Different types of business information and their sources Essay

Written Written communication involves a selection of words, symbols, letters and numbers. Written communication is used at bmetc to make it possible for tutors to contact parents and students regarding the students’ progress in lessons and around the college; they do this by sending letters to the parents. A letter written to a parent of a student would have been created by a tutor, and then taken to the IT department, here they will check on the student’s attendance and also include this in the letter, and then, finally, it would be taken to the administration department of the campus in order to be sent home to the students’ parents/ guardians. These departments work together to ensure that the letter is sent to the correct address including the correct/ suitable information regarding the appropriate student. Bmetc also use written communication to give hand outs to students as part of their coursework equipment to enable the student to complete the given tasks. Inside the organisation, bmetc will also use written communication to record minutes during a meeting and also give notices to other members of staff regarding the meeting e.g. date and time of the meeting. Reports regarding students’ progress and attendance will be recorded every day throughout the period of 10 working days and will be recorded by a paper-based report. Invoices are given to students regarding the cost of trips that they may be taken on based on the subject that they are studying, the invoices will usually be computer – based but sometimes they are paper-based and written out to give to parents. Verbal Verbal communication is used every day in businesses and in general life. Verbal communication is used to communicate easily with various people in and around the organisation of bmetc. The main part of verbal communication is the face to face contact that takes place whilst using this type of information, commonly known as an easy way of communicating in face-to-face conferences like meetings. The advantage of using verbal communication is that you are able to read the opponents body language which sometimes makes it easier to understand. Verbal communication is used at commonly at bmetc when the tutors and parents of students may have meetings to discuss the student’s attendance and punctuality or other issues that may have been  raised in the college life of the student involved. The information that the tutor is telling the parent of the student is passed on by the student’s tutors to the student’s personal tutor. The idea of having a meeting with the students’ parents is raised with the management of the college (programme manager) who then calls the parent and asks them to a meeting inside of the college. On screen Information may be broadcasted on-screen. This can be displayed as a multimedia, on TV and CD-ROMs that mix text, graphics, animation, audio and video. This is a common way to broadcast important information relating to the students and staff throughout Bmetc. Information on screen is also displayed on the intranet for students to see when they log in to their accounts. The information that is displayed and broadcasted on – screen is created by staff in the IT department who gets the information from various departments including marketing and the college management. If a member of staff has something that they would like to broadcast to students via the on – screen method, e.g. The sports department may want to advertise new activities for the students to participate in, they would have to put together an advertisement and contact the IT department who would then transmit the advertisement on to the screens around the college. Multimedia Multimedia communication involves a selection of graphics, text, symbols and pictures. Using multimedia to convey a set of information can be interactive and also to enable students at Bmetc to have a wider imagination and understanding of the information that is being broadcasted. The students at Bmetc and have have access to their own account on the intranet, this means that they can access; E-mail, Moodle, information about enrolling on to different college courses and news about the college itself. The source of the college website comes from the IT department which allows tutors to put work on the website making it accessible. This means the connection is the IT department and the academic department. Competitive insight Competitive insight is done so that a business can investigate on what its rival businesses are doing to improve their business which will allow you to have new ideas and even have ways to improve it, this is done on screen. If  BMET was to do this they would look to see what new subject’s rival colleges such as Bourneville were coming up with and probably make them available within the college. Not only this but competitor colleges may have looked as government information talking about the lack of jobs and how the unemployment rate has shot up; and because of this the college may set up apprenticeships in order to give opportunities for more people which will also give the college a good name and make them more respectable. The source of information on rival competitors may come from the government who will also show a college table on how they feel colleges are ranked within the west midlands region allowing other colleges to know what is effect and works well. This information will be created by the college in what will possibly be a written report or as a presentation who then pass it on to somewhere to advertise such as a radio station that then produce this information to the general public making them aware of what the college is offering. The connection is between the H.R departments who will make the college itself aware of what will take place and then the administration department will send it off to the radio station.

Guns Should Not Be Banned in the US Essay

Just a few weeks ago a man with the name Adam Lanza decided to take the guns of his mother and take the life of 20 children and 8 adults, including his mother’s and his own. This atrocity hasn’t been the first one. In the weeks since the massacre, gun control supporters have called for a new federal ban on assault weapons and for reductions in the number of concealed-carry permits issued to private citizens. However, to blame assault weapons for this tragedy makes as much sense as blaming airplanes for the 9-11 attacks. The problem lies with the perpetrator, not the tool used to commit the crime. It is an illusion that further gun control will protect the public since no law, no matter how restrictive, can protect us from people who decide to commit violent crimes. Guns should never be banned in the United States, because the possession of guns ultimately helps improve public safety. Embodied in the Second Amendment to the Constitution is the truth that self-governing i ndividuals should bear the responsibility for defending themselves. The Amendment states, â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† Many heated controversies in regard to the Second Amendment have been generated among legal scholars. The most vigorous debate among all is the correct meaning of the phrase. Some argue that the right of bearing arms only applies collectively to those in the militia. However, Pratt indicates that many scholars ignore the foundational principles in the Amendment, including the law of self-government and the right of self-defense. His argument is supported by a quote from one founding father, â€Å"a primary law of nature, which . . . (is] the immediate gift of the Creator.† Pratt indicates that, self-defense is a God-given right that is unalienable and incapable of being surrendered or transferred. Many pro gun control supporters adhere to the belief that the availability of guns make violent crime happen and, more importantly, that criminal violence in general can be reduced by limiting access to firearms. This is a testable empirical proposition. Research shows that disarming the public has not reduced criminal violence. For example, in Washington, D.C. and New York City, severe gun control laws had been applied, yet Washington D.C. is the â€Å"murder capital of the US† and New York City ranks among the most dangerous places in the country. In both cities, violent criminals can easily obtain the most deadly weapons on the streets within minutes. Legal scholar John Lott presents the most rigorously comprehensive data analysis ever done on crime statistics and right-to-carry laws. Lott had sat the agenda on the impact of guns on crime in America by creating a massive dataset of all 3,054 counties in the United States during 18 years from 1977 through 1994. He proposed a powerful statistical argument that state laws enabling citizens to carry concealed handguns had reduced crime (18). There are two reasons why concealed handgun laws reduce violent crime. First, they reduce the number of attempted crimes because criminals are uncertain about the possibility of potential victims defending themselves. Second, victims with possession of guns are in a much better position to defend them. Lott also presented the strong negative relationship between the number of law-abiding citizens with permits and the crime rate, which declines as more people obtain permits (59). The ultimate question that concerns everyone is whether allowing law-abiding citizens to own guns will save more lives or not. While there are many anecdotal stories illustrating both good and bad uses of guns, Lott answered this question by illustrating his data analysis and conclude the net effect. This timely and provocative work comes to the startling conclusion: more guns mean less crime. Possessing guns is one of the major methods for citizens to defense themselves. Some people may use guns in illegal ways, but more have the purpose of preventing horrible things from happening to them. Making guns illegal will primarily disarm peaceful citizens. At the same time, criminals will always find the weapons they need to carry out their crime. This situation leaves a green light for violent criminals to attack everyone, leaving potential victims defenseless. Every day, thousands of peaceful Americans successfully use guns to defend themselves. A study conducted by Florida State University criminologist Gary Kleck found that Americans use guns defensively 2.5 million times a year based on 16 national surveys of samples of the U.S. population. Prior to Kleck’s study, thirteen other surveys indicated a range of between 800,000 to 2.5 million defensive gun uses annually. Given that there are far more gun-owning crime victims than there are gun-owning criminals and that victimization is spread out over different victims while offending is among a relatively small number of offenders, Kleck arrived at the conclusion that defensive gun uses are substantially more common than criminal gun uses (102). This claim has been repeatedly confirmed, and remains one of the most consistently supported assertions in the guns-violence research area. Through years of research, Kleck has found strong evidence that â€Å"crime victims who use guns during a crime are less likely to be injured or killed, and less likely to lose property than crime victims who adopt any other strategy, including non-resistance.† The intent of some advocates of gun control can be misleading. As the debate over the 1976 District of Columbia gun ban demonstrates, â€Å"gun control† often covers for a hidden agenda. British Cabinet papers declassified in 1969-70 demonstrate that contrary to claims made in Parliamentary debates, the intent of the Firearms Act 1920 was not to reduce or prevent crime, but to prevent a feared Bolshevik revolution in Britain. Direct statements by members of the Cabinet demonstrate an intent to mislead the public about their objectives. There are reasons other than the possession of guns that could cause the high frequency of shooting. Being one of them, Cramer’s article, Ethical problems of mass murder coverage in the mass media examines the way in which statistically disproportionate coverage of mass murders by Newsweek and Time from 1984 to 1991 encouraged at least one copycat crime, and may have caused others. Cramer uses a copycat crime Joseph Wesbecker convicted after Patrick Purdy as an example. Initial coverage of Purdy’s crime was relatively restrained, and only the essential details were reported. But a week later, Patrick Purdy’s name continued to receive press attention, and consequently his fame increased. Articles referencing Purdy or his crime continued to appear in for many months. On September 14, 1989, Joseph Wesbecker, using the exact same weapon as Purdy did, conducted a massacre of his own. After reading about the destructive power of Patrick Purdy’s weapon, Wesbecker clipped out a February Time magazine article on some of Purdy’s exploits, in order to describe the gun to a gun dealer. Fame and infamy are in an ethical sense, opposites. Functionally, they are nearly identical. The human need to celebrate human nobility, and to denounce human depravity, has caused us to devote tremendous attention, both scholarly and popular, to portraying the polar opposites of good and evil. The pursuit of fame can lead people to acts of great courage and nobility. It can also lead to acts of great savagery. Other than the long-time debates on gun control law itself, it is necessary for the public to think about other issues regarding public safety. In all cases, gun bans have been ineffective, expensive, and even counter-productive. If properly issued, registered, monitored and stored, guns will help defense US citizens’ safety. The fact is that we live in a dangerous world and the government cannot protect us for every single minute. We must ultimately rely upon ourselves and only by having the necessary tools can we make it realizable. Therefore, guns should never be banned in the United States.

Steam Reforming and the Production of Hydrogen Gas Essay

Steam Reforming and the Production of Hydrogen Gas - Essay Example About 50% of the global production of Hydrogen is produced by this process(www.getenergysmart.org/Files). eg. activated carbon filters, pressurisation and depending on the reformer design, either pre heated and mixed with processed steam or directly injected with the water into the reformer without the need for an external heat exchanger. The water is normally demineralised using appropriate water conditioning systems. Two options are available for reforming one option is high pressure reforming at a working pressure upto 16 bar. The other option is to use low pressures (1.5 bar) with increased conversion ratios (www.global-hydrogn-beus-platform.com). 2.2 Steam Methane Reforming: The process involves the use of high temperature steam (700C) which is reacted with natural gas( primarily methane) to produce Hydrogen. Methane reacts with steam under 3- 25 bar pressure in the presence of a catalyst to produce Hydrogen, Carbon Monoxide and a relatively small amount of Carbon Dioxide. This process is endothermic and hence heat must be supplied to the process to proceed. (www1.eere.energy.gov) The methane steam reforming reaction is endothermic. Hence this reaction requires a high process temperature to proceed. As the number of moles also changes for the reaction, the reaction is facilitated by as low a pressure as possible to maximise the Methane conversion rate. Another way to shift the equilibrium to the right side is to increase the ratio of steam to methane. Overall, the conversion rate of methane is a function of pressure, temperature and steam/ Methane ratio. The reformer reactor consists of catalyst filled tubes surrounded by a fire box that provides the heat for the reaction as shown in the process flow diagram ( Fig.3) Water Gas shift Reaction: CO + H2O CO2 + H2 (H = - 41.2kJ/mol) (2) The water gas shift reaction is exothermic and needs as low a temperature as possible to proceed. Based on Le Chatelier's principle, the WGS reaction rate: (1) Increases with increase in steam fraction in the inlet gas (2) Decreases with increase in Hydrogen in the inlet gas (3) Decreases with increase in temperature The reactor temperature influences the flame temperature of the reactants. Hence at higher temperature more Methane is converted and less Hydrogen. The presence of a catalyst such as Nickel helps in the formation of Hydrogen rich reformate. The heat required for the first reaction is obtained by the combustion of fuel gas and/ or purge tail gas from the PSA system. Following the reforming step, the synthesis gas is fed into the CO conversion reactor to produce additional Hydrogen. This process occurs in two stages consisting of a High Temperature Shift ( HTS ) reactor at 350C and a Low Temperature Shift ( LTS ) at 190 to 210C.High temperature shift catalysts have an Iron Oxide-Chromium Oxide basis while LTS catalysts consist of Copper Oxide. 3.0 Gas Purification: Hydrogen purification by means of pressure swing adsorption (PSA). The PSA units reach hydrogen

Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nationalism - Essay Example This can only be successful if conducted in the local vernacular of the country. This thus raised a need for cultural homogenisation and its offshoot- the political doctrine of nationalism, 'which holds that the political and the national unit should be congruent'.4 Nationalism can be characterised as 'the organisation of human groups into large, centrally educated, culturally homogenous units'.5 Gellner put it thus: modernisation brings about nationalism and nationalism establishes nations, and not vice versa. Nationalism may manifest itself as part of state ideology or as a non-state movement and may be expressed along civic, ethnic, cultural, religious or ideological lines. These self-definitions of the nation have been used to classify types of nationalism. These categories are not mutually exclusive and many nationalist movements combine some or all of these elements to varying degrees. Nationalist movements have also beeen classified by other criteria, such as scale and location. With all the disagreements about the true nature of nationalism, most analysts today view it as a hindrance to the development of a liberal democracy.6 Some like Beiner, Habermas and Hobsbawm say that this hindrance has to be superseded altogether; others like Dahrendorf, Kymlicka and Tamir see how democracy and nationalism can be reconciled. Civic and Ethnic Nationalism The liberal defenders of nationalism owe mostly, the original Enlightenment ideal of the nation as an agency of democratic power that was able to challenge the old suppressive order of the 'ancien rgime' (Rousseau). This made French and American nationalisms to be traditionally regarded as the epitome of civic nationalism. They were based on the political ideas of revolutionaries who fought for the 'sovereignty of the people'. The membership of the community was thus defined primarily in political terms; civic virtues were more important for the new republic than ethnicity, common culture, or even common language. This voluntaristic notion of national identity is usually contrasted with ethnic nationalism, which is exclusionary, since the belonging to a nation is in this case defined by birth, blood and ethnicity. While the former conception of a nation is ideally conceived of as a voluntary association, the latter is seen as a community of fate.7 Ethnic nationalism emerged in the la te nineteenth century and is said to be pertinent to the people of Central and Eastern Europe

Louis Vuitton Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Louis Vuitton - Assignment Example 1). This love is not about to die anytime soon, as the corporation is still making sales and profits in the region. Louis Vuitton’s success in the Japanese market In the world, Japan is considered as being the most concentrated source of revenue, especially when it comes to luxury goods. In some cases, it has been mentioned as the market paradise for luxury brands. In Japan, the success of Louis Vuitton became possible as a result of the region’s consumer behaviour. As a result of the group-oriented culture, countless Japanese folks feel the need to possess luxury brands. This can be considered as a way for them to make a fashion statement (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 6). Fashion consciousness among people in the region, especially women, seemed like a way of social expression that could not be matched by any city that was considered developed, for example; New York or Paris. The social and cultural consistency in Japan assisted the multinational corporation to explain the a ttachment people in Japan have to luxury brands. In Japan, looks are highly important especially among the middle class, which means that most of the people involved in the purchase of products always go for quality and sophistication (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 8). ... Opportunities and challenges faced in Japan There are opportunities that arise with the market in Japan. One of the most crucial opportunities would be the mergers of different corporations/brands/people that are already well-known in different regions in Japan (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 11). In doing so, the corporation may likely venture into different territory in terms of products, which enable it to make more money. One of the major challenges that the multinational corporation faces is its overdependence of the Japanese market. Relying too much on the Japanese market makes the corporation forget about other markets that are already familiar with their products, for example; America, and emerging markets such as India. Also, counterfeiting is a challenge for almost every luxury brand present in the world. For Louis Vuitton, the fashion label was synonymous with status. This means that only a few people get to be part of the luxury experience. Counterfeiting makes this impossible fo r the corporation (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 12). Specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market Japan represents the largest and most sought after market for luxury brands. Louis Vuitton, a brand synonymous with style and a lavish repertoire, claims to have its biggest share in the region as compared to any other region. The affordability of most of the brands is a factor in the Japanese market that plays a tremendous role in its growth. It is imperative that quality be one of the main concepts behind these brands, because consumers want something they can feel close to, and at the same time, feel like they are equal to some of the famous people they admire (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 8). Luxury brand consumption in Japan seems like a compulsory action among most individuals. The jewellery and

The Corporate Strategy of Metro in the Canadian Market Research Paper

The Corporate Strategy of Metro in the Canadian Market - Research Paper Example The corporate level strategy is the overall or board strategies that the company has adopted. However, the business level strategy is the specific strategy that the company has implemented in order to achieve competitive advantage. Metro has applied a cost leadership strategy and the company is highly focused on reducing its overall costs so that they can offer goods to the customers at lower prices. Strategic models have been used to analyze the internal and external environment of the company. SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five forces model have been used to analyze the market conditions. SWOT analysis highlights the company has several strengths and there are opportunities in the market that Metro can capitalize. However, it is important for Metro to work on its weaknesses and take steps to reduce the impact of the threats that the company faces to further improve its position in the country. Porter five forces define the bargaining power of customers, bargaining power of supp liers, intensity of competition, threats from new entrants and threats from substitute products that Metro faces. At the end of the report gives a brief conclusion about the strategies of Metro and how the company can expand its operations and improve its profitability in the years to come. The strategy is defined as the plan of actions that the firm has set in order to achieve its targets or objectives or vision or mission (Johnson, & Scholes, 2001). Every organization operates with a target or with a mission and it is important for the management to formulate strategies that would lead to the accomplishment of these targets or mission (Bartlett, and Ghoshal, 1991). Mission and vision of the company are the tools that are used to motivate the employees and management and motivation to work would only arise if there is a mission to be achieved (Porter, 1980). However, it is important to have strategies that would make sure the efforts are put in the right direction. If a company doe s not have a proper strategy, then despite hard work and efforts from the employees, the company might not be able to reach its destination (Lee, and Carter, 2010). Managing a business has become complex today. With the increasing complexities of the external environment and organizations now need to be more focused and analyze their external environment carefully as well as regularly (Schroiff, and Arnold, 2004). By analyzing the external environment, an organization is able to identify factors that could influence their operations and profitability (Doole, and Lowe, 2008). Organizations can only plan and formulate their strategies if these factors are identified. Proper planning and careful formulation of strategies would allow firms to improve their earnings and achieve growth. This report will analyze one of the leading grocery stores in Canada, Metro. Metro is the food retailer operating in two major provinces of Canada; Quebec and Ontario. The company has its headquarters in M ontreal, Canada. The company has been growing despite increasing competition in the market.

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Accounting - Essay Example 285). The UK being an active member of the European Union has not been left behind in the adoption process. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has been adopted as a basis for financial reporting by a significant number of countries worldwide. The main of the UK companies adopting the IFRS is to improve the quality of the information on the corporate performance. However, while the advantages of a common set of global reporting standards are recognized, there are a number of implementation challenges at the international and national levels if the objective of an improved and harmonized reporting system is to be achieved (Tosen, 2006, pg. 99). Today, International Financial Reporting Standards has been the main subject of discussion especially among numerous financial experts. The debate has been on how changes in the way the companies can file their financial statements and records can the enforced. Adoption of IFRS has enabled companies to swap from GAAP which depends largely on the size of the company. Transition from GAAP to IFRS has therefore helped companies to efficiently adapt the new regulations (Sale et al, 2007, pg. 114). This in turn has provided a number of benefits to the countries that its member companies have adopted the IFRS. The benefits of the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards can be examined not only from the reporting quality position but also from the economic perspective. These benefits include: The transition to IFRs has provided the companies with many perks. The most beneficial part of adopting IFRS has been consistency. Most companies in the world especially in the UK use this policy because it has high level of consistency and Canada too is in the process of setting up plans so that they can adopt it as well because of this benefit. It is therefore advisable that many countries should enforce this policy because it gives the member

Manufacturing Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manufacturing Engineering - Essay Example Machine operators working on holonic systems focus their activity on complex problem solving (Oborski & Szafarczyk 2001). Fractal and bionic manufacturing ideas propose manufacturing system performance improvement by stressing work organization factors based on autonomous groups. The human operator also plays a vital role in computer integrated manufacturing (Nagalingam & Lin 1999). All of those new manufacturing engineering paradigms are aimed at creating so-called advanced manufacturing engineering systems. In such systems, several factors are decisive for success: technology, information processing and human factor. Moreover, those factors must coexist together. One of the most crucial and not yet appreciated factors in this combination is the cooperation of technical systems and the human operator. The proposed research will be based on advances in socio-technical approach in Manufacturing Engineering. The socio-technical approach to system design was introduced by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relation in London in the early nineteen-fifties.

Gay Marriage in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gay Marriage in China - Research Paper Example This paper examines the positions of those who deny gay rights as well as those who claim that these rights should be recognized with a view to establishing whether these rights should be recognized. Drawing on an international survey of basically English language literature, the paper will conclude that the Chinese government has no reason whatsoever not to recognize gay rights and then finally examine the role of the government in the gay debate. There are many reasons that are presented on the need to legalize gay marriages in China. To begin with, those who support gay marriages claim that recognizing marriage rights is a pointer of the realization of human rights and equality in China. This means that recognizing these rights is the only sensible thing to do. This reality has been epitomized by the Taiwanese President Ma, who once said that Gay rights are a part and parcel of human rights. This claim has also been supported by human rights activists who point out that the struggle for the recognition of gay rights is the remaining major human rights struggle. In the nations where gay rights have been recognized, the association between gay marriage and full citizenship rights for gay men and women has been the driving force (Harvey 101). In addition to this, given that marriage is seen as an attractive institution in the society and the ideal thing for grown ups to do, for gays couples to be able to marry makes their relationship normal and as a result, enables positive recognition of their unions. Analysts have continuously pointed out that lesbians and gay operation comes as a result of the condition of lesbians and gays as outcasts especially in relation to marriage and family. The ability to enter the marriage and family institution without a doubt raises their status in a considerable manner and as a result may improve the strength of those bodies (Harvey 102). Another argument that has been presented as a reason why China should recognize gay

