Reading More Books Essay Example for Free

Reading More Books Essay How to encourage your children to read more books Ten great ways to develop your children’s desire to read book By Chris Barnardo Reading is great for both you and your children and is a fantastic form of relaxation and escapism. Reading books helps your children develop their language skill, extend their vocabulary and their understanding of the world. Your children’s spelling and writing skills are also improved by regular reading. Reading can be especially helpful to your children when they are going through difficult times in their lives, such as the separation of parents,  starting a new school, the death of a loved one, bullying, or puberty. A good book gives them a mental place to go where the day to day worries aren’t so ever present, it gives them new people to meet and gets them involved in other people’s stories. Reading develops your children’s creativity. It’s better than the television, because when children get involved in the book they are reading, they imagine the characters and scenes, which paint all kinds of Fill your house with books and give your kids their own bookshelf This is especially important if they don’t live with  you, because any way you can make your place feel like their home, is good, and having their own favourite books in a special place is perfect. Read to your children Set up a routine of a bedtime story or chapter from their book. Bedtime reading is a great routine to get into because it is a perfect relaxing bridge between the excitement of the day and sleep. It is also a special time for you to be together without the stresses and hassles of the day, a time when all is clam and you are just having fun together. However, don’t restrict yourself to bedtimes,  read to them whenever the opportunity presents itself. Read them funny or interesting stories from the newspaper when you spot them, save and read out a funny or moving poem before you eat a meal together; get them to read their homework out loud to you when they have done it. Page 1 of 2 wonderful images in their minds, in a far more interactive and satisfying way than television can ever do. reading encourages your child to be creative and think for themselves. So, everyone knows how good reading is for their children, but how do you encourage them to read, or read more. Here are ten top tips to get you started and get your children reading books. Listen to audio books in the car on longer journeys Audio books make every long journey an adventure in itself. If the story is good and the narration is well done, the journey will flash by and when you reach your destination you may even find yourselves wanting to stay in the car to hear the end of the story. They can be expensive, but most stories will bear repeated listening and the library lend out audio books for free. Don’t be a book snob Children are inspired to read by all kinds of  different books, graphic novels, magazines, web blogs, manuals, science fiction, or teenage romance for example. Let them get interested in reading in whatever form that takes to start with, once they get into the habit of reading this will expand to take in a wider and wider choice of material over time as their friends introduce them to new books and ideas.  © C. Barnardo dadcando 2008 How to encourage your children to read more books Talk though the story when you read it Chat about the characters in the story. If it is a novel then talking about the main character’s  motivations, asking what your children think the characters are going to do next, or what is going to happen in the story, all add weight to the experience of reading. Ask questions about the writer’s style, or the way the writer describes the scenes will help your children get the most out of the story and will help them in a very subtle (but powerful) way with their own written schoolwork and homework assignments. Discussing stories and listening to what your children have to say about the characters and the situations they encounter in the book will tell you a lot about  what your child is thinking, and help you understand them better. At weekends or on holidays make a treat of getting magazines Magazines have short articles about things they like, horses, cars, fashion, gossip, TV soaps, toys, console games, and popular science for example. If they really like a particular magazine then consider buying a subscription to it for them as a birthday (or other special occasion) present. Give books as gifts Take the trouble to go to the bookshop at the weekend or browse the second hand book shop for interesting titles and involve your children in  choosing the best book as a gift. When giving a book, especially to your children, always write their name and the date and a short message in the book inside the cover or on the flyleaf. Then they’ll always know it’s theirs and know that you think that it is a precious gift that you have chosen specially for them. Choose material that they like There is plenty of time to discover the classics. To start with choose books that you know your children will like. Choose different books to read to them than those which they are going to read to themselves. When you read to them, you can pick books with exciting or thrilling stories that may have longer words in then they would be able to read themselves. (Always explain a word or phrase if you think that they don’t understand it). Perhaps you have seen a film that you all liked, get the book that inspired the film and read that. If they are reading to themselves, a graphic novel or even a comic is an excellent way to start reading around a film story. Have a word of the day Reading is as much about exploring language and the way stories are told as it is about the stories  themselves. Look on the web or in a dictionary and pick a word of the day which you can all learn together. The word you choose can be gross or exciting, different or funny, long or strange but above all make sure that it is useful in some way. Get everyone to make up a sentence with the new word in it and give a point or star for the best sentence. If they want, let your children each find and tell their favourite new word of the day. A good time to do this is at meal times when you are all together. *** For some ideas on a few good books that your  children might like, have a look at dadcando’s what we like this week column or dadcando’s recommended â€Å"Superb kid’s books† on dadcando’s â€Å"Be Inspired, be inspiring† pages. Get a poetry book and occasionally read them a poem Poems are fabulous for evoking emotions and feelings. The best poems condense and capture descriptions of scenes or feelings in a very powerful way, bridging the gap between stories and songs. Inspire your children with poems and they will remember lines from them, and the times you read to them, for the rest of their lives. Page 2 of 2  © C. Barnardo dadcando 2008.

