Capital City Bank Case Analysis Essay

Capital City Bank (CCB) was a medium sized commercial bank owned by a small group of shareholders. Its total employee force numbered nearly 1,000 personnel. Because of the company’s poor performance in recent years, the owners decided to sell their equity to a group of new investors who felt that CCB could be turned around with more aggressive management. The transfer of ownership of the bank was followed by basic changes in bank strategy as well as changes in many key personnel, many of them at the top level. The basic changes implemented by the new management of CCB included a more active pursuit of foreign financing activities as well as a heightened emphasis on lending activities to large corporate accounts. To better implement these changes in basic strategy, CCB was reorganized. NEW ORGANIZATION The reorganization of the bank involved the creation of two new divisions, namely, the Corporate Banking Division and the Trust Division (See Exhibit A). The Corporate Banking Division was given the responsibility of marketing the different loans of the company to large domestic corporations, multinational corporations, as well as to the medium sized companies which had been the traditional clients of the bank. A wide range of credit lines were offered to these accounts such as Direct Advance Line, Import Letters of Credit, Export Bill Purchases Line, Export Packing Credit Line, Domestic Bills Purchase Line, and others. Mr. Vicente Torres, a new recruit from a similar department in another bank in Metro Manila, headed this new division. The Trust Division was charged with undertaking trust services for individual and business clients. A major service assigned to this division was the Common Trust Fund. This involved the pooling of funds drawn from various participants, investing this fund in safe and high yielding investments, and  sharing the returns from the investments among the participants in proportion to the amounts contributed by each. The Trust Division was however to perform only the investment function. The marketing of this service to corporate and individual accounts was entrusted to the Branch Division. The latter also marketed the services of ten branches of the bank located around Metro Manila. THE DEPOSIT DRIVE As a corollary to aggressive selling the various lending and trust services of the CCB, bank management also decided to undertake an effort to increase savings and other deposits in the bank. A deposit drive was launched involving all the employees of the company. A set of rules was drawn up such that all departments and sections of the bank, regardless of whether they performed marketing functions or not, were given points for new deposits brought in to the bank. The drive was to last for six months and the winners would be awarded attractive prizes and bonuses. THE ORIENTAL ACCOUNT Towards the end of the year, one of the account officers of the Banking Division approached Oriental Company with an offer for working capital loan. Because Oriental had been banking with CCB for nearly a year, the account officer offered a P10 million working capital loan to Oriental at 18% rate of interest – at the time considered a â€Å"good† rate for favored accounts. Oriental considered to take advantage of the favorable interest rate offered and availed of the loan. Shortly thereafter, the Branch Marketing group decided to solicit the same account for the Common Trust Fund of the Trust Division. To attract Oriental to participate in the fund, they offered Oriental a 19% return for a P10 million 60-day placement with the Trust Division. The Finance Manager of Oriental was surprised at the disparity between the bank’s lending and deposit rates but decided to take advantage of the Branch Marketing Group’s offer by making the P10 million placement with the Trust Division. It was not until later in the year that Vicente Torres discovered the odd situation with Oriental. He called the manager of the Branch Marketing Group and asked â€Å"How could you allow your traders to offer a higher rate than our lending rate to Oriental? We not only lose money but we also look very foolish to our clients!† The Branch Marketing Group Manager replied that neither she nor her traders knew that the Banking Division had lent to Oriental at 18%. QUESTIONS: What were the causes of the â€Å"odd† situation in the case? THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE FOR THE â€Å"ODD† SITUATION IN THIS CASE IS THAT BRANCH MARKETING GROUP SOLICITED A CORPORATE ACCOUNT FOR A RETAIL ACCOUNT. IF THEY HAD WANTED TO OFFER THE PRODUCT COMMON TRUST FUND TO THE CLIENT, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COURSED THROUGH THE BANKING DIVISION WHO MAINLY TAKES CARE AND HANDLES CORPORATE CLIENTS. THE ERROR OCCURRED WHEN RETAIL BANKING SOLICITED A CORPORATE CLIENT. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO THE ACCOUNT OFFICER HANDLING THIS PARTICULAR CORPORATE CLIENT. What should CCB management do to avoid similar problems in the future? THERE SHOULD BE DELINEATION OF DEPARTMENTS AND THEIR SCOPE. RETAIL BANKING DIVISION WHICH IS PRIMARILY THE BRANCH, SHOULD NOT SOLICIT ACCOUNTS BEING HANDLED BY THE CORPORATE DIVISION (BANKING DIVISION). RETAIL BANKING DIVISION SHOULD CONCENTRATE PRIMARILY ON RETAIL CLIENTS EVEN IF A CORPORATE CLIENT HAS AN ACCOUNT IN THE BRANCH. CORPORATE CLIENTS ARE HANDLED BY ACCOUNT OFFICERS. A CIRCULAR/MEMO SHOULD BE ISSUED STRESSING THE HANDLING OF CORPORATE AND RETAIL CLIENTS. NEW ORGANIZATION OF CAPITAL CITY BANK

What, in your opinion, is the explanation for the events portrayed in Joan Lindsay’s “factional” novel Picnic at the hanging rock?

How does the author bring out, in her writing, a sense of horror and mystery? It will probably never be fully explained what exactly happened at Picnic at hanging rock; but what we do know is that Marion Quade, Miranda and Miss McCraw were never found – not even until this very day. Nevertheless, I do believe that there are some clues that could decipher this inexplicable conundrum. Some of these I shall unravel in this essay. When I finished reading Picnic at hanging rock , I was left in a perplexing trance. Many possibilities occur to me, but the first clue I think is the sighting by Edith of the mathematics teacher – Miss McCraw, wearing no skirt. Possibly, the girls and the maths teacher met up; and perhaps took a short cut in fear they would be late back. Moreover; it has been mentioned several times in the book and film how easy it can be to get lost on the rock, and, as said by Mrs Appleyard – â€Å"the vicinity is renowned for its venomous snakes and poisonous ants†. On the contrary – this still doesn't explain why Miss McCraw was seen by Edith wearing no skirt, and why Irma was found one week later – wearing no corset. Maybe Miss McCraw followed the girls – she did seem very certain of the directions to the rock. For instance, Miss McCraw said – â€Å"You have only to change your route this afternoon and return by the third side. In this case, since we entered the road at Woodend at right angles the return journey shall be along the hypotenuse†. However, if she had followed the girls, why didn't Albert Crundall or Michael Fitzhubert see her? On the other hand, is it possible that Edith Horton could have concocted her sighting of Miss McCraw, just to gain attention ? After all, Edith has been described as greedy and unpleasant from the start; â€Å"I ate so much pie at lunch I can hardly keep awake†. Although this doesn't explain the mysterious circumstances, and the way Irma was found one week later. So what can? There are many implications in the book and the film of paranormal and supernatural goings on – beyond our control. In the book and film, we get the impression of eeriness just as the gates open to the hanging rock. For example, â€Å"†¦a flock of parrots flew out screeching from an overhanging tree†. This metaphorically symbolises something deadly, implying that the parrots are trying to get away from something. In addition, I notice the way in which the author implicates that the rock will lead to something pernicious. For instance; â€Å"Out of the known dependable present and into the unknown future†. This quote obviously represents the fact that what will happen on the rock will change the girls' futures. Correspondingly; fate is mentioned again when it is hinted that what is going to happen on the rock is their destiny. It is as if people are conscious that something is going to happen on the rock. I get this impression from when Irma says – â€Å"Miranda used to say everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place†. The sinister force is practically tangible at the rock, and this is clearly shown by the author. This is felt strongly by Edith as she walks with the other girls, â€Å"It is nasty here†¦I never thought it would be so nasty or I wouldn't have come†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Furthermore; I notice Miranda is mysteriously described as a â€Å"Botticelli angel†, â€Å"swan† and â€Å"gliding† numerous times. Is it likely that Miranda is more than she appears? Is it possible some magical force took over the rock? It seems to be more than a coincidence that everyone's watch had been enigmatically forgotten or had stopped – perhaps time had stopped altogether. It's as if that something malicious was luring the girls to the rock. This could also explain why Irma was found one week later – as she could have been put under a spell. Moreover, in the film we are shown Miranda, Irma and Marion gliding up the rock – however, later on in the film we see someone staggering up the rock, which almost defies the law of physics. On the other hand, what if it wasn't necessarily something magical luring them to the rock – after all the rock is a sacred place and aboriginals could have been infuriated by the way in which the girls walked over it. After all, there are such things hinted – â€Å"Like the beating of far off drums†. Perhaps these drums were those of Aboriginals. We shall never know. Although, this could explain why Irma's nails were so badly torn and broken – maybe this was caused in confrontation with the attacker – as well as being hit on the head. But what happened to the shoes, stockings and corset? Maybe the attacker found them and took them away, to keep as a souvenir of his catch. Moreover – we are still left in confusion about the death of Sara Waybourne. However; I am deeply suspicious about Mrs Appleyard. Her treatment of Sara Waybourne, whom she dislikes intensely, is sadistic in its cruelty. We get this impression from the start, by the way she forbids Sara to go to the picnic, for instance – † I am afraid I will have to send you to bed instead of sitting up until the others return for supper after the picnic†. This evilness fails to be identified by the people around Mrs Appleyard, until near the end. Mademoiselle de Poitiers, was surprised upon the fact that Mrs Appleyard's expression was like â€Å"an evil wind† when the subject of Sara's disappearance was brought up. In addition, Mrs Appleyard was ‘supposed' to have helped pack the most important of Sara's belongings into a basket, but after Sara had ‘allegedly' left, a little basket was seen in the study – â€Å"It flew open and the small covered basket fell out on to the floor†. This obviously indicates that Mrs Appleyard is hiding something about Sara . Furthermore – why did Mrs Appleyard ‘apparently' witness Sara Leaving? When Sara Waybourne was found dead, why did Mrs Appleyard go into Sara's bedroom? To remove evidence? Or is it just a coincidence that Mrs Appleyard committed suicide soon after this occurrence? No. The evidence on this case all points towards Mrs Appleyard murdering Sara – however much you look into it. In order to get the reader to understand the full meaning of Picnic at hanging rock the author needs to create an atmosphere. The author brings out the terror and mystery in many ways – one excellent example of this is Similes and metaphors. After she returns from the rock, Joan Lindsay creates a high level of hysteria in the gymnasium – the atmosphere is almost unbearable. For example: â€Å"Edith's great head was nodding like a mandarins†, â€Å"The ceiling opening up like a flower† and â€Å"chamber of horrors†. The effect of this is the tension is being built up to seize the reader's attention to what is happening. Moreover, another immensely exhilarating use of language is the animal imagery used in this scene. For instance: â€Å"Hyena call of hysteria†, â€Å"claw like hands†, â€Å"fourteen pairs of eyes like hares in cages†, â€Å"sniffing like a terrier†, â€Å"tear her to pieces†, † a cavernous mouth agape†, â€Å"a tuft of scarlet feathers trembled†,† warm sour breath† and â€Å"drooling tongue†. The effect of using animal imagery is so the reader can metaphorically relate to something in comparison to what is actually happening. This helps create terror throughout the scene and make us feel as if the book has come to life. In addition; I also must include the use of colours throughout this scene. For example: â€Å"black sage bloomers†, â€Å"black cotton stockings†, â€Å"scarlet cloak† and â€Å"grey disciplines†. As many of us know, black and grey often symbolises death and ominous circumstances, and these colours have not been used for no reason. However, ‘scarlet' is perhaps used to symbolise blood and it also may be used to represent sexual passion and loss of innocence. Whatever happened on the rock has changed Irma forever. Although – we must be aware of the fact that the author could be twisting things around to grab the reader's attention. When I started writing this essay I was convinced that the missing girls had been lost and looking for a short cut back , however; having thought through my theory, I now see this is not possible, as if it was true how come Irma appeared one week later? My verdict on this is that it shall never be solved. Too much time has gone by, and the protagonists are dead. So, like many other mysteries; this puzzle shall remain unanswered.

