p. 251) a. Culture; cost b. Efficiency; effectiveness c. Leader style; financial issues d. Task complexity; time* 10. Participation may be undesirable in all of the following situations except when . (p. 251) a. follower commitment is not necessary b. the tasks are complex and quality is important* c. time is of the essence d. interaction between leader and follo wers is restricted 11. Nelson has been a successful manager for over 30 years. He has considerable expertise and makes most of the decisions by himself. He supervises over 200 people who are spread-out across 20 states. Using employee participation may be a challenge for Nelson because of: (p. 251) a. time and complexity of the task. b. the leader’s style and the geographic dispersion. * c. follower commitment and readiness. d. environmental factors and culture. (AACSB: Reflective Thinking) 12. Which is not a criterion for the use of participation programs? (p. 251-252) a. when the organizational culture is supportive b. when interaction between leader and followers is restricted by the task* c.when follower commitment is needed d. when the task complexity and quality is important 13. Li Wei is under pressure to make a quick decision on a project with which she has considerable expertise and experience. Her team is inexperienced and generally supportive, and she needs the members’ strong commitment to implement her decision. In this situation, Li Wei should: (p. 251-252) a. make the decision by herself. b. allow for employee participation. * c. seek more information. d. delegate the decision to the group. (AACSB: Reflective Thinking) 14. The case of Kiwi Airlines is an example of: (p. 252) a. successful participation.b. a leader not being ready for participation. c. lack of employee training in participation. d. too much participation by employees. * 15. Which of the following cultural values can affect employee participation in decision making? (p. 252) a. collectivism* b. tolerance for ambiguity c. ascription d. time orientation. 16. The more __________ a culture, the less likely it is that employees will participate in decision making. (p. 252) a. collectivist b. ascriptive c. power oriented* d. flexible 17. Which cultural values will least likely support employee participation and empowerment? (p. 252) a. high power distance*b. collectivist c. humane orientation d. high time (future) orientation (AACSB: Reflective Thinking) 18. ___________ combined with ___________ often create a challenge in implementing participation and teams in countries such as the U. S. and Australia. (p. 253) a. High power distance/competitiveness b. High performance orientation/short time orientation c. High individualism/low power distance* d. Low context/high tolerance for ambiguity (AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity) (AACSB: Reflective Thinking) 19. In spite of cultural and other differences, one of the keys to successful implementation of teams is: (p. 253) a. followers’ involvement b. organizational policies c. slow implementation d. leader’s belief in participation* 20. Which of the following is one of the goals of delegation? (p. 253-554) a. help the leader with excessive workload* b. share power with employees c. empower employees d. increase the leader’s power 21. Which one of the following is not one of the benefits of delegation? (p. 254) a. develop followers b. increase follower involvement in the task c. increase follower motivation d. increase leader’s power* 22. John has found that delegating tasks allows him to manage his own workload and stress. What other potential benefit does delegation offer John? (p. 254) a. enrich the job of his followers* b. create a more cohesive team c. save his followers’ time d. increase leader’s power (AACSB: Reflective Thinking) 23. Delegation affects employees in all of the following ways except . (p. 254) a. increasing their satisfaction b. increasing their motivation c. increasing organizational commitment d. increasing their desire to leave the organization* (d; Easy; p. 254) 24. It is important for managers to understand the difference between _________ and __________. (p. 255) a. development; enrichment

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Global buisness Essay

Global buisness Essay Global buisness Essay Argentina, the second-largest country in Latin America, occupies most of the southern part of the South American continent. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and south; its neighbours are Brazil and Uruguay to the North-east and east, Bolivia and Paraguay to the north and Chile to the West. The terrain is made up mostly of Low or Flatlands, although it also features some major mountain ranges and tablelands situated at a high altitude above sea level. Argentina is a federal country, divided into 23 provinces which have the same political status as the Australian states. The country is divided geographically into six regions: the Pampas, the North-West, Cuyo, the North-East, Mesopotamia, and the Patagonia and South Atlantic Islands, Malvinas being the largest. Like Australia, Argentina also claims sovereignty rights over part of Antarctica. Disadvantages: High crime rate, economically uncertainty, expensive gas, long distance from Buenos Aires to others touristic att ractions as Bariloche, Glaciar Perito Moreno, the Beaches or Iguazu Falls. Total population of Argentina as estimated in the year 2013 in the month of July was about 42,610,981 persons. Majority of the population resides in the Buenos Aires province. Only 0.5 5 of the total population comprises of the indigenous population of Argentina. These people are the Collas, Mapuches, Tobas, Chiriguanos and Matacos. The major cities and bigger provinces of Argentina like Buenos Aires, Chaco,

