Marketing Strategies of IBM Essay

Introduction This study aims at examining the use of theoretical marketing approaches in the practical business scenario. In this domain the marketing strategy of IBM has been considered on empirical grounds. It is by the use of marketing theory and concepts that the study evaluates the marketing strategies of IBM and its role in fulfilling the firm’ overall goals and objectives. Four specific aspects of marketing strategy evaluation are assessed in this study. Initially the proceedings are related to the importance and the use of information in successful marketing strategies by IBM. This is followed by a discussion on IBM marketing strategies in relation to its organisational strategy. The paper also makes an analysis of the application of IBM marketing strategies in global context. Lastly e-business strategies of IBM in the marketing domain are assessed. Evaluation of marketing strategy of IBM International Business Machines Corporation, better known as IBM, is a multinational IT company involved in the manufacture and retail of computer hardware and software applications, and IT consulting services. Employing the best talents in the industry, IBM is today the largest as well as the most profitable information technology employer in the world. Despite of the adverse economic conditions, the firm achieve a significant increase in its net revenue and income in 2008 compared to previous years. Well – devised and efficient marketing strategies have been the key to IBM’ global success. The company strongly believes that devising effective marketing strategies requires making appropriate decisions that can well enhance all kinds of competitive advantages and can create all kinds of new sources of value for the purpose of improving the organisational revenue growth. According to Luq Niazi, Leader of Strategy and Change at IBM, â€Å"when the leaders of an organisation think about their business as components, it becomes clear which ones they need to own – and which they do not†. This clearly indicates the great emphasis that IBM places on the performance and  decision making capabilities of leaders in devising effective marketing strategies. In addition, the firm also considers understanding the requirements and needs of customers as crucial for developing effective marketing strategies. Understanding the innovative demands of customers lies at th e core of developing effective marketing strategies. Based on IBM’ market share and dominance in the IT industry, the firm can be aptly described as a ‘market leader’. Being a market leader, an important marketing strategy which IBM uses against its competitors is the defensive marketing warfare strategy. The defensive marketing strategy involves the firm employing tactics to maintain its market share. There are several tactics that firms use for defending their market share, such as fortification, counterattack, mobile defence and strategic retreat (Ries and Trout, 2005). Being the courageous market leader that IBM is, the firm adopts the best defensive marketing strategy which is â€Å"self attack†. IBM’ strategy is â€Å"cheaper and better than IBM†. Aware of IBM’ tactic, customers wait for IBM’ new prospects as they know that the Big Blue will constantly introduce new and better products which makes the firm’ own products obsolete. Another key marketing strategy employed by IBM for sustaining its market leadership is product differentiation strategies. Product differentiation can be achieved using a variety of factors such as distinctive products, reliability, durability, product design etc (Kurtz and Boone, 2006). IBM uses a product differentiation strategy based on quality of performance. In line with its quest for further growth and market leadership, the firm adopts a diversification strategy. The importance of IBM’ growth strategy has heightened in the current economic situation with companies in the computer industry having faced a massive drop in the industrial production and productivity of computer hardware and the future growth for this segment also appearing dim. In such a context, IBM has strategically reduced its exposure to hardware by diversifying into software and services. IBM also realises the importance of maintaining good relationships with its customers and in line the firm lays great emphasis on trust – based marketing strategies. Trust based marketing strategies stress on the need for organisations to gain ethical hold over consumer dealings and also be honest and open about its products and the services. For IBM, adoption of this strategy has been very effective in developing its brand  identity and image. In all of its marketing activities, the firm strives at building customer trust and loyalty. Importance and use of information in IBM marketing strategy The importance and use of information is vital for gaining success. In line, IBM adopted the strategy to take up Social Networking to the work place. It is an absolute means of sharing ideas, complains and letters of appreciation in public. By means of adopting networking opportunities, IBM established its strong hold over competitive market. It is through the provision of Social Networking (SN), that IBM established its commitment to technology and developed an enterprise – wide SN mindset. IBM is the first major IT supplier that has got potential provisions for SN and is in the process of changing the entire enterprise along with a credible application to address the market. By means of investments made in the SN domain, IBM has gained enough market strengths in the enterprise lineage, global services, deep pockets and above all in gaining loyal customers. By success of SN, IBM proved to be a fine player in the domain of information networking. The proceedings have added many advantages to its organisational global services. SN for enterprises have been implemented with enough marketing strategies and this is what is providing IBM with technical expertise in the field of organizational/adoption issues. The launching of more facilities related to SN are relevant to the competition of the market. The launcher came up with a new idea and launched it much before the though had developed in anyone’ mind. The second big thing to the adoption of marketing strategy is the IBM’s mindset in the launching of Lotus Connection. It is an information networking process with collaboration-centric approach to SN and helps in information sharing and uninterrupted workflow. By few minutes of exploration anybody can well get hold over its functionalities. IBM kept it easy and user friendly; the basics of marketing strategies. When it comes to the use of information system in IBM, the adoption of unique kind of marketing strategies is predominant. The basic approach is in being innovative and adopting something that is very user friendly and easy for the customer to adopt. Complicacies in the same field can lead to failure of  the same. This is the reason that IBM lays emphasis over making it simple, easy and sharing more than the consumer can expect. Once there is a kind of trust and sense of being facilitated gets into the consumer, he hardly will opt for any other company and this is what IBM believes to the core. Application of innovative ideas in the field of information sharing units can be of great risk, but under the marketing strategy of IBM, this risk has been taken again and again with enough success. IBM marketing strategy in relation to Organisational strategy The strategic effectiveness of an organizational strategy can be measured using SWOT analysis. This is a structure that figure out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a particular company. Incorporating the Johnson and Scholes’ model for corporate strategy into this structure creates three success criteria for evaluating a firm (Rifkin, 2001). These are as following; Suitability can be assessed to identify the factors that will support the strategies. Feasibility is all about the adoption of executing the strategy into practical field. Acceptability is something that will determine the reactions that the organisation will receive by the execution of the strategies. At IBM, employees are greatly encouraged to initiate creative marketing tactics. The application of SWOT and the Johnson and Scholes model proves that IBM has got enough potentiality in developing well crafted assessment about itself. Its main strength lies in identifying its weaknesses. The approaches are all very professional and the marketing persuasions are well structured as per the organ isational structure. As per the declarations made by the official site of IBM, the basic marketing strategy in relation to organisational strategy adopted by IBM is more concerned about the proceedings led by HRM. The perspectives of organisational dealings are strategically adopted to meet the demands of HRM. The typical business culture of IBM is customer centric and in hence a substantial amount of responsibility is placed on the HR department. It has been marked that on traditional ground many IBM executives along with aspiring general managers are selected for the purpose of improving sales force and market oriented projects. It can be well marked as Samuel J. Palmisano, the current CEO, IBM; initially joined the company in the position of a salesman. With his determination and marketing strategies he achieved the position that he currently occupies (Spooner, 2002). Though it  is unusual for a CEO’s profile, but in IBM, growth of the organisation and the people working for it are directly proportionate to performances led in the field and the adoption of the marketing strategies which respond adequately to competitive pressures. Global context in IBM marketing planning In the global context, IBM has proved itself as a strong contender by managing to sustain in the most difficult situations. It has overcome the twists and turns it initially faced in adjusting to the ‘bricks-and-clicks’ business structure. Overcoming all the hurdles IBM is now achieving milestones through the advantages forwarded by brick-and-click enterprises. It is through this enterprise structure that IBM has transformed into a major player in terms of getting hold over global marketing plans. Its formulisations are inclusive of creating a global brand blueprint. It is a mode that usually gets expressed locally and after attaining some success approaches on global grounds. IBM always follows the process of establishing central framework and then architects the relevant consumer experiences to gain consistency with the brand. IBM always concentrates in gaining single view from its consumers and that helps in assessing the risk factors of global marketing strategies (R ometty, 2001). In order to meet the diversified point of views, IBM follows the structure noted below; Process of analysing the context of ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ the appropriate and relevant customer data can be collected. This is an approach that is done under the provision of practical market survey. The means to create absolute governance framework with special attentions led over management policies and overall practices. These are the sources that are collected through the purpose of encouraging customer centricity added by the scope to safeguard customer privacy. Approaches led by institute consistent processes for target customer is the next step. In this process the relationship led by the management across all the domains of sales and provided services of the organisation are scrutinized professionally. The process of appointing efficient team leaders and strong management initiators. IBM also appoints a leader who can perform as a single customer advocate and is very much accountable for all the sorted touch points. The marketing strategies adopted by IBM to meet global demands and competitions are well inclusive of a robust infrastructure. It has the provision for optimising flexibility and  a hub-and-spoke architecture for collecting consumer demands on global arena. There is also well marked acknowledgement for all the innovative ways adopted by the partners of IBM. Developments attain by the partners of IBM in global terms is also directly related to the marketing strategies followed by IBM. IBM understands the fact that partners can add much hold over the local market and can reach the consumer with more in-depth formulations. This is the reason that they believe in developing capitalized relationship with these partners for future opportunities. IBM and e-business strategies The motive of any electronic business is to efficiently meet consumer demands through internet networking. The internet provides a medium for businesses to reach out to customers globally at very low costs. It is an exclusive means adopted through the dealings related to information and communication technologies. In case of IBM the role of e-business is very strong. Through e-business strategies, IBM is equipping itself with all kinds of external activities and is applying determined relationships for respective business dealings; with individuals, diversified groups and corporate clients. According to ‘Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?’; a book by a former CEO of IBM, Louis Gerstner (2003), IBM’ approach for e-Business strategies is handled by specialised e – business teams operating under IBM’s marketing department. It is through its e-business strategies that IBM is able to link its internal as well as external data processing systems with greater efficiency and flexibility. E-business helped IBM in reaching closer to its consumers, conveying the message of reliability and in urn enhancing customer loyalty to the brand. The proceedings led by IBM for the development and implementation of e-business concentrate on the diversified functions occurring through electronic capabilities. IBM is also a part of the entire value chain proceeding for more profitable dominance over the local as well as global market. There are some predominant sectors where the e-business strategies are applied to gain more trust and money from the consumer. These activities are noted below; electronic purchasing supply chain management processing orders electronically handling customer service cooperating with business partners These proceedings add special technical standards in the e-business structure of IBM. The firm also utilises e-business strategies to exchange of data between its partners and associate companies. As a matter of fact the e-business strategies of IBM are not much different from the other marketing strategies. The basic difference however depends over the expansion of management for sending and receiving contracts from the consumer. It is under this strategic implementation that IBM has adopted many local dealers to be a part of its services. These dealers are of course selected through some professional modes. The reputations of these dealers are marked by IBM first before offering the partnership. In terms of services for each product sold through e-business, IBM provides appropriate training to all those people who are a part of this structure. With strategic planning IBM is also into the dealings related to integrated intra and inter firm business proceedings. Conclusion From the above discussions, it can be derived that the marketing strategies adopted by IBM are built on the structure of trust – based marketing, defence marketing warfare, product differentiation and diversification marketing strategies. It is through the appropriate use of these theoretical approaches that IBM has established itself very strongly in the traditional marketplace as well as in the burgeoning online marketplace. IBM strives at fulfilling the needs and expectations of its customers and in enhancing customer trust and loyalty. The products and services provided by IBM can guarantee their utility to the customer’s satisfaction. In a nutshell, IBM is a courageous risk – taker that places great emphasis on innovative ideas for further growth. In line, the firm explores the consumer’s domain through proper hold over local and global proceedings. References Emerson, W.P. (1996) Building IBM: Shaping the Industry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Gerst, Louis V. (2003) Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change. Harper Paperback Ham, A. and Rastelli, L.G. (2002) Marketing – Essential techniques and strategies geared towards results, John Wiley and Sons Inc, USA. IBM Global Business Services, http://www-935.ibm.com/services/uk/index.wss/home [retrieved on 19th Nov. 2009] Kurtz, D. L. and Boone, L.E. (2006) Principles of Marketing, 12th edn, Thomson South-western, USA. Ries, A. and Trout, J. (2005) Marketing warfare, Pearson, UK. Rifkin, J. (2000) The Age of Access, Putnum Books, New York Rometty, Ginni (2001) Five marketing tips for the digital age. http://www.935.ibm.com/services/au/index.wss/ibvstudy/igs/a1006209?cntxt=a1005848 [retrieved on 19th Nov. 2009] Spooner, John G. (2002) IBM meets lowered estimates. Staff Writer, CNET News April 17, 2002 http://news.cnet.com/IBM-meets-lowered-estimates/2100-1014_3-885259.htm [retrieved on 20th Nov. 2009] Find out more from UK Essays here: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/marketing-strategies-of-ibm.php#ixzz3JFUjpwpr