Total Hip Replacement Surgical Approach Health And Social Care Essay

Total Hip Replacement Surgical Approach Health And Social Care Essay The two most commonly used and described approaches to Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) are the anterolateral and the posterior. The anterolateral or modified Hardinge approach involves a skin incision over the greater trochanter, over or parallel with the shaft of femur. The incision is often curved posteriorly at its proximal end. Dissection is then undertaken to take advantage of the intramuscular plane between the tensor fascia lata and the gluteus medius. In the direct lateral or Hardinge approach, the acetabulum is exposed by a partial or total release of the abductor muscles (gluteus medius and minimus). This was originally achieved by a trochanteric osteotomy or detachment at their greater trochanter insertion3 described by Watson-Jones 4 and then subsequently modified by Charnley.5 The anterolateral or modified Hardinge approach, as used in Tayside, involves detaching the anterior third of the gluteus medius and minimus. This minimises the risk to the superior gluteal nerve and limits damage to the abductors.6 This modification from the original technique was described by Harris7, and Muller.8 The posterior approach involves a skin incision over the posterior aspect of the greater trochanter, proximally following inline with the gluteus maximus and distally the lateral shaft of the femur. A blunt dissection of the gluteus maximus follows emerging posterior to the abductor muscles. The external rotators (piriformis, superior and inferior gemelli and obturator internus) are then detached at the femoral insertion and reflected exposing the capsule and acetabulum.3 It was originally described by Langenbeck, and subsequently Kocher9 and finally Gibson.10 There have been numerous studies but there is still professional disagreement about which approach is the most effective for primary total hip arthroplasty. Many of the studies that have been undertaken over recent years have been considered to be deficient in both quality of study design and quantity of patients in the study sample. The Cochrane review considered four studies sufficient but only one of these included functional outcomes with the Harris Hip score.11 The study in the Cochrane review was done by Barber et al, it was limited in size, 49 patients, with a relatively short follow-up.12 Dislocation rates between these approaches have been looked at in some depth. Many studies have found a difference, while others havent. The difference is often considered minimal if good tissue repair is used in the posterior approach.13,14,15 Where this is the case, the implant has been shown to have half the amount of internal rotation (anteversion) when placed using anterolateral approac h as opposed to the posterior approach.16 This is a retrospective study aiming to use large sample groups to answer the null hypothesis that there is no difference between an anterolateral approach and a posterior approach with regards to functional outcome scores (Harris Hip Score and Trendelenburg Test for primary total hip replacement surgery). It also aims to answer the null hypothesis that there is no difference functionally in patients that suffer post-operative dislocations. To do this it will look at the pre-operative scores and post-operative scores comparing any gain or loss in function for each patient. The reasoning behind using Harris Hip Score and Trendelenburg Test is that these are commonly used, meaning any conclusions can be easily related to clinical practice. Dislocation rates between the two approaches will also be compared. Materials and Methods: The data used within this project was collected under the Tayside Arthroplasty Audit Group (TAAG) database. The objective of the TAAG database is to evaluate the clinical performance of all hip arthroplasties or hip resurfacings in Tayside. Initially there were 8153 cases with data for primary hip arthroplasties (resurfacings were not included), of these 6350 cases had undergone either an anterolateral or a posterior approach to the surgery. For this data the aim was to look at pre-operative Harris Hip score results and Trendelenburg tests and again at 1-year post-operatively. Due to this, the data was further screened to ensure that each patient had a complete set of data for these tests. Some cases didnt have data correctly collected or alternatively were not followed up at 1-year post-operatively. The resulting number of cases was 3416 with 1001 having suffered a complication within the 1-year period after surgery. These complications were medical and surgical. Not all of these co mplications had a direct effect on the function or rehabilitation of the joint. The choice of Harris Hip score and Trendelenburg Testing to test functional ability has been shown to be clinically relevant as a reference tool for assessment of improvement or deterioration of the hip joint, particularly pre-operatively and at 1-year.17,18 The Harris Hip score assesses pain, ability to complete basic tasks, deformity of the joint, and range of movement out of 100. The functional score removes the subjective areas of the full score looking specifically at functional ability out of 47. Trendelenburgs test is specifically looking at abductor deficit, although it has its recognised disadvantages.19 The need for experienced interpretation of the Trendelenburgs test is its main disadvantage, otherwise you can get false-negatives and false-positives very easily. It was considered only relevant to look at results post-operatively at 1-year, as from a patients perspective this is often the expectation of relative normality. From a surgical point of view, secondary complicat