Eagle Airlines

[pic] Eagle Airlines Business Decisions with Data Models Assignment on Risk Analysis Team Members: Sfykti Dimitra Goumas Evangelos Manikas Athanasios Papaspirou Yiannis As assigned by Mr. Hadjistelios, President of Eagle Airlines, a simulation analysis is developed in order to evaluate company’s intention to proceed with the purchase of a new aircraft. According to the President’s estimations, the uncertain parameters which affect the annual cash flow are the below; 1. Hours flown 2. Charter Price/Hour 3. Ticket Price/Hour 4. Capacity of Scheduled flights 5. Ratio of charter flights 6.Operating Cost/hour The main assumption to work upon the scenarios is that the numbers generated for the different variables remain the same across the years. Initially, a base scenario is built and a profit-and-loss account for a typical year of operation is derived using the most likely values of the different parameters. Upon construction of the base scenario, the optimistic and pessimi stic scenarios are also formulated in accordance to the assumptions by the President in respect to possible variations to higher and lower values than the most likely ones used for the base scenario.For all three scenarios, the demand/cash flow is calculated revealing a wide range of values (from â‚ ¬273. 180 to -â‚ ¬39. 040) among the 3 possible cash flows. In addition, the one-way sensitivity analysis conducted for all six uncertain parameters demonstrate the impact of each parameter on annual cash flow and by the designation of a scatter plot, we can identify to what range of values every uncertain parameter affects the demand. Upon that, a Tornado diagram is plotted in order to visually demonstrate the range of impact of each parameter.According to the diagram, ticket prices/hour and capacity of Scheduled flights seem to be the two important parameters that most influence the annual cash flow, whereas the ratio of charted flights and operating cost/hour are the ones affect the least. Following this determination, a two-way sensitivity analysis is implemented and the outputs shown in a 3D plot illustrate a one-level relationship between the variables. By assuming that the probability distributions are the ones assessed by Mr. Hadjistelios, a test scenario is run using the @RISK add-in with 50. 00 iterations and the results’ interpretation is described below. Interpretation of results The basic data and the main decision factors to be taken into consideration by the President are raised below in order to provide substantial argumentation for the final business decision. ? According to the given data, the annual cash flow of the base scenario is â‚ ¬46. 184, less than the breakeven point by â‚ ¬7. 513. Therefore, in case the base scenario will actually happen, the company will need more than a 5-year lifetime in order to pay out the investment of the new aero plane. In the optimistic scenario, the annual cash flow is â‚ ¬273. 180 and the difference from the breakeven point is â‚ ¬219. 483. According to this scenario, the investment is highly profitable and will be paid off by the end of the first year while a number of approximately â‚ ¬93. 180 profits will be generated. ? In the pessimistic scenario, the annual cash flow is – â‚ ¬39. 040 and the difference from the breakeven point is â‚ ¬92. 737. , which is a bad scenario but at the same time quite unlikely to happen. According to @RISK analysis, as illustrated in the figure below, some important observations are derived; [pic] The probability that the investment will be profitable within a 5-year lifetime is 73. 4%, meaning that the annual cash flow will be greater than the breakeven point of â‚ ¬53. 697. ? The probability the annual cash flow to be less than the breakeven point is 26. 6%, as presented in the graph above. ? However, it is important to refer that the same probability (26. 6%) applies for the company to generate cash over ↚ ¬96. 511. The above implies the fact that if in one year the cash flow is below breakeven point, this under the same probability can be offset by another year’s revenues. [pic] According to the normal probability distribution, the expected value (mean) is approximately â‚ ¬77. 342 that actually is translated into a â‚ ¬23. 645 return on investment. ? A probability over 50% that the company will generate cash flow of at least â‚ ¬74. 467 (median) which represents the 40% of the aeroplane current value. ? However, another important statistical parameter to be taken into account is the standard deviation of â‚ ¬35. 257 that describes a quite wide dispersion/variability of the probability distribution. ? If we do not take into consideration the discount rate of 15%, then the breakeven point will be 36. 00 (180. 000/5) and the probability of the investment to be profitable is 89%. ? In case the company self-funds the purchase out of the cash surplus of the company, t he investment seems to be less risky since potential deviation from the breakeven point does not imply financial obligations to third parties, such as banks (loans and interest rates). [pic] ? The probability that the investment will be paid off already by the end of the first year is 0. 7% while the probability that the company will generate negative values by the end of the first year is 0. % which seems a quite extreme case, with a smallest value of -â‚ ¬22. 642. [pic] ? However, it should be considered that the company operates a number of business parts and it is being taxed for the total activities as a whole, thus with a tax rate of 33% the actual loss will be â‚ ¬22. 642 * 0. 67 =â‚ ¬15. 170, with the assumption that the company is profitable overall. Another important factor to consider is the operations’ expansions by 33% with the purchase of one additional aircraft to the current equipment of the three twin – engine aircrafts which provide charter f lights and scheduled commuter services.The company may redefine the strategy and decide to add new destinations in the services, currently limited to south Balkans, so as under the promising prospects analysed above, to further strengthen the company’s brand name and grow the Share of Market (SoM). The above can be well justified considering both cases of charter and scheduled flights. On the one hand, in respect to charter flights the company seems to have already identified available ground to grow by further building on the level of service.On the other hand, the scheduled flights, currently holding a percentage of 60%, represent the variable that mostly affects the cash flow, according to Tornado diagram. This in combination with the fact that the company â€Å"had slightly more control over the ticket price per/hour of scheduled flights† demonstrates a high future development potential with a thorough strategy. The critical service category in the context of the n ew investment risk analysis for Eagle airlines to analyze is Scheduled flights.Ticket prices/hour and capacity of Scheduled flights, the two most important and correlated variables, should be in depth evaluated according to the most likely possible estimations. For example, according to the data given, the variability for the price per ticket is greater in the higher values than the lowest ones. However, the actual price per ticket is highly correlated to the capacity/utilization rate and the flight hours. The base scenario argues for good prospects, but a deeper analysis could identify opportunities that Eagle airlines should closely monitor and evaluate in order to maximize its profits.It is important also to refer that according to the estimations, there is no high variability of the operating costs compared to the expected value of â‚ ¬445/hour (only â‚ ¬15 in either direction). Some important facts are given also throughout the case providing additional argumentation over the purchase; Piper Chieftain has been maintained according to the legislations and regulatory environment, is in a good condition and the expected normal use is 5 years with possibilities for more, contains the necessary navigation and communication equipment, and insurance has been included in the fixed costs.The above, in case were unknown, would be important cost factors to analyze and include in the risk analysis assessment. The above analysis argues the business decision to proceed with the investment in the Piper Chieftain, having calculating and evaluating the risks involved while recognising the opportunities.

Nonverbal Communication and Ray Birdwhistell in Ethnographic Films Essay

Nonverbal Communication and Ray Birdwhistell in Ethnographic Films - Essay Example According to ethnographic films, presentation of nonverbal communication may have different meaning to the students. There are student having the difficult while hearing while others are not in a position of interpreting the signs. There teachers should be in a position of distinguishing the nature and type of the signs depending with the environment. Some schools are specialized with the sign teaching to student while others major with the verbal for normal students. During the mixture of the students, the lecturer should also employ the use of the signs and facial expression more than the talking. The ethnographic films addresses some of the issues covering the ethnographic tools that are applied in nonverbal communication. These includes body signs such as facial expression and sign languages. The most important issues are connected to the relationship of the lecturer and their students in school context and how they impact on the education. Therefore, ethnographic films aims in p resentation of the appropriate approach that are essential in the development of the body language especially through nonverbal communication approach. There are student whom have challenges in speaking and were normal previously and other students whom have no challenges in speaking, leads the lecturer to have a good understanding of appropriate expressions that would accommodate the two groups. The issues that are supposed to be considered while lecturing are directly to the understanding of the students and expression of the feelings.