Effects That Poor Airline Customer Service Has Had On Passengers Essay

Abstract The present research explores the issue of poor customer service that airline industry is said to practice with regard to their product and services. The paper examines this issue from the approach of triangulation of the data. It critically analyzes the situation from three perspectives. For the first one is the issue of customer satisfaction in accordance with recent empirical findings. The paper highlights what customer satisfaction empirically means. The next section explores the present operations and services provided by the airline industry from a number of sources. The last section examines and cross-examines the state of customer satisfaction to be found in the present day airline industry operations. At the end of the paper, findings of the research are discussed along with suggestions and recommendation for policy making and airline industry’s operation with relation to customer satisfaction. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With the advent of new technology, extensive human intrusion in the mysterious space, and expedited communication in the twenty-first century, the demands, wants, and needs of the customers are said to be so finely met today as never before. With the state-of-the-art approach to any customer-related segments of today’s business world, it is claimed by the business sector in general that today’s customer is the luckiest one to have had so much ease of choice and liberty of opting from one product to another. This maxim goes from the small gadgets to the massive transaction held across countries. However, analyzing the perspective of the customer may not yield the same level of happiness and satisfaction from the side of the customer in today’s world. Airline business has seen a marvelous boom with the high-tech trend and massive investment throughout the world. As such, it becomes the point of this paper whether today’s airlines are really providing their customers the best of what is available to them. The present paper looks into the issue of the effects that poor airline customer service has had on today’s customer. The present study looks at the issue from a multifaceted approach. It aims to critically analyze the issue from a three dimensional view, that is to say, it extensively reviews current literature on customer-airline area; it goes on to investigate the point of view of the airline business itself and point out the major findings; as well as, the present paper critically analyzes the kinds of effects that the poor airline customer service has to have on the prospective customer. Customer Satisfaction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customer satisfaction that a customer derives from a product bears enormous significance for the success or failure of a particular product. A product however technically sound and however economic in terms of use and feasibility cannot be regarded as successful unless and until the customer defines it as satisfactory to their needs and wants. As such, success of a product, we can say, is related to the level of satisfaction that a customer derives from it. Today’s situation, particularly in US business market, is alarming. According to Maier (p. 20, 2002), â€Å"Keeping the customer satisfied no longer is the mantra of American businesses, as studies show a steady decline in customer satisfaction that is projected to continue†. As such, in this section of the paper, the present writer deems it appropriate to critically examine the notion of customer satisfaction; how important is it in today’s business world; and what significance does it hold for the airline customer service? This is important with relation to the understanding of the poor customer service that is reported in today’s airline context. This section is intended to serve as scaffolding or mirror to the later research and findings of our issue of the poor airline customer service. It is important for every firm to offer a bunch of values along with the material product that is the focal point of business to that firm. Only offering the product cannot prove to be successful for a firm’s business. Henceforth, the business firm which has at its disposal superior package of services in the competitive market can certainly win the customer with greater profitability and mounting volume of market reputation. Research has revealed that even most satisfied customer can entertain to defect. According to research while examining the link between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, it is known that customers, of any product whatsoever, come to feel satisfied with products at different levels and with different degrees of satisfaction. As such, the differential levels of satisfaction of the side of the customer have to give birth to a diverse range of conformity to the product of customer loyalty, â€Å"which in turn result in varying levels of behavioral disposition to patronage with a provider†. What this finding of the logical link suggests is that with regard to a product and customer satisfaction, the range of satisfaction is varied. However, another important point here is that although a customer may be satisfied with a product, they can opt for any other competitor’s product. This suggests that customer satisfaction may not necessarily bear customer loyalty. The point is that a customer opting for another competitor’s product may be allured by the services that the competitor is offering. â€Å"Therefore, firms have to strive to achieve higher levels of satisfaction than their competition by providing superior customer value†. This approach is basic to attaining what is regarded as â€Å"sustainable competitive advantage† (John, p. 07, 2003). Now the point of concern at this stage is that what kinds of business strategies are needed so that a firm can offer a bundle of service to address higher customer satisfaction that other firms in the competition cannot. The primary component here is to have a crystal clear understanding of the competitive market. John (p. 7, 2003) cites Pine and Gilmore who may regard such context of competition as â€Å"experience economy†. It is the very stage or state or level of competition â€Å"where products are quickly commoditized and firms compete on other aspects of the total offering†. According to this very researcher, there are three prime factors that contribute toward the success of higher or superior customer satisfaction oozing out of a product either material or service-related. The first is the employees of the firm that engineer the entire operation of the firm starting from the very scratch and ending it while in the front line interacting with the customer. The other is the processes that are observed by the firm both in the micro and macro level. The last one is the use of technology that the firm undertakes in order to address and meet higher customer satisfaction. All of the above must work in higher order harmony if superior customer satisfaction is needed. And, of the three, the least effective is the adoption of technology alone and depending on the use of technology alone. The author gives its reason. This is that technology can be easily replicated. A firm with required capital can do that. As far as the replication of processes and system goes, it should be noted that these two factors may also be at the disposal of any other competitors because â€Å"processes and systems can be designed appropriately to deliver customer satisfaction, but they can be relatively easily replicated†. However, what is significant in this connection is the attitude that the employees offer. A firm’s employees’ attitude is something that â€Å"less easily replicable† as such there is the entire focus of a competing firm should fall in order to meet superior level of customer satisfaction (John, p. 07, 2003). If we look at the present scenario of the services provided by the present day airline industry, one thing is to be noticed that the airline industry is giving more and more importance to technological advances which are apparent from bottom to top operations of the industry. Whether the airline industry does also offer higher customer satisfaction in connection with their employees’ attitude remains a point of concern which will be explored later in this paper. Before we move on, it is necessary to examine as to what it is that the customers in today’s context want from a product or firm so that they can derive superior level of satisfaction. In keeping with the view of John, (p. 08, 2003), it comes to our notice that there are three basic features which customers look for in order to feel highly satisfied by use of a product which can either be a service or a material product. Convenience is something that can be put on the top of the list. Customers want to be conveniently handled when it comes to opting for a product; they want ease of dealing, interaction, and productivity. Next is the matter of cost. Customers want to buy something as less costly as possible. And the last but not least is the quality of the whole product experience that remains with the customer for a considerably longer period of the former two. At this point in the present research, it has been highlighted as to what is customer satisfaction from the viewpoint of an industry as well as from the perspective of the customer themselves. Now it seems feasible to look at the present state of the airline industry so that a sound critical examination can later be made with relation to our point of examination, that is to say, it will later be explored what effects have been held by poor airline customer services on the customers; what are the causes and reasons for this poor customer service; as well as, how can these factors, causes, and reasons can be appropriately eliminated so that higher customer satisfaction can be obtained. Airline Industry in Today’s Context According to the observation of Dempsey and Goetz (1992), there are few industries that inspire the passion and rigor that the airline industry does. It is due to the cross-border voyages that airlines make letting their passengers feel the romance and allurement of the air-travel which is hardly as forcefully evident in other means of transportation as in the air travel. Henceforth, the airline industry can be viewed as â€Å"the most glamorous of industries† (p. 03). Another reason is the defiance to the law of gravity which â€Å"still gives many travelers sweaty palms on takeoff and landing†. And the highly critical issue with respect to the importance of airline industry is that â€Å"few industries are as â€Å"fundamentally important to the nation’s commerce, communications, and national defense as is aviation† (p. 03). Moreover, the present air travel has become an element of glamour that many people year to attach to. There are exclusive club memberships of entrepreneur power in the industry; celebrity chase of specific kinds of air travel with a bundle of exclusive services and things like that. In addition to the above, â€Å"ticket prices, route patterns, the margin of safety, and the identity of the carriers painted on the fuselages of aircraft on an unprecedented roller-coaster ride† is now a dream voiced in most of advertisement by the airline industry players. However, this very glamorous and alluring picture must be critically viewed with a magnifying-glass like examination so that hidden secrets and fallacies can be brought forward. One such is the poor customer service by the airline industry (Dempsey & Goetz, p. 03-04, 1992). In today’s context of airline services, newer concepts and terms of air travel are emerging by the day which enhances the feeling of a customer to be going for an air travel. Today, global carriers, globalization, and mega carriers are catch words that may allure anyone intending to fly for any purpose. However, these terms remain without precise or definite definitions as do the agenda of customer service that the airline industry has to provide. It is note-worthy that the expanded canvas of airline industry is not something recent; in fact, it all can be chased as farther back as the 1930s. By then, Pan American airline was flaying transatlantic and transpacific; it also had a massive network in Latin America. The same time such carriers as the British and Dutch were expanding their services to (as they were known by then) their colonies at a distant location in Asia and East Indies. Moreover, â€Å"Pan American by the 1950s had a round-the-world service† (O’Connor, pp. 57-59, 1995). In the present context of the twenty-fist century, however, things have taken a different stance in the business world; now market forces and competition is giving way to more and more mergers, amalgamation and business associations which may be seen as an approach toward more globalized airline industry. More foreign investment is coming to such countries as the US. Today, this all looks like so powerful an airline industry as never before. Air travel becomes more and more feasible so the services provided by the airline industry need to be critically examined with due attention so that real picture of this global trend can be taken (O’Connor, pp. 57-59, 1995). Changing