Friday, November 22, 2019

Definition and Examples of the English-only Movement

Definition and Examples of the English-only Movement The English-only movement is a political movement that seeks to establish English as the sole official language of the United States or of any particular city or state within the U.S. The expression English-only is primarily used by opponents of the movement. Advocates prefer other terms, such as Official-English Movement. U.S.ENGLISH, Inc. states that it is the nations oldest, largest citizens action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Senator S.I. Hayakawa, an immigrant himself, U.S. English now has 1.8 million members nationwide.​ Commentary President Theodore Roosevelt We have room for but one language in this country, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house. –Works, 1926 Peter Elbow Its touching when speakers of English argue for purity in the language since English is probably the most impure bastardized language theres ever been. Its slept with every language it ever encountered, even casually. The strength of English comes from how many babies its had with how many partners. –Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing, 2012 Geoffrey Nunberg Given the minor role that language has played in our historical self-conception, it isnt surprising that the current English-only movement began in the political margins, the brainchild of slightly flaky figures like Senator S.I. Hayakawa and John Tanton, a Michigan ophthalmologist who co-founded the U.S. English organization as an outgrowth of his involvement in zero population growth and immigration restriction. (The term English-only was originally introduced by supporters of a 1984 California initiative opposing bilingual ballots, a stalking horse for other official-language measures. Leaders of the movement have since rejected the label, pointing out that they have no objection to the use of foreign languages in the home. But the phrase is a fair characterization of the goals of the movement so far as public life is concerned.)... Considered strictly in the light of the actualities, then, English-only is an irrelevant provocation. It is a bad cure for an imaginary disease, and moreover, one that encourages an unseemly hypochondria about the health of the dominant language and culture. But it is probably a mistake to try to engage the issue primarily at this level, as opponents of these measures have tried to do with little success. Despite the insistence of English-only advocates that they have launched their campaign for the immigrants own good, its hard to avoid the conclusion that the needs of non-English speakers are a pretext, not a rationale, for the movement. At every stage, the success of the movement has depended on its capacity to provoke widespread indignation over allegations that government bilingual programs are promoting a dangerous drift toward a multilingual society. –Speaking of America: Why English-Only Is a Bad Idea. The Workings of Language: From Prescriptions to Perspectives, ed. b y Rebecca S. Wheeler. Greenwood, 1999 Paul Allatson Many commentators regard English-Only as a symptom of a nativist backlash against immigration from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, the ostensible focus on language by proponents often masking deeper fears about the nation under threat from Spanish-speaking peoples (Crawford 1992). At a federal level, English is not the official language of the USA, and any attempt to give English that function would require a Constitutional amendment. However, this is not the case at city, county, and state level across the country, and much of the recent legislative success to enshrine English as the official state, county, or city language is attributable to English-Only. –Key Terms in Latino/a Cultural And Literary Studies, 2007 James Crawford [F]actual support has generally proved unnecessary for English-only proponents to advance their cause. The facts are that, except in isolated locales, immigrants to the United States have typically lost their native languages by the third generation. Historically they have shown an almost gravitational attraction toward English, and there are no signs that this proclivity has changed. To the contrary, recent demographic data analyzed by Veltman (1983, 1988) indicate that rates of anglicization- shift to English as the usual language- are steadily increasing. They now approach or surpass a two-generation pattern among all immigrant groups, including Spanish-speakers, who are most often stigmatized as resistant to English. –At War with Diversity: US Language Policy in an Age of Anxiety, 2000 Kevin Drum I may not have any big objections to making English our official language, but why bother? Far from being unique, Hispanics are just like every other wave of immigrants in American history: they start off speaking Spanish, but the second and third generations end up speaking English. And they do it for obvious reasons: they live among English speakers, they watch English-language television, and its hellishly inconvenient not to speak it. All we have to do is sit back and do nothing, and Hispanic immigrants will eventually all become English speakers. –The Best Way to Promote the English Language Is to Do Nothing, 2016 Opponents Anita K. Barry In 1988, the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) of the NCTE passed a National Language Policy (Smitherman, 116) that lists as the goals of CCCC: 1. to provide resources to enable native and non-native speakers to achieve oral and literate competence in English, the language of wider communication;2. to support programs that assert the legitimacy of native languages and dialects and ensure that proficiency in ones mother tongue will not be lost; and3. to foster the teaching of languages other than English so that native speakers of English can rediscover the language of their heritage or learn a second language. Some opponents of English-only, including the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Education Association, united in 1987 into a coalition called English Plus, which supports the concept of bilingualism for everyone... –Linguistic Perspectives on Language and Education, 2002 Henry Fountain Fewer than half of the nations in the world have an official languageand sometimes they have more than one. The interesting thing, though, said James Crawford, a writer on language policy, is that a large percentage of them are enacted to protect the rights of language minority groups, not to establish a dominant language. In Canada, for example, French is an official language along with English. Such a policy is intended to protect the francophone population, which has remained distinct for hundreds of years. In the United States we dont have that kind of stable bilingualism, Mr. Crawford said. We have a pattern of very rapid assimilation. A more apt comparison might be to Australia, which like the United States has had high levels of immigration. Australia doesnt have an English-only movement, Mr. Crawford said. While English is the official language, Australia also has a policy that encourages immigrants to preserve their language and English-speakers to learn new ones, all to benefit trade and security. They dont use language as a lightning rod for expressing your views on immigration, Mr. Crawford said. Language has not become a major symbolic dividing line. –In Language Bill, the Language Counts, 2006

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

What is happening with modern day China and its environmental issues Essay

What is happening with modern day China and its environmental issues - Essay Example Because of severe contamination of water, air pollution, and land degradation problems, life expectancy in the North of the country has decreased by 5.5 years (Dong, Liu, and Klein 164). Environmental degradation cost China about nine percent of its gross national income yearly. These threaten to undermine the growth of the country and exhaust society’s patience with China Government’s pace of reform. Further, this has threatened the Country’s stability, as the ruling party has to deal with increased public discontent and media scrutiny. The energy consumption of China has increased, reaching one hundred and thirty from 2000 to 2010. In 2013, Beijing witnessed a prolonged severe session of smog that the citizens dubbed it as â€Å"airpocalypse†; the hazardous particles concentration was forty times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization. Later in 2013, visibility in the Northern City of Harbin was shrank by pollution to less than fifty meters (Dong, Liu, and Klein 163). Research reveals that less than one percent of China’s five hundred cities sustain the World Health Organization’s air quality standards. In the degradation of the quality of air, coal has been the chief culprit. China is the greatest producer of coal in the world, and it accounts for approximately half of the global consumption. Equally, coal is also the chief source of the country’s sulfur dioxide accounting for ninety percent of the country’s total sulfur dioxide emissions and half of its particulate emissions. In China, coal is mostly burned in the North part of the country, and it avails approximately seventy percent of the country’s energy needs. Nevertheless, in 2011, coal emission levels from coal plants single-handedly contributed to almost two hundred and fifty thousand premature deaths. Similarly, air pollution in China is compounded by the country’s shocking urbanization pace. China’s government plans to move seventy; to seventy-five percent of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Budgets are primarily p ressure devices used by management to ensure Essay

Budgets are primarily p ressure devices used by management to ensure organisational objectives are achieved - Essay Example Some of the purposes of budgeting in the hotel industry include: - helping to plan work effectively; - assisting in allocating resources; - aiding in controlling resources during the budgeting period. Moreover, it is important to understand that a budget is developed to insure that management is working toward the same goal, with a knowledge base of the organizations' resources and constraints. Although strategic planning, budget forecasting, performance analysis are inclusive operations of the budgeting process; it is ultimately up to the financial analyst to determine whether the budget is guiding the company toward the achievement of its goals. Sometimes inefficiencies result due to poor integration of the finance and strategy. â€Å"Budgeting and performance are typically overseen by the finance department, whereas planning s coordinated by strategy department. Often, the two processes aren't well integrated, resulting in strategies that are often dictated by the budget process instead of vice versa† (Gary 2003). The reason for this could be that everyone involved may be attempting to accomplish the same goals, but also trying to make sure that the outcome will be beneficial to them, such as a substantial bonus or a reward. Although many companies implement this reward theory in an effort to increase organization effectiveness, this theory does not always work. According to Aranya, â€Å"participation may create intrinsic valences due to a tendency for individuals to become â€Å"ego† involved in decisions which they have contributed, and this affects their subsequent performance† (Aranya 2001). " (Aranya 2001). Forms of budgeting There are many forms of budgeting, but in the hotel industry "the first step in the budgeting process is to develop and communicate a set of broad assumptions about the economy, the industry, and the organizations strategy for the budget period" (Marshall, 2004). By establishing an operating and financial budget for a future period, management can identify problems in advance. This can be maintained by forecasting for future predictions. A forecast is a reflection of the future. When forecasting is taken into account, two key aspects to consider are cash budgets and sales forecast. The cash budget, usually 1 to 2 year increments, is a statement of the company's inflows and outflows of cash. It allows the company to estimate the short-term cash limitations, with attention to potential planning for excess cash or shortages. On the other hand, sales forecast estimates the monthly cash flows that will result from projected sales receipts, production and inventory. Management can also det ermine the level of fixed assets required to support the forecast level of sales and production. However, it is important to obtain reliable data. As a result, this data should be acquired by internal, as well as external means. The internal sales forecast is based on unison of sales forecast through the company's internal network. External forecast, on the other hand, is based on the relationship between the company sales and key external economic indicators. This means being able to identify how future economic events will affect the business as a whole. This includes looking at consumer outlook, inflation, and political events. Many companies are now implementing a new concept of rolling forecasts in an effort to reflect the most recent market trends. "Rolling forecasts have considerable merit. A forecast produced on a quarterly basis will

