Study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module

Study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. Seizure is a neurological disorder characterised by unprovoked electrical discharges that disrupt the nervous system and can cause abnormalities such as abnormal blood levels of calcium, magnesium, glucose which can trigger one or more seizure conditions that irritate the brain. (Christensen and Vestergaard, 2007) Most people with seizure lead outwardly normal lives. Approximately 80% can be aided by modern therapies, and some may take months or years between each seizure attack. However, this condition can affect daily life of people with seizure, their family and their friends. People with seizures who ignore treatment have, a shorter life expectancy and increased risk of cognitive impairment. People with seizure have an higher risk of poor self -esteem, depression and suicide tendency. These problems may by a reaction that may result in cruelty and avoidance by other people. (http\www.nih.gov) Based on the total projected population of India, the estimated number of people with seizure would be 5.5 million. Based on a single study on the incidence of seizure, the number of new cases of seizure in each year would be close to half a million (Epilepsy status 2009) .The average incidence rate was higher than many developed countries, but lower than the developing countries. (Shankar Saha, and Shyamal Das, 2008) Seizure becomes a medical emergency, when seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes or when a person has many seizures and does not wake up between them. Good healthy habits may help to control seizure such as good sleep habits, stress reduction, proper exercise, good nutrition, regular intake of medicine etc. (Rubin and Kornblau, 2009) NEED FOR THE STUDY Many people with seizure also live with ever present fear of getting another attack. The risk of seizure acts as a barrier for their independence; In USA people with seizure or other handicaps cannot be denied employment or access to many educational, recreational or other activities due to their seizure. However one survey in India showed that about 56% of people with seizure finish high school education and only 15% finish college education. These rates are found lower than those of the general population. These numbers indicate that some important barriers still exist for people with seizure. The risk of seizures becomes a barrier for peoples recreational choices; sports is a positive factor in life which is best for the person to participate. Women with seizure are often concerned about whether they can become pregnant and have a healthy child. This is usually a possible situation. Probably 90% women with seizure have the chance of bearing a normal healthy baby and the risk of birth defects is only associated with pregnancy and delivery. The researcher personally felt that seizure episodes are common and often recurrent if the patient does not maintain good health habits. The knowledge level regarding safety measures on management of seizure is essential for people. So the researcher got interested to prepare a Self Instructional Module regarding promotion of safety measures among patients with seizure. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module (SIM) on knowledge regarding promotion of safety measures among patients with seizure and primary care givers in selected Hospitals at Salem. OBJECTIVES To develop and validate Self Instructional Module regarding promotion of safety measures for patients with seizure and primary care givers. To assess the knowledge score on Safety measures regarding seizure management before and after exposed to SIM among patients with seizure and primary care givers. To find out the association between pre-test level of knowledge with selected demographic variables (Age in years, Educational status) RESEARCH HYPOTHESES: (Level of significance p H1: The mean post-test knowledge score after exposed to SIM will be higher than the mean pre-test knowledge score among patients with seizure. H2: The mean post-test knowledge score after exposed to SIM will be higher than mean pre-test knowledge score among primary care givers of patients with seizure. H3: There will be significant association between the pre-test knowledge level on promotion of safety measures among seizure patients with their selected demographic variables. H3(a): There will be significant association between the pre-test knowledge level on promotion of safety measures among seizure patients with their age. H3(b): There will be significant association between the pre-test knowledge level on promotion of safety measures among seizure patients with their educational status. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 1. Effectiveness: In this study Effectiveness refers to the significant difference in mean pre test and post test knowledge score regarding promotion of safety measures on management of seizure among the samples. a). Knowledge of patients with seizure : In this study , it refers to the level of information which is known by the patients with seizure regarding promotion of safety measures which includes drug regimen; marriage and pregnancy ; relaxation therapy and safety measures on management of seizure which will be assessed by using a structured questionnaire, with Multiple choice questions . The scores will be interpreted as below 50% Inadequate knowledge; 50% 75% moderate knowledge and above 75% adequate knowledge. b). Knowledge of primary care givers of patients with seizure: In this study; it refers to the level of information regarding promotion of safety measures which includes care of patient during and after seizure by the primary care giver which is assessed by structured questionnaire that contains multiple choice questions. The scores will be interpreted as below 50% Inadequate knowledge; 50% 75% moderate knowledge; above 75% adequate knowledge. 2. Primary Caregiver: In this study; it refers to a person who is being with the patient and giving care before, during and after a seizure attack. 3. Self Instructional Module: Section-1: For patients with seizure: In this study; it refers to a self explanatory guide regarding the promotion of safety measures on management of seizure. It gives information regarding meaning of seizure, its causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, complications, and management of seizure. Section 2: For primary care givers of patients with seizure: In this study; it refers to set of guidelines regarding promotion on care of patients with seizure for the primary care givers. It gives information regarding the care of patient during after seizure. 4. Patients with Seizure: In this study, it refers to individuals who are diagnosed as patients with seizure for the past one year and who attend the out- patient department for regular treatment in selected Hospitals at Salem. 5. Safety Measures on Management of Seizure: In this study it refers to the information regarding safety measures on drug regimen; relaxation therapy; care during and after seizure which should be followed by the patient to avoid physical as well as mental harm. 6. Demographic Variables: a) Age in years: In this study the age group from 20 to 60 years was included. b) Gender: It refers to the sex of the patient with seizure and primary care giver (male and female). c) Educational status: In this study primary school to post graduate level were included. d) Family member in health profession: In this study; it refers to the individual in the family who is working as doctor, nurse, physiotherapist or other health personnel. ASSUMPTION The knowledge on seizure and care during seizure is essential for people to lead a healthy life and to promote psychosocial well being. The improved knowledge will help in preventing the further attack of seizure. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION Formal permission will be obtained from the concern authority from the Neuro Hospital OPD where the study is conducted. Written informed consent will be obtained from the samples after explaining the usefulness of study. DELIMITATIONS Sample size is delimited to 30 patients on regular treatment and their primary care givers who attend OPD. Patients with seizure who are accompanied by primary care giver. Study is delimited to those who will be available for post test. SUMMARY This chapter dealt with the introduction, need for the study; statement of the problem; objectives; hypotheses; operational definitions; assumption; ethical consideration and delimitations.