Trends in the Twenty-First Century Today, more than ever before, the climate for airline industry is every changing and opting to more and more uncertainty in terms of international scenario with relation to a number of waves flowing over the international scenario. The twenty-first century has experienced huge calamities like the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers which caused the airline industry to meet a sudden decline. As such uncertainty of business is more apparent today. The entire climate is wrapped in an element of fear which has given rise to issues such as what kinds of customer services do the airlines provide today to both their international and local customers? According to Doganis (2001), in this climate of continuous change and uncertain aura, the coming years for the airline industry will bring more complicated issues and critical problems and serious challenges with them. One more point here is that not only the structures of the airlines will undergo a change, â€Å"but markets too will become more unstable† (p. 211). What is essentially needed of the airlines in such a situation is that they must clearly define their corporate mission with regard to every single aspect of their operations from employees’ attitude to customer service. â€Å"The key issue which needs to be resolved is whether the airline is to be a global network carrier or a niche player† (p. 212). Moreover, the essence of this entire climate of change will put immense pressure on such areas as ticket prices, services provided by the customers, and it will be enhanced by the new entrants who will be carrying more sophisticated business strategies and tactics to destabilize the present market condition. In this very context, the issue of customer satisfaction seems to linger even more loose than every before. There is danger in the coming times that airline products will be commoditized in which the key player will be fare prices only (Doganis, p. 212, 2001). Thus now it is highly important to critically analyze what is happening in the domain of customer services and the experiences that today’s customers are having with regard to the poor customer service. Airline Industry and Customer Service   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this section of the paper, the writer highlights the pertinent issues which are regarded as the real cause for poor customer service by the airline sector. This is very significant if a through analysis of the effects is intended to be drawn. By bringing forward the issues of to the forefront attention, it will be easy to reach an empirical analysis. a) An overview Airline industry with regard to the services that are being provided by this very sector, is facing severe criticism from a number of critics from a number of areas of professional and general walks of life. For example, Reed, (usatoday.com, 2008) notes that the â€Å"shoddy service† of the airline is even coming to USA’s big airlines. In addition to this, Ramon A. Avila, professor of marketing and director of Ball State University’s Professional Selling Institute, Muncie, Ind. makes a very clear warning about the poor quality of customer service by airlines: â€Å"When it comes to poor customer service, expect more bad experiences in the airline industry† (Avila, p. 01, 1999). There are heaps and heaps of complaints being logged by the day. If we look at the present situation, it seems that airline sector is degenerating instead of rising for a number of pluses on its credit in the twenty-first century. The things that have become commonplace in today’s airline climate are confusing fares with no predefined schemes or policies; the flights are getting more and more mismanaged; delays of flights are nothing but a routine now hinged on the practices of cancellation without regard of the passengers psychological and other troubles being suffered. Avil also notes that â€Å"Expect rude treatment and expect companies to do the bare minimum because their bottom line is more important than a disappointed customer† (p. 01). The critic also maintains that it seems as if the airline industry is moving toward a fatal end due to so meager performance and stature in the overall picture. To him American airline industry is going to die. The most important point, according to Avil is that â€Å"Good customer service is the keystone to retaining and attracting consumers, and many businesses are missing the point† (p. 01). Although it is important to keep an impartial view of the entire situation, it seems equally important, as of now, whether or not the observations of Avil are up to the mark. For this very reason, a number of different sources will be analyzed to see if poor customer service has really become the norm of today’s airline industry or not. b) Airline industry in context of 9/11 terrorist attacks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As according to Russell (2007), â€Å"Airline customer service is notoriously bad†, a very important issue with regard to poor customer services by the airlines to the customers is linked to the more recent wave of global terrorism in which the Twin Towers of World Trade Center were hit nothing but by airplanes. A number of officials blame the poverty of service and operations of the airline industry to this horrible event. However, critically examining the situation reveals something else of the position, particularly of the US airline industry. According to Whalen (p. 33, 2004), although it seems very tempting to attach the poor airline services to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, it is not the case altogether. The author reveals a different picture in this regard. The author states that the prime factors for such poor service by the US airline industry are the â€Å"decades-old legal and labor laws, and the U.S. bankruptcy code [which are] at the core of what is wrong with the airline industry† (p. 33). There is, as such, no other industry in the US which is so much kept on watch. And this really creates a problem. Washington, according to author, is busy in keeping the record of each and every activity taking place everywhere in the airline operations from bottom to top. This includes the airlines, their operational nature, watching of the airports, and so on. The author reminds of the 1991-92 crisis when â€Å"five major carriers [went] through bankruptcy† but the government â€Å"did little to change the basic economics† (p. 33). These rules and regulations are influencing the services and the poor quality of the services is directly related to them. Therefore, in the entire US airline industry seems to have been locked in a known financial cycle of growth and stagnation, which if hereby followed by economic default and bankruptcies. According to the author, this entire situation is directly influencing the customers of the airlines who have to suffer a poor level of services. Moreover, â€Å"Overcapacity exerts downward pressure on ticket prices, generating fares that don’t allow the airlines to cover the cost of providing service, making the average â€Å"private† airline look more like a public utility think of Amtrak with wings† (Whalen, p. 33, 2004). From this very viewpoint, it is very easily noticeable that there is little to go to the credit to such events as the wave of global terrorism but to the policy making and regulation of the US airline industry. According to the context discussed above, one this must be noted that the customers have yet to suffer. It seems that no attention is being paid to this very area which is both disappointing as critical both for the US authorities and the airline runners. Poor Customer Service Examined   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If we wish to take examples or incidents in which poor airline customer service is intended to be reported, there is no doubt in stating that there are load and loads of such instances that would require tones of paper to be put down and which may not end as the situation continues by the very day. However, to the point of this paper, take the example of the great airline disastrous time of January 2, 1999. It was when a massive snowstorm had his Detroit the afternoon of the day. This virtually gave birth to historical crack downs in the area of customer service. It stranded many airplanes of Northwest Airline on snow-coated taxiways and tarmacs. It was not possible, then, to deplane many of the passengers mounting to more than 7000 who were then returning from New Year’s vacations. Their waiting spanned as long as eleven hours. The available food was insufficient in case of a number of planes; and what is more, many of the planes’ toilets became overflowed. Although the airport had closed, Northwest persisted to hope that the planes would take off; it was all forced in spite of the pleas that the on-site managers of the very company had recorded. This all resulted in what can be regarded as the nightmare of air travel in which the travelers had to let go of even their basic rights (Rosenthal, p. 1857, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Specifically looking at the canvas of the poor customer service by the airline in this regard purports us to look more closely at the issue. Major areas of customer dissatisfaction in this respect are quoted as of the following. These all examples that follow are caused for the Deregulation act that is the root cause of these and other possible poor customer service in which the customer does not entertain any right even to voice their genuine concerns. Delays and Cancellations of Flights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is the matter of everyday when the customers have to face delays and cancellations of flights for nothing but a number of various reasons. It is possible that in some cases the contract between the airline and the passenger may even be breached. It was the day of August 4th, and the year was 2000, when United Airline’s night-scheduled flight – destined from Washington D.C., to Paris – just stayed in the airport for countless hours only before the airline merely cancelled the en route schedule for â€Å"mechanical reasons†. However, the later published report revealed something that surprised the common and innocent citizens. The reports said that the flight cancellation had nothing to do with any mechanical reason whatsoever. It was actually that the United pilots had just turned down the idea of taking the plane off because Stephen Wolf, former United Chairman was on the flight as a passenger. This single instance is so horrible with regard to a number of passengers who had to suffer only because some people in the cockpit were playing the ego game. What is to be said to Stephen Wolf, who, whatever his past status to the United Airline was, was merely a traveler who really did buy a ticket on the flight. And the passengers were not able to hold any say due to the Deregulation Act. Inattentive Provision of Alcohol   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inattentive provision of alcohol is also permitted as a service onboard to passengers. This service may be harmful in a number of reasons because of disciplinary actions caused by drunken passengers to the common citizens. In one instance, a flight attendant continued to serve alcohol to a group of inebriated passengers onboard of first-class passengers; afterwards, the drunken person insulted a fellow traveler; it was later to cause great controversy and mayhem because the passenger sued the flight attendant and the airline. However, what about a number of other innocent citizens that were also onboard the plane and could do nothing but suffer the entire scene of drunkenness and insult? The court, as such, plainly ruled the suing passenger for the same reason as the Deregulation Act (Rosenthal, p. 1857, 2002) Lost Baggage and Other Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A couple on the honeymoon trip was on their schedule flight to Anguilla from New York City. The couple lost one of their two suitcases en route. They made repeated phone calls to the airline’s concerned office nothing but to track down their lost bag. All that the representative of the airline did was to repeatedly tell the couple that the airline knew the exact location of the lost bad and that it is just coming along their way. So they asked the couple not to worry. However, this very effective communication by the airline came to a fiasco as the bag was never found. The enraged couple rightly went forward and sued the airline. None the less, a surprise waited to compensate their psychological sufferings, the accused fraud they the airline did with them, and the negligent behavior of the airline. The surprise was that the couple had no remedy and this was just because of the Deregulation Act (Rosenthal, p. 1857, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides these instances and incidents, there are a number of other incidents that can be quoted here. Feltner, in her article â€Å"Airline customer service ratings down, and it show† discusses at length the massive misadventure that the author had to undergo while on board of a flight. So many things happened to the author which are discussed at length. According to the author, â€Å"the Airline Quality Ratings survey showed poorer performances for 16 of 18 U.S. carriers over the year before† and â€Å"J.D. Power and Associates released the results of the 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which included similar findings† (Feltner, 2008, smartertravel.com). The author goes on to discuss the poor ratings report and lower customer satisfaction rankings. She cites that â€Å"The new report shows customer satisfaction rankings for seven out of nine major airlines, as well as low-cost carriers†¦dropped this year† (Feltner, 2008, smartertravel.