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Coffee and Starbucks Essay 1. Introduction In the UAE the coffeehouses take the first concern of the residents. The residents look for the coffeehouses as a place of enjoyment and the perfect place for hangout with friends. One of the most popular coffeehouse in the UAE is Starbucks; the branches of Starbucks cover all the emirates in most popular places. In this report we’ll conceder The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf as a competitor of Starbucks and analyze both of them depending on the SWOT and Marketing Mix analysis. 2. Client Company â€Å"Starbucks†. This company founded in the UAE in 2000, it is especially brand for coffee with Coffeehouses. Starbucks features a variety of coffees, hand-crafted beverage, teas, water, freshly baked pastries, sandwiches and salads. It is including also in their product compilation of music CD’s ranges for all testes. Starbucks have very friendly employees make the customers feel comfortable to visit them again. The qualities of the products Starbucks provide make them reach this level of popularity. 1 Target Market. Starbucks focus on the demographics, psychographics and lifestyle of their customers. Also with the information that Starbucks collected regard the target market segment for the better to its customers. The demographic helps Starbucks to locate its target market. It is target the both male and female, around 18-30 years old, but you can see that’s it provide product for everybody. Starbucks provide non-coffee beverage for children to supply for the whole family. It is customers primarily in their final years of high school, in university or just working. Most of them have a good education, and the people who have job, it include a high salary. The psychographic of Starbucks based in charity and the arts. Also it is sponsored the different kind of events. Starbucks aims to target people who are generous and charitable, also people who like fun and enjoy their time. It sells a lifestyle to both customers and employees, it appeals a new style to it’s coffees an age-old beverage, so that’s today it is one of most famous coffees around the world. 3. Competitor Company â€Å"The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf† It is an international coffeehouse company, founded in 1963 in California. They provide a variety of hot/cold coffee and tea drinks and related. Beside snacks like sandwiches, salads, muffins, cakes and a selection of pastries. There are 11 branches in the UAE 9 in Dubai (Sahara Shopping Center, Ibn Battuta Shopping Center, Zayed University †¦). The Coffee Bean provides it’s customers with a well trained friendly customer service to satisfy them and ensure their loyalty. 4. Major Finding of Competitive Analysis 2 SWOT analysis |SWOT analysis |Starbucks |Coffee Bean Tea Leaf | |Strengths |-Brand name recognition |-Changing the menu and adding new products regularly | | |-Good reputation |-Providing variety of products coffee tea products | | |-coffees bottled beverages sold at retail (Frappuccino|-Breakfast meals light lunch meals | | |bottles sold in petrol stations) |-On-line store at www.coffeebean. com | | -Location (significant markets / crowded shopping malls/| | | |airports) | | | |-Free internet wireless access | | | |-On-line store at www. starbucks. com | | |Weaknesses |-Little promotion / offers |-Locations (little number of branches in less crowded | | |-Considering more on coffee products than other products|places) | | |(Tea juices) |. -Small awareness of brand name | |Opportunities |-Widen Product Range to reach new target market |-Expand branches in the market | | |-Improve the speed and efficiency of service |-Apply marketing strategy to increase brand awareness among| | |-Increase promotions offers |customers | | |-Internet wireless access grabs new market (Students and| | | |tourists) | | |Threats |-Change in consumer tastes and interest |-Customers prefer recognized brand | | |-Increase in competition |-Local competition | 3 Competitive Advantage. By searching the two organizations we got a clear knowledge about them and the tools they use to grab customers and reach success. Referring to table1 the SWOT Analysis table; it shows the differences between the two coffeehouses in the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats areas. The major different which make Starbucks stronger than Coffee Bean is the recognized brand name and the reputation that Starbucks have. These make Starbucks more known and preferred from customers who look for famous places that sells good quality products. Also the location and number of branches plays a significant impact in this case. This is because Starbucks is more spreading in the market in strategic and core places like the airport (see appendix 1). 5. Strategic recommendation: Even though Starbucks is more popular than Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for its high quality coffee and products, it has more than 40 branches in UAE, but it need to achieve its competitor advantage to maintain its market leadership. However Starbucks has some weakness that covers its strengths that needs to be looked at and improved. One of the most noticeable difference about Starbucks and other competitor is its menu that is rarely changed and its prices that the competitor has trampled them by their less price and good quality. Even that there are promotions done in Starbucks but not as much as others, for that they need to increase their promotion to rout their competitor who has attractive promotion threw their advertisement that Starbucks has some weakness in. They should focus on creating their own way of advertisement that can be shown everywhere which advertise their promotions and not relay on Starbucks name popularity only. Also one of the significant weaknesses that Starbucks has is their products that are more specified on coffees more than other kind of products such as tea and Fresh juices for this they have to widen their products range to grab new market and win customers. 6. Conclusion As it shown and known Starbucks in one of the biggest companies in the whole world that has its own reputation in its products. Starbucks has its own way of rousing it sales and improving its organization. However, they are special than other coffeehouses by their brand name, products and services, but they have some weaknesses at the same time, which can be overcome by reaching their competitors strengths. Even more Starbucks is well known of their spreading in the market by the number of branches which is increased daily approximately one by day in the world. Appendix 1 Marketing Mix Analysis (7 Ps). |Marketing Mix elements |Starbucks |Coffee Bean Tea Leaf | |(7ps) | | | |Product / Service |Coffee, hand-crafted beverage, tea, ice blended drinks, freshly|hot and cold coffee and tea beverages, sandwiches, salads and a | | |baked pastries, fresh sandwiches, salads, cakes and cookies. |selection of pastries and cakes | | |Plus coffee related accessories | | |Price |-The prices are in a middle range not too different from other |-Middle range prices | | |coffeehouses. Example : |-lower a little than Starbucks | | |(Frappuccino = 15 AED) |Example : | | |(Cappuccino = 12 AED) |(Ice blended drink = 14 AED) | | |(Cheesecake = 14 AED) |(Cappuccino = 11 AED) | | | |(Cheesecake = 10 AED) | |Promotion |-Advertise for new products in newspaper |-Special promotion for Breakfast Meal | | |-Seasonally products (summer / winter) |-Free drink after 12 purchases | | |-Promotion banners and brochures in the shop |-limited Belgium coffee for this season | | |-on-line website |-Promotion banners in the shop | | | |-on-line website | |Place |41 branches around the UAE in significant crowded places |11 branches in the UAE | | |like the air port |9 in Dubai | | |27 in Dubai |1 in Al Ain | |. |5 in Abu Dhabi |1 in Sharjah | | |5 in Sharjah | | | |2 in Al Ain | | | |1 in Ajman | | | |1 in Ras Al Khaimah | | |People |-Most of Starbucks employees are educated and special trained |-Staff are well trained to serve customers | | |to work in Starbucks |-Employees are welcoming and friendly dealing with customers | | |-Starbucks apply a friendly polite customer service to comfort |-Coffee Bean apply a great customer service to win the customers | | |it’s customers | | | |. Employees are trained to satisfy customer’s wants by asking | | | |their preferred taste and providing information on each product| | | |plus giving some suggestions | | |Process |Order, pay and get the order |The process of ordering takes normally maximum 4 minutes as branches are| | |This process takes 2 – 3 minutes normally, but in busy branches|usually not too busy | | |customers will have to wait more | | |Physical evidence |-Starbucks apply an international uniform and decoration for |-Coffee Bean apply a relaxing atmosphere for their customers decorating | | |all it’s branches around the world |the branches in light colors like beige and soft music | |. |-Starbucks trade mark is appearing all over the Cafe from the |-Employees working in Coffee Bean, ware practice uniform | | |decoration to the cup of coffee and tissue |-The Coffee Bean logo appears everywhere in the cafe letting the | | |-Starbucks atmosphere is unique and comfy, they provide |customer recognize it | | |customers with different choices of seating from chairs to | | | |couches while playing music that suites different tastes .