ions such as loosening of the prosthesis and deep infection are less likely to be apparent at 1 year but will have presented at 5 years.20 The TAAG database is a rolling audit of all elective hip arthroplasties or resurfacings done in Tayside. Any patient who is undergoing either of these procedures will be considered for inclusion. Exclusion criteria for audit enrolment are a previous total or cemented/uncemented hemi-arthroplasty of the affected hip or inability/unwillingness to participate in the follow up programme. If a patient consents for involvement they will be assessed pre-operatively and post-operatively, this includes radiography to assess prosthesis positioning. Data for Harris Hip Scores and Trendelenburg Test are collected at each assessment. Post-operative follow-up is at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years and then every 2 years thereafter until the prosthesis fails. Operative procedures, local practices, technique used, antibiotic coverage, theatre type, and any other regimes are all recorded. If a patient suffers a complication, details of it, management, and final outcome are all recorded. All data is collected in the same format, if any clinical issues for a patient are found that patient will be referred back to the supervising consultant for review. The data available had a large range of implants used and was also unspecific for consultant surgeon who undertook each procedure. Positive (2)On comparing the difference between pre-operative testing to post-operative testing the groups four possible results were seen. As the outcome for Trendelenburg is categorical, each result was given a value, the pre-operative result was simply added to the post-operative, as is shown in Table 2, giving an option of 1-4. For a negative to negative (1) result the anterolateral group was 59.89% and the posterior group was 51.38%. For a positive to negative result (2) the anterolateral group was 34.39% and the posterior group was 46.40%. This shows the posterior approach corrected a Trendelenburgs positive test in 12.01% more cases than the anterolateral approach. For a negative to positive (3) result the anterolateral group was 3.52% and the posterior group was 0.55%. This shows that the anterolateral approach caused a Trendelenburgs positive test in 2.97% more cases than the posterior approach. For a positive to positive (4) result the anterolateral group was 2.18% and the posterior group was 1.65%. When comparing the two groups as a whole, a statistical significance was found (p=

Industrial Process Validation of Tablets: A Review

Industrial Process Validation of Tablets: A Review Abstract Tablets are used most in health care. They must be manufactured to the best quality. Process validation can assure the tablet products meet the pre-determined quality and can be reproduced consistently within the established limits. This review gives an introduction and general overview on process validation of tablet formulation. It is a requirement for good manufacturing practice and other regulatory requirements. Keywords: Process validation, Tablets, Validation protocol, Process design Introduction Tablets are the most widely used solid dosage form of medicament. It has number of advantages over other dosage forms, such as: simplicity, lowest cost, high convenience, dosage accuracy and stability of drug substance. Tablet as a dosage form comprises a mixture of active substances and excipients, usually in powder form, pressed or compacted into a solid dose. The excipients can include diluents, binders or granulating agents, glidants and lubricants to ensure efficient tabletting; disintegrants to promote tablet break-up in the digestive tract; sweeteners or flavors to enhance taste; and pigments to make the tablets visually attractive. A film coating is often applied to confer specific advances, including protection of the drug from the surrounding, modifying drug release, masking unpleasant taste or odour of the drug, improving product appearance, making it easier to swallow and so on [1]. Process validation is required by the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) to consistently produce a desired quality product. In FDA guidance, process validation is defined as the collection and evaluation of data, from the process design stage through commercial production, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering quality product 2]. Process validation involves a series of activities taking place over the lifecycle of the product and process. Thus it requires the manufacturer to collect data throughout the whole product lifecycle and evaluate it scientifically and assess if it supports a quality process. Process validation establishes the flexibility and constraints in the manufacturing process controls in the attainment of desirable attributes in the drug product while preventing undesirable properties [3]. Successful process validation contributes significantly to assuring reproducible drug quality in large scale manufacture, and may reduce the dependence on intensive in-process and finished product testing. To validate the process used in the manufacture of tablets product and for revalidation in case of any change in the manufacturing process or any change in the composition of any ingredient. Traditionally, a minimum of three successive separate successful process batches are required to demonstrate consistency of the reproducibility. The manufacturing process should be controlled and all pre-specified product specifications should be within limits. However, the FDA considers a reduction to three batches as too simple for being able to prove validity of quality product [4]. The emphasis for demonstrating validated processes is placed on the manufacturer’s