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All this mayhem on the part of the airline industry has caused great panic and psychological distress on the part of the customers. Either it is the Deregulation Act of the legitimate law, or competition, or inappropriate rules or labor law, the entire burden is left dangling on the week shoulders of the customer who is already burden with so many other societal, social, and ethical problems. There seems to be no way out with regard to the problems that customers have to undergo on the hands of the airline poor performance and poor customer service. In the next section of the paper, the present writer discusses the requisite measures that need to be taken if poor customer service has to be eliminated or at least has to be reduced to a tolerable level. One such important point is the notion of customer relation management. This specific area and studies in this area are examined in the following section so as to reach a possible ground that leads to a healthier climate in which the ill-struck airline customer can experience better services by the airlines and breathe in fresh air. Poor Customer Service and Customer Relation Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To the present day, what is required to meet higher customer satisfaction in the lucrative business of airline is known as Customer Relation Management or CRM. It was actually in the 1980s that airlines started to introduce frequent-flyer segments of their program in order to enhance the loyalty level of their prospective customers. This trend gave birth to a new approach in marketing known as CRM. In today’s context, CRM programs are used in a number of businesses with focus on customer satisfaction. However, when it comes to the airline industry, it is not very surprising to note that the situation is not very satisfactory here. According to Binggeli et al. a survey was conducted for 17 major airlines around the globe. This very survey disclosed that even the most technologically equipped and sophisticated of the airlines â€Å"have only a rudimentary understanding of who their most valuable customers are or could be, which factors affect the behavior of these customers, and which CRM levers are most effective in ensuring loyalty† (p. 06, 2002). What in subsistence was being practiced was that airlines lagged behind best practices in CRM due to the fact that they were merely self-satisfied; they, as such, gave little importance to systems which were not functional and which were non-critical; or they did not worry about grasping financial implications of getting matters in the right place. â€Å"The result: today. Airlines [sic] know only marginally more about the people who fly on their planes than they did ten years ago† (Binggeli et al, p. 06, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the researchers, today, more than ever before, the airlines need to make an urgent approach toward effective implication of the CRM approach if they really want to make a difference. This is fairly for the reason that if an airline adopts the CRM approach, there is empirical evidence that such an airline can easily increase its revenue by as high as 2.4 percent growing by every coming year, â€Å"representing a bottom-line annual impact of $100 million to $250 million for a large carrier† (Binggeli et al, p. 06, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the present scenario, most of the working airlines do not have sufficient feasible conditions and lack systems and other processes that are required to implement a CRM program and therefore they do not have absolute or reliable data on their customers. For example, though airlines have contact with their customers through a number of channels, such as the Internet, customer service desks, airports, and airplanes, what is simply the matter, data on these sites are not collected with a consistent pursuit or are not accurate at any of these points of customer-interaction activity. (Binggeli et al, p. 06, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most of the airlines cannot recognize their most precious customers, â€Å"because their frequent-flyer programs are little more than general-ledger systems that track accrued and spent miles. Although a general correlation does exist between the tiers of a frequent-flyer program and the value of the customers enrolled in them (meaning that in most cases a frequent flyer in the elite category is the most profitable kind of customer), further analysis can prove illuminating† (Binggeli et al, p. 06, 2002). It must be noted in the same connection that different customers within the very tier usually hold widely differential degrees of value to different airlines, additionally, a small but noteworthy number of customers in the category of lower tiers. In this example, we can take the regular customers who let go of full fare out of their pockets. Such passengers can carry great value for the airline as compared to those customers who travel in the upper ones. (Binggeli et al, p. 06, 2002). One more critical problem is the reality that they scarcely know how much money their customers let go of with their competitors in the very market. For example, it is possible that a customer who travels by airline A, may also extensively travel by airline B, and â€Å"would thus be a more fruitful target for marketing than its own frequent travelers† (Binggeli et al, p. 06, 2002). Thus what is required in the overall picture to meet greater customer satisfaction is CRM approach which not only has to yield great profitability conditions and enhanced market reputation for an airline, it also goes a long way on the continuum of customer satisfaction that can definitely satisfy today’s aggrieved and frustrated customer. The Experience of Singapore International Airlines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One airline that has surprised the critics of airline customer focus is the Singapore International Airlines. According to Smith (customerservicezone.com, 2008) Singapore International Airlines (SIA) is â€Å"so superior that it leaves other carriers in its vapor trails†. The very point that the author makes here is that the entire success story of the SIA is that â€Å"It places the needs of passengers first, and offers services above and beyond the ordinary†. With this airline, even the experience in the economy class is something that a traveler forgets hard. It is simply a remark that all classes seem to enjoy benefits with equal share of customer satisfaction. â€Å"One of the primary reasons Singapore Airlines provides superior service is because they only hire people that enjoy a service role–enjoy serving others† (Smith, 2008). Thus the example of SIA should be an eye-opener for other airlines too. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be fairly stated that there a number of complex matters which give birth to poor customer service by most of the present day airlines both public and private. If customer satisfaction means superior services on the part of airlines, it can be openly calimed that most of the airlines both local and global fail to meet this criterion. Although it is a right remark to suggest that much of this is credited to the regulations and rules that a government (in this case USA and the Deregulation Act along with decades-long labor laws, for insatnce) holds, it is not right to suggest that only government rules and regulations are solely responsible for a number of dissatisfactory segments of poor customer service by the airlines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A number of airlines do not practice such important approaches as CRM due to a number of reasons. Whatever they want, one thing empirically becomes clear that today’s customers continue to suffer on the hands of the airlines. Moreover, as quoted above, the suffering customers do not find a proper channel to voice their concerns with relation to massive frustration caused by airlines. Today, â€Å"little attention is being paid to the effect poor internal customer service has on overall customer satisfaction† which is a real problem (Harrison, n.d. principledprofit.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now according to my personal analysis of the entire situation, the poor customer service can only be reduced to an acceptable level only if three-dimensional approach is adopted. On this triangle first come the government that need to make policies that support the customers as the most important part of any airlines related rules and regulations. Next corner of this triangle is the airlines themselves that need to make sure that their customers do not feel that their services are still poor. For this very issue they need to look more closely at the area of customer contact and gather as many data as possible and sort them out in a technically sound manner so that they can be used to make sound empirical investigations. The last corner of this triangle is the customer themselves and airlines need â€Å"information about prospective new customers† (Hagel and Rayport, p. 3, 2002), for successful operations. Unless and until the customers are not considered an integral part of any policy and regulation, no better improvement toward the present meager state of poor customer service can be carved on the canvas of airline business. For this reason the customers must be involved in the process of change and alterations of any kinds. References    Avila, A. R. (August, 1999) Customer service is bad-and getting worse! USA Today. (128) 2651. Page Number: 10. COPYRIGHT 1999 Society for the Advancement of Education; COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group Binggeli, U., Gupta, S., & Poomes, C. D. (2002).CRM in the air. The McKinsey Quarterly. Page Number: 6+. COPYRIGHT 2002 McKinsey & Company, Inc.; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group. Dempsey, P. S., & Goetz, A. R. (1992). Airline deregulation and Laissez-faire mythology. Westport, CT.: Quorum Books, pp. 05-30. Doganis, R. (2001). The airline business in the twenty-first century. London: Routledge. pp. 200-225. Feltner, M. (2008). Airline customer service ratings down, and it shows. Retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from: http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/airline-customer-service-ratings-down-and-it-shows.html?id=2382874 Hagel III, J., Rayport, J. F. (2002). The coming battle for customer information. The McKinsey Quarterly. Issue: 3. Page Number: 64+. McKinsey & Company, Inc.; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group Harrison, C. (n.d.) Turning customer service inside out! How poor Internal customer service affects external customers. Retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from: http://www.principledprofit.com/internal-customer-service.html John, J. (2003). Fundamentals of customer-focused management: competing through service. Westport, CT.: Praeger. pp. 05-30. Lindsey Russell (March, 2007). Surviving Airline Customer Service How to Cope with a Flawed System. Retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/166932/surviving_airline_customer_service.html Maier, T. W. (2002). Customer service is an oxymoron. Insight on the News (17) 1. Publication Date: January 1, 2001. Page Number: 20. COPYRIGHT 2001 News World Communications, Inc.; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group. O’Connor, W. E. (1995). An introduction to airline economics. Westport, CT.: Praeger, pp. 25-65. Reed, D. (2008). Airlines may never fly right on customer service, experts warn. Retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2007-10-16-bad-airline-service_N.htm Rosenthal, D. H. (2002). Legal turbulence: the courts’s [sic.] misconstrual of the airline deregulation act’s Preemption Clause and the effect on passengers’ rights. Duke Law Journal (51) 6. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number: 1857+. COPYRIGHT 2002 Duke University, School of Law; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group Smith, G. P. (2008). Secrets of superior customer service: Singapore International Airlines. Retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from: http://customerservicezone.com/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=5769 Whalen, C. (March, 2004). The plane truth about airline woes; it’s not fallout from the 9/11 attacks that is causing the airline industry to crash, aviation experts contend but government overregulation and loose bankruptcy laws. Insight on the News. Page Number: 33. COPYRIGHT 2004 News World Communications, Inc.; COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