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Operation Managenent Essay Example for Free

Operation Managenent Essay After completing this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Define the term operations management. 2. Identify the three major functional areas of organizations and describe how they interrelate. 3. Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations. 4. Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job. 5. Summarize the two major aspects of process management. 6. Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making. Briefly describe the historical evolution of operations management. . Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management. Chapter 2 Competitiveness, Strategy, and Productivity After completing this chapter, you should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. List the three primary ways that business organizations compete. Explain five reasons for the poor competitiveness of some companies. Define the term strategy and explain why strategy is important. Discuss and compare organization strategy and operations strategy, and explain why it is important to link the two. 5. Describe and give examples of time-based strategies. 6. Define the term productivity and explain why it is important to organizations and to countries. 7. Provide some of the reasons for poor productivity and some ways of improving it. Chapter 3 Forecasting: 1. List the elements of a good forecast. 2. Outline the steps in the forecasting process. 3. Evaluate at least three qualitative forecasting techniques and the advantages and disadvantages of each. 4. Compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative approaches to forecasting. 5. Describe averaging techniques, trend and seasonal techniques, and regression analysis, and solve typical problems. Explain three measures of forecast accuracy. 7. Compare two ways of evaluating and controlling forecasts. 8. Assess the major factors and trade-offs to consider when choosing a forecasting technique. Chapter 4 – Product and Service Design: 1. Explain the strategic importance of product and service design. 2. Identify some key reasons for design or redesign. 3. Recognize the key questions of product and service design. 4. List some of the main sources of design ideas. 5. Discuss the importance of legal, ethical, and sustainability considerations in product and service design. 6. Explain the purpose and goal of life cycle assessment. 7. Explain the phrase the 3 Rs. 8. Briefly describe the phases in product design and development. 9. Name several key issues in manufacturing design. 10. Recognize several key issues in service design. 11. Name the phases in service design. 12. List the characteristics of well-designed service systems. 13. Assess some of the challenges of service design. Chapter 5 Strategic Capacity Planning for Products and Services: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Summarize the importance of capacity planning. Discuss ways of defining and measuring capacity. Describe the determinants of effective capacity. Discuss the major considerations related to developing capacity alternatives. Briefly describe approaches that are useful for evaluating capacity alternatives. Chapter 6 Process Selection and Facility Layout: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Explain the strategic importance of process selection. Describe the influence that process selection has on an organization. Compare the basic processing types. Explain the need for management of technology. List some reasons for redesign of layouts. Describe the basic layout types, and the main advantages and disadvantages of each. Chapter 7- Work Design and Measurement: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Explain the importance of work design. Compare and contrast the two basic approaches to job design. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of specialization. Explain the term knowledge-based pay. Explain the purpose of methods analysis and describe how methods studies are performed. 6. Compare four commonly used techniques for motion study. 7. Discuss the impact of working conditions on job design. 8. Define a standard time. 9. Describe and compare time study methods and perform calculations. 10. Describe work sampling and perform calculations. Compare stopwatch time study and work sampling. 12. Contrast time and output pay systems. Chapter 8 Location Planning and Analysis: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identify some of the main reasons organizations need to make location decisions. Explain why location decisions are important. Discuss the options that are available for location decisions. Give examples of the major factors that affect location decisions. Outline the decision process for making these kinds of decisions. Chapter 9 – Management of Quality: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Define the term quality as it relates to products and as it relates to services. Explain why quality is important and the consequences of poor quality. Identify the determinants of quality. Distinguish the costs associated with quality. Compare the quality awards. Discuss the philosophies of quality gurus. Describe TQM. Give an overview of process improvement. Describe and use various quality tools. Chapter 10 – Quality Control: 1. List and briefly explain the elements of the control process. 2. Explain how control charts are used to monitor a process, and the concepts that underlie their use. Chapter 11 Aggregate Planning and Master Scheduling: 1. Explain what aggregate planning is and how it is useful. 2. Identify the variables decision makers have to work with in aggregate planning and some of the possible strategies they can use. 3. Describe some of the graphical and quantitative techniques planners use. 4. Describe the master scheduling process and explain its importance. Chapter 12 – MRP and ERP: 1. Describe the conditions under which MRP is most appropriate. 2. Describe the inputs, outputs, and nature of MRP processing. 3. Explain how requirements in a master production schedule are translated into material requirements for lower-level items. Discuss the benefits and requirements of MRP. 5. Explain how an MRP system is useful in capacity requirements planning. 6. Outline the potential benefits and some of the difficulties users have encountered with MRP. 7. Describe MRP II and its benefits. 8. Describe ERP, what it provides, and its hidden costs. Chapter 13 – Inventory Management: 1. Define the term inventory, list the major reasons for holding inventories, and list the main requirements for effective inventory management. 2. Discuss the nature and importance of service inventories. 3. Explain periodic and perpetual review systems. 4. Explain the objectives of inventory management. 5. Describe the A-B-C approach and explain how it is useful. 6. Describe the basic EOQ model and its assumptions. 7. Describe reorder point models. 8. Describe situations in which the singleperiod model would be appropriate. Chapter 14 – JIT and Lean Operations: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Explain what is meant by the term lean operations system. List each of the goals of a lean system and explain its importance. List and briefly describe the building blocks of lean. Identify the benefits of a lean system. Outline the considerations important in converting a traditional mode of operations to a lean system. 6. Point out some of the obstacles that might be encountered when converting to a lean system. 7. Describe value stream mapping. Chapter 15 – Supply Chain Management 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Discuss the key issues of supply chain management. Name the recent trends in supply chain management. Summarize the motivations and risks of outsourcing as a strategy. State some of the complexities that are involved with global supply chains. List some of the strategic, tactical, and operational responsibilities of supply chain management. Give examples of some advantages of e-business. Explain the importance of supplier partnerships. List the requirements of an effective supply chain. Name some of the challenges in creating an effective supply chain. Chapter 16 Scheduling 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Explain what scheduling involves and the importance of good scheduling. Describe scheduling needs in high-volume and intermediate-volume systems. Describe scheduling needs in job shops. Use and interpret Gantt charts, and use the assignment method for loading. Give examples of commonly used priority rules. Summarize some of the unique problems encountered in service systems, and describe some of the approaches used for scheduling service systems. Chapter 17 – Project Management: 1. Discuss the behavioral aspects of projects in terms of project personnel and the project manager. 2. Explain the nature and importance of a work breakdown structure in project management. 3. Give a general description of PERT/CPM techniques. 4. Construct simple network diagrams. 5. List the kinds of information that a PERT or CPM analysis can provide. 6. Describe activity crashing and solve typical problems. Management of Waiting Lines After ompleting this chapter, you should be familiar with waiting line terminology, be able to solve typical problems using the models presented in this chapter, and answer these questions: 1. Describe what imbalance does the existence of a waiting line reveal? 2. Explain what causes waiting lines to form, and why is it impossible to eliminate them completely? 3. Describe what metrics are used to help managers analyze waiting lines? 4. Explain what are some psychological approaches to managing waiting lines, and why might a manager want to use them? 5. Explain what very important lesson does the constant service time model provide for managers?