Strategic Management Evaluation

Strategic Management Evaluation Strategic Management Evaluation Draper IT Strategic Evaluation ModuleBusiness Innovation Management 1.Introduction In today’s marketplace, businesses are constantly under to maintain profitability and competitiveness and their success or failure can depend on the quality of the strategic thinking and strategic management undertaken by the business (Campbell et al 2002). Thus in order to participate any level of strategic thinking or strategic management and undertake a strategic evaluation it is essential to understand exactly what a strategy is. Mintzburg (1987 cited by Campbell et al 2002) suggests the ‘five Ps of strategy; A plan; A ploy; A pattern of behaviour; A position in respect to others A perspective. Adding that it is not possible to see any of these P’s in isolation. However, this is a very simplified view of strategy and perhaps a much better definition from a business perspective is given by Johnson and Scholes (1999); â€Å"the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations.† Thus in essence a strategy is deciding what way is best and what tactics will be employed to achieve the business goals. Naoum (2001) suggests that developing a business strategy can take seven stages; Stage 1. Strategic Analysis Stage 2. Strategy Formulation Stage 3. Evaluation Of Alternative Strategies Stage 4. Strategic Choice Stage 5. Action Plan Stage 6. Strategy Implementation Stage 7. Strategic Control And Feedback The aim of this assignment is to undertake the processes required for some of the stages for the Draper Engineering case study, notably stages 1 to 4. This will be undertaken through the completion of the tasks shown in Figure 1. A copy of the complete case study can be found in Appendix One. Figure 1 Assignment Tasks 2.Task One – Strategic Analysis Strategic analysis is define by Morris (2001, p25) as â€Å"the collection and analysis of information relevant to the long term prospects of an organisation, comprising of both external and internal analysis† which is shown diagrammatically in Figure 2 Implementation Analysis Choice External Internal Figure 2 External Internal Strategic Analysis. Morris(2001) External analysis looks outside the organisation at the competitive environment to determine future implications, whilst internal analysis looks inside the business to identify strengths and weaknesses that will affect its ability to compete in the long-term (Morris, 2001). One tool used in strategic analysis is SWOT or TOWS analysis, an acronym for Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. It is a very powerful tool for understanding and decision-making for all sorts of business situation in order to focus on the things you do well, whilst reducing weaknesses to make the best possible advantage of opportunities available (De La Salle University, 2002). Further summary information on SWOT analysis can be found in Appendix Two A SWOT analysis was undertaken for Draper Engineering and the results are presented in Figure 3. Figure 3 SWOT Analysis For Draper Engineering Ltd 2.1Five Issues For Improvement By Draper Engineering Ltd. A Warehouse Management System (WMS) fully integrates warehouse management operations with the rest of the business, such as sales, purchase and accounts and subject to the installation the warehouse operations can be world class. However, this technology is not cheap and suitability can be dependant upon the type of solution sought, such as to build or buy (Frazelle, 2002) Draper should not consider implementing a WMS with no guarantees of the final contract as this would mean that although they would experience the benefits of the system, they would also have to shoulder the full burden of the costs with possibly no contract from either of these companies. In order to improve this situation and produce the best business solution for Draper Engineering they need to have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with each of the companies. An SLA is â€Å"an explicit statement of the expectations and obligations that exist in a business relationship between two organisations: the service provider and the customer† Verman (1999, p1). Were Draper to agree an SLA with the other parties this could ensure that not only would they be guaranteed the contract, but that they would also have a written document of the expectations of each of the parties involved in advance of implementing the WMS. Should these expectations be unrealistic, Draper could withdraw from the negotiations and reconsider their position with respect to the WMS without having incurred any expenses. The key issue identified here, is the ageing workforce of Draper, which can be explained by the work by Warr (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005) where he poses and answers five questions on the ageing workforce and job performance. Figure 4 illustrates his findings; Figure 4 Warrs Five Questions on Job Performance and the Ageing Workforce. Warr (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005, p764-765) The implications of Warr’s (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005) findings on Draper are profound, as many of the personnel issues experienced by Draper are explained in his work. The fact that the workforce is loyal is only to be expected and other benefits careful, reliable, knowledgeable and socially skilled, but unfortunately they are less willing to change, which may be why many of the new initiatives have failed. Also, the high turnover rate in e-commerce could be linked to younger staff (though the case study does not specify this. However, to improve the personnel structure at Draper, they have a number of options available to them; Change management. It is not enough to simple understand how change is going to be administered but it is imperative that staff understand why change is happening so that they can engage with the solution and the change. As part of the change management employers need to provide support and training to encourage staff buy-in and deal with any resistance upfront (Hiatt and Creasey, 2003. Prosci, 2006) Andragogical Training directed at older learners. Warr (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005, p764-765) states that â€Å"older people are slower and have more difficulty remembering, however, training can be adapted to an older person’s limitations and expertise†. One such method is referred to as andragogy, how adults learn. If Draper developed a training scheme that implemented an andragogical approach to training that targeted the older members of staff, they could experience very positive results from their staff, in the form of learning and motivation. Incentives for younger staff to reduce absenteeism and retain staff. Although Drapers need to look after their loyal team of workers it is essential that they can actively encourage younger members to the team and reduce the turnover in this area. One such method is to introduce incentives into new contracts which actively encourages longevity of service, such incentives could include; Annual incrementing pay scales Flexi-time Annual leave rewards for zero absenteeism Team building exercises Gift vouchers Purchase schemes for personal IT equipment at corporate reductions The fact that Draper Engineering have a large product development team is a strength of the business, however, spending the majority of their time improving existing products and solving customer complaints is a fundamental weakness; Draper’s need to be looking to the future and their long term goals, which should involve new product development. To overcome this problem and move the business forward, a small working group should be set up within the department, consisting of the most motivated and technically up-to-date members of staff to brainstorm and generate project ideas that can be developed into new products. This has an added benefit of staff participation and ownership which encourages the desire to succeed as the products are their own ideas. Generally speaking the term outsourcing means to transfer previously internal products or services to an outsider provider (Roeben, 2004), which is as it suggests is where a third party carries out functions which was previous undertaken within the business. However, in the case of Draper Engineering, a medium sized IT business, it appears that they have outsourced their core competency, which is the means by which they should be able to separate themselves from their competition. The decision to outsource the IT division is a fundamental error to the business and weakens their internal and external strength, that they are particularly vulnerable from competition from Hardy’s to whom they originally outsourced. To overcome this problem and improve the company position radical action is required such as; Diversify into new areas. Insourcing Collaboration with Hardy’s for key contracts. If Drapers’ is to survive in the long term they need to resolve this fundamental issue and redefine their core competencies in order to compete effectively in the market place. In addition to outsourcing a core competency, the IT division, being a fundamental error, it is also had a negative effect on Draper’s reputation. Simply by virtue of the fact that Draper’s originally undertook this work, previous customers are making their complaints to Drapers, which indicates that customers or potential customers still make the association and are dissatisfied with the service. It is essential that Drapers rectify this problem otherwise they are likely to experience a backlash in other areas of their business. To improve the situation Drapers have two options; Act as consultants for Hardys on Draper products Instead of letting the reputation of Draper’s be damaged by Hardy’s lacklustre performance, Drapers could offer to act as consultants on the major products and services they previously provided. The benefit of this action to Drapers could be twofold, the reputation of their business would be saved and would also generate revenue for the value of the consultation work. Re-Establish IT Division If Hardy’s were unwilling to agree to a consultant agreement, it would be possible for Drapers to re-establish the IT division once again and encourage previous customers (existing Hardy’s customers) back to them through promises of commitment to service and new product development. 