How Important Is It to Maintain Confidentiality in a Childcare Setting? Essay

How important is it to maintain confidentiality in a childcare setting? When in a childcare setting it is vital to maintain confidentiality in different areas not just for the Child’s welfare but the families as well! Confidential information must not be shared outside of the setting E.G family or friends. The following examples are to be kept confidential; enrolment forms, family’s health insurance information, health screenings and records, including immunization records, emergency contact information, contact information for those authorized to pick up child, emergency care consent forms , consent forms (permission slips) for outings or special activities, names of regular medical or dental providers who know the child, nutritional restrictions, progress reports, child observation logs, parent conference logs, medication logs, documentation of medical, behavioural or developmental evaluations, referrals or follow-ups, addressing issues relevant to the child’s participation in the program, documentation of any injury occurring at the program site and the steps taken to address the situation. While the rights and desires of families to keep their personal details private are important, there are also some circumstances under which identifying information should be shared for example; Program staff and the â€Å"need to know (might have a dietary or medical requirements so the cook or nurse will need to know) Outbreaks of reportable illness or Outbreaks of reportable illness as the information might be vital and used to saved the children’s life or keep them healthy. One way to differentiate whether the information is confidential or not would be to think â€Å"Is this common knowledge or do I know it because my position in the setting† as all children, families and young people have a right to confidentiality. So always ask your supervisor if you aren’t sure about what information is appropriate to disclose to different people. In addition all information needs to be store properly- in a secure place. If this isn’t possible make sure you donâ €™t discuss the information apart from those directly responsible for the care of the child. Technology is advancing but this still doesn’t escape the laws. Read more:  Maintaining an Individual’s Confidentiality and Disclosing Concerns There is legislation that defines in what ways personal information can be used; The Data Protection Act 1998 (was created to protect individual’s rights and to prevent breaches or information.) It applies whether or not they are kept on the computer Maintaining confidentiality protects children and their families from gossip but also prevents situations of an abuser mounts a legal defence based on tampering of evidence so it is essential that you don’t talk to anyone other than those directly involved about your concerns or about what a child has told you. As anything you learn about children or their families or other during the course of your practice is likely to be very confidential. When working with other professional it is most likely you will hear comments and remarks that aren’t anticipated to be repeated outside of the meeting/ conversation. You may be given documents that cover sensitive areas- this means that you need to keep the information confiden tial but also in a safe and secure lock up. Photography is an ever increasing technology and can be a brilliant way to have evidence for observations or practical’s but there are some basic rules that you have to follow to maintain confidentially when taking photographs; ALWAYS Have permission from the parents of the child that you a photographing, Only use a school camera as this ensures that the photographs don’t make it out of the school, although the parent says it okay the child might not when you are taking the photo always keep this in mind, If the parent(s) don’t want their child to be in the picture then make sure that they STAY OUT of it or you can cut/ bur them out of the photo. When doing observations you need to maintain confidentiality in the following ways; only using the Childs first names, change the children’s names if they are unusual or could lead to the child be identified in any way, give the type of setting rather than the name of the settings EG â€Å"a primary school† rather than â€Å"The John Warner primary school†. Write the children’s age as years and months rather than the date of birth as they can be easily identified, photographic records should not be used unless permission is gained from the child’s parents and the setting lastly make sure the files have a contacting telephone number so they can be returned safely if lost. Lastly it is vital that as a practitioner that we maintain confidentiality as our main priority is the welfare of child and their development. If you breach confidentiality then you are putting the child at a very high risk, whether this is of kidnapping, sexual, emotional or physical abuse, there are laws and moral rules for a reason as it should be the child’s interest at heart at all times. Secondly you should always maintain confidentiality to keep a good relationship with the parents. You are in charge of the apple of their eye and they are trusting you with the Childs life thus it is vital to maintain a good and healthy relationship with the c hild’s parents. If you don’t this might result with them taking them out of the current school and you losing your job. Overall you should always make sure that the person who is picking the child up has the right of access as this could lead into very bad situations of the child being abducted. It is vital that you don’t break the trust with the family. The child might suffer abuse so you should take the right steps (Talking to your child protection officer) and no one else unless directly involved with the child’s welfare. When passing on information make it is to the correct people as the child might not be telling the truth and putting the child and family in danger for no reason. Don’t repeat anything your team says that you think is confidential. If you hear something that is being talked about them distract them- if it is a parent just talk to them about how well their child is doing but if it is a member of staff take them to one side and talk to them. With any serious or sensitive issues with children ( break ups, deaths etc†¦) then you need to tell your supervisor immediately and instead of asking the child to tell you a good way to get their emotions out is to write it down ( if old enough). Always ensure that children’s names are remained confidential e.g.; in observations etc†¦ If you are going arrange to talk to anyone about a confident matter then always arrange a confidential area so no one will come in and hear/ see what you are discussing. Always obtain permission for photographs/ videos of a child. Make sure there is no mistrial as to many questions could lead a child on and not tell the truth, get a professional in to deal with the matter. Lastly the data protection acts has 8 principles that state all about maintain confidentially with any documentation in any situation, this is the law. Overall it is vital that you as a professional practitioner you always maintain confidentiality of the setting/ children/ families as it can put many people at risk or a endless list of dangers.

Management Consulting Research on Waste Management Essay

Management Consulting Research on Waste Management - Essay Example Any lapse in healthcare waste management can pose health risks to the health care workers, waste handlers and also to the general public (www.healthcarewaste.org) Although there is growing awareness in this field and most of the health care institutions are taking steps towards effective health care waste management, there is another very risk prone area and that is domestic health care waste. Many studies have been done on how to improve waste management at hospitals and other health care centers but not much has been done in the field of waste generated at homes. Environmental studies have shown presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment like air and water. These environmental hazards have to be handled on two fronts: - how to nullify the ill-effects of these pollutants and more importantly how to control it at source. This research proposes to study the sources i.e. dumping of household pharmaceutical wastes into the sewer systems, sewer discharges from hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, nursing homes, runoff from veterinary uses, and sewer discharges from patients themselves in their urine and feces (Daughton, 2003). So far most of the studies have been focused on status of water quality in pharmaceutical waste managment, little has been done ... Pharmaceutical use is common-In U.S., in the past six months, about three out of five residents have taken at least one over-the-counter drug product whereas 54% have taken a prescription drugs (NCPIE, 2002). The status of household pharmaceutical waste management While the awareness regarding the drugs is widely spreading, awareness about management of unwanted pharmaceuticals is limited, disjointed, conflicting and often absent. Uncontrolled sewer disposal remain unchanged, despite the well-publicized threat to water quality. There are laws that define and classify any waste pharmaceutical as hazardous waste based on toxicity, reactivity, corrosivity, ignitability, or exceeding threshold limit values (Pharmaceuticals.org). They are controlled by different state authorities, for example in California it falls under the regulatory authority of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) (Beckman, 2004). But there is no accurate reference list available for identifying which pharmaceuticals are hazardous waste and which are not (Beckman, 2004; Smith, 1999). General examples of pharmaceuticals that would be hazardous waste can be: any aqueous formulation containing 24% or more alcohol, sanitizing or topical preparations containi ng solvents like rubbing alcohol as they are ignitable; nitroglycerin as it is reactive; lindane as it is toxic; vaccines, eye and ear drops with mercury or m-cresol preservatives as they are toxic or exceed threshold limit value. Most of the hazardous waste is managed by the household waste management as there is no clear classification or awareness. Even if there was data available to allow differentiation of hazardous pharmaceuticals from non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, it would not