Infection Control Practices in Nursing Homes

Infection Control Practices in Nursing Homes Introduction Literature review on the infection control practices in the Nursing Homes most particularly in the United Kingdom. It is well known that the elderly population has a substantially increased incidence and severity of many infectious diseases (Hampton, 2003). The student will focus on the infection control and prevention issues most specifically to person- to-person transmission and a little regarding food -borne transmission. In fact, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.5 million nosocomial infections occur in long-term care residents per year, which translates to an average of one infection per resident per year (Williams, 2008). Between February and May 2006 infection control staff across the United Kingdom and Ireland completed the third national survey into health care associated infection. A prevalence rate of 7.6% broadly supports the results that were reported in the first and second national surveys (Cole, 2007). According to Knoll and Lautenschlaeger (2010), the rate of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) is listed for the United Kingdom at approximately 50 thousand cases in every year. Among these are the elderly people, which are the most vulnerable hosts (Aitkenhead, 2009). According to Nazarko (2007b), infection control in UK care homes does not yet receive the same level of scrutiny as in hospitals. People requiring care in nursing homes may have infections, or may be at risk of picking up infection from other people. Staff and visitors may also be at risk since they are the ones who are in direct contact with the clients. As being observed by the student, infections spread rapidly between the residents in the Nursing homes. Standard precautions aim to eliminate sources of infection whenever possible and to prevent the spread of infection (Nazarko, 2007). Controlling the spread of the infection may be difficult for some workers due to lack of education on infection control and prev ention. This is the main reason why the student came up with several sources that may sum up the problems and makes solutions that may be helpful to health personnel. The number of people in care homes will continue to expand as the population ages. Today, according to Hampton (2003), residents in care homes have more complicated medical conditions than they did 5 years ago, as they become even more elderly and the trend continues towards shorter and shorter hospital stays in acute care facilities. This literature review was made by the student to emphasize the importance of compliance of infection control procedures in the care home. The students experiences and knowledge gained from work based studies and broad sources of reading materials greatly contribute in making the substance of this paper. This paper may help readers to gain knowledge on the ideal infection control procedures that applies mainly in the healthcare setting. Common mode of transmission in a nursing home facility Infection control is described by the National Health Service Executive as a managed environment, which minimises the risk of infection to patients, staff and visitors (Health Protection Agency, 2006). Standard precautions are directed towards breaking the chain of infection by preventing the transmission of infection (Cole, 2010). According to El-Kadiki and Sutton (2005), compliance of infection control may provide high quality and safe services among individuals. It may also prevent cross contamination among staff member and may lower the costs of health care services since prevention is more economical than treatment (Eriksen et al, 2007). From the article by Nazarko (2005), the spread of infection within health care requires three elements: 1. a source of infecting organism (bacteria, viruses, and fungi), 2. a susceptible host and, 3.a route of transmission of the organism from one person or site to another. In relation to the nursing home environment, the source may be a resident, a staff member or a visitor. That certain individual may have signs of infection, or may be colonized and does not show any symptoms (Knoll, 2010). The source may also be inanimate objects within the environment that have become contaminated such as equipments. The host is the resident or client that is on the nursing home facility. According to Williams (2008), resistance to pathogenic microorganisms may vary greatly from each individual. Microorganisms can be transmitted by variety of routes and the same organism can be transmitted by more than one routes. According to Cole and Lai (2009), there are common modes of transmission of infecti on in the nursing homes that every staff can prevent by just executing correct infection control procedures. However, the student has chosen the most common types that were being noticed in the workplace. These are 1. Person-to person, 2. Food-borne, and 3. Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). Cole and Lain (2009) briefly describe person-to person spread as a conveyance of a certain disease condition to another individual. Person-to-person spread of infections may be airborne, faecal-oral, blood-blood or skin-to-skin. The most common infectious diseases the student noticed over the past few months were colds and flu. The spread of the infection to each person was so massive despite flu vaccination several months before the onset. The residents that were affected with the viral infection were treated with several courses of antiviral medications and antibiotics. Aitkenhead (2009) indicated that anti-viral medication is currently under-used for older people in care homes in the UK. Isolation was also done to severely affected residents. According to Cole and Lai (2009), isolation may be done to residents if they acquired infectious or communicable disease; they may also be place on isolation if a certain individual has been suspected of any infectious disease. Despite doing procedure, flu virus was able to spread on few of the residents and staff. False handing or poor infection control procedures must have caused the break in isolating the resident with infection. Food borne infection had also been very common among care homes. With this, according to Ashurst (2007a) on her article, nursing homes and hospitals in the United Kingdom are now subject to strict environmental health inspections to monitor the premises, and making sure that foods that are served are safe for consumption. As being observed by the student in the workplace, all kitchen staffs are handlers of basic food hygiene certificate as part of their induction programme. Kitchen staffs were taught about the principles of food hygiene with emphasis being placed on high standards of personal hygiene, including hand washing. As stated in Ashurst (2007b) in her second article, food safety should never be taken for granted, as people may lost their lives as direct result of the staff failure to follow agreed policies and procedures. This matter is to protect both the residents and staffs from potential harm. Food poisoning, according to Ashurst (2007a), is caused by poor hygiene and, in particular, is caused by the contamination of ready-to-eat food with food poisoning bacteria. From the students basic knowledge, poor temperature control of ready-to-eat food may also cause of bacteria to multiply in large numbers. The best environment for most bacteria to grow and increase in number is a moist environment between 5 °C and 60 °C. This range of temperatures is known as the growth or danger zone (Fisher and Hartshorn, 2005). Undercooking may also cause poisoning since this enables food poisoning bacteria to survive. Hospital acquired infections, according to Gaspard et al (2008), is an infection acquired during hospital care which was not present or incubating prior to admission. Among reported case of nosocomial infections on the students work place, MRSA or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is the most common. Common types of person to person infection in Nursing Homes in the UK There have been a number of outbreaks on infection in the Nursing Homes in the UK, according to Nararco (2005). Few of these infective diseases are Flu, gastrointestinal conditions, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and scabies. Wound infections had also been very common in residents, especially those who developed decubitus ulcers or bed sores. Each of these infectious conditions will be discussed by the students. Influenza is defined by Daniell (2004) in his journal article as an acute viral, respiratory infection causing the temperature to rise quickly, with profound malaise, headache, myalgia, congested nose, cough and breathing difficulties. For otherwise healthy individuals, influenza is an unpleasant but usually self-limiting disease; this normally resolves in 7-14 days. Flu continues to cause outbreaks in care homes and in the community (Benison, 2006). The student was able to observe that influenza outbreaks occur readily in elderly care homes. They strike rapidly and are frequently associated with widespread severe illness and deaths. Eleven years ago, According to Nguyen-Van-Tam (2000), in Britain, outbreaks are frequently detected too late in their course when the options for effective intervention are few. Flu vaccinations are being given to staffs and clients during outbreaks. Vaccination against flu must also be given to staffs considering they are exposed in both setting inside and outside the care home. Whilst this cannot be applied to all situations it is advisable in some circumstances. It should always be combined with other infection control efforts however to ensure complete protection. In conjunction with vaccination is post exposure prophylaxis, this is used where vaccines do not exist after contact with infection has occurred (Booker, 2004).  Staff spend a lot often time with residents, and can infect vulnerable residents inadvertently. If staff have flu vaccinations they are very unlikely to bring the flu virus into the home, therefore reducing the risk of older people getting flu (Daniell, 2004). The flu immunization season, which is the beginning of winter season, is a busy time for the nurses but its preventive value cannot be overestimated. If an outbreak of flu does occur, anti-viral medication can be used (Eriksen et al 2007). According to Benison (2006), the combined use of immunization and targeted treatment with antiviral agents can e ffectively control the serious impact of seasonal influenza on vulnerable communities of residents in care. Scottish researchers found that giving flu vaccinations to nursing staff working in nursing homes reduced death rates (Booker, 2004). Flu Vaccination can highly reduce death rates and prevents vulnerable older people who develop flu from becoming increasingly disabled. Second condition that had been known to be very common is gastroenteritis or diarrhoeal problems. According to Ashurst (2007a), this condition is very common and extremely infectious and affects approximately 1 in 5 people are affected by the condition in England every year. In which at least 50% of cases of gastroenteritis are due to  foodborne illness  are caused by  norovirus. This can be acquired from contaminated foods and water. However, this can easily be prevented by frequent and correct execution of hand hygiene since bacteria can be transferred this way through poor hygiene. For example, if someone does not wash their hands after going to the toilet. For this reason, staffs and residents are encouraged to perform hand hygiene after using the bathroom or changing incontinence pads. Any viruses or bacteria on their hands will be transferred to whatever they touch, such as a glass, kitchen utensil or food. As per Doctors recommendation every time a resident experiences this kind of condition, nurses in the workplace, including the manager, must assure that food be properly cooked and stored to prevent gastroenteritis. It has also been encouraged to thoroughly wash both hands before eating and after. Bleaching soiled laundry and household surfaces may also help prevent spreading bacteria caused by gastroenteritis (Parker, 2004). Based on the students observation, Pneumonia has also been common to the clients in the nursing home. According to Booker (2004), pneumonia in nursing and residential care homes may be different from that found in the general population. Mortality is also higher this group. According to Metha (2009), pneumonia vaccine is important since there had been reported outbreaks of pneumonia in unvaccinated clients in some nursing homes within the UK and even in United States of America for people who are aged 65 years and above. According to Roberts (2004), the bacteria that cause pneumonia can become extremely resistant to any types of antibiotics in nursing homes, and when the disease occurs, it can be difficult to treat. As being observed in the workplace, nurses determine new residents vaccination records to determine the need of the vaccine and the risks. As the student involves himself in the caring of residents with Pneumonia, good, general nursing care is vital. Adequate rest had bee n encouraged and smoking- discouraged. The patient may well be agitated and fearful and will need plenty of reassurance. Urinary incontinence is one of the most common and disabling conditions affecting a frail elderly individual (Hampton, 2004); this can also lead to the use of indwelling catheters for some. According to Nazarko (2009), urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common healthcare-acquired infection in the UK. So far, based on the students observation in the workplace, UTI due to long term indwelling catheterization has the highest rate of prevalence and reoccurrence. With the general knowledge the student has, patients should be monitored at regular intervals; communication between carers and relatives should be effective to promote understanding how and why long-term catheters should be maintained. Catheter care is a nursing procedure and its importance is sometimes overlooked. According to Harvey (2007), it should be addressed by education and self-directed learning. Practices such as routine catheter irrigation should be avoided and the NICE guidelines recommend that bladder instill ations or washouts must not be used to prevent catheter associated infection (Brown, 2006). However, if necessary, perform appropriate catheter care and consistently use appropriate infection control guidelines while maintaining a closed drainage system. In the workplace, the use of bubble bath/oils, perfumed soaps and talc around the genitals should be avoided as they break down the bodys natural protective flora. Also, common tradition on the workplace to prevent or treat UTI is to offer cranberry juice to the residents. However, frustratingly, a study of Hampton (2004) concluded that there was no good quality or reliable evidence for the effectiveness of cranberry juice in prevention and treatment of UTI and that more research is needed. It was also confirmed in the study by Harvey (2007) that claims that Cranberry juice, on a daily basis, will not have any effect greater than that water in preventing UTI. If an older person becomes suddenly confused, its not an indication that the elder must be developing Alzheimers Disease (Brown, 2006). It has also been observed by the student in the workplace that some staffs may mistakenly assume that confusion is normal for all older people. Staff seeking advice from a healthcare provider regarding a quick onset of confusion may be surprised if the doctor orders a urine specimen. Actually, a urine specimen is not a bad idea since urinary tract infections are a common cause of delirium in the elderly (Goldrick, 2005). Scabies had also been one of the causes for outbreaks in the UK nursing homes (Nazarko, 2005). This can easily be spread by staffs, relatives, visitors, and residents since close prolonged contact causes the transmission. In this case, the student ensures all staffs must wear gloves and aprons upon dealing with infected individual. The infected individual must also be taken for a bath or shower everyday with the aid of medicated soaps and shampoos. Bed bathing is still a nursing skill that is greatly appreciated by patients but it can be associated with cross-infection. According to Parker (2004), bowls used to bath patients are often stacked inside each other in the sluice and poorly cleaned. Infection control nurses have tried to have this practice changed so that individual bowls are kept at each bed space and cleaned after use. Wound infection had also been one of the most common infections found in the nursing homes. However, as the student able to perceive, it the less common among all of those infective diseases mentioned earlier. There is little information on the development of wound infection within the nursing and residential care settings. Wound infection can be a huge burden on the patient and relatives in terms of pain and suffering, with the added threat of a resultant systemic illness (Russell, 2006). Skin had been considered as the first line of defence. In healthy people it is intact and even if a person has contact with microorganisms, they can be removed by washing. The treatment of wound infection has been and still is a subject which is debated within literature (Timmons, 2003). Based on the students basic understanding, in order to help prevent wound infection in any care setting, it is vital that basic infection control protocols are followed. Correct hand-washing technique is essential to avoid the transfer of bacteria from staff to a resident. As a protocol on the nursing home where the student works, residents with infected wounds should be isolated if possible, and wounds should be reassessed regularly to avoid further complications. The principles of aseptic technique should be followed in order to avoid cross-contamination among residents. Preventing pressure sores in the vulnerable elderly is complex. The literature written by Russel (2006) clearly highlights the importance of early and continual assessment of the individuals risk of pressure sore development and implementation of preventive strategies. As being observed by the student, senior nurses and managers of the home regularly inspect and ensure proper training of the staffs since lack of knowledge is a contributing factor that should be addressed by the provision of education and training so that all staff possess and implement evidence-based practice. This should be supported by strategies to provide guidance on the prevention of pressure sores. Skin care ha d been part of the daily routine for nurses and carers in the nursing home. The skin should be kept clean and dry, perfumed soaps and cleansing agents must be avoided because they cause excessive dryness and irritation (Timmons, 2003). In cases of incontinence or if the area is contaminated with urine or faeces, it is best to wash the area with warm water and pat dry with towels or soft tissues. Impact of poor infection control practice Having robust policies and procedures in place for infection control is fundamentally important. However, each organization has to go a step beyond this (Flanagan, 2009). As care homes fill with increasingly vulnerable elderly, control of infection within long-term care facilities becomes a daunting problem (Cole, 2007), with residents developing similar infections to acute care facility. Elderly patients are at particularly high risk of contracting infection because of reduced innate immunity, malnutrition, and the presence of chronic medical conditions (Roberts, 2004). According to Maudsley (2004), poor infection control practices may lead to common infections such as urinary infection, respiratory infection, and skin and soft tissue infections, resulting in increased costs to the health service, extended durations of care and substantial morbidity. Aside from that, infections acquired by infected residents or individuals may spread to other, which cause a serious problem on contro lling and containing. People requiring care in hospitals, care home clinics, doctors surgeries and their own homes may have an infection or may be at risk of picking up infection from other people (Cole, 2007). Staff and visitors are also at risk of infection. Staffs in a healthcare facility may also be considered as the main transporter of the disease itself. According to Hampton (2003), education in infection control and attention to employee health is essential to enable staff to care appropriately and prevent the spread of infection for todays care home population. Antimicrobial Resistance According to Brown (2006), overuse of antimicrobials may lead to increase resistance in many pathogenic bacteria of viruses. As observed by the student during every consultation, General practitioners usually prescribe oral broad-spectrum agents such as cephalosporins. Although many antibiotics initially prescribed are broad-spectrum, which is capable of killing a wide range of bacterial types, each antibiotic has limited effectiveness against certain types of bacteria (Goldrick, 2005). If an infection does not resolve, the antibiotic being taken may not be compatible with the bacteria causing the infection. Antimicrobials are specific as to the type of organism they work for and they should not be used for a purpose that is different from that for which they were prescribed (Nazarko, 2005). In line with El-kadikis (2005) article, unwarranted use of antimicrobials can partially mask symptoms and delay the exact diagnosis and recovery. Unless directed by the prescriber, antimicrobials should not be administered before the service user has symptoms (prophylactic treatment) because that increases the risk of resistance developing. According to the General Health Protection-Department of Health (2006), nurses must ensure that General practitioners (GP) do not prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily for the residents. It is important that antimicrobials are administered appropriately to ensure successful treatment and reduce the development of resistance. Policies and Procedures According to Nazarko (2007b), there are several policies that the National Health board formulated to implement healthy practice within the care home setting. These policies are implemented in every Nursing Home; as observed, the manager also ensures that these policies and procedures are made available to the staffs for all the time. This may ensure that written policies, procedures and guidance for the prevention and control of infection are implemented. The manager also engages staff throughout the care home to promote and secure the implementation of best practice in the prevention and control of infection. In the nursing homes, there are several infection control procedures. On where the student works, hand hygiene, disinfecting, personal protective equipment, and safe use and disposal of sharps are the very common practices. These practices are beneficial to both the residents and the staff. The practice of these procedures can also be found in the Infection control manuals that are located in all units in the nursing home. As mention on the previous section, the manuals are placed in a certain area of the institution to make it accessible to all the staffs. From the manual, aseptic techniques based from the UK standards were identified. There are 3 aseptic techniques that are commonly identified by the UK healthcare system. These are 1. Hand hygiene, 2. Personal Protective equipment and 3. Safe use and disposal of sharps. The student will discuss briefly on the later part of this essay. Hand Hygiene The most basic aseptic technique found to be the most common is Hand hygiene. On the study made by Knoll and Lautenschlaeger (2010), demonstrates compliance of the staffs in the nursing home with regard to hand hygiene guidelines can be significantly influenced by a number of factors. According to the research article by Rickard (2006), the link between hand hygiene and the infection rate in healthcare establishments is not in doubt. Research articles and reviews have demonstrated the evidence that increased hand-hygiene performance reduces the infection rate. Careful infection-control practice, including frequent hand washing, will remain critical for limiting the spread of infection. Also, very importantly, is the availability of soap, hand towels, disinfectant and disposable cleaning cloths. Infection control is an extremely important aspect of health care. Based on the research by Gould (2001), cold and flu may also be acquired by failing to perform hand hygiene. The cause of the increase of incidence of flu in the nursing homes must be from noncompliance of basic hand hygiene. It was also reported that improper or failure to perform hand washing can cause pneumonia in older people and in people who are diagnosed with chronic illnesses (Stanwell-Smith, 2008). Based on what the student found out, several journals that discuss about the cause infections in the health care setting were mostly from the staffs poor hygiene practices. Although these measures are all important in the prevention of cross-infection, they are not likely to be used appropriately without education and monitoring of hand washing and cleaning practices of all staff. Personal Protective Equipment Infection control is also concerned with personal protective equipment or PPE. Personal protective equipments in the workplace are also used such as disposable gloves and plastic aprons. By definition by Williams (2008), Personal protective equipment or PPE is a specialized protective covering worn by an employee for protection against infectious materials. The use of PPE is essential when working in a healthcare setting. The purpose of PPE is to prevent the worker from coming into contact with infection. Usage of PPE promotes health and safety upon working with clients (Brown and Nay, 2006). From the students basic experience, the most basic principle of infection control based from the infection control manual is to work from clean to dirty. In this instance, this refers to getting in contact with clean body sites or surfaces before touching dirty or heavily contaminated areas. This method prevents any debris from spreading toward the cleaner surface. This principle had been compet ently practiced by the staffs on where the student works. Safe Disposal of Sharps Safe disposal of sharps is the third most practiced infection control procedure in the healthcare setting. Ideally, the contaminated syringe needles, scalpel blades, and other sharp devices should be thrown away in a sharps bin (Aitkenhead, 2009). As being observed by the student, sharps bin are located in a protected room in the nurses station where residents with mental incapacity, such as dementia, will not be able to gain access on the bin. Based on the article by Trim (2004), numerous staffs sustain sharps injury. In his definition, sharps injury is an injury where a sharp material contaminated with body fluids, penetrates the skin. Majority of the sharps injuries are avoidable and happen when they are handled or disposed in an unsafe manner. Aside from these three main techniques to prevent spread of infection in the nursing home, there are some other protocols the students workplace implements. Among these are provision of yellow bins, plastic bags and red hampers. Waste Segregation, Use of Bins, and Laundry Waste segregation had also been part of infection control. According to Conrardy and Hillanbrand (2010), the safe and effective disposal of waste starts with the healthcare professionals or practitioners. Staff in the nursing homes had been instructed to dispose infectious waste such soiled dressings, catheter bags, incontinent bags, etc. in the yellow bin and domestic waste on the black bin. Nappies and incontinence pads however are thrown in black bins. The protocol of pads disposal on where the student works is being followed by staff. Soiled nappies and incontinence pads are being wrapped with plastic bags prior to disposal on the black bin. Aside from that, instructions are given to staffs to be familiar with the waste management policy and procedures for health care waste management. The policies and procedures manual for waste management is accessible to everybody as it is together with the infection control manual. According to Ashurst (2010), it is part of the Care Quality Commissions responsibilities to ensure that care homes meet the requirements of the national agenda for infection prevention and control; this includes monitoring laundry facilities. Based on the practice on where the student works, soiled linens are placed on a special kind of bag before placing in to red hampers. Dirty linens are being handled with extra care paid to the potential spread of infection. It is also stated on the manual that gloves and disposable plastic apron should be worn upon handling of soiled garments. It is impossible to avoid all contact with infected tissue or potentially contaminated body fluids, excreta, and secretions. Appropriate barriers such as gloves should be used when handling potentially contaminated linen followed by hand hygiene after removal of the gloves. If a certain material is reusable, transmission of infective agents is prevented by cleaning and by appropriate disinfection or steril ization. All staffs have a responsibility to prevent and control the spread of any infection that may threaten a care home with vulnerable older people in residence. Laundry services also have the potential to set a positive impression for visitors. Staffs working tirelessly behind the scenes in the laundry are sometimes in danger of being forgotten, so their major role in ensuring safety through infection control and securing the homes reputation must be acknowledged. It is not just about utilising the most efficient chemicals and cleaning solutions in order to prevent infection. The training of staff can also be seen as an important preventative measure. If workers can understand and appreciate the issues concerned with infection control and management it is more likely they will follow procedures. Application to Practice It is not just prevention that makes up infection control, the process of surveillance and investigation can also be involved. Fundamentally this is the detection of infection origins and symptoms in order to develop efficient preventative measures. The student has gathered information regarding infection control and may also be helpful to some staffs, residents, and even relatives. On the recent learning that the student was able to gain upon the composition of this paper, he may be able to share the knowledge regarding infection control towards other staffs, especially those who involve in direct care to the clients. Ideal procedures and latest evidence-based practices may also be implemented when students knowledge will be shared. The basis of infection prevention and control is the attention to hygiene. Microorganisms can be found everywhere and the cleanliness of individuals, equipment and the environment is essential in reducing the risk of infection. Paying attention to the ba sics of nursing practice such as bed bathing, oral hygiene, nutrition and elimination is not only part of the caring aspect of nursing, but also necessary for preventing cross-infection. The Infection Control Nurses Association devised a tool to determine of certain. According to the NHS Chief Medical director, Mr. Donalson (2005), this infection control audit tool for primary and community care settings builds on previous work for acute Trusts and provides a standardised method for monitoring both clinical practice and the environment. The feedback may enable the staff to know and systematically identify the points where improvement is greatly needed. Thus, enables them to give minimize infection and give quality care for the residents. However, this type of tool was never implemented by the manager on where the student works. Perhaps, knowing the existence of this tool may be very helpful to the company when introduced