2.2Other Tools For Strategic Analysis. In recent years business practices have evolved in terms of thought, practice and analysis tools. Consequently there are a large set of analytical tools which provide insight, identifying capabilities and strategic options (Khosrowpour, 1998). A SWOT analysis of Draper Engineering Ltd has already been undertaken; however this does not scratch the surface of the analysis tools available. Other suitable tools for analysing Draper Engineering would be; PEST or PESTEL Analysis PEST is an acronym for Political, Environmental, Social and Technological factors whilst PESTEL is extended to include Economic and Legal factors. PEST analysis is a commonly used tool for analysing the external environmental influences on a business, Figure 5 illustrates the PEST grid and the areas that should be considered (Gregory, 2000) Figure 5 PEST Analysis Matrix. Gregory, 2000 The benefit of undertaking a PEST analysis for Draper Engineering is that it would be undertaken in addition to the SWOT analysis and give a good understanding of the global and external environment; however it is essential that Draper follow the PEST analysis with how to respond to these issues and not simply see these points in isolation. Together PEST and SWOT analysis are able to look at the global picture and then the specific detail of the business Porter’s Five Forces Another tool for analysing the external environment of a business is Porter’s Five-Force Model, it is however one of the most influential models for assessing the nature of competition. As the name suggests opportunities and threats are assessed by analysing five forces; Figure 6 illustrates the model. Porter (1980, cited by Campbell et al, 2002) suggests that the five competitive forces shown in Figure 6 determine the nature of competition within an industry. Thorough understanding of each force enables the production of a competitive strategy that embraces the forces, rather than working against them and enable the business to position themselves to take advantage of opportunities whilst minimising threats (Campbell et al, 2002) Draper Engineering would need to undertake this form of analysis in addition to SWOT and PEST to gain the most detailed picture for an effective strategy. The benefit of Porters Five Force Model is they would be able to identify who they are competing against in the marketplace, it currently appears that they are suffering threats from their customers who are refusing price increases and wanting price reductions; and Hardy’s whom Draper outsourced their IT division to are a threat either from the provision of substitute products or directly competing as a new entrant in the same field. Whilst some of these issues were covered in the SWOT analysis, Porter’s five forces views the business solely from the competition perspective that it offers a very focussed approach. Intensity of rivalry in the industry Threat of substitute products Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat from new entrants Figure 6 Porters Five-Forces Model. Porter (1980, cited by Campbell et al, 2002) 3.Task Two – Strategic Choice Macmillan and Tampoe (2001 p132) state â€Å"choice is at the centre of strategy formulation, if there are no choices to be made there can be little value in thinking about strategy at all.† Adding that there are limitations to the range of choices such as small businesses are limited by their resources and large companies are unable to change quickly or are restricted by decisions made in their past. However, in good management the â€Å"strategic choices have to be challenging enough to keep ahead of competition but also have to be achievable† Macmillan and Tampoe (2001 p133) Akin to strategic analysis, strategic choice has a large number of tools available to help focus thinking and produce solid strategic decisions. Two such tools available to Draper Engineering Ltd are; Ansoff Matrix Porter’s Generic Strategy 3.1Ansoff Matrix Igor Ansoff was the first to suggest the diagram shown in Figure 7, for structuring choices of which products or services to offer in which markets. Present Market Need New Market Development Diversification (related or unrelated) ‘Do Nothing’ Withdraw Consolidate Market penetration Product Development PresentProduct New New Market Geography Present Figure 7 Ansoff Matrix. Ansoff (1987 cited by Macmillan and Tampoe, 2001 p137) The axes of the diagram are; Macmillan and Tampoe (2001, p135-137) Product – including services and any form of offering Market Need – any group of potential customers whether defined by their needs, inclinations or income bracket Market Geography – geographical location For the present market geography the model defines four cells, with the top left representing the present status of the business. Movement within or away from this cell represents the possible future choices about products and markets. Macmillan and Tampoe (2001, p135-137). Figure 8 summarises the strategy for each quadrant. Market Penetration Product Development Market penetration is the name given to a growth strategy where the business focuses on selling existing products into existing markets. Market penetration seeks to achieve four main objectives: Maintain or increase the market share of current products. Secure dominance of growth markets Restructure a mature market by driving out competitors. Increase usage by existing customers A market penetration marketing strategy is very much about â€Å"business as usual†. The business is focusing on markets and products it knows well. It is likely to have good information on competitors and on customer needs. It is unlikely, therefore, that this strategy will require much investment in new market research. Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets. This strategy may require the development of new competencies and requires the business to develop modified products which can appeal to existing markets. Market Development Diversification Market development is the name given to a growth strategy where the business seeks to sell its existing products into new markets. There are many possible ways of approaching this strategy, including: New geographical markets; for example exporting the product to a new country New product dimensions or packaging: for example New distribution channels Different pricing policies to attract different customers or create new market segments Diversification is the name given to the growth strategy where a business markets new products in new markets. This is an inherently more risk strategy because the business is moving into markets in which it has little or no experience. For a business to adopt a diversification strategy, therefore, it must have a clear idea about what it expects to gain from the strategy and an honest assessment of the risks Figure 8 Summary of The Ansoff Matrix. Tutor2u Limited (2006) Thomas and Egan (1998) identify that the Ansoff matrix is suitable for both situation analysis, ‘Where are we now?’ and directional policy modelling, ‘where do we want to be?’, adding that it excels at profiling product/market alternatives whilst identifying the risks of different strategic options. Curtis (2006) however suggests that to use the model effectively needs the ‘X’ factor, imagination, without which it is difficult to identify what new products your existing customers may want. This tool would be particularly useful at Draper Engineering as it would identify exactly what their current market position is in terms of products and customers. It appears from the case study that whilst they currently have four major European car manufacturers and two American truck manufacturers as customers, there is no clear description of the products and services that they provide. Ansoff’s matrix would focus their attentions to what it is they produce and where they would like to go in the future, as it seems to date that although they are willing to try new strategies there is little coherence in their intensions or achievements. Additionally, whilst Draper have started developing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems and their associated software there is little suggestion of imagination in their approach, SAP and Oracle were marketing their ERP systems in the late 90’s early 00’s and are now the principle vendors, that if Draper are to enter the market now almost 6 years later they are entering as underdogs. Such analysis using Ansoff would identify a need for greater imagination in identifying the next big trend, one in which Draper could be involved in from the outset rather than midway through the product lifecycle. 