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Iagos Revenge in Shakespeares Othello :: Othello essays

Iago's Revenge in Othello      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Iago has a large appetite for revenge.   In his perspective, he believes that it is he who should be in charge, not Othello the moor.   This creates an anger in Iago, who entraps Othello in a web of deceit.   He does this through a series of suggestions and hesitations that entice and implant images in Othello's head that lead to his demise.   But what is more important is that he gives Othello the motive to murder innocent Desdemona.   Iago is constantly like a puppet master, pulling the strings of the people around him.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many instances in the play where Iago is left by himself.   He utilises these opportunities by telling his future plans to the audience.   It would seen that he likes talking to himself about himself, which suggests he has much inner turmoil that he harbors close to his chest, but when the opportunity arises, he describes his deeds with a passion.   In the first of these monologues, he makes his intentions perfectly clear.   He implies that Othello has had an affair with his wife by stating "I hate the moor, And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets He's done my office".   The irony of this statement is that in the next line he says that he does not know it for a fact, but because he suspects it, he will act as if for certain!   This gives me the impression from the beginning, that Iago is insane and exceedingly paranoid, going so far as to set up a cache of murders, just on the suspicion of adultery.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Iago was also jealous of the open and loving relationship that Othello had.   When Othello and Desdemona are reunited after the journey to Cyprus, he kisses her in full view of everyone.   Iago treats his wife as an object and she knows it.   In Act three, Scene four, she tells Desdemona "They are but stomachs, we are but food, and when they are full, they belch us".      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Iagos' racist mind, he views his superior, Othello, as being of an inferior creed.   He sees him as possessing an evil mind and soul, and having no right to marry the very white and very naive Desdemona.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Community Memorial Hospital

As the Chief Financial Officer of Community Memorial Hospital, I realize that it is important for all individuals to get the full benefits of their insurance and to be able to get their claims processed in a timely fashion. I also realize the importance of the community patients and our employees benefiting from their health plans. The recent signing of the contract with MegaPlan Health is of great concern and worry. The cut-throat tactics, negotiation tactics, and claims processing fights of MegaPlan Health are known throughout the hospital world.The signing of this contract will not be favorable with many of the employees. For the employees to continue to use the services provided by Community Memorial Hospital, it is imperative that we become a part of the Preferred Provider Network (PPN) or risk losing employees as patients as well as members of the community. I think the advice of CEO Katrina Eaton and CNO Nancy Strittmater are very influencing. They both seem to have the employ ees’ best interest at heart.Since the contract has already been signed, it would not of great benefit to try to pull back out of the plan. As suggested by the CEO, we will prepare our own reasonable contract proposal to present to MegaPlan Health and try to come to acceptable and agreeable terms that will be pleasing to our employees and community patients. We cannot afford the risk of losing patients. This would hurt the hospital tremendously. If the people have to travel long distances and change doctors, this will not be very pleasing to them.The terms that Community Memorial Hospital will present to MegaPlan Health must show the concern of its current patients and employees and must be suitable for the cut-throat tactics of MegaPlan Health. The suggestions of the CNO to just go ahead and sign the contract and to do it immediately are of great consideration as well. Community Memorial Hospital does not need bad rumors floating throughout its halls, and we certainly cannot risk losing some of our best nurses.We certainly don’t want our employees to panic and be of great distress. As the CFO, the interests of Community Memorial Hospital are first and foremost in my mind. I definitely want to provide my employees with the best health care plan, but I don’t want to put the hospital at risk for charges that exceed above 20%. The contract proposal that we will have to prepare will definitely stress that. Community Memorial Hospital still needs to operate and stay afloat.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

On literature review made by authors Essay

The authors asserted to have found a framework for the examination of customer-focused culture via the literature review made. It may be noted that the study included only a survey of 32 potential best organizations as identified by the reseachers and they may not necessarily represent the broader characteristics of other organizations in New Zealand and even in the world. They have indeed accepted a limitation of their study that benefits would have been gained if the study has extended to a larger international group. The limitation of the samples use is material into the validity of the survey on whether they represent the real value of customer focus culture to the organizations. In discussing the background of the study, Bartley, et al (2007) cited the the strong link between an organization’s culture and its performance which they claimed to have been widely recognised by practitioners where they cited the work of Basch (2002) and academics where they cited the work of Kotter and Heskett (1992). If organizations desire to have enduring relationship and loyal customers, they must be equipped with an effective customer-focused culture which will make it easier for these companies to have successful product and service delivery. To support their statements they cited the works of Macaukay Clark (1998) and Martin (1992). For the authors customer-focused culture was almost as good as survival in the long-term. These findings from literature review prompted the authors and the the 18 organization-members of the NZBC to asks for the componets and charateristics of a good customer-focused culture. For which reason, NZBC was formed by the Massey University’s Centre for Organizational Excellence Research (COER) in partnership witht the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation to achieve the ambitious vision of becoming world-class performers of its members and to adopt excellent business practices within New Zealand. To measure the improvements by club members, they have agreed on a criteria for excellent performance on annual basis. See Figure 1 of their report and is made part of Appendix 1 of this paper. It appears that their agreement on criteria of performance excellence was just not a result of a tests or even a previous study. By merely agreeing and not conducting any test which are the factors there is basis the criteria may be just based on opinions. The results of their literature review resulted to their having identified six characteristics of organizations having performance of good to best practices. Bartley, B. et al. (2007) made use of same six characteristics as an analytical framework. They found the importance of leadership and used the works of Brooks, 1997; Whitely, 1991, Galreath and Rogers, 1999 which found that customers drive organizational direction and actions, to support the characteristic. They also included listening as characteristic where the views of customers are actively sought to have ease of contact/conduct of business where they cited the works of Scheuing (1999) and Plymie (1991). Bartley, B. et al (2007) also included analysis and understanding using the works of Brooks (1997) and Wikstrom (1996) which found that need to understand customer expectations. Further included is integration and deployment where the authors cited the work of Martin (1992) which could the need to act upon customers’ expectations. Still include is is people after citing the work of Kennedy, et al, (2002) which determined that customer-focused culture is understood and integrated in the whole the organization. They also included the need to review and improve where they cite the work of Alam and Perry (2002). The fact their literature review is supported by published works of other researchers on the basis of being mainly taken from academic journals and other published works, will lends some degree of validity of the summary of characteristics made as part of their analytical framework.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Get the best dissertation writing services help!