Finance and groowth strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Finance and groowth strategy - Essay Example This phenomenon makes the valuation of any potential investment a cumbersome task for any decision-maker. For this purpose, several valuation models have been developed that have been tested academically and professionally as being effectively helpful in analyzing investment projects, such as the discounted cash flow, present value, Tobin's q, etc. The discounted cash flow is regarded as the most important technique in evaluating long-term investment decisions, in particular. Reilly and Brown (2003) consider the calculation of discounted cash flow to be the most commonly practiced technique for the valuation of assets. The model is specifically utilized in large organizations as an effective means to analyze an investment on the basis of returns expected within a certain number of years. For instance, a company wants to invest a certain sum of money (See Table 1 and 2) to purchase an asset that is likely to benefit the company and provide a flow of income for the period of five years. This company can utilize the DCF method to reach an appropriate decision concerning whether to buy the asset or not. The asset will be purchased if the Net Present Value (NPV) calculated appears to be positive, whereas the company will not go for this investment if the NPV is less than zero or negative. This model evaluates the value of a company's asse... Wolfe and Gold (2004, p191) state that, "with the discounted cash flow theory cash flows are discounted at a risk-adjusted discount rate to arrive at an estimate of value". Thus, this method utilizes a discount rate to evaluate the cash flows expected from the use of the asset. In the following example (See Table 2), the discount rate is taken as 15%, whereas the investment is evaluated for the period of five years. After discounting the cash flows expected to be received in the given years, the present value is obtained. Table 1 Cash Flows *Considering Expected Inflation =3% Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Cash Inflow* $7,519,000 $7,594,190 $7,669,380 7035528 6497543 Less: Operating Costs $1,460,000 $1,503,800 $1,548,914 $1,595,381 $1,643,242 Less: Depreciation $2,266,667 $2,266,667 $2,266,667 $2,266,667 $2,266,667 Operating Income BT $3,792,333 $3,823,723 $3,853,799 $3,173,480 $2,587,634 Tax (10% assumed) $379,233 $382,372 $385,379 $317,348 $258,763 Operating Income AT $3,413,099 $3,441,350 $3,468,419 $2,856,132 $2,328,870 Add: Depreciation $2,266,667 $2,266,667 $2,266,667 $2,266,667 $2,266,667 Cash Flows $5,679,766 $5,708,017 $5,735,086 $5,122,799 $4,595,537 Table 2 Year Cash Flows Discount Rate- 15% Present Value 1 $5,679,766 0.870 4,941,396 2 $5,708,017 0.757 4,320,968 3 $5,735,086 0.658 3,773,686 4 $5,122,799 0.572 2,930,241 5 $4,595,537 0.497 2,283,981 Net Present Value 18,250,272 - Explicating The Investment Risks French and Gabrielli (2005, p80) illuminate that "the DCF method can mirror the all risk yield approach by explicitly applying all the assumptions that have been implicitly allowed for". The preeminence of this method lies in pre-identifying the risks concerning a prospective investment while

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership - Essay Example "Nothing matters more in winning than getting the right people on the field. Differentiation helps you do that." (Welch Way, 29 March 2009). One of the biggest challenges faced by the leaders these days is getting the right people for the job, any job can be completed by anybody but the point is how efficiently a person can do a job Leadership is all about perfection and any wrong decisions taken can prove very fatal. For instance a leader hires a person, who he believes is the right man/woman for the organization but the work of that employee proves otherwise, the organization can suffer because of the same and the loss occurred because of that wrong decision of the leader will always remain irrecoverable. It is very difficult these days to find the right people, who can commit their future to the organization but leaders are expected to have the quality of differentiation, a leader who possesses this quality can never go wrong in the process of selecting the right people for the or ganization. ... This is one of the biggest challenges which the leaders these days face, if a leader is born with this quality then major pitfalls in leadership can be avoided without facing much difficulty. "To meet the many demands of performing their functions, managers assume multiple roles. A role is an organized set of behaviors. Henry Mintzberg has identified ten roles common to the work of all managers. The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is provided. The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees depending on the level and function of management. The ten roles are described individually, but they form an integrated whole." (Henry Mintzberg, 29 March 2009). Another big challenge which the leaders of today face is the daunting task of decision making. Decision making is the most challenging task for any leader. One wrong decision can change many things around in an organization and those changes will surely be for the worse of the organization on the other hand one good decision can help the organization in more ways than one. Decision making is a very delicate process, numerous things have to be kept in mind, a leader just cannot go on making wrong decisions because that would result in disaster, even one wrong decision can be disastrous for any organization so considering all these things it becomes imperative that leaders analyze the

Most Important Interpersonal Skills Required of a Compliance Officer Research Paper

Most Important Interpersonal Skills Required of a Compliance Officer - Research Paper Example In some jurisdiction, complains officers can perform consultative roles such as advising and supporting business transactions as well as other functions performed by the firm. The compliance officer has the responsibility of overseeing all compliance activities and has substantial authority in an organization (Heller, Murphy and Meaney 20-24). Moreover, compliance officers have direct access to senior persons in an organization such as the company president and chief executive officers. In addition, compliance officers are required to operate independently without the influence of other persons in an organization. Therefore, compliance officers have critical roles to play in enhancing successful performance of a firm. In order for compliance officers to be effective in their duties there are certain interpersonal skill they are required to possess. This paper focuses on the most important interpersonal skills required of a compliance officer, which include negotiation skills, communi cation skills, investigative/analytical skills, qualifications, and confidence. Having appropriate negotiation skills  is important in several jobs including being a compliance officer. Compliance officers are often involved in making company policies are thus required to be able to negotiate with other department heads they may be working with. Moreover, compliance officers often negotiate with regulators such as external auditors on the measures that firms are required to take in order to satisfy the set regulatory requirements. Moreover, when disputes regarding compliance arise in a company, the compliance officers are required to settle the disputes (Heller, Murphy and Meaney 105-109; Safian 28-31). Some compliance officers are accorded great mandate and are required to negotiate with powerful stakeholders such as important political figures or producers in a firm such as financial

The artwork of Gustav Klimt is controversial Research Paper

The artwork of Gustav Klimt is controversial - Research Paper Example rtwork, Klimt was among the acknowledged founders, and also worked as the chair of the 1997 Vienna Secession; he was also a major player in the group’s Sacred Spring (27). The paintings done by Klimt attracted top prices for the works of art done by artists. One of the artworks from his collection, which attracted a top price was the portrait Adele Bloch-Bauer of 1907; it was bought by Ronald lauder for the Neue Galeria at US 135; it was the highest-priced painting in 2006 (30). The artwork (paintings) done by Gustav Klimt are controversial. The rationale for this Experiential Learning Project is to learn more about Klimt’s artwork. The goal is to educate the reader on why Klimt’s artwork was controversial (Whitford 57). The research contained within this paper will support the thesis and provide examples for the reader. Gustav has numerous works of art demonstrating his radical ideas, which was deemed controversial (Bisanz-Prakken 25).This project will focus on expert and personal research by experiencing the art created by Klimt. The design of this research will be based on books, and case studies. The ELP Experimental Research Data contains the personal research of the writer of this paper. All research was conducted from July 13th to August 8th, 2014. The controversial nature of Gustav’s artworks can be traced and understood after gaining a detailed understanding of his birth place, family and the work of his father and family. Firstly, Gustav’s father was a silver and gold engraver living and working around Vienna. Partly, due to the influence of the father’s career, he received training in the field of arts at the Vienna-based decorative arts learning centre (Partsch 267). Later on, in 1882, together with a friend and brother, he started a studio, which specialized in the development of mural paintings. The studio was quite successful right from the start, and it won assignments from establishments like museums, theatres, semi-public and also

Justice System in The United Arab Emirates Research Paper

Justice System in The United Arab Emirates - Research Paper Example The judicial systems of Emirates of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah are not part of the UAE Federal Judicial Authority because these Emirates have retained the power of their judicial systems. Therefore, the Emirates of Dubai and Ral Al Khaimah have no Federal Courts and all matters arising within these Emirates are handled by the Local Courts. The Federal Supreme Court of Cessation based in Abu Dhabi can appeal against any judgment passed by the Federal Courts of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. The Emirate of Ral Al Khaimah has no Federal Supreme Court of Cessation. The UAE Federal Law enacted by the UAE Supreme Council is applied at both the Federal Courts and Local Courts in UAE. Furthermore, the Courts also apply laws and regulations passed by the ruler. However, similar laws and legal procedures are applied in each of the Federal and Local Courts in Emirates but there are some differences. In cases where a conflict arises between Federal and Local Law then in suc h cases, the Federal Law will prevail. The justice system of the UAE is very efficient and fair which is the primary reason why UAE has attracted businesses from around the world. (Price et al 1998). The primary sources of law in UAE are the statutory codes because UAE has a Legal System which pertains to a civil law. The Egyptian legal system has influenced the UAE legal system to a great extent, thus the system enacted in the UAE can be regarded as a reflection of the system in Egypt. Interestingly, the Egyptian system has been influenced by French and Roman legal systems; therefore the legal system of UAE is an amalgamation of the systems of France, Rome, and Egypt. However, the major source of law is inevitably the Islamic Law codified in Shariah. The procedures and practices followed by the judicial system of UAE are based on Islamic Law.  