3.2Porter’s Generic Strategy. Porter (1979 cited by Gilligan and Wilson, 2003, p2) states that â€Å"a firm’s relative position within its industry determines whether a firms profitability is above or below the industry average, the fundamental basis of above average performance in the long run is sustainable competitive advantage†. Competitive advantage can be of two basic types: low cost or differentiation, which combines with the scope of activities to produce three generic strategies for achieving above average performance (University of Cambridge, 2006), illustrated in Figure 9; Cost leadership Differentiation Focus Cost focus Differentiation focus Competitive Advantage Lower Cost Differentiation Competitive Scope Broad Target 1. Cost Leadership 2 Differentiation Narrow Target 3a. Cost Focus 3b.Differential Focus Figure 9 Porters Generic Strategy. University of Cambridge (2006) 1. Cost Leadership 2 Differentiation In cost leadership, a firm sets out to become the low cost producer in its industry. The sources of cost advantage are varied and depend on the structure of the industry. They may include the pursuit of economies of scale, proprietary technology, preferential access to raw materials and other factors. A low cost producer must find and exploit all sources of cost advantage. if a firm can achieve and sustain overall cost leadership, then it will be an above average performer in its industry, provided it can command prices at or near the industry average In a differentiation strategy a firm seeks to be unique in its industry along some dimensions that are widely valued by buyers. It selects one or more attributes that many buyers in an industry perceive as important, and uniquely positions itself to meet those needs. It is rewarded for its uniqueness with a premium price. 3a. Cost Focus 3b.Differential Focus The generic strategy of focus rests on the choice of a narrow competitive scope within an industry. The focuser selects a segment or group of segments in the industry and tailors its strategy to serving them to the exclusion of others. In cost focus a firm seeks a cost advantage in its target segment Differentiation focus a firm seeks differentiation in its target segment Figure 10 Summary of Porters Generic Strategy. University of Cambridge (2006) Following a cost leadership, differentiation or focus approach has advantages to the business; however it is the strategic choice to decide which option to follow. The University of Salford (2006) identify some anticipated benefits of each of the strategic options (Figure 11); Cost Leadership Earn high profits because its costs are lower than competitors charging a similar price Charge a lower price than competitors so increasing sales and market share Enter new markets charging a lower price than competitors Differentiation Sell their products at a premium price Create a barrier to the entry of new competitors Earn above average profits by reducing elasticity of demand for the product. Focus Does not require so many resources as a broad strategy Allows specialisation Lowers the cost of entering new markets for small firms. Figure 11 Benefits Of The Strategic Options Identified In Porter’s Generic Strategy. University of Salford (2006) However, when Porter developed the strategy he argued that an organisation that did not choose between a cost leadership or differentiation would be ‘stuck in the middle’ and consequently he believed they would not achieve competitive advantage. Subsequently one of the criticisms of the model is that it is possible to have a hybrid strategy that combines low cost with differentiation. A further criticism is that low cost itself does not sell products, customers have other reasoning such as quality that affects their decision. That said in the case of Draper and many other businesses Porter’s generic strategy is a very useful tool for understanding how to achieve competitive advantage. 4.Task Three – Strategy Selection As Macmillan and Tampoe (2001, p132) state â€Å"choice is at the centre of strategy formulation†, but selecting an appropriate strategy and direction from all the available strategic choice tools can be a difficult decision. To overcome this problem and ensure that each option is fairly and equally assessed a further evaluation tool or framework may be used, examples include RACES (Haberberg and Rieple, 2001 cited by Evans et al, 2003), SCARE and CARES standing for Resources, Acceptable, Consistent, Effective and Sustainable. However a more popular framework is the SFA framework (Evans et al, 2003; Little, 2006) Suitability – does the proposal fit with the organisations strategic plan or organisational values? It is essential to identify if a particular option would make full use of an organisations strengths, whilst avoiding its weaknesses or any external factors such as changes in legislation or government policy (Butler, 2001) Feasibility – can it be carried out and will the desired results be available in the timescale? In many cases the feasibility of any option is limted by the firm’s capacity and resources (Butler, 2001) Acceptability – whilst being more subjective, relating to organisational values, this is key to whether the strategy will cause any major crises with stakeholders. Some stakeholders may find one option appealing whilst it is decried by another, this is particularly the case in partnerships and small firms where one wants to grow the business whilst the other wants to consolidate the business (Butler, 2001). To which a fourth criterion has been added; Achieving competitive advantage – this can be low cost or differentiation, as explained in Section 3.2. In order to implement this framework, it is essential to set an initial basis for comparison; for Draper like any business this could be a baseline scenario of do nothing, absolute or relative positioning or finally comparison with industry norms. Once this initial phase of preliminary analysis is complete, it is necessary to develop scenario’s within which to analyse various strategies, which are compared with the initial baseline scenario. The final stage of preliminary analysis is to narrow the range of options to a limited number of strategies in order to undertake a more detailed analysis, this can be achieved through ranking and decision trees. It only on completion of the preliminary analysis, that it is possible to undertake an in-depth assessment using the SFA framework. Based on the choice of strategies in Section 3, Ansoff Matrix and Porter’s Generic Strategy; Draper would need to collate data on their position within the industry, though they would need to decide on the basis for comparison for scenario examination. Finally, whilst there appears to

Too Much Information? :: Information Management Learning Essays

Too Much Information? The "pervasive, invasive information infrastructure...is as much a part of our lives as religion was for medieval surfs" (Tetzeli 1994, p. 60). But is it too much? We've all seen the mind-numbing statistics about the exponential growth of information and of technological means of distributing and accessing it. However, some people question whether the problem really is one of overload. One source of the problem is actually the multiplicity of communication channels. Unlike earlier eras, such as when printing presses replaced manuscript copying, new technologies are not replacing older ones but are adding to the host of media choices (Davidson 1996). With these multiple channels the information flow is now simultaneous and multidirectional. However, most traditional information management practices are too linear and specific: they were pipes developed for a stream, not an ocean (Alesandrini 1992). The sheer quantity of information and the speed with which it can be acquired give an i llusion of accomplishment (Uline 1996). But what good is all this information if it is not usable? "Almost all our resources are dedicated to gathering the raw material--information--and almost nothing is spent on the most important job of transforming information into intelligence" (Milton 1989, p. 6). Milton suggests that it is possible to have "negative information"--that which causes the recipient to know less than before because it is not integrated, applied, and transformed into knowledge. Essential to information mastery is understanding the relationship between data, information, and knowledge (TAFE-TEQ 1992): data are raw facts and figures, information is data organized into a meaningful context, and knowledge is organized data (i.e., information) that has been understood and applied. Perhaps it is not too much "information," but an explosion of "noninformation" (Wurman 1989) lacking relevance, quality, and usefulness. What is needed is better judgment of the quality, accuracy, and reliability of what is received(Kinnaman 1994). According to John Seeley Brown, people may perceive overload because the information they receive does not fit into current mental models for understanding the world (Tetzeli 1994). The problem of information overload thus has both technological and human aspects. The solution is also two pronged: both technological--create better technological tools and make better use of them--and human--revise mental models and sharpen the capacity for critical reflection and analysis. I've Got to Keep Up! Many people believe they have to try to stay on top of information because of economic, social, and employment-related pressures.