The Bermuda Triangle Essay -- Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon Essays

The Bermuda Triangle Off the southern tip of Florida lies a phenomenon called the Bermuda Triangle. Ships, planes, and over one thousand lives were lost in the Triangle without a trace. Theories have been put forth, but still no universally accepted explanation exists for the mystery that surrounds the Bermuda Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle covers almost 440,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean. An imaginary line that begins near Melbourne, Florida, extends south to Bermuda, and west to Puerto Rico before turning north to Florida, forms the Triangle. From 1972-1999, more than one hundred planes and ships have vanished into thin air. More than one thousand lives have been lost as well. One frightening aspect of this entire saga is that disappearances continue to occur at an alarming rate. A small part of the Bermuda Triangle lies in the Sargasso Sea. This sea is best known for its tall, thick, floating seaweed called Sargassum. The seaweed is thought to be a forest that once rested on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. According to legend, the island sank at a very quick pace, taking with it the forest and vegetation. One of the most notable disappearances is that of Flight 19. This was basically what started the craze. The flight consisted of five Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bomber planes. Mechanics had certified the planes fit for flight. Flight planes were checked thoroughly and appropriately filed with the proper authorities. There were no indications that this mission would be anything other than a routine experience for the crews of these aircraft. Even the weather was cooperation. The forecast predicted clear skies and calm winds. Flight 19 left the Fort Lauderdale Airport at 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945. At 3:40 p.m. Lieutenant Robert Cox noticed his radio begin to crackle. The transmission seemed to be directed to 'Powers.' The person identified himself as FT-28, the call sign for Flight 19. FT-28 radioed that both of his compasses were out, and he was trying to find land.(Kusch) At 4:26 p.m. Fort Everglades Rescue intercepted a transmission from FT-28. Immediately, the rescue team called several stations along the coast and asked them to turn on their radar and attempt to locate the lost flight. At 6:04 p.m. Lieutenant Taylor radioed his flight crew to tell them they were off course and needed to adjust their course to a more ea... ...d have been set up by flying saucer. Dr. Stanley Krippner believed a black hole in space, called a vortex, existed where planes and ships that entered the Triangle did not come out. (Kusch) In spite of today?s advanced technology, scientists are no closer to solving the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. Only the stories exist to explain the loss of over one hundred planes and more than one thousand live to this ?Triangle of Terror.? The discovery of Flight 19 raised more questions than it answered. No matter how it?s looked at something does happen whether it has a scientific explanation or not in ?The Bermuda Triangle?. It can?t be denied that nothing happens there with all of the recorded tragedies on this area. The way to look at it is documentation is proof so it does exist. Works Cited Baumann, Elwood D. The Devil?s Triangle. Franklin Watts: New York, 1976 Berlitz, Charles. The Bermuda Triangle: An Incredible Saga of Unexplained Disappearances. Doubleday and Company, Inc.: New York, 1974 Burnvand, Jan Herold. ?Bermuda Triangle.? Encarta Encyclopedia. 1999 ed. Jeffrey, Kent Thomas. Triangle of Terror and Other Eerie Areas. Warner Books: New York, 1975

Willy Loman as a Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Sal

Willy Loman as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Willy Loman, the troubled father and husband in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, can be classified as a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle in his work, Poetics. In Aristotle's Poetics, a tragic hero was defined as one who falls from grace into a state of extreme despair. Willy, as we are introduced to him, becomes increasingly miserable as he progresses from a dedicated, loving father, though not without flaws, into a suicidal, delusional man. The definition of a tragic hero, as stated in "Poetics," also describes a person who is influential and is of significance to others. Though, in actuality, Willy Loman may not possess these characteristics, he perceives himself as having them as he cares for himself, his children and his wife. A final distinction noted by Aristotle was that a tragic hero is not a bad person deserving of his impending misfortune, but instead, has made a series of mistakes leading to his downfall. We can see that Willy does not purposely create this harmful situation for himself, he is only ignorant that certain actions of his are wrong, which contribute to his self-ruin. Willy Loman therefore personifies the attributes of a tragic hero as proposed by Aristotle.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy, with a house, a car, a job, two sons whom he adores, and a supportive, caring wife, seems to have everything that any man could ever want. He manages, however, to alienate himself from these things that he loves near the end of the play as he slips into a self-induced state of altered reality. Willy, being "...lonely...terribly lonely" (Miller, page #) has an affair with a woman during his marriage to Linda. Even though Linda is not aware of this, or makes no mention of ... ...id not keep his sales skills sharpened, but he never purposely hurt the people in his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through the actions of Willy Loman, and the reactions of those around him, we can see that his character follows the model of a tragic hero presented by Aristotle in his works, "Poetics." Willy passes through life in a path that begins with prosperity, as evidenced by his possessions and successful family, and ends with misery, when he loses his job and commits suicide. Willy has indeed made mistakes in his life, and we can recognize that they are mistakes and were never intended to harm anyone, but instead to satisfy his own needs. These characteristics then, by Aristotle's determination, make him not a "wicked man" (Aristotle, 1303), and not a virtuous man, but "a man whose place is between these extremes"; (Aristotle, 1303) by definition, the tragic hero.

Diabetes Demonstrative Speech Outline

DiaPurpose By the end of my speech and demonstration, the audience should be able tocheck there own blood sugars and be able to inject themselves with insulin. Introduction Diabetes the silent killer. Doesn’t sound very scary does it but don’t be fooled. This disease is very deadly. Could you see yourself engaging in any normal everyday activity, then all the sudden a major organ or organs began to fail and shutdown without any warning sign? And the cause is because you have high blood sugars that go unchecked and unregulated for so long it was silently putting stress and damaging your insides.Well today I’ll show you how a person with type one diabetes keeps there blood sugars in check. Central Idea Knowing how to check your blood sugars and inject yourself with insulin will help you with your health. Preview A person needs to know how to regulate their blood sugars so they won’t become anymore ill than they already are. Body Outline I. Checking Blood sug ars a. First and foremost you need a Glucose meter and strips. Also if necessary code the meter. b. Second you’ll need to load you lancet machine or you may have finger pricks c. Third find a testing site on a finger or your lower arm.I personally use my fingers and use an alcohol wipe to clean the area. d. Fourth prick your finger with the lancet and squeeze your finger until you produce a nice drop of blood. Then let the test strip such up the blood and wait for the reading to be displayed on the glucose meter. II. Administering Insulin to yourself a. First you’ll want pick an injection site with a lot of fat either your stomach, thighs or the back of your arm and clean it with an alcohol wipe. b. Second you’ll get your syringe and depending on how many units you’ll need you draw that much from the bottle.Also make sure there are no bubbles in the tube of the syringe. c. Third inject yourself at the site where you previously cleaned and then after admin istering the insulin remove the syringe from your body. Make sure you’re not bleeding. Conclusion I’ve showed you today how to check your blood sugars and record your findings. And I’ve also taught/demonstrated how to inject yourself with insulin. And always remember to clean all testing sites and injection sites. Plus remember to practice safe disposal of all lancets and syringes.

What to Believe In the novel Life of Pi

Jeff Ramos English101 Mr. Adams 11-21-2012 What to Believe In the novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel uses the protagonist Pi to demonstrate how faith, ritual and ones will to live save one from the barbaric and carnivorous reality. Pi Patel, lover of faith and various gods and their beliefs loses his family after a shipwreck and drifts on the Pacific Ocean with the zebra, hyena, orangutan and tiger named Richard Parker, each struggling in their own way to survive. In the end, Pi presents two different stories and leaves it up to the reader to decide which version is ultimately true.Personally, I would believe the animal story was made up by Pi because the human story was too much for him to endure. But how do we define truth? Is something true simply because it is believable? Is something untrue because it seems unrealistic? The dictionary defines truth as 1) the true or actual state of a matter; 2) conformity with fact or reality; 3) a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principl e or the like. The relativity of truth is not emphasized as a major theme until the last part of the novel, when Pi recaps the entire story to the officials from the shipping company who are questioning him.Pi lets them choose the version they prefer, and for them that version becomes truth. In this world, people believe the version of truth that they are most comfortable with. People would rather believe a colorful version of a story, over the gruesome details of the story that actually happened. For example, as Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba were interviewing Pi, he asks them â€Å"So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without animals? Mr. Chiba: the story with the animals.Mr. Okomoto: Yes. The story with animals is the better story. † (317). After hearing the two versions of Pi’s horrendous account, the interv iewers agree the story with the animals is the â€Å"better† story, however; never do they say they believe it is true. As humans we tend to think that something is untrue just because it is unbelievable or we just haven’t had an opportunity to experience a certain situation yet. For example, when Pi is describing the atheists and agnostics last words he says â€Å"I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: â€Å"white, white? L-L-Love! My God† – and the deathbed leap of faith.Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeast less factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, â€Å"possibly a f-f-falling oxygenation of the b-b-brain,† and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story. † (64). This shows how the agnostic did not believe in god because he felt that it was untrue and unbelievable. Yet when he or she experiences it, they surely would become a believer. Pi seems to be bothered by the agnostic and their decision to doubt, to lack belief in anything. Another quote from Life of Pi shows that simply because Mr. Chiba and Mr.Okomoto have never actually witnessed a floating banana they automatically believed that it is untrue and believe it would sink. â€Å"â€Å"Bananas don’t float. † â€Å"Yes they do. † â€Å"They are to heavy. † â€Å" No they are not. Here, try for yourself. I have two bananas right here. † †¦ â€Å"They’re in. † â€Å"And? † â€Å"They are floating. † â€Å"What did I tell you? †Ã¢â‚¬  (292-293). Through experience Pi knows that bananas float. Once Pi proves to the interviewers that indeed bananas do float, they believe. How do we decide what to believe? The theory of knowledge can guide us in deciding what to believe, what to ignore, what to question, and what we don’t know.It is different from assumptions, rumo rs and myths. Which version do you believe? Do you think Pi, as a young boy, comes up with the fantastical tale to cope with the ugly truth? Or, is it somehow not the point to decide what actually happened? Maybe the beauty of the first story outweighs the believability of the second? Martel spends so much time developing the first story, and not much on the second. While it might seem totally unlikely, the details are all put into the first story. Ultimately, in Life of Pi, Martel leaves the decision of what to believe up to you.