Essentialist and Post Structuralist Theories of Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Essentialist and Post Structuralist Theories of Race and Ethnicity Essay Identity Analysis Toward Productive Pedagogies: An Essentialist and Post Structuralist Perspective Race and ethnicity will be used to analyse the central theme of identity from an essentialist and post structuralist perspective. Definitions of race and ethnicity will be presented and distinctions made between the two categories. The character Eva from the film The Freedom Writers will be used as a medium and present an argument that race and ethnicity are social constructs but not absent of essentialist influences. Following a self reflection of my own identity the similarities between Eva and I show a congruence between essentialist perspectives of race and ethnicity to the existence of ethnic tensions and prejudice. In the context of Post structural theory it will be argued that it offers a more realistic and progressive appraisal of identity as fluid and changing through social contexts. Differences between Eva’s and my own identity serve to highlight the inequality of dominant culture over ethnic minorities. Therefore, pedagogical strategies will be examined from a post structural perspective as a means to promote inclusivity and authentic Indigenous perspectives within the classroom. Essentialist theories about ethnicity and race present these identity themes as fixed and unchangeable. Weber (1978) defines race identity as â€Å" common inherited and inheritable traits that actually derive from common descent† (p. 368 ). The character Eva from the film The Freedom Writers identities her race as â€Å" those south of the border†, or specifically Hispanic. Ethnicity from an essentialist perspective differs from race as Zagefka (2008) ascribes to the notion that â€Å" essentialist accounts of ethnicity maintain that ethnic groups have a certain ‘essence’ which determines their character† (p. 1). Therefore, essentialist ethnicity elaborates on race identity informing that behavioural traits are also biologically determined. Eva’s statement â€Å"We fight over race, pride and respect† illustrates the essentialist nature of fixed, unchangeable boundaries that exist between her group and other ethnic groups. Eva’s racial hatred of the other ethnic groups is evident through her gang affiliations and violent behaviour toward them. An essentialist perceptive would assume that Eva’s racial hatred is determined at birth but as Eva’s character develops throughout the film the essentialist perspective loses validity and Eva’s sense of identity is seen to be socially constructed. Post structural theory maintains that race and ethnicity are socially constructed presenting Eva’s identity as fluid and evolving. However, Morning (2006) concludes that â€Å" the conception of race as rooted in biological difference endures, at least in the United States today†. Therefore, ethnicity offers a more authentic analysis of Eva’s identity formation from a post structuralist perspective then the residual of essentialism that exists in relation to her racial conceptualisations. In Eva’s formative years her subjectivities about race were essentialised from her fathers’ emphasis of her origins and therefore the â€Å" need to protect your own†. The violence from other ethnic groups and the arrest of her father because of his ethnic background resulted in an intense hatred for white people. Eva â€Å" hated white people on sight†. Eva’s hatred developed over time through social contexts involving ethnic and racial violence. Eva’s changing identity is represented from a post structural perceptive through narrative and social interactions in Mrs Gurwall’s classroom. Marra (2005) states that â€Å"Narrative is a powerful means of constructing different kinds of social identity, including ethnic identity. † (p. 2). Using a diary as an artefact Eva is able reflect on her own subjectivities about identity to better understand her beliefs and values (J Nailer, 2005 p. 152). Through social interactions in the classroom under the guidance of her teacher Eva’s ethnic identity is reconstructed to establish a type of class ethnicity involving students from different races. As a self reflection process my own personal identity can be examined through essentialist and post structural perspectives centred on themes of race and identity. During my childhood years race identity was represented from an essentialist perspective. I identified as a member of the white race and was educated from a white, colonial historical perspective. Instilled from an early age was the notion that being black meant being inferior. Not only did I perceive Indigenous people as those who sat in the park and got drunk but I engaged in racist language such as ‘nigger’ and ‘coon’. My prejudice is highlighted by Brickman (2009) who suggests â€Å"Indeed, for social categories based on race, increased endorsement of genetic theories (one component of psychological essentialism) has been linked to increased prejudice† (p. 2). My parents assisted in the facilitation of my racial essentialism as did many other adults and peers of my own racial group. During my formative years my identity based upon being a member of the white race assumed greater intelligence, privilege and more appropriate behaviour than Indigenous peoples. The distinction between race and ethnicity is evident when according to Chandra (2006), an ethnic group is â€Å" a named human population with myths of common ancestry, shared historical memories, one or more elements of a common culture, a link with a homeland and sense of solidarity† (p.403). This statement relates to when I left my small town and attended an affluent private college whilst undertaking university study. Although surrounded by members of the same white race I identified with an ethnic group in the context of people from my own town. The essentialist and constructiveness theories for identity are distinct yet in practice difficult to separate. Ayirtman (2007) presents constructionist perspectives as â€Å" the intersubjective formation of individual identities through confrontation and interaction with other(s)† (p.10) whilst Chandra (2006) proposes that changes in ethnicity are constrained by â€Å"descent-based† attributes. In the context of race and ethnicity both statements were appropriate to the way I constructed my own identity throughout my adult years. The immersion in multiculturalism from a large city and university institution influenced me to many different races and ethnic groups. The confrontation of cultural diversity increased fluidity in the boundaries that constituted my identity about themes of race and ethnicity. However, the recognition of cultural differences in relation to my original culture and race still left intact some relatively fixed boundaries around essentialist perspectives. It is evident that Eva and I had different life experiences yet similarities emerge between our two identities. Prominent commonalities between Eva and I relate to the essentialist perspective of race and ethnicity our childhood and adolescence years. Both Eva and I expressed prejudice toward other ethnic groups based on the biological characteristics of race and ethnicity. In relation to ethnicity and race the formative years consisted of seemingly fixed and rigid boundaries around identity groups. Juteau (1996) describes these boundaries as â€Å" monolithic and static, seen as grounded in common origin, genealogy and ancestry† (p. 57). Similar to Eva the fixed nature of my identity boundaries correlated to racial and ethnic tensions resulting sometimes in violence, in varying degrees. Despite essentialised race and ethnicity in formative years commonalities exist between Eva and me through a post structuralist perspective. Racial prejudice was socially constructed through repeated discourses of conflict between racial groups throughout childhood and adolescence. Narrative through the evolving artefact of a diary allowed both Eva and I to analyse our subjectivities about aspects of our identities and both had the experience of an excellent teacher through which effective social interactions allowed empowerment and progressive reconstruction of identity. A key difference between me and the character Eva in The Freedom Writers is that I identified with the dominant Discourse in society and Eva identified as a member of a minority ethnic group. Thomson states â€Å"A successful school student is one who has acquired much of the dominant ‘habitus’, that is, ways of being in the world, as well as the cultural and symbolic capital derived from their schooling† (p. 8). An analysis of Thomson’s statement works on two levels. At the school level, and identifying as a member of the dominant culture, allowed me to be familiar with school discourse and the knowledge’s valued there in. Eva’s ethnic and racial identity immediately placed her at odds with the school discourse which restricted her acquisition of cultural capital. At the level of society I was able to exert more agency through the social influence that a familiar discourse facilitated. A seemingly natural relationship existed through identification with a common culture, language and physical race attributes. Eva’s race and ethnicity reduced the agency she could exert against the dominant culture. Her common culture and race attributes are at odds in a society where the majority race was white. The similarities and differences evident between Eva’s identity and my own identity offer invaluable understandings to develop positive, productive teacher-student interactions in the classroom. Taking a post structural approach to pedagogy teachers can be aware that their own subjectivities will influence the way they teach. (Nayler 2005). . In a multi-cultural scenario where individual students bring a variety of cultural identities into the classroom a teacher faces the challenge of facilitating inclusive pedagogical practices. Carrington advises that â€Å" the teacher facilitates a culture of respect and value for all members of the class. † (p. 113). This statement requires student interactions that involve listening to other students and being encouraged to support each other through peer assisted learning. Classroom organisation must allow students to actively participate in whole class, group collaboration, independent and problem- based learning. These student practices must be based around purposeful knowledge that engage what Thomson (2002) refers to as a student’s â€Å" virtual schoolbag† (p. 1). Through strong relationships between teacher, parent and community what students have learnt at home and in wider society can be transferred into the classroom. Therefore individual student’s â€Å" knowledge’s, narratives and interests† can be recognised and built upon with high teacher expectations of connecting them to the valued knowledge’s of the school curriculum. (Thomson, 2002). More specifically, is the need to embed Indigenous perspectives into the classroom. When embedding Indigenous studies into the classroom teachers (non-indigenous especially) need to access authentic knowledge and often admit their shortcomings in relation to skills and knowledge required to teach such units. Miller, Troy and Currell (2005) point out the risk that â€Å"as members of the dominant culture (we are all white Australian), perhaps we found it easy to revert to a knowledge base that we had naturally accepted since early childhood† (p. 61). Teachers must be critical about the resources they select to teach Indigenous studies whilst forging strong relationships with Indigenous communities. These factors will ensure that Indigenous studies are taught from an indigenous perspective and not corrupted by social, political and historical perspectives of the dominant culture of which many teachers identify with. The identity categories of race and ethnicity can be analysed from an essentialist and post structuralist perspective. The post structural perspective of race and ethnicity presents a more authentic analysis of identity as being influenced by different social contexts. Whilst the post structural perspective offers a more progressive application to Eva’s and my own identities essentialist influences are not invisible. The commonality of prejudice through race and ethnicity being essentialised offers an excellent reference point to show the usefulness of a post structural approach to productive teacher pedagogies. A post structural perspective offers the opportunity for teachers to critically reflect upon their own subjectivities in the context of their own identities. Teachers can therefore adopt pedagogical strategies that promote inclusiveness in the classroom and embrace the richness of cultural diversity, whilst linking the diverse array of knowledge’s to the value knowledge’s of the school curriculum. References 1. Marra, M (2005). Constructing Ethnicity and Leadership Through Storytelling at Work. Retrieved from http://www. mang. canterbury. ac. nz/anzca/FullPapers/06WorkCommFINALed. pdf 2. Carrington, S. (2007). Classroom relationships, pedagogy and practice in the inclusive classroom. In M. Keeffe S. Carrington (Eds), Schools and diversity(2nd ed. ). (pp. 108-127). Sydney: Pearson Australia. 3. Miller, M. , Dunn, T. Currell, K. (2005). Learning and the importance of knowing: Student perspectives on centralising Indigenous knowledge in their preparation as teachers. In J. Phillips Lampert (Eds), Introductory Indigenous studies in education: The importance of knowing. (pp. 60-79). Sydney: Pearson Australia. 4. Thomson, P. (2002). Vicki and Thanh. In Schooling the rustbelt kids:Making the difference in Changing times (pp. 1-18). Crow’s Nest: Allen Unwind. 5. Nailer, J. (2005). Understanding ourselves. In J. Austin (Ed), Culture and Identity (2nd end). (pp. 139-154). Sydney: Pearson Australia 6. Morning, A. (2006). Ethnic Classification in Global Perspective: A Cross-National Survey of the 2000 Census Round. Retrieved from http://as. nyu. edu/docs/IO/1043/Morning_2008_Ethnic_Classification_in_Global_Perspective. pdf 7. Brickman, D. (2009). The Implications of Essentialist Beliefs for Prejudice. Retrieved from http://deepblue. lib. umich. edu/bitstream/2027. 42/63752/1/dbrick_1. pdf 8. Chandra, H. (2006). What is Ethnic Identity and does it Matter. Annual Review of Political Science, 9, (pp 397-424. ) Retrieved from http://www. nyu. edu/gsas/dept/politics/faculty/chandra/ars2005. pdf 9. Juteau, D. (1996). Theorising ethnicity and ethnic communalisations at the margins: from Quebec to the world system. Nations and Nationalism, 2(1), (pp 45-66. ) Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1111/j. 1354-5078. 1996. 00045. x/abstract 10. Ayirtman, S. (2007). Recognition through Deliberation: Toward Deliberative Accommodation of Cultural Diversity. Retrieved from http://arts. monash. edu. au/psi/news-and-events/apsa/refereed-papers/political-theory/sayirtman. pdf 11. Zagefka, H (2008). The concept of ethnicity in social psychological research: Definitional issues. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33(3), (pp 228-241. ). 12. Gruwell, E (Writer), Lagravenese, R (Director). (2006). In D. Devito, M. Shamberg, S. Sheer (Producers), The Freedom Writers. Paramount Pictures.