What Is Music? :: Music

What Is Music? According to the dictionary music is having rhythm, melody, or harmony. But it's really underestimated, more so than anyone actually realizes! Music is a learning, a therapy, and teaching tool. Music adjusts our moods, and used throughout our lives. To lead a healthy life, we need to incorporate music. Whether playing it, listening to it, or using it. Music is therapy because of its positive changes in human behavior. The therapy consist of singing, playing instruments, moving to music, and listening to music. This builds your communication skills, motor skills and emotional development. Music comes into our lives at an early age. I wake up crying from a terrifying nightmare, looking around for my mommy. The light turns on. She comes up and sits on the bed, saying everything is O.K. I tell her a monster was coming after me, in between my heavy breathing, A light peaceful voice starts coming out of her mouth. "Rock a bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock." My eyes slowly shout and I'm back to sleep again. We learn music in Elementary School. Don't you remember learning your first song and singing it to all the parents? It's a great learning tool for the teachers. Music is everywhere including in an elevator. As I step in to an elevator, sea of staring faces and in an enclosed space, my heart beats a little faster. The first thing heard is the music, with its relaxing and calms melody. We have something for our mind to focus on, and not all the people around you or to remember that we're claustrophobic. Music is every where we go, even in store. What the purpose of this?

Social Affects on Neurobehavior Essay -- Biology Essays Research Paper

Social Affects on Neurobehavior "The brain does not exist in isolation but rather is a fundamental, interacting component of a developing, aging individual who is a single actor in the larger theater of life. This theater is undeniably social. . ." (1) For the past few weeks our class discussions have largely hinged on brain and neuron function and how this relates to behavior. Some students in the class have expressed a difficulty with the concept that brain equals behavior because they feel like this limits their individuality and choice if they are only a combination of inputs and outputs. As a student of the social sciences I question this thinking because behavior is not just limited by brain function but also by social constraints. People's actions are limited by values, norms and mores found in their respective environment. In my web research, and with help from Dr. Grobstein, I found a few sites dedicated to what is called 'Social Neuroscience' and some studies that have been done to show that in animals and humans social influences can have a direct effect on biological function from the release of certain chemicals to actual changes in receptors. The first site is run by Ohio State and tells the history of social neuroscience and looks at social factors and the immune system. The second is run by a professor in the United Kingdom looking at diet and criminality and the last is from Georgia State and looks at social status and defense mechanisms in crayfish. William James an American psychologist of the 19th century was one of the first people to state that there is a connection between neurophysiological processes and psychological phenomena (1). In 1992 John Cacioppo and Gary Bernstein determined that t... ... responsiveness even when the crayfish becomes the subordinate. So a change in the social status of the crayfish causes changes in the receptors for seratonin in the nervous system of the crayfish. This is a striking example of the social environment causing direct changes in the nervous system. As more and more research in this area develops, I am sure we will see an even stronger connection between social environment and the development and functioning of the nervous system and maybe gain more insight into why people behave the way they do. WWW Sources 1)Ohio State Social Neuroscience Laboratory http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/psych/s-psych/socnelab.htm 2)Crime and Nourishment http://mhnet.org/perspectives/articles/art03964.htm 3)Research: The Neural Bases of Behavior, (very interesting picture of the LG neuron) http://www2.gsu.edu/~biodhe/

Lis Pendens Essay

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The doctrine of lis pendens1contained in Section 52 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 (hereinafter â€Å"TPA†) and expressed by the maxim ut lite pendente nihil innoveturem bodies the principle of law that â€Å"†¦pending a litigation nothing new should be introduced, and provides that pendente lite2, neither party to the litigation, in which any right to immovable property is in question, can alienate or otherwise deal with such property so as to affect his opponent.†3 The basis of this doctrine rests on the idea that â€Å"†¦the very purpose of seeking relief against any grievance [through a judicial proceeding] would be meaningless and ineffective†4 â€Å"†¦if alienations pendente lite were permitted to prevail†5 as despite having a decree of the Court in his favor, the plaintiff would have to commence proceedings de novo in order to reclaim his rights from the person to whom the property right was transferred by the defendant. The do ctrine can be said to be an aspect of the principle of res judicata6and has its basis in â€Å"expediency and necessity of fine adjudication†7 and the need of having â€Å"finality in litigation†.8The doctrine is based on the notions of justice, equity and good conscience9 and has emerged out of public policy considerations.10 This paper deals with the doctrine of lis pendens as it is contained in the Transfer of Property Act 1882 and analyses the doctrine under the following heads: (A) Theoretical Basis (B) Essential Conditions and (C) Effect of a transfer pendente lite. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Why this project? This is a project in the subject of Property Law for the completion of assessment and evaluation as it is part of the curriculum. The above project titled ‘Doctrine of Lis Pendens (Section 52): A Critical Analysis’ is part and parcel of course of Property Law subject in eighth semester. The project lies for the complete analysis of the theme through which we will be able to find out and highlight the basis and their relevance in the subject. SCOPE The project deals with some of the questions arising out of Section 52 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 which deals with the transfer of immovable property pendente lite. The research will be restricted to the given topic and secondary sources are used for the purpose of this research. OBJECTIVE The objective of the research is to study in depth Section 52 and critically analyze it referring to various books and Law Commission Report. Also, to find out the limitations and loopholes which are there in the Section in light of different case laws and judicial pronouncements. HYPOTHESIS Pendency of a suit or a proceeding shall be deemed to continue until the suit or a proceeding is disposed of by final decree or order, and complete satisfaction or discharge of such decree or order has been obtained or has become unobtainable by reason of the expiration of any period of limitation prescribed for the execution thereof by any law for the time being in force RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Doctrinal Research This project is mainly the outcome of the library based research. The research is of the systematic exposition, analysis and critical evaluation of legal rules and their inter-relationships. Articles, books, case study and secondary data are referred for the literature review and reference and based on it analysis and conclusion are drawn. CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL BASIS This part will enquire into the theoretical basis of the doctrine of lis pendens. The broader question that is sought to be answered here arises in a situation when a person unknowingly acquires title to a property which is involved in a civil dispute which is yet to be decided upon. In this situation, the question that is often raised is that on what basis the rights of the ignorant transferee can be subverted under the doctrine of lis pendens in order to recognize the rights of the victorious party in the  dispute over the disputed property. Two theories have been out forth in this regard. The first theory states that a pending suit is a constructive notice to the entire world and thus an ignorant transferee is consequently deemed in law to be aware of the disputed condition of the property and is barred from making the claim that s/he was a bonafide purchaser.11 However this theory is being increasingly displaced by another which relies on public policy considerations to justify the doctrine of lis pendens. Accordingly â€Å"†¦the doctrine is not founded on any theory of notice at all, but is based upon the necessity†¦ [for] preventing litigants from disposing of the property in†¦such manner as to interfere with execution of the court’s decree. Without such a principle†¦ all suits for specific property might be rendered abortive by successive alienations of the property in suit, so that at the end of the suit another would have to be commenced, and after that, another, making it almost impracticable for a man ever to make his rights available by a resort to the courts of justice.