Character Analysis of Armand Aubigny

I think Armand Aubigny is one of major character in the story. Because if there are no Armand in the story, then the conflict will not be until the climax, or maybe there would be no conflict at all. In the story, Armand had a conflict with his wife, Desiree. Before we get to the main conflict, yes, I think when Armand had a quarrel with Desiree about Desiree’s baby is the main conflict, first, I will lead you to the characterization of Armand Aubigny. It was no wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in whose shadow she had lain asleep, eighteen years before, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. † Armand is a man who fell in love with Desiree. He has a light skin and handsome but his mother having black skin. His mother died when he was eight. He didn’t remember her mother have a black skin, maybe because his light skin. I can say that Armand is a racist, because he has strict rules to his slaves. And hi s slaves are Negrillon. Armand has known Desiree since he is a boy. But on that time, Armand not loved her.It is represented in the sentence: â€Å"The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known her since his father brought him home from Paris, a boy of eight, after his mother died there. † Then, Armand didn’t care about Desiree’s origin. He really fell in love with her. He believed that he can give Desiree the best, the oldest and the proudest in Louisiana as is evidenced under the sentence in which he didn’t care with her nameless: â€Å"What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana? † Then they were married. Armand is the man who is arrogant.He cannot discuss a problem using his brain but he uses his emotion. Armand and Desiree live their lives as a family as did other family. Until Desiree gave a birth to a baby and Armand knew that baby has a dark skin. Armand who formerly loved Desiree is now turned into a fierce Armand. Armand blames Desiree for what happened to his child. He said that Desiree is a descendant from a black people . We can look at the scene when Desiree tried to talk to Armand about the child: â€Å"Tell me what it means! † she cried despairingly. â€Å"It means,† he answered lightly, â€Å"that the child is not white; it means that you are not white. †¦ â€Å"As white as La Blanche's,† he returned cruelly; and went away leaving her alone with their child. He didn’t care when Desiree decided to leave the house. Please, look at this conversation: â€Å"Do you want me to go? † â€Å"Yes, I want you to go. † Armand blamed God too. He thought that God has unfair to him because formerly he loved Desiree very much and then Desiree gave him badness into his house and his family. Finally, Armand read a part of a letter from his mother to his father and he knew that he is a descendant of the rac e that is cursed with the brand of slavery.

Bowl & Edward Maulthrop

Edward Maulthrop is one of the renown member of an artistic family of the Moulthrops. It is a dynasty of both the son, father and grandfather who have highly contributed to the sculptural wood world. This chain of the art fellows share a common vision and have a common procedure. This family is a representation of a three generation wood sculptures. For instance Edward was in his teenage years during the years of 1930s. Philip was a teenager at the years of 1970s. The present generation holds its central representation of the Moulthrop family through the youngster Matt who is believed to have just begun his career.Edward is believed to be and considered as the grandfather of wood turning. More often it was noted that he produced a body or pieces of work that meditated on one of the best forms of the lathe represented in a variety of works found in his home in the state of Georgia. These are some of the preoccupations that both Philip and Matthew Moulthrop use as the basis for their w orks. Edward has used a feature of curving wood referred to as wood turning. He begun turning immediately he put together cash he made from the delivering of magazines.He purchased his first lathe at a cost of $16. 95. Wood turning is a feature that can be achieved through use of lathe which gives a perfect three dimensional art forms. Lathe is a special material that gives an artist the powers to use a stationery blade for carvings. This gives a block of wood a beautiful, revolving and even attribute. During his carvings and especially the Bowl sculpture, Edward Moulthrop was trying to express some ideas in a crafty form. The Bowl is a contemporary form that he uses as a medium or channel for communicating his own ideas.The treatment given to the surface of this figure is magnificent and the rich concentration of beauty given to the local wood is a renowned work. Among the works exhibited at the Hauston Center for Contemporary Craft situated in Hauston Texas is Edward Moulthropâ₠¬â„¢s untitled Bowl. This work is a display of a unique yet capturing technique that is different from sculptures done by other wood artists. A renowned wood artist referred to as Christian Burchard, born in the year 1955, uses an also interesting technique.He turns through the walled vessels made from wood burls when the wood is still green that is wet and this makes the wood warp and crinkle as they dry. At this exhibition is a display of vessels that have warped according to different sizes. The exhibit achieves a dynamic attribute and places the frozen vessels in a motion. But the Untitled bowl is user oriented and captures attention of a viewer not only of its tantalizing beauty but its amazing size. The sculpture is huge to be precise. The sculpture is made from a Tulip Wood tree that must have been huge.It is made of grains that are carefully knotted making magnificent grain knots. There is a pattern of knots and burrows created all around the bowl. Seemingly Edward was leavi ng the viewer to have his own judgments of whatever representation the sculpture had. No wonder he has given the title†untitled bowl† to the piece leaving anyone wop0ndering whether this was a misappropriate title. At its non representational interpretation, the piece, is a mere vessel that is very beautiful and appealing to any viewer. The artist has used light to give the vessel even more life.The pattern-styled use of multithreaded beads all over the vessel gives it a tantalizing attribute and any art for art’s sake person would describe the piece as marvelous. Though the piece is given the unexplainable title, a closer look at the work gives the lower or the forefront of the sculpture a bowl figure. The use of line quickly drifts the attention of a viewer to the upper part of the sculpture. He has waved the sculpture to make interest of a viewer peruse or go through the entire piece. Though the sculpture is huge, the waviness given to it makes it smaller when analyzing it hence concentration is given to the entire work.It might be that Edward Maulthrop was having the representation of a human figure when designing the art work. And to him maybe a very powerful female figure. This is because the woman figure is represented as a wavy figure. The richness of rings used adds the attribute of beauty. The use of light represents the full life in this flexible and very beautiful female figure. There is a mixture of light and dark to bring out contrast in the art piece. But richness of beauty is still perceived through the fully filled sculpture having a nice pattern of rings all over it. References1. Rebecca S Cohen, Art Gudo Texas, 2004, University of Texas Press, ISBN 0292712308 2. Suzanne Hoebl, America’s Art Museums, 2002, W. W Norton, ISBN 0393320065 3. Erwin Ottomas Christen, A guide to Art Museums on the United States, 2006, Dodd Mxad 4. Julia Hurvey, Julie Abrams, Wooden Statues of the old Kingdom, 2001, BRILL,ISBN 9004123571 5. Maureen Matherson, Barbara Cooper, Barbara Rosen, World Museums Guide 1974, 1973, and MC-Graw hill Education-Europe. 6. R. R Bowker Company, American federation of Arts, American Art Directory, 1952, Jacques Cattel Press, R. R Bowker. .