Experience of Novice Nurses with NIV in General Wards

Experience of Novice Nurses with NIV in General Wards Experience of novice nurses caring patients with non-invasive ventilation in general wards. Non invasive ventilation (NIV) is used to provide respiratory pressure support to upper airway by using external masks without the insertion of endotracheal tube. It is mostly used for the early management of acute respiratory failure (ARF) (Rose and Gerdtz, 2009) and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) ( Penuelas, Frutos-Vivar Esteban, 2007). NIV is considering less intensive than mechanical ventilation, therefore some clinicians manage these patients outside the intensive care unit (ICU), particularly in hospitals where ICU beds are unavailable (Farha et al., 2006, Hill, 2009). One audit report revealed that inappropriate use of NIV outside the ICU is associated with higher mortality (Sumner and Yadegafar, 2011). Its increasingly usage outside the ICU, lead less experienced nurses to care for these patients’ results in quality care compromised. Previous studies have identified the following factors that contribute towards treatment failure with NIV is lack of know ledge and experience about the regulation of NIV (Kallet, 2009, Lopez et al., 2006, Lopez-Campos et al., 2006, Elliott et al., 2011), inappropriate guideline (Sinuff et al., 2007), patient-ventilator asynchrony, poor judgment about the appropriate mask selection, patient intolerance (Hess, 2011) and delay in patient care at ward level (Elliott et al., 2011). Safe delivery of NIV can be assured when the patient received care from experienced, educated and well trained staff (Rose and Gerdtz, 2009). Previous studies had explored the experiences of experienced nurses worked in ICU and identified that experienced nurses are using their practical knowledge to select the appropriate mask to patient face. They are using their communication skills to gain control on patient breathing and using their clinical experiences to solve the problems and avoiding delays in adjusting the ventilation (Sà ¸rensen et al., 2013) and providing reassurance to immobilized patients and protect them from errors (Acebedo-Urdiales et al., 2014). There is another study that covers the perspectives of general ward nurses about the NIV, is not generalizable study because it was conducted only in one hospital. However, data revealed that 67% nurses didn’t get involved in the decision making process and were inadequately informed. Even they did not received adequ ate consultation from physicians and medical emergency team and mostly, all nurses in medical wards state that training was inadequate about the NIV (Cabrini et al., 2009). Most of the studies have viewed the experiences of competent nurses in ICU or general ward; however no study has explored the experiences of novice nurses caring the patient with NIV in general ward. Therefore, the purpose of my study is to explore the experiences of novice nurses caring the patient with NIV in medical ward. The one of the reason for selecting this topic is my own area of practice and my experience of being a novice nurse in medical ward in Pakistan. I remembered that when I was assigned with NIV patient, I really felt very anxious and worried. Because, I didn’t have any idea about the BIPAP machine like how it is operated, what assessment I need to do in patient condition to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Sometime, I felt hesitate to consult with physician about the patient’s condition, because of my lack of knowledge, skills and training about the NIV. Therefore, some time I had a fear of harming to patient. My colleagues also had shared the same experiences and feeling with me. For literature search, I have used these electronic databases: CINAHL (15), PubMed (45), Embase (32) and Scopus (35). I have developed the keywords from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) from each database. I have used these keywords for literature search: work experience; job experience; experience; experiential learning; nursing knowledge; nursing role; nurse-patient relations; job satisfaction, nursing practice; critical care nursing; education, nursing; staff nurses; nurse attitudes; decision making; nurse-physician relations evaluation; new graduates nurse; staff development, nursing care; nurses; novice nurses; respiration, artificial; noninvasive ventilation; noninvasive ventilation; non-invasive ventilation. Reference lists of relevant papers were also checked to identify other potentially relevant literature and take the assistance from nursing librarian. The inclusion criteria for each database were paper published in the English and between the periods of 1 January 2005 to 3 1 March 2015. I have also used the Boolean operators to limit my search results. The reason for such limitation is to get the relevant literature about my area of interest. Total number of paper which I get from each database is 127 documents. Once, I done with literature search, I started to read the abstract of each article and select the relevant and near relevant article to my research purpose and eliminate those which I found irrelevant. Out of 127, 26 articles were selected, review critically and develop themes like factors for NIV failure, lack of knowledge and skills etc .The difficulty which I faced during literature search was I cannot be able to remove the duplicate articles from each databases. As, no study has viewed the experience of novice nurses, therefore I would like to conduct the research build on this research question that â€Å"what are the experiences of novice nurses, while caring the NIV patients in general wards?† This study will explore the experiences of novice nurses and uncover the challenges which novice nurses are facing at intrapersonal, interpersonal or organizational level while caring the patient with NIV. Moreover, this study will highlight the need for staff training. Because, through proper training of staff, it’s eliminates those factors which contributed towards NIV failure in ARF patients and provides quality patient care. In these studies, novice nurse is defined as â€Å"nurses who are new graduates or have limited experience in nursing care particularly with NIV patients† (CINAHL). The reason for selecting the general wards setting is as my area of specialty in medical ward and most of the time, general wards staffs are less experienced and untrained comparatively to ICU staff. References: ACEBEDO-URDIALES, M. S., MEDINA-NOYA, J. L. FERRE-GRAU, C. 2014. Practical knowledge of experienced nurses in critical care: a qualitative study of their narratives. BMC Med Educ, 14, 173. CABRINI, L., MONTI, G., VILLA, M., PISCHEDDA, A., MASINI, L., DEDOLA, E., WHELAN, L., MARAZZI, M. COLOMBO, S. 2009. Non-invasive ventilation outside the Intensive Care Unit for acute respiratory failure: the perspective of the general ward nurses. Minerva Anestesiol, 75, 427-33. ELLIOTT, M., CROOKES, P., WORRALL-CARTER, L. PAGE, K. 2011. Readmission to intensive care: a qualitative analysis of nurses perceptions and experiences. Heart Lung, 40, 299-309. FARHA, S., GHAMRA, Z. W., HOISINGTON, E. R., BUTLER, R. S. STOLLER, J. K. 2006. Use of Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation on the Regular Hospital Ward: Experience and Correlates of Success. Respiratory Care, 51, 1237-1243. HESS, D. R. 2011. Patient-ventilator interaction during noninvasive ventilation. Respir Care, 56, 153-65; discussion 165-7. HILL, N. S. 2009. Where should noninvasive ventilation be delivered? Respir Care, 54, 62-70. KALLET, R. H. 2009. Noninvasive ventilation in acute care: controversies and emerging concepts. Respir Care, 54, 259-63. LOPEZ-CAMPOS, J. L., GARCIA POLO, C., LEON JIMENEZ, A., ARNEDILLO, A., GONZALEZ-MOYA, E. FENANDEZ BERNI, J. J. 2006. Staff training influence on non-invasive ventilation outcome for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis, 65, 145-51. LOPEZ, A. D., SHIBUYA, K., RAO, C., MATHERS, C. D., HANSELL, A. L., HELD, L. S., SCHMID, V. BUIST, S. 2006. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: current burden and future projections. Eur Respir J, 27, 397-412. PENUELAS, O., FRUTOS-VIVAR, F. ESTEBAN, A. 2007. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation in acute respiratory failure. Canadian Medical Association Journal,177 , 1211–1218. ROSE, L. GERDTZ, M. F. 2009. Review of non-invasive ventilation in the emergency department: clinical considerations and management priorities. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18, 3216-3224. SINUFF, T., KAHNAMOUI, K., COOK, D. J. GIACOMINI, M. 2007. Practice guidelines as multipurpose tools: a qualitative study of noninvasive ventilation. Crit Care Med, 35, 776-82. SØRENSEN, D., FREDERIKSEN, K., GRØFTE, T. LOMBORG, K. 2013. Practical wisdom: A qualitative study of the care and management of non-invasive ventilation patients by experienced intensive care nurses. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 29, 174-181. SUMNER, K. YADEGAFAR, G. 2011. The utility and futility of non-invasive ventilation in non-designated areas: Can critical care outreach nurses influence practice? Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 27, 211-217.