†12 This theory does away with need of inferring a constructive notice from fact of existence of the dispute. The transferee’s rights are not affected because the suit amounts to a constructive notice but because â€Å"†¦law does not allow litigant parties to give to others, pending the litigation, rights to the property in dispute, so as to prejudice the opposite party.†13 â€Å"The intention of the doctrine is to invest the Court with complete control over alienations in the res which is pendente lite, and thus to render its judgment binding upon the alienees, as if they were parties, notwithstanding the hardship in individual cases.†14 It has been argued that such a stringent version of this doctrine imposes an undue burden on innocent purchasers who buy disputed property. This is particularly so in cases where the lis is not duly registered under Section 18 of the Indian Registration Act, 1908. The states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have enacted state amendme nts which restrict the application of this doctrine to the cases where the parties to the dispute have registered the lis under the Indian Registrations Act 1908. This affords protection purchasers who may not have any means of determining the existence of a dispute in relation to the property they intend to deal with.15 CHAPTER 3 ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS The following conditions have to be satisfied for the application of Section 52 of TPA: (I) A suit or proceeding â€Å"in which any right to immovable property is directly and specifically in question†16 must be pending in an appropriate Court (II) The suit should not be a collusive one. In such a case, the property â€Å"cannot be transferred or otherwise dealt with by any party to the suit or proceeding so as to affect the rights of any other party thereto under any decree or order which may be made therein, except under the authority of the court and on such terms as it may impose.†17 The following parts deal with each of these elements in detail. Pending Suit â€Å"A suit is commenced by the filing of a plaint, and appeals and execution proceedings are a continuation of the suit.†18 According to of Section 52 a transfer of property involved in a suit while the pendency of the suit is hit by the rule of lis pendens enshrined therein. For a suit to be pending the Court must have the necessary jurisdiction. In the absence of such jurisdiction, â€Å"the decree pronounced by the Court will be a nullity†19 and hence would not attract the rule of lis pendens. An appeal or execution is included in the continuation of the suit and the bar of lis pendens extends over such proceedings. â€Å"The explanation to the said section indicates that the pendency of a suit would encompass the stage after the final decree till complete satisfaction and discharge of such decree or order. It is, therefore, obvious that legislature †¦ has thought it fit to extend the scope and ambit of the terminology â€Å"suit† even for covering the execution proceedings in connection with decrees passed in such suits†20 A transfer made before the pendency of the suit is not subjected to this rule.21 A suit filed in a foreign court cannot be a lis pendens under this rule.22The rule cannot apply to properties situated outside India.23 Furthermore the right to an immovable property24 must be directly and specifically be involved in the suit.25 Suit must not be collusive Section 52 of TPA becomes operative as soon as a bona-fide suit is instituted which is not in any way collusive.26 A collusive proceeding27 is different from a fraudulent proceeding. In a fraudulent proceeding, the claims made are false and are instituted to injure the plaintiff. Whereas in a collusive  proceeding, there is a secret arrangement between the parties to the suit and the object of instituting such proceedings is to utilize the judicial forum to curtail the claims of bona-fide transferees over the disputed property.28 A collusive proceeding would bind the parties but not their transferees.29 CHAPTER 4 EFFECT OF TRANSFER PENDENTE LITE â€Å"The transfer when it falls within the mischief of [Section 52 of TPA] will be deemed to be non est for the purpose of lis pendens.†30 The right to the property will continue to vest in the transferor notwithstanding he transferred it. However, there is no indication in the section that the transfer is rendered void. Rather, the transfer has been held to be â€Å"valid and operative as between the parties thereto.†31 The doctrine of lis pendens merely subordinates the rights of the transferee to the rights determined by the Court upon the completion of the proceedings. If the rights do not conflict, then the transfer would act as a valid transfer. This is can be inferred from the words, â€Å"so as to affect the rights of any other party thereto under any decree or order which may be made therein.†32 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION This paper reviews the doctrine of lis pendens under Section 52 of TPA. It is evident from the analysis of the doctrine that the basis of the doctrine lies in public policy considerations and the expediency to ensure finality of litigation. While the doctrine does invalidate a transfer pendente lite it renders the rights of the transferor subservient to those determined by the Court in the ongoing proceedings. The doctrine demonstrates a classic case wherein individual rights of parties are rendered dormant to satisfy a public policy objective. The broad principle underlying Section 52 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 is to maintain the status quo unaffected by the act of any party to the litigation pending its determination. Even after the dismissal of a suit, a purchaser is subject to lis pendens, if an appeal is afterwards filed. If such a view is not taken, it would plainly be impossible that any action or suit could be brought to a successful  termination if alienations p endente lite were permitted to prevail. The explanation to Section lays down that the pendency of a suit or a proceeding shall be deemed to continue until the suit or a proceeding is disposed of by final decree or order, and complete satisfaction or discharge of such decree or order has been obtained or has become unobtainable by reason of the expiration of any period of limitation prescribed for the execution thereof by any law for the time being in force. INDEX OF AUTHORITIES 1. Legislations: a. Transfer of Property Act 1882. 2. Cases Cited: a. Thakurai Bhup Narain Singh v. Nawab Singh And Ors. [1957] AIR Pat 759 (HC). b. Bellamy v. Sabine [1857] (1) De G & J 566. c. Digambararao v. Rangarao [1949] AIR Bom 367 (HC). d. Lov Raj Kumar v. Daya Shankar [1986] AIR Del 364 (HC). e. Chanda Sab v. Jamshed Khan [1993] AIR Kant 338 (HC). f. Minakshi Saini v. Gurucharan Singh Sharma (2002) 2 Punj LR 439, 441 (HC). g. Simla Banking Industrial Co. Ltd. v. Firm Luddar Mal [1959] AIR Pun 490 (HC). h. Ghantesher Ghosh v. Madan Mohan Ghosh and Ors.[1997] AIR 471 (SC) . i. Umesh Chunder v. Zaboor Fatima [1956] AIR 593 (SC). j. Palani Chetti v. Subramanyam Chetti (1896) ILR 19 Mad 257. k. Sivaramakrishna v. K. Mammu (1957) 1 Mad LJ 14 (HC). l. Hans Nath v. Ragho Prasad (1932) ILR 54 All 159 (HC). m. Md. Shafiqullah Khan v. Md. Samiullah Khan [1929] AIR All 943 (HC). n. Gouri Dutt v. Sheikh Sukur Md. [1948] AIR PC 147 (PC). o. Nuzbat-ud Daula v. Dilband Begam 21 IC 570. p. Nagubai Ammal v. B. Sharma Rao [1956] 1 SCR 451 (SC) 3. Books: a. Sorabjee S, Darashaw J.Vakil’s Commentaries on the Transfer of Property Act (2nd Edn., Wadhwa Nagpur 2004). b. Bharuka G, Mulla: The Transfer of Property Act 1882 (10th Edn., Lexis Nexis 2006). 4. Dictionaries: a. Black H.C., Black’s Law Dictionary (4th Edn, West Publishing Company 1968). 5. Law Commission Reports: a. Law Commission of India, Section 52: The Transfer of Property Act 1882 and It’s Amendment (Law Com No. 157, 1998).