Psa Evaluation of Aquino Administration

PSA’S EVALUATION OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION FROM THE RESEARCHERS’ PERSPECTIVE Table of Contents Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Methodology and Research Design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦ 8 Authors’ Stand on the Assessment Presented†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 Conclusions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 29 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 31 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 36 Abstract The paper PSA’s Evaluation of the Aquino Administration from the Researchers’ Perspective was conducted to inform the readers how the Aquino administration handled the crises that had occurred since its start in June 2010. The group utilized the historical research technique and content analysis strategy in collecting relevant information for the study. The data collected from various sources like newspapers and websites were then written in note cards. There were various disasters that have occurred in the Philippines, and based on the group’s analysis, the researchers have found out that the Aquino administration, in its first few months, was not able to properly handle the different adversities that have plagued the Philippines. With these, the group has concluded that the country had been inflicted with much damage by the man-made and natural disasters that took place in the Philippines. PSA’s Evaluation of the Aquino Administration from the Researchers’ Perspective It has been six months since Benigno Simeon Aquino III has taken the position as the 15th president of the Philippines. Over the course of those months, numerous catastrophes and issues have since occurred. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA) is an organization that released an assessment of how the Aquino administration performed in its first few months, wherein they criticized the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† and that the president, along with his cabinet members and set of government officials, has not done any significant change to improve the situation of the Philippines. With its completion, this paper aims to express the group’s reaction on the said assessment and determine whether the PSA was righteous in its claims about the Aquino administration and of the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. For the first few months, the Aquino administration has been struggling to cope with the demands of the Filipino masses. In reality, the Philippines has been plagued by malicious controversies, threatening disasters, and various crises. Based on the evaluation of the PSA, the administration was not able to handle the said adversities proficiently. Based on this, the researchers believe that it is righteous for the PSA to dub the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. At the rise of a new administration under President Aquino, innumerable disasters and calamities have occurred. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments, with various bases, has concluded that the Philippines is one of Asia’s most unsafe destinations. Due to this assessment, concerned Filipinos desire to be further informed by the country’s setbacks and incorporate their views and opinions regarding these. In addition to the objectives presented, through extensive research and the critical analysis of the information gathered, the researchers wanted to provide their detailed criticism of the assessment of PSA on the Aquino administration. The group then aims to shed light on the following questions: 1) What is the Pacific Strategies and Assessments? What is its function? As a socio-economic organization, what are its objectives? 2) What are its bases in dubbing the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†? 3) According to PSA, has the Aquino administration performed proficiently during its first few months? 4) With these bases, is it right for PSA to label the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†? 5) Do the researchers agree with the assessment presented by PSA? This study will focus on four main parts: the Pacific Strategies and Assessments, five of the worst disasters and crimes—the Maguindanao massacre, the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking crisis, Typhoon Juan, the terrorist attack threats and the various kidnapping crises—that have plagued the country, the steps the Aquino administration has taken to solve these issues, and the researchers’ reaction on the PSA’s assessment that the Philippines is the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. On the other hand, this study does not discuss other catastrophes that have troubled the country during the Aquino administration. Although there are other disasters that have occurred during the governance of Pres. Noynoy Aquino, the researchers deem that this paper should only focus on the worst disasters that have troubled the country since these are the bases of PSA in its assessment. Moreover, from the title itself, this paper is limited to the researchers’ point of view alone because there were no interviews nor surveys conducted to determine the various reactions of the other Filipinos affected by the crises that have occurred in the country. The significance of this study is to inform the Filipino people and the people from all over the world as well, of how the other nations view the Philippines because of the disasters in the country. This study also exposes how the present administration handles the different disasters that have plagued the country. With these, this research paper will benefit the Filipino masses, for they will be informed of the adversities that are ruining their nation, and they will be educated on handling catastrophes to avoid having their country criticized as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. This paper is also timely because it tackles the worst disasters that have devastated, and some that still wreak havoc in the Philippines up to present. With the completion of this paper, the researchers have been able to provide the Filipinos a justification of the righteousness of the assessment of the PSA to their home country. Findings This part of the paper includes the related readings that have aided the group in their research. It is comprised of the background of the PSA, its functions and objectives, and its assessment of the Aquino Administration based on five of the worst disasters that have occurred in the Philippines. These serve as reference materials, from which various information were lifted to support the analysis and interpretation of the data. Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA), is a socio-economic organization based in Asia and the United States of America; it has offices in Manila, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok and Milwaukee. Its Manila office is the oldest and largest branch and is currently under the management of the Executive Director Graeme Campbell (â€Å"Pacific Strategies and Assessments†, n. d. ). PSA specializes in Asian risks. At the same time, it provides discreet and confidential security and crisis management services which help different associations protect their assets, prevent security violations, respond to emergencies and facilitate business flow in times of crisis. It also assists its clients in making reliable decisions in the field of business in Asia. PSA helps reduce risks associated with various crimes through its investigation services and provides background screening of its clients. Furthermore, it prepares intelligence briefs regarding political and economic situations to its clients, in this case, the Philippines. PSA aims to maximize the advantages and minimize the risks of facilitating business in places often jeopardized by political and economic instabilities, security threats, terrorism and lax rule of law (â€Å"What PSA does†, 2010). With these readings, the researchers were informed of the functions and objectives of PSA as a socio-economic organization. This knowledge has aided the group in deciphering the right of the said organization to dub the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia. Moreover, these have helped the researchers know whether the PSA has efficiently performed its functions to its member countries, particularly, the Philippines. In PSA's (2010) assessment on the Aquino administration, it criticized the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† because of the multiple risks like coups, rebel extortions, an d terrorist threats that regularly occur in the country, and the particular crimes that have haunted the Filipinos and the rest of the world during the Aquino administration. It has indicated that hese fiascos could throw some daunting challenges at the different businesses in the country, therefore, affecting the Philippine economy and the performance of the present government headed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, or more commonly known as PNoy to the Filipino people. The following are the disasters and crimes that have influenced PSA to assess the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. The Ampatuans have been in charge of Maguindanao since 2001. Their reign started after former Pres. Corazon Aquino replaced every locally-elected official because she came into power by means of a revolution. Andal Ampatuan Sr. was appointed by former President Aquino as the officer-in-charge in Shariff Aguak in 1986 after the successful People Power Revolution. Andal Ampatuan Sr. won the 1988 local elections and served for ten years; he was then elected as governor in 1998. He has been elected as provincial governor three times, unopposed, but with his inability to run for a third term, he prepares his son Andal Jr. to govern in his place (â€Å"Cory gave Ampatuan his break†, 2009). Authorities claimed that there were at least 161 suspects involved in the execution of the Maguindanao massacre. Director General Jesus Verzosa stated that the majority of the suspects were policemen, soldiers, and government officials under the control of the Ampatuan clan. Verzosa said that the mayor of Datu Unsay town, Andal Ampatuan Jr. , was tagged as the mastermind of these killings (â€Å"Police chief names suspects†, 2009). The Maguindanao massacre is one of the deadliest events that has happened in the Philippine history which led to the death of 58 people including journalists, lawyers, government officials, tourists, some relatives of Esmael Mangundadatu, and his wife Genalyn Tiamson-Mangudadatu (David, 2009). Alcuin Papa (2009) noted that in the morning of November 23, 2009 in the Maguindanao province, the victims were kidnapped and killed while they were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of Esmael Mangudadatu. The victims were shot in their heads and chests at close range, and those who were still alive were finished off by Andal Ampatuan Jr. himself. The victims were buried under the mass grave which was prepared two days before the said slaying. Before the mass murder happened, Mangudadatu received a threat from the opposing clan saying that they would kill him if he pursues the filing of his COC. Mangudadatu decided to let the media cover his filing of COC to stop or hinder the said assault, but was still unable to prevent the hideous incident. These readings have helped the researchers by supporting the idea that the Ampatuans committed the horrendous crime as a means of instituting and preserving their power over Maguindanao. These readings have proven that the generations of Ampatuans have held offices in the area for a relatively long period, yet they refuse to let go of their vast influence in the region. Furthermore, these readings have also proven that the said massacre is one of the most devastating crimes that have occurred in the country’s history, and has become an essential part of PSA’s assessment, which, in turn, has greatly contributed to the group’s evaluation. On the other hand, on the 23rd of August 2010, a hostage taking took place at the Quirino Grandstand which resulted in nine deaths including Hong Kong nationals and the perpetrator Rolando Mendoza himself, a disgruntled former senior inspector. At the peak of his career, Mendoza was ranked one of the Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines and was famously known for leading a group of policemen tracking down a van filled with crates of money believed to be smuggled by former President Ferdinand Marcos out of the country. In 2008, he was dismissed from his position after misconduct and drug abuse charges. At around 7 in the evening of August 23, the SWAT team began to enclose on the bus and tried to enter it by breaking its windows using sledgehammers. However, they were forced back by gunfire coming from the bus. The police's endeavor to break into the bus lasted for an hour. Tear gas canisters were catapulted into the bus as the police tried to pry open the door by tying a rope attached to a police car, which unfortunately ended with the rope snapping. Later, police marksmen in positions gunned Mendoza in the head (â€Å"Manila Hostage Taking Crisis†, 2010). Pia Lee-Brago (2010) wrote that the August 23 crisis which resulted in 8 Hong Kong tourist deaths negatively affected the Philippines' relations with China. Hong Kong calls on Filipino witnesses to help determine the real cause of death of the eight tourists and proclaimed that its government is disappointed in Malacanan legal team's order to reduce investigations and reviews against those involved in the rescue. 19 injured Hong Kong nationals including children and elderly were among those injured in the hostage taking. In addition, the 8 deceased victims' bodies have already been sent back to their families in Hong Kong. President Aquino has ordered a rigorous investigation headed by Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima (Avendano, 2010). On August 31, preliminary results of the official investigation were released and showed that a high calibre weapon fired within the bus caused the hostages' wounds. 58 of the 65 M16 rifle cartridges recovered from the coach were from Mendoza's gun. The investigation team spokesperson stated that it was certain that Mendoza killed the eight hostages who died in the incident (Wong, 2010). On September 3, however, De Lima admitted that some of the hostages may have been shot by the police (â€Å"Philippines admits police†, 2010). These served as evidences that the Filipino policemen lack the know-how of handling crimes like the hostage taking, putting the lives of not only Filipinos but also other nationalities who are residing or visiting the country, in great danger. Moreover, these readings have further proven that the Aquino administration has not efficiently done its part on the investigation of the incident causing a large gap between the China-Hong Kong-Philippine relations. With the evidences presented, the group has remained firm on their stand that the government has not yet done any significant action to solve these problems. Typhoon â€Å"Juan†, with â€Å"Megi† as its international name, is the strongest typhoon to hit the country last 2010. It had a wind speed of 250 kph putting 20 provinces on storm alert. Residents of 35 towns in Cagayan were forced to evacuate due to the danger brought about by the typhoon, according to Flores (2010). Cagayan and Isabela were placed on the highest storm signal and experienced strong winds. Some residents living in low-lying areas of Cagayan valley voluntarily evacuated while equipment in preparation for the typhoon were positioned in Northern Luzon (De Leon, Reyes, Hachero, Bengco ; Naval, 2010). Juan dumped heavy rains over Manila after leaving at least 11 people dead and 32 million pesos worth of damage to road network and other infrastructures. Data from National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) (as cited in â€Å"‘Super Juan’ leaves 11 dead†, 2010) showed 10, 434 people from 57 barangays in 27 municipalities and one city in Northern and Central Luzon were drastically affected by the typhoon. After this unpleasant incident, relief operations were provided to residents of the affected regions. Vice President Binay offered the typhoon victims PAG-IBIG financial assistance. The PAG-IBIG fund was directed to allot 200 million pesos under its calamity loan program for the victims of typhoon â€Å"Juan† (Barcelo, 2010). Cauayan, Isabela, one of the worst-hit areas of the typhoon, (as cited in â€Å"DSWD secretary flies to Isabela†, 2010) was personally visited by the DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman and DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo to assess the damage caused by typhoon â€Å"Juan† and to provide the victims of 11. 96 million pesos worth of relief goods. These relief goods consist of 5,000 food packs, tents, noodles, and 1,000 boxes of high-energy protein biscuits. In Cagayan Region alone, 3. 2 million pesos worth of relief assistance was provided by the DSWD. These information from readings have greatly helped the group be informed of the devastating effects that Typhoon Juan has inflicted on the different areas of Luzon, the innumerable injuries and deaths the typhoon has caused, and the programs and operations that the government has implemented in order to aid the victims of the said typhoon. Moreover, these readings have proven that the Philippines lack preparedness with regards to handling the wrath of natural calamities. At the height of the terrorist attacks threatening the Philippines, the Filipinos themselves turned out to be ignorant of the terrifying assaults intended for the country. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta even said that â€Å"there is no imminent threat, there is no information which says that there is an impending attack† (as cited in â€Å"Terror Incognito†, 2010, p. A12). The nation also appeared to have no access to the information disseminated by the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and eventually France, when these countries advised their respective citizens to stop travelling to the Philippines because of a possible terrorist strike (â€Å"Terror Incognito†, 2010 ; Yap, Zamora, Papa, Bordadora ; Fernandez, 2010). The Australian Embassy even noted that â€Å"reliable reports indicate that the terrorist attacks might be imminent in Metro Manila, including places frequented by foreigners† (as cited by Brago, 2010, para 3). British and US authorities likewise declared that these menacing terrorist threats could happen anytime in Manila. Speaker Sonny Belmonte then explained via phone interview, â€Å"We are calling to our allies, especially their intelligence agencies, to share with us what they know, what this is all about† (as cited in Ubac, 2010, p. A8). Even though six countries have already warned their residents of the forthcoming attacks, Pazzibugan, Papa and Esplanada (2010) stated that â€Å"Filipino security officials downplayed the alerts. These related materials have proven that the Philippine government, along with the Filipino citizens, were ignorant of the threatening terrorist attacks, when other nations deem that the Philippines itself is the cause of chaos. Upon discovery of the root of this problem, the Philippine police and the other security groups in the country have not exercised their duties to protect and serve the Filipinos. With these, the group’s stand concerni ng the performance of the Aquino administration, particularly the police and military, has been further strengthened. Aside from these, due to the numerous incidents of kidnapping in the Philippines, the country has earned the title â€Å"Kidnap Capital of Asia. † The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism describes kidnapping in the country as â€Å"†¦ a virtual cottage industry in which little capital and apparently equally little risk can mean millions of pesos in profits† (as cited by Clayton, n. d. ). For years, this problem has been a major hindrance to the growth and development of the country. With this, many Filipino citizens requested that Republic Act 9372 or Human Security Act of 2007 should be fully supported and implemented because this is one way of preventing the surge of kidnaps in the country (Samonte, 2010). In remote places in the Philippines, there are rampant kidnapping incidents involving wealthy and powerful political families. In Cotabato, two people were killed when gunmen abducted the wife of the prominent local trader, Lucio Tan. At the age of 50, Conchita Tan was riding their car, and was about 30 meters away from their home when she was seized by about six car-riding suspects. It was said that Conchita’s bodyguard tried to prevent the kidnapping and even traded fire with the suspects, but Conchita ended up dead together with her driver (Fernandez, Senase ; Alipala, 2010). In Valenzuela City, on October 17, 2010, a criminal gang released eight kidnap victims of which seven are schoolchildren. At around 6:30 in the morning of October 14, the father of the three children and their four cousins were snatched in the said city. The victims were said to be Chinese-Filipinos or Tsinoys. According to Felipe (2010), it was the fifth kidnap-for-ransom case since President Aquino has assumed office last June 30. Meanwhile, the charred body of Venson Evangelista was discovered by a farmer in the remote barangay of Buliran, Cabanatuan City on January 14, 2010. The body has been burned with the use of kerosene and rubber tire. It was found out that a 9 mm pistol was used to kill Evangelista. The same situation also happened to another car dealer, Emerson Lozano and his driver, Ernane Sensil, whose bodies were found in Porac, Pampanga and La Paz, Tarlac, respectively. Central Luzon police director, Chief Supt. Alan Purisima said, â€Å"Probably, only one group did it. It’s positive that the body found in Cabanatuan was Venson Evangelista’s† (as cited by Galang ; Pazzibugan, 2011, p. A18). Using these information, the researchers have found out that the crime of kidnapping is one of the most devastating setbacks of the country’s security concerns. Through the years, it has remained as one of the most frequently committed crimes in the Philippines. Even though the government has plans to alleviate the various crimes in the country, it is evident that their efforts to stop kidnapping incidents in the country are futile. This part of the paper, in summary, tackles the various topics concerning the specific subjects of the study. It includes the presentation of the Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA) as a socio-economic organization, and the enumeration and investigation of some of the worst man-made and natural disasters that plagued the Philippines under the Aquino administration. In addition, it also discusses PSA’s appraisal that the Philippines is the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. Based on the timely data and information gathered through broad research, the group has formulated their analysis and interpretation of the most dangerous disasters that have