process design and development studies in addition to its demonstration of reproducibility at scale, a goal that has always been expected [4].The FDA encourages the use of science and risk-based approaches to determine the number of validation batches. The FDA guidance describes process validation activities in three stages [2]à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ Process Design: The commercial manufacturing process is defined during this stage based on knowledge gained through development and scale-up activities. Process Qualification: During this stage, the process design is evaluated to determine if the process is capable of reproducible commercial manufacturing. Continued Process Verification: Ongoing assurance is gained during routine production that the process remains in a state of control. In FDA guidance, it indicates a large change of regulatory requirement from â€Å"quality by test† to the current â€Å"quality by design† throughout the lifecycle of the product and process. This regulation requires manufacturers to design a process, including operations and controls, which results in a product meeting pre-specified attributes. These encourage the use of sound scientific pharmaceutical development concepts, quality risk management, and quality systems at all stages of the manufacturing process life cycle. Thus we can using not only commercial-scale studies data including process qualification, but also those such as determination of CQAs and identification of process variables from laboratory experiments and pilot scale trials conducted during the process design stage. The goal of stage 1 is to design a process suitable for routine commercial manufacturing that can consistently deliver a product that meets its quality attributes. The number of validati on batches for Stage 2 is determined by process knowledge obtained from Stage 1. In Stage 3, it requires a life-cycle approach with continuous verification and adjustment for improvement. When companies do a better and more systematic approach of process development depending on their experience and knowledge, then they will understand their processes and process control better and manufacture a robust product. REASON FOR PROCESS VALIDATION: Validation offers assurance that a process is reasonably protected against sources of variability that could affect production output, cause supply problems, and negatively affect public health [2]. The possible reasons cause variability may include [5]: New product or existing products as per Scale-up and Post-approval Changes. New formulation. Change in formulation. Change in site of manufacturing. Change in batch size. Change in equipment. Change in process existing products significantly. Change in the critical control parameters. Change in vendor of API or critical excipient. Change in specification on input material. Abnormal trends in quality parameters of product through review during Annual Product Review (APR). Trend of Out of Specification (OOS) or Out of Trend (OOT) in consecutive batches [6]. TYPES OF PROCESS VALIDATION: Prospective validation is carried out during the development stage by means of a risk analysis of the production process, which is broken down into individual steps: these are then evaluated on the basis of past experience to determine whether they might lead to critical situations. Concurrent validation is carried out during normal production. This method is effective only if the development stage has resulted in a proper understanding of the fundamentals of the process. Retrospective validation involves the examination of past experience of production on the assumption that composition, procedures, and equipment remain unchanged; such experience and the results of in-process and final control tests are then evaluated. Revalidation is needed to ensure that changes in the process and/or in the process environment, whether intentional or unintentional, do not adversely affect process characteristics and product quality. VALIDATION TEAM: Multidisciplinary teamwork is required for conducting and monitoring validation studies. Personnel conduct such studies should be qualified by training and experience. The working team would usually include the following staff members to work together to be effectives: Head of quality assurance: Responsible for coordinate the entire validation process and schedule meetings with the team and review validation documents. Preparation of validation protocol, supervising the process, analyzing data and test results and preparing the final report. Head of engineering: Responsible for qualification and calibration of all the processing equipment/instrument/utilities and maintains its efficacy during the manufacture process. Validation manager: Responsible for the review of process validation protocol and execution of process validation. Also responsible for evaluation of results. Production manager: Responsible for verification of process validation protocol and to ensure operation of the production equipment and support systems in order to manufacture the product within its design limits /specifications/ requirements. Head of Quality Control: Responsible for verification of process Validation Protocol, report and co-ordination to ensure operation of the Lab instrument and support systems in execution of the validation process. Process validation protocol: A validation protocol showing how validation will be performed, including test parameters, product characteristics, production equipment, and decision points on what constitutes acceptable test results [8]. It should include the following items: Purpose Scope Responsibilities of assessment team Acceptance criteria Critical process and product parameters Product details Reference