BTEC Business Unit 4 Assignment 1 Essay

An external purpose. They can be informal or formal. Written document sent through the post. Received by an individual or group. Written Non electronic but it can also be electronic using a word processor on a computer, but it can also be hand written but it has to always be sent by post or non electronically. -When a business sends a letter the letter can be kept as evidence if needed unless the recipient throws it out. -When a business sends a letter it can make the business seem more professional that and e-mail might not. -A letter can be sent anywhere in the world and to anyone that needs to read it. -It can contain detailed information such as figures. -It can be a lot easier to know a fake letter from a real one where as an email can be easy to fake. -It can take a lot of time to write and get the letter delivered to the recipient. -It is bad for the environment because its means you’re cutting down trees and will add to global warming. It would be a lot more eco-friendly to send e-mails. -The letter can be out of date by the time the recipient receives it because it takes a lot longer to deliver. -A single letter could be cheap to send but when a business needs to send hundreds of letters it can become very costly. For the most part it would be suitable to the majority of people, but a letter wouldn’t be suitable to blind people, children and people with little business knowledge who wouldn’t know a lot of the jargon. It also isn’t suitable to send an English letter to someone from a different ethnicity who cannot speak English. It wouldn’t be suitable for people with hearing impairment or if they are deaf. A possible adaption for the blind is the business could send the letter in braille or there are specialist programmes that can read letters back to you. If you were to send a letter to someone with little business knowledge they would send a simpler version with less jargon for them to understand. For children you would use a different method to try and communicate with them. An adaption for the deaf or someone who has hearing impairment you would send them the letter in a simpler vocabulary. Memo A memo is an internal form of communication and is intended for short messages between members of staff. Memos always have a title and it’s common to use simple bullet points in the main text. Written Mostly they are electronic and typed up on a word processor but they can also be non-electronic and be hand written and handed out internally throughout the business. -A memo I can be very inexpensive due to the hand circulation throughout the company and you don’t have to pay for any postage for the memo -It is convenient to read and write a memo because they are usually written in standardized form which makes them a lot easier and quicker to read and write than letters. -Memos are usually kept in office files or computers and because they store them they can be used for future references. -Memos are quick and easy to read. With the exchange of a memo everyone can interact with each other without disturbing there normal routine. -As memos are records of facts and decisions, they establish the accountability. So some businesses prefer to use memos even for small events and requests than phone calls or verbal conversations. -Memos are designed to only have one or two pages of information which makes them a difficult tool to use for discussing complex topics. -Memos are only meant to focus on a single subject, so they are not a good choice if you need to convey multiple topics to employees. -There is a formal tone to a memo which isn’t suitable for communicating sensitive information. -Memos send out the message that the decision has already been made and that you don’t get to give your opinion on the matter. Since a memo is sent out to employees of the company they would understand how to read and what everything means so you shouldn’t have to adapt any of the information to make it easier to understand, but it wouldn’t be suitable for the blind or those who are visually impaired. A possible adaption for the blind or visually impaired is to supply a specialist programme the will read the memo back to you or you could send out a braille version of the memo. If it is needed then they could also send out a simplified memo for the employees that find it difficult to understand. E-mail An E-mail is a powerful communication method for modern organisations. It is quick, easy to use and very cheap compared to letters and telephone calls. E-mails can be with the recipient within seconds and they give both parties a written copy of the message which can be used for reference. Because e-mails a digital they are extremely easy to store. An e-mail can be used internally and externally to a business depending on what you’re using it for. Written You can only send e-mails electronically -Emails do not use paper so it saves hundreds of trees being cut down and help reduce global warming. -E-mails are a lot quicker to send and receive than conventional mail and they are a lot easier to store than conventional mail because e-mails are all digital. -E-mails can be sent and received 24 hours a day 365 days a year so there is no limit to when you can send e-mails unlike conventional mail. -E-mails can hold attachments which make it easier to send larger files to people and it’s a lot cheaper and easier to view than conventional mail. -It is possible that when sending an e-mail you can accidently send viruses to the recipients and that virus will then go on to harm other files. -Many people send spam mail which makes it very difficult and time consuming to filter out all the spam from the important e-mails. -E-mails cannot be used for official business documents. They maybe lost and you cannot sign them. -Your mailbox might get flooded with emails after a certain time so you would have to clear it out from time to time. E-mails are suitable for communicating within a business and it is an easy, fast and often reliable service of communicating within a business informally or formally. E-mails are suitable for almost everyone. It could become difficult for someone who isn’t used to using e-mails and computers to get used to. This can cause complications between employees in the workplace. It can also cause problems to the blind and those who are visually impaired. If you are emailing someone from a different ethnicity it can be difficult to translate. It also wouldn’t be suitable for the people who do not A possible adaptation for the visually impaired is the zoom feature that is on most computers which will zoom in on the e-mail to make the font larger and make it easier to read, an adaptation for the blind would be a programme on the computer that will read out the e-mail for the user. Another adaption for emailing someone from a different ethnicity is a translating programme that will translate to the language of your choice. Fax A fax is an image of a document made by electronic scanning and transmitting it through the telephone system Written and non written because you can send images through the fax machine as well as written messages. You can only send faxes electronically through the telephone system -You only need a fax and a telephone line to be able to fax documents to someone. -It is a lot easier to fax a letter to someone, than trying to tell it to someone over the phone. -The recipient will have a physical paper with your signature on it if needed which you could not give to someone by phone. -With a fax machine you can quickly send documents from one building to another without the need to rely on other messaging services or other potentially costly document sending services. -Because a fax machine provides the sender with a receipt after the document has finished moving through the fax process, the user has evidence that he did actually send the document he claims to have. -Fax machines are not environmentally friendly they can require a lot of paper depending on what you are faxing. -It ties up the phone line while a document is being sent o received which means you cannot use the phone line if you are faxing. -Documents you have sent via fax are not as safe and secure as other type of communication methods. -There is a higher chance of losing faxes which could potentially be important and a lot of space is consumed for the storage of the printed faxes. -There is no guarantee that the faxed hard copy will be produced clearly, sending a clear copy doesn’t always mean a clear copy will be received. Faxes are suitable for sending single