Get the best dissertation writing services help! In high school students find essay writing not a big deal. They will in a day or two and deliver the results and in return awarded excellent results. As the drill goes on, they complete high school. They are then filled with extreme joy and curiosity to find out what happens in college. Whilst some rejoice, some are scared of the future. When enrolling in college they meet new concepts, ideas and advanced knowledge. The curious lot will go ahead to exploit ways in which to get through in college and graduate. The fearing group perhaps accepts everything as it comes waiting to earn average grades. But there is a paper that succeeds to keep every college student awake: dissertation paper. A dissertation paper is one of the challenging assignments university students tackle. It is used to test the understanding of concepts that have been taught the entire college period. If a student has for a better part missed lessons he or she should have a problem writing a dissertation. Being extremely technical, one has to be careful when writing. But the better alternative as considered by students is to seek for dissertation writing services. Dissertation writing company has to prove its worth to its customers. Unless a student wants to simply get rid of the assignment. Students should keep in mind that only few top dissertation writing services exists. And without guidelines its also difficult to differentiate the best from the worst. Dont entrust dissertation writing to companies that are scams and check out these reviews that will help you to choose the top service! How to find best dissertation writing services: Generally its very challenging to find dissertation help. Unlike essay papers, one cannot get fellow friends to help with a dissertation. It is a paper that is difficult to everyone and calls for professionals. Finding the best dissertation writing service is what every student devotes to. The significance given to a dissertation paper is high as it plays a role in future careers undertaken. One major thing to focus on is dissertation writers. They must have obtained the highest qualifications and from the best universities. This paper requires extensive writing skills and research effort. Best dissertation writers are determined by the two features. Writers determine how a dissertation paper will look like. The two features should help determine whether a service is one of the best or simply out to fraud. Price is also matter when looking for the best dissertation service. With its technicality, students should not expect a dissertation paper to be so cheap. One that requires students to spend is more likely to come in good shape compared to one paid for $13.99 per page. Good dissertation writers will spend their time in producing a good paper at an affordable price. If going for cheap dissertation writing, ensure its quality is top notch. Another factor to look at is an array of services offered by a company. Where its main business is to write a dissertation paper, give it a thought. This means this is a company that hires only dissertation professionals. The fact that their specialty lays in what many students call a problem, to them its much simpler.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Productive assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Productive assessment - Essay Example As a result he was able to see the different features and benefits that each product had to offer. Consequently, he could deduce the marketing rationale of why a certain model was more or less than another and what features one could expect to find on the model in the lower, median, and high end price ranges. Dee Fink of the Oklahoma Instructional Development Program labels this approach â€Å"Doing† because Donald’s exposure to the products permits him to categorize them and create an appropriate hierarchy in his mind from which to delineate a value for each product that he can understand and remember. Dr. Charles Bonwell conducts Active Learning workshops where he helps school teachers learn this technique. According to Dr. Bonwell, the purpose of his workshops is to train instructors to move away from the classical approach of relying almost exclusively on the lecture as the primary learning tool to moving into an environment where the student participates directly i n all aspects of his/her learning experience.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

An essay which explores and analyses a particular issue in the field

An which explores and analyses a particular issue in the field of interpretation - Essay Example This author will assess the interpretation of war and the multiple factors that dictate the many perspectives on the topic. In Carol Acton’s article Diverting the Gaze: The Unseen Text in Women’s War Writing, she talks about the difference in how women perceive war verses the way men see it. She notes that, â€Å"while womens war writing from the First World War has received much critical attention over the past ten or more years that has established its authenticity as witness to war, scant attention has been paid to how women see the trauma of frontline combat nursing and how, consequently, such seeing or not seeing influences the narrative (Acton, p54).† The author focuses on the perception of how women perceive the trauma of war specifically nurses who aren’t necessarily fighting on the frontline, but who are providing medical care for soldiers and often caring for them right up to their last living moments. Acton notes how writings produced by women of the first World War and Vietnam were very similar, she goes on to point out that, On a general level, the striking similarity in the narratives of these two wars seems to arise from the compulsion to bear witness to the trauma of combat nursing. More specifically, British writers from the First World War and American writers from the Vietnam War were both concerned with carrying what Jane Marcus has called "a terrible knowledge" to a civilian population that seemed completely removed from any understanding of the war experience (Acton, p54) The contrast Acton makes between the women nursing the soldiers, both American and British, in both World War I and Vietnam, with the civilians reveals how there is a major difference in interpretation of war when one is on the frontline verses just assessing it when it’s far away. Acton goes on to point how

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Post-Modern Condition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

The Post-Modern Condition - Essay Example By definition, the "Word" cannot be a human artifice. 2. Early modern: Signs modify or screen reality, which is thereby acknowledged to be at least partially artificial or contingent. Observers concede that symbolic forms of mediation do not immediately touch or mirror reality-in-itself. Example: There is a growing recognition among intellectuals that theological disputes are an unavoidable part of deciphering the enigma that is "God." 3. Modern: Signs dissimulate -- that is, they conceal the presence of absence. Example: We begin to understand that God does not exist (absence), that he was always a figment of our too-fertile imaginations. Nevertheless, we concede that religious belief should perhaps be tolerated because it gives people hope and a reason for living. 4. Postmodern: Signs no longer claim to depict, mirror, or even disguise an objective reality. Consequently, symbolic modes of representation become pure "simulacra: copies (or copies of a copy) that have no original (Baudrillard 1983). The simulacrum embodies nothing but a knowingly manufactured and contrived reality. Hence, culture must be faked before it can be recognized. Example: A McDonald's commercial shows a little girl supposedly enjoying a hamburger with her father. Such a commercial is neither "true" nor "false." Both at the point of production and at the time of consumption, it is judged merely in terms of whether it is attention-worthy. (Gary Genosko, 1994). In Jean Baudrillard's (1983) terms, postmodern simulation "is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal." The ad just described is not therefore compromised by viewers' awareness that what they are seeing is perfectly contrived, for postmodern subjects feel quite at home in a world where everything around them is already faked. Indeed, precisely because their lives lack stable or reliable meaning, postmodern subjects are often characterized by a desperate need to be seduced. Note, too, that a clever or successful ad will interest both the simpleton incapable of ironic detachment and the sophisticate cynically enjoying the commercial on its own terms. We must accordingly conclude that neither intelligence nor perspicacity gives us the resources to resist postmodernism. The modern intellectual believed that critical intelligence armored the individual against the seductions of eloquence. By contrast, postmodern subjects fail to achieve critical distance from what they perceive. By successfully collapsing the distinction between what signifies and what is signified, postmodernism makes it increasingly difficult

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Cereality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cereality - Essay Example (Cereality). Cereality-The Expansion Program At present the company is making plans to expand its business operations to a European market, Paris. The city of Paris is chosen for the next phase of expansion of the Cereality Company owing to the following reasons. Increased traffic of Tourists Large presence of Fast Food Corners Rendering a Cost Effective Approach favored by many Tourists Firstly, the city of Paris is becoming the home ground for many tourists who come attracted to the city on account of the reason that they would be able to visit a number of historic sites possessing magnificent architectures. These people do not feel the interest in spending their time over large meals. Rather they take to fast food as an option which helps them feel their appetite and at the same time helps saving time. (Naczelnik). Secondly, a visit conducted by us on Paris revealed that the city on account of the above reason has already become the home ground of many fast food corners and joints wherein the tourists relish the different flavors. A number of fast food concepts have cropped up in different parts of the city which include of Stands and Food Courts serving fast food to a large number of people visiting the city. One can easily trace the growth of fast food market in Paris while observing the different options like baked products and other bread food items like pastries and sandwiches composing the fast food sector.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Medication Adherence And Treatment Satisfaction In Patients Nursing Essay