documents for method of manufacturing and testing Reason for validation Bill of raw materials Equipment details Process flow chart Critical process stages to be validated Summary of validation batch Remarks Evaluation of results, conclusion and recommendations VALIDATION REPORT: At the end of the Process Validation a Validation report is need to be prepared. The tests results and conclusions of Validation Protocol documented and summarized in a process validation report. The validation report should include the following items: Aim of the validation study Batch No. and Batch size Process summary Verification of critical process controls Conclusion Attachments Industrial process overview of tablet manufacturing: Process validation of manufacture tablets involves all the critical parameters challenged in pharmaceutical unit operations like dry mixing, granulation, milling, blending, lubrication, compression, coating, etc. Tablet manufactured process overview is showed in figure 1. A general process steps and product parameters inclusion in the process validation protocol is summarized in table 1. Several process parameters which need to be tested in the manufacture process may have some impact on production of tablets. When understanding of these parameters and their interactions with the respective processes, it will collect rational data for the building of validation evidence and fixing the optimum process parameters. Every processing step is validated for all batches and the results obtained must be present within the acceptance criteria. Throughout manufacturing certain procedures should be validated and monitored by carrying out appropriate in-process controls and finished product tests [9]. In-process tests and finish product tests during tablet production see Table 2. The figure 2 and 3 illustrate sampling locations at wet granulation and blending stages. All validation of the manufacturing process and the in-process controls should be documented. Figure 1 Tablet manufactured process overview Table 1 Process and Product Parameters Considered During Tablet Dosage Form Manufacture Table 2 In-process controls and finished product tests CONCLUSION: The manufacturing process is released for regular production after careful evaluation of the validation documentation. The efficient process validation is a key element in the development of pharmaceuticals. Both experience and knowledge are important factor for ensuring successful process development and validation. The more you understand the process in the early stages, the less you will need to do to validate it later. A strong mentoring and training program is also attributed much. When the process variables were under control, it reveals that there was no significant variation between batch to batch. In product lifecycle, continued validation will help to ensure the pharmaceutical products with the quality and reproducibility. References [1] Pawar Avinash S, Bageshwar Deepak V, Khanvilkar Vineeta V. Advances in Pharmaceutical Coatings. International Journal of ChemTech Research, 2010(2, 1): 733-737. [2] Guidance for Industry: Process Validation: General Principles and Practices. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), January 2011. [3] Leon Shargel, Isadore Kanfer. Generic Drug Product Development: Solid Oral Dosage Forms [M]. Drugs and the pharmaceutical sciences, 2005(194): 121-123. [4] Questions and Answers on Current Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Guidance Practices, Level 2 Guidance Production and Process Controls. [5] Sharma Ajay, Saini Seema. Process Validation of Solid Dosage Form: A Review. International Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Science, 2013, 3(2): 12-30. [6] Jignakumari Manubhai Tandel, Zarna R Dedania and KR. Vadalia. Review on Importance of validation IJAPBC. 2012; 1(3). [7] WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations WHO Technical Report Series, No. 863 Thirty-fourth Report. [8] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guideline on General principles of Process Validation. Rockville, MD; May, 1987. [9] The Third Supplement to the Fourth Edition of The International Pharmacopoeia.

Political Correctness Essay -- essays research papers

Political Correctness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term â€Å"Political Correct† has been in the nation’s vocabulary for only a short period of time but has changed the way that we view life and communicate with one another. Political correctness, politically correct, and P.C. are terms that refer, to a social idea that is characterized by efforts to redress, mainly by the use of language, real or supposed discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, nationality, disability or any other criteria that could offended a particular group .The main goal behind political correctness is to prevent the exclusion or the offending of people based upon differences or handicaps. In an essay written by Michiko Kakutani entitled The Word Police , she examines the idea of political correctness and questions society for taking a good idea and making a mockery of it. Kakutani is quick to point out in her story that know one can argue that the moral idea’s behind being political correct are wrong but that those in potions of authority have gone completely out of control trying to rewrite the view of the world in a rigid unyielding style that forces words and phrases into the minds of ever person in America. Groups like the MLA (Modern Language Association) have taken words that have been used for centuries and have created new ones overnight that are political correct and non offensive, the problem is that society is not prepared to be political correct overnight and who is to judge w...