Saudi Arabia - Pestle Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Saudi Arabia - Pestle Analysis - Research Paper Example Political Factors After the recent uprisings in the Middle East, regime stability in the region is under serious threat. Even though there are no serious threats in the near future, Saudi Arabia’s long-term stability has been questioned. The country is facing a dual problem of responding to the pressures of a reform and also having to counter extremist violence in the region. Saudi Arabia has developed a strong Islamic self-identity. Numerous Islamist groups have known to have made the country their home and also they are being funded by affluent Saudis (BBC, 2012). Since recent extremist attacks, political reform has garnered great support. Even though there were elections held in 2005, democracy was not exercised to the fullest as political parties were banned and women were not allowed to vote. Protesters opposing in public call for the risk of arrests and it is from outside the country that the opposition functions. If there would be an uprising similar to the ones in the region, then that would mean disaster for political stability (BBC, 2012). In the near future, political stability is not threatened and the government has taken various steps to ensure citizens are happy. Government spending and wages have increased greatly in the last couple of years. Also, Saudi Arabia is the largest oil exporter in the world, its internal stability is of prime importance to international powers and hence international is expected to take all measures to ensure stability in the country (Zand, 2011). As mentioned, many reforms have been announced on all fronts by the government with a vision to strike balance between modernization and Islamic wisdom (Shaheen, 2010). Freedom of speech has come of age in the recent years, even though there are constraints. The Kingdom’s policies encourage foreign investment and active participation of foreign companies. There are no restrictions on the movement of capital in and out of the country. Foreign investments enjoy t he same benefits (such as tax exemptions, customs duties, etc) as that of national capital as long as they are in accordance with the Foreign Capital Investment Code. A drawback here is that investment should be economic development projects and should accompany technical knowledge (Saudia-Online, 2010). Overall, the country is politically stable and is attractive in business terms but businesses must closely keep an eye on the movements that can influence long-term political stability. Economic Factors The current business cycle stage of Saudi Arabia is that of a retrenchment and restructuring cycle similar to the one witnessed in between 1996 to 2002. In the earlier phase, major restructuring and reforms took place. The major focus of the government was to ensure that key driver of growth was the private sector.

DQ1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DQ1 - Essay Example Within change opposing corporations, the administrators characteristically do not get or take note of the awakening calls unless the signals grow to be so throbbing as well as hazardous that they intimidate the corporation's very existence. At this very early on phase during the change, it is vital to recognize and appreciate what awakening calls subsist, what they denote, also what is being done with all of them by those within the positions to set off a modification attempt. The approach of the leaders has a key influence on the sense made of the information within the awakening call. If the leaders at all levels are mindful and open to culture and altering, they will tackle with the awakening call in a different way than if they are not. The changed line of attack that the leaders eventually blueprint will be resolute by their deepness of considering the wake up calls. This is the foremost instance of reality within the change attempt; it can signify the distinction amid an immediate, external change along with the one that is mindful, resolute, and reflective for one and all concerned ( Dean, 2001, pg 79). For instance, if an organization realizes with time that they need to change, they might never be prepared

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

Kouros - Essay Example This is because of the fact that Kouros statues usually exhibit a supreme form of geometric symmetry, reminding us of the realism and naturalism of the ever famous artworks of the Renaissance Era later in the history of Europe, from which the artworks from this period of Greece became an inspiration. From the measures of the eyes and the face, to the muscles of the body, it can be seen that almost all of the components are very proportionate and exact with regards to the symmetries of the body of a real male youth. In addition to this, most of the Kouros statues usually pose in a certain form: a standing pose with â€Å"their left leg moved forward, their arms close to their bodies touching the side of their thighs...† all depicted â€Å"as simple geometric forms† (Ancient-Greece.org n. p.). One of the main references for the artists to gain symmetry in creating Kouros without utilizing a rigid measurement system was through appropriating proportions in the Kouros using â€Å"heads:† in fact, â€Å"several Kouros exhibit the 1:7 head:body proportions† (Ancient-Greece.org n. p.). Works Cited Ancient-Greece.org. â€Å"Kouros.† Ancient-Greece.org. Ancient-Greece, n. d. Web. 7 May 2011.

Position paper 7 see below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Position paper 7 see below - Essay Example The action to be taken should be determined by a court of law. Killing without trial is only allowed in incidences self-defense or as a necessity to save more lives. That said target killing of terrorists, in my opinion, is an immediate necessity executed with the aim of saving more lives. Therefore, the United States should be allowed to continue killing terrorist based on their intelligence. The benefit of targeted killing is that, unlike an arrest operation, there are fewer risks. For example, in U.S, targeted killing are mostly executed using an automated drone craft. According to Becker  and  Shane (2012), among the counterterrorism tactic applicable, targeted killing has proved to be the most effective in the prevention of terror attacks. A targeted killing meant to kill a leader of a terrorist organization disrupts terrorist organization’s plans to a point of collapsing. For example, killing the Gaza military commander, Salah Shehadeh, prevented six terror attacks he planned to execute in Israel. Base on the outcome of targeted killing Obama’s regime has embraced the tactic as the most effective approach to eradication Al-Qaeda and Taliban members Afghanistan-Pakistan border. However, United States need make targeted killing acceptable in other countries by justifying the tactic. For instance, United States should not engage enforcement operations in a foreign country without their knowledge. Doing so is a violation of peaceful relations and international norms (Taylor, 2013). The government should come up with a set of norms that support targeted killing but upholds and acknowledge the principles of peace. Additionally, the collateral damage that comes with targeted killing need to be considered. Regardless the fear of an attack plot advancing following delays to counterattack, consideration should be given to damage expected. The government need to form policies that validate all operations

Data Analysis Skills for Economics and Accountancy Essay

Data Analysis Skills for Economics and Accountancy - Essay Example Similarly, a higher inflation can also signify that the economy is plunged into a debilitating recession, thus in both cases it is unclear to deduce which country has got a hand over the other. The above histogram describes the number of hours spent on average using a microcomputer in week by the users. Sample population comprises of 370 individuals which is enough to find the normality of the sample data. The histogram has a mean of 10.41 which implies that on average each user spends 10.41 hours in a week on the computer. The standard deviation of 8.993 which is very high and close to the mean value reveals that there are a lot of values which are deviating from the standard mean. These deviations are the outlier which can be confirmed by the maximum value (outlier) of 78. The data set has a range of 78 which implies that the difference between the maximum and minimum value of 78. The distribution of the above graph can not be certainly described as a normal one because it has too many outliers but it can be classified as skewed to left. After classifying the dataset into groups of 15 units we have divided the answers into categories ranging from very high to very low. Since the chi-square tests shows that the asymptotic significance value of 0.653 is greater than the significance level of 0.10 therefore we reach to a conclusion that gender does not affects the time spent by the

Bones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Bones - Essay Example I agree with Mary Kern about bones. The development of bones comprises of three processes bone modeling, bone growth, and bone remodeling. The three processes occur at various stages in an individual’s life. There are three kinds of bone cells osteocytes, osteclasts and osteoblasts. The cells comprise the living component of the bone. In addition, the cells play a critical role in bone remodeling (Plowman & Smith, 2014). I agree with Kim Pappas about the difference in anatomic location and purpose bursa, tendons and ligaments. The ligaments are structures of fibrous, dense connective tissue. In addition, they link the aspects of the bony skeleton and other body organs. The purpose of ligaments is to increase the mechanical strength of the joints, prevent strenuous movement and direct motion. The tendons attach muscle to bone and transport tensile loads from muscle to bone, generate joint movement and preserve the body posture. The bursae are flattened sac consisting of a synovial membrane that has a capillary film of synovial fluid. They are situated at the underlying bone and deeper skin layers between bone, tendons and independent muscles. Their function is to create a protective sleeve around the tendon (Watkins & Mathieson, 2009). I agree with Sheila Eidson about ligaments, tendons, and bursae. The ligaments and tendons comprise of fibers of fibrous type I collagen. They are mostly parallel-fibred, dense tissues. The tendons link muscle to bone and give rigid passive channel for the conveyance of force. The ligaments, on the other hand, strengthen the joint capsule and give passive solidity to the joint. The bursae is a synovial structure that surround tendons and joints in particular positions to permit freedom of motion and normal limb movement. A recurrent pressure or trauma on bursae results in inflammation that causes olecranon bursitis (Ma & Elisseeff,

E-Marketing Strategy-Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

E-Marketing Strategy-Business Report - Essay Example This means heavy investments in inventory and maintenance of the stores. Naturally this makes the end product costlier. In the second model there is no need for an inventory and shipments can be made from the factory maintained central warehouse or other distribution points at lower cost. This is essentially E-Marketing that is less expensive and has a greater reach. Online business has also become a trend with customers preferring this mode for ease of access and ease of payment. Electronic market places allow companies to present their firm and their products on a especially dedicated internet platform. They offer public authorities the possibility to get an overview of the market. Simple forms of electronic market places could be compared with electronic business directories. Combined with an e-catalogue electronic market places can also become a platform that allows public authorities to order products. It is thought that extending business online just means launching a website about the products and/or services of the company. However a successful e-marketing initiative for extending business online the behaviour of the target audience is important. The design of the website has to be appealing; the Content needs to be useful, Search Engine Optimization are necessary for quick access and the features and technology deployed should be easy to use. Once the site is up and running several strategies are to be executed to drive traffic to the site regularly such as; linking with other sites, advertising where necessary, submitting to search engines, etc. Last but not the least there is need to maintain updated and relevant information on the site to retain the interest and loyalty of the customers. E-commerce, although an integral part of extending business in this century, is not something that can be achieved without devoting a decent amount of time and effort. And unless executed with expertise, it is likely to flounder in the abyss of cyber space.