Medication Adherence And Treatment Satisfaction In Patients Nursing Essay Abstract Background and Objective: Medication adherence and treatment satisfaction are important for successful therapeutic outcome. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess antipsychotic medication adherence using 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), (2) assess treatment satisfaction using Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM 1.4), and (3) correlate adherence and satisfaction with psychiatric symptoms measured using 24-item expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-E) in patients with schizophrenia. Methodology: This is a cross sectional study Admin2010-12-25T10:07:00 Also, You should mention your design of study inside the textcarried out at governmental out-patient psychiatric unit in Nablus/ Palestine during summer 2010. Two hundred and sixty seven schizophrenic patients were registered at the clinic. Patients included in the study were those whose medications have not been changed in the past six months and those who did not have an acute attack in the past year. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS 16 for windows. Results: One hundred and fifty patients Admin2010-12-25T12:46:00 In cross sectional study, you should calculate the sample size to give a good precision for reliability and validity. These terms increase the quality and acceptance rate of articles.out of 267 registered schizophrenic patients met the inclusion criteria. Nineteen patients refused to participate while 131 patients agreed giving a response rate of 87.3%. The mean  ± SD of MMAS was 6.1  ± 1.7 in which 44 patients (33.6%) had low rate, 58(44.3%) had medium rate 29 (22.1%) had high rate of adherence to their antipsychotic medications. The means of satisfaction with regard to effectiveness, side effects, convenience global satisfaction were 72.6  ± 20.5, 67.9  ± 31.47, 63.2  ± 14.3 63.1  ± 18.8 respectively. The mean BPRS score of the patients was 68.4  ± 24.5 with 14.4  ± 6.7 13.7  ± 6.1 means for positive and negative symptoms scores respectively. Pearson correlation showed that there was a positive and significant correlation between effectiveness (P = 0.002, r = 0.27), side effects (0.006, r =0.24), convenience (P Discussion and Conclusion: conclusions can be summarized as follows: First, the majority of the patients had low to medium rate of adherence. Second, adherence was positively and significantly correlated with satisfaction. Third, adherence was significantly but negatively correlated with most psychiatric symptoms. Fourth, no significant difference in adherence was found among patients receiving various antipsychotic therapeutic regimens. Finally, various antipsychotic regimens significantly differ in side effects satisfaction domain only. Key words: adherence, satisfaction, psychiatric symptoms, antipsychotics Introduction Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that impairs the quality of patients life and requires pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions (Palmer et al., 2002; Pinikahana et al., 2002; Sharma and Antonova, 2003). Antipsychotic drug therapy is considered as the key element in schizophrenia management and has been reported to minimize the frequency of acute schizophrenic episodes and hospitalization (Awad and Voruganti 2004; Campell et al., 1999). Adherence (compliance) to antipsychotic medications is necessary in order to achieve these therapeutic goals. Furthermore, adherence has been reported to lead to considerable cost savings (Damen et al., 2008). However, non-adherence (non-compliance) to antipsychotic medications is common and is considered as an integral barrier to the successful treatment of schizophrenia (Dolder et. al, 2003; Weiden 2007; Byrne et al., 2006; Kim et al., 2006). There are several factors that can cause treatment non-adherence in schizophreni c patients. Such factors include those derived from schizophrenic disorder itself, patient characteristics, those associated with the health-care system, and the antipsychotic treatment regimen (Svestka Bitter 2007; Misdrahi et al., 2002). Patients related factors contributing to non-adherence include gender, age, socio-economic status, race, and religion (Lowry 1998; Borras et al 2007). Cultural differences might be a potential factor for non-adherence. For example, a review article about psychotropic medications found that rates of non-adherence were higher among Latinos than Euro-Americans and clinical and research interventions to improve adherence should be culturally appropriate and incorporate identified factors (Lanouette et al., 2009). Although patients satisfaction with treatment regimen is crucial for medication adherence (Atkinson et al., 2004; Taira et al. 2006), few studies had examined the relationship between adherence, treatment satisfaction and therapeutic outcome in patients with schizophrenia (Fujikawa et al.; 2004; Freudenreich et al., 2004 Watanabe et al, 2004). Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (1) Assess the degree of adherence to antipsychotic medications among schizophrenic outpatients using eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), (2) Assess the degree of patients satisfaction with their treatment regimen using Treatment satisfaction Questionnaire for medication (TSQM 1.4), (3) Evaluate patients clinical symptoms, Positive Symptom Score (PSS) Negative Symptom Score (NSS) using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and finally (4) Investigate relationships and correlations between medication adherence, subjective patients treatment satisfaction and psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Methodology 2.1. Patient selection: This study was conducted between July 2010 September 2010 at Al-Makhfya psychiatric Health Center in Nablus, Palestine. Approval to perform the study was obtained from the Palestinian ministry of health and IRBAdmin2010-12-25T10:09:00 Define this abbreviation committee at An-Najah National University. Patients who met the following criteria were invited to participate in this study: 1) their age was between 20 65 years, 2) they were diagnosed with schizophrenia as defined by DSMAdmin2010-12-25T13:29:00 Define this abbrev.-IV, 3) they had not been suffering from an acute attack of illness during the past year, and 4) their drug regimen had not been changed in the past 4 months. 2.2. Assessment and measures The instrument used in this study consisted of three parts: part one collected socio-demographic and medication data from patients medical files; part two was the Arabic version of the validated eight-item Morisky Medication Admin2010-12-25T13:31:00 . The final version of the Arabic questionnaire should be assessed to know if the Arabic version is reliable and valid to be used in your population. This a routine question by high impact journal Also, I suppose you are the first who use this score in Arab country, and this is good for you because you can write new article related to validity and reliability and it is preferred to be published before this article.Adherence Scale (MMAS) (Morisky et al., 2008, Morisky et al., 1986) and part three was the Arabic version of Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM 1.4) which the researchers obtained from Quintiles Strategic Research Services. The English version of the MMAS was translated into Arabic and was approved by professor Morisky through e-mail communication. The translation process was carried out according to the following procedure: 1) A forward translation of the original questionnaire was carried out from English to Arabic language to produce a version that was as close as possible to the original questionnaire in concept and meaning. Translation was carried out by two qualified independent translators; both native speakers of Arabic and proficient i n English. Each translator produced a forward translation of the original questionnaire into Arabic language without any mutual consultation. The corresponding author, who is a native Arabic speaker, reviewed the two primary versions and compared them with the original. (2) A back translation from Arabic language to English was carried out by two different translators after lengthy discussion between the translators and the corresponding author. (3) The back translated questionnaire was approved by Professor Donald Morisky through e-mail. The Arabic version of MMAS is an 8-item questionnaire with 7 yes/no questions while the last question was a 5-point likert question. Based on the scoring system of MMAS, adherence was rated as follows: high adherence (= 8), medium adherence (6 The TSQM 1.4 is a 14-item psychometrically robust and validated instrument consisting of four scales [Bahramal et al., 2009]. The four scales of the TSQM 1.4 include the effectiveness scale (questions 1 to 3), the side effects scale (questions 4 to 8), the convenience scale (questions 9 to 11) and the global satisfaction scale (questions 12 to 14). The TSQM 1.4 domain scores were calculated as recommended by the instruments authors, which is described in detail elsewhere (Atkinson et al., 2004; Atkinson et al., 2005). The TSQM 1.4 domain scores range from 0 to 100 with higher scores representing higher satisfaction on that domain. Psychiatric symptoms, positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms were evaluated by a psychiatrist and well trained psychologists using the expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-E) (Overall and Gorham, 1962; Overall 1988; Lukoff et al., 1986; Ventura et al, 1993) at the same visit. The BPRS-E consists of 24 items measuring psychiatric symptoms. It measures four different dimensions: manic excitement/ disorganization, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and depression/ anxiety (Ruggeri et al., 2005). Positive symptoms were the followings: grandiosity, suspiciousness, hallucinations, unusual thought content and conceptual disorganization. Negative symptoms included disorientation, blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, motor retardation, and mannerism and posturing. 2.3. Data analysis Continuous variables like Morisky score, satisfaction domain scores, BPRS, positive and negative symptoms scores were expressed as mean  ± SD. Correlation between continuous variables was carried out using Pearson correlation test. Difference in means was carried out using one-way ANOVA test. All statistical analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS; version 16.0) for Windows. The conventional 5 percent significance level was used throughout the study. Results Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients One hundred and fifty patients out of 267 registered schizophrenic patients met the inclusion criteria. One hundred and thirty one (131) patients agreed to participate giving a response rate of 87.3%. Of the 131 patients, 40 (30.5%) were female and 91 (69.5%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 42.9  ± 10.3 years (range = 20 65 years). The mean duration of illness was 16.23  ± 9.59 years. Eighteen patients (13.7%) had other non-psychiatric diseases mainly diabetes mellitus (10 patients; 7.6%). Smoker schizophrenic patients represented 55% (72 patients) of the sample. None of the patients were reported to have any type of drug abuse. Details regarding demographic and clinical characteristics of the studied patients are shown in Table 1. Regarding treatment regimens, patients were grouped into 7 categories based on the type of antipsychotic medications they were using: Twenty four patients (18.3%) had been treated with oral typical antipsychotics only, 8 patients (6.1%) were using combination oral typical antipsychotics, 19 (14.5%) had been treated with typical depot injections only, 37 (28.2%) had been treated with typical oral and depot injections, 18 (13.7%) had been treated with oral atypical only, 12 patients (9.2%) had been treated with typical and atypical oral antipsychotics, and finally 13 patients (9.9%) had been treated with atypical oral and typical depot injection combination. The most common oral typical antipsychotic used by the patients was chloropromazine while the most common atypical antipsychotic was clozapine. Based on MMASAdmin2010-12-25T13:34:00 It is preferred to classify the characteristic of patients according to the adherence groups. Also, indicate if there is differences between the 3 groups , 44 (33.6%) of patients were rated as having low adherence, 58 (44.3%) were rated as having medium adherence 29 (22.1%) were rated as having high adherence to their antipsychotic medications. The average adherence score (6.1  ± 1.7) for the patients generally indicates medium rate of adherence. Upon investigation using 8-item Morisky scale (questionnaire ), we found that about 33.6% of patients forgot to take their medications; 15.3% of patients missed taking their medication for reason other than forgetting in the past two weeks before the interview; 13.7% stopped taking their medication without doctor counseling when they felt worse upon taking them; 16.8% forgot to take their medications with them when they leave home for long time; 10.7% didnt take their medication in the day before interview; 26% stopped taking their medica tion when they felt that their health is under control; and 55.7% felt hassled about sticking to their treatment plan. As for remembering to take their medications; 27.5% of the patients faced a difficulty in doing this once in a while; 6.1% of the sample sometimes had difficulties in remembering to take their medications; 6.9% of patients usually found difficulties; while 0.8% of schizophrenic patients faced these difficulties all the times. However 58.8% didnt show any difficulty in remembering to take their medication on time. Response to each question in the modified Morisky questionnaire is shown in Table 2. The average score of satisfaction with regard to effectiveness, side effects, convenience global satisfaction was 72.6  ±20.5; 67.9  ± 31.5; 63.2  ± 14.3; 63.1  ± 18.8 respectively. The mean BPRS score of the patients was 68.4  ± 24.5 with 14.4  ± 6.7 13.7  ± 6.1 means for positive and negative symptoms scores respectively Correlation between adherence scores and other variables There was a significant positive correlation between age and adherence (P = 0.028; r = 0.19Admin2010-12-25T13:35:00 As recommended, when correlation is less than 0.25 this considered as no or week correlation, 0.25-0.50 considered fair correlation. You can take this comments in your consideration. ). However, no such correlation was observed with the duration of illness (P = 0.13). Furthermore, no significant difference in the means of adherence was found between male and female (P = 0.76). Patients having other chronic diseases have significantly higher adherence score compared to those who do not, but the significance was at the borderline (P = 0.049). Pearson correlation showed that there was a positive and significant correlation between all satisfaction domains like effectiveness (P = 0.002, r = 0.27), side effects (P= 0.006, r =0.24), convenience (P Adherence, Treatment Satisfaction and type of antipsychotic regimen Adherence score was not significantly different (P = 0.6) among patients having different antipsychotic therapeutic regimens. Analysis of satisfaction based on the antipsychotic drug regimens showed that there was a significant difference in satisfaction with regard to side effects among different antipsychotic regimens ( P = 0.006, F = 3Admin2010-12-25T13:35:00 When you use one way ANOVA, it is recommended to use the Tukey post-hoc test to test the differences in the means between categories. To determine which group or groups are significant. ). Patients on atypical antipsychotic drug therapy showed the highest satisfaction with side effects (86.5  ± 4.8) compared with (51.3  ± 5.17) to those on typical antipsychotic mono-therapy. No significant difference with regard to other satisfaction domains (effectiveness, convenience and global satisfaction) among patients with different psychiatric regimens. Similarly no significant difference was found in BPRS scores (P = 0.6), positive (P = 0.6) and negative symptoms (P= 0.8) among different antipsychotic drug regimens. Details regarding adherence scores, BPRS, positive and negative symptoms with different antipsychotic drug regimens are shown in Table 4. Discussion This studyAdmin2010-12-25T13:36:00 This study is the first of its type in Palestine and the first study used an Arabic version for Morisky. You can add this points as originality of the article was conducted to assess medication adherence and treatment satisfaction among schizophrenic outpatients. The conclusions of the study can be summarized as follows: First, the majority (78%) of the patients had low to medium adherence rate. Second, adherence was positively and significantly correlated with treatment satisfaction. Third, adherence was significantly correlated with positive but negative psychiatric symptoms. Fourth, no significant difference in rate of adherence was found between patients using typical or atypical antipsychotic therapeutic regimens. Finally, patients on typical or atypical antipsychotic medications had similar scores in all domains of satisfaction except