Summary of the Film Hero :: essays research papers

The Film, Hero In the Oxford Dictionary, Favorite is described as something or someone that you like, In this matter that something is the film called â€Å"Hero.† Roughly based on an assassination attempt of China’s first emperor Chin Shi Huang Di, the motion picture â€Å"Hero† discusses the life of a ancient warrior. The story describes the journey of a sword master who was determined to slay the king of the province Qin, the future emperor of united China. With the help of three assassins who’s goal in life was the death of the Qin King, the nameless warrior gets a chance to crush the future emperor China. This film consists of many twists and turns making it very exiting and unpredictable. This movie was a combination of calm and spectacular battle scenes which gives you the need to be one of the characters from the flick. The amazing actions scenes just leap out of the screen and the film is still able to touch your heart. In every second of this film, you can feel it’s powerful emotions, which gets you so caught up in the world of the movie, you hate to the return to present day world. This film dazzles it’s viewers by its vivid colours and the whole movie is a painting in motion. My favorite scene of â€Å"Hero† was the amazing but aggressive action scenes and also the deep drama it created. The plot of the movie was incredible. Though â€Å"Hero† was a spectacular film there were some things that I did not enjoy like, the film was much too serious and I did not like the factor that most of the movie was in flash backs. From intense action scenes to emotional drama, I think this film can

Is Poetry Dead Essay

Yes, poetry is dead to some extent. Poetry in the classical sense is dead anyway, but there is still poetry in today’s society. We may not look at it in the same way we did years ago because it has changed. We as a society do not take the time to read as we once did, to understand and enjoy literary text. I agree with Wexler’s statements â€Å"we have become lazy and lack the knowledge, commitment, and patience to understand and enjoy poetry. † I myself do not understand poetry and do not want to take the time to read enough of it to understand it. According to Wexler â€Å"It is difficult to imagine a world without movies, plays, novels and music, but a world without poems doesn’t have to be imagined. † It is difficult to imagine such a thing but if we look closely we might find poetry in all of those places. Today’s society is a fast-paced one and the entertainers have adapted to this way of life. They make novels into short stories on film, leaving out critical parts in the novel, to appease our appetites for entertainment on a tight schedule. â€Å"My interest waned,† writes Wexler. â€Å"On the surface, I suppose it was because I had other interests that demanded my time and attention: I got married, had children, pursued my career, bought a house. With apologies to Frost, I began to find more relevance in articles about interest rates than essays on the sprung rhythm of Hopkins. † With the computer age comes less time to sit and read for pure entertainment. There are video games, internet and such that replace the enjoyment of a good book. People do not sit and discuss a good book as they once did; we discuss the latest movie or play instead, because we feel that these things take up less of our time than reading. I myself only read when I need to and even then I usually skim through to get the highlights. But as to the art of poetry being dead all together as Wexler’s states I disagree. We can find poetry everywhere if we look. Look at some of the modern music of today’s society it is there form of poetry. According to Kay Day, â€Å"I have a theory about that, one that rests on the fact that poetry has splintered into a number of different factions. There is poetry for the page, a type of poetry that appeals to those who enjoy scholarship and intellectual challenges. Then there’s slam poetry, popular among youth, that relies on thumping rhythm and aggressive rhyme. Formal poets espouse rhythm and meter based on traditional forms such as the sonnet. Personal poetry, also known as journal poetry, serves up stockroom emotions in a variety of forms, and this poetry usually reflects the writer’s emotional state in a familiar way. † I agree with this statement the world has changed and evolved to view poetry in many different lights. Some food for thought, in doing research I also found a couple of articles that I found interesting and another reason that poetry could not be dead. Victor Infante, â€Å"If Wexler had made one iota of effort, he’d have noticed a few things: like thousands upon thousands of people attending recent poetry festivals in locales as diverse as Orange County, California, and Austin, Texas†¦ Or the 10,000 people who attend the National Poetry Slam Finals annually†¦ Or the fact that poetry sales have been rising for years now, even through the bad economy. Poetry has actually transformed over the years, and it’s quite possible that Wexler has missed the boat. So, Bruce, here’s the crash course: Poetry is no longer insular — it’s a living, growing, vibrant art form. Poetry is no longer the province of the white middle class — it’s been embraced by youths and minorities. Poetry is not uncool — why else would teenage black kids in inner cities so proudly proclaim themselves poets? † Justin Barrett, â€Å"We have done away with the oral tradition and our culture morphed into a televised tradition. Poetry doesn’t work well in the televised world, and it all but disappeared. But, with the advent and spread of the internet, poetry is once again given the space to flourish. As of right this second, Googling the word â€Å"poetry† yields 19,700,000 separate hits. † Works Cited Day, Kay. â€Å"Why Poetry† First publication, â€Å"Uncommon Ground,† at Jacksonville. com, the Florida Times-Union Net site, July 15, 2003 http://kayday. com/why_poetry. htm Infante, Victor. â€Å"Once Again, Poetry Is Dead? It must be true, because Newsweek said it† 2004-2005 Atlanticrock. com http://www. atlanticrock. com/OpenMic001. html Barrett, Justin. â€Å"Poetry Isn’t Cool† http://www. myfavoritebullet. com/ESSAY_barrett_POETRY_isnt_COOL. html.