occurred in the Philippines. In addition, the group’s views regarding the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† are discussed in this part of the paper. Authors’ Stand on the Assessment Presented The following are the worst disasters that have occurred in the Philippines that served as the bases of PSA in its assessment of the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. On November 23, 2009, an estimate of 100 gunmen associated to Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. allegedly abducted in broad daylight a convoy of aides and relatives of a rival politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, and a group of journalists, as they headed for the local Commission on Elections office to formally file Mangudadatu's certificate of candidacy (COC) for the position occupied by Ampatuan Sr. then. Hours later, news broke out that the convoy had been massacred, with 58 people dead because of senseless slaughter and mutilation. This incident has left many people speechless as words failed to convey the outrage felt by those who were horrified by the said tragedy. Families who lost their loved ones on the said mishap continuously grieve and fervently pray that justice be served to them accordingly. What happened to their kin, especially to the female victims, who were said to be sexually-abused before getting killed, was so barbaric that the group, as well as the Filipinos all over the country, could almost feel their pain and anguish. The Ampatuans, long before the incident, were already suspected of being involved in unsolved killings in particular areas and regions in Maguindanao. Many were also affected by their acquisitiveness and their desire for power. Unfortunately, the people in Maguindanao were afraid to testify or file cases to the Ampatuans as they believe that the Philippine government will not be able to protect them from reprisal. The government takes a part of the blame for the brutal killing of several people, all of which were innocent. The past administration headed by former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was still not able to dismantle the ruthlessness in Mindanao. The government has failed to solve the cruel cases that take place in Mindanao almost everyday. Their handling of the situation weakened the people’s already fragile trust in supposedly democratic institutions as the government gave a disorganized response to the circumstances. However, as Pres. Noynoy Aquino took oath as the President of the Philippines, the Philippine government was still not able to pursue more critical investigations of the said massacre. As a result, the families of those who were killed last November 23, 2009 still continue to grieve as no justice is given to them. Although Ampatuan Jr. , with the other people involved in the crime, remains in jail because of his inhumane act, the victims’ mourning families still firmly desire to punish him more severely for putting an end to 58 innocent lives. The group believes that the frightening incident should spark meticulous going reforms not only in the region, but in the whole Philippines as well, more than merely disarming the private armies the national government truly needs to foster authentic participation by the marginalized sectors in governance. Additionally, the government needs to initiate programs and policies to give power to the poor by establishing anti-poverty measures such as asset reforms so that the poor would no longer be dependent on politicians, local warlords or traditional political families or more commonly known as trapos. More importantly, the Aquino government needs to restore and strengthen rural democratic institutions because these are considered to be the weakest links of governance in the rural areas. These institutions include the people’s organizations which remain unprotected by the government. Also, the private sector and civil society also have roles to take part in the development of these regions especially because multi-sectoral development initiatives that involve the beneficiaries have proven to be successful. If the government pursues genuine development and peace initiatives in these regions, the indigenous peoples would finally be able to pursue economic and governance activities without fearing for their lives. These are among the steps that the group suggests the present administration is expected to carry out to develop the current investigations of this atrocious massacre. Aside from the massacre, the hostage-taking incident that has taken place at the Quirino Grandstand has greatly influenced PSA’s assessment. Twenty-seven Hong Kong nationals who were on their last day of vacation in the Philippines were taken as hostages by ex-SPO2 Rolando Mendoza last August 23, 2010. The police, soldiers, bystanders, and the Filipino people, through the live coverage of the media, altogether witnessed one of the most heinous crimes to be ever committed in the country last 2010. With this incident, nine people died; eight out of the 27 tourists were killed, and the hostage-taker himself was shot, and was later declared dead by the police. Who is to be blamed for this tragedy? Whose fault was it that what should have been a joyful trip for these foreigners resulted to the loss of some of their lives? Were sound judgment and careful planning exercised by the security groups of our country in dealing with the situation then? Certainly, the service provided by the Filipino policemen and soldiers that tragic night was not to the full extent by which they could have prevented the crime or even just lessened the tension brought about by the situation. It is not that they have not done their jobs of protecting the people, but their efforts were clearly not enough to impede the crisis. The media also had the responsibility to be sensible to the people involved in the tragedy, but with what had happened, they appeared to be on the wrong track—they even covered the whole event; even the most sensitive parts of the incident were shown to the public through various media like the internet, radio and television. This crime has created a wide gap between Hong Kong-China and the Philippines as the former believes that the latter does not deserve its trust again because of what has happened. Not only that, but news about the hostage-taking did not only distress the Filipinos; it was even aired in international news channels like the CNN and BBC. This alarmed even the other nations, and with this, they were disturbed and were eventually convinced that the Philippines is an ill-fated nation, that the country is not a good place to visit at all. Worse, various photos and videos of meddlers in the crime scene, some college students and police officers themselves, were posted online for the world to see. This even triggered an angrier crowd from all over the world. Due to this, other people from the different races deemed that all Filipinos are not hospitable nor peace-loving; nevertheless, they do not pay respect to the victims of the tragedy. The current investigations of the Philippines regarding the hostage-incident are slow-paced as the country is negotiating with the Hong Kong government. Both parties could still not agree with how they will investigate and with how they will push through with the operations regarding this crime. The group sees that the cause of this delay is the ruined relationships of the two parties involved. The Philippines, under the present administration of PNoy, has been trying to offer many benefits for the families of the eight Hong Kong nationals who were killed. However, the Hong Kong government demands more than what the Philippine administration could offer. Because of this, both the Philippines and Hong Kong conduct their own investigations without the help of each other, making the examination of the Quirino Grandstand hostage incident stagnant. As of now, the Philippines is facing the challenge of rebuilding its reputation which was destroyed in just a snap of a finger. It is truly difficult to regain the trust of other nations, especially Hong Kong and China, after what has occurred. Moreover, it is hard to revive the glorious days of the nation after this disgrace. Although the Filipino citizens are in the verge of being torn apart by malice and controversy, all of them can still contribute to uplift the Philippines’ image. Each Filipino, regardless of age, gender and social status can take part in the mission of changing the way the rest of the world sees the country. Even in the simplest ways, the researchers can help their motherland recover from this misery; they can make others realize that what one man did doesn’t necessarily reflect what a whole nation of Filipinos is. On the other hand, Typhoon â€Å"Juan† (international name Megi), being the strongest and most destructive typhoon to ever hit the Philippines in 2010, has caused devastating damages to several provinces in Luzon, especially to Cagayan and Isabela where the typhoon’s wrath was felt the strongest. The typhoon caused 11 deaths, millions of pesos worth of damages, and many people homeless just a few months before the Christmas season. Could these damages have been prevented or just even lessened? What would then happen to those people who lost their loved ones and their homes? What more could the government do to help these people get back on their feet? Indeed, the government has been there to offer donations to those victims of the natural disaster as it has always been the first one being seen or heard in news, yet does their work stop there? Quite disappointing as it is, their jobs do not stop there, unlike what they believe so. The government is divided into many departments and branches that are interrelated well enough, so devastation this massive is not expected. In the Philippines, it is widely known that the months of September to early November fall under the rainy season, so the government could have been more prepared for the expected typhoon that would hit the country. The government could have started programs that would educate and prepare people on what to do in situations like this because prevention of these catastrophes is always better than alleviating the problems it causes and entails. The government could also have built concrete roads and stable infrastructures in the calamity-prone areas of the country so that rescue and relief operations could reach disaster-struck areas quicker and these services could be provided more efficiently. After the massive destruction of the typhoon, the government could help the people live normally again by providing them livelihood projects and â€Å"payment† for the damages so that people can get by and grant scholarship and health benefits as well. Instead, what the government does is give short-term relief to the people greatly devastated. After a week, when the relief goods have been consumed, what will the people do? In the end, what they need more is a greater â€Å"push†Ã¢â‚¬â€a push that combined with their own efforts, will result in greater and long-term benefits that will get them their lives back on track. In contrast to this natural calamity, the Philippines has also been threatened by terrorist attacks which caused chaos not only among the citizens of the country but among the people of the world as well. Despite all the actions taken by six countries—Great Britain, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France—the Philippine government continued to ignore the imminent terror attack on the Philippine territory. With this, how can the Philippine government protect its citizens from danger if they, themselves take no notice of the threat? In an interview, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III unfortunately uttered out loud two distinct possibilities behind the Philippine government’s unclenched reaction. The first probability is that, maybe, the information is unreliable and is therefore wrong. The Aquino administration is conveying an almost cavalier attitude toward it. It isn’t true—that is the government’s story, and they’re sticking to it despite the urgency with which the six countries are dealing with the information. The other was that those alarmed countries had the information, and did not share it with the Philippines. â€Å"There were several countries that discussed this among themselves, and we are the targets and lots of these people are our allies. I think we should have been informed† the President said (as cited in â€Å"Terror Incognito†, 2010, p. A12). It transpires that the Philippine allies failed to let the Philippines know about the danger, and the government took it personally. With the said possibilities, the nation cannot afford to let down its guard, but what did the Aquino administration do? Instead of providing security to the country, they chose to turn their back on the issue. For the Philippine government to put pride before the safety of its people, that scenario would be the most threatening of all. Whether this rumor turns out to be real or not, it is still essential to deal with this threat as the real thing. In a generation where small pieces of information can be as potent a destroyer as the explosives themselves, it is the government’s first duty to ensure that its citizens are safe, even if it looks like jumping the gun, even if it looks like they are erring on the side of caution. It is the correct response, no matter what. It is the welfare of the citizens that should be first taken care of by the government, and not the interest of the economy. Besides, the Philippines is not in such a precarious situation, that it cannot afford to protect the people before the businesses at stake. These terror threats may be real or ot, but it only in knowing the truth about this crucial issue can the security of the country and its people be truly served. Another basis of PSA in labeling the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† is the high rates of kidnappings in the country. The Philippines, being plagued by frequent kidnapping incidents, does not only mark a scar on the country’s face to the whole world. This even creates a barrier that prevents foreign trade, foreign investments, and tourism of the country with the rest of the world. Because of this, the growth and development of the country slows down and is feared to come to a complete halt someday. Any person, regardless of age or gender, may be a victim of this crime. Based on the data gathered, the kidnapping of various people including politicians, local traders, schoolchildren, Filipino-Chinese people, and car dealers defines that no one is exempted from being kidnapped. Kidnapping for ransom forces one to choose between his/her life and his/her money or properties, but in some unfortunate cases, both his/her life and his/her possessions were lost. A concrete example was Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano’s case: they were shot dead and burned, giving up not only their cars but also their precious lives. The government should strictly implement more laws regarding the crime of kidnapping so that it could be prevented. Also, intensive investigations should be prioritized to solve the alarming rates of kidnapping cases not only in the densely-populated areas of the country, but even in the rural places in the Philippines. The increasing number of kidnappings defines that the police are not executing their duties proficiently. The police evidently outnumber the kidnappers, but if they don’t act immediately, the situation will be turned and there would be more kidnappers than policemen. Scars cannot be healed hastily; they need time to be restored. Likewise, the Philippines needs a strong medication to repair all the scars gashed by the blades of kidnapping. With these catastrophes, issues and controversies, the PSA has dubbed the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† since the country has evidently remained incapable of handling the wrath both natural and man-made disasters bring. The Philippine government and the Filipinos themselves have been struggling to face the aftermath of the misfortunes faced by the country at present. With the various proofs that emerged from this research, the group has agreed with the Pacific Strategies and Assessment’s assertion of the Philippines as the most disaster-prone area in Asia, therefore labeling the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. Furthermore, the group deemed that the Aquino administration was not able to handle all the said adversities effectively since the effects brought about by most of the disasters are still not resolved even after months, and even after many years. The slow progress of trials and cases that are still not brought up to court and the temporary and insufficient relief that is offered to the victims of natural calamities have proven that the administration has failed to meet the expected standard of the performance of their duties and responsibilities to the people. The administration may have helped several victims who suffered the complications brought about by the natural calamities in some short-term ways, but it was clearly not enough to sustain the lives of the many people who mainly rely on the aid the government provides. Moreover, it has not been able to help the victims of the crimes and their families find justice for the prejudice they suffered. Aside from these, the Philippines continues to be a country unaware of the impending danger in their environment causing the Filipinos to risk their lives every single second they spend in the unsecured country. More importantly, the Philippine government has the obligation to serve the Filipino masses by protecting them by all means. Simply, the government should be prepared of every forthcoming disaster since the lives of many of the citizens are on their hands. Disappointing as it is, the government has their own strategies; they wait for the disaster, and after it has already destroyed properties and has claimed lives, they plan what to do. It seems like the Philippine government has never learned from the past administrations; the officials of the country continue to ignore the consequences of their obliviousness. The Philippines has actually gone through many ills: from the typhoons that struck and flooded the country to terrorist threats that alarmed other nations not to visit the Philippines. This leaves no excuse for the Philippine government to be unprepared for these disasters. The government should have at least prepared a certain plan of action in case more disasters loom in the Philippines. Based on these findings, the researchers came up with the following important points: 1. After more than a year since the Maguindanao massacre, the families of the victims still continue to grieve as no recent investigation has been pursued to solve the said case. 2. The Quirino-Grandstand hostage-taking incident clearly did not only ruin the relations between the Philippines and Hong Kong; it also embarrassed the Philippines all over the world. Because of this, investigations of the said crime have been interrupted and delayed. 3. Typhoon Juan has greatly devastated the country, and even after months since it pummelled the Philippines, the Filipinos greatly affected still cannot cope and recover. 4. The terrorist threats in the country were not handled accordingly since the Filipinos, particularly the government itself, were not aware of the situation. . Kidnapping in the Philippines has been rampant for the past few years, and still, the government has not given any concrete explanation with regards to this. 6. The Aquino administration has not been able to present any significant development in the investigations of the said crimes and in its operations during calamities. Conclusions After the thorough analysis and interpretation of the subjec ts of the research and supporting them with the various facts and data gathered, the group has arrived at the following conclusions: 1. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments is a socio-economic organization that specializes in Asian risks. At the same time, it also assists its clients in making reliable business decisions in Asia. Most importantly, it prepares intelligence briefs regarding political and economic situations to its clients like the Philippines. The PSA aims to maximize the advantages and minimize the risks of doing business in places that are often plagued by political, economic and socio-cultural ills. 2. Numerous disasters and catastrophes have indeed wreaked havoc in the Philippines. These include man-made disasters such as the Maguindanao massacre, the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident, the terrorist threats that made some countries exercise a high degree of caution in travelling to the Philippines, and the high and alarming rates of kidnapping cases in the different areas in the country. Natural disasters like the Typhoon â€Å"Juan† also inflicted vast damage in the country. These five disasters have been the bases of PSA in dubbing the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia. † 3. At its rise, the present administration has not performed proficiently. The Aquino administration, in its first few months, has not presented any significant development on the current investigations of the Philippines’ most abhorrent crimes and improvement on its operations in times of disasters like natural catastrophes. Investigations of the Maguindanao massacre, the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident and the different kidnapping occurrences have remained stagnant, while the government’s plan of action regarding the terrorist threats in the country and Typhoon Juan has not been sustained at all. 4. Because the Aquino administration has failed to fulfill its duties and responsibilities to the Filipino citizens in times of disasters and other catastrophes, and the effects of the lack of political will in the Philippines were experienced by many Filipinos, it is therefore righteous for PSA to label the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia. † 5. The group has agreed with PSA’s assessment on the Philippines under the Aquino government as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† since the country has been troubled by spiteful disasters and the administration has not been capable of alleviating the subsequent situations of these problems. Recommendations After an in-depth analysis of the data gathered, the following recommendations are hereby made: 1. Provide a more compelling argument of the reasons behind the PSA’s evaluation of the Philippines. In line with this, the group also recommends further research on the different disasters that have created a devastating mess in the country. 2. Look beyond the Aquino administration’s shortcomings, but also point out the weaknesses of the other people and other organizations involved in the different catastrophes that wrecked the Philippines. References Avendano, C. (August 30, 2010). DOJ chief the only spokesperson on hostage crisis probe – Palace. 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