An Analysis of the Cadastral Systems Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the Cadastral Systems Essay There is no prescribed organisational structure to these states, and land administration is a state government responsibility (Dalrymple, Williamson, Wallace, 2003). The South Australia Act was passed in 1834, allowing the Crown to establish one or more colonies in the south-west of what was then New South Wales; however it wasn’t until 1836 that Australia became a political entity of Britain (Painter, 2012). Not long after, New Zealand became a British colony through the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, which proclaimed British Sovereignty over the land. The cadastres in New Zealand and Australia serve a similar primary function of issuing and tranfering title to land, as well as the registration of any interests relating to land (Cadastral Template, 2003). Having both developed from similar roots many similarities exist between the cadastral systems of New Zealand and South Australia, but as the individual countries have matured over years, and changes have occurred within Australia, so to have differences developed between the cadastral systems. This essay seeks to analyse the differences and similarities that exist between the cadastral systems of New Zealand and South Australia. As both New Zealand and South Australia were settled by the British they both adopted a deeds registration system as their initial method of registering rights in land. The Deeds Registration System was based upon the common law rule that â€Å"No man could confer better title then he had† (Hinde, 1971). It was an expensive, time consuming, and complex system that required deeds to be registered, so that title could be derived. Due to the law that allowed only equal title to be passed on, should a previous deed be invalid for whatever reason, all subsequent dealings were also made invalid. In the mid 1850’s Robert Torrens, the Registrar-General of Deeds, introduced his system of land transfer to South Australia, which simplified the flawed system, and provided better security of title (Weir, 2007). The Torrens system was introduced into legal statute through the passing of the Real Property Act 1858 (SA). The other states followed suit, adopting this improved system, by passing of their own acts, as did New Zealand, when it passed the Land Transfer Act 1870. The most important principle of this new system was that registration provides title, and upon registration a registered owner of a fee simple title is granted an indefeasible title, providing the transfer was bona fide (Hinde, 1971). Whilst one of the purposes of the Real Property Act 1858 and the Land Transfer Act 1870 was to abolish the Deeds system, some small amounts of land owned under Deed exist in New Zealand and South Australia, these parcels are usually limited as to parcels or title, and in South Australia the refer to this as the â€Å"Old System†. A majorhisorical difference between the developments of the cadastral systems in New Zealand and South Australia are the considerations given to native or aboriginal title. When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in1840 Maori ownership of their land and properties was recognised. As a acknowledgment of Maoris relationship with the land, customary rights were provided for in the Treaty, which was later converted into Maori Freehold title through the Maori Land Court. However when Australia was settled the land was considered terra nullis and so soverigenty was proclaimed for the Crown, with no consideration given for the aboriginies. It was not until the passing of the Indigenous Natives Act in 1993 that any legal consideration was given to and aborigninal land rights. The Cadastral Survey Act 2002 and the Survey Act 2002 are similar pieces of legislation created by New Zealand and South Australia repectively. They are both concerned with promoting and maintaining the accuracy of the cadastre through the liscencing and registration of surveyors, and the the setting of standards. Both of these Acts require a Surveyor-General to be appointed as a statutory officer to oversee the cadastre, and this position is responsible for the spatial integrity of the cadastre (ICSM, 2011). The Cadastal Survey Act also setouts the functions of Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), of which the Surveyor-General is a component, as well as detailing his other major role, to set the standards which cadstral surverys must abide by. In South Australia however, this later role is undertaken by the Minister for Infrastructure under legislation which has been administered by the Surveyor-General (ICSM, 2011). The integrity of the cadastre is checked through the auditing of lodged plans by liscenced or registered surveyors. In New Zealand this is a function of the Surveyor-General, delegated to a group within LINZ. South Australia operates a slightly different system however with the Surveyor-General responsible for field audits whilst the Register-General is responsible for office audits (ICSM, 2011). Before any plan is registered it is subject to a quality check but there is some variation to the method which this is done. In New Zealand there is both an automatic checking system, as part of LINZ’s validation process, as well as a manual check list for items to difficult to automate (ICSM, 2011). South Australia utilises a two tier system, with checks being made on items deemed critical for issuing title or retaining the integrity of the cadastre. A complete check is made on the critical items on Non Endoresed Plans (relating to the old system) and 7% of Endorsed Plans, with the remaining plans receiving a basic check (ICSM, 2011). Another way through which the reliability of the cadastre is maintained is that all practising cadastral surveyors in New Zealand and South Australia are required to be liscened. In New Zealand liscencing is the responsibility of the Cadastral Surveyors Liscencing Board, with the most common method of gaining a liscence achieved by passing the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) examinations associated with the cadastral component of their membership (CSLB, 2012). In South Australia this is the responsibility of the Surveyors Board of South Australia who conduct their own examinations, and this board also provides the option to become a registered surveyor for non cadastral work too (ICSM, 2011). Licenced surveyors are the only people who can legally sign a cadastral survey, although the do not have completed all the work themselves. In New Zealand there is no restriction on who can do the wor,k or the level of supervision required. In South Australia however, it is expected that graduates will receive adequate supervision from a licenced cadastral surveyor until they are competent, and those who have no relevant training should always be supervised (ICSM, 2011). Although there is no specification for supervision in New Zealand it is common practice for a similar approach to South Australia to be taken, as the liscenced surveyor is responsible for everything that they sign until they are no longer liscenced or have deceased, and so they will want to be sure everything is being done correctly. New Zealand and Australia both maintain an integrated cadastral system. In New Zealand there is a single registry known as Landonline that combines the spatial and textual components associated with the cadastre. The Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB) plays an vital role to surveyors and other land professionals in New Zealand, as it serves as a index of all lodged survey data, has a spatial view of parcels, determines the extents of electoral boundaries, and aids in the validation of lodged surveyed (ICSM, 2011). Survey data for approximately 70% of the parcels in the country have been captured from existing survey plans to improve the quality of the existing DCDB. Points that meet the accuracy requirements are given Survey-accurate Digital Cadastre (SDC) status, which is used to validate new surveys, as well as being a vital tool for surveyors as it assures them of the data accuracy, and simplifies boundary definition. (Haanen Sutherland, 2002). The cadastre in New Zealand is not a legally coordinate cadastre, but can be considered to be a geodetic cadastre. This is due to the strong connection between the cadastral network and the geodetic network. Whenever the geodetic control marks are readjusted following resurvey, deformation, or addition of new or more accurate survey data, readjustment is required to the cadastre too as it connects to this dynamic network (LINZ, 2009). The integrated cadastre in South Australia is split into two separate components, a textual component compromising of legal and fisical information, and a spatial coponent which contains the DCDB and boundaries of the land parcels. These two compnents are linked by unique identifiers associated with parcels, points, boundaries, and polygons (Toms, Williiamson, Grant, 1988). The South Australian DCDB is purely a spatial index and used for a mapping tool. The DCDB does not contain the quality of survey accurate data that New Zealands does, as only around 19% of parcels have surveyed dimensions that can be captured into the dataset (ICSM, 2011). The South Australian cadastre has been undergoing reform, as the cadastral system in Australia consisted of isolated surveys, which were not all on the same referenced to the same network, and effort is being made to coordinate these into a combined dataset. South Australia, by working from the part to the whole (the opposite of the traditional survey concept) is moving to adopt a fully coordinated cadastre that is survey accurate (Cadastral Template, 2003). One of the fundamental elements of a modern cadastre is that all information in the cadastre should be public (Toms, Williiamson, Grant, 1988). In New Zealand the DCDB is not directly accessible by the public, as users have to have a licence to access Landonline, although there is some provision of data to third parties by Land Information New Zeland. Public generally have to go through a licenced surveyor or solicitor in order to get access to data in the cadastre. South Australia has a slightly better provision for the public, enabling a ‘view only’ version of the cadastre available (ICSM, 2011). It is important to not grant full access however, to prevent any unlicenced users from tampering with the cadastre and ruining its integrity. As Australia and New Zealand are very closely related countries it is not unexpected that the cadastral systems present within each nation are quite similar, especially both cadastres serve the same purpose of recording the transfer of land ownership and registering rights in land. The roots of their cadastral systems are traceable right back to the common law inherited rom Britain which has been the foundation for all legal matters in the two countries. However being separate countries, and South Australia having its own jurisdiction over its cadaster, variations do exist as the cadastres have evolved to meet the requirements of the country or state. The major differences existing between the cadastral is the integrated digital cadastre that is present in New Zealand, whilst it is still separated in South Australia, and the levels that the DCD B’s vary between the places.