Swot Analysis of Carnival Cruiselines

Strategic management is important to the success and expansion in most businesses. What is Strategic management? It is the art and science of formulating, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enable an organization to achieve its objectives (slide 1-4, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). Why would this information be vital to Carnival Cruise? The annual revenue for just the U. S economy was 37. 85 billion dollars and the annual increase for the company is 7. 4% (Cruise Ship Industry Statistics).That is a huge profit margin and is vital reason why the cruise industry takes strategic management so seriously. Strategic management also helps companies figure out how to create better and more profitable business strategic plans. This helps Carnival Cruise make tough decisions biased among many decisions. Let’s start with Strategy formulation. It starts with the company having a vision and mission statement. It also helps identify the strength s, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) (slide 1-8, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management).Why does a successful company need this? It helps determine what ventures to leave behind or enter. It helps reduce wasting resources and helps improve how companies operate. It also can prevent hostile takeovers and guide paths in international markets or expanded operations to diversify. Strategy implementation also called the action stage going to help Carnival develop annual objectives, policies, motivation tactics, and allocate resources (slide 1-10, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). Strategy implementation is very important stage. Only 19. 9% of the U. S. opulation has taken a cruise and of that 19. 9% the average age of a passenger is 50+ years old (Cruise Ship Industry Statistics). To maintain a high profit margin a company needs to find ways to save on expanses and entice new customers. It is especially important in today’s economy because many people are saving and not spending on luxury items. Strategy evaluation is how companies can review external and internal factors that are the bases for current strategies, measuring performance, and taking corrective actions (slide 1-11, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management).Carnival Cruise understands this and uses it to gain a competitive advantage. Let’s start with the company’s vision statement. â€Å"To consistently provide quality cruise vacations that exceed the expectations of our guests† (Carnival Team). This helps a company figure out what path it wants to take. Many companies view this as the first step in strategic planning (slide 1-16, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). Vision statements are underestimated in many businesses. It can help draw the team together and provide a universal goal.Carnival Cruise’s vision statement is short, sweet and direct to all who read it. A mission statement provides identifi cation for many companies and answers the question of, â€Å"what does our business portray or do? † Carnival’s mission statement is, â€Å"Our mission is to take the world on vacation and deliver exceptional experiences through many of the world’s best-known cruise brands that cater to a variety of different geographic regions and lifestyles, all at an outstanding value unrivaled on land or at sea. † They have one of the better mission statements compared to other competitors.It lets all know who the customers are (everyone in the world are customers), what products are offered (vacations), and what markets (different geographic regions) and technology (best-known cruise brands). It does all this while identifying Carnival’s philosophy and self-concept. The mission statement does not cover survival growth, public image or concern for employees. Leaving these areas out of their mission is hurting the company especially concern for survival and grow th. There are many individuals that want to go on a cruise but choose not to.Not being concerned with survival and growth limits future customers. The mission statement wants to be a value unrivaled on land or sea but does not want to bring in new customers. Having an amazing deal but not tempting new customers really does no good. It will bring returning customers back but it needs to work on bringing in new financial opportunities.Carnival Cruises can prove they understand the importance of Vision and Mission statements because of their success record. It is important for the company to really change with the times and entice passengers to partake on one of their cruises. 36 million Americans have an intention to cruise in the next three years (Cruise Lines International Association). The average money spent per person per week on a cruise is $1,770. 00 (Cruise Ship Industry Statistics). Carnival can really increase their profit margin and gain loyal and satisfied customers just b y individuals that are already planning on taking a cruise.Those customers just need to choose which cruise they want to take. In order to have a happy and returning customer, Carnival Cruise needs to create their shared vision. This helps employees understand a mission and create opportunity and challenges within their work. Vision and mission statements should create an â€Å"emotional bond† and â€Å"sense of mission† between the organization and its employees (slide 2-11, chapter two of The Business Vision and Mission). A mission statement does not suppress management and employee creativity, but creates a guideline by identifying a generalization of the company’s mission.A SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) is also a very important concept for Carnival cruise. According to the â€Å"2011 Cruise Market