for that of side effects. Regarding rate of adherence, several studies have shown that up to 80% of all schizophrenic patients discontinue antipsychotic medications and that non-adherence rates ranging from 20% to 89%, with an average rate of approximately 50%, have been reported (Fenton et al, 1997; Lacro et al 2002, Young et al, 1986). Differences in rate of adherence among different reports might be attributed to different instrument used to assess adherence, social and cultural differences among different countries and differences in healthcare systems (Breen et al., 2007). In our study, younger patients had significantly lower adherence score than elderly patients. This finding is in agreement with other researchers who reported that younger schizophrenic patients have lesser adherence than older patients (Sajatovic et al 2007; Hui et al reported that younger age is a predictor for discontinuation of antipsychotic therapy (Hui et al.; 2006). However, other researchers reported equal non adherence among m iddle aged and elderly patients (Jeste et al., 2003) . Many factors have been cited as a potential cause for poor adherence. Side effects are key factors influencing compliance with antipsychotic medication (Weiden et al., 2004). (Liu-Seifert et al., 2005; Fleischhacker et al., 2003). There are few reports suggesting that treatment satisfaction is positively associated with antipsychotic medication adherence [Gharbawi et al., 2006,], improved clinical outcomes [Masand and Narasimhan, 2006], and quality of life [Hofer 2004,]. Our results give further support that treatment satisfaction is positively associated with adherence and symptom improvement, particularly psychotic positive symptoms. A study by Maneesakorn 2008 indicated that antipsychotic medication adherence has positive impact on psychiatric symptoms and satisfaction with medication (Maneesakron et al., 2007). Furthermore, Mohamad et al 2009 demonstrated an association between positive attitudes toward medication among schizophrenia patients and lower rates of study discontinuation (Mohamed et al., 2009). Thus, it is important to accurately evaluate patient satisfaction with medication treatment using validated instruments that can be utilized in clinical trials and practice. Medication non-adherence had a significantly negative impact on treatment response, highlighting the importance of adherence to achieve satisfactory treatment outcome (Lindameyr et al., 2009). A study by Liu-Seifert et al 2005 has found that discontinuing of treatment may lead to exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms and undermining therapeutic progress (Liu-Seifert et al., 2005). In these studies, poor response to treatment and worsening of underlying psychiatric symptoms, and to a lesser extent, intolerability to medication were the primary contributors to treatment being discontinued. Fewer extrapyramidal symptoms and tardive dyskinesia of atypical compared to typical antipsychotics led researchers to speculate that patients receiving atypical antipsychotics will show greater adherence, satisfaction and psychiatric improvement compared to patients receiving typical antipsychotics (Kane et al., 1988; Tollefson et al., 1997; Marder et al., 1994; Small et al., 1997 Jeste et al., 1999; Marder SR, 1998). However, our findings regarding adherence, satisfaction and psychiatric symptoms measured by BPRS-E were similar between patients on typical and atypical antipsychotic medications. Rosenheck and colleagues evaluated medication continuation and regimen adherence in 423 patients taking haloperidol or clozapine as part of a double-blind, randomized trial. Although the patients who received clozapine continued their medication significantly longer, the treatment groups did not differ in the proportion of pills returned each week (Rosenheck et al., 200). Olfson and colleagu es examined the effect of antipsychotic type on adherence 3 months after 213 inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were discharged while receiving typical (84.5% of patients) or atypical (14.5% of patients) antipsychotics. A non-significant trend toward increased adherence was reported among patients with prescriptions for atypical antipsychotics (Olfson et al., 2000). Cabeza and colleagues retrospectively studied the relationship of adherence to antipsychotic type in 60 inpatients with schizophrenia. No significant association was found between adherence and type of antipsychotic (Cabeza et al., 2000). Dolder reported that patients on either typical or atypical had similar low rates of adherence (Dodler et al., 2002). Gianfransessco et al 2006 indicated that none of the atypicals showed treatment durations significantly different from the typical (Gianfransessco et al 2006). A study by Jones et al, 2006 has found that in people with schizophrenia whose medicatio n is changed for clinical reasons, there is no disadvantage across 1 year in terms of quality of life, symptoms, or associated costs of care in using FGAs rather than nonclozapine SGAs (Jones et al., 2006). Schulte et al concluded that, in general, very few or no advantages are to be gained from using SGAS rather than FGAS and the clinical effectiveness is not increased, but the side-effects are different. (Schulte et al 2010). In contrast, Al-Zakawani reported that atypical antipsychotic users were significantly more adherent to therapy, and had lower rates of office, hospital and emergency room utilization (Al-zakawani 2003). Actually, efficacy variations within SGAs and FGAs result in overlaps between the two groups and classification of antipsychotics into the two groups is no longer useful (Volvoka 2009). One might argue that cost of atypical antipschyotics is the barrier for medication adherence (Gibson et al., 2010). However, in our study, all patients had governmental insura nce and therefore cost of medications was not a reason of poor adherence of atypical antipsychotics. Regarding results of depot IM antipsychotic injections, we found no difference between oral and long acting antipsychotics with regard to adherence, satisfaction or psychiatric symptoms. Some researchers reported similar or better adherence, satisfaction and outcome with long acting injection than oral antipsychotics (Olivares et al., 2009; Gutierrez et al., 2010; Kane and Garcia 2009; Haddad et al., 2009). In contrast, vehof reported that patients on depot antipsychotics were less adherent and have more side effects than oral antipsychotics (Vehof et al., 2008). Our study has few limitations. The sample size might be relatively small to draw conclusions for assessing adherence, satisfaction and psychiatric symptoms. Instruments that we used to assess adherence, satisfaction and BPRS are might not be the gold standard for this purpose. A third Admin2010-12-25T13:16:00 Must be preceded by first and secondpotential limitation of our study is that the patients selected were homogenous in that all of them had governmental insurance and tends to use similar medications. Non-adherence among schizophrenic patients might be inherent in the context of the disease itself. Despite these limitations, results of this study were useful in understanding adherence, satisfaction and psychiatric symptoms. ReferencesAdmin2010-12-25T10:45:00 The number of references is too much, after delete the repeating ref. the number still 75 Al-Zakwani IS, Barron JJ, Bullano MF, Arcona S, Drury CJ, Cockerham TR. Analysis of healthcare utilization patterns and adherence in patients receiving typical and atypical antipsychotic medications. Curr Med Res Opin. 2003;19(7):619-26. Arana GW: An overview of side effects caused by typical antipsychotics.J Clin Psychiatry 2000; 61:5-11 Atkinson MJ, Kumar R, Cappelleri JC, Hass SL: Hierarchical construct validity of the treatment satisfaction questionnaire for medication (TSQM version II) among outpatient pharmacy consumers. Value Health 2005, 8(Suppl 1):S9-S24. Atkinson MJ, Sinha A, Hass SL, Colman SS, Kumar RN, Brod M, Rowland CR. Validation of a general measure of treatment satisfaction, the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM), using a national panel study of chronic disease. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2004 Feb 26;2:12 Awad AG, Voruganti LN. Impact of atypical antipsychotics on quality of life in patients with schizophrenia.. CNS Drugs. 2004;18(13):877-93. Review Bharmal M, Payne K, Atkinson MJ, Desrosiers MP, Morisky DE, Gemmen E. Validation of an abbreviated Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM-9) among patients on antihypertensive medications. 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