Electrical Resistance of Different Liquids | Experiment

Electrical Resistance of Different Liquids | Experiment After the invention of electricity by Michael faraday many scientists studied the ways of conducting electricity. It was in the middle of 18th century scientists thought about using liquid as a medium of conducting electricity. In 1808 Sir Humphrey Davy conducted electricity using potassium solutions in ammonia. The experiments were to show the electrical conductivity of liquids, but the reason for this was not explained in his experiments. In 1879 F.Kahlrausch proposed that ions are responsible for the conductivity of liquids. Ions are the building blocks of each molecule defined by its electron number. Ions which formed by the decomposition of minerals and other impurities carry current across the liquid and this is directly proportional to the ionic velocities. These findings were scientifically proven by M.M.Wrobleewisky and Olszweski in 1883 by liquefaction of nitrogen and other minerals from a solution under a pressure of 50 atmospheres showing the presence of ions in solute. The experiments conducted by WG Scaife in 1973 on the natural conductivity of liquids showed that at higher pressures of 2500 bars and above the electrical conductivity of polar solutions decreases rapidly. Even though there is a decrease at low pressures which are not practically measurable. Polar compounds like castor oil, sebacate etc. were used for these experiments and were discovered that the double layer formed at the tip of electrodes was the reason behind the reducing nature of electrical conductivity. While experiments on ionic solutions like Diethyl ether, carbon disulphide, benzene etc showed an increasing trend of electrical conductivity with pressure. This was due to the triple ions formed during the experiment. [1] In the experiments conducted by Alexander, Stoppa, Johannes Hunger, and Richard Buchner in 2009, it was found that the electrical conductivity of ionic solutions is higher than a mixture of ionic and polar mixture solutions. The experiment used potassium chloride (ionic) and non soluble oil base (polar) and the experiments were conducted under constant temperature and pressure conditions. The experiment showed a decrease in resistivity of nearly 1 ohm with an addition 5 wt % ionic compound. This experiment proved that the electrical conductivity depends on the charge density (number of ions) and the resistance to the movement of ions known as viscosity of a liquid [Stokes-Einstein, 1906]. The experiment compared the conductivities by increasing the percentage of ionic molecules in the solution. [2] Experiments were conducted by Aresatz Usobiaga, Alberto De Diego, and Juan Manuel Madariaga 1n 1999 to relate temperature with the electrical conductivity in solutions. HCL Solution (ionic solution) was used for the experiments. Under different temperatures close to the room temperature (292-315K) the solution exhibited an inverse proportionality relation to the conductivity. This correlated to the findings of A I Zhakin in 1995 were KCL which is less ionic compared to HCL was used. The experiment with HCL pointed out that at near to room temperatures resistivity was increased by 5-10% with every increase of 5K. The reason for this behaviour was the increase of viscous properties of the solution and viscosity decreases electrical conductivity. [3] In 2006 J. Vilaa, P. Ginà ©sa, E. Riloa, O. Cabezaa and L.M. Varelab conducted experiments on the electrical conductivities of solutions of aluminium chloride, aluminium bromide, aluminium sulphate and aluminium chromide. These compounds are ionic in nature. The experiments were carried out under constant temperature and pressure conditions. Experiments conducted by increasing the density of solutions showed an increasing trend of electrical conductivity by 10 % on each increase of density. Density was increased by adding 5 wt % aluminium salt into the solution. These increasing trends went until the solution is 50% saturated. The reason for the rise in conductivity was explained to be the increase in ion concentration. The more the ionic compounds present the more the conductivity would be. The results also showed that aluminium chloride which is more ionic than other samples will conduct more electricity at any concentration. But for polar compounds the increase in density resulte d in a decrease of conductivity. [4] J. Vilaa, P. Ginà ©sa, J.M. Picoa, C. Franjoa, E. Jimà ©neza, L.M. Varelab and O. Cabeza in 2005 conducted experiments on aluminium chloride and aluminium bromide for the binary relation on electrical conductivity with varying temperature and density. The experiment used 30% and 60 % concentrated solutions over a temperature range of 250-430K. The electrical conductivity increases with temperature, up to 400 times for aluminium chloride and 52 times in aluminium bromide solutions. But the conductivity decreases inconsistently with the increase in concentration. The probable reason for this controversial result could be the change in the properties of compounds with temperature. This showed that temperature had a greater influence on conductivity than density. [5] METHODS AND MATERIALS Overview of the experiment In order to contrast the electrical resistance of different liquids to expose their ionic or covalent characteristics, the following measures were carried out. Description of the procedural steps Firstly the electrical resistance measurement was set up. Then hundred and fifty milliliters of desired liquid was measured and poured in to a clean beaker. After the power supply was switched on, using the multimeter, circuits current was measured. Then at five minutes interval reading was traced again for three times. After this the average of three recordings was determined. Once the current was computed resistance of liquid was found out using Ohms law. Next the steps were repeated for all selected liquids. Subsequently all the selected liquids were cooled to 18 °C. Finally the above steps were followed for the refrigerated liquids. Materials Overview of mechanism The materials used for the experiment are listed below. Digital Multimeter DC Power supply, 250 ml glass beaker Sample solution of 150 ml Orange juice, 0.01% salt solution, 1% salt solution, 2% milk, and mineral water. Table salt Description of principal parts Digital multimeter Multimeter is an electronic tool which can be used for the measurement of voltage, current and resistance. There are two types of multimeters available. Multimeter which comes with digital display is commonly known as DMM (Digital Multimeter).Main parts of a digital multimeter are measuring probes, adjusting knob and digital display. Firstly the probes are used to get connection between points where we need to measure electrical property. One multimeter got two probes for achieving the connection between two selected points. Secondly the adjusting knob is used to select which property need to measure. It is also used to select the range of values of the results. The digital display helps the user to get accurate readings. It also provides information about different settings used for measurement. The multimeter can be switched on by turning the adjusting knob to desired property to measure. The display will provide us the relevant information. To test the DMM, turn the knob to resistance measuring mode and then touch each end of a copper wire to probe tips. Then the display will show resistance which should be almost zero. Results and Discussion The resistances of different liquid solutions prepared for the research were calculated using the Ohms law equation at room temperature. Observations show the average resistance of different liquid ranged from 26.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ to 1728 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. Among the liquids, orange juice was best conductor (26.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) and distilled water (1728 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) was the worst. The two salt solutions showed almost the same resistances even though higher concentrated gave us a slightly lower resistance. Orange juice The figure 8 chart shows that orange juice is the best conductor of electricity. The resistance for orange juice was found out to be the least during the experiment. We had an assumption that acids are the best conductors because they are ionic in nature. Acids separate into ions when mixed with water and ions are charge carriers. The electrical resistance computed was 26.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ at room temperature. We had also made another assumption that when refrigerated; the conductivity will increase as the ions move slower related to normal room temperature liquid. After refrigeration, the resistance increased slightly to a value of 26.4 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. Even though there was only a small decrease in the resistance value from that of the room temperature, our assumption regarding the refrigerated liquids came true. As studies and experiment done by Aresatz Usobiaga, Alberto De Diego, and Juan Manuel Madariaga in 1999 to relate temperature with the electrical conductivity in solutions [3] supports our results in this section. Salt solution The second best conductor is the salt solution. For the salt solution, the experiments were carried out with a concentration of 0.01% and 0.1% salt. The salt crystals in solid state wont conduct electricity because anions (chloride ions) and cations (sodium ions) are held together. But in a salt solution they are free to move around and thus conduct electricity. The main reason behind conducting this research experiment on different concentration of salt is to study whether it is the density or temperature of the solution that affects the electrical conductivity more. We hypothesized that the density of solution would decrease the electrical conductivity. The 0.01% and 0.1% concentrated salt solution exhibited almost the same resistance value of 35.6 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. But the higher concentrated solution gave slightly less resistance value of 35.3 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ as compared to the other solution. The resistance value of refrigerated salt solution of 0.01% and 0.1% are 115.2 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ and 114.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ respectively. As per the assumptions the higher concentrated solution gave slightly less resistance and the refrigerated solution showed great resistance as compared to the room temperature values. This showed that temperature had a greater influence on conductivity than density. [5] Milk The third liquid tested was 2% milk solution. Milk also conducts electricity but only in a small amount as compared to orange juice and the salt solutions. Electrical resistance of the milk solution was worked out to be 210.3 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ during the experiment at room temperature. Viscosity and density are the other factors that contribute to the poor conductivity of electricity as compared to the above mentioned liquids. The refrigerated resistance value of the milk solution calculated is 211.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. While cooling, the viscosity increases due to the higher voluminosity of fatty acids, proteins, etc. [Website reference: http://www.dairy-science.org/cgi/reprint/80/4/628.pdf]. Thus we came to the conclusion that milk conducts electricity due to their typical covalent bond structure and the presence of fatty acids. Distilled Water Figure 8 shows that distilled water is a worst conductor of electricity. During the research experiment, distilled water showed a resistance value of 1728 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. The reason why liquid conducts electricity is due to the free movement of cations and anions in between the electrodes. For example, in our salt solution test electricity was conducted as the salt readily ionizes to sodium cations and chloride anions which can move freely around in the solution thereby transporting electric charges. In the distillation process water is boiled to steam and the steam is again condensed to water. Nearly all the salts present in the water is thus left out during the distillation process. Thus distilled water is pure H2O. Although pure H2O (distilled water) can dissociate into H+ and OH- ions like salt, it ionizes very rarely therefore exhibiting the property of an insulator. [Citation may or may not be given for the above statements made] Thus from the research experiment carried out we concluded that among the liquid solutions chosen, orange juice is the best electrical conductor and distilled water is the worst. From this we understood that orange juice has more ions present than distilled water (pure H2O). Therefore our assumption regarding acidic solution has high electrical conductivity is correct. Adding to the above results, the density and temperature also affects the electrical conductivity. The more salt added to the solution i.e. more ions added, the lesser the electrical resistance. The assumption regarding temperature as a factor affecting electrical conductivity was correct in some measure as some liquid solutions show higher resistance whereas some show almost the same resistance value with the room temperature values. Discount Retailers: Porters Five Analysis Discount Retailers: Porters Five Analysis In a context of post World War II, there was an economic boom in the USA, driven by the baby boom. The families needs increased, and discount retailing stores started to appear. Their main aim was to