Profile Study conducted by TNS; Carnival had a 94% satisfactory rating among its customers and 82% of the ship passengers feel that a cruise i s the best way to sample destinations (Cruise Line International Association). In order to keep up a positive customer image is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a company. Here is an example of Carnival’s SWOT: (Carnival Cruises SWOT Company Profile)Strengths Carnival is one of the world's largest cruise operators, has a large fleet capacity and operates 11 of the most recognizable cruise brand names.Their portfolio of brand names appeals to almost every niche market, from budget minded, contemporary to luxury cruises.They are such a large company that they have significant cost advantages over most of their competitors.Carnival is one of the profitable cruising companies. The company's average net income (FY2005 to FY2009) amounted to 18. 1% compared to the industry standard of 6. 3%.Carnival aggressively and effectively invests in print and television media. Their promotions target the lifestyles of each group of customers.   Carnival are â€Å"Fun Shipsâ₠¬  Holland America, a premium cruise, is promoted through the tagline â€Å"a signature of excellence† Seabourn, projects itself as â€Å"intimate luxury† while the Ocean Village projects as â€Å"the cruise for people who don't do cruises†.Carnival has a 47% market share in the UK, 68% in Italy, 51% in Germany and 45% in France.Weaknesses The net profit was $1,790 million in FY2009, a decrease of 23. 2% as compared to 2008.Carnival derives a majority of its revenue (nearly 52%) from US customers. In 2009 the revenue from the North American market registered a double digit decline.   The over-dependence on the US market makes Carnival vulnerable to the economic fluctuations of the American economy and this company is dependent on customers’ disposable income.Another weakness is that Carnival reports their financial statements in dollars. About half of their revenue is generated in a non-US currency, but is reported in terms of US dollars. The value of the dollar against Euro appreciated from 1. 60 in January 2010 to 1. 53 by April 2010 against the Pound. If the dollar strengthens it would record a lower revenue than is actually earned.In the middle of economic uncertainty Carnival has 13 ships under construction as of November 2009, and the estimated cost of all this growth is around $8. 2 billion. It is difficult at best to justify such a huge cash outflow in the middle of economic instability. This may result in consequences like huge debt burden on the balance sheet and reduced profitability.Opportunities The cruise industry has grown considerably in the past 10 years but still occupies a very small proportion of the global vacation market. Cruise lines accounted for only 4. % of the $542. 2 billion worth of the travel industry in 2009. While the revenue for cruises has declined in the US, it is growing in Europe and Asia, leading to more opportunities for Carnival to expand in these regions.They are planning to increase berth capacity for the European market 37% by 2012.Customers in Asia are now looking for luxurious cruises as a vacation option. Disposable income of the Chinese consumer has grown annually by 10% a year. The total number of passengers sourced from China increased approximately 74% in 2009 so the Costa Classica was launched specifically for this market.They are also planning to introduce the larger cruise liner Costa Romantica in 2010.Trends have shifted in the cruising industry towards the 45-60 year old age group. As this age group grows in population, Carnival can take advantage of the economies of scale and offer them the best prices.In July 2009, Carnival announced the union of Costa Europa with Thomson Cruises, a British Travel Company, under a 10-year bareboat charter beginning in April 2010. ThreatsCarnival has been taking advantage of special tax loopholes to avoid paying US corporation taxes. In 2009 the US government decided to look at closing those loopholes. If these loophol es are closed, it could affect their financial statements and fiscal bottom line in the future.The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has changed laws to reduce the sulfur content (emission) in fuel oil used aboard ships. This increases the demand for lower sulfur fuel, which raises the prices of the fuel. Carnival may have to deal with a significant increase in fuel prices.In 2009, Carnival experienced bad press when three passengers fell off ships in a three week period. There were a total of 22 incidents of passengers falling overboard in 2009. As of December 2009, Carnival was not required to report such incidents. Such events reflect negatively on the company and the industry.In December 2008, passengers on the Carnival owned Oceania cruise ship were attacked by Somali pirates. The ship sped away and no one was injured, but the threat of terrorism and pirates overtaking cruise ships is a concern for companies in this industry, and also negatively affect consumers’ per ceptions of cruising. The SWOT of a company is extremely important. It helps identify the strategic-management model. What is a strategic management model?It helps identify better strategies through the use of a more systematic, logical, and rational approach to strategic choice (slide 1-28, chapter one of The Nature of Strategic management). This all leads to a higher financial profit and happier customers for Carnival. Strategic planning is beneficial in so many ways. It helps improve communication, understanding and improving commitment. This all leads to a stronger company with a larger financial backing and loyal customers. Knowledge is power and it creates a high-performing firm or in this case a cruise company.