documents to another building. They’re also relatively fast and easy to send from building to building and it gives you a hard which can be used as evidence. Faxes will not be suitable for the blind or people who are visually impaired. It wouldn’t be suitable for people who don’t know much about the business your faxing them about. A possible adaptation for the blind or for people who are visually impaired is to send that fax and get them to scan it in to the computer so it can read it back to them and they can then make a reply or do what has been asked in the fax. If it has any business jargon you would send a simplified version to the people who aren’t used to being involved in all the business jargon. SMS SMS is a text messaging service component of phone, web or mobile communication systems, which allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices. Written and non written because it is also possible to send multimedia via SMS such as pictures and short videos. You can only send SMS messages electronically. -There is no time limit that you can send SMS messages they can be sent at any time and any day of the year. -The recipient of the text message doesn’t have to have their phone switched on to receive it. -SMS messages can save time rather than interrupting someone with a phone call. -The messages can be sent easily and very quickly so it takes less time to send SMS messages than it does to make a phone call. -With an SMS you can get straight to the point unlike phone calls where you can be distracted by what the other person is saying. -Text messages are also cheaper to send than phone calls so it saves the business money. -SMS messages are also very convenient and simple to send because almost everyone in business owns a mobile phone so they can send SMS messages. -Only short messages can be sent or it will cost more money to send a long message via SMS. -Needs relatively nimble fingers to be able to type on a small mobile phone keypad. -It can take some time to create a message if you are not familiar with the text speak shortcuts. -It can sometimes take a while for the message to arrive at the recipients’ phone if the network is busy. -The cost to send an SMS message internationally can be very expensive due to the network charges. -SMS messages are informal and shouldn’t be used for serious or formal messages. SMS messages are suitable for mostly everyone even the younger children because the messages are shorter and more to the point so they wouldn’t have to read it for a long period of time. It might not be very suitable for the older generation that isn’t used to using the new technology and mobile phones. It also wouldn’t be suitable for the blind or people who have visual impairment because they wouldn’t be able to read the messages. A possible adaptation for the blind or those who are visually impaired is to get an application that reads the message out loud to you. Another adaptation would be to send a simplified message to children to try and keep them concentrated on what you want them to do. Telephone / Mobile Phone Telephone calls are still very useful for fast communication, enabling quick feedback and discussion. Modern telephone facilities can allow conference facilities so that a number of people can be involved in the same conversations. Non Written. You can only make phone calls electronically. It is also possible to make phone calls off a computer which makes it very easy and convenient to make a phone call. -It’s a fast and relatively reliable form of communication and you can contact anyone anywhere as long as they have a network connection. -When using a phone you can get an instant response without the need of waiting like conventional mail. -With mobile phones it’s an easy and convenient method of communication because a lot of people carry a mobile phone with them everywhere. -It helps you easily get a hold of someone in an emergency situation because of how convenient and simple a mobile is to use. -You cannot see the persons face so you can’t tell if the person is being serious or not and you can’t see their body language. -Anyone can get your phone number and can start cold calling you, and start distracting you from what you need to be doing. -If you need to call someone in another country the cost of the call can be very expensive due to the connection charges. -You cannot keep it as evidence because there is no solid evidence of what was said unlike a letter or e-mail. -It’s more difficult to avoid misunderstandings you cannot use visual behaviour to get feedback on whether or not your message is being understood or if there are things left unsaid. Phone calls aren’t suitable for people with hearing impairment or deaf people. They also aren’t suitable for children because it would be difficult for some young children to stay concentrated for the whole of the conversation. A possible adaptation for children would be to use another method of media to try and communicate to keep them interested in the conversation. An adaptation for people with hearing impairment or people who are deaf would be a specialised programme on the pc that would type out what the other person is saying so you could read it out on the screen. Video Conferencing Video conferencing allows two or more locations to communicate by simultaneous two-way video and audio transmissions. Non Written. Video conferencing can only be done electrically they can now be done off mobile phones which make them very easy and convenient to do they’re also getting cheaper for companies to set up. -Video conferencing is environmentally friendly because there is no need to travel around to go to meetings you can do it from your own office. -You can conference from anywhere in the world from a computer for next to no cost at all. -You can have a meeting with people from many different offices and counties without anyone having to travel. -it’s more personal than a phone call because you can see their face and see how they react to some of the things you might be saying unlike the phone call where you can only hear their voice. -You can all view a document on the screen at the same time, and people can work together and add their own ideas. The document can be emailed to everyone when the conference has ended and there is no need to print things off like in a normal meeting. -Video conferencing can also be done over the internet for a relatively small cost but it wouldn’t be as good quality or the response times will not be as good as if you pay for the equipment. -Business-level conferencing facilities can be very expensive and everyone who is going to attend to the conference needs access to suitable hardware and software. – A reliable, fast data link is required; many companies hire a connection specifically to allow conferencing to take place which can also be very expensive. -Even with a fast connection there can be some delay between responses, especially if one of the people in the conference is on the other side of the planet. -If the hardware breaks for any of the participants then they cannot attend the conference / meeting. -People could be in different time zones which could mean that someone would have to stay up throughout the night just to attend the conference. -There is nothing better than a face-to-face meeting to try and get to know someone. Video conferencing may not be that suitable for the older generation who aren’t used to using all the new technology. It also wouldn’t be that suitable for children because they may not know how to use it or they may not be able to concentrate on what everyone else wants to talk about. It’s not as suitable for the deaf or for people with hearing impairments because they wouldn’t be able to hear what anyone is saying. It’s not the best for the blind or people who are visually impaired but it’s better for them than it is for the deaf. A possible adaptation for the deaf or the hearing impaired is to have someone sign everything that’s being said or have a programme on the computer type up what everyone’s saying. A possible adaptation for the elderly is to have someone teach them how to use the technology so they can then use it for themselves. An adaption for the children would be to try and use some sort of multimedia such as a DVD to teach them or even the internet because it might keep their attention better. Unit 4 Assignment 1 Below is a suggestion for the table layout needed for Assignment 1. Please remember to read the brief carefully and check the unit specification. Obviously you will need to add extra rows.