operate within low prices, to be able to offer everyday products at a very affordable price. In order to analyse the attractiveness of the discount retailing industry in the USA in the 1950s, we can use Porters Five Forces. Porter (1980:3) stated that competition in an industry depends on five basic competitive forces. As seen below in figure 1. Force 1: The Degree of Rivalry According to Ghemawat (2008), the degree of rivalry is the most obvious of the five forces in an industry [â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦]. It influences the extents to which the value created by an industry will be dissipated through direct competition. With the economic boom, many discount retailers have emerged, especially in big cities (with a minimum population of 100  000). For the already existing supermarkets industry, their customers were used to having a lot of competitors to choose from. That is why the newly emerging discount stores attracted a lot of new entrants. That industry was characterized by an intense competition. The growth of the industry was significant and this factor of high profitability attracted many entrepreneurs willing to open new stores. As a result, in the US cities in the 50s and 60s, the concentration for the discount retail industry was low and the rivalry was intense (factor of industry unattractiveness). The theory says that the rivalry between competitors decreases when the buyers switching costs are high. But in the case of the discount retail industry, the switching costs are almost nonexistent: urban customers have a lot of competitors to choose from and the recent use of the car and the quite low price of the petrol in the 50s allow them to easily change and shop in another store. Also, unlike the supermarkets, discounters sold more or less the same kind of products. The available retailers focused on non-food products, and a competition for price began among the stores, offering a wide variety of household products such as toiletries, appliances, groceries and household goods. Thus, there is a significant rivalry here, characterized by high fixed cost and a lack of product differentiation. However in the 50s, in small towns and rural areas, the competition was not as fierce, as not many discount retailers were willing to open a shop in the countryside. This made that business landscape less competitive. Sam Walton saw an opportunity there, and decided to locate his first Wal-Mart stores there: Our strategy was to put good-sized stores into little one-horse towns that everyone else was ignoring. Force 2: The Threat of Entry Average industry profitability is influenced by both potential and existing competition (Ghemawat, 2008). The Five Forces framework gives 3 basic types of entry barriers: economies of scale, brand identity and capital requirement: Economies of scale: large economies of scale allow providing cheap products to their customers. It is an essential part for a discount retailer, and without it, could represent a real barrier to entrance. Brand identity: the products were standard in nature, and there were little or no differences between discount stores. That means that in the 50s, it was not really a barrier for new entrants. Capital requirements: the threat of entrants is also possible because of the high capital required. Entrepreneurs need high capital (building, equipment) and financial resources to start up a new discount store and this represents a barrier to entry the industry. Moreover, the barrier is much higher when the plan is to set up a stores chain. There are also some other barriers to take into account: Access to distribution: the discount retailer has to find new reliable suppliers, to have a competitive distribution channel. Advertising: it can also be seen as an entry barrier. In order to be known and to attract customers, new entrants need to spend a lot more money on advertisements. In the 50s, the US discount industry was characterized by high price and advertising competitiveness, with little buyer loyalty. To summarize, there were many obstacles for new entrants in the discount retail industry. Force 3: The Threat of Substitutes The threat that substitutes pose to an industrys profitability depends on the relative price-to-performance ratios of the different types of products or services to which customers can turn to satisfy the same basic need (Ghemawat, 2008). Due to the lack of product differentiation and the absence of switching costs, the goods sold in the discount stores can be found in other types of stores. There is a high buyer propensity to substitute. The discount retailer just like any other has to develop strategies to sell at a low costs but this is not the solution. It constantly has to ensure that its products are exactly what the consumer needs. This means that high quality products at an affordable price should also be part of Walt Mat strategy of being competitive, as well as product differentiation. Supermarkets represented a big threat of substitution for the discount stores selling groceries because they were cheaper than the conventional stores chains and they dominated the retail industry in the 50s (Markin, 1968). Force 4: Buyer Power The buyer information availability was almost non-existent. Indeed, nothing in the way of information technology was accessible at that time, either for EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) use or for more sophisticated applications. The bargaining power of buyers is weak when reduced to a single individual, but the demand as a whole is extremely powerful. However, the fact that there were many discount retail industries made each of them weaker against the buyers bargaining power. That power was high in the USA in the 50s: customers could easily walk away and go to another shop (low switching costs). In the post World War II years, US consumers became educated in the merits of self-service, low price shopping via the spread of supermarkets. The customers price sensitivity was then high, because of the high product standardization, they could find their products in every discount retail. The buyer loyalty was low. Force 5: Supplier Power In the US discount retail industry in the 50s, the suppliers power was much stronger than today, because of the RPM (Resale Price Maintenance). The RPM was legal at this time and gave the right for the suppliers to set the final price of their products (price sometimes printed on the product). It was virtually impossible for retailers to pass on the benefits of more efficient operations to customers via lower prices. Thus, in the 50s the strong suppliers power was a criterion of unattractive industry. After the analyze of the US discount retailing industry in the 50 through Porters Five Forces, it can be inferred that this industry was not attractive, due to the high new entrants barriers, the level of competition in the cities, the threat of substitutes, and the high buyer and supplier powers. However, it is possible to slightly alter this statement: although the competition was tough in big cities, it was easier to set up a shop in the rural areas, where the degree of rivalry was lower. As a consequence, the different threats and barriers that looked like an insurmountable challenge in the cities were no longer impossible to overcome in the countryside. QUESTION 2 Every business has to adopt a business strategy, seen by many authors as the Paradox of Markets and Resources. The strategic management process means defining the organizations strategy. Managers have to make choices and set up strategies for the company that will enable it to achieve better performance. It is also sometimes referred to as a Business Model. Porters theory The Outside-In Perspectives key features are the positioning activities and the Value Chain, which will define a strategy through different business choices. This model is supported by the key protagonist Michael Porter (1996). Porters Generic Strategies  Model According to the chart above, we can identify Wal-Marts positioning strategy. Wal-Marts main strategy is characterized by its low cost policy, accessible to anyone. It can then be put in the cost leadership strategy strategy. However, with particular attentions for its customers (more than its direct competitors), Wal-Mart also plays a differentiation strategy, and delivers an excellent customer service. With the analysis of Wal-Marts value chain given above, a description of its key value drivers can be done. Every companys activities mapped in the value chain can be a possible source of competitive advantage but its the way they are cheaply performed and combined that will create competitive advantage and value for customer. In 1985, Porter suggested the value chain, which regroups functions into support and primary activities. The value chain is divided into 5 primary activities and 4 support activities. These activities can be linked and connected to the value chain to determine some factors of a competitive position and show how these activities add value to the consumer. Wal-Mart: the Value Chain According to the Wal-Mart value chain, two main support activities show that Wal-Mart uses a differentiation strategy through its human resource management and its technology development. The use of the technology is coupled with the inbounds logistics activity and the operations. Indeed, Wal-art was a pioneer in applying information and communications technology to support decision making and promote efficiency and customer responsiveness. (Zarbo, 1998) In the early 1980s, Wal-Mart invested over half a billion dollars to boost its computer and satellite network systems. They added barcode systems, scanners and other near-real-time technology to link cash registers in every store into one unified link. From the instant a sales transaction takes place, data simultaneously flows back and forth from stores world-wide to Wal-Marts distribution centres, its headquarters in Bentonville, and to Wal-Marts suppliers in a continuous, informative loop. In addition to offering Wal-Mart an environment that monitors and shares its current inventory trends with external vendors, this technology, through a sophisticated network which bridges individual stores, identifies the most efficient way to manage the distribution of its products internally. Moreover, a good example of Sam Waltons early understanding of the importance of technology is its current development and use of an automated distribution system known as the Retail Link. This system shares sales information with Wal-Mart suppliers to ensure that customers always find the shelves well stocked at their local Wal-Mart store. Retail Link allows Wal-Mart suppliers to dial-up and retrieve the history of important sales data from the last 56-weeks worth of sales. Over 4,000 of Wal-Marts suppliers access this service averaging approximately 10,000 queries a day (Zarbo, 1998). The large database of purchasing information enables Wal-Mart to set the right item at the correct price and in the right store. Concerning the human resources management at Wal-Mart, it is considered as very efficient. Sam Walton calls his employees his associates. They are an important part of the Wal-Mart family. The relationships between Wal-Mart and his associates are based on respect, high expectations, autonomy, close communication and clear profit incentives. Through its superior management and communication, Wal-Mart created an advantage. The Marketing and Sales activity is also a crucial point for the company. Wal-Mart has been founded on Sam Waltons belief that: There is only one boss: the customer. Indeed, the basic principle of Wal-Mart was to cut prices, and was thus well below its competitors, enhanced by its slogan Everyday Low Prices. This confirms the companys low cost strategy. In summary, the key value drivers of Wal-Mart match each other to lower the costs. Every activity is involved in cost reduction and that is why we can say that Wal-Marts value chain is very coherent with its cost leader positioning strategy and customer focused value for money approach. Barneys theory Firms obtain sustained competitive advantage by implementing strategies that exploit their internal strengths, through responding to environmental opportunities, while neutralizing external threats and avoiding internal weaknesses. Barney, 1991 The Resource-Based View (RBV) focus on strategic resources as the determinants of a competitive advantage. Those strategic resources are valuable because they allow to achieve superior performance (e.g. accumulated knowledge, or resources impossible to replicate). Grant, the key protagonist of the RBV theory focuses on resources, organisational features and capabilities. In the model, resources must be rare, valuable, inimitable and unsubstituable. Although, intangible resources can create the most competitive advantage, as they are harder to copy by competitors. The chart above reviews Wal-Marts tangible and intangible resources. The firm possess many intangible resources, which made its model hard to copy for competitors. So according to the RBV, Wal-Mart has some real competitive advantages here. QUESTION 3 Tetra-threat framework The Tetra Threat Model was first proposed by Ghemawat (2008). This model helps to determine the level of each threat category, in order to try to reduce their impact. This model can be used to identify what are the threats against Wal-Mart competitive advantage, and how it can sustain itself among the other discount retailers. Threat of Imitation Wal-Mart set up large barriers to overcome it: Scale economies: efficient hub-and-spoke distribution system; high volume purchases, strong dealing power with suppliers; national and regional economies of scale. Learning/private information: a significant effort has been made in understanding the operation of the discount retail industry. Wal-Mart has the right know-how to improve its logistics, reduce storage space, and incentive its people to work efficiently. Switching cost/relationship: due to its pricing policy and experience, Wal-Mart is able to offer inexpensive products to its customer (low switching costs). They also possess strong relationships and sustainable contracts with their suppliers (bargain power due to Wal-Marts size and partnership through data sharing and communication networks). Threat of retaliation: Wal-Mart has a strong reputation of fierceness. The local managers ability to adapt their prices to the local competition is a strong advantage to always have the lowest prices on the market. Time lags, upgrading and strategic complexity: the Wal-Mart business has been built upon the years, and accumulated years of knowledge and experience. Thus, they now own a very complex logistics and technologic system, and upgrade it constantly. To summarize, the imitation threat is not a real danger to Wal-Mart. It has raised many insurmountable barriers for its competitors to overcome. They do not have the sufficient knowledge to do it, or it will take them so much time, that by the time they catch up with their goal, Wal-Mart will already be way ahead of them in terms of innovation and technology. Wal-Mart has here a real sustainable advantage. Threat of substitution Substitution reduces the demand for what a firm uniquely provides by shifting the demand elsewhere. It is the most difficult threat to predict. However, Wal-Mart has developed many strategies to overcome that threat. The chain best answer to the substitution threat has been to own numerous substitutes on the discount retailing industry, such as warehouse clubs, supercenters and neighbourhood markets. Its mobility across format is a successful alternative against substitution threat. However, Wal-Mart has demonstrated being very good at scanning the landscape broadly and understanding underlying customer needs. It has continually been studying the competition in order to be responsive in fighting the upcoming threat. Finally, thanks to its low cost competitive advantage, Wal-Marts cheap prices restrain many competitors to enter a fight with the discount retailer giant. Threat of Holdup Holdup refers to customers, suppliers, complementary organizations, or other industry participants capturing value created by the focal company through the exercise of bargaining power. Concerning this threat related to Wal-Mart, two aspects can be distinguished: suppliers and employees. First, Wal-Mart has a total control over its suppliers, even the largest ones (e.g. Procter Gamble), in order to restrain their hold it up value. However, the holdup can be found the other way around: Wal-Mart ask its suppliers to closely integrate into their system and requirements. The requirements that Wal-Mart imposes on its suppliers extends well beyond low prices. Increasingly, the chain has involved itself in its suppliers employment policy (workplace safety, working hoursâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦), making Wal-Mart possibly pose a threat of holdup to them. Nonetheless, labor holdup can be considered as a real issue. With a weak percentage of union penetration, employees abuse (low wages, unpaid overtime, discrimination) are widespread. As a result, it depicts a negative image of the company, as well as employee demotivation and turnover. Wal-Mart should take into consideration this aspect to avoid a labor holdup. Threat of Slack Slack tend to dissipate value within the firm, and is not easy to identify. It regroups all form of inefficiency. However, this is not a big threat to Wal-Mart. In fact, there is a high organizational effectiveness within the human resource management. The relationships with the associates is based on respect, high expectations, close communication and clear incentives. Everything is done to motivate the staff and increase their loyalty to the firm. Finally, according to Casadesus-Masanell and Ricart (2007), protection against slack comes from the right mix of incentives and monitoring. As it is drawn in this analyse, Wal-Mart has develop strong responses to threats from imitation, substitution, holdup and slack, setting mechanism which allowed Wal-Mart to sustain its competitive advantage. QUESTION 4 The Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm (1981) of Foreign Direct Investment (also known as the OLI-Model) sets up 3 conditions that a company has to meet in order to engage in foreign operations: Ownership advantages, Location/Country-specific advantages and Internalization advantages. This theory will be used to contrast Wal-Marts entry into the German market in 1997 and into the UK market in 1999, in the following table. Wal-Marts entry into German market UK market Acquisitions (1997 and 1998): 21 stores Wertkauf ($1.04 billion) 74 hypermarkets Interspar (‚ ¬560 million) Both were renamed Wal-Mart stores. Acquisitions (1999): 219 outlets Asda ( £6.7 billion) Kept its name. Ownership Advantages Wal-Mart owns several intangible assets, which will allow it to overcome the costs of expanding abroad. These intangible core competencies are: Dominant clothing/textile and food retailer on the US market Every week, around 100 million shoppers frequent its stores Its 2003 turnover is 3 times bigger than Carrefours, the worlds no. 2 retailer (Knorr and Arndt, 2003) Internationalization experience: more than 1100 outfits abroad, which leads to considerable experience and management learning from a portfolio of stores in diverse markets Wal-Marts Retail Link-system (backbone of its sophisticated inventory management and logistics infrastructure) Operating the worlds biggest private satellite communications system (to track sales, to replenish inventories, to process payments in real-time) Wal-Marts retail proposition of everyday low prices, good customer service, wide assortment and community values High customer service levels, strong organizational culture, efficient logistics operations Location Advantages Location advantages are the factors in a foreign country that lead the company to make profits on its FSAs. Germany accounts for around 15% of Europes $2 trillion-a-year retail market German GNP: ‚ ¬2 trillion 80 million customers: biggest national retail market in Europe Germany is meant to be its bridgehead into Europe After its acquisition, Wal-Mart became the countrys fourth biggest operator of hypermarkets (Knorr and Arndt, 200) Politically stable country Economically powerful with big family incomes Very similar culture and social laws between UK and the US Internalization Advantages A firm possessing an advantage can either use the advantage itself (internalize it) or lease the advantage to other firms. The FDI decision depends on which option presents the best net return. Internalization also allows avoiding transactional costs. Internalization is the option chosen by Wal-Mart in many countries: Closer control by the Wal-Mart management (full control strategy) Economies of scale Sharing of the organizations knowledge and management capabilities to the new business According to the OLI-Model, implementing Wal-Mart stores in those two countries could really help the US firm to set a foot in Europe. Wal-Marts goal is to be the number one in every market in which it operates. Its international retail model equates to the aggressively industrial model. However, despite a bright success in the UK, the German venture has been unprofitable, and led it to exit the country in July 2006. What are the reasons for Wal-Marts failure and success? The reasons for Wal-Marts: Failure in Germany Success in the UK Acquisition of the wrong German companies Acquisition of the adequate UK company First, the German acquisitions have been very costly for Wal-Mart. The German market in renowned for its minimal profit margins and price-led strong domestic competition. Wal-Mart entered Germany at a time when the grocery market was saturated. At the time, Aldi was its major competitor, already holding a strong share of the discount retail segment. Wal-Mart now possessed 2 small disparate retail chains with different organizational structures and a heterogeneous portfolio of stores (the Wertkauf was a highly centralized family store) (Fernie et al., 2006). As a consequence, Wal-Mart did not have enough impact on the German market. For example, nearly 80% of the population did not have access to a Wal-Mart store (bad geographic penetration). Moreover, the patchy geographical coverage of Wal-Marts meant that its nationwide competitors have been able to adopt a zone pricing policy to compete on price in specific local markets. The weakness of the German economy in those years, coupled with the increased prominence of discounters, has reinforced this trend and discounters now account for 30% of the German grocery market and have been growing at 5% per year in a static market. Wal-Marts market share of 1.5% is dwarfed by its major competition (Fernie et al., 2006). There is a strong price competition where price leadership is already occupied by discounters. Asda was already a major discount retailer player before the entry of Wal-Mart. In fact, it was the third major grocer in UK in 1999. Wal-Mart acquired a well-established retail chain and Asdas management had already applied Wal-Mart practices to its corporate culture (Fernie et al., 2006). Asdas marketing, operations and organisational culture mirrored that of the US giant (Burt and Sparks, 2000) and was regarded as good strategic fit. Wal-Mart strategy for UK was to build on these similarities. There has been a high degree of stability throughout the chain during the merger, especially at store level, which facilitated the transition. Wal-Marts takeover also increased Asdas supply chain efficiency and improved its stock availability. Government regulations The German market had a strict legal and institutional framework, often ignored by Wal-Mart. German labor regulations are very different from these in the U.S. : obstacle to embrace the Wal-Mart culture. For example: The zoning regulations impose severe restrictions on the construction of large-scale store Restrictive shopping hours regulations: legal maximum of 80 hours/week store opening hours. Sunday and holidays openings are not permitted Fair trading and antitrust laws contain some important restrictions for retailers pricing policies: it forbids merchants to sell goods below cost on a permanent basis (Knorr and Arndt, 2003) In the UK, the Government was concerned about high food prices and that British consumers were being ripped off by retailers. That is why they were in favour of the creation of a more price competitive environment (Fernie et al., 2006). Moreover, the legal and institutional UK surroundings were not as complex and heavy as in Germany. For example, the legal maximum of a store opening hours was 168 hours/week, and was also allowed to open on Sunday and holidays (Knorr and Arndt, 2003). In the UK, Wal-Mart was able to recreate its 24/7 opening format. Inability to understand the German consumer and business culture The closeness of the UK and the US culture Wal-Mart culturally failed in delivering its Everyday low prices or excellent customer service. Indeed, the expectations are very different from a country to another. The German acquisitions were very different in their organizational structure from the Wal-Mart US model. That is why, when Wal-Mart try to impose its new culture (Anglo-Saxon management level), it led to resistance. Operational errors has been made when remodelling stores to look like US stores, which was not customer wanted (Fernie et al., 2006). Thus, Wal-Marts strategy was contradictory and disoriented to German customers. They didnt see Wal-Mart as a low-price store, due to confusing advertisements. Moreover, German notion of customer service is different from that in the U.S. (e.g. German consumers prefer to pack their own bags and pay by cash), because they hold price and value in much higher esteem than service and quality (Knorr and Arndt, 2003). The British culture was very similar to the American one, and that is why the takeover ran more smoothly in the UK. Also, Asda was already working on a Wal-Marts model, so the consumers did not feel any major difference after the Wal-Mart acquisition. For the British customers, price was a key attribute along with convenience; price is the most important factor in the retail offer. And finally, the UK workforce responded positively to the Wal-Mart way, and the integration was very successful, with good employee relationships (Fernie et al., 2006). Conclusion: When Wal-Mart entered the UK, the economic situation was favourable for a low pricing strategy. Wal-Marts entry created a high competitive environment on prices, and the customers responded well to this new form of discount retail. However, Wal-Mart has failed on every point in Germany. It resulted mostly from a cross cultural inconsideration. Wal-Mart has not been able to adapt its business model to a different culture and ignored the basic key principles of internationalization strategies and intercultural management. The firm should have tried to understand the German surroundings, the market rules and the consumer habits. Thus, they could have shape their business model, the human resources practices and a proper marketing message to fit that local market. Wal-Marts failure in Germany highlighted its inability to select and implement an adequate entry and business strategy. That is why its inability to understand the German retail market and business culture and the consumer needs led it to a bitter failure.

Evidence-Based Practice on Wound Packing

Evidence-Based Practice on Wound Packing Evidence-Based Practice on Wound Packing Following Incision and Drainage Arlena Davis The first article was related to MD’s not using any packing when it comes to treating I D’s. Many times packing is used to debride the wound and keep fluids from pooling under the skin as well as keep area free of infection. In order to understand the outcome we need to fully understand what is involved.An abscess is a collection of pus, surrounded by inflamed tissue and usually localized (Pfenninger Fowler, 2010).The reason we need the packing is related to having an abscess and we need to keep the area clean. Leinwand 2013states packing is thought to aid hemostasis, and prevent reorganization of the abscess, we sought to determine whether packing could be omitted with equal efficacy. The second article I chose was Alimov, V., Lovecchio, F., Sinha, M., Foster, K. N., Drachman, D. (2013)to the use ofa silver-containing hydrofiber dressing for filling abscess cavity following incision and drainage in the emergency department. Is using packing always effective? Can we have equal efficacy when there is no packing used? These are questions that were sought after and answered in this particular article. At the end of the trial the patients reported faster heling and les pain as it relates to traditional packing. In the research that was conducted in the first article entitled  Use of Silver-containing hydro fiber dressing in filling the cavity related after incision and drainage at the emergency department: a randomized controlled trial. Advances in skin wound care, (Alimov, Lovecchio, Sinha, Foster, Drachman, 2013), clinical study design was used. This study design took the form of prospective randomized control trial. The sample size in this case was ninety-two patients (Alimov, Lovecchio, Sinha, Foster, Drachman, 2013). These patients were more than 18 years of age and were suffering from cutaneous abscess. The ninety-two study participants had been randomly assigned into two groups. These are the intervention group (Skillman, Aquacel, New Jersey, and Convatec) and the iodoform group (Alimov, Lovecchio, Sinha, Foster, Drachman, 2013). The iodoform group is the control group in this case. Of these two groups, it was noted that there were no differences in terms of demography as well as their clinical characteristics. The weaknesses that are evident in data collection are that the researchers should have randomly selected the patients in two equal groups that is 46 persons per each group. The follow-up period is also not consistent. Inconsistency comes in whereby the study claims that patients were followed up in a span of the first two weeks (Alimov, Lovecchio, Sinha, Foster, Drachman, 2013), though the follow-up was not continuous. However, the strength of this study is that it had both the intervention group and the control group. The intervention group comprised of four subgroups depending on the intended intervention. These four groups were based on interventions such as Convatec, New Jersey, Aquacel, and Skillman) (Alimov, Lovecchio, Sinha, Foster, Drachman, 2013).The other strength of the study is that it was able to provide a comparison on the level of pain between the patients initial visit and the first follow-up. In relation to the second article that dealt with the incision and the drainage of the subcutaneous abscess without packing, (Leinwand, Downing, Slater, Beck, Burton, Moyer, 2013) clinical study design was also used. In this regard, the clinical study took the form of retrogressive randomized control trial. The sample size in this study was a hundred patients, who were reported to be suffering from subcutaneous abscesses back in between May 2008 and December 2010. These 100 patients were assigned into two groups namely, the packing and the non-packing groups (Leinwand, Downing, Slater, Beck, Burton, Moyer, 2013). In this case, there were some exceptions in that some patients portraying some given conditions could not be considered. Such conditions include; patients who are immunosuppressed, or rather those suffering from diabetes. The other exception was in case the patient had a perineal or a pilonidal abscess. Last but not least, the other exception was on whether the abscess is secondary to the previous operation. These exceptions can be used as a basis for comparison among the sample, to the patients who will be seeking treatment. There are several weaknesses of the study in terms of data collection, with one of them being that it was not age specific. Apart from that, the other weakness is that; the patients were only clinically evaluated, in case there was suspicion of recurrence in the follow-up calls on the day seven and thirty (Leinwand, Downing, Slater, Beck, Burton, Moyer, 2013). These two days were referred to as postoperative. The other weakness is that, of the 100 patients, only 85 patients managed to complete the study. The study does not indicate the whereabouts of the 15 patients. On the other hand, the strength of this study is that it omitted other patients who had some other conditions that could interfere with the results. Such exceptional cases were the diabetic, immunosuppressed (Leinwand, Downing, Slater, Beck, Burton, Moyer, 2013), among others. Identification, critical appraisal, and synthesis of evidence from research articles is an essential skill in evidence-based practice (EBP) (Titler, 2008). This paper will critique two primary research articles related to the issue of wound packing following incision and drainage. The first article is authored by Leinwand et al. (2013) and is entitled â€Å"Incision and drainage of subcutaneous abscesses without the use of packing†. The second article is authored by Alimov et al. (2013) and is entitled â€Å"Use of a silver-containing hydrofiber dressing for filling abscess cavity following incision and drainage in the emergency department: A randomized controlled trial†. The study by Leinwand et al. (2013) sought to determine whether omission of the wound packing component in the management of subcutaneous abscess has similar efficacy to wound packing. The study employed a prospective randomized controlled trial design whereby 100 participants were randomized to either the wound packing group or to the non-packing group. The study enrolled pediatric participants aged less than 18 years with subcutaneous abscesses. The sample size for the study was small (100). Consequently, the study did not have significant statistical power as a sample size of 4000 was required to gain power of 80%. The researchers, however, accepted the small sample size as it was practical for the purposes of the study. The selected sample is appropriate to the population of interest because the participants were experiencing the phenomenon of interest that is abscesses requiring incision and drainage. Regarding data collection, similar pre-intervention data was collected on the operative day for all participants. These data included age, gender, and location and size of the abscess. Post-intervention data was collected through follow-up telephone calls by a pediatric surgery nurse specialist. These calls were made on the 7th and 30th post-operative days and included information on general wound appearance, adherence with warm soaks and antibiotic therapy, presence of fever, and timing of pack removal. The reliance on self-reported information may have introduced information bias due socially desirable responding and problems with recall (Fadnes, Taube, Tylleskar, 2008). Of the 100 participants who enrolled for the study, only 85 completed the study. The study found that the packing group and non-packing groups did not vary statistically with respect to abscess recurrence rates, initial parameters, and incidence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Only two abscess recurrences were reported, one for each group. In their discussion, the authors contextualize these findings in light of pre-existing evidence. They note that the findings of their study are identical to those of similar previous studies on both adults and children. The authors also compare the strengths and weaknesses and merits and demerits of their study and intervention with those of previous studies. They also discuss the two cases of treatment failure. Lastly, they provide recommendations for future studies. On the incorporation of evidence into treatment protocols, integration of research findings into treatment protocols/procedures occurs through the process of evidence-based practice. Research articles relevant to a clinical issue of concern are identified, appraised critically, and their findings used to make specific recommendations for practice on incision and drainage (Dontje, 2007). The Purpose of the Alimov et al. (2013) study was to investigate whether packing of abscess cavity with a silver-containing hydrofiber dressing instead of the standard iodoform dressing leads to less pain and faster wound healing. The study employed a prospective randomized controlled trial design whereby participants were randomized to the silver-containing hydrofiber or standard care groups. The study population consisted of adults aged more than 18 years who visited the emergency department of a teaching hospital with cutaneous abscesses >2cm in diameter that required incision and drainage. The selected sample consisted of 92 patients. The sample for the study is appropriate to the selected topic as it focuses on the issue of incision and drainage protocols. Data for the study was collected and documented on a standard form except for pain. The data collected included pertinent demographic and clinical variables. Pain was assessed using a self-report scale, the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. The use of a self-report scale for pain may have introduced social desirability bias. The findings of the study may have also been contaminated by bias due to the manual measurement of the dimensions of the abscess cavities. The primary outcome measures for the study were the proportion of patients with a reduction of 30% or > in the surface area of the abscess at the first follow up visit (between 48 and 72 hours). The other main outcome variable was proportion of patients with 30% or > decrease in the surrounding cellulites at the first visit. The secondary outcome measure was the change in self-reported pain intensity at primary and consequent visits. The study found that 82.6% of the patients in the silver-containing hydrofiber group had a reduction of 30% or > in the surface area of the abscess compared to the 26.1% of the subjects in the iodoform group (p In this article, the number of participating pediatric patients who had subcutaneous abscesses was one hundred. Patients who successfully completed the study were only 85: 43 packing group and 42 non-packing group. There existed an arithmetic variance between the two groups that concerned the initial parameters, recurring abscesses, (single in every group), or incidence of MRSA (81.4 packing groups over 85.7 non-packing group). Subcutaneous abscesses incision, as well as drainage without the utilization of packing, is an effective as well as a safe technique. This article should present the data in a more transparent way. In this article, there was a prospective enrollment of 92 patients and these patients. There was also random assignment of these patients to the iodoform groups or Aquacel Ag. The SD was 12.0, and the average age was 38. The patients in iodoform group were 43 while those in Aquacel group were 49. There two groups lacked disparity in clinical and demographic characteristics. The domino effect of the deterioration study pointed out that the Aquacel Ag was autonomously associated with over 30% abscesses’ surface area reduction. This, however excluded first follow-up cellulitis. The pain intensity also decreased significantly as perceived by the Aquacel group patients. In cutaneous abscesses patients, there was faster wood healing as well as pain reduction while using antimicrobial-hydro fiber ribbon form of dressing than while using iodoform dressing. This article is important as it offers information on which choice is best while dressing. It is recommended thatmore research on this subject as this will provide more information on subcutaneous abscesses treatment. These articles will help me in my career as a nurse practitioner because of the versatility of the procedures and the information provided. In summary, this paper has critiqued two research articles related to the issue of wound packing following incision and drainage. The articles by Leinwand et al. (2013) and Alimov et al. (2013) have been critiqued in terms of their purpose, design, sample, data collection procedures, results, and discussion. References Alimov, V., Lovecchio, F., Sinha, M., Foster, K. N., Drachman, D. (2013). Use of a silver- containing hydrofiber dressing for filling abscess cavity following incision and drainage in the emergency department: A randomised controlled trial. Advances in Skin and Wound Care, 26, 20-25. Dontje, K. J. (2007). Evidence-based practice: Understanding the process. Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing, 7(4). Fadnes, L., Taube, A., Tylleskar, T. (2008). How to identify information bias due to self-reporting in epidemiological research. The Internet Journal of Epidemiology, 7(2). Leinwand, M., Downing, M., Slater, D., Beck, M., Burton, K., Moyer, D. (2013). Incision and drainage of subcutaneous abscesses without the use of packing. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 48(9), 1962-1965. Titler, M. G. (2008). The evidence for evidence-based practice implementation. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2659/